Cambridge 14 Listening Test 1 - Answers With Explanation

1. The form field 'Nationality:' calls for a nationality adjective (a word typically ending in -an/-ish/-ese), capitalised. 'Canadian' fits directly — a single word naming where she is from.

2. The label reads 'Reason for visit: business (to buy antique ___)', so the gap needs a noun naming what kind of antiques she came to buy. 'Furniture' completes the phrase 'antique furniture' — one word, no article needed.

3. The address line reads '___ Apartments (No 15)', so the missing word is the name that precedes 'Apartments' in the building's name. 'Park' is the proper noun completing that name.

4. 'Items stolen: a wallet containing approximately £___' asks for an amount of money in pounds sterling. The answer is a number, not a written-out word, since the £ sign already appears in the label.

5. The second stolen item is asked for directly after 'a ___'; a single common noun for an everyday object is expected. 'Phone' is a short, singular noun fitting the gap.

6. 'Date of theft: ___' needs a date — day plus month, written as it would be said aloud (ordinal number then month name). '10(th) September' follows that pattern.

7. 'Location: outside the ___ at about 4 pm' asks for a place/building name. 'Museum' is a single common noun for a landmark — a specific place rather than a general area, which is what this question type usually tests.

8. 'Some boys asked for the ___ then ran off' — the gap is the thing the boys requested as a pretext before stealing. 'Time' is the expected one-word noun; asking a stranger for the time is a classic everyday detail that's easy to miss under exam pressure.

9. The suspect description continues '...slim build with ___ hair', so an adjective describing hair colour is needed. 'Blond(e)' is a one-word colour adjective; the bracketed 'e' shows either spelling is accepted.

10. 'Crime reference number allocated: ___' calls for a string of digits, given in two groups when read aloud. '87954 82361' requires accurate number transcription — a classic Section 1 test of digit dictation.

11–12. The question asks which TWO of five pieces of first-week advice the manager gives (get to know colleagues, learn from mistakes, ask lots of questions, react positively to feedback, enjoy new challenges). The confirmed pair is A ('get to know colleagues') and C ('ask lots of questions'); the other three are worded closely enough to sound plausible, which is exactly why 'choose TWO' items test careful listening across the whole list rather than stopping at the first plausible option.

13–14. This item asks which TWO things mentors can help apprentices with, from five options (confidence-building, career plans, difficult tasks, weekly timetable, reviewing progress). The confirmed pair is B ('making career plans') and E ('reviewing progress') — both longer-term mentoring support rather than day-to-day task help, which is what makes the other options attractive-sounding distractors.

15. 'Using the internet' is matched to B, 'There are some restrictions' — a middle-ground policy rather than the two extremes (fully encouraged / fully banned) offered as A and C.

16. 'Flexible working' also matches B, 'There are some restrictions' — again a partial/conditional policy rather than either extreme.

17. 'Booking holidays' matches C, 'It is against the rules' — the strictest of the three policy categories.

18. 'Working overtime' matches A, 'It is encouraged' — the company actively supports this rather than merely tolerating or banning it.

19. 'Wearing trainers' matches A, 'It is encouraged' — grouped with the positively-framed policies rather than the restricted or banned ones.

20. 'Bringing food to work' matches C, 'It is against the rules' — the outright-banned category, distinguishing it from policies that are merely limited (B).

21. Of the three claims about what surprised Carla and Rob, B — that coastal cities 'include most of the world's largest cities' — is the one confirmed. A and C make similar-sounding statistical claims, so this item tests whether you can match the right statistic to the right claim rather than just recognising the general topic.

22. The correct link Rob makes is between river-adjacent coastal building and pollution reaching the cities (A). B and C shift the consequence onto agriculture or the countryside instead of the city itself, which is the distinction being tested.

23. The mistake identified is a planning oversight — the channels 'did not allow for the effects of climate change' (C) — rather than a simple quantity problem (A) or a materials problem (B).

24. Their recommended immediate action is paying for a new flood prevention system (B), a direct infrastructure fix, rather than the longer-term environmental measures described in A and C.

25. The priority they agree on is greater coordination between countries (A) rather than simply exchanging information (B) or formally agreeing shared policy (C) — three related but distinct forms of international cooperation.

26. For the 'Historical background' part of their presentation, the plan is B, 'keep it short' — background context gets condensed so more time can go to the main analysis.

27. 'Geographical factors' is matched to A, 'use visuals' — geography lends itself to maps or diagrams rather than lengthy explanation.

28. 'Past mistakes' is matched to D, 'check the information is accurate' — since this section makes factual claims about what went wrong historically, verifying accuracy is the priority.

29. 'Future risks' is matched to F, 'focus on one example' — rather than surveying many risks, they narrow this section to a single illustrative case.

30. 'International implications' is matched to G, 'do online research' — this section requires gathering information the students don't already have.

31. 'More energy required because of growth in population and ___' needs a noun paired with 'population' as a driver of rising energy demand. 'Industry' is the single-word answer.

32. 'Waves provide a ___ source of renewable energy' needs an adjective describing reliability. 'Constant' names the stated advantage — waves as an ever-present energy source.

33. 'Waves can move in any ___' needs a noun for spatial orientation. 'Direction' captures the stated problem — unpredictable wave direction complicating energy capture.

34. 'Movement of sand, etc. on the ___ of the ocean may be affected' needs the part of the ocean referred to. 'Floor' (the seabed) is the single-word answer.

35. 'Tides are more ___ than waves' needs an adjective contrasting tides with waves. 'Predictable' is the stated advantage of tidal versus wave energy.

36. 'Will be created in a ___ at Swansea' needs a geographic feature noun. 'Bay' names the type of coastal feature used for the tidal lagoon project.

37. 'Stored water is released through ___, driving the turbines in the reverse direction' needs the mechanical feature releasing the water. 'Gates' is the plural noun for the structures that control water flow.

38. 'Not dependent on weather; no ___ is required to make it work' needs a noun for what conventional power sources need but this one doesn't. 'Fuel' is the answer.

39. 'Likely to create a number of ___' needs a plural noun for an economic benefit. 'Jobs' describes employment created by the industry.

40. 'May harm fish and birds, e.g. by affecting ___ and building up silt' needs a noun for a natural animal behaviour disrupted by construction. 'Migration' is the answer — the seasonal movement patterns of fish and birds.