IELTS Listening Practice Test 48

IELTS Listening Section 3

Paul: Hi, Joe. Hi, Isabel.
Joe: Hi, Paul.
Isabel: Oh, hi, Paul. I’ve heard you’ve been stressing out about your presentation on art.
Paul: I am.
Joe: Are you still going to talk about the different types of art?
Paul: Yes. Well, I was planning to. but there’s so much stuff on the subject that I’m
finding it difficult to put it all into one short presentation. [21]
Isabel: Ha. I usually have the opposite problem. There’s nothing worse than going blank,
forgetting your words, in front of a group of people.
Paul: Well, the problem is that I don’t know how to organise what I want to say in the
presentation. [21]
Joe: Well, you know everything there is to know about the subject. It’s just a question of
selecting what you want to talk about.
Paul: Well, there’s a lot to discuss about the different periods in art.
Isabel: That’s a good way to start. Then you can bring in how specific types of art were
popular in each period.
Paul: Yes, like how sculpture was popular in the classical period and paintings were
popular in the Renaissance period.
Isabel: And how now, a wide variety of media are used to create modern art.
Joe: As long as you keep it concise, because it’s a large area. There are so many periods
and movements in art and you don’t want to just list them one by one.
Isabel: I agree. An explanation of the movements and periods in art wouldn’t be too long.
[22]
Paul: You’re right. I need to just pick out some key points; just mention the periods
quickly, so that I can move on to the real topic of the presentation.
Joe: Yes, the variety of art, like sculpture, paintings, installations…
Isabel: I have an idea. Why don’t you prepare a timeline to show to the class? That would
be a nice visual and it would focus your ideas so you don’t get too side-tracked.
Paul: Great idea. It would certainly cut down on time. [23]
Isabel: Right then. Where are we? You’ll begin with a very short introduction to the
historical periods of art. Then you’ll talk about popular types of art within these periods.
That’s sorted. Maybe, you could also mention some key works of art in each period, like
the Venus de Milo statue or The Scream by Edvard Munch, and give some interesting
facts on them?
Paul: That’s not a bad idea because it does give people a frame of reference when I talk
about specific kinds of art. [24] After giving a historical context, I should really talk about
different forms of art, shouldn’t I?
Joe: Yes, you should.
Isabel: After that, you can conclude with a question on what is considered to be art. Now,
that would be really interesting.
Paul: Yes, comparing the traditional views of art with modern views.
Isabel: Exactly.
Paul: I think I’ll have a collection of pictures, including famous pieces of art from classic
to modern, projected on the wall, like the Mona Lisa and some pop art, and ask people
whether they think it’s art or not.
Joe: Showing some famous works and asking what art is would certainly lead to
discussion in the room. People’s appreciation of art is so subjective and it comes down
to taste.
Paul: That’s what I’m hoping for – some disagreement to liven up the presentation. [25]
Isabel: And you could stick in some really controversial ones like graffiti and modern art
installations in between pieces of art that are universally accepted, like the work of the
Renaissance painters.
Joe: Sounds good to me. I have to say. I really don’t understand some modern art myself.
There was one recently that was just a pile of rubbish. It doesn’t require much skill to
create, docs it? And what does it mean? There’s no point to it.
Isabel: Actually, Joe, I like some modern art. It makes you look at the world in a different
way. Artists now have the freedom to express themselves completely. [26]
Joe: Yes, but there is an idea now that anything can be art.
Paul: I’ve heard of paintings being sold for large sums of money which have been done
by small children and animals.
Joe: Now that’s ridiculous!
Isabel: Oh, you could find one of those paintings and put it in your presentation, couldn’t
you, Paul? That would really be interesting.
Joe: Well, Paul, what do you think?
Paul: I like it. Just thinking. I’ll need to do some more research to find pictures for the
slide show.
Isabel: Yes, we can help you, can’t we, Joe?
Joe: Of, course. If you go to the fine art section of the library, I’m sure you’ll find
everything you need. [27] Just ask the staff and they’ll give you access to a slide bank of
hundreds of famous works of art. [28] And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for,
use the library computers to go online. [29] There are lots of images on the internet. Of
course, you’ll need to use a search engine like Google, but it’s dead easy. [30]
Paul: Thanks, guys. I’m feeling much clearer about the project. Your ideas have been
really useful. I think I should end with a quote of some kind by a famous artist, what do
you think?
Joe: That’s a good idea. Now lets go to the library and see what they have.

