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LanguageCert Practice Listening: Part 3 (Monologue) ID: #60155 Medium test 1(lp3)

Instructions ›

You will hear a student giving a presentation about You will hear a student giving a presentation about the discovery of penicillin. Complete the information on the notepad. Write short answers of one to three words. You will hear the presentation twice. You have thirty seconds to look at the notepad.

Transcript:

The discovery of the drug known as penicillin by Alexander Fleming was one of the most important advances in medical history. After its widespread adoption, the drug dramatically changed the treatment of many types of serious diseases. This marked the beginning of a new era in medicine.
Alexander Fleming was born in 1881. His first job wasn’t even in medicine. He was a shipping clerk, working in an office in London, where he checked the documents of goods coming into and going out of the country. However, Fleming’s brother, Tom, was a physician, and he encouraged his brother to switch to medicine. Alexander enrolled at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London in 1903, completing the course with distinction in 1906.
Fleming got a job at St Mary’s Hospital doing research for a man called Almoth Wright, who was a leading figure in vaccine therapy. This process prevents infections by exposing the body to weak or dead forms of a bacteria, prompting the body to develop chemicals to fight the bacteria. It was during this work that Fleming developed a deep understanding of how such organisms cause a wide range of serious diseases.
However, as often happens in the history of scientific advances, the actual discovery of the power of penicillin happened completely by chance. Before going on holiday in 1928, Fleming forgot to wash up some dishes in his laboratory. These contained a particular bacteria that he’d been working on. On his return, he discovered that a mould had grown on the dishes in his absence and had killed the bacteria. This mould was later identified as ‘Penicillium notatum’, hence Fleming’s choice of the name penicillin for the active element. But despite his knowledge of bacterial infection in the human body, he was unclear of the mechanism by which the mould was doing its work.
When he began to talk about his discovery, people he communicated with in the scientific community were suspicious that this might be interpreted as a miracle cure that subsequently turned out not to work. There had been many such claims in preceding years, and these had always proved false. For example, the respected scientist Paul Erlich had claimed in 1909 that salvarsan was the magic bullet to kill a serious disease, but although it had some effectiveness, there were also serious side effects for patients taking the drug.
It was later determined by two biochemists called Edward Abraham and Ernst Chain that penicillin reduces the effectiveness of the chemical responsible for maintaining the layers of the cell wall. As a result, this is weakened, causing the bacteria to burst under pressure from within.
Returning now to Fleming, in addition to the lack of belief amongst fellow scientists, Fleming faced another obstacle in trying to get penicillin widely adopted. He couldn’t produce the pure substance in significant quantities to be effective. As a result, his discovery went largely unnoticed for several years.
In the late 1930s, two scientists, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain again, both working at the University of Oxford, revisited Fleming’s research. They successfully developed a method for mass production of penicillin, thereby transforming it into an effective medical treatment. Their work was critical in bringing penicillin from the laboratory to clinical use in hospitals and medical centres, where it became the chosen method of treating many different diseases which had previously been hard to treat, or even fatal.
More antibiotics have developed over the years, like streptomycin and tetracycline, but as the use of these drugs grew, a problem began to emerge. Bacteria evolved over time to become able to resist the effects of antibiotics, a fact which has become one of the most significant challenges in modern medicine.

The Discovery of Penicillin

The discovery of penicillin had a dramatic effect on the treatment of many diseases.

Fleming was employed as a (1) before he enrolled in medical school. Fleming was awarded a (2) when he qualified as a doctor in 1906. Fleming’s first medical work involved working with an expert on (3). In 1928, Fleming discovered that mould could kill bacteria. Fleming was unable to explain the (4) involved in the killing of the bacteria. Scientists were suspicious of what seemed to be a (5) as such claims were common. Biochemists eventually showed that penicillin weakens the (6), causing the bacteria to burst. Then, in the late 1930s, work by biochemists allowed the (7) of penicillin. More antibiotics were developed, but overuse of the drugs has led to resistant bacteria.

