Shadowing Practice: Real IELTS Listening Test – Vol. 9 Test 1 | Full Practice Test with Transcripts - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
You will hear a number of different recordings, and you will have to answer questions on what you hear.
2
There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work.
3
All the recordings will be played once only.
4
The test is in four sections.
5
Write all your answers in the listening question booklet.
6
At the end of the test, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.
7
Now turn to Section 1 on page 2 of your question booklet.
8
Section 1 You will hear two students called Peter and Jim talking about sharing a house together.
9
First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5 on page 2.
10
You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
11
On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.
12
Jim is
13
here to find out about a room, so room has been written in the space.
14
Now we shall begin.
15
You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time.
16
Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.
17
Hi, I'm Jim.
18
I'm here about the room.
19
Hi, I'm Peter.
20
We talked on the phone, didn't we?
21
Come on in.
22
Great.
23
I just need to find out a few things before I make up my mind.
24
OK.
25
Well, first of all, I wasn't quite clear about the rent.
26
It depends on the room you have.
27
I have the large bedroom, so I pay $110 a week.
28
Yours is $80 because it's a bit smaller.
29
That's not too bad.
30
The last place I was in was $100 a week and it was much smaller.
31
And it seems like a good location.
32
Yeah, and the shops are pretty close.
33
The only thing is it's not very good for public transport.
34
The nearest bus stop is quite a walk.
35
That's not a problem.
36
I've got a car.
37
By the way, is there anywhere I can park?
38
Well, you're lucky because this house has a garage.
39
At the moment, there are some empty boxes in there, but there's still plenty of room for your car.
40
You can't park in the street.
41
It's zoned no parking.
42
And the back lane is too narrow.
43
Fine.
44
Now, what about phone calls?
45
I didn't see a phone in the hall when I came in.
46
I've got a mobile which my friends usually call me on, but a phone in the house is useful.
47
Yeah, it's in the kitchen.
48
It was in the living room, but it was hard to hear over the television.
49
Oh, and we pay for our own calls.
50
That's fair enough.
51
And what about my room?
52
Yes, we'll go up and look in a minute.
53
It's at the front of the house.
54
It's a nice room and there's a cupboard and desk in there already.
55
But it does get quite cold at night in that room and it doesn't have a heater.
56
No problem.
57
My friend has just given me one, so I'll bring that.
58
He's gone travelling and has left me with a big box of things to mind.
59
Um, anything else I can bring?
60
Well, we've just got a microwave, and my mother bought me a rice cooker.
61
But it would be great if you had a toaster.
62
Mine's just broken.
63
I'll have a look in the box.
64
Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10 on page 2.
65
Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.
66
One thing, I'm a keen sports fan and I usually watch the game on TV on Friday evening.
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Would that be okay?
68
Me too, so that's good.
69
And I work at the supermarket on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
70
Great, you can do the shopping then.
71
Do you have most of your lectures in the morning or afternoon?
72
In the afternoons, why?
73
Mine are in the afternoons too.
74
You could give me a lift, we can share the petrol.
75
Good idea.
76
When do you think I could move in?
77
Well, if you're interested and the rent is OK, I need someone by the 1st of June when the new rent period starts.
78
Yes, that should be fine.
79
The house seems big enough, the rent's reasonable.
80
I've got an exam next week, so I'll move in after that if that's OK.
81
Yeah, that sounds fine.
82
That is the end of Section 1.
83
You now have half a minute to check your answers.
84
Now turn to the screen to section 2 on page 3.
85
Section 2.
86
You will hear a teacher giving a talk about a junior school to a group of parents.
87
First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17 on page 3.
88
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 17.
89
Okay, can everybody hear me?
90
Good.
91
Well, I'd like to welcome all the new parents to Spring Down Junior School.
92
My name is Anne Rawson and I'm the assistant head teacher.
93
What I'd like to do is tell you about the school day and show you round the school.
94
And perhaps you can ask me any questions you may have at the end.
95
Right.
96
First of all, let me start by telling you a little bit about what happens here.
97
and what's on offer.
98
Children are expected to arrive at school between 8.45 and 8.50,
99
and the bell is rung for everybody to go to their classrooms at 8.55 so that we can take the register.
100
We then have assembly at nine o'clock
101
when the whole school meets in the hall for the head to talk to the children.
