IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-02-03

**Tutor:** In the 19th century, scientific discoveries took a long time to produce any actual applications. And scientists might have had a case for giving little thought to the social or environmental impact of their work. That all changed in the 20th century with the huge advances first in physics and then in biology. Science started to play a much more important role in our lives and the relationship between scientists and society became much closer. Many scientists became increasingly concerned about the ethics of what they were doing as they quickly saw the consequences, the benefits such as vastly improved crop yields and the eradication of diseases like bubonic plague, but also terrible damage in the form of pollution and chemical weapons.
**Student 1:** Yes. But some scientists still claim even today that their only duty is to make public the findings of their research.
**Tutor:** They need to do that of course but I think the key points are that they ought to stop making any distinction between pure science and applied science because in practical terms it no longer exists and also they must accept full responsibility for the consequences of their work.
**Tutor:** Let's explore that last point a little further. How can scientists put that responsibility into practice?
**Student 1:** By educating the public, particularly through the media and at the workplace.
**Tutor:** Mhm. Another thing they must do is advise on what might one day go wrong as a result of what they're coming up with now.
**Student 2:** That seems essential. And just as importantly, if and when things do go wrong, they need to sort them out, especially where the fault lies with the original research.
**Tutor:** But how do you feel about the international role of scientists given that their work crosses frontiers so readily?
**Student 1:** I think it gives them or at least should give them a global view. In this respect, some of them are better placed than many politicians to see how new discoveries are likely to affect particular parts of the world.
**Student 2:** But will the politicians listen?
**Student 1:** Probably not. But I'm not suggesting getting involved with politics or politicians. Much better to raise the public's awareness of scientific issues so they can put the pressure on at election time.
**Student 2:** There's a problem here though, isn't there? With the way the public sees scientists, they're all either mad or bad. That's something they need to work on.
**Student 1:** Definitely. To regain public trust, they'll have to show they're accountable and that science is about improving people's lives.
**Tutor:** Well, that may not be so easy. What do you think are the areas in science that really worry people these days?
**Student 1:** Science in agriculture above all. There's been all this media hysteria about Frankenstein foods, but there is a genuine issue here. Whether adding specific genes to plants is a valid way of increasing food production or whether it risks the appearance of new diseases of super weeds and pests, which links it to another controversy, using chemicals to control pests. And that's something else that was at first thought to be harmless, but we now know that the careless spraying of crops has led to all kinds of health problems for people, plus a devastating loss of biodiversity with huge numbers of insects, birds, and mammals simply disappearing from the countryside, fish dying in poisoned rivers, and so on.
**Tutor:** Mhm.
**Student 2:** And of course, if we're talking about death on a massive scale, then we have to mention the role of science in enabling the military to wage chemical and biological and nuclear warfare, which has destroyed life in so many parts of the world.
**Tutor:** Okay, I think we've identified some major topics there. There's something I'd like to add, if I may.
**Student 1:** Sure.
**Student 2:** It's important for scientists and future scientists to talk about major issues like these, but we might also want to look at what we can do or not do in our everyday lives, particularly as many of us will be earning more money than we actually need for basic necessities. I'm thinking here of things like burning fossil fuels by driving everywhere. What do you think?
**Student 1:** Well, something that scientists seem to do rather too often is take planes to distant places, which is highly damaging environmentally.
**Student 2:** For instance, to attend conferences on subjects like the disappearing ozone layer.
**Student 1:** When nowadays they could probably stay at work and use a video conferencing link anyway, which may in fact be an example of how progress in computer science can impact positively on the environment.
**Student 2:** But going back to harmful things, what else can be done? Again, on the air transport theme, there are the huge distances a lot of consumer goods travel before they actually reach the shops in this country. This seems another extreme waste of energy, especially if much of what is being produced and carried is packaging. Perhaps it's worth shopping for more locally produced items.

**Anna:** Hi, can I help you?
**Stefan:** Um, yeah, I hope so. Um, this is the first time I've been down to the union. I'm a new international student and I just wondered what to do.
**Anna:** Oh, right. Well, normally we ask international students to fill out this form and we put your details on the wall by reception. Then other students can contact you. It's a way for everybody to get to know each other. It can be a bit lonely otherwise.
