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Home / Collection / IELTS Mock Test 2022 December / Listening Practice Test 1

IELTS Mock Test 2022 December

3.7

(559 votes)

Published on: 27 Dec 2022
Tests taken: 437,285

Answer Keys:

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Part 1: Question 1 - 10

1 B
2 C
3 A
4 A
5 17 Hanley Gardens

6 23/07/1970
7 0793245098
8 (Julie) Bennett
9 17th July
10 1st August

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

11 C
12 B
13 B
14 A
15 C

16 F
17 B
18 D
19 C
20 A

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

21 C
22 A
23 media
24 culture
25 psychological

26 competition
27 crossing borders
28 200 participants
29 Motivation theories
30 the mind files

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

31 water
32 traditional farming
33 organic farming
34 natural resource

35 management
36 technology
37 greed
38 40 B,D,F

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3.2

(37 votes)

28,112

17 Mar 2018

Review & Explanations:

Part 1: Questions 1-10

Questions 1-4

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Example

When Julie phones, Mike is

A. on his lunch break.

B. on his tea break.

C. in a meeting

Which type of policy do they choose?

A bronze
B silver
C gold

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Note:

words which lead you to the answer are underlined.
the word/number you must write for the answer is marked.
words which you might wrongly think could be the answer are in italics.

The keyword concerned in Q1 is “type of policy.
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun.
We can hear they talk about type of policy at the beginning of the dialogue, after mentioning to the difference among 4 types of policy, we can guess the answer will appear.
Listening carefully, Julie choose the type of insurance is silver . So the answer is B

Note: the candidates easily confuse the answer is gold when hear Julie said “let’s get the gold". But right then, Mike said that “sorry, don't you...” to confirm the idea of Julie not gold but rather silver.

How much does the policy cost for group cover?

A £50
B £20
C £40

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q2 are “cost", “group cover"
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a price.
The Mike’s question “how much is that going to cost us? “ suggests that the answer will soon appear.
There are two price here make it easy to mislead, 40pounds and 50pounds, but listen the phrases follow each price we can hear 40 pounds is for group cover, and 50 pounds for two individual policies. So the answer here is C 40 pounds.

How will they pay?

A credit card
B debit card
C cash

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q3 are “how", “pay”.
From the question, we can assume that the answer must be nouns
The Julie's question “how are we going to pay?” suggests that the answer is somewhere around here.
After analyzing two forms debit card and cash , Julie decides to use his credit card to pay and Mike agrees “Great. That’s sorted then". So the answer here is credit card. So the answer here is A

Note: The candidates may get a little bit confusion while Julie mentioning to debit cards and cash. But listening carefully, you will hear those forms have many disadvantages.

How much did the camera cost?

A $1000
B £1000
C $600

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q4 are “the camera”, “cost".
From the question, we can assume that the answer should be a price.
There is no word “camera” here but Julie just refers to “take some great pictures with" which relate to “camera", so we guess that the answer is somewhere around here.
There has 4 numbers relate to price here that could confuse the candidate. Notice to the 200pounds, this price is covered in the policy according to Julie said and then he ask Mike if 1000 pounds is the price of the camera. Mike has confirm he bought the camera for 1000 dollars, not "pounds". So the answer here is A “1000 dollars/ $1000”

Note: The two prices 500 pounds and 300 pounds after don't affect to the answer.

Questions 5-10

Complete the form below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

TRAVEL INSURANCE DETAILS

Name(s)	Mike Wood
Address	5
D.O.B	6 (format: dd/mm/yyyy)
Emergency contact number	7
Main policy holder	8
Date of departure	9 (format: date, for example: 2rd June)
Date of return	10 (format: date, for example: 2rd June)

5 Answer: 17 Hanley Gardens

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q5 is about address.
From the question, we can assume that the answer should be a specific address with number and name of street.
As Julie said “...I need your address”, we can guess the answer will soon appear.
Mike said that it is “17 Hanley Street". But right then Julie mistake Gardens for Street, he confirmed being Gardens . So the answer here is 17 Hanley Gardens.

