IELTS FOUNDATION 2

UNIT 1
RELATIONSHIPS
A. VOCABULARY: FAMILY – DESCRIBING PEOPLE
Exercise 1: Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences. There is often more than one
possible answer.

1. Your uncle is your …  □ husband or wife’s brother.

□ aunt’s husband. □ sister’s husband.
□ mother or father’s brother. 5. Your aunt is your … 
□ sister’s husband. □ cousin’s wife.
2. Your cousin is your …  □ mother or father’s sister.
□ brother’s father. □ uncle’s wife.
□ father’s nephew or niece. 6. Your daughter-in-law is your … 
□ uncle or aunt’s child. □ brother’s wife.
3. Your niece is your …  □ daughter’s husband.
□ brother or sister’s daughter. □ son’s wife.
□ mother or father’s cousin. 7. Your nephew is your … 
□ son or daughter’s cousin. □ brother or sister’s daughter.
4. Your brother-in-law is your …  □ brother or sister’s son.
□ brother’s wife. □ niece’s brother

Exercise 2: Complete the text. Use the words in the box.

anniversary celebrate congratulated engaged have invited

married occasions together wish

I come from a very large family, but we all live in different places, so we don’t get
(1)______________ very often. We usually meet for special (2)_______________ like
weddings. Last year, we all met for my grandparents’ 50th wedding (3)_________________ .

It was my birthday a few weeks ago, but I didn’t (4)_______________ a big party. I prefer to
(5)______________ my birthday with my family and a few close friends. My cousin, who lives in
Australia, phoned to (6)________________me a happy birthday. She got
(7)____________________ last month and is going to get (8)__________________ next year. I
(9)________________ her on the great news. She’s(10) __________________ me to her wedding
next year. I'm so excited because I've never been to Australia before.

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Exercise 3: Choose two correct words to complete the sentences.

1. Age: She’s …  5. Looks: She’s … 

□ middle-aged. □ good-looking.
□ slim. □ plain.
□ young. □ wavy.
2. Type of person: He’s a/an …  6. Hair: He’s got … hair.
□ baby. □ bald
□ child. □ dark
□ scar. □ fair
3. Size/Height: He’s …  7. Features: He’s got a/an …
□ long. □ adult.
□ short. □ beard.
□ tall. □ moustache.
4. Weight: He’s … 8. Features: She wears …
□ plain. □ big earrings.
□ slim. □ glasses.
□ thin. □ long hair

Exercise 4: Complete the sentences. Use the words in the box.

boss classmate colleague enemy

neighbor partner relative stranger

1. A/An ____________ is a member of your family, such as a cousin, a parent or one of your
children.
2. A/An ____________ is a person who hates another person and tries to hurt them or stop
them from doing something.
3. Your ______________ is someone who lives very close to you, sometimes in the next
house or flat.
4. If you don’t know somebody, they are a/an ________________ .

5. Your ______________ is the person who tells you what to do at work.

6. A/An ____________ is someone who is in the same class as you at school or university.
7. A/An ____________ is one of a group of people who work together.
8. Your ______________ is a person you work closely with, for example in pair work.

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Exercise 5: Complete the sentences. Use the phrases in the box.

always does a lot of work doesn’t like meeting new people

doesn’t want to work or do anything that needs effort

is happy to give other people money, help or their time

is happy to help other people is happy to meet new people

thinks only of themselves, and doesn’t care about other people

will do what they say they will do

1. A hard-working person
2. A lazy person
3. A shy person
4. A friendly person
5. A reliable person
6. A selfish person
7. A helpful person
8. A generous person

B. GRAMMAR

Exercise 1: Read the information. Then change the underlined words to the negative form. Use
contractions (e.g. don’t, aren’t) where possible.

To make a sentence negative, we use auxiliary verb+ not+ main verb.

Positive sentence:
I see my cousin very often because she lives in the same town.

Negative sentence:
I don’t see my cousin very often because she doesn’t live in the same town.

