IELTS 10 Test 1, Listening Section 2

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First part: questions 11 – 12

 

Before you listen, carefully read the question: Which TWO facilities at the leisure club have recently been improved?

 

As you should know, more often than not, you will hear synonyms of keywords in the question rather than the keywords themselves. Since your task is to identify two facilities on the list that have recently been improved, you should think of and write down a few synonyms for improve, e.g., enhance, increase, renovate, better, etc.

 

Similarly, you should look at the list of facilities (gym, tracks, indoor pool, outdoor pool, sports training for children) and quickly write down some synonyms or associated words (e.g., exercise, running, swimming, inside, outside, young, etc.). You should do this because on these types of questions, you are more likely to hear a synonym than the words on the list.

 

As you begin to listen, you won’t hear the answers in the first couple of sentences. But you should still listen carefully because as the speaker introduces herself and the topic, she also tells you something about how the talk will be structured and what sections it contains.

 

The speaker says:

 

On behalf of LP Clubs, I’d like to welcome you all here today. My name’s Sandy Fisher and I'm one of the fitness managers here. Before we start our tour of the club I'll just run through some basic information about the facilities we have here, including recent improvements, and explain the types of membership available.

 

11.

The speaker says:

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Our greatest asset is probably our swimming pool which at 25 metres isn't Olympic-sized. But now we've expanded it to eight lanes, it’s much wider. This means there are rarely more than a couple of people at a time in each lane. Unfortunately, there isn’t space for an outdoor pool here but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable, which means you can enjoy something of the open-air experience on warmer days.

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The key sentence is “But now we've expanded it to eight lanes, it’s much wider.” In other words, it has been improved.

 

But is it an indoor pool or an outdoor pool? The speaker mentions that “Unfortunately, there isn’t space for an outdoor pool here but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable”, so we know she is talking about an indoor pool. When she says there isn’t space for an outdoor pool here she means there isn’t enough space for an outdoor pool. Therefore, the pool she is talking about must be an indoor pool. The word ‘glass roof’ also tells us that she is talking about an indoor pool.

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Thus, option C is one of the correct answers.

 

12.

As you listen to the next part, you can narrow your options down to three – A, B, and E – since D was obviously just a distractor for the first part.

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The speaker says:

Our recently refurbished fitness suite has all the latest exercise equipment including ten new running machines, and a wide range of weight-training machines. Each member is given full training in how to operate the equipment and there is always a trainer on duty to offer help and advice. Although we do have adult-only times after 6 and at certain times at weekends, children are well catered for. Older children continue to benefit from a wide range of tuition; anything from trampolining to yoga.

 

The second answer is given in the first sentence. The rest of the talk is just a distraction.

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The answer is A, but it is a hard question, not only because ‘gym’ is not mentioned at all, but its synonym ‘fitness suite’ is a fancy expression that ordinary people would not use in their daily conversation (though they would know and use each word separately).

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Knowing the meaning of ‘refurbished’ (= renovated) is helpful, but if you don’t know it, there are other clues. For example, the speaker says that the exercise equipment is ‘the latest’ and the running machines are ‘new’. If we know that such machines are standard equipment in gyms, we can conclude that ‘fitness suite’ is a synonym for gym and that A is the right answer.

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To summarise, in addition to recognising ‘expanded’, ‘refurbished’ as synonyms for ‘improved’ in this context, in order to know that ‘fitness suite’ is a synonym for gym, you also need to apply the skill of guessing the meaning of unfamiliar combinations of words from context. This is something that native speakers do often.

 

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Second part: questions 13 – 20

 

Before you listen to the next part of the recording, read through the questions and try to predict what you will hear.

 

• What do you think new members should describe to the management of the leisure club?

• What do you think the management would explain to you before you use the gym equipment?

• What kind of thing, which is six weeks in duration, do you think they would give you?

• What kind of fee do you think all members must pay?

