IELTS PREPARATION

UNIT 1: The man-made environment

Lesson 2: Answers

Pre-class

Exercise 1. Part 2.

1. is not raining
2. she speaks
3. is waiting
4. Are you listening
5. Do you listen
6. flows
7. is flowing
8. is improving

Exercise 2:

Location: beach, city centre, mountains, countryside, remote island

Building type: skyscraper, bungalow, mansion, castle, garage
Style: glamorous, simple, traditional, modern, spacious
Rooms: cellar, gym, dining room
Parts of a room: staircase, floor, ceiling, window
Materials: wood, marble,leather, stone

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In-class

Exercise 1.

PICTURE 1 skyscraper PICTURE 2 castle

PICTURE 3 mobile house PICTURE 4 2-storey house

PICTURE 5 mansion PICTURE 6 bungalow

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Exercise 2.

l. looking up a word in the dictionary SI

2. browsing the internet for the latest news stories GI

3. choosing a book from a library or bookshop GI

4. finding a particular news story in a newspaper SI

5. finding the price of a product in a catalogue SI

6. looking through an article to understand its content. GI

Exercise 3.

Key: B

KEY EXPLANATION

B The passage provides a detailed description about a luxurious house

built by a rich man named Mukesh Ambani. Therefore, the correct
answer is B.

A. Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, and the first man to own a
private residence costing more than one billion dollars to build. The home is on
Altamount Road in Mumbai, one of the most expensive addresses in the world. Named
after the mythical island Antilia, the property has 27 floors.

B. The interior of the home is very glamorous and each floor is made from different
materials to give an individual look. Marble floors, rare wood and fine rugs are just some
of the design features used to create this extravagant home. The lotus flower and the sun
are common symbols used throughout. Many of the rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass
windows, offering spectacular views of Mumbai and the Arabian Sea.

C. The skyscraper has a multi-storey garage with space for 168 cars. Alternatively, there
are also three helipads on the roof of the building. The lobby has numerous reception
areas and nine lifts. There are also several floors for dining, vast libraries and a health
spa, including a gym, several floors for dining, vast libraries and a health spa, including a

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gym, several swimming pools and yoga facilities. There is even an ‘ice-room’ which
creates man-man snow, a Hindu prayer room and several floors of gardens.

D. The Ambani residence is clearly designed to entertain guests. It has a theatre which
seats 50, several guest bedrooms and a grand ballroom filled with chandeliers.

E. The living quarters are on top floors, because the family wanted as much sunlight as
possible. The 400,000 ft2 residence requires 600 staff, but all three Ambani children are
required to clean their own rooms when they are at home.

F. Several experts have criticised the architecture of this very expensive home,
comparing it to an 'unstable pile of books'. Mrs Ambani, however, describes her home as
'an elevated house on top of a garden’ and ‘a modern home with an Indian heart’.

Exercise 4:

1. Mukesh Ambani
Paragraph A: Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, and the first man
to own a private residence costing more than one billion dollars to build.
2. 27 floors
Paragraph A: Named after the mythical island Antilia, the property has 27 floors.
3. Marble
Paragraph B: Marble floors, rare wood and fine rugs are just some of the design
features used to create this extravagant home.
5. The lotus flower and the sun
Paragraph B: The lotus flower and the sun are common symbols used throughout

5. 168
Paragraph C: The skyscraper has a multi-storey garage with space for 168 cars.
6. 600
Paragraph E: The 400,000 ft2 residence requires 600 staff...

Exercise 5:

1. desirable facilities e. health spa and libraries

2. outside spaces f. gardens

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3. inside g. interior

4. extravagant c. expensive

5. city b. Mumbai

6. visitors a. guests

7. equipped to make visitors feel welcome h. designed to entertain guests

8. expensive materials d. rare wood and fine rugs

Exercise 6:

1. C
Paragraph C: (1) The skyscraper has a multi-storey garage with space for 168 cars.
Alternatively, there are also three helipads on the roof of the building.
2. E
Paragraph E: (2) The living quarters are on top floors, because the family wanted as
much sunlight as possible.

3. F
Paragraph F: (3) Several experts have criticised the architecture of this very
expensive home, comparing it to an 'unstable pile of books'. Mrs Ambani, however,
describes her home as 'an elevated house on top of a garden’ and ‘a modern home
with an Indian heart’.

4. A
Paragraph A: (4) Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, and the first
man to own a private residence costing more than one billion dollars to build. The
home is on Altamount Road in Mumbai, one of the most expensive addresses in the
world. Named after the mythical island Antilia, the property has 27 floors.

5. B
Paragraph B: (5) The interior of the home is very glamorous and each floor is made
from different materials to give an individual look. Marble floors, rare wood and fine
rugs are just some of the design features used to create this extravagant home. The lotus
flower and the sun are common symbols used throughout. Many of the rooms have

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floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering spectacular views of Mumbai and the

Arabian Sea.

6. D
Paragraph D: (6) The Ambani residence is clearly designed to entertain guests. It
has a theatre which seats 50, several guest bedrooms and a grand ballroom filled
with chandeliers.

Exercise 7:

1. nine

Paragraph C: The lobby has numerous reception areas and nine lifts.

2. man-made snow

Paragraph C: There is even an ‘ice-room’ which creates man-made snow, a Hindu

prayer room and several floors of gardens.

3. clean their room(s)

Paragraph E: The 400,000 ft2 residence requires 600 staff, but all three Ambani
children are required to clean their own rooms when they are at home.