102
He may discuss what's happened in the news or something that is important for the school.
103
Lessons run until 4pm with an hour for lunch.
104
Lunch is served in the canteen and children can bring their own packed lunch or a hot meal is available.
105
They also have time to play outside and get some fresh air.
106
In the middle of the morning and the middle of the afternoon, there are two breaks of 15 minutes,
107
when the children also generally go outside, unless it's wet.
108
Now, we encourage the children to do as much as they can, and we offer them several ways of achieving this.
109
For example, on Thursday afternoons, rather than continuing with lessons, we expect the whole school to do sports.
110
We vary these between summer and winter and everything is supervised by the teachers.
111
Also, we like the children to work on something artistic over a long period of time, so for each of the three terms,
112
they are expected to produce a poster.
113
This will normally be on something particular that they have studied that term, such as the environment.
114
We also make sure we keep a close eye on how each child is doing in their schoolwork
115
and every month rather than the teacher giving the children a
116
report as I know some schools do they have to do tests and we record their performance over the year.
117
We're very proud of our school and of the very good results we achieve.
118
Our teachers are all very committed to the school and at the end of the school day
119
many of them have set up clubs that the children go to for an extra hour to learn a new skill, such as music.
120
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20 on page 4.
121
Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20.
122
Okay, I'll quickly show you where everything is.
123
We're here at the main entrance, and on the right, where you would normally expect to find reception, you'll see the head's office.
124
He likes to see visitors personally, and his door is always open.
125
Opposite this are two of the classrooms, but most of the classrooms are down the long corridor.
126
The library then is situated between those two classrooms
127
and we are hoping that we will be able to create a computer room within
128
that so that the children can have somewhere quiet to work on their own.
129
On the left of the classrooms, we have converted one of the old cloakrooms to create a music room
130
and children can go in there at lunchtime if they want to.
131
Now, if you come with me through the main hall here.
132
OK, now, as you can probably see, this main hall is a new addition this year, and we are very pleased with it.
133
We used to be squashed into the old assembly hall next door, which, as you can see, has now been turned into a gym for the children.
134
And we have weekly lessons here.
135
Do feel free to go and look round the classrooms, and I'll be waiting here to answer your questions.
136
That is the end of Part 2.
137
You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Part 2.
138
Now turn to section 3 on page 5 Section 3 You will hear two students called Jen and Rob
139
discussing a project they are about to start working on.
140
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page 5.
141
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
142
Hi, Jen.
143
Hi, Rob.
144
We need to look at this project we're doing together in forensic linguistics.
145
Sure.
146
The first thing we have to do is define forensic linguistics.
147
I thought we could say something like, linguistics involves the analysis of language, and forensic refers to using scientific techniques to solve crimes.
148
So forensic linguistics involves analysing people's use of language to find out whether they've committed a crime.
149
What do you think of that as a definition?
150
Sounds OK.
151
I looked it up in my dictionary and I got something similar.
152
Then we can add something about what forensic linguists actually do to back it up.
153
You know, like analysing documents to find out who wrote them.
154
Good point.
155
Let's do that.
156
What about the actual project?
157
I'm glad we chose voice identification as the topic.
158
Yeah, we've been given a voice recording of a possible suspect.
159
Not a real suspect, of course.
160
So we've got to listen to the recording and analyse their voice.
161
Should be OK.
162
Well, I've already listened to the recording, and I can't even tell if it's a man or a woman.
163
But I guess that doesn't matter.
164
The accent's a local one, though I'm not sure how that will affect anything.
165
Where we're really going to get in trouble is that the recording is very unclear.
166
I'm sure they've done that to test us.
167
Well, they weren't going to make it easy.
168
We have to analyse the voice sample with that spectrograph instrument, don't we?
169
Learning what to do with it is the only thing that really concerns me about this project.
170
It'll be fine.
171
Hmm, I guess so.
172
And then we have to interview the suspect
173
and make our own recording face to face and decide if it's the same person as on the original recording, right?
174
Yes.
175
It's not an exact science, but it's usually pretty accurate.
176
You can often tell, even when they've got a cold, it's the same person, but they might do something like speaking with another accent
177
because the tutor suggests they do that just to test us.
178
So let's get on with it then.
179
Oh, and don't start your usual self-doubt about whether you can do the work or not.
180
You usually do okay in the end.
