Tapescript

 

You will hear a number of different recordings and you have to answer questions on what you hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and you will have a chance to check your answers. The recordings will be heard only one. The test is in four sections. Record all your answers in your test book and at the end of the test you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to a special answer sheet.

Now turn to Section 1.

 

Section 1

 

You will hear a Student Union representative talking to some new students. First you will have some time to look at questions 1 to 7 (pause for 30 seconds).

You will see that there has been an example written for you. On this occasion only the conversation relating to the example will be played first (listen to example being played).

The questionnaire is about food on the campus so the word food has been written in the gap.

Now we will begin. You should answer the questions as you listen as you will not hear the recording a second time.

Listen to the talk carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.

 

[murmur of speaking]

Hullo, everyone, and welcome to Borchester University. If you’d like to split into small groups of about ten, a guide will take you around the campus - the first thing they’ll show you is the most important - where to get food! OK, please divide into smaller groups now, the guides are here on the left.

 

[Guide] Right, … nine, ten - that’s about right. OK let’s start. As the co-ordinator said, we’ll look at where to eat on campus first. The principal place to buy food is here - it holds about five hundred people - so it’s very busy.

 

What can you buy here? They always have a good choice. Usual choices are vegetarian, fish, pasta and salad - as well as a main choice menu, including the budget choice. Sometimes they do special menus for a week - last week it was Chinese food. Mmm - I remember they had some wonderful choices.

 

[laughter]

Of course, to get the best choice you need to get here early. The main hall is open from 11:30 to half past two - but by about two the choices are rather reduced. Unless you like chips and pies, that is - the budget menu is always available!

What’s the cost here? Well, it varies - from about £1.50 for the budget meal to £3. It sounds expensive, but if you eat here you probably won’t want to eat so much in the evening as the portions are huge.

 

OK, so much for the refectory. The next place to eat is the café near the Arts Building - that’s here on the map. This is small - much smaller, with only space for about 50 people.  It’s also a shop, so it’s very busy all day. It’s open from nine in the morning until six in the evening. What can you buy there? Well, really only tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sandwiches. The cost of a meal is about £ 1.15. One nice thing about here is that you surf the Internet while you eat - absolutely free, as long as you are a customer, of course. There are six computers for customers to use. Oh, I said there’s a shop too - it sells all the usual things, chocolate, newspapers, sweets, cakes and bottled drinks. It’s very convenient.

 

Another nice place to eat is the bar area in the theatre - again this is small, but there’s more space than the café and no shop, so it tends to be less crowded. It is still quite busy though, because it’s very comfortable with nice chairs. It’s open from 10 to 4. What can you get to eat there? Again, it’s really only drinks like tea and coffee and toasted sandwiches. The toasted sandwiches here are better since they also have a garnish - tomatoes and lettuce - with them, but the average meal costs more - about £1.30. One problem is that they run out quickly here - you are not likely to find much to eat after about 1.30.

 

Before the talk continues you have some time to read questions 8 to 10. (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen carefully and answer questions 8 to 10.

 

Well, that’s the general information about where you can eat on campus. But you know, those places are not just for eating and drinking. The Main Refectory has a string quartet of music students playing every Thursday at lunchtime and on Tuesdays and Fridays the Theatre Bar offers lunchtime jazz concerts at one o’clock. They’re always popular and the bar fills up by noon, so make sure you get there early.

 

Now, I can see some of you are smoking. This is only allowed in certain areas of the campus and never in the library or eating places. Oh no, sorry, it is allowed in the Main Refectory but only in a small section in the corner. There were suggestions that the Theatre Bar would be a smoking area but this created quite a debate among students so a final decision hasn’t as yet been made.

Thanks for your attention. Now your guide will take you on your tour.

 

That is the end of Section 1. You will hear half a minute to check your answers (pause for 30 seconds)

Now turn to Section 2.

 

Section 2

 

You will hear two students, Amanda and Barry discussing the disposal of their household rubbish.

First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15 (pause for 20 seconds).

Now listen carefully to the discussion and answer questions 11 to 15.

 

Amanda: We really had better sort this waste out - there’s quite a lot of it now.

Barry:     Yes, it’s probably worthwhile taking this lot to the recycling centre now - there’s at least a full car-load.

Amanda: Yes, but first we need to sort it all out - we won’t be able to do that once we arrive there.

Barry:     OK, so what do we do?

Amanda: That’s easy - we put each type into labelled boxes.

Barry:     You mean sort them out into different materials?

Amanda: Yes, that’s right.

Barry:     OK, it seems quite straightforward. What shall we start with? What about the glass?

Amanda: Good idea - first let’s put all these bottles in.

Barry:     Yes, but we shouldn’t put that milk bottle in - that should go back to the milkman.

Amanda: Yes, you are right - this is a returnable bottle too - it goes back to the local shop.

Barry:     This broken mirror can go with the glass, can’t it?

Amanda: Yes, of course, but be careful of your fingers.

