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LanguageCert Practice Listening: Part 3 (Monologue) ID: #60339 Hard Yellow 6

Instructions ›

You will hear a student giving a presentation about archaeological excavation at an Ancient Roman villa. 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:

Listening Part 3 You will hear a student giving a presentation about an archaeological excavation at an ancient Roman villa. Complete the information on the notepad. Write short answers of one to three words. You will hear the presentation twice. You have 30 seconds to look at the notepad. In my presentation today I'm going to talk about an excavation project at the site of a large ancient Roman villa built during the 2nd century CE. Together with a number of other archaeology students, I was lucky enough to be involved in this dig last September. This villa, which is near Folkestone on the south coast of England, was first excavated back in the 1920s. and at that time had been turned into a tourist attraction. However, by 1957, the site had deteriorated and so the villa was re-buried by the local town council who lacked the money to maintain it. Since 2010, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust has been re-excavating the site and recording what remains. The villa was built on the top of a cliff overlooking the sea, the English Channel to be precise, so the original Roman owners would have enjoyed fine views from their home. However, the clay cliffs are not stable, and continuing coastal erosion means that this important site is in danger of slowly falling into the sea over the course of the next 100 years. Human intervention is unlikely to be able to prevent this from happening, and in fact, several rooms have already been lost since they were first excavated. The villa complex as a whole had more than 50 rooms, including areas for food preparation, bedrooms, and servants' quarters. And unusually, even for a villa of these proportions, not one, but two entire bathing suites, each consisting of several rooms. However, our aim in September was to focus on re-exposing a mosaic floor in the villa's dining area. This floor, made from tiny cubes of cut tile and coloured stones set into a mortar bedding, was first uncovered in 1924. Such mosaics readily degrade when left outdoors, exposed to the elements, so at that time the council erected a shelter over it to keep it safe from the weather. A visitor center was also built nearby. Unfortunately, both were destroyed in the Second World War, and by 1957, when the mosaic was reburied, it was in a rather sorry state. But our excavations showed that a significant amount of the mosaic still remains. It seemed that at some point post-war repairs were carried out, and these helped stabilize what was left of the Roman design. The southern half of the mosaic is the best preserved overall, which we knew before beginning work. But what was wonderful to see was that far more of the central design is left intact than we had dared hope. For most of the archaeology students there, this was the first time that we'd been on a dig, and it was very exciting. Between us we unearthed numerous finds, including animal bone, shells, roof tiles and painted walls. This latter find was important as it helped confirm that the owner of the house was a high status individual. The mosaic will be reburied again at the end of the year, pending discussions on whether it should be lifted and moved to a museum for permanent preservation and display to the general public. In the meantime, organised visits will be arranged to give local school groups a chance to see the remains before the site is backfilled. Work will continue elsewhere on the site. Underneath the Roman villa, traces of earlier buildings relating to the late Iron Age have been discovered. In many ways, these pre-Roman remains are of even more importance than the villa, but these early structures are much harder to identify and were missed by the excavators of the 1920s. Having largely been made of timber rather than the more durable stone, plaster and brick of later years, most have long since decayed. In my presentation today, I'm going to talk about an excavation project at the site of a large ancient Roman villa built during the 2nd century CE. Together with a number of other archaeology students, I was lucky enough to be involved in this dig last September. This villa, which is near Folkestone on the south coast of England, was first excavated back in the 1920s and at that time had been turned into a tourist attraction. However, by 1957 the site had deteriorated and so the villa was reburied by the local town council who lacked the money to maintain it. Since 2010, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust has been re-excavating the site and recording what remains. The villa was built on the top of a cliff overlooking the sea, the English Channel to be precise, so the original Roman owners would have enjoyed fine views from their home. However, the clay cliffs are not stable and continuing coastal erosion means that this important site is in danger of slowly falling into the sea, over the course of the next 100 years. Human intervention is unlikely to be able to prevent this from happening, and in fact, several rooms have already been lost since they were first excavated. The villa complex as a whole had more than 50 rooms, including areas for food preparation, bedrooms, and servants' quarters. And unusually, even for a villa of these proportions, not one but two entire bathing suites, each consisting of several rooms. However, our aim in September was to focus on re-exposing a mosaic floor in the villa's dining area. This floor, made from tiny cubes of cut tile and colored stones set into a mortar bedding, was first uncovered in 1924. Such mosaics readily degrade when left outdoors, exposed to the elements, so at that time the council erected a shelter over it to keep it safe from the weather. A visitor centre was also built nearby. Unfortunately, both were destroyed in the Second World War, and by 1957, when the mosaic was reburied, it was in a rather sorry state. But our excavations showed that a significant amount of the mosaic still remains. It seemed that at some point post-war repairs were carried out and these helped stabilize what was left of the Roman design. The southern half of the mosaic is the best preserved overall, which we knew before beginning work. But what was wonderful to see was that far more of the central design is left intact than we had dared hope. For most of the archaeology students there, this was the first time that we'd been on a dig, and it was very exciting. Between us we unearthed numerous finds, including animal bone, shells, roof tiles, and painted walls. This latter find was important, as it helped confirm that the owner of the house was a high-status individual. The mosaic will be reburied again at the end of the year, pending discussions on whether it should be lifted and moved to a museum for permanent preservation and display to the general public. In the meantime, organised visits will be arranged to give local school groups a chance to see the remains before the site is backfilled. Work will continue elsewhere on the site. Underneath the Roman villa, Traces of earlier buildings relating to the late Iron Age have been discovered. In many ways, these pre-Roman remains are of even more importance than the villa, but these early structures are much harder to identify and were missed by the excavators of the 1920s. Having largely been made of timber rather than the more durable stone, plaster and brick of later years, most have long since decayed. That is the end of Part 3.