6 Answer: 23/07/1970

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q6 is about date of birth.
From the question, we can assume that the answer should be a number relate to date of birth.
As Julie said “...what's your date of birth?”, we can guess the answer will soon appear.
The answer here is “230770”

7 Answer: 0793245098

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q7 is about emergency contact number.
From the question, we can assume that the answer should be a number.
As Julie said “... I need an emergency contact number...”, we can guess the answer will soon appear.
The answer here is “0793245098”.

Note: As Julie repeat the number, the candidate may be confused the number to 0-8-9 , so the high concentration is necessary for listening.

8 Answer: (Julie) Bennett

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q8 is about main policy holder.
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a name.
As Julie said “... they need the main policy holder", we can guess the answer will soon appear.
According to Julie, we just fill in the form with BENNETT, not need to fill fully Julie Bennett. So the answer here is “Bennett"

9 Answer: 17th July

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q9 is about date of departure.
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a specific day.
As Julie said “...All I need to do is enter the dates of departure and return”, we can guess that the answer will soon appear.
The dates of departure is Friday the 17th of July. With the limited word, the answer is “17th July”.

Note: The candidate may be misled to the 16th of July and the 31st of July. Mike misremember the 16th and the 31st is the date of return.

10 Answer: 1st August

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

According to the table, Q10 is about date of return.
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a specific day.
The date of return is mentioned right then the date of departure.
Mike mentions to Friday the 31st as the day fly out and the morning of Saturday 1st is a time they land on. Then Julie confirms that the day of return is 1st of August. So in limited words, the answer is “1st August”.

Part 1

Part 2: Questions 11-20

Questions 11-15

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Humans have long been using the stars to

A navigate rivers.
B draw sea maps.
C sail long distances.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q11 are “human", “star”
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a phrase.
As the tour guide said “man has been interested in the night sky for a very long time" we can guess that the answer could be somewhere around here.
The tour guide said that sailors use a kind of “star” map to navigate their way across the oceans.
Option A is incorrect because the tour guide just mentions to oceans, not rivers, rivers and occeans here can not be interchangeable.
Option B: The tour guide does not mention “draw" anything.
All things considered we can conclude the answer here is C – sail long distances.

Note: The candidate can easily mislead to option A or B by listening the same words appeared in the speech. That requires high concentration.

The building constructed by the first Europeans at the observatory was

A a village.
B a windmill.
C a fort.

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q12 are “building", “first Europeans”, “observatory"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a noun.
As the tour guide mentions to Observatory Hill we can guess that the answer will soon appear.
The answer is shown clearly in this statement “The early Europeans then built a windmill...” So the answer here is B – a windmill.

Note: The candidate may get a little bit confusion by option – a fort

In the cloakroom, people are advised not to leave

A coats
B expensive items.
C bags

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q13 are “cloakroom", “not to leave”.
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a noun.
As the tour guide said “ To the left of the main entrance is the cloakroom where you can leave ..." we can guess that the answer will soon appear.
The visitors are advised not to leave any mobiles or valuables in the cloakroom. So the answer here is B – expensive items.
Coats and bags are what the visitors be advised to leave, so A and C is incorrect.

The museum does not allow visitors to stay after

A 5.30.
B 5.15.
C 4.30.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q14 are “the museum", “not allow”, “stay after"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a specific time.
As the tour guide said “The museum is open during the day until 5pm..." we can guess that the answer could be somewhere around here.
There are a lot specific time here that make the candidate confused, 5pm is time to close the museum, 5.15 is time to collect belongings and 5.30 is time to leave the building. “Vacate” and “leave” are interchangeable. 4.30 is time for no new admission.
So the answer here is A – 5.30.

The family ticket allows entrance to

A four adults only.
B three adults and three children.
C two adults and two children.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q15 are “family ticket”, “allow"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be number.
The tour guide's statement “After you’ve left your personal, you’ll need to buy your tickets from the ticket desk immediately behind you, before continuing on the rest of the tour” suggest that the answer will soon appear.
According to the tour guide, the family ticket is for the group of up to four people, this must contain at least one adult and one child and no more than two child per adult.
Considering 3 option, C – two adults and two children is the answer for Q15

Questions 16-20

Which attraction matches the questions?

Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F, next to questions 16-20.

