IELTS Recent Mock Tests Volume 3

Published on: 31 Jan 2018
Tests taken: 1,147,358

Answer Keys:

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Part 1: Question 1 - 10

1 33 Hillcrest
2 AL698GQ
3 754688
4 C
5 A

6 B
7 security (process)
8 entertainment
9 hotel
10 phone card

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

11 C
12 C
13 A
14 B
15 A

16 B
17 C
18 B
19 A
20 B

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

21 B
22 B
23 C
24 C
25 A

26 solution
27 role of motivation
28 culture
29 management of change
30 nature of volunteering

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

31 cities
32 bank
33 skyscrapers
34 stone (construction)
35 recycled glass

36 rainfall
37 wooden
38 soil
39 movement
40 guidelines

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Review & Explanations:

Part 1: Questions 1-10

Questions 1-3

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Complaint to the airport
*Example*	*Answer*
Name:	Jack Dawson
Address:	1 Road, Exeter
Postcode:	2
Telephone:	work: 3 home: 798662

1 Answer: 33 Hillcrest

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

the 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.

Keywords in Q1 are Address, Road, Exeter
The keywords suggest the answer should be a number and the name of a road (as word limit allows us to write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
The second detail that the operator wants to know is about the man’s address. He answers by saying that he lives on 33 Hillcrest Road. Base on the spelling provided (H-I-double-L-C-R-E-S-T), we can write the name of the road with correct spelling. Hence, 33 Hillcrest is the answer for Q1

2 Answer: AL698GQ

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keyword in Q2 is Postcode:
The keyword suggests the answer should include both letters and numbers, the letters are capital.
According to Jack, his postcode is AL698GQ. Hence, AL698GQ is the answer for Q2

3 Answer: 754688

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q3 are Telephone, work.
The keywords suggest the answer should be a series of number.
Jack provides 2 phone numbers. One is at his office, and one is home phone number. As the question asks for telephone at ‘’work’’, which means the phone number at his office, we write down the first phone number. It is 754688. Hence, 754688 is the answer for Q3

Questions 4-6

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

What aspect of the flight does the man complain about?

A punctuality
B legroom
C temperature

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q4 are flight, man, complaint about
The thing that makes Jack disappointed is that the air conditioning didn’t work so he had to suffer from the hot and stuffy atmosphere. As ‘’hot’’ is related to the temperature, C is the correct answer. It is also confirmed by the operator when she apologises for the fault with the air conditioning which make the temperature disappointed..
Note: Although punctuality is mentioned, it is not the problem coming from the flight. It is mentioned as the fact that Jack is punctual to the flight all the time. Thus, A is incorrect. Additionally, he only says that he paid extra money for the legroom. However, he doesn’t compliant anything about it. Therefore, B is not correct. Hence, C is the answer for Q4

What does the man think about the food served during the flight?

A It is not enough to eat.
B It is expensive.
C It has a bad taste.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keyword in Q5 are man think about the food served during the flight
When being asked about the food, Jack first paises it to be ‘’inexpensive and quite delicious’’, which tells us that B and C are not correct.
The answer is A. Jack is not satisfied with the small portion for lunch which made him not feel full enough. In other words, the lunch was more like a snack which was not enough to eat. Hence, A is the answer for Q5

What does the man think of the service of the staff?

A satisfied
B long wait
C bad attitude

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q6 are the man think the service of the staff
Although Jack thinks the staff was helpful, he is not totally satisfied about the service. It is due to the long time he had to wait for the staff to come and help him when he had a request. Thus, B is the answer.
Note: A is incorrect as Jack still has thing to complaint about the service. C is incorrect because the staff was useful and they arrived late as a result of the shortage of staff on board, not because they had bad attitude. Hence, B is the answer for Q6

Questions 7-10

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

The man felt satisfied with 7 because it was quick.

During the flight, 8 facilities helped him distract from other poor quality of the service.

As a gift, a 20% discount on the 9 fees will be offered.

The flight company also offers the man a 10 worth £20.

