IELTS Listening Practice Test 42
4 parts · 40 questions · about 34 minutes of audio. Below are all the questions. Take the test in your free dashboard to play the recordings, answer as you listen, and get your band score with the transcript of every answer.
Part 1: Questions 1–10
You will hear a podcast interview with a NASA astronaut about her early life and interests.
Questions 1–6
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Childhood and early electrical work
Early encounters with space
- In the high desert she rode
- She watched the stars from a
Working with her father
- First given tasks at the age of
- Early duties: stripping wire and making up
- With no fear of heights, she moved on to fitting
- Once she could drive, she attended by herself
Questions 7–10
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Part 2: Questions 11–20
You will hear a radio report about a man visiting National Park Service sites in the southeastern United States.
Questions 11–15
Label the map below. Write the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 11–15.
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
Questions 16–20
What does the speaker say about each of the following? Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–H, next to Questions 16–20.
- A involves visiting more than four hundred protected properties
- B provided food for indigenous people
- C were used to make a brick-like substance
- D lies in a city in Florida
- E protects national treasures for everyone
- F is much smaller than a neighbouring fort
- G was the site of a major military turning point
- H contains ruins of an eighteenth-century settlement
Part 3: Questions 21–30
You will hear a conversation among NASA personnel about the management and background of space radiation research.
Questions 21–22
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 23–24
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
Questions 25–30
Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–I, next to Questions 25–30.
Jason explains that the ISS enabled the team to begin Drop or choose answer work, using devices worn by crew members. The space radiation analysis group designs Drop or choose answer to measure the amount of Drop or choose answer received. However, the station remains inside the Earth’s Drop or choose answer, so it cannot reproduce a true deep-space radiation environment. Long-term missions are planned for the Moon and Drop or choose answer, with the ISS serving as a Drop or choose answer.
- A dosimetry
- B detectors
- C exposure
- D magnetosphere
- E Mars
- F test bed
- G chart
- H leadership
- I master’s
Part 4: Questions 31–40
You will hear a science report about recent measurements of how fast the universe is growing.
Questions 31–35
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Questions 36–40
Complete the summary below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Measuring the expansion rate
The team applied three separate techniques to gauge how far away galaxies hosting a pulsing star known as a actually lie. Cosmic distances are often quoted in megaparsecs, and one megaparsec corresponds to light-years. A light-year on its own covers approximately kilometres. Webb's readings also seem to eliminate the chance that Hubble's original figures were distorted by . In Siyang Li's view, the new observations offer what he calls imagery of the cosmos, which substantially sharpens the measurements.
About this listening test
| Part | Recording | Questions | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astronaut's Early Life | 1–10 | Note completion, Multiple choice |
| 2 | Southeastern US National Parks | 11–20 | Matching features |
| 3 | Managing Space Radiation Research | 21–30 | Multiple choice (choose more than one), Summary completion (word list) |
| 4 | The Expanding Universe | 31–40 | Sentence completion, Summary completion |
How to use it
- Open the test in your dashboard. Each part has its own track with the spoken instructions and the time to read the questions, as in the real exam.
- For exam practice, play each part once at 1× speed. To train your ear, slow it down or replay sections.
- Select words in a question to highlight the keywords you are listening for.
- After submitting, use “Show in transcript” to see exactly where each answer was said.
Audio sources
The recordings are real, copyright-free audio. The questions are written by Sprechify, and the spoken instructions use a synthetic voice.
- Part 1: Electrician to Astronaut (NASA Houston We Have a Podcast). NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston We Have a Podcast (NASA audio is generally not subject to copyright in the US)
- Part 2: National Parks Traveler Relives History in Southeastern US. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain
- Part 3: Space Radiation (NASA Houston We Have a Podcast). NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston We Have a Podcast (NASA audio is generally not subject to copyright in the US)
- Part 4: NASA’s James Webb Confirms Continued Expansion of the Universe. VOA Learning English (learningenglish.voanews.com), public domain