ListenLearn · IELTS Listening Practice

The History of Coffee (Section 4)

Section 4 · Monologue (academic)

Lecturer

Today I want to talk about the history of coffee. Coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia, where goats were observed eating the red berries and becoming unusually energetic. From there, it spread through trade routes to the Arabian Peninsula, where people began roasting and brewing the beans. By the seventeenth century, coffee houses had appeared across Europe, and they quickly became centres of conversation and business. Today, coffee is one of the most traded commodities in the world, with millions of cups consumed every single day.

0:00

Loop: off

Check your understanding

Score: 0 / 6

Complete the lecture notes. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

1. Coffee was first discovered in .
2. The red berries made the unusually energetic.
3. Coffee spread to the Arabian .
4. Coffee houses appeared in Europe by the century.
5. Coffee houses quickly became centres of conversation and .
6. Coffee is one of the most traded in the world.

Tip: the two speakers use different voices. Slower playback (0.5×–0.75×) + the A-B loop are great for shadowing. Click a word to jump to it.