1. I can remember people’s names because I’ve got a good memory.

__________________________________________________________________________
2. My uncle looks old because he’s got grey hair.
__________________________________________________________________________

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3. My grandmother gives us lots of presents because she’s a rich person.

__________________________________________________________________________
4. We have a lot of family get-togethers*, so I know my cousins very well.
__________________________________________________________________________
5. You can buy toys for your nieces and nephews because they’re little children.
__________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2: Complete the questions in the conversations.

1. A : How ________________ do you see your cousins?

B: Not very often. I only see them about once a year.
2. A : ___________________ wear a lot of make-up?
B: My boss? Yes, she wears a lot of make-up.
3. A : ___________________ your nephews and nieces?
B: My nephew is eight years old and my nieces are five and two years old.
4. A : ___________________ your colleagues lazy or hard-working?
B: They’re quite lazy.
5. A: How ___________________ got?
B: I’ve got six cousins.
6. A: What _________________ your brother’s hair?
B: It’s dark brown.
7. A: ___________________ your cousin’s wedding?
B: No, I can’t. I was only three years old at the time, so I can’t remember it at all.
8. A: ___________________ usually celebrate your birthday?
B: I usually have a party with my relatives and close friends.

Exercise 3: Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to the first sentence. Use the words
and phrases in bold to help you.

1. Whenever it’s my aunt’s birthday, she organizes a family get-together.

o My aunt always organizes a family get-together for her birthday.

o My aunt occasionally organizes a family get-together for her birthday.

o My aunt rarely organizes a family get-together for her birthday.

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2. When it’s my aunt’s birthday, she usually organizes a family get-together.

o My aunt almost never organizes a family get-together for her birthday.

o My aunt always organizes a family get-together for her birthday.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together most years for her birthday.

3. My aunt often organzes family get-togethers.

o My aunt always organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt occasionally organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt organizes a lot of family get-togethers.

4. My aunt organizes family get-togethers from time to time.

o My aunt almost never organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt always organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt occasionally organizes family get-togethers.

5. My aunt organizes a family get-together three times a year.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together every four months.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together every month.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together every three months.

6. My aunt organizes a family get-together every other month.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together every four months.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together six times a year.

o My aunt organizes a family get-together twice a year.

7. My aunt doesn’t often organize family get-togethers.

o My aunt organizes a lot of family get-togethers.

o My aunt organizes family get-togethers from time to time.

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o My aunt rarely organizes family get-togethers.

8. My aunt hardly ever organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt almost never organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt always organizes family get-togethers.

o My aunt occasionally organizes family get-togethers.

Exercise 4: Read the information below. Then complete the sentences in the present simple
passive.

To make a present simple passive sentence, you take the object of the verb in
the active sentence (e.g. the tea) + am/is/are + past participle (e.g. grown).

Example:

Workers grow the tea for three years.

This sentence is active.

The tea is grown for three years.

This sentence is passive.

1. Workers pick the tea by hand.

The tea ______________ by hand.

2. Workers keep the good oranges.

The good oranges ___________________.

3. Workers ship the coffee in fridges.

The coffee ________________ in fridges. 

4. Workers pack the apples into lorries.

The apples __________________ into lorries. 

5. The lorries deliver the rice to the supermarket.

The rice ________________ to the supermarket.

6. Customers buy the chocolate in the supermarket.

The chocolate _______________ n the supermarket.

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C. READING
How our sweet tooth is hurting us

Over the last three centuries, the amount of sugar in the Western diet has continued to rise.
Back at the start of the 18th century, a typical English family consumed less than 2 kg of
sugar per year. By the end of that century, that amount had risen 400%. Compare that to the
40 kg that people now consume annually in the USA. In Germany, the second-most sugar-
loving nation in the world, people eat roughly 103 grams on average per day. In the
Netherlands, the country with the third-biggest sweet tooth, people eat 102.5 grams. Of
course, there are some countries in the world where sweet food is less popular: in India,
people eat only about 5 grams per day on average; in Indonesia, it’s 14.5 grams; and in
China, it’s just under 16 grams. If you’re not sure what 40 kg looks like, it means that the
average person in the USA now eats approximately 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. The
recommended limit, suggested by researchers from the World Health Organization, is no
more than 8 if you want to stay healthy, but just one can of soda contains around 10.