181
I reckon that as long as we focus on the main points of the assignment, we can think about the finer details later.
182
My problem is creating things to worry about before I've even started.
183
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30 on page 6.
184
Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
185
We'll have to do some background reading first.
186
I'll go to the library later and get what we need.
187
OK.
188
I've already looked at forensics today, and it didn't say much about voice identification, so we needn't bother with that one.
189
Language and crime looks a bit more promising, doesn't it?
190
I've got that out of the library already, so we don't need to worry about borrowing that.
191
Research methods in forensic linguistics.
192
I guess we ought to borrow that.
193
And voice identification will be a useful one.
194
I'll borrow that from our classmate, George.
195
He won't need it for his project.
196
But we should get out modern forensic techniques.
197
We need all the help we can get on that subject.
198
OK, that's that sorted out.
199
Now onto the practical stuff.
200
I'm not sure about how we're going to record the voices.
201
I'm not too good on the technical side of things.
202
Me neither.
203
We'd better work out what we're doing.
204
At least we get more than one opportunity to speak to the person playing the suspect.
205
I just hope whoever it is won't make the task too tricky.
206
I'm sure they won't be too hard on us.
207
And as long as we do our research properly, it shouldn't be too hard to do the rest of it.
208
I'm more worried about fitting in the writing up.
209
I know.
210
We've got loads of other assignments to finish as well.
211
Now, Rob, let's decide how we're going to split the writing between us.
212
Are you any good at introductions?
213
They always seem to let me down.
214
OK, leave that to me.
215
Are you OK to do the literature review, then?
216
Maybe we should split that part.
217
I don't mind writing the methodology section if you feel comfortable doing the discussion and conclusions.
218
OK.
219
And we can do the analysis between us as well.
220
Great.
221
Let's get started.
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That is the end of Section 3.
223
You now have half a minute to check your answers.
224
Now turn to section 4 on page 7.
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Section 4.
226
You will hear a biology lecture on how living things deal
227
with changes in their environment by entering a state called dormancy
228
First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40 on page 7
229
Thank you.
230
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
231
We've been talking about some ways in which plants and animals deal with changes in their environment,
232
and today we'll continue that discussion by looking at dormancy.
233
First, we'll cover what dormancy is and why organisms become dormant.
234
Dormancy is a state of inactivity that organisms or living things enter
235
when they need to conserve the resources available to them and reduce their demands on their environment.
236
Most major groups of plants and animals have some representatives that can become dormant.
237
So what is the value of dormancy?
238
To start with, animals that have the ability to become dormant can survive conditions which are stressful in environmental terms.
239
For instance, when lakes, ponds, or rivers dry up, aquatic organisms that have the ability to enter dormancy can survive the drought,
240
while others that cannot do this will die.
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Another advantage is that creatures that can become dormant in very inhospitable conditions,
242
such as extreme cold, can live in a larger range of places than other organisms.
243
And because of this, because they can live in places where other animals can't survive, when they are actually active and looking for food,
244
the amount of competition they have to deal with from other creatures is greatly reduced.
245
Let's move on to look at what causes dormancy.
246
There are a number of variables,
247
but the ones that are the most significant are changes in temperature and the amount of light organisms get.
248
Availability of food, water, and oxygen is also very important.
249
Now we'll explore some specific examples.
250
Let us first look at dormancy in insects.
251
Insects can experience a reduction in their metabolism, which is a form of dormancy called diapause.
252
In insects, diapause is either a reaction to difficult environmental conditions or a necessary part of the life cycle,
253
such as with butterflies or certain moths.
254
In terms of environment, it's interesting to note that through dormancy, insects can survive when it's very cold.
255
Another creature we'll look at is fish.
256
Fish share the same main environmental causes for dormancy as other creatures, but as one might imagine,
257
they are particularly sensitive to drought.
258
Let's take the African lungfish as an example.
259
When the water supply is low, the African lungfish burrows deep into the mud.
260
It surrounds itself with a cocoon of slime and remains inactive.
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While dormant, it faces two dangers.
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One is the possibility of starvation, and to overcome this, it relies on fat it has stored up in its body.
263
The other is desiccation, or drying up, which is addressed through a reduction in the production of urine.
264
Snails are also known to become dormant.
265
Some snails seal off their shell with a membrane of dried mucus after settling at their place of dormancy.
