A new look for Talbot Park
Read A new look for Talbot Park and check the IELTS Reading answers. The new Talbot Park is immediately eye-catching because the buildings look quite different to other state-housing projects in Auckland. ‘There is no reason why state housing should look cheap in my view,’ says architect Neil Cotto…
Passage preview
The new Talbot Park is immediately eye-catching because the buildings look quite different to other state-housing projects in Auckland. ‘There is no reason why state housing should look cheap in my view,’ says architect Neil Cotton, one of the design team. ‘In fact, I was anticipating a backlash by those who objected to the quality of what is provided with government money.’ The tidy brick and wood apartments and townhouses would not look out of place in some of the city’s most affluent suburbs, and this is a central theme of the Talbot Park philosophy.
Vocabulary from this passage
9 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- amenity noun
A useful or pleasant feature of a building or place.
In the passage:
"getting as much amenity as you can for the money" means useful features, not pleasantness of manner.
Synonyms: facility, convenience
- anticipate a backlash verb phrase
Expect strong negative reactions from people who disagree with a decision.
In the passage:
"I was anticipating a backlash by those who objected to the quality" is a useful phrase for Writing about public reaction.
Synonyms: expect a negative reaction, expect opposition
- a 'them and us' mentality noun phrase
A belief that two groups are separate and opposed to each other.
In the passage:
"a 'them and us' mentality developed" is the passage's way of saying newcomers and older residents were divided.
Synonyms: us-against-them attitude, divided thinking
- cater for the needs of verb phrase
Provide what is necessary or wanted by a particular group of people.
In the passage:
Q21 says "adaptable and responsive designs"; the passage says "sufficiently flexible to cater for the needs of people" (paragraph E).
Synonyms: adaptable, responsive
- conservative adjective
Traditional in style, not new, unusual or surprising.
In the passage:
"the buildings are relatively conservative" refers to style, not politics.
Synonyms: traditional, conventional
Opposites: radical
- cosmopolitan adjective
Including people from many different countries and cultures.
In the passage:
"The population today is cosmopolitan" leads into the list of ethnic groups in paragraph E (Q18).
Synonyms: multicultural, international
Opposites: homogeneous
- in sharp contrast to adverb phrase
Very different from something just mentioned.
In the passage:
"That's in sharp contrast to the more affluent suburbs in Auckland" closes paragraph F and signals the poverty point of Q19.
Synonyms: completely unlike, the opposite of
- no-frills adjective
Plain and basic, without extra features or decoration.
In the passage:
The summary (Q26) says "functional interiors"; the passage says "a no-frills, industrial approach to kitchens, bathrooms and flooring" (paragraph D).
Synonyms: basic, functional
Opposites: luxurious
- petty crime noun phrase
Minor illegal acts such as small thefts or vandalism, not serious offences.
In the passage:
"petty crime was on the rise" is one of the signs of decline listed in paragraph C (Q16).
Synonyms: minor offences, small-scale crime
Opposites: serious crime
Answers with explanations
- 14. iv
Paragraph A is about how the new buildings look. The architect did not expect cheap-looking housing, and the apartments would suit **affluent suburbs**. That is the **unexpectedly high standard** of the housing. No problem or cost is discussed here.
- 15. ix
Paragraph B looks back to the **early 1960s**: children played together in the garden and neighbours addressed one another politely. The heading about a **close community in the original** development fits. The heading about families today does not, because the speaker is a former resident.
- 16. i
Paragraph C lists what **went wrong**: poor integration, falling standards, run-down buildings and rising crime. These are the **problems that developed**. The ending asks how to avoid repeating them, but the main idea is the problems, not the new design.
- 17. x
Paragraph D describes the **variety of house types** and the plain, **conservative** look of the buildings. That is **details of the style** of buildings in the makeover. Money is mentioned, but only as a design limit, so the heading about raising funds is wrong.
- 18. iii
Paragraph E opens with a list of percentages for each **population group** living in the new Talbot Park. That is the **ethnic makeup** of the community. The designer's quote is only a short follow-up to those figures.
- 19. v
Paragraph F says both Talbot Park and **Tāmaki** are **low socio-economic** areas, with many households on very low incomes. Low income is **financial hardship**, and the **neighbouring** suburb is named too. The comparison with Auckland's richer suburbs only supports that point.
- 20. vii
Paragraph G is about **tenancy management**: inspections, rules, a Tenancy Manager and events for tenants. That is how to **co-ordinate and assist** the residents. The problems heading belongs to the paragraph about the past, not to this paragraph.
- 21. D
Find **James Lundy** in paragraph E. He says the buildings had to be **sufficiently flexible** for people from many **cultural backgrounds**. The idea about **adaptable and responsive designs** for mixed communities is that same point.
- 22. A
Find **Graham Bodman** in paragraph G. He talks about **frequent inspections** and **clear guidelines and boundaries**, which is supervision and regulation. The idea about too many rules causing resentment is a trap: the opponents call it social control, but Bodman does not say tenants will resent it.
- 23. C
Find **Stuart Bracey** at the end of paragraph G. He says people in tightly-packed communities need help to **get to know each other** by **organising morning teas and street barbecues**. That is organising social events so tenants can live close together.
- 24. density
The summary begins with what worries critics. Paragraph D calls one aspect controversial: the development has made the **density** of housing **greater**, with 52 more homes. The summary's **higher** is the passage's **greater**, so the noun needed is **density**.
- 25. architects
Look for how the buildings were made **not uniform**. The passage says the housing was mixed up by using **a variety of plans by different architects**, so the summary's "team of various" people are the **architects**.
- 26. budget
The summary says interiors could be built **within their** limit. The passage has a **no-frills** approach to kitchens and bathrooms to **ensure the project did not go over budget**, so the limit is the **budget**.