Welcome to this post on IELTS listening: finding numbers. In this post, you will practice finding numbers in a script narrated by David Attenborough, a famous British wildlife documentary presenter. It will also give you an amazing opportunity to practice your British English accent. Get a pen and paper, because you’re going to need to write some answers!
Numbers are common answers in the listening part of the IELTS test, especially in parts 1 and 2. In this exercise, you will listen to a short (less than 4 minutes) section of a BBC wildlife documentary. There are 14 numbers in the video. Can you find them all?
Read the script below and identify new words. Don’t worry about the meanings for all of the new words, you only need to understand the overall meaning. Notice where the numbers are. Can you make any predictions (will they be large or small? Does the grammar help you?)
Script
Our story begins with a tantalizing glimpse of something very special: a cub, just (1)__________ days old. Wild cubs, as young as this, have never been filmed before.
For their first (2)__________ weeks, most cubs usually hide away in their dens, hardly glimpsing daylight. These are unusually adventurous. They seem totally unaware of the dangers. Although their eyes are just opening, they won’t see clearly for another (3)__________ weeks. They’re the mother’s (4)__________ litter, and they’re going to be quite a test for her.
The tigress must pick them up by the scruff of the neck. It’s a delicate operation. A little too much pressure, and she’ll hurt her cub. She can bite with a force of nearly (5)__________ kilos, but this requires the gentlest touch. Tigers usually have (6)__________ or (7)_______ cubs. (8)__________ are quite a handful, and these already seem more challenging than most.
The ratio between the sexes among newborns is usually equal. True to form, (9)__________ of these cubs are male and (10)__________ are female. It would be rare indeed for all (11)__________ of them to reach maturity. Many dangers lie ahead. At this size, they make a snack for even the smallest predator. Their mother must make sure that everyone is accounted for.
With (12)__________ back in the den, and (13)__________ on its way, there’s only (14)__________ straggler left to worry about. The cub’s contact cry makes sure he’s not forgotten. As long as the cubs call, their mother is compelled to keep retrieving them, but this would try any mother’s patience. The young cub’s life is very precarious. Had the mother been away hunting at a moment like this, the outcome could have been very different. She’s clearly going to be a devoted mother, but she still has a lot to learn; this is not the way to do it.
Filming such behaviour is unprecedented. It gives us an extraordinary opportunity to follow these cubs as they grow.
Read & listen
Now, play the video below and read along with the speaker. He speaks slowly and clearly. Keeping pace with him should not be difficult! Pay attention to the way he pronounces individual words and groups words together. As you listen, make a note of your answers.
Once you have finished, go back to any point where you thought the pronunciation was interesting, or where you have problem sounds. Watch the video and listen again, and then repeat and record yourself. Compare your pronunciation to the speaker.
So, that’s the end of this post on IELTS Listening: finding numbers. Hopefully, the exercise was quite easy, but very useful for your reading and pronunciation, as well as your listening. If you found listening and reading useful, be sure to check this post with a longer exercise.
How many did you get right, and which, if any, did you get wrong? Was this a useful exercise for you? Leave us a comment and let us know, so we know to add more content like this if you liked it!
Answers:
1. 10; 2. 6; 3. 6; 4. First; 5. 500; 6. 2; 7. 3; 8. 4; 9. 2; 10. 2;. 11. 4; 12. 2; 13. 1; 14. 1
