# Matthews Island: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 1, Listening Part 2

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 1, Listening Part 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 11 | A | more than almost any other rail holiday company |
| 12 | B | Our holiday starts in Heysham, where your tour manager will meet you. |
| 13 | A | And lunch on the three days when there are organized trips. |
| 14 | C | you're welcome to change to an alternative date or a different tour for a small administrative fee |
| 15 | river | The dining room looks out at the river |
| 16 | 1422 | the earliest surviving reference to it is from 1422 |
| 17 | top | it's an eight-kilometer ride in the Snaefell Mountain Railway to the top. |
| 18 | pass | using the pass which we'll give you. |
| 19 | steam | with a ride on the steam railway from Douglas to Port Erin. |
| 20 | capital | which used to be the capital of the Isle of Man |

## Why these answers are right

**11. A.** Erica says the company builds on many years' experience, more than almost any other rail holiday company. Having more years of experience than nearly all rivals means it has been in business longer than most competitors, so A is correct.

**12. B.** The holiday starts in Heysham, where the tour manager meets customers before the ferry crossing. Luton and Liverpool are alternative departure points, but the meeting with the manager only happens at Heysham, so the answer is B.

**13. A.** The price covers five breakfasts and dinners but lunch only on the three days with organized trips. On the free day most people buy lunch in Douglas, so the number of included lunches is three, option A.

The why and the trap for questions 14 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/matthews-island/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Part 2.

**Announcer:** You will hear a woman giving a presentation about a holiday on an island in Britain that her company organizes.

**Announcer:** First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14.

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

**Erica Matthews:** Good morning.

**Erica Matthews:** My name's Erica Matthews, and I'm the owner of Matthews Island Holidays, a company set up by my parents.

**Erica Matthews:** Thank you for coming to this presentation, in which I hope to interest you in what we have to offer.

**Erica Matthews:** We're a small family-run company, and we believe in the importance of the personal touch.

**Erica Matthews:** So we don't aim to compete with other companies on the number of customers.

**Erica Matthews:** What we do is build on our many years' experience, more than almost any other rail holiday company,

**Erica Matthews:** to ensure we provide perfect holidays in a small number of destinations, which we've got to know extremely well.

**Erica Matthews:** I'll start with our six-day Isle of Man holiday.

**Erica Matthews:** This is a fascinating island in the Irish Sea, with Wales to the south, England to the east, Scotland to the north, and Northern Ireland to the west.

**Erica Matthews:** Our holiday starts in Heysham, where your tour manager will meet you.

**Erica Matthews:** Then you'll travel by ferry to the Isle of Man.

**Erica Matthews:** Some people prefer to fly from Luton instead.

**Erica Matthews:** And another popular option is to go by train to Liverpool and take a ferry from there.

**Erica Matthews:** You have five nights in the hotel, and the price covers five breakfasts and dinners.

**Erica Matthews:** And lunch on the three days when there are organized trips.

**Erica Matthews:** Day 4 is free, and most people have lunch in a cafe or restaurant in Douglas.

**Erica Matthews:** The price of the holiday includes the ferry to the Isle of Man, all travel on the island, the hotel, and the meals I've mentioned.

**Erica Matthews:** Incidentally, we try to make booking our holidays as simple and fair as possible.

**Erica Matthews:** So unlike with many companies, the price is the same, whether you book 6 months in advance or at the last minute, and there's no supplement for single rooms in hotels.

**Erica Matthews:** If you make a booking, then need to change the start date, for example because of illness, you're welcome to change to an alternative date or a different tour for a small administrative fee.

**Announcer:** Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20.

**Announcer:** Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

**Erica Matthews:** OK, so what does the holiday consist of?

**Erica Matthews:** Well, on day one, you'll arrive in time for a short introduction by your tour manager, followed by dinner in the hotel.

**Erica Matthews:** The dining room looks out at the river, close to where it flows into the harbor, and there's usually plenty of activity going on.

**Erica Matthews:** On day two, you'll take the coach to the small town of Peel,

**Erica Matthews:** on the way calling in at the Tynwald Exhibition.

**Erica Matthews:** The Isle of Man isn't part of the United Kingdom, and it has its own parliament called Tynwald.

**Erica Matthews:** It's claimed that this is the world's oldest parliament that's still functioning, and that it dates back to 979.

**Erica Matthews:** However, the earliest surviving reference to it is from 1422, so, perhaps it isn't quite as old as it claims.

**Erica Matthews:** Day three, we have a trip to the mountain Snaefell.

**Erica Matthews:** This begins with a leisurely ride along the promenade in Douglas in a horse-drawn tram.

**Erica Matthews:** Then you board an electric train, which takes you to the fishing village of Laxey.

**Erica Matthews:** From there, it's an eight-kilometer ride in the Snaefell Mountain Railway to the top.

**Erica Matthews:** Lunch will be in the cafe, giving you spectacular views of the island.

**Erica Matthews:** Day 4 is free for you to explore, using the pass which we'll give you.

**Erica Matthews:** So you won't have to pay for travel on local transport, or for entrance to the island's heritage sites.

**Erica Matthews:** Or you might just want to take it easy in Douglas, and perhaps do a little light shopping.

**Erica Matthews:** The last full day, day 5, is for some people the highlight of the holiday, with a ride on the steam railway from Douglas to Port Erin.

**Erica Matthews:** After some time to explore, a coach will take you to the Headland that overlooks the Calf of Man, a small island just off the coast.

**Erica Matthews:** From there, you continue to Castletown,

**Erica Matthews:** which used to be the capital of the Isle of Man, and its mediaeval castle.

**Erica Matthews:** And on day 6, it's back to the ferry, or the airport, if you flew to the island.

**Erica Matthews:** And time to go home.

**Erica Matthews:** Now, I'd like to tell you a bit more.

**Announcer:** That is the end of part 2.

**Announcer:** You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part 2.

[Practice Matthews Island](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/matthews-island)