Cambridge IELTS 16 · Listening · Test 2 · Part 1

Listening Test 2, Part 1: answers explained

The recording and its 10 questions (1–10). Every answer is explained with the words that give it away.

Take the whole test, timed Show the answers

Part 1 recording

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

Questions 1–10

Note completion
1 Photos must not be in a ______ or an album.
2 The cost for 360 photos is £______ (including one disk).
3 Before the complete order is sent, ______ is required.
4 Photos can be placed in a folder, e.g. with the name ______
5 The ______ and contrast can be improved if necessary.
6 Photos which are very fragile will be scanned by ______
7 It may be possible to remove an object from a photo, or change the ______
8 A photo which is not correctly in ______ cannot be fixed.
9 Orders are completed within ______
10 Send the photos in a box (not ______).

Answers explained

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

Question 1

frame

What you hear

some of them are in a frame

Why

The woman asks whether framed photos should be taken out before posting, and the employee says yes, since they can't copy them otherwise. He adds that they mustn't be stuck into an album. 'Photos must not be in a ___ or an album' therefore takes the word she introduced: frame.
Question 2

195

What you hear

£195 for 300 to 400 photos for the basic service

Why

With about 360 photos, the woman falls into the band the employee quotes: £195 for 300 to 400 photos on the basic service. Write the number only, as the £ sign is printed already. Don't pick £5, which is the price of an extra disk, nor the size limits of 30 and 4 centimetres.
Question 3

payment

What you hear

once we’ve received the payment, we’ll send the parcel off to you

Why

Asked whether she must pay when sending the photos, the woman hears 'No': nothing is needed until the pictures are copied, and the parcel goes back once payment has been received. So payment is required before the finished order is sent. The note's 'complete order' is the returned parcel.
Question 4

Grandparents

What you hear

one called ‘Grandparents’ for instance

Why

The employee says each group will be saved in a separate folder and she may suggest a name. The woman offers an example, Grandparents, and he confirms with 'Exactly'. The answer comes from her words, not his, and it must be a single word, spelt as she says it.
Question 5

colour / color

What you hear

touch up the colour a bit, or improve the contrast

Why

The standard service includes a check of each photo, and the employee says they can sometimes touch up the colour or improve the contrast. The note already gives 'contrast', so the missing item is the other one: colour. The American spelling color is also accepted.
Question 6

hand

What you hear

if any look particularly fragile, we’d do them by hand

Why

Worried about fragile photos, the woman is reassured: anything that looks particularly fragile would be done by hand. The note's 'scanned by ___' needs a noun, and hand is the word the employee uses. His comment about how precious old photos can be only explains the care; it is not a second method.
Question 7

background

What you hear

maybe alter the background

Why

Beyond removing an object, the employee says they can alter the background, so the note's 'or change the ___' calls for background. The woman sounds interested and says she'll look through her photos. Don't confuse this with focus, which comes next and is something they cannot fix.
Question 8

focus

What you hear

a few that aren’t properly in focus

Why

A few photos aren't properly in focus, says the woman, and asks if that can be improved. The employee says no, it's the one thing they can't do. The note reverses it: a photo not correctly in ___ cannot be fixed, so the word is focus, taken from her own question.
Question 9

ten / 10 days

What you hear

get the copying done in ten days

Why

Asked how long it will all take, the employee says they aim to get the copying done in ten days. The answer is that number of days, written either as the word ten or as the figure 10. Ignore the other numbers heard earlier, such as 300 to 400 photos and £195, which belong to the price question.
Question 10

plastic

What you hear

plastic ones sometimes break in the post

Why

The employee recommends a strong cardboard box, because plastic ones sometimes break in the post. The note gives the instruction as 'a box (not ___)', so the rejected material, plastic, goes in the gap. Cardboard is the right choice, which is why it can't be the answer.

Part 1 audioscript

Part 1 · audioscript

EMPLOYEE

Hello, Picturerep. Can I help you?

WOMAN

Oh, hi. I saw your advertisement about copying pictures to disk and I’d like a bit more information about what you do.

EMPLOYEE

Sure. What would you like to know?

WOMAN

Well, I’ve got a box full of old family photos that’s been up in the attic for years, some of them must be 50 or 60 years old, and I’d like to get them converted to digital format.

EMPLOYEE

Sure, we can do that for you.

WOMAN

Right. And what about size? The photos are all sorts of sizes - are there any restrictions?

EMPLOYEE

Well the maximum size of photo we can do with our normal services is 30 centimetres. And each picture must be a least 4 centimetres, that’s the minimum we can cope with.

WOMAN

That should be fine. And some of them are in a frame - should I take them out before I send them?

EMPLOYEE

Yes please, we can’t copy them otherwise. And also the photos must all be separate, they mustn’t be stuck into an album.

WOMAN

OK, that’s not a problem. So can you give me an idea of how much this will cost? I’ve got about 360 photos I think.

EMPLOYEE

We charge £195 for 300 to 400 photos for the basic service.

WOMAN

OK. And does that include the disk?

EMPLOYEE

Yes, one disk - but you can get extra ones for £5 each.

WOMAN

That’s good. So do I need to pay when I send you the photos?

EMPLOYEE

No, we won’t need anything until we’ve actually copied the pictures. Then we’ll let you know how much it is, and once we’ve received the payment, we’ll send the parcel off to you.

WOMAN

Right.

EMPLOYEE

Is there anything else you’d like to ask about our services?

WOMAN

Yes. I’ve roughly sorted out the photos into groups, according to what they’re about - so can you keep them in those groups when you copy them?

EMPLOYEE

Sure. We’ll save each group in a different folder on the disk and if you like, you can suggest a name for each folder.

WOMAN

So I could have one called ‘Grandparents’ for instance?

EMPLOYEE

Exactly.

WOMAN

And do you do anything besides scan the photos? Like, can you make any improvements?

EMPLOYEE

Yes, in the standard service each photo is checked, and we can sometimes touch up the colour a bit, or improve the contrast - that can make a big difference.

WOMAN

OK. And some of the photos are actually quite fragile - they won’t get damaged in the process, will they?

EMPLOYEE

No, if any look particularly fragile, we’d do them by hand. We do realise how precious these old photos can be.

WOMAN

Sure.

EMPLOYEE

And another thing is we can make changes to a photo if you want - so if you want to remove an object from a photo, or maybe alter the background, we can do that.

WOMAN

Really? I might be interested in that. I’ll have a look through the photos and see. Oh, and talking of fixing photos - I’ve got a few that aren’t properly in focus. Can you do anything to make that better?

EMPLOYEE

No, I’m afraid that’s one thing we can’t do.

WOMAN

OK.

EMPLOYEE

Any other information I can give you?

WOMAN

Er … oh, how long will it all take?

EMPLOYEE

We aim to get the copying done in ten days.

WOMAN

Fine. Right, well I’ll get the photos packed up in a box and post them off to you.

EMPLOYEE

Right. If you’ve got a strong cardboard box, that’s best. We’ve found that plastic ones sometimes break in the post.

WOMAN

OK. Right, thanks for your help. Bye.

EMPLOYEE

Bye.

Part 1 recording

Questions 1–10

Answers explained

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Part 1 audioscript