Cambridge IELTS 20 · Listening · Test 2 · Part 4

Listening Test 2, Part 4: answers explained

Developing food trends

The recording and its 10 questions (31–40). Every answer is explained with the words that give it away.

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Part 4 recording

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

Questions 31–40

Note completion
31 The growth in interest in food fashions started with ______ of food being shared on social media.
32 ○ Sales of ______ food brands have grown rapidly this way.
33 ○ Famous ______ are influential.
34 ○ ______ were invited to visit growers in South Africa.
35 ○ Advertising focused on its ______ benefits.
36 ○ Promotion in the USA through ______ shops reduced the need for advertising.
37 ○ It appealed to consumers who are concerned about the ______
38 ○ has helped strengthen the ______ of Norwegian seafood.
39 ○ Its success led to an increase in its ______
40 ○ Overuse of resources resulted in poor quality ______

Answers explained

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

Question 31

photos/ photographs pictures

What you hear

people first began taking photos of their food

Why

The lecturer dates the surge in interest to the smartphone, when people first began taking photos of their food and sharing them instantly. The note's "of food" calls for a plural noun, so photos is right. Photographs is the full word and also acceptable.
Question 32

vegan

What you hear

Companies which sell vegan produce were pioneers

Why

Social media influencers promote products, and vegan companies were pioneers in increasing sales really quickly this way. The note's "grown rapidly" paraphrases that. The word fits as an adjective before "food brands". Free samples are only the influencers' payment.
Question 33

chefs / cooks

What you hear

what well-known chefs are putting on their menus

Why

Supermarkets follow what is trending on social media and are particularly interested in what well-known chefs put on their menus. So famous chefs are influential. Influencers are the preceding example, but the note's "famous" matches "well-known", and cooks is accepted too.
Question 34

journalists/ reporters

What you hear

paid for a group of journalists to travel out to South Africa

Why

For the avocado campaign, a British PR company paid for a group of journalists to travel to South Africa and meet farmers. The note's "invited to visit growers" rephrases it, and the farmers are the growers. The PR staff did not go themselves, so only journalists fits.
Question 35

health

What you hear

therefore beneficial for health

Why

Advertisements promoted the avocado as a superfood, rich in nutrients and beneficial for health. "Benefits" in the note and "beneficial" in the script are word-family partners, and the answer is health. Nutrients tempts you, but it doesn't precede "benefits" naturally.
Question 36

coffee

What you hear

getting the product into coffee chains

Why

In the USA, Oatly avoided a big retail launch and put the product into coffee chains, which removed the need for a big advertising budget. The note says "... shops", and the script says chains, but coffee is the word. Supermarket samples were less effective.
Question 37

environment

What you hear

less of an impact on the environment

Why

Many consumers prefer oat milk because it has less of an impact on the environment, needing less water and having a low carbon footprint. The note says "concerned about the", and the single noun is environment. Water and carbon are details inside this reason.
Question 38

reputation

What you hear

to build the reputation of Norway's fisheries in general

Why

A food marketing agency used demand for skrei to build the reputation of Norway's fisheries, and surveys show shoppers associate Norway with excellent seafood. The note's "strengthen" paraphrases "build". Reputation is the noun, not menus or demand.
Question 39

price / cost

What you hear

when demand peaked some years ago the price soared

Why

This refers to quinoa: when demand peaked, the price soared, making it unaffordable for local people. So success led to an increase in its price. Cost is accepted as well. Don't write farmers' income, which the lecturer mentions as a benefit rather than the effect.
Question 40

soil

What you hear

the fertility of the soil decreased dramatically

Why

Farmers worked the land all year round to produce more quinoa, and the lecturer says the fertility of the soil decreased dramatically. The note's "poor quality" paraphrases that falling fertility, so soil completes it. Desertification is only a possible later outcome.

Part 4 audioscript

Part 4 · audioscript

There are trends in food much as there are trends in clothing. Interest in food fashions has risen rapidly since the birth of the smartphone when people first began taking photos of their food and instantly sharing them with their friends. The food industry in the UK in particular is obsessed with finding and exploiting the next big food trend. Marketeers aim to create a huge demand for a food item which was previously unknown or not needed. One of the most effective ways of promoting a new food product is by using social media influencers as brand ambassadors In return for free samples many influencers will post content about a product although there are influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers who can command large fees for their services Companies which sell vegan produce were pioneers in being able to increase sales really quickly in this way. For a food item to become really popular, it has to be readily available. So supermarkets have a role to play in creating a new food trend. They have dedicated teams closely following which new products or ingredients are trending on social media and are particularly interested in what well-known chefs are putting on their menus. I'd like to look at a few examples of marketing campaigns which were really successful in launching a new fashion trend. Starting in the 1990s with the avocado. A British PR company was hired to raise its profile and stimulate demand. They paid for a group of journalists to travel out to South Africa to meet avocado farmers. Articles written following this visit helped to educate the British public about the avocado, which at this time was certainly not the daily staple it's since become. Advertisements were designed to promote the avocado as a superfood, rich in nutrients and therefore beneficial for health. Avocados became hugely fashionable, and within a few years UK avocado sales had grown from £13 million annually to around £150 million, making it one of the most successful fresh produce campaigns in UK history. Oat milk is a recent example of a new product which became fashionable very quickly. Now there are many brands available but one company which had early success was the Swedish brand Oatly They attracted a lot of attention with a media campaign which used provocation as a way of getting their message across effectively. The fact that this campaign aggravated competitors producing milk from dairy cows was seen as a plus, as it helped to make oat milk seem cool. In the USA, the brand decided against a big retail launch in favour of getting the product into coffee chains, which removed the need for a big advertising budget. This proved far more effective than offering samples in supermarkets. Oat milk had an advantage over other alternative milk products, such as almond milk. Many consumers prefer it because it has less of an impact on the environment. It requires significantly less water to produce than other alternative milk products and it also has a relatively low carbon footprint. Norwegian scray, a rarely available seasonal fish delicacy, otherwise known as Arctic cod, is now found on the menus of Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Europe. The demand for Skre has been used by a food marketing agency to build the reputation of Norway's fisheries in general. Marketing surveys have shown that a significant number of shoppers now associate Norway with excellent seafood. Food trends can be considered a good thing in some ways, as they can benefit farmers and food producers enormously. The public can also be encouraged to buy things which are more sustainably produced. But ethical concerns have been raised about the effects a surge in demand can cause. Quinoa is a classic example. This plant is native to Peru and when demand peaked some years ago the price soared making it unaffordable for local people. While the popularity of quinoa has benefited farmers financially there have been other negative consequences. As demand grew, farmers began working the land all year round in order to produce more quinoa. One issue has been that the fertility of the soil decreased dramatically. which could potentially lead to desertification in some areas. Another example would be the case of...

Part 4 recording

Questions 31–40

Answers explained

Question 31

Question 32

Question 33

Question 34

Question 35

Question 36

Question 37

Question 38

Question 39

Question 40

Part 4 audioscript