शैडोइंग अभ्यास: Cambridge IELTS 16 Listening Test 1 with Answers | Latest IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 - वीडियो के साथ अंग्रेजी बोलना सीखें

You will hear a number of different recordings and you will have to answer questions on what you hear.

There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions and you will have a chance to check your work.

All the recordings will be played once only.

The test is in four parts.

At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

Now turn to part one.

Part one.

You will hear a man phoning to find out about some children's engineering workshops.

First, you have some time to look at questions one to three.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 3.

Hello, children's engineering workshops.

Oh, hello.

I wanted some information about the workshops in the school holidays.

Sure.

I have two daughters who are interested.

The younger one's Lydia.

She's four.

Do you take children as young as that?

Yes.

Our tiny engineer's workshop is for four to five-year-olds.

What sorts of activities do they do?

All sorts.

For example, they work together to design a special cover that goes round an egg, so that when it's inside,

they can drop it from a height and it doesn't break.

Well, sometimes it does break, but that's part of the fun.

Right.

And Lydia loves building things.

Is there any opportunity for her to do that?

Well, they have a competition to see who can make the highest tower.

You'd be amazed how high they can go.

Right.

But they're learning all the time as well as having fun.

For example, one thing they do is to design

and build a car that's attached to a balloon

and the force of the air in that actually powers the car and makes it move along.

They go really fast too.

OK, well, all this sounds perfect.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 4 to 10.

Thank you.

Answer questions four to ten.

Now Carly, that's my older daughter, has just had her seventh birthday.

So presumably she'd be in a different group.

Yes, she'd be in the junior engineers.

That's for children from six to eight.

And do they do the same sorts of activities?

Some are the same, but a bit more advanced.

So they work out how to build model vehicles, things like cars and trucks,

but also how to construct animals using the same sorts of material and technique.

And then they learn how they can program them and make them move.

So they learn a bit of coding?

They do.

They pick it up really quickly.

We're there to help if they need it, but they learn from one another too.

Right.

And do they have competitions too?

Yes.

With the junior engineers, it's to use recycled materials like card and wood to build a bridge.

And the longest one gets a prize.

That sounds fun.

I wouldn't mind doing that myself.

Then they have something a bit different,

which is to think up an idea for a five-minute movie and then film it using special animation software.

You'd be amazed what they come up with.

And of course, that's something they can put on their phone and take home to show all their friends.

Exactly.

And then they also build a robot in the shape of a human

and they decorate it and program it so that it can move its arms and legs.

Perfect.

So is it the same price as the Tiny Engineers?

It's just a bit more.

£50 for the five weeks.

And are the classes on a Monday too?

There used to be, but we found it didn't give our staff enough time to clear up after the first workshop, so we moved them to Wednesdays.

The classes are held in the morning from 10 to 11.

OK.

That's better for me, actually.

And what about the location?

Where exactly are the workshops held?

They're in Building 10A.

There's a big sign on the door.

You can't miss it.

And that's in Fradston Industrial Estate.

Sorry?

Fradston.

That's F-R-A-D-S-T-O-N-E.

And that's in Grassford, isn't it?

Yes, up past the station.

And will I have any parking problems there?

No, there's always plenty available.

So, would you like to enrol Lydia and Carly now?

OK.

So, can I have your full name and...

That is the end of part one.

You now have half a minute to check your answers to part one.

Part 2 You will hear the managing director of a company called Stevenson's welcoming a group of work experience students.

First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.

Thank you.

carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

Good morning everyone and welcome to Stephenson's, one of the country's major manufacturers of metal goods.

100

Thank you for choosing us for your two weeks of work experience.

101

My name is Julia Simmons and since the beginning of this year I've been the managing director.

102

Stephenson's is quite an old company.

103

Like me, the founder, Ronald Stevenson, went into the steel industry when he left school.

104

That was in 1923.

105

He set up this company when he finished his apprenticeship in 1926,

106

although he actually started making plans two years earlier, in 1924.

107

He was a very determined young man.

108

Stevenson's long-term plan was to manufacture components for the machine tools industry, although in fact that never came about,

109

and for the automotive industry, that is cars and lorries.

110

However, there was a delay of five years before that happened, because shortly before the company went into production,

111

Stevenson was given the opportunity to make goods for hospitals and other players in the healthcare industry.

112

So that's what we did for the first five years.

113

Over the years we've expanded the premises considerably.

114

We were lucky that the site is big enough so moving to a new location has never been necessary.

115

However the layout is far from ideal for modern machinery

116

and production methods so we intend to carry out major refurbishment of this site over the next five years.

117

I'd better give you some idea of what you'll be doing during your two weeks with us

118

so you know what to expect.

119

Most mornings you'll have a presentation from one of the managers

120

to learn about their department starting this morning with research

121

and development and you'll all spend some time in each department observing what's going on

122

and talking to people as long as you don't stop them from doing their work altogether.

123

In the past, a teacher from your school has come in at the end

124

of each week to find out how the group were getting on, but your school isn't able to arrange that this year.

125

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.