	ATTRACTIONS
A	Powerhouse
B	Sound house
C	Discovery Centre
D	Lace Study Centre
E	Vector lab
F	Observatory

16 Which of the tickets gives people a discount?

17 Which of the venues is located near the recreation area for children?

18 Which part should people visit if they are interested in clothes?

19 Which part offers an unusual service for a museum?

20 Which place houses all of the attractions mentioned?

16 Answer: F

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q16 are “tickets", “discount”
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a noun
According to the tour guide, the Observatory ticket gives people a 50% discount. F – Observatory is the answer for Q16

17 Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q17 are “venues”, “recreation area”, “children".
From the question we can assume that the answer should be noun.
As the tour guide said that “you'll find lots on to keep the children entertained", we can guess the answer will soon appear.
We can hear the words “sound workshops” similar to “soundhouse" in the list of attractions, “kid's playground" similar to “recreation area for children”. So the answer here is B – soundhouse

18 Answer: D

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q18 are “interested" “clothes"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be noun which indicate to shopping centre.
As the tour guide mentions to “those of you interested in fashion and design”, we can guess the answer will soon appear.
According to the tour guide, the Lace Study Centre should not be missed by those who interested in fashion and design. So the answer here is D – Lace Study Centre

19 Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q19 are “unusual service”, “museum"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be noun which indicate name of museum or centre
As the tour guide said “like most museum”, we can guess the answer will soon appear.
According to the tour guide, in the museum's niqno Discovery Centre we can go behind the scenes and see parts of the collection that are not on display which are similar to “unusual service”. So C – Discovery Centre is the answer for Q19

20 Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q20 are “houses”, “all the attractions".
From the question we can assume that the answer should be noun.
According to the tour guide, all of these attractions can be found under one roof at Sydney's famous powerhouse museum. We can hear the “powerhouse” which in the list of attractions appears here. So the answer is A - Powerhouse

Previous Next

Part 2

Part 3: Questions 21-30

Questions 21-22

Choose the correct letter A,B or C.

What is Simon worried about?

A Professor Francisco
B a headache
C an essay

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q21 are “Simon”, “worried about”
From the question we can assume that the answer should be noun.
As Therese said that “You look down. How are you getting on...", we can guess the answer will soon appear.
Replied to the question of Therese about the essay, Simon said that he worried about it because he hadn't got a clue where to start a wide topic while it was nearly deadline. He also mentions to Professor but he is not the one whom Jones worried about.

So the answer here is C – an essay.

What does Therese not like about Simon’s notes?

A They’re in a list.
B They’re in a spidergram.
C They’re in a spidergraph.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q22 are “Therese”, “not like", “Simon's note"
From the question we can assume that the answer should be a phrase.
As Simon said that “I'm trying to brainstorm some ideas, but I haven't got very far”, we can guess that the answer will soon appear.
Listening carefully we will hear Therese said that “writing ideas in a list like that really isn’t going to help”. That means he doesn't like Simon’s notes be in a list. Then they mentions to “diagram", “spidergram" which appear in option B and C, but they don’t relate to the question.

So the answer here is A – They’re in a list

Questions 23-26

Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

Motivation for participating in extreme sports

External influences:

23 attention
modern 24

Internal influences:

adrenalin rush
wanting to push themselves – 25 need
element of 26

23 Answer: media

Listen from here Locate Report

24 Answer: culture

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q24 are “external influences”, “attention”, “modern".

From the question we can assume that the words to fill in the blank should be a noun.
As Therese said that “let's look at the external influences first of all” we can guess the answer will soon appear.
They mention “media attention". So the answer for question 24 is “culture".

25 Answer: psychological

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q25 are “internal influences”, “need”, “element of"
From the question we can assume that the words to fill in the blank should be a noun.
The Therese's question “what about the factors that come from within the person?” suggests that the answer will soon appear.
Simon mentioned “psychological need”, “element of competition". So the answer here is “psychological” for Q25.

26 Answer: competition

Listen from here Locate Report

Questions 27-30

Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Sources for essay
	Author	Title	Content
	Hans German	27	research project on about 28 in extreme sports
	Richard Bell Unknown	29 30	overview of thrill seeking theories and principles

27 Answer: crossing borders

Listen from here Locate Report

28 Answer: 200 participants

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q28 are “Hans German", “title”, “research project”, “on about”, “of extreme sports".
From the question we can assume that the words to fill in the blank should be a number.
As Therese said “The first one's by a guy called Hans German...” we can guess that the answer will soon appear.
Therese mentioned to a read called Crossing Borders and it was carried out on around 200 participants of extreme sports. So the answer for question 28 is “200 participants”.