Result:

Explanation

{ "questions": [ { "question": 1, "correct_answer": "shipping clerk", "why_correct": "The speaker says 'His first job wasn't even in medicine. He was a shipping clerk, working in an office in London'. The notepad asks what job Fleming had before medical school, so the answer is shipping clerk.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Some students write 'physician' because his brother Tom was one, but that was not Fleming's early job. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for a job title right after the words 'his first job'", "The notepad phrase 'before he enrolled in medical school' matches the audio idea of his first job" ], "tips": "When the notepad asks about a job, listen for words like 'clerk', 'worker' or 'assistant' spoken near a workplace.", "transcript_reference": "...His first job wasn't even in medicine. He was a shipping clerk, working in an office in London, where he checked the documents of goods coming into and going out of the country. However, Fleming's brother, Tom, was a physician, and he encouraged his brother to switch to medicine...." }, { "question": 2, "correct_answer": "distinction", "why_correct": "The speaker says Fleming completed 'the course with distinction in 1906'. A distinction is a top result you get for doing very well, so this fits 'was awarded a ___'.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students might write 'degree' or 'course', but the notepad asks what he was awarded for qualifying, which is a distinction. This is a Paraphrase Confusion mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for a word that means a top mark near the year 1906", "The notepad word 'awarded' matches the audio idea of completing 'with distinction'" ], "tips": "When the notepad says someone 'was awarded' something, listen for a prize, grade or honour word.", "transcript_reference": "...Alexander enrolled at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London in 1903, completing the course with distinction in 1906. Fleming got a job at St Mary's Hospital doing research for a man called Almoth Wright...." }, { "question": 3, "correct_answer": "vaccine therapy", "why_correct": "The speaker says Fleming did research for Almoth Wright, 'who was a leading figure in vaccine therapy'. So the expert's field, and the answer, is vaccine therapy.", "alternative_answers": [ "vaccine therapies" ], "common_mistakes": "Students may write just 'vaccine' and miss the second word. The full phrase vaccine therapy is needed. This is a Partial Answer mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the field of the man Fleming worked for", "The notepad word 'expert' matches the audio phrase 'a leading figure'" ], "tips": "Check if the gap needs two words. Read your answer back into the sentence to see if it sounds complete.", "transcript_reference": "...Fleming got a job at St Mary's Hospital doing research for a man called Almoth Wright, who was a leading figure in vaccine therapy. This process prevents infections by exposing the body to weak or dead forms of a bacteria...." }, { "question": 4, "correct_answer": "mechanism", "why_correct": "The speaker says Fleming 'was unclear of the mechanism by which the mould was doing its work'. A mechanism is how something works, which matches 'unable to explain the ___'.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Some students write 'mould' or 'bacteria' because those words are close by, but the gap asks what he could not explain. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for a word meaning 'the way something works' after 'he was unclear of'", "The notepad word 'explain' matches the audio word 'unclear'" ], "tips": "The word 'unclear' in the audio often marks the exact detail the notepad asks about.", "transcript_reference": "...But despite his knowledge of bacterial infection in the human body, he was unclear of the mechanism by which the mould was doing its work. When he began to talk about his discovery, people he communicated with in the scientific community were suspicious...." }, { "question": 5, "correct_answer": "miracle cure", "why_correct": "The speaker says people feared his work 'might be interpreted as a miracle cure that subsequently turned out not to work'. This matches the notepad idea of a suspicious claim, so the answer is miracle cure.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students may write only 'cure' and drop 'miracle', making the answer incomplete. This is a Partial Answer mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for a two-word phrase about a cure that seemed too good to be true", "The notepad word 'suspicious' matches the audio phrase 'were suspicious'" ], "tips": "When the notepad hints at doubt or worry, listen for a phrase the scientists did not trust.", "transcript_reference": "...people he communicated with in the scientific community were suspicious that this might be interpreted as a miracle cure that subsequently turned out not to work. There had been many such claims in preceding years, and these had always proved false...." }, { "question": 6, "correct_answer": "cell wall", "why_correct": "The speaker explains penicillin weakens 'the chemical responsible for maintaining the layers of the cell wall', so the wall is weakened and the bacteria burst. The answer is cell wall.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Some students write only 'cell' or 'wall'. The gap needs the full phrase cell wall to make sense. This is a Partial Answer mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for what gets weak just before the bacteria burst", "The notepad word 'burst' matches the audio phrase 'burst under pressure from within'" ], "tips": "If two words always go together like 'cell' and 'wall', write both to be safe.", "transcript_reference": "...It was later determined by two biochemists called Edward Abraham and Ernst Chain that penicillin reduces the effectiveness of the chemical responsible for maintaining the layers of the cell wall. As a result, this is weakened, causing the bacteria to burst under pressure from within...." }, { "question": 7, "correct_answer": "mass production", "why_correct": "Near the end the speaker says two scientists 'developed a method for mass production of penicillin'. This is what biochemists allowed in the late 1930s, so the answer is mass production.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students may write only 'production' and lose the word 'mass', which changes the meaning. This is a Partial Answer mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen near the late 1930s part of the talk", "The notepad word 'allowed' matches the audio idea of developing a method for something" ], "tips": "Later events in a talk usually answer the later gaps, so keep your place as the story moves forward.", "transcript_reference": "...In the late 1930s, two scientists, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain again, both working at the University of Oxford, revisited Fleming's research. They successfully developed a method for mass production of penicillin, thereby transforming it into an effective medical treatment. Their work was critical in bringing penicillin from the laboratory to clinical use...." } ] }