7 Answer: security (process)

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q7 are The man felt satisfied, it was quick.
The keywords suggest the answer should be a noun.
According to Jack, the process through security was quick which helped him relieve stress. That means he is satisfied about the process of security. Note that words limit is NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS . Thus, we only need to write ‘’security’’. Hence, security is the answer for Q7

8 Answer: entertainment

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q8 are facilities helped him distract from other poor quality of the service.
The keywords suggest the answer should be a noun.
Jack complaints about the seats which were uncomfortable, too old and need repairing, and also the reclined feature which was broken. Fortunately, good entertainment facilities were helpful as it made him be hooked on the movies and therefore enabled him to forget the discomfort. Hence, entertainment is the answer for Q8

9 Answer: hotel

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q9 are gift, a 20% discount, fees, be offered
The keywords suggest the answer should be a noun
The first gift Jack will receive is a 20% discount on the cost of hotel stay. Note that ‘’cost’’ is similar to ‘’fees’’. Thus, he will be offered a discount on his hotel fee.

Hence, hotel is the answer for Q9

10 Answer: phone card

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q10 are fight company also offers the man a, worth £20
The keywords suggest the answer should be a singular noun
In addition to the 20% discount on the hotel fees, Jack also receive a phone card with £20 credit. Note that ‘’credit’’ is not the answer as it equals to ‘’worth’’ and it doesn’t make specific sense. Hence,’’phone card’’ is the answer for Q10

Part 1

Part 2: Questions 11-20

Questions 11-16

What is customers’ attitude towards the following services?

Write the correct letter, A, B or C, next to questions 11-16.

A	They are very interested.
B	They might be less interested.
C	They are not interested.

11 a free gift

12 a driver for an extra fee

13 a package service

14 updated car models

15 a discount

16 a new branch company

11 Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q11 are free gift
In order to attract new customers, Yazoo Car Rental offered with each rental a free present, a free hoover to be specific. Unfortunately, that strategy turned out to be inefficient as it is not appealing to any new customers. In other words, the customers didn't show any interest to it. Hence, C is the answer for Q11

12 Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q12 are driver, extra fee
The car rental company's second attempt was to enable customer to hire a private driver along with their rented car. By contrast, the result was unexpected as none of the customers preferred private driver. Consequently, the company fail to make customers interested in their service. Hence, C is the answer for Q12

13 Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q13 are package service
The package service that the company introduced was to support their customers by drop off as well as pick up their car within the city. The service was highly successful as it was commonly chosen by customers. That means their customers paid high attention/show high interest to that beneficial service. Hence, A is the answer for Q13

14 Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q14 are updated car models
The company's next strategy was to remodel and change the color of the car to attract the youngsters. Although some adolescences were attracted to the offered, this number was not as substantial as they expected. Hence, B is the answer for Q14

15 Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keyword in Q15 is discount
The speaker anticipated that the discount on the website would increase the number of new customers. The result was reported to be fantastically well which means the outcome was significant and a considerable number of customers were attracted to it. Hence, A is the answer for Q15

16 Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q16 are new branch company
As the number of customers increased dramatically, the company decided to open a new branch in central city. Despite the profit made, they still wish to achieve more customers. Thus, we can induce that the number of customer is still modest at the moment, which means not all customers show interest to the new branch. Hence, B is the answer for Q16.

Questions 17-20

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

What is the problem of the public transport?

A Traffic jams
B Pedestrian safety
C Low efficiency

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q17 are problem, public transport
In his second part, the speaker moves on talking about public transport. Inspite of many benefits, the issue of public transport comes from its inefficiency as the number of passengers is decreasing. Thus, C is the answer.
Consider wrong options:

A. One advantage of public transport is that it operates regardless of traffic jam. Therefore, traffic jam is not considered a problem in the case of public transport. We can see it as a benefit rather than a problem.
B. Even though newspaper has reported the issue of dangerous pedestrian in public transport, that story is refused by the speaker as accidents caused by buses due to pedestrian are far less than cars.

Thus, A and B are incorrect. Overall C is the answer

According to the speaker, what is true about the transportation?

A Buses are easy to find.
B Taxis are punctual.
C Airplanes are unaffordable.

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q18 are true, transportation?
The speaker mentions different transport namely bus, car, taxi and airplane:

about the bus, the speaker only mentions that it is cheap and affordable, but no information given about its ease to be found. Thus, A is incorrect.
about the airplane, it is said that the flying service is fast and airports are popular, but we can not assume anything about the unaffordable price. Thus, C is incorrect.
about the taxi, it is chosen by the speaker when he is in a hurry as it ensures him to arrive on time or punctually. Thus, B is correct.

