IELTS Listening: Bitcoin

A short listening exercise which focused on filling in the gaps in a passage. You need to read the passage first before listening the the recording. Make a note of key words in the passage and predict the types of answers that will come (nouns / verbs etc). This audio is on a cloud so you will need stable internet connection to stream it.

Tip: Answers will come in order of the question numbers. To keep your place in the recording and not get list, you need to focus on key words in the passage below and not get lost in the extra detail in the recording.

Post your answers below and I’ll post the answers tomorrow.

Listening: What is bitcoin?

Complete the summary using no more than two words and/or a number.

A new currency recently established is the bitcoin which allows (1) …………. transactions. It is not limited geographically and is not controlled by a (2) ………………………… The idea behind it is that money is any object or (3)……… which is accepted as payment. The benefits of bitcoins is that they can easily used online and transactions are (4)…………. but the downside is that they are (5)……………

 

 

Answers:

Click below to see the answers

Answers to Bitcoin Listening

 

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IELTS Listening Practice: Sports Festival

IELTS summary completion and sentence completion practice for listening about the topic of sport.

Tips

  • Spend time reading through the questions for the summary and sentence completion because the audio will cover all questions.
  • Pay attention to the title and key words in the questions.
  • Predict the type of answer you will need to listen for (grammar will help you).
  • Notice that the instructions (word count) changes as the type of question changes – pay attention to this.
  • Be ready to move from one set of questions to another. Identify a key word that will help you to know when to move questions.
  • Remember that some key words can be paraphrased.

Mongolian Sports Festival

Questions 1 – 3

Complete the summary using no more than one word and/or a number.

Naadam is a festival of three sports in Mongolia: (1)……………….. horse racing and archery. This festival is traditionally for men and takes place during (2)……………….. Previously, women were unable to (3)………………. in the festival but now they can take part in two out of the three sports.

Questions 4 – 6

Complete the sentences using no more than two words and/or numbers.

  • 4) Historically, this festival was used to generate ………………….
  • 5) People don ……………………………… for the festival.
  • 6) Each year the celebration is held between ……. and ……………….

Answers & Vocabulary

Click below to see answers:

Answers
  1. wrestling
  2. midsummer (one word)
  3. participate / compete (two possible options)
  4. warriors / skilful warriors (must be plural) / skilful men
  5. colourful clothes / traditional clothes/ distinctive clothes
    • three possible options but no more than two words possible for the answer
  6. 11 13 July / 11th 13th July
    • you must have both numbers and the month.
 Transcript

Naadam is a traditional games festival in Mongolia comprising of three sports: Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery. It is otherwise known as “the three games of men” because traditionally men were the only ones who could compete.  It is held over midsummer throughout the country. Nowadays, women are able to participate in archery and horse racing but not wrestling. The name “Naadam” means “festival or feast of sports”.

In ancient times, the Mongolian great kings and military generals used to train their warriors and the warriors’ main battle tool, horses, through this competition. While competing and feasting, those three manly traditional sports have been used to create skilful men for centuries.

During the festival, Mongolians dress in colourful and distinctive traditional clothes and ride their most beautiful horses. Official festival celebrations take place throughout the country between 11th and 13th July annually.  The Naadam celebration in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is the most marvellous.

Useful Vocabulary
  • comprising of = made up of / consisting of
  • wrestling – a sport of holding and throwing an opponent to the ground
    • mongolia_naadam_10
  • archery – using a bow and arrow to hit a target
    • Naadam_women_archery
  • compete = participate / take part in
  • to be held / to take place
  • in ancient times = historically
  • manly = activities suited to a man
  • generate = create
  • to dress = to don (this is formal verb)
  • marvelous = spectacular (this synonym is used only in this context)

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I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Let me know if there any special customs or celebrations in your country that you wish me to make a lesson for. Liz

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IELTS Listening Summary Completion: Practice & Tips

IELTS listening summary completion essential tips and practice. These questions are quite common in the listening test and can appear in any section. You are required to listen and select the correct words or numbers to fill in the gaps. 

IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION TIPS

Essential tips and techniques to tackle summary questions in IELTS Listening:

  1. Task: You will be given a paragraph with missing words.
    1. Your task is to fill in the gaps with words or numbers from the recording to complete the paragraph.
  2. A Summary: The paragraph is a summary. This means you are not going to hear each sentence the same as in the recording. The information in the paragraph is summarised which means it focuses on key information rather than all details.
  3. Title: The summary completion questions will have a title. This will tell you what the paragraph focuses on.
  4. Answer Order: The answers will come in order in the recording. So, you will hear the answer to question 1 and after that the answer to question 2.
  5. Word Count: You will be told how many words or number you can have in your answer. Pay attention to this information.
  6. Similar: A summary completion contains the same questions as a Sentence Completion because you are completing sentence within the summary paragraph. You can use the same techniques for these questions. For example:
    • Predict the type of answer from the sentence given: noun, verb etc. 
    • Grammar is important. The sentence must be grammatically correct when you complete it.
    • Keywords in the question are critical to keeping your place and spotting the correct answer.
    • See all tips on this page: SENTENCE COMPLETION TIPS
  7. Paraphrasing: Some of the words in the summary paragraph will be paraphrased  and others will not. You can’t predict which words will be the same or not. but be ready for synonyms and re-phrasing.
  8. Precise Words: Your answer must be the precise word from the recording. You can’t alter the word.
  9. Spelling counts. Check your spelling because words incorrectly spelled are marked wrong.

IELTS LISTENING SUMMARY COMPLETION PRACTICE

Listening Practice Lesson 1

Buckingham Palace 

Questions 1-7: Complete the summary using no more than one word or a number.

Buckingham Palace is where the Queen officially resides when she is in London and is well known for its famous  1 …………….., which was used for the first time by a royal during an official appearance in 2……………….. There were 3   …………  bomb hits to the palace in World War II which struck the palace with absolute precision. There are a range of services available to the royal residents in the palace, which has a total of  ………. rooms. There are 1,514 doors in the palace and  5 …………………. windows, which are cleaned once every six weeks. The Queen hosts more than  6 ……………… people each year for occasions such as  banquets, various meals, receptions and  7 ………………..parties.

RECORDING:

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Transcript and Answers

Click below to reveal the answers and transcript for this lesson:

Transcript

Buckingham Palace is The Queen’s official London residence. The balcony of Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous in the world. The first recorded Royal balcony appearance took place in 1851, when Queen Victoria stepped onto it during celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. During the Second World War, Buckingham Palace suffered nine direct bomb hits.

Buckingham Palace has its own chapel, post office, swimming pool, staff cafeteria, doctor’s surgery and cinema. There are 775 rooms in the palace. Some rooms at Buckingham Palace have a Chinese theme. There are 1,514 doors and 760 windows in Buckingham Palace. All windows are cleaned every six weeks. More than 50,000 people visit the Palace annually as The Queen’s guests at banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties.

Answers
  1. balcony
  2. 1851
  3. 9 / nine
  4. 775
  5. 760
  6. 50,000
  7. garden

Adapted from royal.gov.uk

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Listening Practice Lesson 2

The Terracotta Army

Questions 1-5: Complete the summary using no more than three words and /or a number.

The terracotta army was made in order to  1…………………… the emperor after this death in his afterlife. This funerary art has been estimated to be from the  2………………. and was discovered in 1974 by the  3…………………… The majority of the sculptures were  4.…………. and  5………….. sculptures of cavalry horses were also found.

