IELTS® Listening Practice 109

(Section 2: You will hear a tour guide talking to a group of visitors at the Lithia Nature Park. First, you will have some time to look at questions 11 to 14 [20 seconds]. Listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.)

Welcome to Lithia Nature Park. As many of you know, our park only opened last week, so you are some of the first visitors here. We have many interesting exhibits in our huge complex spreading for several acres, both inside and outside. We strive to provide the public with educational opportunities, as well as allow agriculturists and other scientists access to a wide variety of potential research sites. Let's get started today by talking about our plan. 

If you take a look at our large park map, you'll see that we are now located at the Park Entrance. Out of the entrance into the park, you'll see that there is a path which passes by each of the exhibits.

If you follow this route, you will soon arrive at the Exotic Breeds section, where we house many different kinds of fascinating animals. I'll get to that more a little later. 

East of this section is the pasture, where the exotic animals can go to graze. As you go further east, you'll find the Wooded Area, which is also the largest section of the park. North of the pasture area, which is actually adjacent to the Park Entrance, is the Hybrid Plants section.

Now, this oval in the middle of the map here is the park's pond. And these two squares... Those are the Fish Hatcheries where we raise fish to sell. To the east of those is the Swamp area, where migrating birds often visit. In the most western corner of the map, past the swamp, is our Edible Garden, where we grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Finally, circling back towards where we are now, is our Fruit Tree Orchard, with several types of stone fruits available to pick.

(Before you hear the rest of the talk, you will have some time to look at questions 15 to 20 [20 seconds]. Now, listen and answer questions 15 to 20.)

All these areas are available to visit nearly year-round... although... please take note of the large signs at the entrance to each area. These indicate times that specific areas are being used for particular controlled experiments and are therefore temporarily off-limits for public visitors.

As the park spans a large area, you may be wondering, how can visitors travel around the park?

You have a few choices for getting around, although please keep in mind that the use of gas-powered vehicles is not allowed in the park.

We have bicycles which you can rent in front of the park entrance... here... Of course, there are footpaths for those of you who enjoy walking, and finally, there are our solar powered tram cars.

You can find more information about this at the front entrance gate.

A good place to start on your tour is the Exotic Breeds section. We keep interesting varieties of domestic animals from all over the world. Right now, we are considering the addition of camels, although the current facilities are not yet available to accommodate such large animals. The animals are fed twice a day, and if you choose to watch, you may also listen to a short introduction to their feeding habits and nutritional needs. Though watching the animals feed is quite a popular attraction, it's important to keep in mind that the main purpose of having this section is not only to preserve rare animals, but also to promote diversity of breeds which keep a genetic variety within agricultural development.

Lithia Nature Park changes with the seasons, along with various events occurring throughout the year. April may end up being our most worthwhile month, as the migrant geese will be arriving and our fruit trees will be in full bloom. Still, there are interesting events all year round. For example, Mike Tillerson, our expert net fisherman, is out there right now doing demonstrations on the lake. Each of the sections in the park has its own seasonal events listing... if you're interested, take a look at the message board near the main entrance gate.

And before you leave for home, take some time to look around our shop. You'll find a selection of books on wildlife, with inclusions by local authors, as well as the local history of organic farming, something which the park will be adding onto as it develops.