WIB · Listening — October 3, 2026

🎯 Instructions:

Listen to the audio track(s) below.
Complete the interactive exercises on this page.

🎧 Senior Listening

Two tracks with comprehension exercises

Track 1: "Climate change and extreme weather"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main focus of this programme?

How to forecast daily weather accurately. The link between climate change and extreme weather. The history of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. How to prepare for a storm surge at home.

✅ B. 节目主要讨论气候变化如何影响极端天气，并学习相关词汇。

2. According to Sarah, what is the difference between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons?

They form in different seasons. They are completely different storm systems. They are the same storms with different names depending on where they form. Typhoons are much weaker than hurricanes.

✅ C. Sarah 说它们本质相同，只是根据发生地区不同而有不同名称。

3. Why are storm surges especially dangerous?

They are caused by earthquakes under the sea. They produce more casualties than any other element of a storm. They only happen in cold climates. They are easy to predict and prevent.

✅ B. Darren 指出 storm surge 是风暴中造成最多伤亡的因素，而且海平面上升可能使它更危险。

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. By how much has Earth's average temperature increased since 1970?

✅ Around 1°C

2. What are tropical storms called in the Indian Ocean?

✅ Cyclones

3. What two ground movements can occur after heavy rain and cause damage?

✅ Landslides and mudslides

4. What is a storm surge?

✅ A sudden rise in sea level

5. Which region is warming three times faster than the average rate?

✅ The Arctic

Track 2: "How do we describe smells?"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of this programme?

How to cook food with strong smells The language and vocabulary used to describe smells How to find and collect old books Why British people dislike the smell of rain

✅ B. 节目主要讨论英语中如何描述气味，以及相关词汇和表达。

2. According to Asifa Majid, why is describing smell different from describing taste or colour?

Smell words are more objective than colour words Smell words are subjective and based on personal feelings English has more smell words than colour words People never talk about smells in the UK

✅ B. Asifa Majid 指出，气味词往往是主观的，取决于个人感受，而不像味觉或颜色词那样有共同标准。

3. What does the word 'vellichor' refer to?

The smell of the earth after rain The smell of cooking meat and fat The smell of old books and second-hand bookshops The smell of lavender

✅ C. 节目中提到 vellichor 指的是旧书和二手书店的气味。

🔍 Detail Hunt Listen for specific information.

1. What is the name for the smell of the ground just after it has rained?

✅ petrichor

2. Which smell does Neil particularly like?

✅ ground coffee

3. What adjective means related to hearing?

✅ auditory

4. What adjective means related to smelling?

✅ olfactory

5. What phrasal verb means to stop something?

✅ shut down

🔄 Compare & Contrast Think about both listening passages together.

Compare the two BBC Learning English listening passages. In 3–5 sentences, explain one important similarity and one important difference in their purpose, content, or use of language. Use specific details from both tracks to support your answer.

Guiding Questions:

What is each passage mainly trying to teach or discuss?
How do the speakers present their topics—for example, is one more expert-based and the other more conversational?
What examples or vocabulary does each passage include, such as climate vs. weather terms or smell words like petrichor?