Barry:     OK, what’s next.

Amanda: Paper, I think. We should tie up all those piles of old newspapers and magazines.

Barry:     What about these yellow telephone books?

Amanda: I think I remember reading that we shouldn’t put those in when I last went there - we had better not. We’ll put them in the general rubbish.

Barry:     And these paperback books?

Amanda: No, definitely not those - they should be put into the charity container. They can re-sell those for charity.

Barry:     There are some old car-batteries here - they look heavy. Let’s lift them out here.

Amanda: Be careful! Lift them carefully, don’t hurt your back - bend your knees not your back. And be careful you don’t spill any acid - it will burn you!

Barry:     It’s a pity Britain doesn’t have any system to collect these yet. They will just be dumped, together with all the general rubbish.

Amanda: That’s terrible! Doesn’t anyone do something with them?

Barry:     Well, if we lived in Germany, Denmark or Sweden we could recycle them, but not in the UK - at least, not yet.

Amanda: There are bundles of old magazines and newspapers here too. I think we put these in the general rubbish.

Barry:     No, there’s a special container for paper. It’s all recycled and they make other products like writing and kitchen paper with it.

Amanda: Actually, I think you’ll find they can’t do that with magazines as it’s a different quality paper. They do go with the rest of the household refuse. Oh, look, plastic bottles - lots of them …

 

You now have some time to read questions 18 to 20 (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen to the rest of the discussion and answer questions 18 to 20.

 

Amanda: Ok look, plastic bottles - lots of them!

Barry:     Well, you know how much cola they had at the party, that’s where most of it’s from.

Amada: Well, all the soft-drink bottles can be put together, what about the other plastics here?

Barry:     Some things have a code - yes, look here, these two are the same. We just need to look for the code on the plastic. That will tell us where we have to put the bottles.

Amanda: Any bottle without a code - well, we’ll just have to check when we get there.

Barry:     There won’t be too many - anyway, they do have a technician to offer advice when you get to the re-cycling centre.

Amanda: OK - we’ve nearly finished. What about this bag of old clothes?

Barry:     That’s easy! The charities take those as they are, and they sort them out. Then they can sell the clothes which are still in a good condition and they can make a lot of money out of them. The bad ones can be sold as rags - the paper industry takes those.

Amanda: It’s amazing what can be done with things we throw away.

Barry:     If we don’t try to recycle then the future of the planet. (fade)

 

That is the end of Section 2. You will have half a minute to check your answers (pause for 30 seconds).

Now turn to Section 3.

 

Section 3

 

You will hear a talk given by Mrs. Beverley Evans about the Borchester Hospital Trust. First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 (pause for 30 seconds).

Now listen carefully to the talk and answer questions 21 to 24.

 

Dr Groves:

Welcome, everyone, to this final session of the Borchester Health Authority’s Nurses Orientation Programme. We’re very pleased to welcome Mrs Beverly Evans, who is the chairman, or should I say chairperson, of the Borchester Hospital Trust. All you nurses will know how valuable the work of the trust is to us. And Beverly is going to bring us up to date with some of the things the trust has been doing. Beverly …

 

(smattering of applause)

Mrs Beverly Evans:

Thank you, Dr Groves, for inviting me to talk to this group. I am happy to report to you on our progress over the last few months. Well, I am sure you’d like me to start with the good news. Most importantly, I can report on the Hospital trust’s standards for last year. Well, one rough guide is how happy the public were with our service. I am happy to report that 5961 letters of appreciation were received by the Trust, whilst there were only 57 letters of complaint. I am sure that we don’t want any letters of complaint at all, but I am sure you’ll feel that this is a good result.

 

(murmurs of appreciation, subdued clapping)

On the topic of public relations, we have recently established a “Visitors Charter” to inform the public what standards to expect. These standards are now displayed in all patient areas, for instance on ward notice boards.

 

An area of particular concern is that of patients with special needs. One recent initiative is a policy where all patients who have hearing problems have their records marked with a “sympathetic ear” symbol - any one with their consent, of course. This will mean that anyone dealing with those whose hearing is impaired will be aware of the problem from the onset.

 

Now, on to general topics. The main entrance is being improved. You’ve all seen the plans, I am sure, and you’ve walked round the building work. Sorry about that. Well, the work actually started a few months a go. I am very happy to tell you the work is progressing well, and is on-budget and on time. By next June, we will have a brand new entrance hall, which will be much better than the old one.

 

You now have some time to read questions 25 to 30 (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen to the rest of the talk and answer questions 25 to 30.

 

We’ve received a few suggestions which would help patients. One interesting one is that staff who can speak another language should wear a badge to show this. Well, we’ve worked on this, and have now identified speakers of Welsh, Urdu, and Arabic. Soon these staff will be sent badges to wear to show they are bilingual. We are hoping to add further languages to this scheme very soon - by the autumn at least.

