LISTENING PRACTICE

Read the text below and then listen to the TED talk to hear the missing words. (Write the exact word/s that you hear.) Complete the text below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER. 

The speaker tells us about death and architecture.  She says that a hundred years ago, we tended to die of infectious diseases like pneumonia and that, if they could take us away (1) __________. We tended to die at home, in our own beds, looked after by family, although that was partly because many people lacked  (2) __________ medical care.

By the 20th century a lot of things had changed. We (3) __________ like penicillin so that  infectious diseases could be treated. New medical technologies like x-ray machines were invented. And because they were so (4) __________ and expensive we needed large, centralized buildings to house them and these buildings became our modern hospitals.

After the Second World War, many countries set up universal healthcare systems so that everyone (5) __________  treatment could get it. The result was that lifespans extended from about 45 at the start of the century to almost double that today. The 20th century was this time of huge optimism about what science could offer, but with all of the focus on life, death was forgotten, even as our approach to death changed dramatically.

Now pause the video while you check your answers.
Then read questions 6 – 10 below the video.

TRUE or FALSE

6. The speaker is a doctor. 

7. Hospital architecture has a bad reputation. 

8. L’Ospedale degli Innocenti was built in 1940.

9. We don’t talk about death because we find the subject to be uncomfortable.

10. The first crematorium in the UK was built in Woking in the 1870s. 

Now check your answers below.

ANSWERS

1.quite quickly, 2. access to, 3.developed new medicines, 4.big, 5. who needed,
6. F, 7. T, 8.F, 9.T, 10.T.

LISTENING PRACTICE

Read the questions and then listen to the TED talk to answer them.
(Write the exact word/s that you hear.)

Complete the text below using no more than three words or a number

After the West side Cowboy started working around (1)_______________ was killed each month. So they decide to solve the problem of the danger – they  (2)_______________ it. The line continued until (3)_______________ when the last train ran.

Initially only (4)_______________ people were interested in the project. At first they wanted to save the highline, but later they conceived the idea of developing it. The speaker loved the fact that a mile-and-a-half of (5)_______________ ran right through the city. When Mayor Bloomberg came to office, he was (6)_______________.

When the first section of the project opened in 2009  it was visited by 2 million people. This was (7)_______________ times the predicted number. In the future Section Two will open followed by Section Three which will go around the (8)_______________.

ANSWERS (in the wrong order!)

(2) elevated; (3) 1980; (8) railyards (1) one person; (5) wildflowers;  (7) [about] 10 / ten (4) two;
(6) [very] supportive

LISTENING PRACTICE

Read the questions and then listen to the TED talk to answer them.
(Write the exact word/s that you hear.)

Complete the text below using no more than three words or a number. 

Jessi buys all her clothes second hand from flea markets and dress stores. Second hand (1)_______________ enables reduction of the impact on the (2)_______________ and on her wallet. Advantages include money going to a good cause, unique appearance and the fun of turning shopping into a personal (3)_______________ hunt.

Answer the following questions with no more than three words or a number. 

(4) How many pairs of undies did Jessi bring with her? _______________
(5) How much did Sunday’s outfit cost? _______________
(6) What is over-rated? _______________
(7) What is Jessi going to do with her new clothes before she returns to Brooklyn? _______________

ANSWERS – out of order!
(6) fitting in; (2) environment; (1) shopping; (4) 7 / seven; (7) donate everything back; (3) treasure hunt; (5) $55 / Fifty-five dollars

VOCABULARY FOR IELTS – SUBLIST 6 (67)

Featured Word:
To ‘inhibit  means to stop someone or something from doing or saying something that they should do or that they want to do.

Examples:

  • Lack of sunshine and water will inhibit the growth of plants.
  • Fear can inhibit people from expressing their opinions.

Collocations: When you learn new vocab, make sure that you note collocations too. For this group of words some collocations are:
incidence of, incidental damage, incidental effect
incorporate  in 
index of, index by, indexation of
inhibited by, uninhibited behaviour
initiative of, initiation of

Note that different collocations can have quite different meanings. They are not always alternatives.

Check the meanings of the words if you don’t already know them. Check the meanings of the various forms as sometimes they are different. You can check them at Time4english by clicking the words (http://www.time4english.com/aamain/lounge/awl.asp).