Questions 21-26
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
21 Before giving his presentation, Paul is worried about
A choosing what information to use.
B not remembering what to say.
C organising the projection equipment.
22 Pauls friends advise him not to
A speak about popular periods.
B talk at length about art history.
C speak too quickly in the presentation.
23 Why does Paul like the idea of the timeline?
A It will be visually pleasing.
B It will save some time.
C It will keep him focused.
24 Paul is going to show famous works of art to
A show people that he has good taste.
B make people think about what counts as art.
C prove that modern art isn’t as good as classic art.
25 Paul wants his presentation to
A change personal opinions.
B create a big fight.
C start an exciting debate.
26 What does Isabel say about modern artists?
A They are skilful.
B They paint like children.
C They have a sense of freedom.

Questions 27-30
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
TIPS TO FIND PICTURES

• go to fine art section in 27 _____

• ask 28 _____ for access to slide bank
• if not, use the 29 _____
• find pictures using a 30 _____

IELTS Listening Section 4

Lecturer: Female lecturer: Good afternoon, everybody. Today, in the first lecture on
anthropology, we’re going to look at languages and how they are disappearing fast and
what effect that’s having. We hear so much in the news about the possible extinction of
animal and plant species in the world, and it’s clearly a sad thing that one day certain
animals will cease to exist. But how many of you are aware that the world’s languages
are facing a similar threat? The Ethnologue, the leading authority on the world’s
languages, has put together a list of every living language known to man. There are over
6,500, of which 6,000 have available population figures. Now, 109 million people speak
just ten of these languages and they are the major languages of the world. At the
opposite end of the scale, there are minority languages [31], which are only spoken by a
few people, and that’s what this chart is illustrating. The number of languages is
represented on the vertical axis [32], and the total number of languages that make up this
group is an astounding 1,619. For each of these smaller language groups, the population
range of speakers goes from 1 to 999. [33] Even more incredible is the fact that out of
these small languages, over 200 of them have a speaker population ranging from just 1 to
9. Imagine only 9 people speaking your language in the whole world, or even only one or
two people.
Out of the more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world today, experts believe that, by
the end of this century, perhaps as many as half may have disappeared. Approximately
one language dies every two weeks. This is an unprecedented situation. Never before in
history has there been this rate of rapid decline.
Its very informative to think geographically and consider the question of where in the
world this is happening. In total there are 516 languages that arc nearly extinct [34],
where only a few members of the older generation survive. When they die, the language
will die with them, lost forever. The majority of nearly extinct languages come from the
Pacific and the Americas, which together make up 74% of the total. They are followed by
Asia at 15% of languages under threat. [35] Around 9% of these languages are spoken in
Africa, while Europe has the smallest percentage of languages that are nearly extinct –
just 2%. [36]
Entire languages which have survived for centuries are disappearing as we speak, but
why is this happening now? There are several reasons for the situation. Globalisation
has made the world smaller and technology has made it easier for people separated by
vast distances to communicate in a common language. [37] Minority languages have
given way to the main languages of global communication like English. On a social level,
speakers may feel the minority language to be old-fashioned and behind the times. They
may even be slightly embarrassed to speak the language of their forefathers, preferring
to identify themselves with an international language that represents improved economic
status [38].
Now, some do argue that a reduction in the number of world languages is inevitable, and
anything to ease communication between nations is a good thing and, granted, there is a
point to be made there, but what arc the long-term implications of this? Consider this.
Language, in both spoken and written form, is passed down through generations. It is the
vehicle for all kinds of knowledge about the environment, local wildlife, plants, animals
and ecosystems. These oral traditions die along with the language [39].
We can’t stop the changes that arc happening in the world but we can try to keep
languages alive through language maintenance programmes and by documenting
languages before they disappear, so they can be studied and maybe even resurrected in
the future. It’s also important to remember that many people who speak threatened
languages can neither read nor write. Helping them become literate goes a long way
towards protecting the language. [40] Preserving a language is not easy but there have
been exceptional cases where languages have been brought back to life. In Ireland, Irish
Gaelic, once a dying language, is now spoken by 13% of the country’s population. We’ll
go into what happened there in more detail in my second lecture.
Questions 31-36
Complete the diagram below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 37-40
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
37 Technology has made communication easier, encouraging the use of a _____.
38 Some speakers may associate major languages with better _____
39 A group of people can lose their _____ when their language becomes extinct.
40 We can help preserve languages through specific programmes and by encouraging
people to become _____