 

Now fundraising! As you know, our local newspaper is supporting the Cancer Appeal. The public’s response continues to be excellent and many donations are received everyday. Many members of the public have contacted us with fund-raising plans. There are a lot of interesting ideas, but one really good one is for an open-air twilight dinner in the local park-but, given our weather, I feel that a large tent would be a good precaution. Other more traditional ideas are for sponsored sea swimming. Details of these, and the necessary sponsor forms, will be available shortly.

 

Lastly a report on patient feedback within the Chemotherapy Unit. We understood a survey 18 months ago, questioning 50 first attenders and 150 re-attenders in the unit. I am sure you’ll be happy to hear that all, yes all, of these patients felt they were made welcome and were treated courteously at all times. Nearly all, 96%, felt they had their treatment explained satisfactorily, and 98% found the facilities in the Day Unit to be very good. A small number of areas need to be improved: one is more car parking, more toilet facilities and better areas for private discussions. But I am happy that the survey was so positive …  

 

That is the end of section 3. You will have half a minute to check your answers (pause for 30 seconds).

You turn to section 4.

 

Section 4

 

You will hear two friends, Ann and Geoff, discussing their completion of a student questionnaire.

First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40 (pause for 40 seconds).

Now listen carefully to the talk and answer questions 31 to 40.

 

Prof Merrick: … so if you would be kind enough to fill in these questionnaires before you go, I would be most grateful. I do take your comments very seriously, and if you don’t tell me if something doesn’t work, then I can’t do anything about it, can I? Anyway, take a moment now …

Ann:     Geoff, you’ve got to help me with this. I never know what to write for these things.

Geoff: Well, the beginning is easy enough, Ann. You know what year we’re in.

Ann:     The first year, so that’s level one? Okay, I’ll underline that.

Geoff: And the title of the course is An Introduction to the History of the South Pacific.

Ann:     An Introduction to South Pacific History, actually.

Geoff: And the teacher is Professor Merrick.

Ann:     And Dr Smith. She was nice.

Geoff: I don’t remember her. Was that one of the lecturers I couldn’t attend?

Ann:     Actually, she did two sessions in January and you had the flu then. Do you remember?

Geoff: Ok yes.

Ann:     But what’s the type of teaching? We have lectures and seminars. Should I underline both? Or write something in Other?

Geoff: No, a seminar course is one where there are no lectures, just seminar meetings and discussions. The lecture course assumes there’ll be some tutorials as well. But it is just considered a lecture course. Underline that.

Ann:     Okay, now for the hand part. These statements about the course. It’s 1 if we disagree and 4 if we agree. Right?

Geoff: Right. Well, the module has clearly stated aims and objectives. Surely you can give that a 4?

Ann:     Yes, I agree.

Geoff: And for number 2, I thought the teaching methods were fine and encouraged me to participate. Give that a 4 too.

Ann:     You hypocrite! You hardly ever got out of bed for the classes. They certainly didn’t encourage you to participate. You should give it a 1 or 2.

Geoff: But that was my problem and not his. Professor Merrick is good and he encouraged me. I just didn’t respond … He deserves a 4.

Ann:     Okay, then. Number 3 the same. Number 4, an up-to-date reading list. Well, I think that’s true. I’d give it a 4.

Geoff: I’m not so sure about that. Every time I went to the library I could only get old books if I could get anything at all. I say a 2 for that or even 1.

Ann:     You’re being unfair Geoff. You were unable to get the books because you left writing the essay until too late and other students had the books out. Let’s compromise and give it 3. What about book provision in the library being adequate? It’s number 5. I think I would give that a couple of points because a lot of books on the reading list only have one copy and, with over 100 people on the course, that’s not enough. But the reading list itself is good.

Geoff: Okay. But the time on each topic is fine.

Ann:     Yes. That’s a 4, I guess.

Geoff: For number 7, the feedback question, I think I’d give that a 4 too. He wrote some very helpful comments on my essays.

Ann:     I though I’d have liked the opportunity to talk through the ideas in the essay with Professor Merrick at more length. Just an hour or so. A 2, maybe?

Geoff: I think that would be hard. You said yourself that there are more than 100 students on the course. If he spent an hour with everyone, you work it out. That’s … two and a half weeks’ work.

Ann:     Well, a 3 then. Numbers 8 and 9 get 4s. Number 10, adequacy of classroom and facilities.

Geoff: Now that is a problem. The room’s not big enough for so many people and the chairs don’t have those things on the side so you can make notes - what are they called?

Ann:     Wings. And it is ever so hot in that room with all those people there.

Geoff: As Professor Merrick says, if we don’t complain about it, no-one will change the room. In fact, I think you should say exactly what the problems are in the Other Comments section. Leave out the hot bit - that’s just a result for 100 or so people. We should write down our comments though.

Ann:     Okay, I’ll put our two complaints on paper.

 

That is the end of Section 4. You will half a minute to check your answers. (pause for 30 seconds)

That is the end of the Listening Test.

You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Listening answer sheet. (pause for 10 minutes)

Please stop writing.