Shopping for a Meal in Kite Place

ANNOUNCER: Part 1. You will hear two neighbors who live in an apartment block talking about shopping for food. First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.

LEON: Hi, Shannon. How are you settling into your new flat?

SHANNON: Really well, thanks.

LEON: You look like you're going shopping.

SHANNON: Yes, I am. My cousins are coming to stay for a couple of days, and I have to cook for them.

LEON: Well, there are plenty of places to buy food in Kite Place. It's the area by the harbor.

SHANNON: Oh, OK. I'll find that on the map. Thanks.

LEON: What sort of food do you need?

SHANNON: Well, neither of them eats meat, but they both like fish.

LEON: There's a really good fish market there.

SHANNON: Oh great! Where exactly?

LEON: It's at the far end of Kite Place. Go over the bridge, then it's on the right.

SHANNON: OK. Is it open all day?

LEON: It closes at 4 pm, but it's better to go earlier because they can run out of things.

SHANNON: I definitely don’t want that to happen.

LEON: As long as you arrive by 3:30, it should be fine.

SHANNON: Right.

LEON: Do you need vegetables too?

SHANNON: Yes, and I want to avoid plastic packaging from the supermarket.

LEON: Then you should go to the organic shop. It's called Rose.

SHANNON: That's a nice name.

LEON: When you reach the market, you'll see a big grey building on the left. It used to be a warehouse.

LEON: There’s a restaurant upstairs now, and two shops on the ground floor. The organic shop is the one on the left.

SHANNON: That sounds easy to find.

LEON: There’s also a big sign on the pavement outside.

SHANNON: Great. If I need anything else, I might have to go to the supermarket.

LEON: There’s a minibus that goes there. It's purple, number 289.

SHANNON: That's really helpful, thanks.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.

LEON: So what are you planning to buy at the fish market?

SHANNON: I'm going to make a curry, and I need about 12 prawns.

LEON: They’ll definitely have plenty of those.

LEON: Have you ever tried samphire?

SHANNON: No, what’s that?

LEON: It’s a type of seaweed. You fry it in butter. It's delicious.

SHANNON: I might try that. How do you spell it?

LEON: S-A-M-P-H-I-R-E.

SHANNON: I'll also check what beans they have in the organic shop.

LEON: They sell lots of spices and things like coconut there too.

SHANNON: That’s perfect for curry.

SHANNON: For dessert I might get a melon.

LEON: Good idea. They also sell homemade bread. I like the brown bread.

SHANNON: That sounds nice.

LEON: They also sell tarts, especially strawberry tarts.

SHANNON: Perfect. Hopefully I won’t even need to go to the supermarket.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Part 1. You now have one minute to check your answers.

Children's Book Festival Highlights and Reading Tips

ANNOUNCER: Part 2. You will hear the organizer of a children's book festival giving some information about it on a local radio program. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

PRESENTER: The Children's Book Festival is coming up again soon, and here to tell us all about it is the festival's organizer, Jenny Morgan. So, tell us what we can expect this year, Jenny.

JENNY: Well, as usual, we've got five days of action-packed events for children, with writers from all over the country taking part.

JENNY: One of the workshops is called Superheroes. It's designed especially for deaf children, who will share their reading experiences with the author Madeleine Gordon, who is also hearing impaired.

JENNY: Another event is called Just Do It. This practical workshop is led by the illustrator Mark Keane.

JENNY: Participants will go on an imaginative journey to distant places and will have a chance to try some role play.

JENNY: The workshop Count on Me focuses on the topic of friendship for children aged 13–14.

JENNY: It looks at friendships described in popular books and encourages children to compare them with their own experiences.

JENNY: Speak Up is a workshop related to mental health.

JENNY: It is a creative writing session encouraging children to write about situations where young people experience loneliness.

JENNY: A recent survey showed that children can feel lonely even when they are at home with their families.

JENNY: Another popular book is Jump for Joy by Nina Karan.

