Chicago entrepreneur turns empty downtown office space into vertical gardens

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What happened to many offices after workplace patterns changed?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They were expanded for more employees
   2. They were left empty or used less often
   3. They were converted into outdoor parks
   4. They became homes for office workers
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They were left empty or used less often

   Many offices became empty or were used less frequently.

   As a result, many offices have been left empty or are used less often.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does a vertical system use in addition to floor space?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Underground tunnels
   2. Outdoor farmland
   3. Height
   4. Office furniture
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Height

   The design also makes use of vertical height.

   This design uses height as well as floor space.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What may happen to plants in the proposed system?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They may be grown in containers at different levels
   2. They must spread across a single outdoor field
   3. They are planted only beside office entrances
   4. They are placed beneath the building
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They may be grown in containers at different levels

   Plants may be grown in containers at different levels.

   Plants may be grown in containers and can be placed at different levels.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the recording call the project a partial solution?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The project uses only outdoor land
   2. The project addresses only one part of a larger problem
   3. The project prevents plants from growing vertically
   4. The project removes all existing office space
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The project addresses only one part of a larger problem

   It provides one example without solving all unused-office problems.

   It does not present vertical gardens as a complete answer to the large amount of unused office space.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What was the office originally designed for?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Food markets and public concerts
   2. Desks, meetings, and daily office life
   3. Outdoor farming and transportation
   4. Housing and neighborhood services
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Desks, meetings, and daily office life

   Its original role involved desks, meetings, and everyday office activity.

   The entrepreneur is testing a new role for an area that was designed for desks, meetings, and daily office life.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the entrepreneur’s action represent for Chicago?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A final decision about downtown development
   2. A practical experiment in adaptation
   3. A return to pre-pandemic office habits
   4. A replacement for all traditional gardens
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A practical experiment in adaptation

   It represents a practical test of adapting space to new conditions.

   For Chicago, the effort is a practical experiment in adaptation.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader conclusion does the recording reach?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Unused offices must remain unchanged
   2. Cities should remove all indoor gardens
   3. Empty buildings can support new urban approaches
   4. Workplace changes have ended city development
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Empty buildings can support new urban approaches

   Unused offices may contribute to a new way of using city space.

   It can also become part of a new approach to city space.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.