3 Climate

Aims: Spelling words correctly I Understanding the sequence of events

Following a conversation I Labelling a diagram I Completing notes
Classifying

P a r t i: Vocabulary

Match the pictures 1-6 above with the words a-f.

a a b liz z a rd _____ c a d ro u g h t______ e lig h tn in g __
b a flo o d _____ d a h u rric a n e ______ f a heat wave

Exam tip: In the IELTS Listening exam, you are expected to recognise and be able to
spell a variety of non-technical words. If you spell a word incorrectly, your answ er w ill
be considered incorrect. Spelling abstract nouns is easier if you know some common
endings, fo r example -ity, -tion, -merit, -ness.

Listening for IELTS

Listen and write the words 1-9. First you w ill hear the word and then you w ill hear the
word in a sentence.
1 4 __________ 7 __________
2 5 __________ 8 __________
3 6 __________ 9 __________

Complete the sentences 1-8 with the words a -h to form common w eather collocations.
You can use one word more than once.
a cle ar c heavy e lig h t g strong
b flash d high f scorching h th ick

1 There is a chance o f __________ / ___________ rain in the m orning, so take an um brella

w ith you.
2 There a r e __________ winds on the coast, so be very careful if w a lking near the cliffs.
3 There have b e e n __________ floods in the south of the country and many people have
had to evacuate th e ir homes at short notice.
4 The north has been affected b y __________ snow, and many people are snowed in at
home.
5 Today w ill be sunny w it h __________ blue skies.
6 There i s __________ fog in the west and driving m ight be dangerous.
7 There w ill b e __________ te m p era tures in the afternoon today, so make sure you drink
plenty of water.
8 We advise people not to take th e ir children out in t h e __________ heat.

Underline the odd one out in the groups of words 1-4 below and say why it is different.
Example: cool / hot / warm / balm y / rainy
'Rainy' is different: it does not describe temperature.
1 precipitation / m oisture / hum idity / a tm o s p h e re __________________
2 global w arm ing / clim a te change / greenhouse effect / ozone la y e r-------------------------------
3 tid a l wave / hurricane / cyclone / g a le __________________
4 fog / haze / m ist / d riz z le __________________

In the IELTS Listening exam you need to understand the sequence (or order) of ideas
and/or events. Draw a table like the one below and put the sequencing words and phrases
in the correct group. Some can go into more than one group.
d u rin g in itia lly s im u lta n e o u s ly
e v e n tu a lly m o v in g on to th e n e xt p h a s e /s te p
fin a lly n e xt u ltim a te ly
fo rm e r p re v io u s ly w hen
in th e end p r io r

Before After At the same time Transition from one stage to another |

Nature and the environment

6 Complete the passage w ith the w ords a-h.
a during e simultaneously
b initially f the next step
c then g ultimately
d prior h when

Preparing for a Heat Wave

Make sure you are always prepared fo r any kind of extrem e w eather (1 )___________
to it occurring. You can do this by checking the w eather forecast regularly. Heat
waves can often be predicted days and even weeks in advance. Heat waves are
(2 )___________seen as fun, a chance to get outside in the sun, and a hazard, which
can cause illness. Make sure you drink plenty of w ater (3) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this tim e,
otherwise you may become dehydrated. (4)___________ you feel hot, try to find some
shade.
It is also im portant to watch for signs of heatstroke. A person may (5)___________
become slow and lethargic, and (6)___________ become confused or incoherent. If you
see these second sym ptoms, get the person into the shade im m ediately and give them
water. If the sym ptom s do not go away instantly, (7 )___________would be to ca ll an
am bulance. If left untreated, heatstroke can (8 )___________lead to death.

Underline the correct words in the sentences 1-6.

1 Many people do not believe that pollution has disastrous long term effects on the
environment, but eventually/ finally they w ill have to accept the overwhelm ing evidence.
2 There was no fo rm e r/p rio r warning of the storm ; it took everyone in the village by
surprise.
3 I was the only person standing under the large tree d u rin g /w h e n the rain came so I
was lucky and didn't get wet.
U Here is the w eather forecast for today. Initially / Previously it w ill be sunny, but cloud
w ill develop la ter in the afternoon.
5 If a hurricane strikes, the firs t thing to do is get inside. Next / The next step you should
shut a ll the windows and doors.
6 The effects of global w arm ing w ill be seen in the future, e ven tually/ultim ately leading
to a dram atic rise in sea levels and eventually/ ultim ately flooding vast areas of low
lying land.