A.I. Explanation:

Correct Answer: shipping clerk
Why this is correct: The speaker says 'His first job wasn't even in medicine. He was a shipping clerk, working in an office in London'. The notepad asks what job Fleming had before medical school, so the answer is shipping clerk.
Tips: When the notepad asks about a job, listen for words like 'clerk', 'worker' or 'assistant' spoken near a workplace.
Correct Answer: distinction
Why this is correct: The speaker says Fleming completed 'the course with distinction in 1906'. A distinction is a top result you get for doing very well, so this fits 'was awarded a ___'.
Tips: When the notepad says someone 'was awarded' something, listen for a prize, grade or honour word.
Correct Answer: vaccine therapy
Why this is correct: The speaker says Fleming did research for Almoth Wright, 'who was a leading figure in vaccine therapy'. So the expert's field, and the answer, is vaccine therapy.
Tips: Check if the gap needs two words. Read your answer back into the sentence to see if it sounds complete.
Correct Answer: mechanism
Why this is correct: The speaker says Fleming 'was unclear of the mechanism by which the mould was doing its work'. A mechanism is how something works, which matches 'unable to explain the ___'.
Tips: The word 'unclear' in the audio often marks the exact detail the notepad asks about.
Correct Answer: miracle cure
Why this is correct: The speaker says people feared his work 'might be interpreted as a miracle cure that subsequently turned out not to work'. This matches the notepad idea of a suspicious claim, so the answer is miracle cure.
Tips: When the notepad hints at doubt or worry, listen for a phrase the scientists did not trust.
Correct Answer: cell wall
Why this is correct: The speaker explains penicillin weakens 'the chemical responsible for maintaining the layers of the cell wall', so the wall is weakened and the bacteria burst. The answer is cell wall.
Tips: If two words always go together like 'cell' and 'wall', write both to be safe.
Correct Answer: mass production
Why this is correct: Near the end the speaker says two scientists 'developed a method for mass production of penicillin'. This is what biochemists allowed in the late 1930s, so the answer is mass production.
Tips: Later events in a talk usually answer the later gaps, so keep your place as the story moves forward.

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