29 Answer: Motivation theories

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q29 are “Richard Bell”, “unknown”, “title”, “overview of thrill seeking", “theories and principles".
From the question we can assume that the words to fill in the blank should be name of books.
As Therese said that “The next book was written by a name called Richard Bell...” we can guess the answer will soon appear.
Therese mentioned to a book called Motivation theories and it gives an overview of thrill seeking... So the answer for Q29 is Motivation theories.

30 Answer: the mind files

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

The keywords concerned in Q30 are “Richard Bell”, “unknown”, “title”, “overview of thrill seeking", “theories and principles".
From the question we can assume that the words to fill in the blank should be name of books.
Then Therese referred to a podcast on the topic with no name of author, it called The Mind Files and it's also about the theories and principles. So the answer for Q30 is The Mind Files

Previous Next

Part 3

Part 4: Questions 31-40

Questions 31-37

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Answers to world problems

Problem	Cause	Solution
pollution of air, 31 and soil	new alternatives to 32 practice	33 and respect for nature
34 depletion	previous bad 35 practices	alternatives to fossil fuels such as hydrogen 36 in cars
unequal wealth distribution	37 and corruption of leaders	solidarity among nations

31 Answer: water

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q31 to Q37 is about the world problems.
From the table we can assume that there are three problems of the world which will be mentioned in the speech and the answer should be nouns.
Q31 is about the first problem. The keywords concerned in Q31 are “pollution", “air”, “soil". We will hear “Top of the list is air, water and soil pollution". So the answer for Q31 is “water".

32 Answer: traditional farming

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q32 is about the cause of first problem. The keywords concerned in Q32 are “new alternatives”, “practice". Listen to “what caused the problem in the first place...” we can guess the answer will soon appear. According to the speech, the cause of first problem are new methods which advances in technology alternate traditional farming practice. So the answer for Q32 is “traditional farming".

33 Answer: organic farming

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q33 is about the solution of first problem. The keywords concerned in Q33 are “respect for nature". The statement “The revolution has already begun" suggests the answer will soon appear. According to the speech, organic farming and a respect for nature’s cycles, is the key to solving the problem. So the answer for Q33 is “organic farming”.

34 Answer: natural resource

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q34 is about the second problem. The keyword concerned in Q34 is “depletion". Listen to “In the second place....”, we can assume that the answer will soon appear. According to the speech, the next is the problem of the natural resource depletion. So the words to fill here is “depletion” for Q34.

35 Answer: management

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q35 is about the cause of second problem. The keyword concerned in Q35 is “previous bad". We will hear the speech mention to “the main culprit, the guilty party...” which relate to the cause, so the answer will soon appear. According to the speech, the main reason is wasteful past management practice before. We might not hear exactly the keyword but “wasteful past” have the same meaning. So the answer for Q35 is “management”.

36 Answer: technology

Locate Explain Report

Q36 is about the solution of second problem. The keywords concerned in Q36 are “alternatives”, “hydrogen”, “in cars". The question “what about a solution?” suggests that the answer will be somewhere around here. According to the speech, we need to use less polluting technology and use more hydrogen technology in cars. So the word “technology” is answer for Q36

37 Answer: greed

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q37 is about the cause of third problem.
The keyword concerned in Q37 is “corruption of leaders”.
The questions “And the reason for this?” suggests that the answer will soon appear.
According to the speech, the reason is the greed and the corruption of leaders in power. So the answer for Q37 is “greed”

Questions 38-40

Choose THREE letters A-F.

Which THREE of the following are mentioned as potential obstacles to the solutions?

