A Lecture on Cities of the Future - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section comprises two conversations and two monologues. Candidates need to answer 40 IELTS listening questions. This topic - A lecture on cities of the future is IELTS Listening section Four. Candidates need to answer the following question types:

• Complete the table
• Short answer questions

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Audio Transcript

M: OK. We've been looking at how societies will develop in the future and at the increase in the size of cities, so I want to talk to you today about the key considerations in these cities of the future. There are three key elements I want to look at and these are the new features they will have, issues of size and the main problems to be considered . First of all. individual transportation will be a big factor in these new mega cities as public transport becomes unmanageable . There’ll be a huge rise in the use of Segways, which are personal transporters like motorised scooters . As a result, and partly also to reduce pollution, roads will be altered so that they are narrower and will take up less of a city’s space than they do currently. Naturally, this is a major change to the infrastructure and something that may hinder it is the huge amount of investment it will require. The next thing is, what is going to happen to the commercial areas? We do not want these to become even larger concrete jungles than they are at present so we have to look at design, and current designs for city development include building gardens on the roofs of these buildings to make a more pleasant environment for workers. And you may think that these areas will expand to cope with increased commercial activity. In fact, the prediction is that they will cover one fifth of the area that they do at present as we build upwards. The exception to this is shopping centres, which we predict will expand with more and more temperature-controlled controlled malls. What may cause difficulties is that the super stores will be confined to the outer edges of the city as they will be too big to lit into the new malls. Then, of course, there are the residential areas and these will undergo their own changes. One particular development will be houses which are built from glass, as innovations in this material allow it to provide light without causing problems with temperature inside a building. The residential areas will not be allowed to expand without limit, as happens in some areas at present, and their size will be restricted to a population of 15,000 . One issue which has vet to be resolved , and I’m not sure it ever will be. is how we manage to house older residents. They will be increasing in numbers as time goes on. Finally, how will these cities live? We know we have limited energy sources so what will we do? Well, something currently in development which will be a feature, is that waste is going to become an energy source , for example, to provide gas in homes. Also as new technology and systems are developed we will find that energy plants will become smaller. Another energy source we could use, but one which raises issues of having enough space and too much noise is wind farms . Because of the problems. I’m not convinced these will be the grand solution to our energy problems that we thought they were going to be.

Now, moving on to looking at the social aspect of cities, we need to look at housing and how people will live. Cities currently have flats in the centre populated by single people and wealthier residents , and families tend to move to the outskirts . In the future, the centre of cities will sec a dramatic change. We will see many more examples of co-operative buildings. This is where people join together to form a company that owns the building they live in. And. despite continuing shortages . there will also be a rise in the provision of retirement homes in city centres so that the elderly can have easy access to hospitals and shops. Recently, we have seen a levelling off in the growth of private housing and I think that will not change, but we are likely to sec more social housing as far fewer people will be able to afford to own their own homes.

OK, now, if anybody

Questions 31-37.

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Question 31.

Answer: gardens

Explanation: According to the speaker ‘current designs for city development include building gardens on the roofs of these buildings’ therefore the answer should be gardens.

Also, check:

Question 32.

Answer: one fifth

Explanation: It is stated by the speaker about the size ‘that they will cover one fifth of the area’ thus the answer is one fifth.

Question 33.

Answer: superstores

Explanation: According to the speaker another problem is that “the super stores will be confined to the outer edges”. Therefore the answer will be superstores.

Question 34.

Answer: glass

Explanation: It is mentioned by the speaker that ‘One particular development will be houses which are built from glass’ so the answer should be glass.

Question 35.

Answer: older residents

Explanation: According to the speaker ‘we manage to house older residents’. Therefore the answer should be older residents.

Question 36.

Answer: waste

Explanation: It is stated by the speaker ‘waste is going to become an energy source,’ accordingly the answer must be waste.

Question 37.

Answer: windfarms/wind farms

Explanation: According to the speaker, we can get information that “one which raises issues of having enough space and too much noise is wind farms” so “wind farms” is the cause that leads to noise and congestion.

Questions 38-40.

Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Which three types of accommodation docs the speaker says will increase in city centers?

38_________

39_________

40_________

Question 38.

Answer: co-operative (buildings)

Explanation: As the speaker said “We will see many more examples of co-operative buildings” so we can infer that “co-operative (buildings)” is the answer.

Question 39.

Answer: retirement (homes)

Explanation: It is stated by the speaker ‘there will also be a rise in the provision of retirement homes in city centres’ thus the answer should be retirement.

Question 40.

Answer: social (housing)

Explanation: We will hear the speaker saying “but we are likely to see more social housing” so the correct answer should be social (housing).