Hence, B is the answer for Q18

According to the speaker, what is true about the bus?

A Passengers occasionally spend more than half an hour waiting for it.
B It is sometimes overcrowded.
C It is often dirty.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q19 are true, bus
According to the speaker, 2 advantages of the bus are they are always clean and available in terms of seats. Therefore, B and C are incorrect.
By contrast, the bus can be disappointed and make the passengers feel devastating when it arrives late over 30 minutes as they have to spend long time waiting for it. Therefore, A is correct.

Thus, A is the answer for Q19

What is the existing situation about the price of bus tickets?

A It is fluctuating severely.
B It is declining.
C It needs to be increased.

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q20 are existing situation, price, bus tickets?
Note that the question focuses on the bus ticket price at the present, not the past nor the future.
Nowaday, the bus companies try to attract more passengers by reducing the ticket price. Therefore, the ticket price is declining and B is correct.
Consider A and C:

A. The fluctuation of bus ticket price happened in last couple of years, which means in the past, not at the moment.
C. The price did increase, along with the rising fuel cost. However, again, it was in the past, not at the present. Besides, the word ‘’needs'’ talk about something occuring in the future, not now.

Thus, A and C are incorrect. Overall, B is the answer for Q20

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Part 2

Part 3: Questions 21-30

Questions 21-25

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

What was the most difficult problem when the company was founded?

A No clear objectives
B No formal structures
C No perfect premises

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q21 are most difficult problem, company, founded
Alexandra’s first question is about some issues that the professor was facing when starting his own business.

+ According to the professor, he set clear objectives for his company, which makes the starting period become easier. Thus, A is incorrect.

+ Although at first he struggled with finding the perfect premises, he then succeeded in seeking for one with correct size. Therefore, the problem didn’t lie in the premises, which means C is incorrect.

+ The actual problem, as the professor said, was related to the structure and formal template of the business, which he had to put effort to create for himself.

Hence, B is the answer for Q21

What is the staff unsatisfied with?

A The type of work
B The work assignment
C The feeling of appreciation

Answer: B

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q22 are staff, unsatisfied
In terms of handling staff issue, the professor held a staff day to make the staff feel that they are appreciated. However, it is not given whether they like to be appreciated or not. Therefore, C is not given.

Another professor’s attempt was to instruct and share with his staff about the type of work. Again, no information is given about the attitude of staff towards type of work. Thus, A is not given.
The staff day also helps the staff to talk about the obstacles coming from the allocation of their work, which could be referred to the problems with work assignment. Hence, B is the answer for Q22.

What was the problem of the manager?

A He had a lot of tasks to do.
B He employed too many people and let them go then.
C He always made decisions by himself.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q23 are problem, manager
Although all the options are mentioned in the audio, we must be careful as the question asks for the issue about the manager, not the professor himself.

The professor said he had to hire a manager since heavy workload put a lot of burden on him. That means the professor had many tasks to do, not the new manager. Thus, A is incorrect.
However, the new manager failed to get advices from the professor in terms of decision making. Thus, C is correct.
As a result, the professor didn’t keep him anymore and let him go. As it is the action of the professor, not the new manager, B is not correct. Overall, C is the answer for Q23.

What does the staff think of the new manager of the company?

A They are delighted to see that the meeting time is shorter.
B They feel annoyed toward him.
C They are amazed that he has done it well.

Answer: C

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q24 are staff, think, new manager
According to the professor, the employees show respectable attitudes towards the new manager. It means they don’t feel annoyed towards him. Thus, B is incorrect.
What surprised the staff was that the manager performed well in his role. Note that ‘’amazed’’ is the synonym of ‘’surprise’’. Therefore, C is correct.
As the professor mentions ‘’despite the longer meeting hours’’ while option A states ‘’shorter meeting hours’’. A can not be the answer.

Overall, C is the answer for Q24

What achievement has the organisation made already?

A Children were involved in painting the entrance area.
B There was no particular achievement.
C It built a local primary school.