A new technologies
B the cost involved
C research and development
D unpopular changes
E how laws are made
F financial inequality

38-40 Answer: B,D,F

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Q38 to Q40 is about potential obstacles to the solution. Take a look at all the option and notice them.
The statement “it doesn't mean that they're without their own potential problems” suggests that the answer will soon appear.
According to the speech, the first obstacle is making changes is going to be expensive as we invest in the research and development of new technology. So we choose the option D – cost involved. Option A – new technology and C – research and development are not real obstacles.
The second obstacle is about the issue of popularity , politicians can not make unpopular changes to persuade voters at election time. Option B – unpopular changes is chosen.
The final obstacle is making the world monetary system fairer, more equal, not benefit only company’s profit, but rather benefit all. That shows there has financial inequality in the world. “Monetary” is equal to “finance". So we choose option F – financial inequality.
The answers for Q38 to Q40 are B,D,F in any order.

-------------------------------------------

Great thanks to volunteer Nhu Ngoc - Huynh Nhu has contributed these explanations.

If you want to make a better world like this, please contact us.

Part 4

Change Audio Sources

Source 1

Source 2

SECTION 1

(J – Julie; M = Mike)

J: Hi Mike! It’s Julie. Listen, I know you’re really busy , but we need to book our travel insurance . We’re leaving in a couple of days after all.

M: Yeah sure. I’m on my lunch break, so go ahead!

J: OK, well my first question is what type of insurance do we need? I wasn’t sure which to choose. Do we want the bronze , silver, gold or platinum type of policy?

M: What’s the difference?

J: Well the first only covers medical expenses , the second covers medical and our baggage , and the gold all of that plus consolation , and the platinum covers everything, including legal expenses.

M: OK, well if we’re travelling in two days’ time, we don’t really need the cancellation policy , do we? What do you think?

J: Well, personally, the only thing that’s really necessary is the medical cover .

M: Yeah, but would you think that if you had everything stolen?

J: Yeah, maybe you’re right. Let’s get the gold.

M: Sorry, don’t you mean the silver? I thought we agreed that we don’t need the cancellation cover.

J: Oh yeah. You’re right. Silver it is.

M: So, how much is that going to cost us?

J: Well, there are two of us so let’s see … it’s … pounds for single cover and 40 pounds for a group of up to three people.

M: But there are only two of us.

J: I know, but it’s still cheaper than doing two individual policies. That would cost £50.

M: OK. Group cover it is.

J: Right, now, how are we going to pay? If we pay by debit card, there’ll be a five per cent discount but I only have a credit card and there’s a two and a half per cent charge for that. They don’t have an office in central London so we can’t pay by cash .

M: Oh really? What a pain!

J: OK. well. I’ll just have to use my credit card then.

M: Great. That’s sorted then. What else is there?

J: Well, you know that new expensive camry you bought and you were hoping to take some great pictures with?

M: Yes…

J: Well, the policy only covers equipment up to the value of £200 and didn’t you say it cost 1,000 pounds ?

M: No. I bought it for $1000.

J: Yeah, but that’s still more than 200 pounds isn’t it?

M: Well at the time that was around 500 pounds but it’s worth less than that now, maybe only £300.

J: So … to cover it you’d need to pay extra.

M: Mmm …

J: I just need to check your personal details to complete this online form and then we’ll be sorted.

M: OK. What do you need to know?

J: Firstly, I need to make sure I’ve got your full name. It’s Mike Wood, right?

M: Yep.

J: Right…, next I need your address.

M: It’s 17 Hanley Gardens. Hanley spelt H-A-N-L-E-Y.

J: Just writing that down … 17 Hanley Street…

M: No, Gardens!

J: Oops! My mistake! OK, what’s your date of birth?

M: That’s 23 - 07 - 70 .

J: Right, so now I need an emergency contact number. It’s your mobile right?

M: Yes, it’s. 0793245098

J: Was that 0-8-9?

M: No, 0-9-8. Anything else?

J: Well, they need the main policyholder . Who would that be?

M: I think that would be you, since you’re paying for it with your card.

J: Of course! So I just type in Julie Bennett… Hang on just typing B-E- N-N-E-T-T. OK, we’re just about done. All I need to do is enter the dates of departure and return.

M: Well, we leave on Friday, which is the 16th.

J: No it isn’t. It’ll be the 17th.

M: Are you sure? Let me check my calendar … Oh yes, the 17th.

J: Right, so Friday the 17th of July and returning on Friday the 31st.

