Cambridge 10 Listening Test 2 - Answers With Explanation

1. Luisa spells her surname directly: "It's Luisa ... Hardie. H-A-R-D-I-E."

2. "And can I have your address? — It's 19, White Stone Road."

3. The interviewer guesses "GT7" but Luisa corrects it: "It's actually G-T-8, 2-L-C" — the wrong guess is a distractor.

4. "I've actually just finished my training. I'm a hairdresser."

5. "Actually it's not for shopping today, but to see the dentist" — shopping is ruled out as a distractor.

6. "When I do walk and I'm doing a later shift, I think the lighting should be better."

7. "I don't think there are enough trains. That's why I don't use them — you have to wait so long" — she wants more frequent trains.

8. "Where I work there are no safe places to leave your bikes" — she needs safe storage for bikes.

9. "I'd have to cycle uphill and on a hot day I'd arrive at work pretty sweaty so I think I'd need a shower somewhere at work."

10. "I wouldn't be all that confident about cycling on such busy roads. I think I'd like to see you offering training for that."

11. "The idea for these initiatives came from you, the public, in the extensive consultation exercise which the City Council conducted last year" — local people (A), not the Council or SWRDC, who only funded and organised it.

12. The unusual feature is "up-to-the-minute features such as a recycling system for the water" — its method of water treatment (C).

13. The speaker addresses press worries by confirming the project is on schedule and "well within budget," showing the concern raised in the local press was about the cost of the project (B).

14. "There'll also be a competition for the public to decide which famous figure from the city we should have a statue of at the door" — that choice hasn't been made yet (A), unlike the opening date and the person opening it, both already decided.

15. "There is a section on Asia, and this is represented by rides and equipment in the shape of local animals" (E).

16. "Moving south to the Antarctic — we opted for climbing blocks in the shape of mountains" (F).

17. "South America — here the theme is El Dorado — games replicating the search for mines full of precious jewels" (D).

18. "Moving up to North America, the designers finally opted for rockets and the International Space Station" — space travel (H).

19. "Eastwards to Europe then... medieval castles and other ancient fortifications" — ancient forts (A).

20. "Moving south to Africa... to represent the great rivers of this fascinating and varied continent" — waterways (B).

21–22. Olivia asks Victor to describe "his passion for collecting things" (C), and though she suggests camping, Victor corrects her: "No, it was climbing that he spent his time on as a young man" (B) — camping and reading are distractors from Olivia's side of the discussion.

23–24. "They decided to experience living on a small island [B], to find out how harsh weather conditions shaped people's lifestyles [E, studying the impact of an extreme environment]." Learning survival skills was preparation beforehand, not the reason for going — a distractor.

25. "They thought that travel from the east was impossible, because of the huge, empty stretch of ocean that lies between the islands and the nearest land" — the distance of Eastern countries (A).

26. "I think it was more a matter of simply trying out his idea, to see if migration from the east was possible" — testing a new theory (C).

27. "The most important thing to him was to use authentic construction methods" (C).

28. He went "to talk to the local people about their old stone carvings and then make one himself" — to build a stone statue (A).

29. "To my mind, he was the first person to establish what modern academics call practical archaeology" — his influence on archaeological methodology (B).

30. "I thought the research methods he used were very sound, although I must say I found the overall tone somewhat old-fashioned" — the style is out of date (A), not the methodology or content.

31. "A really significant development will be a major increase in competition, with companies from all round the world trying to sell similar products."

32. "Mergers and takeovers mean that governments are actually losing power to major global corporations."

33. "In the rapidly expanding economies, such as China, Brazil and others, demand is growing very fast."

34. "Companies are consulting customers more and more before making their business decisions."

35. "Concerns about the environment will force manufacturers to accept more regulation."

36. "A greater emphasis within companies on teams created with a specific project in mind."

37. "Typical examples that will attract and retain staff are traditional ones like flexible hours."

38. "Above all they'll need great skills in leadership."

39. "The predominant style of management will almost certainly become more consultative and collaborative, caused above all, by more women moving into senior roles."

40. "More and more people are becoming self-employed, to gain the freedom and control over their lives."