• What is something relating to all of the organisation’s clubs, that Gold Members would be given?

• During what kind of hours would Premier Members get priority?

• Who or what do you think Premier Members would be allowed to bring to the club every month?

• What do you think members should always take with them?

 

 

13. New members should describe any health problems.

 

The speaker says:

 

One thing all our members appreciate about us is that we take very good care of them. This starts on day one with your personal assessment. You are asked to fill in a questionnaire giving details of any health problems. One of our personal trainers will then go through this with you.

 

The key words in the monologue are 'day one' (which indicates that she is talking about new members), and 'give details' (which here is a synonym for describe).

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A certain amount of common sense is helpful here too. Obviously a gym would like to know about any health problems that new members have.

 

14. The safety rules will be explained to you before you use the equipment.

 

The speaker says:

 

The trainer will then take you through the safety rules for using the equipment in the fitness suite. During your next exercise session a personal trainer will work with you to make sure you understand these. It's very important to do this because we really do want to avoid having any sports injuries. There's a lot more to looking after yourself than simply lifting weights!

 

To ‘take sb through sth’ can mean to explain a process or series of steps. In this case it is a series or list of rules. Even if you don’t know this, knowing what ‘these’ refers to in the following sentence should be enough to help you get the right answer.

 

15. You will be given a six-week plan.

 

The speaker says:

 

At the end of the personal assessment, the trainer will draw up a plan, outlining what you should try to achieve within a six-week period. This will then be reviewed at the end of the six weeks.

 

The words ‘six weeks’ are mentioned twice and should be easy to pick up. It should be equally easy to catch the word ‘plan’ and recognized that this is what is being talked about. You should also recognize it as the referent of the pronoun ‘this’ in the last sentence.

 

16. There is a compulsory £90 joining fee for members.

 

The speaker says:

 

Now, I’ll just quickly run through the types of membership we have available. All members must pay a joining fee of £90 in addition to the rates for the monthly membership fees.

 

The words, ‘all members must’ alerts us to something that is compulsory. The words ‘joining fee’ occur together, which makes it easy. But £90 is mentioned later, making it a little harder. Still, it’s not hard to understand that ‘joining fee of £90’ is just another way to say ‘£90 joining fee’.

 

17. Gold members are given free entry to all the LP clubs.

 

The speaker says:

 

Gold membership entitles you to free entry at all LP Clubs. There are now LP clubs in all major cities and towns so if you travel a lot this will be a great advantage. Individual gold membership costs £50 a month and joint membership for you and your partner will cost £75.

 

Rather easy, as the speaker says the words in the same order that they appear in the question. No special skill required.

 

18. Premier members are given priority during peak hours.

 

The speaker says:

 

Premier membership is for professional people whose work commitments make it difficult for them to use the club during the day and so LP gives booking preferences to Premier members at peak times. This means you will find it easier to book the sessions at times that suit you.

 

When it says that Premier members are given booking preferences, it means that are given priority over ordinary members to use the gym equipment. When? At ‘peak times’, which here is a synonym for ‘peak hours’.

 

19. Premier members can bring some guests every month.

 

The speaker says:

 

Reciprocal arrangements with other LP Clubs are available to Premier members. Premier membership is for individuals only, but you will be sent passes for guests every month. The monthly fee is £65.

 

Here, a little bit of inference is required. Every month, the leisure club will send Premier members some ‘passes for guests’. A pass is a kind of ticket that allows somebody to enter a place. So this means that Premier members can use those passes to bring their friends to the club as guests (i.e., non-members). Premier members can do this every month.

 

20. Members should always take their photo card with them.

 

The speaker says:

 

You don’t have to have any special clothes or equipment when you visit the club. We provide robes and hairdryers in the changing rooms, but it’s very important to remember your photo card because you won’t be able to get in without it.

 

Again, some inference is required. Since you won’t be able to enter the club without your photo card, you should always take it with you when you visit the club.