M: Hang on; if we fly out on Friday the 31st in the evening, it’ll be the morning of Saturday the 1st by the time we get back with the time difference . We don’t want our policy to run out before we land now, do we?

J: No, we don’t! OK, so return date is Saturday the lst of August. OK, my goodness that certainly took longer than I expected it to. I hope our trip is worth it!

M: Trust me Julie, you’ll love it there, especially as you’ll have your own personal guide .

J: Yes, OK. See you in a couple of days then. Bye!

M: See ya!

SECTION 2

Could I have your attention please gather round. My name is Patricia and I’ll be your guide around The Sydney observatory. Now, as you all will know, man has been interested in the night sky for a very long time. Indeed, before the invention of the compass, it was used by sailors to navigate their way across the world’s oceans, a kind of "star map", you could say.

Now, the site of the museum on Observatory Hill has its own interesting story. Before the colonizers arrived, it belonged to the Cadigal people, who may have even viewed ]the arrival of the new visitors from here, as this is the highest natural point in Sydney Harbour. The early Europeans then built a windmill on the site though it didn’t last for long due to its exposed position. A little while after that, the land was used to build a fort, which was to finally become the observatory that you see before you today.

Now, let’s take a look inside. To the left of the main entrance is the cloakroom where you can leave your coats and bags, but please make sure you don’t leave any mobiles or valuables as staff cannot be held responsible. The museum is open during the day until 5 pm, so please collect belongings no later than 5.15 and please vacate the building by 5.30. No new admissions will be allowed after 4.30 pm. After you’ve left your personal, you’ll need to buy your tickets from the ticket desk immediately behind you, before continuing on the rest of the tour. The normal price is $8 for an adult and $6 for a child, though groups of up to four people can save money by buying a family. This must contain at least one adult and one child but no more than two children per adult. I’ll wait for you on the other side of the ticket barrier by the coffee shop while you all get your ticket.

So, I hope you enjoyed the tour but before I leave you, I just want to draw your attention to one more thing. Your Observatory ticket also entitles you to visit another of Sydney’s famous sights at a 50%. You’ll find lots on to keep the children entertained . For example, they’ve got sound workshops where you can have a go at being a DJ. This is called the sound , and you’ll find it up on the second floor, just after the kid’s playground. Look for signs for the Vectorlab lab]if you get lost. For those of you interested in fashion and design, the Lace Study Centre should not be missed. You’ll get the chance to look at one of the country’s best collections all in one place. However,like most museums, only a fraction of their collections are actually on display, but in the museum’s niqno Discovery Centre, you can take the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see parts of the collection that are not on display. All of these attractions can be found under one roof at Sydney’s famous powerhouse museum. 1 do hope you are able to go and enjoy the experience. You won’t be disappointed!

SECTION 3

T: Hey Simon. You look down. How are you getting on with your essay for Professor Jones?

S: Not very well I’m afraid. I can’t seem to get my head around it. T mean, it’s such a wide topic that I really haven’t got a clue where to start.

T: Oh poor you! I’m actually free now so I can give you a hand if you like? You have until the end of this week, don’t you?

S: Yeah, I have to hand the essay in on Friday afternoon, but the Professor wants to see my proposal on Wednesday morning!

T: Today is Tuesday so that’s tomorrow! You had better get a move on! Let’s have a look.

S: Thanks. I’m just trying to brainstorm some ideas, but I haven’t got very far.

T: Let me see… Well firstly I think that writing your ideas in a list like that really isn’t going to help. Remember how we were taught to do spider grams at the beginning of the year?

S: Diagrams?

T: No, not diagrams spider grams , SPIDERgrams! It’s supposed to mimic the way our brains process information rather than simply expecting them to come out in some kind of logical order. They’re also sometimes called Spidergraphs because of how they look, like a spider!

S: OK, I’ll start over again.

T: Right, now our essay is on people’s motivation for participating in extreme sports. There are two sides to this really; the external and internal influences .

S: Right, so let’s look at the external influences first of all.

T: So what kind of things make people want to do extreme sports ?

S: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the amount of media attention on the topic. There are always stories about people taking part in the latest craze .

Exactly. Now let’s think about this more carefully. Why does so much appear in the media?
S: I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.