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Post-class

Exercise 1:
1. (newspaper) publisher
Paragraph A: William Randolph Hearst was a successful American newspaper
publisher who received over 1,000 km2 of land when his mother died in 1919.
2. Julia Morgan
Paragraph A: Initially, he had planned to build just a small bungalow, so he hired Julia
Morgan, the first female architect in California.
3. $3.5 million
Paragraph B: Hearst was also a keen art collector and, during his lifetime, spent $3.5
million on his collection, which is displayed in the rooms at Hearst Castle.
4. 3 / three

Paragraph C: One of the highlights of the estate is the Neptune Pool. It took 15
years to build and includes the front of an ancient Roman temple. It is on top of a hill
and has wonderful views of the mountains, ocean and main house. The pool was
rebuilt three times until he was satisfied.

5. attend formal dinner(s)

Paragraph E: Guests had to attend formal dinners every evening, but were free to do
what they liked during the day.
6. the State of California

Paragraph F: When Hearst died in 1951, his family learnt how expensive maintenance
would be, and the mansion was donated to the State of California.

7. Europe
Paragraph B: Hearst loved travelling to Europe when he was a child and we can see this
in the overall design of the house.
8. mother
Paragraph A: William Randolph Hearst was a successful American newspaper
publisher who received over 1,000 km2 of land when his mother died in 1919.
9. 15/ fifteen years

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Paragraph C: One of the highlights of the estate is the Neptune Pool. It took 15 years
to build and includes the front of an ancient Roman temple.

10. every continent

Paragraph D: The castle was also home to the world's largest private zoo, holding
animals from every continent.

11. zebras

Paragraph D: Although the zoo is now closed, zebras can still be seen on the
hillside.

12. (the) expensive maintenance

Paragraph F: When Hearst died in 1951, his family learnt how expensive
maintenance would be, and the mansion was donated to the State of California.

Exercise 2:
Key: B

KEY EXPLANATION

B The passage provides information about the discovery of ancient

objects. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

The oldest ochre-processing toolkits and workshop ever found have been
unearthed, indicating that as far back as 100,000 years ago, humans had an
understanding of chemistry.

South Africa's Blombos Cave lies within a limestone cliff on the southern Cape
coast, 300 km east of Cape Town. It's known for its 75,000-year-old rich deposits
of artefacts such as beads, bone tools and ochre engravings. Some engravings
date as far back as 100,000 years.

Archaeologist Christopher S. Henshilwood from the University of Witwatersrand

in Johannesburg and University of Bergen, Norway has been excavating at the site
since 1992, and has reported the discovery of a mixture, rich in ochre, stored
in two abalone shells. It dates back to the Middle Stone Age - 100,000 years ago.
Ochre is a term used to describe a piece of earth or rock containing red or yellow
oxides or hydroxides of iron. It can be used to make pigments, or paints, ranging

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from golden-yellow and light yellow-brown to a rich red. Its use spans the history
of humans - from those living more than 200,000 years ago, to modern indigenous
communities.

Exercise 3:
1. (ochre) engravings/ (the) engravings
It's known for its 75,000-year-old rich deposits of artefacts such as beads, bone tools
and ochre engravings. Some engravings date as far back as 100,000 years.
2. 100,000 years ago
Archaeologist Christopher S. Henshilwood from the University of Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg and University of Bergen, Norway has been excavating at the site since
1992, and has reported the discovery of a mixture, rich in ochre, stored in two
abalone shells. It dates back to the Middle Stone Age - 100,000 years ago.
3. earth, rock (in either order but you must have both)
Ochre is a term used to describe a piece of earth or rock containing red or yellow
oxides or hydroxides of iron.
4. (two) shells/ (abalone) shells
Archaeologist Christopher S. Henshilwood from the University of Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg and University of Bergen, Norway has been excavating at the site since
1992, and has reported the discovery of a mixture, rich in ochre, stored in two
abalone shells.
5. indigenous communities
Its use spans the history of humans - from those living more than 200,000 years ago, to
modern indigenous communities.
6. skin protection
Made from an array of materials, this mixture, which could have functioned as wall,
object and skin decoration or skin protection (acting in a similar way to modern-day
sunscreen)

Exercise 4:
1. (mammal) bone (samples/pieces); charcoal
Two ingredients used to make paint found in the cave were ________ and _________
ingredients: an array of raw materials
make paint: a pigment-or-paint producing workshop

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The Blombos Cave discovery is the earliest-known example of a pigment-or

paint-producing workshop. All of the materials were discovered at the same site, and
they included an array of raw materials including samples of bone and charcoal, as
well as pigment-producing equipment such as grindstones and hammerstones.

2. grindstones; hammerstones
Two examples of tools used to make the paint that were found in the cave are ________
and ________
Tools: equipment

The Blombos Cave discovery is the earliest-known example of a pigment-or

paint-producing workshop. All of the materials were discovered at the same site, and
they included an array of raw materials including samples of bone and charcoal, as well
as pigment-producing equipment such as grindstones and hammerstones.

3. signs of wear

The scientists used the _________ on the equipment to help work out how the paint was
made.

The scientists: Henshilwood and his team

work out: deduce

how the pant was made: the process used to produce the ochre mixture

Judging by the equipment, which shows signs of wear, Henshilwood and his team were
able to deduce the process used to produce the ochre mixture.

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