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Other snails do not have this possibility.
267
They trust the protection of their shell.
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Snails that remain outside during their dormancy can usually be recognized by a rather brightly colored shell
269
reflecting the sunlight and so minimizing evaporation.
270
That is why in open habitats, banded snails usually have a yellow shell.
271
Probably the most well-known type of dormancy is hibernation, which occurs in warm-blooded creatures during the winter.
272
We know that warm-blooded animals maintain a regular body temperature.
273
So what's really interesting about hibernators,
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true hibernators that is, is they can actually adapt to extreme conditions by turning off their internal thermostat,
275
so to speak, and hibernating until conditions improve.
276
Let's examine the behavior of a true hibernator, the Arctic ground squirrel.
277
This squirrel digs underground and builds a nest that is insulated.
278
Once in its nest, it curls up into a ball and tucks in its arms, legs, and tail.
279
Its body temperature mirrors the cold of its surroundings.
280
At this point, the squirrel barely breathes and doesn't react to stimulus in a normal way.
281
During this period of hibernation, the squirrel loses nearly 40% of its weight.
282
The process of awakening for the Arctic ground squirrel takes about three hours.
283
When this happens, there is a rapid rise in the heartbeat and circulation is affected.
284
The area around the heart warms more quickly than the rest of the animal.
285
And despite the strain of hibernation, within 24 hours of coming out of it, the squirrel's body processes are basically normal
286
That is the end of Section 4 You now have half a minute to check your answers
287
Section 1 You will hear two students called Peter and Jim talking about sharing a house together.
288
Hi, I'm Jim.
289
I'm here about the room.
290
Hi, I'm Peter.
291
We talked on the phone, didn't we?
292
Come on in.
293
Great.
294
I just need to find out a few things before I make up my mind.
295
OK.
296
Well, first of all, I wasn't quite clear about the rent.
297
It depends on the room you have.
298
I have the large bedroom, so I pay $110 a week.
299
Yours is $80 because it's a bit smaller.
300
That's not too bad.
301
The last place I was in was $100 a week and it was much smaller.
302
And it seems like a good location.
303
Yeah, and the shops are pretty close.
304
The only thing is, it's not very good for public transport.
305
The nearest bus stop is quite a walk.
306
That's not a problem.
307
I've got a car.
308
By the way, is there anywhere I can park?
309
Well, you're lucky because this house has a garage.
310
At the moment, there are some empty boxes in there, but there's still plenty of room for your car.
311
You can't park in the street.
312
It's zoned no parking.
313
And the back lane is too narrow.
314
Fine.
315
Now, what about phone calls?
316
I didn't see a phone in the hall when I came in.
317
I've got a mobile which my friends usually call me on, but a phone in the house is useful.
318
Yeah, it's in the kitchen.
319
It was in the living room, but it was hard to hear over the television.
320
Oh, and we pay for our own calls.
321
That's fair enough.
322
And what about my room?
323
Yes, we'll go up and look in a minute.
324
It's at the front of the house.
325
It's a nice room and there's a cupboard and desk in there already.
326
But it does get quite cold at night in that room and it doesn't have a heater.
327
No problem.
328
My friend has just given me one, so I'll bring that.
329
He's gone travelling and has left me with a big box of things to mind.
330
Um, anything else I can bring?
331
Well, we've just got a microwave, and my mother bought me a rice cooker.
332
But it would be great if you had a toaster.
333
Mine's just broken.
334
I'll have a look in the box.
335
One thing.
336
I'm a keen sports fan, and I usually watch the game on TV on Friday evening.
337
Would that be okay?
338
Me too, so that's good.
339
Ah, and I work at the supermarket on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
340
Great.
341
You can do the shopping then.
342
Do you have most of your lectures in the morning or afternoon?
343
In the afternoons?
344
Why?
345
Mine are in the afternoons too.
346
You could give me a lift.
347
We can share the petrol.
348
Good idea.
349
When do you think I could move in?
350
Well, if you're interested and the rent is OK, I need someone by the 1st of June when the new rent period starts.
351
Yes, that should be fine.
352
The house seems big enough, the rent's reasonable.
353
I've got an exam next week, so I'll move in after that if that's okay.
354
Yeah, that sounds fine.
355
Section 2.
356
You will hear a teacher giving a talk about a junior school to a group of parents.
357
First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17 on page 3.