It is common knowledge that many drinks, in bottles or canned, contain a lot of sugar.
Although advertisements say that they are ‘energy-giving’, professional athletes and
sportsmen and women usually stay away from them. It is teenagers that are their greatest
consumers. And – although advertisers promise that these drinks will make people feel
energetic and active – because of the type of chemicals they have, once a person has drunk
all the soda, they simply feel hungry instead. However, sugar is also in products that many
shoppers find surprising, for example, cereal, which actually has a lot. Because they believe
it is a healthy kind of food, parents buy it for their children’s breakfast.

A large part of the problem, according to nutritionists, is that people find it hard to
understand the labels on the back of food products. Nutritionists think this should be a lot
easier for them. But at the moment, manufacturers don’t have to write ‘sugar’ on them, but
can use words like ‘corn syrup’ or ‘dextran’, which can result in confusion for consumers.
But why should we be worried about our sugar consumption? Firstly, it is harmful to young
children because it causes tooth decay; the pain from this can mean that children don’t get
the amount of sleep they need. As a result, they can’t concentrate when they are in class. In
this case, schools and governments have a duty to educate them about good and bad food
choices. For adults, the problems increase. Eating too much sugar makes people quickly gain
weight, it affects the heart and liver, and can lead to diabetes.

Exercise 1: Quickly read the passage. Which of the ideas in sentences 1–5 are mentioned in the
text on page 1? Choose Yes or No.

1. The increase in the amount of sugar we eat.

o Yes
o No
2. The places in the supermarket where you can find sugary products.
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o Yes
o No
3. The way that advertising sugary products has changed.
o Yes
o No
4. The health problems that sugar causes in children.
o Yes
o No
5. The health problems that sugar causes in adults.
o Yes
o No

Exercise 2: Match the people with the definitions

advertiser consumer manufacturer nutritionist researcher

1. a person or company that makes a product:

2. a person who buys or uses a product:
3. a person who studies a subject carefully:
4. a person who gives advice about healthy eating:
5. a person who makes commercials to sell a product:

Exercise 3: Who do you think might say the following things? Match the people with the
statements.

advertiser consumer manufacturer nutritionist researcher

1. ‘My report studies the effects of sugar on the health of people aged 15–24 in the USA.’
2. ‘Feeling tired? New Choco-nut breakfast cereal will give you all the energy you need!’
3. ‘There are ten sugar cubes in every can of soda so you shouldn’t drink soda every day.’
4. ‘Our factory sells 50% more sugar today than 50 years ago.’
5. ‘I know sugar is bad for me, but I usually eat two bars of chocolate every day.’

Exercise 3: Synonyms and paraphrasing. Read the information. Then match the words in bold
with the phrases that have a similar meaning. Use the phrases in the box.

recommend that you stay away from not clear consume

harmful to was unexpected

1. Sugar can be very bad for children.

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2. My doctor said I was eating the wrong foods, which

surprised me.
3. We should buy and eat healthier food that doesn’t
have a lot of sugar.
4. I try to avoid chocolate when I’m hungry because it’s
not very healthy.
5. I think you should go on a diet.
6. A lot of information about good sugar and bad sugar is
hard to understand.

