Cambridge IELTS 15 · Listening · Test 2 · Part 2

Listening Test 2, Part 2: answers explained

Minster Park

The recording and its 10 questions (11–20). Every answer is explained with the words that give it away.

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Part 2 recording

Play it once, as in the exam, and answer the questions below as you listen.

Questions 11–20

Multiple choice
11 The park was originally established
12 Why is there a statue of Diane Gosforth in the park?
13 During the First World War, the park was mainly used for
14 When did the physical transformation of the park begin?
Plan, map or diagram labelling
15 statue of Diane Gosforth
16 wooden sculptures
17 playground
18 maze
19 tennis courts
20 fitness area

Answers explained

Answer the questions first: finding the evidence yourself teaches more than reading it. The answers stay folded until you ask.

Question 11

C

What you hear

Minster was some waste land, which people living nearby started planting with flowers in 1892

Why

Local residents began planting flowers on the waste land in 1892, before anyone knew who owned it, and the council only took possession 20 years later. So C, a shared community space. A and B fail: it was never a private garden nor council-founded.
Question 12

A

What you hear

she organised petitions and demonstrations

Why

Mark says Diane Gosforth was one of the local people who wanted the land kept open, and she organised petitions and demonstrations that made the council change its mind. That is a resident leading a campaign, A. The council wanted to sell it, so B is wrong.
Question 13

B

What you hear

most of the park was dug up and planted with vegetables

Why

Most of the park was dug up and planted with vegetables sold locally. The army considered the site for troop exercises but rejected it as too small, which rules out A. Public meetings were occasional and held on a small retained grass area, so not C.
Question 14

C

What you hear

The changes finally got going in 2016

Why

Three dates are given: plans were drawn up in 2013, revised in 2015 before any work had started, and the changes finally got going in 2016. Since physical work began only then, C. The earlier years refer to planning, not construction.
Question 15

E

What you hear

it’s now immediately to the north of the lily pond

Why

The old position was close to the south gate, which would tempt you towards H. But Mark says the statue now stands immediately north of the lily pond, almost in the centre. The square directly above the pond, the small bulge on the path leading up to the river, is E.
Question 16

C

What you hear

on the river bank, where the path from the east gate makes a sharp bend

Why

Follow the path from the east gate: it runs up and bends sharply near the top right corner. The sculptures stand on the river bank at that bend, which is C, outside the path. B also touches the river bank but sits further west beside the path from the pond, so it fails the east gate clue.
Question 17

B

What you hear

between the river and the path that leads from the pond to the river

Why

Mark places the playground between the river and the path running from the pond up to the river. That path is the one rising from the pond to the northern path, and B lies in the strip beside it, against the river bank. A is also near the river but belongs to the western side, so it is not alongside that path.
Question 18

A

What you hear

you go north from there towards the river and then turn left to reach it

Why

The maze is reached step by step: enter at the west gate, go north towards the river, then turn left. On the map the path from the west gate climbs to a junction near the top left, and the branch to A leads off it. B, further east, sits by the path from the pond, so it does not fit the west gate route.
Question 19

G

What you hear

in the south-west corner of the park, where there’s a right-angle bend in the path

Why

Everything here hangs on 'south-west corner' and 'right-angle bend in the path'. Only G sits in the bottom left corner, where the path turns sharply. H is also in the southern half, but it lies beside the path running down from the pond towards the south gate, not in the corner.
Question 20

D

What you hear

right next to the lily pond on the same side as the west gate

Why

The fitness area is right next to the lily pond, on the same side as the west gate. The west gate is on the left of the map, so the letter hugging the pond's left edge is D. H is also close to the pond, but it is below it towards the south gate, which is the wrong side.

Part 2 audioscript

Part 2 · audioscript

WOMAN:

I’m very pleased to welcome this evening’s guest speaker, Mark Logan, who’s going to tell us about the recent transformation of Minster Park. Over to you, Mark.

MARK:

Thank you. I’m sure you’re all familiar with Minster Park. It’s been a feature of the city for well over a century, and has been the responsibility of the city council for most of that time. What perhaps isn’t so well known is the origin of the park: unlike many public parks that started in private ownership, as the garden of a large house, for instance, Minster was some waste land, which people living nearby started planting with flowers in 1892. It was unclear who actually owned the land, and this wasn’t settled until 20 years later, when the council took possession of it.

You may have noticed the statue near one of the entrances. It’s of Diane Gosforth, who played a key role in the history of the park. Once the council had become the legal owner, it planned to sell the land for housing. Many local people wanted it to remain a place that everyone could go to, to enjoy the fresh air and natural environment – remember the park is in a densely populated residential area. Diane Gosforth was one of those people, and she organised petitions and demonstrations, which eventually made the council change its mind about the future of the land.

Soon after this the First World War broke out, in 1914, and most of the park was dug up and planted with vegetables, which were sold locally. At one stage the army considered taking in over for troop exercises and got as far as contacting the city council, then decided the park was too small to be of use. There were occasional public meetings during the war, in an area that had been retained as grass.

After the war, the park was turned back more or less to how it had been before 1914, and continued almost unchanged until recently. Plans for transforming it were drawn up at various times, most recently in 2013, though they were revised in 2015, before any work had started. The changes finally got going in 2016, and were finished on schedule last year.

OK, let me tell you about some of the changes that have been made – and some things that have been retained. If you look at this map, you’ll see the familiar outline of the park, with the river forming the northern boundary, and a gate in each of the other three walls. The statue of Diane Gosforth has been moved: it used to be close to the south gate, but it’s now immediately to the north of the lily pond, almost in the centre of the park, which makes it much more visible.

There’s a new area of wooden sculptures, which are on the river bank, where the path from the east gate makes a sharp bend.

There are two areas that are particularly intended for children. The playground has been enlarged and improved, and that’s between the river and the path that leads from the pond to the river.

Then there’s a new maze, a circular series of paths, separated by low hedges. That’s near the west gate – you go north from there towards the river and then turn left to reach it.

There have been tennis courts in the park for many years, and they’ve been doubled, from four to eight. They’re still in the south-west corner of the park, where there’s a right-angle bend in the path.

Something else I’d like to mention is the new fitness area. This is right next to the lily pond on the same side as the west gate.

Now, as you’re all gardeners, I’m sure you’ll like to hear about the plants that have been chosen for the park.

Part 2 recording

Questions 11–20

Answers explained

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

Part 2 audioscript