Archaeology research project at an Ancient Roman villa

The villa was first discovered in the 1920s and was turned into a tourist attraction.

In 1957, the site was reburied, but now an archaeological trust is re-examining it.

As a result of ongoing (1), the villa is at risk of destruction.

The number of rooms in the villa devoted to (2) was exceptionally high.

In 1924, a (3) was built over the mosaic to protect it.

The part of the mosaic that is in better condition than expected is the (4).

Finding (5) at the villa confirmed that the occupant was an important member of society.

Plans are in place to allow (6) view the mosaic before it is reburied.

Excavators in the 1920s failed to identify the existence of buildings constructed of (7).

Result:

Explanation

{ "questions": [ { "question": 1, "correct_answer": "erosion", "why_correct": "The speaker says 'continuing coastal erosion means that this important site is in danger'. The notepad says 'ongoing ___', so the answer is erosion.", "alternative_answers": [ "coastal erosion" ], "common_mistakes": "Students may write 'cliffs', which are nearby, but the process putting the villa at risk is erosion. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the wearing-away process that threatens the villa", "The notepad word 'ongoing' matches the audio word 'continuing'" ], "tips": "When the notepad says 'ongoing', listen for its synonym 'continuing' and the word right after it.", "transcript_reference": "...However, the clay cliffs are not stable, and continuing coastal erosion means that this important site is in danger of slowly falling into the sea over the course of the next 100 years. Human intervention is unlikely to be able to prevent this from happening...." }, { "question": 2, "correct_answer": "bathing", "why_correct": "The speaker says the villa unusually had 'two entire bathing suites, each consisting of several rooms'. The notepad says rooms 'devoted to ___', so the answer is bathing.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Some students write 'bedrooms' or 'food preparation', but those rooms were normal; the unusual ones were for bathing. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the type of room the villa had an unusually large number of", "The notepad word 'exceptionally high' matches the audio word 'unusually'" ], "tips": "When the notepad says a number was 'exceptionally high', listen for the audio word 'unusually'.", "transcript_reference": "...The villa complex as a whole had more than 50 rooms, including areas for food preparation, bedrooms, and servants' quarters. And unusually, even for a villa of these proportions, not one, but two entire bathing suites, each consisting of several rooms." }, { "question": 3, "correct_answer": "shelter", "why_correct": "The speaker says 'the council erected a shelter over it to keep it safe from the weather', after the mosaic was uncovered in 1924. So the answer is shelter.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students may write 'visitor centre', which was built nearby, but the thing built over the mosaic was a shelter. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for what was put over the mosaic to protect it", "The notepad word 'protect' matches the audio phrase 'keep it safe from the weather'" ], "tips": "Read the notepad carefully; the answer must go 'over the mosaic', not just nearby.", "transcript_reference": "...This floor was first uncovered in 1924. Such mosaics readily degrade when left outdoors, exposed to the elements, so at that time the council erected a shelter over it to keep it safe from the weather. A visitor centre was also built nearby...." }, { "question": 4, "correct_answer": "central design", "why_correct": "The speaker says 'far more of the central design is left intact than we had dared hope'. The notepad asks which part was 'in better condition than expected', so the answer is central design.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students may write 'southern half', which was best preserved overall but not the surprise; the better-than-expected part was the central design. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the part that survived more than the team hoped", "The notepad phrase 'better than expected' matches the audio phrase 'than we had dared hope'" ], "tips": "Two parts are compared here, so link 'better than expected' to 'than we had dared hope', not to 'best overall'.", "transcript_reference": "...The southern half of the mosaic is the best preserved overall, which we knew before beginning work. But what was wonderful to see was that far more of the central design is left intact than we had dared hope." }, { "question": 5, "correct_answer": "painted walls", "why_correct": "The speaker lists finds including 'painted walls' and says 'this latter find' confirmed the owner was high status. The notepad says finding '___ confirmed' the owner was important, so the answer is painted walls.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Some students write 'roof tiles' or 'shells', which were also found but did not show status. The key find was painted walls. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the find that showed the owner was rich and important", "The notepad phrase 'important member of society' matches the audio phrase 'high status individual'" ], "tips": "In a list of finds, listen for which one the speaker says was special or important.", "transcript_reference": "...Between us we unearthed numerous finds, including animal bone, shells, roof tiles and painted walls. This latter find was important as it helped confirm that the owner of the house was a high status individual." }, { "question": 6, "correct_answer": "school groups", "why_correct": "The speaker says visits will let 'local school groups' see the remains before reburial. The notepad says plans allow '___ view the mosaic', so the answer is school groups.", "alternative_answers": [], "common_mistakes": "Students may write only 'school' and drop 'groups', making it incomplete. This is a Partial Answer mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for who will be allowed to visit before reburial", "The notepad word 'reburied' matches the audio word 'backfilled'" ], "tips": "If the gap is a group of people, listen for a two-word phrase naming them.", "transcript_reference": "...In the meantime, organised visits will be arranged to give local school groups a chance to see the remains before the site is backfilled. Work will continue elsewhere on the site...." }, { "question": 7, "correct_answer": "timber", "why_correct": "The speaker says the missed early buildings were 'made of timber rather than the more durable stone, plaster and brick'. The notepad asks what those buildings were 'constructed of', so the answer is timber.", "alternative_answers": [ "wood" ], "common_mistakes": "Students may write 'stone' or 'brick', but those lasted longer; the missed buildings were made of timber. This is a Near-Miss Distractor mistake.", "key_listening_points": [ "Listen for the material that decayed and was missed by early diggers", "The notepad phrase 'failed to identify' matches the audio phrase 'were missed by the excavators of the 1920s'" ], "tips": "The last gap sits at the end of the talk, so keep listening for the final detail.", "transcript_reference": "...In many ways, these pre-Roman remains are of even more importance than the villa, but these early structures are much harder to identify and were missed by the excavators of the 1920s. Having largely been made of timber rather than the more durable stone, plaster and brick of later years, most have long since decayed." } ] }