126

Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

127

OK, now I'll briefly help you to orientate yourselves around the site.

128

As you can see, we're in the reception area, which we try to make attractive and welcoming to visitors.

129

There's a corridor running left from here, and if you go along that, the door facing you at the end is the entrance to the coffee room.

130

This looks out onto the main road on one side and some trees on the other, and that'll be where you meet each morning.

131

The factory is the very big room on the far side of the site.

132

Next to it is the warehouse

133

which can be accessed by lorries going up the road to the turning area at the end.

134

You can get to the warehouse by crossing to the far side of the courtyard

135

and then the door is on your right.

136

Somewhere you'll be keen to find is the staff canteen.

137

is right next to reception.

138

I can confidently say that the food's very good but the view isn't.

139

The windows on one side look onto a corridor and courtyard

140

which aren't very attractive at all and on the other onto the access road which isn't much better.

141

You'll be using the meeting room quite often

142

and you'll find it by walking along the corridor to the left of the courtyard and continuing along it to the end.

143

The meeting room is the last one on the right and I'm afraid there's no natural daylight in the room.

144

Then you'll need to know where some of the offices are.

145

The Human Resources Department is at the front of this building,

146

so you head to the left along the corridor from reception and it's the second room you come to.

147

It looks out onto the main road.

148

And finally the boardroom where you'll be meeting sometimes.

149

That has quite a pleasant view as it looks out onto the trees.

150

Go along the corridor past the courtyard right to the end.

151

The boardroom is on the left, next to the factory.

152

OK now, are there any questions before we move...

153

That is the end of part two.

154

You now have half a minute to check your answers to part two.

155

Part 3.

156

You will hear two students called Jess and Tom discussing their art projects.

157

First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.

158

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.

159

How are you getting on with your art project, Tom?

160

OK.

161

Like, they gave us the theme of birds to base our project on, and I'm not really all that interested in wildlife, but I'm starting to get into it.

162

I've pretty well finished the introductory stage.

163

So have I.

164

When they gave us all those handouts with details of books and websites to look at, I was really put off.

165

But the more I read, the more interested I got.

166

Mmm, me too.

167

I found I could research so many different aspects of birds in art.

168

Colour, movement, texture.

169

So I was looking forward to the bird park visit.

170

What a letdown.

171

It poured with rain and we hardly saw a single bird.

172

Much less use than the trip to the Natural History Museum.

173

Yeah.

174

I liked all the stuff about evolution there.

175

The workshop sessions with Dr Fletcher were good too, especially the brainstorming sessions.

176

Ah, I missed those because I was ill.

177

I wish we could have seen the projects last year students did.

178

Hmm, I suppose they want us to do our own thing, not copy.

179

Have you drafted your proposal yet?

180

Yes, but I haven't handed it in.

181

I need to amend some parts.

182

I've realised the notes from my research are almost all just descriptions.

183

I haven't actually evaluated anything, so I'll have to fix that.

184

Oh, I didn't know we had to do that.

185

I'll have to look at that too.

186

Did you do a timeline for the project?

187

Yes, and a mind map.

188

Yeah, so did I.

189

I quite enjoyed that.

190

But it was hard having to explain the basis for my decisions in my action plan.

191

What?

192

You know, give a rationale.

193

I didn't realise we had to do that.

194

OK, I can add it now.

195

And I've done the video diary presentation and worked out what I want my outcome to be in the project.

196

Someone told me it's best not to be too precise about your actual outcome at this stage, so you have more scope to explore your ideas later on.

197

So I'm going to go back to my proposal to make it a bit more vague.

198

Really?

199

OK, I'll change that too then.

200

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.

201

Thank you.

202

30. One part of the project I'm unsure about is where we choose some paintings of birds

203

and say what they mean to us.

204

Like, I chose a painting of a falcon by Landseer.

205

I like it because the bird's standing there with his head turned to one side, but he seems to be staring straight at you.

206

But I can't just say it's a bit scary, can I?

207

You could talk about the possible danger suggested by the bird's look.

208

Oh, OK.

209

There's a picture of a fishhawk by Audubon I like.

210

It's swooping over the water with a fish in its talons

211

and with great black wings which take up most of the picture.

212

So you could discuss it in relation to predators and food chains?

213

Well, actually, I think I'll concentrate on the impression of rapid motion it gives.

214

Right.

215

Do you know that picture of a kingfisher by Van Gogh?

216

It's perching on a reed growing near a stream.

217

Yes, it's got these beautiful blue and red and black shades.

218

I've actually chosen it because I saw a real kingfisher once when I was little.

219

I was out walking with my grandfather and I've never forgotten it.

220

Oh, so we can use a personal link?

221

Sure.

222

OK.

223

There's a portrait called William Wells.

224

I can't remember the artist, but it's a middle-aged man who's just shot a bird.

225

And his expression and the way he's holding the bird in his hand suggests he's not sure about what he's done.

226

To me, it's about how ambiguous people are in the way they exploit the natural world.

227

Interesting.

228

There's Gauguin's picture, Vyramati.

229

He did it in Tahiti.

