IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions | Example 7

Section 3 

You’re going to hear a market researcher asking an elderly couple in a shopping mall about how their environmental awareness affects their shopping decisions.

Bob: Good morning, Madam, Sir. My name is Bob Smith. I’m doing a survey of people’s shopping preferences and how it relates to their thoughts about the environment. I’d be very grateful if you could spare a few minutes of your time.

Joan: The environment, you say? Well, I think it’s very important. It’s terrible, what’s happening. You can’t pick up a newspaper without reading about melting ice caps and tigers going extinct. I’m very worried about my grandchildren’s future.

John: Oh, Don’t carry on dear. Are we going to help this gentleman, or do you have to get to your meeting?

Joan: It’s the environment. Of course, we’re going to help him. My meeting can wait. 

John: Looks like we can spare you a few minutes. By the way. What’s your name? Again? Bob 

Bob: right Bob.

John: I’m John and this is Joan.

Bob:  Great. Good to meet you. 

John: You don’t mind me asking who you are doing this for and what the purpose is. I don’t want to go out giving information that will help those big corporations sell more junk food to children.

Bob:  Don’t worry. It’s the opposite. I work for the Green Market Research company based in West London. We specialize in helping environmentally responsible companies tell consumers why they should buy their products rather than products that have a more damaging effect on the environment. 

Joan:Well, that’s a good thing. All those poisons the big companies are putting in our food and air. Have you read about the polar bears and seals in the Arctic having very high levels of pcbs, pesticides and lots of other terrible things in them and there are no factories where they live. 

John: It’s okay, dear. Why don’t we see what the gentleman wants to know?

Bob: Yes. Well, thank you, Sir. Look, why don’t we sit down at that table. Can I get you a coffee tea or something? 

Joan:Oh, I love a cup of tea. My husband always has black coffee. 

Bob: Sure. Anyway, can I begin by asking you what you believe is the most serious environmental problem humans are facing nowadays. 

John: Well, there are so many but since I retired I’ve been doing a lot of reading about this. So much information on the internet. I think it’s climate change, global warming. 

Bob: Global warming and John. May I call you John? 

Male: Please do. 

Bob: And does this make any difference to your shopping decisions?

John:  It certainly does. For example, we bought a new fridge a week ago. We’re both pensioners. So we’re a bit careful about how we spend our money. We had already decided we didn’t need such a big fridge. We’d have the old ones, since the kids left home over 20 years ago. But we also decided to look for the most energy-efficient fridge. 

Joan: Yes, it cost 20 pounds more than the second most efficient one, but John worked out. We were soon saving more on our electricity bill. 

Bob: So what was the main reason you chose the most expensive one. Saving money or saving energy to reduce the effect on global warming? 

John: Oh Global Warming certainly. The money savings were secondary.

Bob: And did the salesman where you bought it mention global warming before you did that?

Joan: Oh, no, I think he thought we were a bit strange. But he was too polite to show it. But he did point out the lower electricity bills. 

Bob: And you Joan. What do you think is the most serious environmental problem? 

Joan: Well, John and I both agree that it is global warming. 

Bob: What about the second most serious? 

Joan:Oh, it must be all those pesticides and other chemicals. Do you know that we are all walking around with hundreds of chemicals inside us that mother nature never intended to be there. John. What was that name? they used. PO something. 

John: persistent organic pollutants dear, POPs.

Joan:That’s it. POPs. Well, they are so harmful, all that cancer. It’s terrible.

Bob: I agree and what difference if any does this make to your shopping?

Joan: Well, we love gardening. So we grow most of our own vegetables now, but when we buy food, we always go to the health food store and buy organic fruits and vegetables and our children do the same now.

John: It cost a bit more but it’s getting cheaper as more and more people insist on it and the farmers are happy not to work with all those pesticides and herbicides. So we try to do our bit for the planet. 

Bob: That’s great. Okay, let’s drink our tea and coffee and then we’ll carry on. 

1. PCBs
2. Persistent organic pollutants
3. Cancer
4. Their own garden

“Well, that’s a good thing. All those poisons the big companies are putting in our food and air. Have you read about the polar bears and seals in the Arctic having very high levels of pcbs, pesticides and lots of other terrible things in them and there are no factories where they live.”

For the second question, it is clear from the talk which goes thus:

“persistent organic pollutants dear, POPs.”

For the third question, it is clear from the talk which goes thus:

“That’s it. POPs. Well, they are so harmful, all that cancer. It’s terrible.”

For the fourth question, it is clear from the talk which goes thus:

“Well, we love gardening. So we grow most of our own vegetables now, but when we buy food, we always go to the health food store and buy organic fruits and vegetables and our children do the same now.”