358
Okay, can everybody hear me?
359
Good.
360
Well, I'd like to welcome all the new parents to Springdown Junior School.
361
My name is Anne Rawson and I'm the assistant head teacher.
362
What I'd like to do is tell you about the school day and show you round the school.
363
And perhaps you can ask me any questions you may have at the end.
364
Right.
365
First of all, let me start by telling you a little bit about what happens here.
366
and what's on offer children are expected to arrive at school between 8 45
367
and 8 50 and the bell is rung for everybody to go to their classrooms at 8 55
368
so that we can take the register
369
we then have assembly at nine o'clock
370
when the whole school meets in the hall for the head
371
to talk to the children he may discuss what's happened in the news or something
372
that is important for the school lessons run until 4 p.m
373
with an hour for lunch lunch is served in the canteen
374
and children can bring their own packed lunch or a hot meal is available they also have time to play outside
375
and get some fresh air in the middle of the morning
376
and the middle of the afternoon there are two breaks of 15 minutes
377
when the children also generally go outside unless it's wet
378
now we encourage the children to do as much as they can and we offer them several ways of achieving this.
379
For example, on Thursday afternoons, rather than continuing with lessons, we expect the whole school to do sports.
380
We vary these between summer and winter, and everything is supervised by the teachers.
381
Also, we like the children to work on something artistic over a long period of time,
382
so for each of the three terms they are expected to produce a poster.
383
This will normally be on something particular that they have studied that term such as the environment.
384
We also make sure we keep a close eye on how each child is doing in their schoolwork
385
and every month rather than the teacher giving the children a report as I know some schools do
386
they have to do tests and we record their performance over the year.
387
We're very proud of our school and of the very good results we achieve.
388
Our teachers are all very committed to the school
389
and at the end of the school day many of them have set up clubs
390
that the children go to for an extra hour to learn a new skill such as music.
391
OK, I'll quickly show you where everything is.
392
We're here at the main entrance, and on the right, where you would normally expect to find reception, you'll see the head's office.
393
He likes to see visitors personally, and his door is always open.
394
Opposite this are two of the classrooms, but most of the classrooms are down the long corridor.
395
The library then is situated between those two classrooms
396
and we are hoping that we will be able to create a computer room within
397
that so that the children can have somewhere quiet to work on their own.
398
On the left of the classrooms we have converted one of the old cloakrooms to create a music room,
399
and children can go in there at lunchtime if they want to.
400
Now, if you come with me through the main hall here.
401
Okay, now, as you can probably see, this main hall is a new addition this year, and we are very pleased with it.
402
We used to be squashed into the old assembly hall next door, which, as you can see, has now been turned into a gym for the children,
403
and we have weekly lessons here.
404
Do feel free to go and look round the classrooms, and I'll be waiting here to answer your questions.
405
Section 3 You will hear two students called Jen and Rob discussing a project they are about to start working on.
406
First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page 5.
407
Hi Jen.
408
Hi Rob.
409
We need to look at this project we're doing together in forensic linguistics.
410
Sure.
411
The first thing we have to do is define forensic linguistics.
412
I thought we could say something like, linguistics involves the analysis of language, and forensic refers to using scientific techniques to solve crimes.
413
So forensic linguistics involves analysing people's use of language to find out whether they've committed a crime.
414
What do you think of that as a definition?
415
Sounds OK.
416
I looked it up in my dictionary and I got something similar.
417
Then we can add something about what forensic linguists actually do to back it up.
418
You know, like analysing documents to find out who wrote them.
419
Good point.
420
Let's do that.
421
What about the actual project?
422
I'm glad we chose voice identification as the topic.
423
Yeah, we've been given a voice recording of a possible suspect, not a real suspect of course.
424
So we've got to listen to the recording and analyse their voice.
425
Should we okay?
426
Well, I've already listened to the recording and I can't even tell if it's a man or a woman.
427
But I guess that doesn't matter.
428
The accent's a local one, though I'm not sure how that will affect anything.
429
Where we're really going to get in trouble is that the recording is very unclear.
430
I'm sure they've done that to test us.
431
Well, they weren't going to make it easy.
432
We have to analyse the voice sample with that spectrograph instrument, don't we?
433
Learning what to do with it is the only thing that really concerns me about this project.
434
It'll be fine.
435
Hmm, I guess so.