Exercise 4: Read the information. Then match the paraphrases and synonyms in the box with
the phrases. The first one has been done for you.
this can mean that greatest consumers recommended limit which actually has a lot
think this should be a lot easier for them soda

1. the least sugar sweet food is less popular

2. maximum recommended number
3. group of people drink more
4. sugary drink(s)
5. unexpected amount of sugar
6. want to be clearer for consumers
7. as a result of
Exercise 5: Read the passage “How our sweet tooth is hurting us” again and answer the
questions.
1. Which country consumes the least sugar per person? __________________
2. What is the maximum recommended number of teaspoons of sugar that a person should
consume a day? ________________
3. Which group of people drink more sugary drinks than anyone else? ________________
4. How do people really feel after finishing sugary drinks? ________________
5. Which food product has an unexpected amount of sugar? ________________
6. What do nutritionists want to be clearer for consumers? ___________________
7. What may decrease as a result of tooth decay in children? __________________

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D. SPEAKING: DESCRIBING PEOPLE

Exercise 1: Look at the pictures. Then complete the descriptions of the people in the pictures.
Use the sentences in the box.
He doesn’t worry much about the future.
He looks after his younger brother each afternoon.
He only watches TV and he never does his homework.
Last year he won the science prize at school.
She likes to do exciting sports like water-skiing and rock-climbing.

1. Abdullah is quite clever.

2. Liang is very kind.

3. Masako is really brave.

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4. Simon is so lazy.

5. Mikhael is always relaxed.

Exercise 2:
In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you have one minute to make some notes.
Read the task card. Then match the points on the task card with the student’s notes. Use the
notes in the box.

Describe a person who you really like.

You should say:
             who the person is
             when and where you first met that person
             what type of personality he / she has
and explain why you really like that person.
after he saw me on TV he’s like a member of my family lovely
message on Facebook, then met up my boyfriend, Danny

1. Who the person is:

2. When I met him:
3. Where I met him:
4. What type of personality he has:
5. Why I like him:

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Exercise 3: In IELTS Speaking Part 2 you should use your notes to help you make full
sentences when you speak.
Read the task card and the notes the student made. Watch video 1. Then complete the
student’s answers using three words in each gap.

 Who the person is: my boyfriend, Danny

 When I met him: after he saw me on TV
 Where I met him: on Facebook, then met up
 What type of personality he has: lovely
 Why I like him: he’s like a member of my family

1. ... The person who I’ll describe is my boyfriend. ____________ Danny.

2. ... a television station… asked me if I wanted to do an interview, and ____________ me on the
television.
3. He wrote _____________ on Facebook, ... and then we met.
4. He ________________ lovely person.
5. ... we’ve been together for three years, and he’s ______________ family.
Exercise 4: Match another student’s notes with the points on the task card. Then watch video 2
and check your answers.
supportive my friend, Ahmed. he is like my brother.
we were aged 5 and 6. at school

1. Who the person is:

2. When I met him:
3. Where I met him:
4. What type of personality he has:
5. Why I like him:
Exercise 5: Read the student’s notes. Put the words in the correct order to complete the
sentences.
my friend is really I that the like person

1. __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

__________ __________ __________

met school were we years old we at when five and six

2. __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

__________ __________ __________

up we together grew

3. __________ __________ __________ __________

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IELTS FOUNDATION 2

a speak I I problem, to have when him

4. __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

__________ __________ __________

part family a is my of he like

5. __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

__________ __________

Exercise 6: You are going to do IELTS Speaking Part 2. You will need some paper and a
pencil.

Describe a person who you really like.

You should say:

    who the person is
    when and where you first met that person
    what type of personality he / she has
and explain why you really like that person.

E. LISTENING
Exercise 1: Match the numbers (1-5) with the definitions (A-E)

1. 68% A. a ratio (e.g. 5:2)

2. 5.5 B. a temperature
3. 8: 1 C. a percentage
4. ¾ D. a decimal number
5. 34 (degrees) E. a fraction

Exercise 2: Listen and write down the missing numbers (Track 1.1)

1. 13% - 84% - 60% _________ __________ ___________

2. 8.25 – 2.1 – 18.7 _________ __________ ___________
3. 9:6 – 10:1 – 20:3 _________ __________ ___________
4. 2/3 – 4/5 – 1/2 _________ __________ ___________
5. 24 (degrees) – 41 (degrees) – 10 (degrees) ________ _________ _________

