IELTS Listening Practice Test | 2026-02-21

**Agent:** Good afternoon. Welcome to Northwest Airlines. How can I help you today?
**Passenger:** I'd like to check in for the 2:00 flight to Nairobi.
**Agent:** Okay. Oh, that flight has been moved back to 2:45. Nothing major, just a weather delay that the plane experienced in Casablanca. May I have your name, please?
**Passenger:** Sure. It's Jim Harkness.
**Agent:** Is that Harkness with two S's?
**Passenger:** Yep. And that's Jim with one M.
**Agent:** Got it. Oh, I see you're connecting from Beijing. You sure are getting around.
**Passenger:** Yeah, I'm the director of the Worldwide Fund for Nature in Beijing. I'm going to Nairobi for a conference on conservation planning.
**Agent:** Fascinating. Will you have any luggage to check in?
**Passenger:** Yes, one bag, one carry-on, and one laptop.
**Agent:** Fine. Put the bag on the scale, please. We are going to fill out customs forms before departure. Can I ask about the contents of your check-in bag?
**Passenger:** Sure. It's clothing, personal effects, some gifts, and a few books.
**Agent:** Thanks. What seating would you prefer? Aisle or window?
**Passenger:** I'd like a window seat three rows back from those large TV screens if possible.
**Agent:** Let me see here. We have one four rows back. Is that okay?
**Passenger:** Yeah, I just hate being right in front of those screens. Then I have to watch every dumb movie that comes on.
**Agent:** I understand. Is that your carry-on?
**Passenger:** Yes, I bought it in India last year. It sure is a nice bag. Unfortunately, I think it's too big for the overhead storage compartment.
**Agent:** Maximum dimensions for carry-on baggage is 16 inches wide by 10 inches high by 21 inches long.
**Passenger:** Oh, well, it's okay with width and length, but it's 12 inches high. Are you sure that it won't fit? I've squeezed it in before.
**Agent:** No, I'm sorry. You'll have to check it in with an agent prior to boarding.
**Passenger:** All right, it's no big deal.
**Agent:** One final thing. Do you have any DVDs that you purchased in China?
**Passenger:** Yes, I have my own music CDs.
**Agent:** Okay, that's fine. We're not allowed to transport DVDs. We're working on controlling copyright regulations imposed by WTO.
**Passenger:** Sure, I understand. Is that everything?
**Agent:** Yes, it is. You have a wonderful flight now.
**Passenger:** Thank you.

**Tour Guide:** Right, let's move on to the beaches here which are absolutely beautiful. You do have over a 100 to choose from. They're mostly sandy beaches and they vary from the largest which is 2 and a half kilometers long to tiny sandy coves. But there are a few that I'd really recommend you to visit.
So looking at this pamphlet, first of all, there's Bandela Beach. This beach is 1 kilometer away from the old fishing village of Bandela, which is a beautiful spot. If you park in the car park behind it, there's a small path which leads down to the bay. It's very pretty because the whole beach is backed by pine trees, so it's very sheltered. The beach itself is very clean and the water is shallow and safe. That together with the soft sand make it an ideal beach for children and non-swimmers.
A little further around the coast again to the east in the eastern corner of the island is the spectacular Dapola Beach which is basically a long inlet. The land around this beach is marshland. It's all marsh and there's a stream which winds through it and the stream goes into the sea and the beach has lovely pale gold sand. Access to this beach is quite tricky and not for the less energetic. You have to go down a long flight of steps, 190 to be exact. But you'll be relieved to know that there's also a road which winds down to a car parking area. When you're level with the sea, there is a handful of shops and bars, and you can hire some beds and umbrellas.
Continuing round the island, just past the tip of K is the next beach I'd suggest you visit. And this is San Get. Why? Because there isn't a beach longer than this on the island. If you want to know, it's exactly 2 and a half km long. And that's a bonus because it means it never gets overcrowded. It has golden sand and clear blue water shelving into the sea. There are several beach restaurants to choose from and water sports are available when the water is calm, but check first. This beach operates a flag system as the sea can get rough and you should always swim between the flags. There's a large car park which gives you easy access to the eastern end of the beach, but the western end is much quieter and more wild as it is harder to reach.
Blanaka is another popular beach just in the northwest corner of the island. It has incredibly white sand and sparkling water. There is ample car parking here and plenty of bars and restaurants. Blanaka has white cliffs all around it. And for those of you who'd like a little more to do than just lazing on the beach, there are caves here which you can explore in the cliffs. And you can also dive into the water from rock platforms along the side of the cove.
Well, my final recommendation for today is Dissidor. Now, this beach isn't quite as easy to get to as the others I've talked about. It's quite a remote little beach tucked away here next to Blanaka. You can reach Dissidor by a steep slope which goes over some sand banks. The beach itself is small and pretty with a reddish-colored sand and some stony areas on its eastern side. Despite being quite small, the bathing is good, and you can also go fishing here from the rocks at either side. It's a good idea to take some food and drink with you if you decide to go here, as there's only one little bar, which isn't always open.
So, that should give you plenty of ideas to choose from over the next 2 weeks. And if you have any further questions...

