# Preparing for the Archaeological Fieldwork in Namibia: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 7, Test 1, Listening Part 4

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 7, Test 1, Listening Part 4. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 31 | April | some do's and don'ts for our field work trip in April. |
| 32 | children | like a school book with pictures to teach children about tracks |
| 33 | repeated | you see the tracks are repeated. ... There are dozens of tracks for the same animal. |
| 34 | human | seem to be half human. ... Some for example have got human faces. |
| 35 | magic | They believe they could use magic to control the animals they had drawn |
| 36 | distance | you can learn many things from observing at a distance ... This can really help to reduce visitor pressure. |
| 37 | culture | It may be disrespectful to the people of that culture. |
| 38 | fire | And certainly don't make fires ... you can easily burn priceless undiscovered material by doing so. |
| 39 | touching | never by touching it or even tracing it. |
| 40 | intact | You should leave the site intact. |

## Why these answers are right

**31. April.** The heading needs the month of the Namibia fieldwork trip. Outlining the seminar, the lecturer says the second part will cover some do's and don'ts for our field work trip in April. That is the only time reference for the trip, so April completes the note.

**32. children.** The note asks who the footprint engravings were thought to help learn tracking. The lecturer says scholars saw the art as like a school book with pictures to teach children about tracks and which animal made each one, so children is the single word that fits.

**33. repeated.** The first puzzle concerns what the tracks usually are. The lecturer says that in a typical Namibian painting or engraving the tracks are repeated, with dozens for the same animal, when one clear picture would do for teaching. Repeated is the word that completes the question.

The why and the trap for questions 34 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/preparing-for-the-archaeological-fieldwork-in-namibia/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Section 4, you will hear part of a lecture about cave paintings and other types of rock art.

**Announcer:** First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully, and answer questions 31 to 40.

**Speaker:** Good afternoon everyone.

**Speaker:** This is the first seminar in preparation for our archaeological fieldwork in Namibia.

**Speaker:** We are fantastically lucky to have received partial research funding for this trip from our institute.

**Speaker:** So I shall expect 200% attention and participation from you all.

**Speaker:** First in this seminar, I'm going to give a brief introduction to contemporary research on rock art, and in the second part, I'm going to give you some do's and don'ts for our field work trip in April.

**Speaker:** So please listen very carefully.

**Speaker:** I'm first going to focus on the interpretation of rock art in Namibia.

**Speaker:** We are very fortunate to be going to an area where you can find some of the most important sites in the entire world.

**Speaker:** And I hope to show you how easy it is for everyone to make mistakes in looking at cultures which are different from our own, the first and most important lesson we have to learn.

**Speaker:** In Namibia, there are both paintings and engravings.

**Speaker:** That's where the surface of the rock is cut out.

**Speaker:** Many of the engravings show footprints of animals, and most scholars used to think that the purpose of these was simple and obvious.

**Speaker:** This rock art was like a school book with pictures to teach children about tracks, which track belonged to which animal, giraffe, lion, and so on.

**Speaker:** But there were some mysteries.

**Speaker:** First, when you look at a typical Namibian painting or engraving, you see the tracks are repeated.

**Speaker:** There are dozens of tracks for the same animal.

**Speaker:** Well, you'd expect just one clear illustration if the reason - the aim - was to teach tracking.

**Speaker:** Now, there were two more problems.

**Speaker:** Why are some of the engravings of animals very accurate as you'd expect?

**Speaker:** All clearly identifiable, and others quite unrealistic.

**Speaker:** And another mystery, some of these unrealistic animals that's in the engravings seem to be half human.

**Speaker:** Some for example have got human faces.

**Speaker:** Many researchers now think that these were pictures the wise men engraved of themselves.

**Speaker:** They believe they could use magic to control the animals they had drawn, so the hunters could then catch them for food.

**Speaker:** This shows you some of the dangers of coming from one culture to another, as we'll be doing without understanding it fully.

**Speaker:** Scholars imagined that children looked at rock art pictures to learn to track.

**Speaker:** Just because they themselves had learned skills from pictures.

**Speaker:** Many researchers now believe that rock art had a much more complex purpose, and we'll talk more about it next week.

**Speaker:** Now, before I invite you to join in a discussion in this second part of the seminar, I'd like to make some very important points about our field work, and in fact any field trip to look at rock art.

**Speaker:** We're going to a number of sites, and we won't always be together.

**Speaker:** The single largest problem faced by people who manage the sites is, yes, I'm sure you've guessed, damage caused by visitors.

**Speaker:** Even though it's usually unintentional.

**Speaker:** Whenever you do go to a site, don't forget you can learn many things from observing at a distance, instead of walking all over it.

**Speaker:** This can really help to reduce visitor pressure.

**Speaker:** People often say, well there's only two of us, and just this one time, but maybe thousands of people are saying the same thing.

**Speaker:** And then some basic rules to guide you.

**Speaker:** We'll have our own camp near a village, but remember never to camp on a site if you go on your own.

**Speaker:** It may be disrespectful to the people of that culture.

**Speaker:** And certainly don't make fires, however romantic it may seem.

**Speaker:** It's really dangerous in dry areas, and you can easily burn priceless undiscovered material by doing so.

**Speaker:** So, how are we going to enjoy the rock art on our field trip?

**Speaker:** By looking at it, drawing it, and photographing it, never by touching it or even tracing it.

**Speaker:** Rock art is fragile and precious.

**Speaker:** Remember that climbing on rocks and in caves can destroy in a moment what has lasted for centuries.

**Speaker:** So, no heroics in Namibia please.

**Speaker:** Try to be extra careful and help others to be too.

**Speaker:** Oh, and lastly, please don't even move rocks or branches to take photographs.

**Speaker:** You should leave the site intact.

**Speaker:** I'm sure I can rely on you to do that.

**Speaker:** Well, that's about all I want to say before today's first discussion, but if you have any questions, please ask them now.

**Speaker:** Oh, and don't forget you'll find some fascinating information about worldwide sites on the Internet.

**Speaker:** Right, first question then.

**Announcer:** That is the end of Section 4.

**Announcer:** You now have half a minute to check your answers.

[Practice Preparing for the Archaeological Fieldwork in Namibia](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/preparing-for-the-archaeological-fieldwork-in-namibia)