Answer: A

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q25 are achievement, organisation, made
As the professor comments that he is particularly amused of one achievement among many achievements they have so far, B is not correct.
In one particular project, the company cooperated with the local primary school. Since they didn’t build the primary school, C is incorrect.
The project was successful as the youngsters were thrilled to be included. As to be ‘’thrilled’’ is to be extremely excited, ‘’youngsters’’ means ‘’children’’, ‘’include’’ and ‘’involve’’ are similar, that means the children were glad to engage in the decoration of the entrance area. Therefore, A is correct.

Overall, A is the answer for Q25

Questions 26-30

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Major Problems of a Company

Since the company opened, there have been many problems with employment, but there is no 26 He needs to find a venue for financial training. It is very hard to run an organisation and the 27 is of great importance to staying organised. To enhance the organisation skills, there is a section on 28 in the library where some valuable books can be found. In addition, the library contains some useful resources, such as a collection of documentaries on personal organisation, the literature on 29 , and the articles on the 30

26 Answer: solution

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q26 are problems, employment, no
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun.
One of the problem facing the company was about the lack of suitable and skilled staff for the role. Consequently, they fail to address this with no solution to be found.

Thus, ‘’solution’’ is the answer for Q26.

27 Answer: role of motivation

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q27 are hard, run organisation, great importance
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun.
When talking about his attempt to organise financial training, the professor judges that organising an event is quite challenging. He then comes up with the key to carry out an event successfully which is focus on the essence of the role of motivation. As ‘’role of motivation’’ is essental or important, it is the answer for Q27

28 Answer: culture

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q28 are enhance, organisation skills, section, library, valuable books.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun.
The student is advised to seek for valuable material (which indicates valuable books) in the library. The section that can help with the development of organisation skills is on the topic of ‘’culture’’.

Thus, ‘’culture’’ is the answer for Q28.

29 Answer: management of change

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q29, Q30 are useful resources, documentaries on personal organisation, literature on, articles on
The keywords suggest that the answer should be nouns. Our clue is that the answer for Q29 and 30 would come after the mention of documentaries on personal organisation.
According to the professor, the sources in the library are very useful. The first type of source are documentaries on personal organisation, followed by the literature on management of change. ‘’Literature’’ signs post that the answer for Q29 is management of change. Overall, the answer for Q29 is management of change.

30 Answer: nature of volunteering

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q29, Q30 are useful resources, documentaries on personal organisation, literature on, articles on
Besides, the professor recommends the student to look at the articles, especially the ones on the nature of volunteering. Thus, the answer for Q30 must be nature of volunteering. Overall, the answer for Q30 is nature of volunteering.

Previous Next

Part 3

Part 4: Questions 31-40

Questions 31-40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

CLIMATE AND ARCHITECTURE

• Cases and examples are from practice conducted in 31 as well as rural areas.

Acid rain

• The chemicals have devastating effects on the architecture.

• The government try to reduce the negative effects.

• Funds have been received from a 32

• 33 experience lower levels of acid in damaging pollutants.

• In recent years, Alter Project focuses on the buildings made of 34

Pollution

• One of the main sources of pollution is from the construction industry.

• 35 is used to reduce pollution in Sky Tower.

• Construction is affected by the increased 36 in winter.

• Humidity affects the 37 buildings whose grain can be condensed by moisture from the air.

Building & Technology

• Ground conditions can be a problem when the density of the 38 is wrong.

• Architects can now monitor the 39 of buildings.

• The government should make 40 for the architects.

31 Answer: cities

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q31 are Cases and examples, conducted in, rural areas.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun about location as it must be equal to rural areas.
The purpose of the lecture is to examine the ‘’latest research into climatic design’’ as well as ‘’case studies and examples’’ provided by modernist. The case studies and examples are conducted in cities and rural areas. Note that ‘’cities’’ matches perfectly with our prediction (a noun about location)

Hence, ‘’cities’’ is the answer for Q31

32 Answer: bank

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q32 are Funds, from, a
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a singular noun. Our clue is the answer will come after the mention of attempt to address negative effects of acid rain from the government
In addition to the government’s effort, the private organisation also makes contribution to solve the problem by raising awareness and funds. Currently, the bank has donated them huge amount of money. As ‘’donation’’ can be referred to ‘’fund’’, it means the funds have been given by the bank and therefore, ‘’bank’’ is our answer.
Note that since ‘’private organisation’’ only raises funds from the help of other business, not donate money themself. Thus, ‘’private organisation’’ is not the correct answer.

