Q1.
I. You will listen to four short extracts of people expressing their childhood memories. As you listen, match each statement 1–6 to each speaker (i)–(iv). There are two statements that you do not need. (Transcript for teacher on page 266)
Statements:
1. The precious memories by the seaside are not the same anymore.
2. My grandfather’s encouragement influences me in moments of difÏculty.
3. The school days are a source of recollection to stay in touch.
4. Childhood days are about freedom and ordinary pleasures in outdoor activities.
5. Memories of school days are grandparents and my funny tales.
6. Parents urge us to be adventurous and discover nature but with limitations.
Answer
All four speakers are printed in the Appendix on pages 266–267. Match each statement to the one idea that dominates its speaker.
| Statement | Speaker | The evidence in the transcript |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The precious memories by the seaside are not the same anymore. | (iv) | “Childhood experience at the beach with my parents remains a cherished memory until we moved away… Returning after a decade, the once serene beach is now crowded… replaced by a sense of distance within our family.” |
| 2. My grandfather’s encouragement influences me in moments of difÏculty. | (i) | “when disheartened, my grandfather’s advice about keeping the morale high… still echoes in my mind… When feeling low, I still hear his voice, and believe that I am the bravest.” |
| 3. The school days are a source of recollection to stay in touch. | not needed | No speaker mentions staying in touch with anyone from school. |
| 4. Childhood days are about freedom and ordinary pleasures in outdoor activities. | (ii) | “we revelled in the liberty to explore nature without restrictions. Running after butterflies… making paper boats and playing in muddy waters, sandy beaches… These carefree memories echo the simple joys we embraced.” |
| 5. Memories of school days are grandparents and my funny tales. | (iii) | “Cherished memories from my preparatory school days include my grandma’s sweet tolerance. Mornings meant sitting on grandpa’s lap, demanding comic strip tales… I’d end up babbling, forgetting the real narratives.” |
| 6. Parents urge us to be adventurous and discover nature but with limitations. | not needed | Speaker (ii) explores nature “without restrictions”, and no parent in any extract sets limits. The statement reverses what is actually said. |
Answers: 1 → (iv) · 2 → (i) · 4 → (ii) · 5 → (iii). The two statements not needed are 3 and 6.
How to work a matching-with-extras task:
- Do the easy, keyword-anchored ones first — “grandfather” and “seaside” each appear in only one extract — and cross those speakers off.
- Beware of statements that share a keyword. Both 4 and 6 mention nature; the deciding word is without restrictions against with limitations. Distractors are usually built by flipping one word.
- Statements 3 and 5 both say “school days”. Only speaker (iii) mentions school, and what she talks about is her grandparents — so 5 belongs to her and 3 belongs to nobody.
- Never leave a speaker unmatched. Four speakers, six statements: exactly two must be left over.
Why these four extracts follow this poem: listen to what each speaker has actually retained. Not events, but a voice (“I still hear his voice”), a texture (“muddy waters, sandy beaches”), a lap and a story half-forgotten, and a beach that has changed. That is precisely the poem’s claim about childhood memory: it survives as sensation and voice, and what has gone is the thing you can no longer see.