Expert ielts 6 Teacher’s Online Materials Pearson Education Limited 2017

That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check 
your answers.
Now turn to Section 3.
Section 3 
Questions 21–30
You will hear two environmental science students discussing an 
assignment on environmental sustainability. First you have some 
time to look at questions 21 to 27.
Now listen carefully and answer the questions 21 to 27.
Greg:
Hi Tanya.
Tanya: 
Hi Greg. Are you ready to work on the assignment?
Greg:
Sure am. Can we go over the task again first? We 
need to describe how the university is improving its 
environmental sustainability. 
Tanya: 
Right.
Greg:
So what have you found?
Tanya: 
Well, the university is installing new solar panels around 
the campus.
Greg: 
Are they going to take up much green space? 
Tanya: 
No, they’re going to use rooftop space, so we won’t 
even see them. 
Greg:
That’s a good idea. It must cost a lot. 
Tanya: 
Yes, £7.75 million, apparently. 

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Practice Test Audio Script
Greg:
That’s the main drawback with solar, it’s the large initial 
investment that’s needed.
Tanya: 
Yes, but fortunately, the government is contributing 
some of the funding.
Greg:
So how does this program make the university more 
environmentally friendly?
Tanya: 
Well I guess because the electricity comes from the sun, 
not from coal-fired power stations.
Greg: 
And I suppose the cost of power goes down, too.
Tanya: 
Yes, the university can save some money that way.
Greg: 
I think the real advantage is that it allows the university 
to collect some interesting data on renewables like solar 
power.
Tanya: 
Yes, you’re right. So what else have we got? 
Greg: 
Well, I found out about a new building that is being 
constructed on campus, the Global Change Institute.
Tanya: 
The one next to the library? It’s going up quickly, isn’t it? 
Greg: 
Yes. The foundations are in already. 
Tanya: 
There’s a picture of what it will eventually look like on 
the university website – it looks beautiful. 
Greg: 
And all the materials will be environmentally friendly – 
no rainforest timbers.
Tanya: 
Great.
Greg: 
Yeah, I’m not sure how functional it will be, though.
Tanya: 
What do you mean?
Greg: 
Think about the people who use the building. The 
architects haven’t considered them. The design 
incorporates a lot of natural light, which will save 
energy but it will make the building very hot in summer.
Tanya: 
I don’t know. I like it. I mean, for one thing, there’ll be 
a collaborative learning centre which will be great for 
students, and more importantly, the beauty of this 
building is that it’s going to house an institute that 
researches environmental issues like climate change, 
and the design of the building reflects that. 
Greg: 
Yeah, I guess so. But look at where they’re constructing 
it. There used to be a garden there.
Tanya: 
I know we need to consider the amount of green space 
on campus, but I think this building is worth it.
Greg: 
Fair enough. What other initiatives should we discuss?
Tanya: 
How about the bottle refill stations?
Greg: 
Do you mean those places where you can refill your 
water bottle?
Tanya: 
Yes. The university is installing them across the campus.
Greg: 
So how do they help the environment? I thought the 
university was trying to save water. 
Tanya: 
Well, yes, but we all need to drink water. The main 
benefit is reducing the amount of rubbish that goes into 
landfill. Apparently empty plastic water bottles end up 
there in huge numbers.
Greg: 
But what about recycling? 
Tanya: 
Well unfortunately, according to the statistics, only 
about 35 percent of them get recycled.
Greg: 
OK, I can see the reasoning behind them, but have you 
actually used one of those stations?
Tanya: 
Yeah, I have. Now that there are more of them around, 
you don’t have to wait in line to use them. Have you?
Greg: 
Well, I used one once, but I was very disappointed. 
Tanya: 
Why? I think they’re great. You get clean, pure water to 
drink for free. What’s not to like?
Greg: 
Well I like my water icy cold, and the water from the 
refill station isn’t!
Tanya: 
Greg! Think about all the energy that refrigeration uses!
Greg: 
Yeah, you’re right, I suppose. 
Tanya: 
Now, we need one more example for our assignment.
Greg: 
I thought we could mention the Green Office initiative. 
Tanya: 
Yes, they have been advertising it around the campus a 
lot recently. 
Greg: 
University staff are being encouraged to appoint 
representatives who will coordinate things like recycling 
in the office. 
Tanya: 
That’s good, but I think these representatives should 
go even further and not only target offices, but 
also laboratories. How environmentally friendly are 
practices there?
Greg: 
Hmm. There’s no mention of that in the policy. You’re 
right. There’s no point in having it if it’s too limited in 
scope.