436
And then we have to interview the suspect
437
and make our own recording face-to-face and decide if it's the same person as on the original recording, right?
438
Yes.
439
It's not an exact science, but it's usually pretty accurate.
440
You can often tell, even when they've got a cold, it's the same person, but they might do something like speaking with another accent
441
because the tutor suggests they do that just to test us.
442
So let's get on with it then.
443
Oh, and don't start your usual self-doubt about whether you can do the work or not.
444
You usually do okay in the end.
445
I reckon that as long as we focus on the main points of the assignment, we can think about the finer details later.
446
My problem is creating things to worry about before I've even started.
447
We'll have to do some background reading first.
448
I'll go to the library later and get what we need.
449
OK.
450
I've already looked at forensics today, and it didn't say much about voice identification, so we needn't bother with that one.
451
Language and crime looks a bit more promising, doesn't it?
452
I've got that out of the library already, so we don't need to worry about borrowing that.
453
Research methods in forensic linguistics.
454
I guess we ought to borrow that.
455
And voice identification will be a useful one.
456
I'll borrow that from our classmate, George.
457
He won't need it for his project.
458
But we should get out modern forensic techniques.
459
We need all the help we can get on that subject.
460
Okay, that's that sorted out.
461
Now on to the practical stuff.
462
I'm not sure about how we're going to record the voices.
463
I'm not too good on the technical side of things.
464
Me neither.
465
We'd better work out what we're doing.
466
At least we get more than one opportunity to speak to the person playing the suspect.
467
I just hope whoever it is won't make the task too tricky.
468
I'm sure they won't be too hard on us.
469
And as long as we do our research properly, it shouldn't be too hard to do the rest of it.
470
I'm more worried about fitting in the writing up.
471
I know.
472
We've got loads of other assignments to finish as well.
473
Now, Rob, let's decide how we're going to split the writing between us.
474
Are you any good at introductions?
475
They always seem to let me down.
476
OK, leave that to me.
477
Are you okay to do the literature review then?
478
Maybe we should split that part.
479
I don't mind writing the methodology section if you feel comfortable doing the discussion and conclusions.
480
Okay.
481
And we can do the analysis between us as well.
482
Great.
483
Let's get started.
484
Section 4.
485
You will hear a biology lecture on how living things deal with changes in their environment by entering a state called dormancy.
486
First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40 on page 7.
487
We've been talking about some ways in which plants and animals deal with changes in their environment,
488
and today we'll continue that discussion by looking at dormancy.
489
First, we'll cover what dormancy is and why organisms become dormant.
490
Dormancy is a state of inactivity that organisms or living things enter
491
when they need to conserve the resources available to them and reduce their demands on their environment.
492
Most major groups of plants and animals have some representatives that can become dormant.
493
So what is the value of dormancy.
494
To start with, animals that have the ability to become dormant can survive conditions which are stressful in environmental terms.
495
For instance, when lakes, ponds,
496
or rivers dry up, aquatic organisms that have the ability to enter dormancy can survive the drought,
497
while others that cannot do this will die.
498
Another advantage is that creatures that can become dormant in very inhospitable conditions,
499
such as extreme cold, can live in a larger range of places than other organisms.
500
And because of this, because they can live in places where other animals can't survive, when they are actually active and looking for food,
501
the amount of competition they have to deal with from other creatures is greatly reduced.
502
Let's move on to look at what causes dormancy.
503
There are a number of variables,
504
but the ones that are the most significant are changes in temperature and the amount of light organisms get.
505
Availability of food, water, and oxygen is also very important.
506
Now we'll explore some specific examples.
507
Let us first look at dormancy in insects.
508
Insects can experience a reduction in their metabolism, which is a form of dormancy called diapause.
509
In insects, diapause is either a reaction to difficult environmental conditions or a necessary part of the life cycle,
510
such as with butterflies or certain moths.
511
In terms of environment, it's interesting to note that through dormancy, insects can survive when it's very cold.
512
Another creature we'll look at is fish.
513
Fish share the same main environmental causes for dormancy as other creatures.
514
But as one might imagine, they are particularly sensitive to drought.
515
Let's take the African lungfish as an example.
516
When the water supply is low, the African lungfish burrows deep into the mud.
517
It surrounds itself with a cocoon of slime and remains inactive.
