FCE Listening Test 5 Part 2

Test 5 Part 2
9. fan
10. India
11. 4000 (four thousand)
12. neck
13. eyes
14. brown
15. proud
16. water
17. sleep
18 crocodiles

You will hear a radio programme about a bird called a peacock. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences.
In this evening's talk I'm going to be telling you about the peacock, which is one of the world's most spectacular birds and a great favourite in zoos and tourist attractions in many countries. The peacock is best known for its tail, which is huge and brightly coloured and, sort of, stands up behind it. People say that it looks like a fan. When the bird opens and closes this tail, it's a wonderful sight.
There are two main types of peacock, the blue and the green. The green peacock lives in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, whereas the blue peacock originally comes from India. And it's the blue peacock that you are more likely to see in other parts of the world, because it is better able to live in different climates than its green cousin. And it has been kept by humans for many centuries.
In ancient cultures, blue peacocks were kept both because they looked nice and also because they were good to eat. The Ancient Romans certainly had them two thousand years ago, and there is evidence of them in Ancient Egypt three thousand years ago. But it is thought that the first culture to keep the birds were the Mesopotamians, who lived four thousand years ago.
Now, as I said earlier, the blue peacock is spectacular to look at. The bird has a long thin neck and a very small head on a big body and looks a bit like a turkey. It's only when it opens its tail that you realise how beautiful it is. The tail, which stands up behind the bird, grows to a length of over two hundred centimetres and is a wonderful shiny bluegreen colour. This tail is covered with large egg-shaped spots which are called 'eyes'. It makes a wonderful pattern and in the sunlight the colours are magnificent, the blues, greens and blacks turning to purple, black and gold.
Unfortunately, it is only the male bird that has this tail because the purpose of all this wonderful display is to attract a mate. The female bird, which is actually called the peahen, is brown and rather dull looking compared to her multi-coloured mate. The male walks up and down displaying his tail to impress the female bird. It's such a famous sight that we even find reference to it in different languages. In English, for example, we have the expression 'as proud as a peacock' to describe men who take a lot of trouble over their appearance.
In the wild, the peacock's natural habitat is the forest, where they live in small family groups. They like to live near water in hilly jungle areas. Although they can fly quite well, they cannot go very fast and they usually only fly for short distances, usually to escape from danger. When danger approaches, they warn each other by making loud shrieking noises. Although they spend most of their time on the ground, peacocks usually sleep in trees. They move into the lower branches in the late afternoon and then gradually move higher up as night falls.
One of the best places in the world to see different types of peacocks is called Peacock Paradise and it is located in Melaka in Malaysia. There you can see both types of bird, and there's also a visitor centre which provides lots of information about peacocks and other similar birds. There's even a pool full of crocodiles to watch if you need a change from birds! If you get the chance to go, it's certainly worth a visit.