Listening for IELTS

 Unit 3

Part 2: Practice exercises

O1
15
In Section 3 of the IELTS Listening exam, you w ill hear up to four speakers and it is
important to recognise the speakers.
CD1 You are going to hear a conversation with four speakers: John, Steven, Linda and Joanne.
Listen and write how many times you hear each speaker. Two have been done for you.
John 3_ Linda 2_
Steven __ Joanne __

Exam information: Classification (1)

In the IELTS Listening exam, you may have to decide w hich category or group
item s belong to. The categories are usually lettered (A, B, C, etc.) and the item s are
num bered (1, 2, 3). Your answ er is usually a letter.

Match the places 1-6 with the categories a, b or c.

a Continent 1 Paris
2 Asia
3 Brazil
b Country
U Europe
5 Vietnam
c City 6 Tokyo

Exam tip: Before you listen, th in k how the categories and item s m ight be related, and
try to th in k of o ther w ords that express these categories and item s. One group, eithe r
the item s or the categories, w ill probably be paraphrased.

0 3 You are going to hear a group of students talking about their Natural Earth presentation.
16 Listen and match the tasks 1-5 with the person who w ill do them la-c).
CD1
N atural Earth presentation: Who is doing which tasks?

a Alice 1 organise the research

2 m ake the PowerPoint presentation
b K arl 3 source cloud images
U w rite cue cards
c Jenny 5 present the conclusion

Nature and the environment 27

 Exam information: Labelling a diagram (1)

In the IELTS Listening exam, you may have to label a diagram which describes a
process. This question type can be found in any section of the exam.
You have to com plete the diagram by w ritin g the inform ation yourself or choosing
the answ er from a list of options. You w ill need to study the diagram before you listen
to understand the order of events. The inform ation you need in order to answer the
questions is in the same order as it is on the recording.

Exam tip: You may know the answers due to your general knowledge, but your answers
cannot depend on that: you w ill need to listen for to what the speakers say to identify the
answer.

Look at the diagram w hich shows how acid rain is form ed. Use the clues in the diagram
and put the events a -d in the o rder they occur.
a The wind carries the m ixture of pollutants high into the atmosphere,
b These fa ll in wet and dry form s,
c Polluting em issions from cities enter the atmosphere,
d The wet form runs into rivers, causing more pollution.

Acid rain Combine with elements

in the atmosphere and form 3

4 *
Sulphur dioxide emissions from 1 Wet deposition
and smelters e.g. rain 4 ___
ition%..
Dry deposition
Nitrogen oxide emissions e.g. dust or smoke
from car exhausts and 2 _____

Listening for IELTS

 Unit 3

Exam tip: If you have to label a diagram , always w rite the words you hear on the
recording; do not use your own words.

You are going to hear two students discussing an assignment. Listen and complete the
diagram in Exercise U. W rite NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer.

Exam information: Note completion (1)

In the IELTS Listening exam, you may have to com plete notes. This question type can
be found in any section of the exam. You w ill need to th in k about the topic and look at )
the notes carefully to decide w hat kind of word fits gra m m a tica lly in each space. )

Read the notes and write what kind of word completes each space grammatically: a noun,
a verb or a quantity/amount?

Lightning Safety: Presentation Plan

Part 1: Planning for lightning
• Im po rtant to be prepared
• Go inside before it 1 ___________

Part 2: If inside
• Stay away from w ater, doors, windows, and telephones
• Turn off 2 ___________

Part 3: If outside
• Avoid trees, open spaces, and m etal objects
• If the lightning comes near you, 3 ___________ and cover your ears

Part 4: If someone gets hit

• Get help from a U ___________
• Call an am bulance
• Don't w o rry: 5 ___________ of lightning victim s survive!

Think of words related to the topic of ‘lightning and safety’ that could complete the notes
above.

You are going to hear two students talking about a project. Listen and complete the notes
18 in Exercise 6 above. W rite NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
CD1 answer.

Nature and the environment 29

Part 3: Exam practice

SECTION 3
Q19
QUESTIONS 1-3
CD1

C o m p le te th e n o te s below .

W rite NO MORE TH AN THREE WORDS A N D /O R A N U M B E R fo r each answ er.

Project suggestions: pros and cons

Localised w eather conditions

Problem: Not enough tim e for 1 ___________

Seasons
Problem: Too 2 ___________

Extreme w eather conditions

Advantage: Easier to 3 ___________into different sections, more interesting

QUESTIONS 4 -7
o
19
W ho w ill co ve r th e fo llo w in g w e a th e r c o n d itio n s ? CD1

A Alex
B Emma
C Tom
D None of them

W rite th e c o rre c t le tte r, A, B, C o r D next to q u e s tio n s 4 -7 .

4 blizzards ___________
5 floods ___________
6 drought ___________
7 cyclones ___________

Listening for IELTS

 Unit 3

QUESTIONS 8 -1 0 Q
20
C o m p le te th e d ia g ra m below . W rite NO MORE T H A N TH R EE W ORDS A N D /O R A cdi

N U M B E R fo r each an sw e r.

Nature and the environment 31