518
While dormant, it faces two dangers.
519
One is the possibility of starvation, and to overcome this, it relies on fat it has stored up in its body.
520
The other is desiccation, or drying up, which is addressed through a reduction in the production of urine.
521
Snails are also known to become dormant.
522
Some snails seal off their shell with a membrane of dried mucus after settling at their place of dormancy.
523
Other snails do not have this possibility.
524
They trust the protection of their shell.
525
Snails that remain outside during their dormancy can usually be recognized by a rather brightly colored shell,
526
reflecting the sunlight and so minimizing evaporation.
527
That is why in open habitats, banded snails usually have a yellow shell.
528
Probably the most well-known type of dormancy is hibernation, which occurs in warm-blooded creatures during the winter.
529
We know that warm-blooded animals maintain a regular body temperature.
530
So what's really interesting about hibernators,
531
true hibernators that is, is they can actually adapt to extreme conditions by turning off their internal thermostat,
532
so to speak, and hibernating until conditions improve.
533
Let's examine the behavior of a true hibernator, the Arctic ground squirrel.
534
This squirrel digs underground and builds a nest that is insulated.
535
Once in its nest, it curls up into a ball and tucks in its arms, legs, and tail.
536
Its body temperature mirrors the cold of its surroundings.
537
At this point, the squirrel barely breathes and doesn't react to stimulus in a normal way.
538
During this period of hibernation, the squirrel loses nearly 40% of its weight.
539
The process of awakening for the Arctic ground squirrel takes about three hours.
540
When this happens, there is a rapid rise in the heartbeat and circulation is affected.
541
The area around the heart warms more quickly than the rest of the animal.
542
And despite the strain of hibernation, within 24 hours of coming out of it, the squirrel's body processes are basically normal.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Real IELTS Listening Test – Vol. 9 Test 1”. This video has 542 sentences and 5786 words to shadow. The speech runs for 45:08. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dormancy noun | /ˈdɔː.mən.si/ | The state or characteristic of being dormant; quiet, inactive restfulness. |
| forensic adjective | /fəˈɹɛn.zɪk/ | Relating to the use of science and technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law. |
| dormant adjective | /ˈdɔːmənt/ | Inactive, sleeping, asleep, suspended. |
| linguistics noun | /lɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks/ | The systematic and scholarly study of language. |
| organism noun | /ˈɔɹ.ɡəˌnɪz.əm/ | A discrete and complete living thing, such as animal, plant, fungus or microorganism. |
| snail noun | /sneɪl/ | Any of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell. |
| squirrel noun | /ˈskwɪ.ɹ(ə)l/ | Any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae. |
| analyse verb | UK standard spelling of analyze. | |
| insect noun | /ˈɪn.sɛkt/ | An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton. |
| hibernation noun | /ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/ | A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter. |
| hibernator noun | Something that hibernates. | |
| diapause noun | /ˈdaɪəpɔːz/ | A temporary pause in the growth and development of an organism due to adverse environmental conditions (especially in insects and in the embryos of many of the… |
| lungfish noun | An air-breathing fish, of the class Dipnoi, that have four limblike appendages instead of fins | |
| drought noun | /ˈdɹaʊ̯t/ | A period of unusually low rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell. |
| borrow verb | /ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/ | To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| dry up verb | To become dry (often of weather); to lose water. | |
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). | |
| get on with verb | To proceed with; to begin or continue, especially after an interruption. | |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| look round verb | To inspect a building or area. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- We talked on the phone, didn't we?
- By the way, is there anywhere I can park?
- When do you think I could move in?
- What do you think of that as a definition?
- Are you any good at introductions?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | We've been talking |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been done · has been written · has just given |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be played · will be given · has been done |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 150 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: moth /mɔθ/, thermostat /ˈθɝməstæt/, methodology /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: hibernation /ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/, desiccation /ˌdɛsɪˈkeɪʃən/, evaporation /ɪˌvæpəˈɹeɪʃən/, starvation /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/, squash /skwɔʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: organism /ˈɔɹ.ɡəˌnɪz.əm/, hibernation /ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/, desiccation /ˌdɛsɪˈkeɪʃən/, evaporation /ɪˌvæpəˈɹeɪʃən/, inactivity /ˌɪn.ækˈtɪ.vɪ.ti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like dormancy, forensic, dormant.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.