JENNY: It tells the story of a girl's trip to visit her relatives in India.

JENNY: The book recently won a gold medal at the Waterford Awards.

JENNY: In the workshop, children will write a poem celebrating the idea of joy.

JENNY: Another event is based on the picture book Sticks and Stones.

JENNY: This book tells the story of a community organizing an African-Caribbean festival.

JENNY: During this workshop, children will have the chance to play steel drums.

JENNY: Because this activity is expected to be very popular, we recommend booking early.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the program, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

PRESENTER: Thanks, Jenny. Do you have a favourite book you could recommend?

JENNY: One book I'd definitely recommend is Alive and Kicking.

JENNY: The writer is a new author, and this is her first book.

JENNY: The story is written as the diary of a teenage boy from Somalia who moves to live in the UK.

JENNY: It deals with the issue of immigration and the difficulties he experiences at school and with language.

JENNY: Although it deals with serious issues, the book is actually very funny.

JENNY: It includes black-and-white stick drawings of the boy and his friends.

JENNY: At the end of each diary entry, there is a list of new English vocabulary the boy learns.

PRESENTER: That sounds great. Do you have any advice for parents who want their children to read more?

JENNY: One important thing is to read together with your child.

JENNY: Many parents stop reading aloud once children can read independently, but this can be a mistake.

JENNY: Reading more advanced books aloud helps to improve children's vocabulary.

JENNY: If parents don't have time, children can listen to audiobooks.

JENNY: Often children will want to read a book themselves after hearing it.

JENNY: It also helps to notice what types of books children are reading.

JENNY: Sometimes they read the same genre repeatedly.

JENNY: Parents can encourage them to try new authors and genres.

JENNY: And librarians can often give useful recommendations.

PRESENTER: Well, Jenny, that's really useful advice.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Part 2. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Part 2.

Designing a Mouse Diet Experiment in the Context of Science Teaching

ANNOUNCER: Part 3. You will hear a trainee science teacher called Clare talking about her practical teaching work to another trainee called Jake. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

CLARE: Hi, Jake. How are you getting on with the practical teaching?

JAKE: Oh, it's harder than I expected, but I've got some great classes. How about you?

CLARE: Not brilliant. I'm really struggling with my Year 12 science class.

JAKE: Hmm. Are they hard to control?

CLARE: Well, I don't have discipline problems as such. It's just that they don't seem to think that science has anything to do with their lives. It's depressing.

CLARE: They listen to what I say, and I gave them a test last week. The results weren't too bad, but there's no real engagement.

JAKE: Right.

CLARE: And as part of my teaching practice, I have to design an experiment for them to do.

CLARE: I was thinking about something related to children's diets, maybe asking them to record what they eat and linking it to their health.

JAKE: Hmm. That could be difficult. You would need access to medical records, and that could cause confidentiality issues.

JAKE: Even if the results were interesting, getting that kind of data would probably be hard.

CLARE: Right.

JAKE: Have you thought about doing an experiment using animals?

CLARE: Wouldn't that upset the students?

JAKE: Not necessarily. The animals wouldn't need to be harmed. You could simply observe how different diets affect them.

CLARE: Would I need permission?

JAKE: Yes, you'd have to submit an experiment outline and complete a form. But it's straightforward.

CLARE: But if a certain diet affects animals, that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing happens to humans.

JAKE: That's true. But every experiment has limitations.

CLARE: I suppose so. Maybe I could study the effect of nutrition on animals.

CLARE: For example, looking at food supplements like extra iron or protein.

JAKE: That might be too broad. Perhaps focus on one supplement, such as sugar.

CLARE: That's interesting. Maybe we could see whether mice control their own diet.

JAKE: Meaning if they have access to more sugar than they need, will they eat it anyway?

CLARE: Exactly. Or will they decide not to eat it?

JAKE: Later you could extend the experiment by adding another variable.

JAKE: For example, letting some mice exercise on a running wheel while others remain inactive.