Hence, ‘’bank’’ is the answer for Q32

33 Answer: skyscrapers

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q33 are lower levels, acid, damaging pollutants.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
Researches about different altitudes with different influences from acid rain show that higher altitudes are suffered from less pollution. As a result, skyscrapers are less affected by damaging pollutants as they are very high.

Hence, ‘’skyscrapers’’ is the answer for Q33

34 Answer: stone (construction)

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q34 are recent years, Alter Project focuses, buildings made of
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun indicating a type of material.
The purpose of the Alter Project is to direct towards (target on/focus on) acid rain impact on a specific type of building which is old, traditional stone buildings.

Thus, ‘’stone’’ is our answer for Q34.

35 Answer: recycled glass

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q35 are reduce pollution, Sky Tower.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
The second part of the lecture is related to pollution. Since, materials such as concrete and glass can cause severe pollution, environmentally-friendly building materials are considered. One example is the windows in Sky Tower, which avoid contamination from the glass-making process by using recycled glass. That means recycled glass helps reduce contamination level.

Hence, ‘’recycled glass’’ is the answer for Q35

36 Answer: rainfall

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q36 are Construction, affected, increased, winter.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
Another crucial factor is water. The construction could be negatively influenced by heavy rainfall in the winter. From the word ‘’heavy’’ we can induce that it rains more in the winter than the other seasons or the rainfall threshold is increased in winter.

Hence, ‘’rainfall’’ is the answer for Q36

37 Answer: wooden

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q37 are Humidity affects, buildings, grain, be condensed by moisture from the air
The keywords suggest that the answer should be an adjective.
Humidity is also a significant climatic aspect to buildings. While it can not impact on steel and stone constructions, wooden buildings can suffer seriously from humid weather as moisture can condense in the grain of the wood. Consequently, it leads to the changes in the size of the building. In brief, wooden building is affected by humidity.

Hence, ‘’wooden’’ is the answer for Q37

38 Answer: soil

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q38 are Ground conditions, problem, density, wrong
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
The concern about ground conditions comes from the possibility that the incorrect density of the soil can ruin the foundations of the buildings. Thus, ‘’soil’’ is the answer for Q38

39 Answer: movement

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q39 are Architects, monitor, building
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
In addition to the use of seismic sensors, advanced technology also allows architects to measure and monitor the movement of buildings to prepare for disasters like earthquakes.

Hence, ‘’movement’’ is the answer for Q39

40 Answer: guidelines

Listen from here Locate Explain Report

Keywords in Q40 are government, make, architects.
The keywords suggest that the answer should be a noun
As architects need a checklist that can be applied worldwide, they expect the government to introduce guidelines for them in the future. Note that ‘’introduce guidelines’’ is similar to ‘’make guidelines’’

Hence, “guidelines’’ is the answer for Q40

Part 4

Change Audio Sources

SECTION 1

OPERATOR: Hello, you have reached the complaints department. How can I help you?

JACK: Yes, hello there. I am phoning to make a complaint regarding a flight that I took with you recently.

OPERATOR: OK. There are some details I will need to take from you first. May I have your name please?

JACK: Jack Dawson. That’s D-A-W-S-O-N.

OPERATOR: And your address?

JACK: It’s 33 Hillcrest Road. That’s H-I-double-L-C-R-E-S-T.

OPERATOR: 33 Hillcrest Road. Is that in Exeter?

JACK: Yes.

OPERATOR: And what is the postcode of the residence?

JACK: It’s AL698GQ.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Do you have a telephone number?

JACK: Yes. The number at my office is 754688.

OPERATOR: That’s good, and may I just take a home phone number for you in case of emergencies?

JACK: No problem. It’s 798662.

OPERATOR: Are they both local numbers?

JACK: Yes.

OPERATOR: OK great, thank you for your patience. Now what is the nature of your complaint?

JACK: I’m phoning to complain about a flight I took recently. I always take certain measures to ensure that I will be comfortable. For example, I always pay the additional cost for extra legroom and I always arrive punctually for the flight to make sure that I am seated beneath an air conditioner. Unfortunately I was disappointed to find that the air conditioning on the plane was broken, so I spent the entire flight in discomfort as it was too hot and the air was stuffy.

