Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic Listening Test 1 - Section 4

Reclaiming Urban Rivers

Historical Background
Nearly all major cities were built on a river.
Rivers were traditionally used for transport, fishing, and recreation.
Industrial development and rising populations later led to:

- More sewage from houses being discharged into the river.
- Pollution from (1) on the river bank.

In 1957, the River Thames in London was declared biologically (2)

Recent Improvements
Seals and even a (3) have been seen in the River Thames.

Riverside warehouses are converted to restaurants and (4)

In Los Angeles, there are plans to:
Build a riverside (5)

Display (6) projects.

In Paris, (7) are created on the sides of the river every summer.

Transport Possibilities
Over 2 billion passengers already travel by (8) in cities around the world.

Changes in shopping habits mean the number of deliveries that are made is increasing.

Instead of road transport, goods can be transported by large freight barges and electric (9) , or, in future, by (10)