**Stefan:** Oh, I see.
**Anna:** What's your name? I'm Anna, by the way.
**Stefan:** It's Stefan.
**Anna:** Okay. Well, just write that there next to name and then fill in the rest.
**Stefan:** All right. Um, what does it mean degree program?
**Anna:** Oh, just if you are an undergraduate or a post-graduate or maybe you're just here for a short course.
**Stefan:** I'm a postgraduate. Do I need to say what in?
**Anna:** Not really. It's too much detail. But you should put your department. So people who have the same interests or problems as you can get in touch.
**Stefan:** So I'm studying marine construction. So for department, do I put down the science faculty then?
**Anna:** Uh just your actual department. That must be engineering.
**Stefan:** No. Oh, I see. Yes.
**Anna:** Then if you list what you like doing in your free time, not that we ever get any when we're studying, and maybe you can meet up with someone socially or to join a club or something.
**Stefan:** Well, I like lots of things. Shall I just list them?
**Anna:** Um, my advice is to just put one or two, like football and films or whatever. Otherwise, you'll get so many invitations, you won't get any time to work.
**Stefan:** Okay, I think I'll just list computer games as that's my big interest. I haven't played football for ages. I may start to play once I get settled. Now, let's see. Next thing is languages.
**Anna:** Yes, we find many of the international students get a bit tired of speaking English all the time. Sometimes they like to speak to someone in their own language. It's up to you.
**Stefan:** That is a good idea. I presume I don't need to put English down.
**Anna:** Oh, no. I put um Italian and French.
**Stefan:** I can only speak German, my mother tongue.
**Anna:** Okay. Well, that's fine. Just put that. Uh, what does accommodation mean? Is that my address?
**Anna:** We're trying to find similarities between people and some people live in hall, some are in flats, some are in bed sits. So it helps if you say
**Stefan:** I'm in hall though I'd like to be in a flat but that won't happen till the end of the first time.
**Anna:** Put where you are now. You can always change it later. Uh then finally just put your phone number.
**Stefan:** I haven't really got one. I haven't sorted out a mobile yet.
**Anna:** Well, it's going to be difficult for people to contact you then, isn't it?
**Stefan:** Why don't you put the union one and we'll take messages for you.
**Stefan:** Okay.
**Anna:** It's 02950 6593. Have you got that?
**Stefan:** Uh, yes.
**Anna:** Okay, then.
**Stefan:** Oh, I had a couple more questions about the services you got here. Um, it says there's a photocopier here.
**Anna:** Yes, you need to get a card from the shop and then it's available to all students in the mornings. The union uses it after 1:00 p.m.
**Stefan:** Okay. I see. Also, the union organizes loads of events. Are they always held here in the union building? It looks big enough.
**Anna:** If you're interested in something, you should check the poster or our website. In fact, we normally use the round theater opposite the conference center for most events because the sound system is better.
**Stefan:** Right, I'll do that. Also, I wanted to hire a van. Can I do that through you?
**Anna:** Um, no. You need to present a case. Really? They're not just available for hire to anyone. The president said we have to limit who is allowed to hire them. The person you need to see is the transport secretary. She's on the second floor.
**Stefan:** Okay, thanks. The other thing is, are all the discounts we get with our union card listed on the back of the card? I thought there might be more.
**Anna:** No, that's it, I'm afraid. Mainly books, clothes, and music. Though, we are currently negotiating to get one on newspapers. So, that should be valid from next term.
**Stefan:** Okay, thanks a lot for your help.
**Anna:** No problem.

**Interviewer:** Thanks for joining us today, Mike. How did Baja California become a consideration for a condor release?
**Mike:** Our recovery plan for California condors requires us to reestablish the birds in as much as their former range as possible. Baja being the southernmost recent range for the California condor works well in that they were only recently lost from the area mid 1930s and considerable habitat still remains. It is very isolated with very few people in the area. The mountains are spectacular, ranging up to 10,000 ft or 3,000 m. Our selected release site is at nearly 8,000 ft. 2,400 m.
**Interviewer:** Mike, how many birds do you envision flying free in this area, Baja?
**Mike:** In the future, we will be releasing four to eight birds on a yearly basis, and we'll reconsider the situation when we have 20 birds in the area.
**Interviewer:** What age do the birds have to be before moving them?
**Mike:** That's a good question. Typically, we move them at 8 months to 18 months old. Birds are ready to fledge or leave from the nest at 6 to 7 months of age. In our current release group in Baja, we have birds as old as 30 months. It will be interesting to see how they behave. I expect that they will want to range more than younger birds and make it challenging for us to keep up.
