IELTS Listening Test Questions

Woman: Good afternoon, I’m very pleased to welcome today’s guest speaker, Christine Thomson, who’s going to tell us about the recent transformation of Rexhill Park. Over to you Christine.

Christine: Thank you. I imagine most of you have been to Hamilton Park over the years. It’s been a central feature of the town for as long as I can remember and many years before that. What you may not know is where the park got its name from. Although it has always been open to the public, (Q1)it actually started life under private ownership. The Hamilton family, who had for many years owned a large farm close to town, set up the park in 1894, with the intention of giving local people a green space where they could practise sports and enjoy the fresh air. WIlliam Hamilton was a cricket fanatic and the central area (Q2)has contained a cricket field ever since the park’s opening. The cricket pavilion, with its changing rooms and equipment storage area for players, was completed a year later, in 1895. You may also have noticed the statue of a batsman hitting a cricket ball. Well, that’s William and Alice Hamilton’s youngest son, Henry Hamilton. Henry was a fantastic batsman and led the town’s cricket team to a string of victories in the county leagues. Sadly, he was killed in the war, and his parent’s (Q3)commissioned the statue as a memorial to their lost son.

In 1936 (Q4)the Hamilton’s handed the park over to the local council, as the family had been struggling financially for several years and couldn’t afford the upkeep of the park. Ever since then it has remained the responsibility of the local council. Both the council and the local community have continued to honour the Hamilton’s wishes and kept the park as an important focal point for local sports.

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So now let me tell you about some of the changes that have been made to the park over the years, and some things which have been kept the same. If you look at the map you’ll see that the position of the cricket field has remained unchanged since 1894. (Q5)The cricket pavilion is still in its original position, on the eastern side of the car park. It was rebuilt in 1995 and has been renovated several times over the years, but never moved. (Q6)Standing in front of the pavilion is the statue of Henry Hamilton which I told you about previously. This too has had to be repaired several times over the years, but fortunately we have never needed to move it as it looks extremely heavy. (Q7)The park’s cricket scoreboard has, however, been moved. It used to be in front of  the east entrance, but it’s now in the southeast corner of the park, beside the cricket field boundary.

Tennis courts were added in the mid eighties. Originally there were only 2 courts, but another two were built several years later. (Q8)These are found in the southwest corner of the park. These courts can be easily accessed from both the south and west entrances

(Q9)In 2006 an outdoor fitness zone was built in the northwest of the park, close to the car park. This started with 10 pieces of equipment but over the years we’ve improved it and added to it to make it more user friendly. You can now find a really wide range of equipment there, suitable for all ages and abilities.

(Q10)The most recent addition to the park is the skatepark. It was built in 2015, between the fitness zone and the tennis courts. The skatepark has become a focal point for our youngsters, and given them a place where they can exercise, socialise and have fun in a positive way.