Academic Word List 67

Vocabulary for IELTS – Academic Word List 67

Complete the sentences. Choose the correct word and then use the correct form of the word.

  1. Pension rates are ______________ to the cost of living. (incident, index)
  2. There was some kind of ______________ at the shopping centre this morning. I don’t know what happened, but there were a lot of police around.  (incident, initiate)
  3. Parts of the old design were _______________ into the new logo design. (inhibit, incorporate)
  4. The new guy at work shows a lot of _______________; he’ll do well I think. (initiate, inhibit)
  5. Recording the meeting may make people feel _______________ and they’ll be less likely to express their real views. (incorporate, inhibit)

Answers (in the wrong order)
5. inhibited   3. incorporated  2. incident  1. indexed     4. initiative

VOCABULARY FOR IELTS – SUBLIST 6 (66)

Featured Word:
Furthermore  is quite formal and it is used when you want to add more information. It could be used in academic essays and formal or legal documents. It may be used in spoken English, but not in everyday conversation.

Examples:

  • The shopkeeper was charged with deceptive practices and was ordered to pay a sum of $1240 to each of his victims. Furthermore he was banned from trading for a period of two years.
  • I believe that I am an excellent candidate for the position because I have both the experience and the qualifications needed. Furthermore,  I can make a positive contribution to the development of …

Collocations: When you learn new vocab, make sure that you note collocations too. For this group of words some collocations are:
flexible with, flexible in, flexibility of
furthermore (often followed by a pronoun or article and noun)
gender of, gender issues, differently gendered
ignore advice, ignore a noise, ignorant of
incentive for, disincentive to

Note that different collocations can have quite different meanings. They are not always alternatives.

Check the meanings of the words if you don’t already know them. Check the meanings of the various forms as sometimes they are different. You can check them at Time4english by clicking the words (http://www.time4english.com/aamain/lounge/awl.asp).

Academic Word List 65

Vocabulary for IELTS – Academic Word List 66

Complete the sentences below with the correct form of the word.

  1. As we age our  ______________decreases.  (flexible)
  2. And _______________ all assessments must be in by the due dates. (furthermore)
  3. _______________ equality hasn’t been achieved yet. (gender)
  4. The instructions can be _______________ as they are unnecessarily complicated. (ignore)
  5. The low pay is a _______________ to becoming a teacher. (incentive)

Answers (in the wrong order)
5. disincentive   3. Gender  2. furthermore  1. flexibility    4. ignored

VOCABULARY FOR IELTS – SUBLIST 6 (65)

Featured Word:
Exceed  means to do more than is allowed or more than is required. It can be a good thing or a bad thing. For example, if you exceed the speed limit when you are driving, that is not good because it is dangerous and you may get a fine. To exceed the results you need for IELTS would be a good thing.

Examples:

  • I  had to pay and extra $380 at the airport because my luggage exceeded the weight allowance.
  • I was hoping to get an overall B for my Year 12 results so that I could get into a Nursing course at university. But I exceeded my expectations. I got an A, so now I am thinking about applying for Medicine instead.

Collocations: When you learn new vocab, make sure that you note collocations too. For this group of words some collocations are:
an excess of, exceed expectations, excessive noise
an expert in, expert advice, expertly finished
explicit instructions, explicit advice
federal funding, a federation of
fee structure, fees for, fees are due

Note that different collocations can have quite different meanings. They are not always alternatives.

Check the meanings of the words if you don’t already know them. Check the meanings of the various forms as sometimes they are different. You can check them at Time4english by clicking the words (http://www.time4english.com/aamain/lounge/awl.asp).

Academic Word List 65

Vocabulary for IELTS – Academic Word List 65

Complete the sentences below with the correct form of the word.

  1. The final product has ______________ our expectations. (exceed)
  2. They sought_______________ opinion on how to manage their financial strategy. (expert)
  3. She was given _______________ instructions on how to set up the lab. (explicit)
  4. The new_______________ of countries has vowed to fight climate issues. (federal)
  5. Most companies charge _______________ for accessing their data. (fee)

Answers (in the wrong order)
5. fees 3. explicit  2. expert  1. exceeded    4. federation