CLARE: Or repeat the experiment using different food or mice with different genetic structures.

CLARE: But I like your idea. I might develop it further.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

CLARE: So, can I talk through the procedure for the experiment using mice and sugar?

JAKE: Sure. I did something similar at college.

CLARE: Great. How many mice would I need?

JAKE: About 12 mice, and they should all be young.

CLARE: So I'd divide them into two groups of six.

CLARE: I could mark one group with food colouring so I can tell them apart.

JAKE: Yes, that wouldn't harm them.

CLARE: Then each group goes into a separate cage.

CLARE: The first group would be the control group and eat normal mouse food pellets.

CLARE: The second group would eat the same food but also receive extra sugar.

JAKE: Maybe you could mix the sugar with cereal.

CLARE: Good idea. Then I would weigh the mice weekly.

JAKE: You'd need an electronic balance.

CLARE: But we can't hold them while weighing them.

JAKE: That's why you use a weighing chamber.

JAKE: It can simply be a plastic box with holes so the mice don't escape.

CLARE: After measuring the weight gain of each mouse, we can calculate the average and the standard deviation.

CLARE: Then we can analyse the results.

JAKE: Sounds good. I think the students will enjoy it.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Part 3. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Part 3.

Microplastics' Impact on Soil

ANNOUNCER: Part 4. You will hear part of an environmental science lecture about microplastics. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

SPEAKER: In today's lecture, I'm going to be talking about microplastics. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters in size.

Recently, there has been growing awareness of the large quantities of plastic waste in the environment. The amount of plastic waste in the oceans has received widespread attention, but far less is known about the effects of microplastics in fresh water and especially in soil.

Microplastics can enter the environment through several sources. One example is microfibers that detach from synthetic clothing every time they are washed in a washing machine, eventually entering the water system.

Another source is larger pieces of plastic already present in the environment that gradually break down into microscopic particles.

On a larger scale, factory waste can also introduce microplastics into the environment. Additionally, tyres release tiny particles as they wear down on road surfaces.

We already understand some effects of microplastics from studies on fish and other animals. Evidence suggests that microplastics can harm small organisms in various ways.

For example, they may damage mouths or affect feeding ability when particles become stuck in an animal's digestive system.

It may be surprising, but humans likely consume microplastics. These particles have been found in many types of food and drink, including bottled water and tap water.

They have also been detected in salt and many kinds of seafood.

However, it is important to note that there is currently no conclusive proof that microplastics cause serious harm to humans.

In many countries, including the UK, laws now prohibit manufacturers from adding plastic microbeads to products such as shower gels, facial cleansers, and toothpaste.

It is very difficult to estimate the total amount of microplastics in soil because they are difficult to detect.

We do know that microplastics can travel through the air and are deposited in soil through rain.

Another source is fertilizers used by farmers and gardeners, which can also contain microplastic particles.

A research team from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge studied how microplastics affect the digestive systems of earthworms.

Earthworms live in topsoil and are essential to agriculture. By feeding on soil, they mix nutrients into it, improving its fertility.

The researchers wanted to determine whether microplastics in soil, consumed by earthworms, would affect soil quality and plant growth.

The results showed that it did.

Researchers added three types of microplastic particles to soil and planted perennial ryegrass.

The plastics included biodegradable PLA and conventional high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

Earthworms ingested these particles and soon began to lose weight rapidly.

In addition, a lower percentage of ryegrass seeds germinated.

The researchers concluded that this happened because the worms could no longer perform their normal role of improving soil fertility.

The study also found an increase in soil acidity, mainly linked to particles of conventional HDPE plastic.

The study's conclusions highlight an important idea: soil should be viewed as a living system, similar to other natural processes.

Healthy soil depends on decaying organic matter continually passing through the bodies of earthworms.

When microplastics disrupt this process, the soil becomes impoverished.

This affects not only ecosystems but also human society as a whole.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Part 4. You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 4. That is the end of the listening test.

In the IELTS test, you would now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.