Exercise 3: Listen to how we say these long numbers (Track 1.2)

a. 570 b. 908 c. 4,731 d. 1,430 e. 77,009
f. 18,091 g. 907,790 h. 665,925 i. 2,840,000 j. 68,036,876

Exercise 4: Listen carefully and underline the numbers you hear on the recording. (Track 1.3)

1. a. 512 2. a. 115 3. a. 745

b. 520 b. 116 b. 743
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c. 521 c. 160 c. 735

4. a. 8,950 5. a. 4,682 6. a. 5,700
b. 8,590 b. 4,692 b. 5,070
c. 9,850 c. 4,629 c. 5,770
7. a. 20,101 8. a. 64,234 9. a. 19,409
b. 21, 201 b. 64,324 b. 90,490
c. 21, 110 c. 60,434 c. 90,409
10. a. 305,350 11. a. 894,278 12. a. 570,367
b. 350,305 b. 809,428 b. 517,367
c. 300,530 c. 849,478 c. 570,357
13. a. 1,100,573 14. a. 5,690,000 15. a. 7,542,104
b. 1,010,573 b. 5,619,000 b. 7,524,140
c. 1,001,573 c. 5,609,000 c. 7,949,104
16. a. 3,420,022 17. a. 45,689,607 18. a. 12,000,500
b. 3,412,002 b. 4,568,967 b. 12,050,503
c. 3,422,202 c. 40,568,607 c. 11,050,503

Exercise 5: In this section, you will have to circle the letter of the answer that you hear and
then fill in a table.
5A. Look at questions 1-7. (Track 1.4)
1. How many students have an account with the bank? (The proportion of students in in the
darker shade)
a b c

2. The maximum amount the student can borrow without paying interest is
a. £250
b. £215
c. £520
3. There is a minimum yearly interest payment of
a. 5%
b. 0.9%
c. 0.5%
4. If the student borrows more than £1,000 the interest rises to
a. 5%
b. 1.6%

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c. 0.6%
Saver accounts
Annual Percentage Duration
Short Term Saver
2.75% (5) _________
Medium Term Saver
(6) _________ 2 years
Long Term Saver
(7) _________ 5 years
5B. Now look at the following section and fill in the missing information as you listen. Write
NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. (Track 1.5)
Background Information

National Insurance Number : (8) ____________

Driver’s License: NA

Passport Number: (9) ____________

Deposit:
(10) ____________
Other Account Number:
(11) ____________
Phone Number:
(12) ____________

Exercise 6: Complete the definitions. Use the words in the box.

behavior coast dangerous marine rare sociable wild
1. Animals that live in forests, the jungle and mountains, and do not live at home as pets are
_____________ animals. (adj.)
2. We say that an animal is ________________ when there are only a few still alive in the
world. (adj.)
3. A _______________ animal lives only in the sea, for example, a dolphin or a shark. (adj.)
4. A _______________ person or animal likes being with others, rather than being alone. (adj.)
5. Lions, tigers or sharks can harm you, so these animals are ______________ , not safe. (adj.)
6. The __________________ is the area of land next to the sea. (noun)
7. When scientists study the _________________ of animals, they find out what they eat, when
they sleep and how they communicate. (noun)
Exercise 7: Listen to two students talking about an ecology project on Maui dolphins.
(Track 1.6)
1. Anne has asked Tom to help her with her dolphin project because
o he is in the same class as Anne.

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o he is an expert on dolphins.
o he once did a similar project to Anne.

2. How long is an adult male Maui dolphin?

o 1.5 meters
o 1 meter
o 1.7 meters

3. Where are Maui dolphins found in New Zealand?

o around most of the coast of the North Island
o around the west coast of the North Island
o around the whole coast of the South Island

4. The population of Maui dolphins is now likely to be

o around 100
o well over 500
o less than 50

5. What do Anne and Tom agree is typical behavior for Maui dolphins?
o They prefer to live with many other Maui dolphins.
o They often choose to follow boats to catch fish more easily.
o They are friendly towards people who swim near them.