OPERATOR: I see. I do apologise for this fault with the air conditioning. Now while I have you on the phone, would you mind answering a short questionnaire regarding your recent flight?

JACK: Sure.

OPERATOR: OK, let’s get started. What did you think of the food that was served to you during the flight?

JACK: I thought that it was inexpensive and quite delicious. However I was still very hungry afterwards as it was a very small portion and more of a snack. Providing a snack for lunch is not reasonable.

OPERATOR: OK, I have noted that down. What was your opinion of the quality of service that you received from our staff on-board?

JACK: The staff were very helpful, but each time I pressed the button to request service it took a long time for a staff member to arrive. I found this frustrating as there just weren’t enough staff on-board the flight to be able to serve all of the customers.

OPERATOR: OK, that’s great. Thank you very much for answering those questions. Are there any other parts of your travel experience that you would like to comment on?

JACK: Yep. The process of moving through security was very quick and helped to make my travel experience stress-free.

OPERATOR: Okay. Do you have any extra comments on the services you received during the flight?

JACK: Yes, I thought that the seats were very uncomfortable and looked very old. They were also in need of repair as the reclined feature on my chair was broken so I could not go to sleep for the whole flight. Luckily the entertainment facilities were very good so I was able to distract myself by watching movies.

OPERATOR: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions, we would like to offer you some gifts as a goodwill gesture, with a 20% discount on the cost of your hotel stay. We also appreciate that international calls to your home country can be expensive and we are sure that you would like to keep your family updated on your travels, so please accept a phone card, which has a credit of £20.

JACK: Oh that’s really great. Thank you so much for the gifts!

OPERATOR: No problem, we look forward to having you travel with us again soon! Have a fantastic vacation.

SECTION 2

PRESENTER: Good morning, listeners! And welcome back to Star Radio!

Today on the show we have a visitor from Yazoo Car Rental who is going to give us an insight into his company and into the public transport system! Welcome Jonathan!

JONATHAN: Thank you for having me. Yes, I would like to start by introducing my company Yazoo Car Rental. We are the cheapest and most reliable rental company in the city and have won multiple awards for the quality of our services. This success did not come easily, however, and it proved important that we stay fresh and are always thinking of ways to attract new customers. Our first attempt to do this was to offer a free gift with every car rental, which we were confident the customers would be very interested in. The offer of a free hoover with each rental, however, did not attract any new customers so we quite quickly stopped offering it.

In 2002, a new taxi company opened next door to us and we started losing a lot of business to them, so we introduced an offer that we hoped might compete with their service. We offered a new package where you could rent a car with a driver for a small extra fee. By introducing this offer, we found that all of our customers preferred to drive the cars themselves, so again this offer was unsuccessful in attracting more customers.

Learning from these mistakes, we decided to offer a package service where the customer no longer had to come to our offices to pick up the rental car. Instead we could drop off and pick up the car anywhere in the city to make the customer’s experience a lot more stress free. This offer was very popular and increased our profits by 30%.

In order to attract a younger demographic, we updated the models of cars that we offered for rental. We began offering more trendy cars such as minis and smart cars that we thought might appeal to the younger crowd and we also purchased them in more fun colours like reds and greens. This offer attracted some new customers of a younger age group, however not as many as we hoped.

Next I decided to offer our services at a discounted price on our website where it could be seen by thousands of people. I thought that this could be a great way to attract a number of new customers who would never have heard of us before and it worked fantastically well. Following the success of the discount offer, we had so many customers that it became necessary to open a new branch of the company in the centre of the city. The cost of renting offices in the city centre was very high, so we hoped that our profits would justify this expensive decision. We made enough profit to keep our city centre offices open, but we had hoped for a greater increase in customer numbers.

