IELTS Listening · Cam 9

Test 4 Part 4

Good morning. Today I'd like to present the findings of our Year

Level: B2 · 70 sentences

Transcript

Good morning.
Today I'd like to present the findings of our Year
2 Project on wildlife found in gardens throughout our city.
I'll start by saying something about the background to the project,
Then talk a little bit about our research techniques,
And then indicate some of our interim findings.
First of all, how did we choose our topic?
Well, there are four of us in the group,
And one day, while we were discussing a possible focus,
Two of the group mentioned that they had seen yet more sparrowhawks,
One of Britain's most interesting birds of prey,
In their own city center gardens, and wondered why
They were turning up in these gardens in great numbers.
We were all very engaged by the idea of why
Wild animals would choose to inhabit a city garden.
Why is it so popular with wildlife
When the countryside itself is becoming less so?
The first thing we did was to establish
What proportion of the urban land is taken up by private gardens.
We estimated that it was about one-fifth,
And this was endorsed by looking at large-scale usage maps
In the town land survey office.
24%, To be precise.
Our own informal discussions with neighbors and friends led us to believe
That many garden owners had interesting experiences to relate regarding wild animal sightings.
So we decided to survey garden owners from different areas of the city.
Just over 100 of them completed a survey once every two weeks for 12 months,
Ticking off species they had seen from a proforma list
And adding the names of any rarer ones.
Meanwhile, we were doing our own observations in selected gardens throughout the city.
We deliberately chose smaller ones
Because they were by far the most typical in the city.
The whole point of the project was to look at the norm,
Not the exception.
Alongside this primary research on urban gardens,
We were studying a lot of books about the decline of wild
Animals in the countryside and thinking of possible causes for this.
So what did we find?
Well, so much that I just won't have time to tell you about here.
If you're interested in reading our more comprehensive findings,
We've produced detailed graphic representations on the college website.
And of course any of the group would be happy to talk to you about them.
Just email us.
What we've decided to present today
Is information about just three species because we felt
These gave a good indication of the processes at work in rural
And urban settings as a whole.
The first species to generate a lot of interesting information was frogs,
And there was a clear pattern here.
They proliferate where there is suitable water.
Garden ponds are on the increase.
Rural ponds are disappearing, leading to massive migration to the towns.
Hedgehogs are also finding it easier to live in urban areas,
This time because their predators are not finding
It quite so attractive to leave their rural environment,
So hedgehogs have a better survival rate in cities.
We had lots of sightings, so all in all
We had no difficulties with our efforts to count their numbers precisely.
Our final species is the finest of birdsingers, the song thrush.
On the decline in the countryside,
They are experiencing a resurgence in urban gardens
Because these days gardeners are buying lots of different plants,
Which means there's an extensive range of seeds around,
Which is what they feed on.
Another factor is the provision of nesting places,
Which is actually better in gardens than the countryside.
Hard to believe it, but it's true.
Incidentally, we discovered that a massive new survey on song thrushes is about to be launched,
So you should keep an eye open for that.
Now, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.