Cambridge 10 Listening Test 4 - Answers With Explanation

1. "It's Edith Pargetter. P-A-R-G-E-double T-E-R."

2. Mr Thorndyke guesses "West Park Flats" (a distractor), but Edith corrects him: "No, actually it's East Park, Flat 4."

3. "Yes, it's at the back of the library."

4. "So would the best time to ring you be in the morning? — Yes."

5. "I always tell people in larger vehicles to park by the postbox on the other side of the road from the entrance."

6. "And will you be able to give me a full itemised quote? — Oh, yes, I'll list all the jobs separately with individual prices."

7. "The glass in the door is cracked and I'd like fixing. — I presume you mean replacing?"

8. "In the kitchen I'd like some painting doing. Just the area over the cooker. It's very greasy."

9. "What I'd need to do is strip the old paint and plaster first. It'll take about a week to do that part."

10. "Well, I'd like you to replace a fence. — Just one? — Yes, at the far end."

11. "The port of Manham developed here because it's the highest navigable point of the river — the perfect place for boats to unload cargo" — convenient for river transport (B).

12. "It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that Manham expanded... prospectors began to look for other minerals, and by the end of the nineteenth century, lead, copper, manganese and arsenic were added to the cargos" — driven by demand for metals (B).

13. "As demand grew, the smelting process required huge factory furnaces and there was not enough coal in the local area, so the rocks had to be transported elsewhere to be processed" — shortage of fuel (A).

14. "Sadly, workers were forced to emigrate out of the area" — the workers went away (A).

15. "The intention is to return Manham Port to the condition it reached at its peak as 'the greatest copper port in the country'" — rebuilding the port complex (C).

16. "Travel on converted mining trains."

17. "Please be warned that, like all mines, ours is very dark and closed in."

18. "Take a special look at our display of games, which is one of the largest in the world."

19. "It's recommended that you time your visit to coincide with a guided tour."

20. "Please take care going down the ladders — children should not use them."

21–22. Laura says she "got better at explaining things and asserting my opinions — communication" (A) and "got better at managing my time and prioritising things — organisation" (E). Her IT skills weren't new: "that didn't involve anything I hadn't done before" — a distractor.

23–24. Using an agency would have cost "250 per cent more" than her placement — a cost saving (B) — and "the new brochure looks really professional; it enhances the image of the company straightaway" — an improved image (C).

25. "You should start by getting their booklet. — Actually, they've got copies in the psychology department — I've seen them there" (D).

26. "One of the career officers would be better, they've got more knowledge about the jobs market than your personal tutor would have" — university careers officer (F), not the personal tutor (a distractor).

27. "You need to keep getting updates yourself by checking the website for new placement alerts. Your mentor is supposed to keep you informed, but you can't rely on that" — the internet (G), not the mentor.

28. "It is the company who notifies you if they want you to go for an interview. You get an invitation from their personnel departments" (B).

29. "Once you've had an interview you should let your mentor know what the outcome is" (E).

30. "Once you've accepted an offer you'll probably have to supply a reference. And that's something you should ask your own tutor to provide" (C).

31. "Society often gets the wrong idea about its capabilities. Numerous science-fiction books and movies have raised people's fears about nanotechnology" — it is misunderstood by the public (C).

32. "Some scientists have called for clear labelling. They believe that greater care should also be taken with nano-particles in laboratories and factories" — used with more caution (B).

33. "As far as I'm concerned there's a need to plough ahead with the discoveries and applications of nanotechnology" — the speaker thinks research ought to be continued (C).

34. "There could be a major breakthrough in the field of transportation with the production of more durable metals."

35. "Those same improved capabilities will dramatically reduce the cost of travelling into space making it more accessible to ordinary people."

36. "We need nanotechnology in order to create a new generation of computers with the memory of a supercomputer but the size of a sugar cube."

37. "Tiny airborne nano-robots could be programmed to actually rebuild the ozone layer."

38. "Nanotechnology will allow us to remove oil and other contaminants from the water far more effectively."

39. "In terms of production, you only use what you need and so there wouldn't be any waste."

40. "Tiny biosensors are developed to analyse tests in minutes rather than days."