RECORDING:

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TRANSCRIPT, ANSWERS & VOCABULARY

Click below:

Transcript
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BC, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in, Xi’an. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. (from wiki)
Answers
  1. protect
  2. third century BC / 3rd century BC
  3. local farmers
  4. soldiers
  5. 150
Vocab Builder
  • sculpture = three-dimensional work of art (for example a statue)
  • to depict =show, illustrate, represent
  • funerary art = art which for funerals, when someone dies
  • purpose = aim / function
  • afterlife = some cultures (past and present) believe in life after death
  • figures = a person’s bodily shape, a copy of a person, such as a statue
  • vary = differ
  • warrior = soldier
  • chariot = a horse-drawn vehicle (particularly common in later periods of Ancient Egypt and also Ancient Rome)
  • majority = greater part
  • a pit = a hole in the ground
  • acrobat = an entertain who is excellent in gymnastic, daring achievements

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Summary Completion: IELTS Listening Practice

IELTS Listening Summary Completion Exercise

Summary completion listening questions are similar to sentence completion questions. The difference is that the summary is in a paragraph form rather than disconnected, individual sentences. The difficulty level of this exercise is typical of IELTS Listening Section 4.

First read through the summary and predict the types of answers you need for each gap. You will always have time to review the questions before the recording starts. However, the time is brief so you will need good speed reading skills.

Listening Summary Completion for IELTS

The Terracotta Army

Questions 1-5: Complete the summary using no more than three words and /or a number.

The terracotta army was made in order to 1.  …………………… the emperor after this death in his afterlife. This funerary art has been estimated to be from the 2. ………………. and was discovered in 1974 by the 3. …………………… The majority of the sculptures were 4………….. and 5. ………….. sculptures of cavalry horses were also found.

Recording

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Transcript, Answers and Vocabulary

Click below to show the transcript and answers:

Transcript
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures, dating from approximately the late third century BC, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in, Xi’an. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. (from wiki)
Answers
  1. protect
  2. third century BC / 3rd century BC
  3. local farmers
  4. soldiers
  5. 150
Vocab Builder
  • sculpture = three-dimensional work of art (for example a statue)
  • to depict =show, illustrate, represent
  • funerary art = art which for funerals, when someone dies
  • purpose = aim / function
  • afterlife = some cultures (past and present) believe in life after death
  • figures = a person’s bodily shape, a copy of a person, such as a statue
  • vary = differ
  • warrior = soldier
  • chariot = a horse-drawn vehicle (particularly common in later periods of Ancient Egypt and also Ancient Rome)
  • majority = greater part
  • a pit = a hole in the ground
  • acrobat = an entertain who is excellent in gymnastic, daring achievements

 

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Click here: ALL IELTS LISTENING FREE LESSONS & TIPS

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IELTS Summary Completion Reading Practice

Summary Completion Question in IELTS reading. You should skim read the passage and then spend time reading through the summary to predict answers and prepare paraphrases.

IELTS Reading Summary Completion Questions

Below you will find some useful tips and techniques for tackling Summary Completion questions in IELTS Reading. You’ll also find a great practice lesson to test out your skills.

IELTS Reading Summary Completion Tips

This type of question is similar to sentence completion questions that are very common in IELTS Reading. However, the difference is that sentence completion questions give you a list of separate sentences relating to different parts of the passage with missing words. But for Summary Completion questions, you are given a short paragraph (not separate sentences) with missing words.

There are two kinds of summary completion questions in IELTS Reading.

  1. Type 1: With a Word List
    • This means you are given a summary paragraph with missing words and below that summary is a box with a collection of words. Each word is represented by a letter.
    • You will use the given words in the box to fill in the gaps.
    • There might be more words that you need in the box.
    • Your answer will be a letter, not a word.
    • For this practice summary reading, see the practice reading lesson below.
  2. Type 2: Without a Word List
    • This means you are given a summary paragraph with missing words and you must find the missing words in the passage. The word should be written precisely as it is shown in the passage.
    • You will be given instructions about how many words can be used to fill the gaps. Pay close attention and don’t go over the word limit.
    • There is a link to a reading exercise for Type 2 at the bottom of the page.