6. How far along the coastline do Maui dolphins swim?

o 40 kilometers
o 50 kilometers
o 30 kilometers

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LISTENING SCRIPT
Exercise 2:

1. 13% - 84% - 60% - 51% - 17% - 48%

2. 8.25 – 2.1 – 18.7 – 40.6 – 15.33 – 20.8
3. 9:6 – 10:1 – 20:3 – 5:2 – 18:4 – 100:1
4. 2/3 – 4/5 – ½ - ¼ - 9/10 – 7/8
5. 24 (degrees) 41 (degrees) 10 (degrees) 14 (degrees) – 7 (degrees) 30 (degrees)

Exercise 4:

1. 521 2. 160 3. 743

4. 8,950 5. 4,692 6. 5,770
7. 20,101 8. 64,324 9. 90,409
10. 300,530 11. 894,278 12. 570,367
13. 1,010,573 14. 5,609,000 15. 7,524,140
16. 3,420,022 17. 40,568,607 18. 12,000,500

Exercise 5:
5A.
You will hear a man talking to bank clerk about opening a new account
First you will have some time to look at question 1 – 7.
[pause the recording for 30 seconds]
Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 – 7.
A: Hello Mr. Preswick. Please take a seat. So you’re interested in opening a student account with us.
B: Yes, that’s right. You were recommended as the best option in the Student Union Gazette.
A: Thank you. That’s good to know. We’re pleased to say that (I) just down to looking at some of
details on the form you sent us. Now, you said here that you wanted to open a student account, but
you might also want to keep in mind other more long-term ones. Perhaps it’s not terribly relevant
right now but you may have noticed that we offer highly competitive interest rates on longer-term
investments.
B: I’m afraid I haven’t had much time to read it what with moving house and keeping up with my
coursework.
A: Well, there’s a minimum charge of (3) 0.5% interest per annum on the amount you borrow up to
sum of a thousand pounds, which is favorable in comparison to rates in other banks, and then it

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increases to (4) 1.6% if you exceed this limit. Naturally, you would have to talk with us before you
reached that point.
B: Basically, they are all sayings account which means you won’t be able to withdraw your money
without a penalty, but the longer you keep your money in the more interest we offer. The main three
accounts are the Short-Term Saver which lasts for (5) a year and Term Saver at yearly rate of (6)
3.7% and lastly, if you can leave your money in for five years, you get back our highest rate of (7)
4,15%. That’s our long-term option.
B: I’ll remember that for future reference when I’ve got enough money to save.

5B.
Before listening to the rest of the conversation, you now have some time to look at questions 8-
12.
[Pause the recording for 30 seconds]
Now answer questions 8-12.
A: Right now. I noticed that we have a few gaps in our information.
B: Yeah, that’s because I couldn’t fine the right documents at the time. I’d just moved house you see.
But I’ve listed all the relevant numbers here.
A: Good. Let’s start with your National Insurance Number.
B: Do you want me to read it out for you? My writing isn’t very clear.
A: Yes, go ahead.
B: It’s (8) PL 348600 H.
A: I’ve got that. And do you have an ID, like a driver’s license or a passport?
B: Yes, my passport.
A: Could you read out the number please?
B: Sure. It’s (9) 943002939.
A: Good, we’ve finished that section. So let’s move on to the next one, shall we? It says here that
you’re making a deposit of (10) £855 to begin with. Is that right?
B: Yeah. I’m transferring it from my other account for young savers. Oh, by the way, I want to keep
that one open because my dad pays money into it. All my sponsorship money will be paid into my
student account.
A: Any idea how much?
B: Not yet, but I should know by Friday.
A: That’s fine. But I’ll need the number of your other account.
B: Uh… here it is (11) 56306672.
A: Right. That seems to be almost everything. The only thing that’s missing now is your phone
number.
B: Okay. It’s (12) 258476.
A: Is that a local number?
B: Yeah, that’s right.
A: Thank you very much, Mr Preswick. We’ll be sending you your new debit card through the post
in the next five working days. Now, have you got any more questions…

Exercise 7:

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Announcer: You will hear an ecology student called Anne talking to someone called Tom, who is
helping her with her project on dolphins.