**Moderator:** Today we will hear two views of the book *Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal* by Eric Schlosser. Many have deemed this a fascinating socio-cultural report that explains how the development of fast food restaurants has led to the standardization of American culture, widespread obesity, urban sprawl, and more.
**William:** Well, I think that Schlosser's book promises a lot, but delivers less than a highly hyped fast food meal. The book is not well written, and it lacks organization as it skips around in its telling of fast food horror stories. And then he spends a great deal of time on Walt Disney and bashing Disneyland. Why is that in a book about fast food? Bashing is the best word for this book. According to this book, Schlosser clearly believes that the fast food industry is responsible for every problem in America today. From the common cold to inflation to malls to unruly kids to warts, he blames it all on big business and especially the big food business. The book is written in a breathless, alarming motive that makes it sound like McDonald's and Disney are co-conspirators to take over the world and force every living child to eat greasy French fries. Give me a break. Schlosser is also very biased for the left, praising unions while ripping right-wing values and Republicans. Nixon seems to get special attention. Just having your picture made with him gets sinister pros and makes you a co-conspirator. Despite claims of research, there are numerous blatant assertions such as parents in the 80s spent more money on their children because they felt guilty about not spending time with them. How does he know that? Is all consumer spending on kids really driven by guilt? The book is a farce. Save your money to buy a Big Mac and read something else. Only read this ridiculous book if you are an anti-Republican, anti-big business, there are evil forces everywhere subverting the world fan.
**Moderator:** Thank you, William. Now we'll talk to another person with a very different assessment of this book. So, Jenny, what did you think of Schlosser's book?
**Jenny:** Wow. Where do I begin? I thought that this book was very informative, very well researched, and a very easy read. Schlosser did a wonderful job of organizing the vast amount of information that he placed in this book. For a non-fiction book, I found that *Fast Food Nation* kept me entertained throughout its entirety. In fact, I couldn't put it down. The history of the fast food industry itself was fascinating, as well as the background information on the potato and meat industries. The firsthand accounts given by people who work for the fast food industry as well as the meat packing and potato plants added to the reality of the points the book was trying to make. The fast food industry and oil industry supported by fast food companies have some serious issues that need to be addressed by the nation. In addition, Schlosser does an excellent job of pointing out the dangers of not only working for these businesses but eating food supplied by them. It's scary to think about the dangers lurking behind the counter at your local fast food chain. This book really opens your eyes to some health hazards that all of America should be aware of. Everyone should read this book. It will change your eating habits and the way you view large fast food corporations.

**Professor:** Good morning. My name is Professor Sarah Lennon and I'm here today to talk to you about the works of one of the greatest writers in the English language, Charles Dickens. He wrote many books and if we bear in mind that there are over 2,000 characters in his stories, we can get an idea of the complexity of his work. I've selected one novel from your reading list that I would like to talk about to illustrate his genius, namely *Dombey and Son*. But before we look at this work in earnest, I thought it might be a good idea to have a quick look at his life and also at a few of the major events that happened during his lifetime so that we can try to put his writing into perspective.
Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812 at the time when his father was working in Portsmouth Dockyard. His father was transferred to London in 1814. To help give us a picture of the time Dickens was born into, it's worth noting that in 1814, when Dickens was two, the first efficient steam locomotive was constructed in Newcastle upon Tyne. Then in 1817, the year that Queen Victoria was born and Waterloo Bridge in London was opened, the Dickens family moved away from London. And to give Dickens' life a literary perspective in the following year, works by other famous English writers were published: Jane Austen's *Northanger Abbey* and *Persuasion*, Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*, and Scott's *The Heart of Midlothian*.
When Dickens was almost 10, his family circumstances changed and in 1822 the family moved back to London. In 1824, John Dickens was arrested for debt and imprisoned in the Marshalsea near London Bridge in London. This event had a profound effect on Dickens' writing. From 1827, Charles Dickens had various jobs as solicitor's clerk, freelance reporter, and newspaper reporter.
In December 1833, Dickens had his first story, *A Dinner at Poplar Walk*, published in the monthly magazine. In the same year, the SS Royal William became the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean by steam alone. In 1836, two important events happened. Dickens published the first series of *Sketches by Boz* and the publishers Chapman and Hall suggested his first novel, *The Pickwick Papers*. In April of the same year, the second major event took place: Dickens married Catherine Hogarth.
And in 1837, the year that Queen Victoria became Queen of England and Samuel B. Morse developed the telegraph, the novel *Oliver Twist* began publication in Bentley's Miscellany in 24 monthly installments. You may not be aware that serialization like this was common in Dickens' time. In the subsequent year, that is in 1838, the serialization of *Nicholas Nickleby* started and appeared in 20 installments. Dickens' novel, *The Old Curiosity Shop*, began serialization in 1840. This was the year the first postage stamp, the Penny Post, was brought in by Rowland Hill and the year the first bicycle was produced. The next major publication for Dickens was in 1842 when the first part of *Martin Chuzzlewit* appeared and in 1848 *Dombey and Son* was published.
Now do you have any questions before we go on to look at this work in some depth?