T: Well, according to the published materials out there, it’s a reflection of modern culture .

S: Of course. Yes, you’re right.

T: Now, what about the factors that come from within the person?

S: I suppose the most obvious thing to say is the adrenaline rush.

T: Right, but what else?

S: People would want to test their limits, which is a psychological need that all humans have.

T: And there’s one more thing that we haven’t added yet.

S: What’s that?

T: What all animals do naturally: compete of course!

S: Right! It’s the element of competition that drives all things to be the best! Now why didn’t I think of that before?

T: How much reading have you done on the topic?

S: Actually, none at all – it’s really bad isn’t it, but I just haven’t had the time with my part-time job.

T: I know what you mean, but, honestly, it’s so much easier once you’ve read around the topic a bit. Did you get a copy of the suggested sources, because if not I’ve got one here?

S: No, I didn’t. Thanks, that’s a great help.

T: I tell you what. You write down the main points and I’ll read it out.

S: OK, go for it!

T: The first one’s by a guy called Hans German and it’s called Crossing Borders. It’s a research project that was carried out on around 200 participants of extreme sports. It’s a really interesting read.

S: OK, what next?

T: The next book was written by a man called Richard Bell and is called Motivation theories . It gives an overview’ of thrill seeking and why people choose to put their lives in danger.

S: Is it long?

T: Yeah, it’s quite weighty, why?

S: It’s just I really don’t have very long before the essay needs to be in, so is there anything on there that would help me more quickly?

T: Well, I did find a podcast on the topic. I didn’t write down the author’s name, but they are called The Mind Files and it’s also about the theories and principlesbut obviously doesn’t go into as much detail as in a book.

S: That’s absolutely fantastic Therese! How can I ever repay you?

T: Oh, I don’t know … a coffee maybe?

S: Of course, my treat!

SECTION 4

Shall we start? Right, now … where did we get to last week? Ah, that’s right, we were going to begin with a look at three of the world’s most pressing problems; what has caused them as well as looking at some of the many possible solutions . Top of the list is air, water and soil pollution . With an ever increasing demand for food, came the increased use of chemical pesticides during the late 1960s . Now, some of you may say that this isn’t the ultimate root of the problem, overpopulation is, but you would be missing out a very important step. The increase in population didn’t in itself lead to the pollution of the air, water and soil. What caused the problem in the first place was a move away from traditional farming methods , thanks to advances in technology. Ironically, the answer comes from past farming practices. Well, thankfully, the revolution has already begun. Organic farming, and a respect for nature’s cycles, is the key to solving the problem.

In second place, though inextricably linked to the first issue, is the problem of thenatural resource depletion . By that I mean, not only fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, but things we all too often take for granted , like fresh water and essential trace minerals in good quality soil. The main culprit , or guilty party, here is wasteful past management practices from those in power. Even though we knew that there were only finite supplies of traditional energy sources, we behaved like we didn’t. The phrase that springs to mind is ‘ignorance is bliss’. But what about a solution? Again, the process has already begun. We need to invest in new, less polluting technologies in our vehicles – which will also help with the first problem – and use more hydrogen technology: that is, produce car engines that rim on water. That’s the way forward here. Not good drinking water, of course, but saline water, which is in abundance .

Finally, we come to the last problem, that of unequal wealth distribution. Every year, more and more land on the planet is owned by fewer and fewer people, which is in direct contrast to the world’s growing population. And the reason for this? Quite simply, the greed and corruption of those in power, I’m afraid. The only way to solve this one, and it’s a biggie, is for the countries of the world to work together in solidarity rather than against each other in isolation .

Now, although the solutions I have presented are viable, it doesn’t mean that they’re without their own potential problems. Firstly, making these kinds of changes is going to be expensive in the short term, as we invest in the research and development of new technologies. Secondly, there’s also the issue of popularity . It’s the politicians of the world who need to make these changes, but they also need to keep their voters happy and may be reluctant to bring in new practices that may prove unpopular among voters at election time. But the biggest and most important challenge is making the world’s monetary system fairer, by making things more equal and balanced for all. This includes adopting ecological practices that benefit all, not just a company’s profit sheet. We need to begin an age of Corporate Social Responsibility, only then can we truly move forward.

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