230

It's a woman with a white bird behind her that is eating a lizard.

231

And what I'm interested in is what idea this bird refers to.

232

Apparently it's a reference to the never-ending cycle of existence.

233

Wow!

234

I chose a portrait of a little boy, Giovanni de' Medici.

235

He's holding a tiny bird in one fist.

236

I like the way he's holding it carefully so he doesn't hurt it.

237

Ah, right.

238

That is the end of part three.

239

You now have half a minute to check your answers to part three.

240

Part 4 You will hear a professor of philosophy giving a talk on the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.

241

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

242

Thank you.

243

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

244

Ancient philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing, or even reading long, dense books.

245

In fact, it is something people have used throughout history to solve their problems and to achieve their greatest triumphs.

246

Specifically, I am referring to Stoicism,

247

which in my opinion is the most practical of all philosophies and therefore the most appealing.

248

Stoicism was founded in ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC,

249

but was practiced by the likes of Epictetus, Cato, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius.

250

Amazingly, we still have access to these ideas, despite the fact that the most famous Stoics never wrote anything down for publication.

251

Cato definitely didn't.

252

Marcus Aurelius never intended his meditations to be anything but personal.

253

Seneca's letters were, well, letters, and Epictetus's thoughts come to us by way of a note-taking student.

254

Stoic principles were based on the idea that its followers could have an unshakable happiness in this life,

255

and the key to achieving this was virtue.

256

The road to virtue, in turn,

257

lay in understanding that destructive emotions like anger and jealousy are under our conscious control.

258

They don't have to control us, because we can learn to control them.

259

In the words of Epictetus, external events I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them I do control.

260

The modern-day philosopher

261

and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines a Stoic as someone who has a different perspective on experiences

262

which most of us would see as wholly negative.

263

A Stoic transforms fear into caution,

264

pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.

265

Using this definition as a model, we can see that throughout the centuries,

266

Stoicism has been practiced in more recent history by kings, presidents, artists, writers, and entrepreneurs.

267

The founding fathers of the United States were inspired by the philosophy.

268

George Washington was introduced to Stoicism by his neighbours at age 17,

269

and later put on a play based on the life of Cato to inspire his men.

270

Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca beside his bed.

271

Artists and artists have also been inspired by the Stoics.

272

Eugene Delacroix, the renowned French Romantic artist known best for his painting Liberty Leading the People,

273

was an ardent Stoic, referring to it as his consoling religion.

274

The economist Adam Smith's theories on capitalism were significantly influenced by the Stoicism

275

that he studied as a schoolboy under a teacher who had translated Marcus Aurelius's works.

276

Today's political leaders are no different, with many finding their inspiration from the ancient texts.

277

Former US President Bill Clinton re-reads Marcus Aurelius every single year,

278

and many have compared former President Obama's calm leadership style to that of Cato.

279

Wen Jiabao, the former Prime Minister of China, claims that Meditations is one of two books he travels with,

280

and that he has read it more than one hundred times over the course of his life.

281

Stoicism had a profound influence on Albert Ellis, who invented cognitive behaviour therapy,

282

which is used to help people manage their problems by changing the way that they think and behave.

283

It's most commonly used to treat depression.

284

The idea is that we can take control of our lives by challenging the irrational beliefs that create our faulty thinking,

285

symptoms and behaviours by using logic instead.

286

Stoicism has also become popular in the world of business.

287

Stoic principles can build the resilience and state of mind required to overcome setbacks because Stoics teach turning obstacles into opportunity,

288

a lesson every business entrepreneur needs to learn.

289

I would argue that studying Stoicism is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago,

290

thanks to its brilliant insights into how to lead a good life.

291

At the very root of the thinking, there is a very simple way of living.

292

what you can and accept what you can't.

293

This is not as easy as it sounds and will require considerable practice.

294

It can take a lifetime to master.

295

The Stoics also believed the most important foundation for a good and happy life is not money,

296

fame, power or pleasure, but having a disciplined and principled character.

297

which seems to resonate with many people today.

298

That is the end of part four.

299

You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.

300

Thank you.

शैडोइंग तकनीक क्या है?

शैडोइंग (Shadowing) एक विज्ञान-समर्थित भाषा सीखने की तकनीक है जो मूल रूप से पेशेवर दुभाषिया प्रशिक्षण के लिए विकसित की गई थी। विधि सरल लेकिन शक्तिशाली है: आप मूल अंग्रेज़ी ऑडियो सुनते हैं और तुरंत इसे ज़ोर से दोहराते हैं — जैसे वक्ता की छाया 1-2 सेकंड की देरी से। शोध से पता चलता है कि यह उच्चारण सटीकता, स्वर, लय, जुड़ी हुई ध्वनियाँ, सुनने की समझ और बोलने की प्रवाहशीलता में काफ़ी सुधार करता है।

शैडोइंग अभ्यास: Cambridge IELTS 16 Listening Test 1 with Answers | Latest IELTS Listening Practice Test 2026 - वीडियो के साथ अंग्रेजी बोलना सीखें

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शैडोइंग तकनीक क्या है?