JONATHAN: Now for the second part of my talk, which is on the topic of public transport. There are many benefits to public transport, for example, the recent introduction of bus lanes has meant that buses are now unaffected by traffic jams and are able to stay on schedule. Unfortunately, as fewer and fewer people are taking the bus nowadays, the service has become quite inefficient. This reduction in passengers may be due to the stories in the newspaper about the dangers posed to pedestrian safety by the buses, however this is largely untrue as buses are responsible for far less pedestrian-related accidents than cars. I use the bus service often, as car petrol is so expensive nowadays that the bus is far more affordable. However, if I am in a rush I prefer to take a taxi as they tend to get you to your destination very quickly so you can remain punctual for your appointments. I also very much enjoy flying to my destinations, as the service is incredibly fast and the airports are always very easy to find. Personally, my favourite mode of transportation is the bus. Due to the lack of people using the service I have found that the buses are never overcrowded so there is always a seat available. They are also never dirty as they get cleaned regularly. However, I have found that sometimes the bus can be over a half hour behind schedule which can be very frustrating. There has been a lot of fluctuation in the price of bus tickets in the last couple of years. In the past, £1.80 for a ticket was enough to sustain the bus companies, however, as the price of fuel increased so did the ticket prices. Now the ticket prices are declining as the bus companies try to encourage more people to use their service again.

Well, that’s all from me today. Thank you for listening.

SECTION 3

ALEXANDRA: Excuse me, Dr Thompson. May I speak to you for a minute?

MR THOMPSON: Of course. Please come in.

ALEXANDRA: I’m Alexandra Jones. I’m studying Business here at the university and for my assignment I have to carry out a survey of people who own their own organisations. I heard that you are the founder of your own company, and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about it.

MR THOMPSON: Yes, of course, please fire away.

ALEXANDRA: OK great, we’ll get started! Did you encounter any problems whilst you were starting your company?

MR THOMPSON: Actually it was not as hard as I anticipated. I started out with very clear objectives, so I knew exactly what I wanted my corporate identity to be. It was very difficult to find the correct premises as the property market in London is so competitive, but eventually I found the perfect site. The hardest part was structuring the business, as I had no formal template so I had to create it myself.

ALEXANDRA: Yes, that is very impressive. Was it difficult dealing with staff?

MR THOMPSON: It’s always tricky trying to satisfy a group of people with varying interests, however, I didn’t encounter many problems. I found it very important to make the staff feel appreciated, so I hosted a staff day where we could all introduce ourselves and get to know each other as individuals. I was also able to talk to them about the type of work that they would be doing and gave them the opportunity to share with me the issues they had with the allocation of the work.

ALEXANDRA: OK. Did you hire a management team or did you take on the role of the manager?

MR THOMPSON: Oh no, I already had enough tasks to take care of. I employed someone else to take on the role of the manager, however, he never consulted me before making decisions so I was forced to let him go and hire someone else.

ALEXANDRA: And what did the other staff think of the new manager?

MR THOMPSON: They had a great deal of respect for him. It definitely helped that I consulted with them before hiring him. They were surprised that he has been so successful in his role at the company, despite the longer meeting hours.

ALEXANDRA: Since the company opened, has it had any great achievements?

MR THOMSON: There are many aspects of the company that I am pleased with, however, there is one achievement of which I am particularly proud. I wanted a mural painted to brighten up our entrance area, so I decided it would be a great idea to invite the local primary school to create one for us. The youngsters had a great time and I know they were thrilled to be included.

ALEXANDRA: Oh, that’s lovely.

ALEXANDRA: Have you encountered any major problems since you opened the company?

MR THOMPSON: Yes, we are always encountering issues with employment because it is very hard to find people who are qualified for the roles that we were offering, but unfortunately there is no solution to this. One of our administrators also recently left to go on maternity leave, which put us in a tricky situation, however, we have managed to find a temporary replacement for her. It’s also now approaching the period when we must carry out our financial training so I need to find a venue with enough space to hold everyone. It will be interesting trying to organise that event!

ALEXANDRA: Oh gosh, I can imagine. I find it hard enough to organise myself!

MR THOMPSON: Organisation is a difficult thing to master, but it is also essential for success! Whilst I was learning how to stay organised, I realised that the role of motivation is essential.

ALEXANDRA: OK, that’s great!

MR THOMPSON: I also suggest that you visit the library, as there is a section on culture that will have some very valuable material on how to develop your organisation skills.

ALEXANDRA: OK, I’ll head to the library when we’re finished.

MR THOMPSON: I think you will find it very useful. They also have a collection of documentaries on the subject of personal organisation and I suggest that you look up the literature on management of change. I personally found these sources incredibly useful. Articles are also a valuable resource and we have a whole collection of them in our university library. I advise that you look at Section 2 where you will find articles on the nature of volunteering.

