IELTS Listening full test 3

Officer: Good afternoon, Coastal Fun Run registrations. How can I help?

Caller: Hi, I'd like to register for the fun run next month.

Officer: Sure. Is that the five-kilometre walk or the ten-kilometre run?

Caller: The ten-kilometre run, please.

Officer: Lovely. Can I take your first name?

Caller: It's Thanh. T-H-A-N-H.

Officer: And your family name?

Caller: Nguyen. N-G-U-Y-E-N.

Officer: Thanks. And your date of birth?

Caller: The ninth of March, nineteen ninety-six.

Officer: Have you done the run before?

Caller: No, this is my first time.

Officer: Great. The entry fee for the ten-kilometre run is thirty-five dollars, which includes a T-shirt. What size would you like?

Caller: Medium, please.

Officer: And are you raising money for a charity this year? Many runners support the children's hospital.

Caller: Actually, I'd like to support the animal shelter, if that's possible.

Officer: Yes, it's one of our three partner charities. Now, for safety, we need an emergency contact. Who should we call?

Caller: My sister, Linh.

Officer: And her mobile number?

Caller: Zero four zero three, seven one two, six eight eight.

Officer: Thank you. The race starts at seven thirty a.m. at the surf club, and we ask runners to arrive forty-five minutes early to collect their race number. There's no parking at the surf club itself, so I'd suggest using the shopping centre car park, which is free on Sundays.

Caller: Perfect. Should I bring anything else?

Officer: Just a water bottle. There are drink stations every two and a half kilometres, but they won't have cups this year, because we're trying to reduce waste.

Guide: Welcome to Greenvale Community Gardens. Before you head off, let me show you where everything is on the map.

Guide: You're standing at the main entrance, at the southern edge of the gardens. As you walk in, the first building immediately on your left is the toilet block. On your right, directly opposite, is the information kiosk, where you can pick up a guide to the plants.

Guide: If you follow the main path straight ahead, you'll reach the fountain in the centre of the gardens. Just past the fountain, on the eastern side, you'll find the café. It has lovely views back towards the fountain, and it's open until four.

Guide: Continuing north from the fountain, right at the end of the main path, is the herb garden, which was planted by local school children.

Guide: Now, if you look to the west, you'll see the pond. On the far side of the pond, in the north-west corner of the gardens, is our greenhouse, which is home to tropical plants. Please note the greenhouse is only open on weekends.

Guide: Families with young children usually head straight for the playground. To get there, go back towards the entrance, but keep going to the far south-east corner of the gardens. You'll see it behind a low fence.

Guide: A few other things. The gardens are run almost entirely by volunteers, about sixty of them, and we're always looking for more, especially on weekday mornings. Dogs are welcome, but they must be kept on a lead. And please don't pick any flowers or vegetables. Produce from the vegetable beds is donated to a local food bank every Friday.

Tutor: So, Amira and Josh, you're planning your geography field trip to the river. How's it going?

Amira: Quite well. We've chosen the section of the river near Millbrook, because it's easy to get to by bus and there's a footpath along the bank.

Tutor: Good. What are you going to measure?

Josh: We'll measure the width and depth of the river at five points, and the speed of the water. We also want to take water samples to test for pollution.

Tutor: How will you measure the speed?

Josh: We were going to use a special meter from the department, but they're all booked out that week. So we'll use the traditional method: we'll time how long it takes an orange to float ten metres.

Tutor: That works well. Why an orange?

Amira: Because it floats just below the surface, so the wind doesn't affect it much.

Tutor: Exactly. Now, let's talk about who does what. Amira, what will you be responsible for?

Amira: I'll do the risk assessment, since I've done one before. And I'll take the photographs.

Josh: I'll organise the equipment and book the bus. And I'll write up the results section of the report.

Tutor: And the water testing?

Amira: We'll both do that, because one person needs to collect the samples and the other records the results.

Tutor: Fine. What concerns do you have?

Josh: Mainly the weather. If there's heavy rain the week before, the river could be too high and dangerous.

Tutor: Then you'll need a back-up date. And don't forget to wear boots, not trainers; the bank can be very slippery.

Amira: We'll make sure everyone knows.

Tutor: Lastly, when you analyse the data, compare your results with the figures from the river authority's website. That will make your conclusions much stronger.

Lecturer: Today I'm going to explain how paper is recycled, a process that saves water and energy, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Lecturer: The process begins with collection. Paper from homes and offices is collected and taken to a recycling facility, where it is sorted into different grades. Newspaper, for example, is kept separate from office paper and cardboard, because each grade produces a different quality of product.

Lecturer: Next, the sorted paper is mixed with water and chemicals in a large machine called a pulper. This breaks the paper down into fibres and creates a thick mixture known as pulp.

Lecturer: The pulp is then passed through screens, which remove items such as staples, plastic and glue. After screening, the pulp may go through a process called de-inking. Air is bubbled through the mixture, and the ink sticks to the bubbles, forming a foam that is skimmed off the surface.

Lecturer: If the recycled paper needs to be white, the pulp is then bleached, usually with hydrogen peroxide rather than chlorine, which is more harmful to the environment.

Lecturer: Finally, the clean pulp is sprayed onto a moving belt. Water drains away, and the sheet is pressed between rollers and dried with heated cylinders. The finished paper is wound onto enormous rolls, which can weigh up to twenty tonnes.

Lecturer: It's worth noting that paper can't be recycled forever. Each time it is recycled, the fibres become shorter and weaker. On average, paper fibres can be recycled about five to seven times before they're too short to use, so new fibres from trees must always be added.