A.I. Explanation:

Correct Answer: erosion
Why this is correct: The speaker says 'continuing coastal erosion means that this important site is in danger'. The notepad says 'ongoing ___', so the answer is erosion.
Tips: When the notepad says 'ongoing', listen for its synonym 'continuing' and the word right after it.
Correct Answer: bathing
Why this is correct: The speaker says the villa unusually had 'two entire bathing suites, each consisting of several rooms'. The notepad says rooms 'devoted to ___', so the answer is bathing.
Tips: When the notepad says a number was 'exceptionally high', listen for the audio word 'unusually'.
Correct Answer: shelter
Why this is correct: The speaker says 'the council erected a shelter over it to keep it safe from the weather', after the mosaic was uncovered in 1924. So the answer is shelter.
Tips: Read the notepad carefully; the answer must go 'over the mosaic', not just nearby.
Correct Answer: central design
Why this is correct: The speaker says 'far more of the central design is left intact than we had dared hope'. The notepad asks which part was 'in better condition than expected', so the answer is central design.
Tips: Two parts are compared here, so link 'better than expected' to 'than we had dared hope', not to 'best overall'.
Correct Answer: painted walls
Why this is correct: The speaker lists finds including 'painted walls' and says 'this latter find' confirmed the owner was high status. The notepad says finding '___ confirmed' the owner was important, so the answer is painted walls.
Tips: In a list of finds, listen for which one the speaker says was special or important.
Correct Answer: school groups
Why this is correct: The speaker says visits will let 'local school groups' see the remains before reburial. The notepad says plans allow '___ view the mosaic', so the answer is school groups.
Tips: If the gap is a group of people, listen for a two-word phrase naming them.
Correct Answer: timber
Why this is correct: The speaker says the missed early buildings were 'made of timber rather than the more durable stone, plaster and brick'. The notepad asks what those buildings were 'constructed of', so the answer is timber.
Tips: The last gap sits at the end of the talk, so keep listening for the final detail.

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