A project manager giving a talk about the restoration of the old Corn
IELTS Listening — IELTS Practice Originals, Listening Practice Test 8, Section 2
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{# Shown in full, as the review screen does after a sitting: it is the text a searcher is looking for, and hiding it would leave this page with nothing on it but a heading. #}Section 2. You will hear a project manager giving a talk about the restoration of the old Corn Exchange, a historic covered market, and what visitors can now do there. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.
WOMAN: Good evening, and thank you for coming to hear about the reborn Corn Exchange. For those who don't know it, this magnificent glass-and-iron hall was built in eighteen sixty as a grain market, but it had stood empty and crumbling for thirty years before our trust took it on. I want to walk you through how we brought it back, because it wasn't straightforward.
WOMAN: We tackled the building in a strict order. The very first job, before anything else could happen, was making the structure safe, the ironwork was badly corroded and parts were close to collapse. Only once it was stabilised could we move to the second stage, which was replacing the roof, that famous glass roof had lost half its panes. With the building now weathertight, the third stage was to strip out and renew all the services, the wiring and the plumbing, which were Victorian and frankly dangerous. Fourth, and this was the fun part, we restored the original features, the cast-iron columns and the decorative tilework, cleaning a century of grime away. And finally, only right at the end, we fitted out the individual market stalls, ready for traders to move in.
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20.
WOMAN: A quick word on what caused us most trouble. People assume the money was the hardest part, and funding was tight, but honestly the real headache throughout was the weather, we were working under an open roof for a whole winter, and every storm set us back. Everything else we could plan for, the weather we couldn't.
WOMAN: Now, what can you do here today? The ground floor is a food market, open six days a week, closed only on Mondays. Upstairs, on the gallery, we've a permanent exhibition telling the building's story, and that's free to all. And in the evenings the central hall becomes a venue you can hire for events.
WOMAN: If you'd like to get more involved, two things. We run guided history tours, and I'd strongly recommend booking those ahead, as they fill up fast. And we're recruiting volunteer guides right now, so if you love the place, do sign up at the desk. Right, let's take a look inside.
That is the end of Section 2. You now have some time to check your answers.