ALEXANDRA: That’s great, thank you so much for your help.

MR THOMPSON: No problem.

SECTION 4

Welcome class to your very first lecture in this series on Architecture conducted by myself, Dr Torben Dahl. Today we will be looking into the relationship between climate and architecture, where I will be giving you a critical overview of the main climate influences that shape the design of buildings. Throughout this lecture series we will be looking at the latest research into climatic design carried out by experts in the field in addition to case studies and examples drawn from modernist practice both in cities and rural areas.

Now, acid rain is one of the climatic elements with the most devastating effects on our architecture. The chemicals in acid rain can cause paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and erosion of stone statues. Since the 1970s, our government has been making great effort to reduce the release of these chemicals into the atmosphere with positive results. Private organisations have also been raising awareness and funds and recently received a huge donation from the bank. It is interesting to look at the studies that have been carried out into the effects of acid rain at varying altitudes. Research has shown that there are lower levels of acid in the damaging pollutants at higher altitudes, meaning that skyscrapers are much less vulnerable to the negative effects as they are exposed to acid rain with far lower levels of damaging pollutants.

Recently, the Alter Project was founded to carry out further research into acid rain. This project is directed towards studying the effects of acid rain on old, traditional buildings of stone construction that are vulnerable to damage caused by acid rain. Masonry is particularly vulnerable as it is easily corroded and weakened by the acidic chemicals. It is imperative that we protect these buildings, as they are valuable examples of our history and culture.

Pollution is one of the main sources of concern in the present day. The construction industry contributes considerably as a source of pollution in its day-to-day processes of creating building materials such as concrete and glass, however, more new sustainable methods are being developed to counter this. A recent case study for this is Sky Tower, whose windows have been made from recycled glass to prevent pollution from the glass-making process.

Water is the most problematic element to be considered in construction. It is imperative that construction elements such as the insulation are fitted into the building in dry weather to prevent it from getting wet. This makes winter an undesirable season for construction as the heavy rainfall can have adverse effects on the building. Another climate type that has an enormous affect on buildings is humidity. Constructions made of steel and stone are largely unaffected by humidity, however, it can have a serious effect on wooden constructions if the timber has not been correctly treated. Moisture from the air can condense in the grain of the wood, which then swells and shrinks in proportion to the magnitude of change in its moisture content. This variation in size can have disastrous consequences.

In areas of the world that are prone to earthquakes, certain design and environmental conditions are preferable for protecting buildings in the event of a tremor. Engineers have come up with numerous building procedures to help minimise shaking in buildings. For example, tall buildings have height restrictions and counterweights and multi-storey buildings have reinforced floors and walls. Ground conditions are a cause for worry in many constructions as often the soil is of the wrong density to protect the foundations.

Luckily technology has now been developed that can help to minimise damage by earthquakes. Seismic sensors can give prior warning when an earthquake is about to happen so that preparations can be made to protect both the people and the buildings from harm. The movement of building structures can now also be measured and monitored over time by architects. It has been expressed by architects within the design community that it would be valuable to be given special courses for designing buildings within earthquake zones. Guidelines are also expected to be produced by the government in the near future that will give architects a universal checklist to follow.

That wraps up the lecture for today. Please remember that attendance is mandatory... [fade out]

NEW

IELTS Recent Mock Tests Volume 3

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Tips for improving your ielts score

How to learn a new word effectively

Questions 1-3

Complaint to the airport

Questions 4-6

Questions 7-10

Questions 11-16

Questions 17-20

Questions 21-25

Questions 26-30

Major Problems of a Company

Questions 31-40

CLIMATE AND ARCHITECTURE

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Comments:

About us

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NEW

IELTS Recent Mock Tests Volume 3

Part 1: Question 1 - 10

Part 2: Question 11 - 20

Part 3: Question 21 - 30

Part 4: Question 31 - 40

Share your score

Tips for improving your ielts score

How to learn a new word effectively

Questions 1-3

Complaint to the airport

Questions 4-6

Questions 7-10

Questions 11-16

Questions 17-20

Questions 21-25

Questions 26-30

Major Problems of a Company

Questions 31-40

CLIMATE AND ARCHITECTURE

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Comments:

About us

Our mission