**Interviewer:** Is there a maximum number of birds a certain area can support?
**Mike:** Yes, it's called the carrying capacity for any area, for any species. In our case, our strategy to find that number is to saturate the environment to a level where we determine that the birds are showing difficulty either in finding food behaviorally or in survivorship. That level is greatly determined by the availability of food in the area and nesting possibilities.
**Interviewer:** What do you hope to accomplish with this release in the long run?
**Mike:** I expect that well within 10 years, the condors will be flying north and joining birds already released in Southern California. Hopefully, we will reach at least 150 birds in each of these populations within about 15 years.
**Interviewer:** What would you say is the biggest contribution to the California Condor program's success?
**Mike:** That would have to be the fact that we were able to breed the birds in captivity from the 27 birds we started with in 1987 to the 205 birds we have today. This is thanks to cooperation between the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the World Center for Birds of Prey in Bua, Idaho.
**Interviewer:** Are there any problems keeping track of and protecting your released animals outside of the US?
**Mike:** Nope. We are using radio transmitters and we'll be using the new satellite and GPS transmitters as well.
**Interviewer:** Which system is better?
**Mike:** Using satellites. The advantages over radio telemetry are numerous. It makes it possible to keep up with the bird's flight without being led miles in a matter of minutes. It took the young condor only a week to migrate across the state. And with just radio telemetry, poor weather can keep a plane grounded and not all roads are accessible to track them on ground. New technology will allow one to be able to track birds that are not accessible by plane. Also, it is a new way to gauge the effectiveness of reintroduction.
**Interviewer:** How so?
**Mike:** If a condor transmitter works properly, researchers will get a location every 10 days for about 2 years.
**Interviewer:** Do you see an end in sight for the need to breed condors in captivity?
**Mike:** Yes, that would be great, but it will take a while for us to establish the two wild populations and make sure that they are sustainable. Part of our recovery is to maintain a captive flock of 150 birds in various zoos around the country as a safety net for the future.

**Lecturer:** We're going to look today at some experiments that have been done on memory in babies and young children. Our memories, it's true to say, work very differently depending upon whether we are very old, very young, or somewhere in the middle. But when exactly do we start to remember things, and how much can we recall?
One of the first questions that we might ask is, do babies have any kind of episodic memory? Can they remember particular events? Obviously, we can't ask them. So, how do we find out? Well, one experiment that's been used has produced some interesting results. It's quite simple and involves a baby in its cot, a colorful mobile, and a piece of string. It works like this. If you suspend the mobile above the cot and connect the baby's foot to it with the string, the mobile will move every time the baby kicks. Now you can allow time for the baby to learn what happens and enjoy the activity. Then you remove the mobile for a time and reintroduce it sometime from 1 to 14 days later.
If you look at this table of results at the top two rows, you can see that what is observed shows that two-month-old babies can remember the trick for up to 2 days and 3-month-old babies for up to a fortnight. And although babies trained on one mobile will respond only if you use the familiar mobile, if you train them on a variety of colors and designs, they will happily respond to each one in turn.
Now, looking at the third row on the table, you will see that when they learn to speak, babies as young as 21 months demonstrate an ability to remember events which happened several weeks earlier. And by the time they are two, some children's memories will stretch back over 6 months, though their recall will be random with little distinction between key events and trivial ones. And very few of these memories, if any, will survive into later life.
So we can conclude from this that even very tiny babies are capable of grasping and remembering a concept. So, how is it that young infants can suddenly remember for a considerably longer period of time? Well, one theory accounting for all of this, and this relates to the next question we might ask, is that memory develops with language. Very young children with limited vocabularies are not good at organizing their thoughts. Though they may be capable of storing memories, do they have the ability to retrieve them?
One expert has suggested an analogy with books on a library shelf. With infants, he says, it's as if early books are hard to find because they were acquired before the cataloging system was developed.
But even older children forget far more quickly than adults do. In another experiment, several six-year-olds, 9-year-olds, and adults were shown a staged incident. In other words, they all watched what they thought was a natural sequence of events. The incident went like this. A lecture which they were listening to was suddenly interrupted by something accidentally overturning. In this case, it was a slide projector, to add a third stage and make the recall more demanding. This accident was then followed by an argument.
In a memory test the following day, the adults and the 9-year-olds scored an average 70%. And the six-year-olds did only slightly worse. In a retest 5 months later, the pattern was very different. The adults memory recall hadn't changed, but the 9-year-olds had slipped to less than 60%. And the six-year-olds could manage little better than 40% recall.