Below you will find a practice reading summary completion lesson Type 1.

How to Tackle Summary Completion Questions

  1. The answers will almost always come in order. But do be ready for the occasional time when they don’t.
  2. Start with the first gap and then progress step by step to the other gaps.
  3. Although this is a paragraph, you can tackle each sentence separately.
  4. Pay attention to keywords in the sentence you are tackling.
    • One type of keyword is a name or technical word that will be the same in the question and the passage.
    • Another type of keyword is one that will most likely be paraphrased. Not all paraphrases mean the use of synonyms. Sometimes it just means the meaning is rewritten in a different way and you can’t match it word for word.
  5. If you are asked for choose a word from a list, your answer will be a letter (not a word). Your answer would be marked wrong if you wrote the word.
  6. If you are asked for take the word from the passage, you must spell it correctly or your answer will be marked wrong.

IELTS Reading Summary Completion Practice Lesson

Reading Passage: Fermented Foods

Fermentation is a process in which an agent [typically bacteria and yeast] cause an organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic [no oxygen] breakdown of sugar into alcohol, i.e. the making of beer or wine. Fermentation in food processing is the conversion of carbohydrates (plant foods) to alcohols and carbon dioxide, or organic acids, using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions. Fermentation usually implies that the action of microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider. Fermentation is also employed in the leavening of bread, and for preservation techniques to create lactic acid in sour foods such as sauerkraut, dry sausages, kimchi and yogurt, or vinegar (acetic acid) for use in pickling foods.

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elie Metchnikoff was one of the first scientists to recognize the benefits of eating fermented foods. His research in the early 1900’s focused on the Bulgarians. He believed the daily ingestion of yogurt was a major contribution to their superior health and longevity.

Bulgarians perfected the art of detoxifying and preserving milk (removing the lactose and predigesting the proteins) and transforming it into yogurt and cheese. For centuries, Europeans used wine as a source of clean, durable water. The Caucasians used Kefir grains for the same purpose: detoxify milk products to make Kefir. A range of vegetables were also fermented to preserve them from spoilage in many countries by individual households, such as kimchi in Korea and sauerkraut in Germany, both being predominantly made from cabbage. However, the fermentation process was too lengthy and not uniform so for wide scale food production manufacturers turned to pickling instead. Most of the pickled products found on our supermarket shelves today were at one time a fermented product, including kimchi, sauerkraut, catsup (Chinese  word for pickled fish brine) and English pickles made from either vegetables or fruit.

Questions 1-6

Complete the summary below by selecting the right word from the list (A-J) below. Write the correct letter for your answer.

 International Uses for Fermentation

At the start of the 20th century, Dr. Elie Metchnikoff put forward his belief that the  1 ……………… and good health of Bulgarians could be attributed to eating fermented food each day. By  2……………. and preserving milk, they were able to convert it into  3……………… and  4…………………. In other parts of Europe, fermented  5……………… was consumed as a replacement for clean water. People used to ferment  6……………….. which gave them a longer lifespan but nowadays mass production favours pickling.

IELTS Reading Summary Completion

ANSWERS

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

  1. C
  2. I
  3. B (any order)
  4. H (any order)
  5. E
  6. J

Passage from healing naturally by bee.com

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test.   

Liz

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IELTS Reading: Summary Exercise

This IELTS reading practice lesson focuses on completing a summary. It is a common question type in IELTS reading. First, read the passage below and then fill in the summary.

The Importance of Sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.
The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.
The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.

Questions 1-4
Complete the summary below.
Choose no more than two words from the passage for each answer.

Why sleep is important

Physical and mental health is at risk without sufficient  1 ……………………….. sleep. Furthermore, for adolescents, sleep promotes  2 ………………………….. and  3 ……………………….. Lack of sleep can be the cause of  4 ………………. health problems which can also have an impact on important aspects of our lives.

Click to see: Answers and vocabulary

Passage taken and adapted from here.

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