Anne: Hi, Tom. Thanks so much for agreeing to help me with my dolphin project. I hope you don’t
mind that I asked you.
Tom: No problem, Anne. I remember when I was in my first year at university – it was always good
to get as much help as possible.
Anne: Yes, I can’t believe how quickly my first year is going. There’s so much work to finish off.
Does it get any easier in the second year?
Tom: Not in my experience, no!  
Anne: Anyway, I wanted to do a project on the Maui dolphin because it’s so rare. And my tutor told
me that you’d done the same thing last year – I mean, you’d studied the Maui dolphin off the coast of
New Zealand, and written about it and given a presentation on it too, like I have to now. That’s why I
thought you’d be the best person to talk to.
Tom: Well, I wouldn’t say that I know everything about the Maui dolphin – but I can probably tell
you a few things about it.
Anne: Well, that’s great. Thanks so much. Um, the first thing I wanted to check – because I keep
seeing different information about it – is the length of the Maui dolphin. I think young dolphins –
they’re about a meter when they’re a year old, aren’t they?
Tom: Yes, about that. But an adult dolphin is bigger – the males grow up to 1.5 meters in length,
eventually. Still pretty small for a dolphin.
Anne: And the females are larger than the males, I think? They can reach 1.7 meters, I read.
Tom: That’s correct.
Anne: OK, I’ll just write that down.
Tom: Are you going to say something in your project about where you can find Maui dolphins?
Have you ever seen one?
Anne: You mean along the west coast of the North Island? I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to go
there yet. I grew up in the South Island and I only came to the North Island to go to university. And
as you know, even though we have other types of dolphin all along the coast of the South Island, we
don’t ever see Maui dolphins there.  
Tom: Well, I think you’d be quite lucky to see one. Even if you did take a trip out there on a boat.
Anne: Yes, that’s the problem, isn’t it? That their population is so small.
Tom: About ten years ago, there were approximately 100 Maui dolphins still alive.
Anne: But now scientists believe that number has really dropped. They counted just under 50 this
year. It’s terrible.
Tom: Yes, the situation is worse than they expected. We can’t be sure that the Maui dolphin won’t
disappear completely until numbers increase to 500 – and that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.
Anne: Unfortunately not. Now, I should say something about their typical behavior, I suppose.
Tom: Well, they’re certainly very sociable animals. In the past, when their population size was
much, much bigger, there were about 30 dolphins in a group – and they’d play and swim together.
That’s unlike other kinds of dolphin that only travel in pairs or with a few others. 
Anne: Yes, that’s true. And something that’s perhaps different about them, too, is that, in general,
they tend to avoid boats. They’re frightened of them.
Tom: And so they should be. One of the biggest problems for Maui dolphins is that when people use
a particular type of fishing net – when they throw the net off the side of the boat and just leave it in
the ocean – then the Maui dolphins sometimes swim into the net and they can’t get out again.  
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Anne: I don’t think most people who go fishing would want to hurt a dolphin.
Tom: No, but sometimes their behavior is dangerous. They should remember that we have to share
the water with dolphins and whales and other animals.
Anne: Yes, we do. Oh, I’ve got one more thing I need to check with you. How far along the
coastline do Maui dolphins swim?
Tom: Good question. Well, they’re actually quite fast for a small dolphin. They only go up to about
50 kilos in weight. Their top speed is about 40 kilometers per hour. But scientists think they only
swim a distance of about 30 kilometers – up and down the same part of the coast – just staying in a
fairly small area.  
Anne: I see. Well, you’d think that it would be easy for the government to do more to protect them
but …

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