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.
You will hear a talk given by
a guide to a group of tourists going on a coach tour of the capital cities of
Europe. First you will have some time to look at questions 1 to 8(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.
The tour leader’s first name
is Jenny so the word Jenny has been written in the gap.
Now we will begin. You should
answer the questions as you listen you will not hear the recording a second
time.
Listen to the talk carefully
and answer questions 1 to 8.
(fade
in, person counting to themselves)
Forty-one,
forty-two, forty-three. That’s everyone.
(raised
voice speaking to a whole bus)
Okay,
If you just bear with me for a moment or two. Hello everyone. Thanks for
getting here on time. We’ll get underway directly and make the first leg of out
trip. But first let me introduce myself to you. I’m Jenny Allen and I’m
going to be your tour leader in this trip of European capitals. If you have any
problems or difficulties, or if you want to know more about something, then ask
me and I’ll do my very best to help you. And this is Ray, Ray Smith, who
is our driver for this tour. And welcome especially to Chardra and Indira.
They’re just finished their university exams and are celebrating with a tour
before going home to India.
Now,
Eurobus’s European Capitals Tour. Five capitals in six days. I gave you
our itinerary as you were coming aboard so let me take you through it. It
hasn’t changed from the time you booked, I promise, but various things we
couldn’t put in the brochure have been confirmed now and I can tell you about
them. This is day 1 and we’re going to drive from here, down the M1 to London
which will be the first of our capitals. We expect to arrive in London, at
about 1.00 in the afternoon. There will be a break for coffee on the way,
probably around 11 am, at Northampton. After lunch at 3.00, there’s a tour
of the the sites of London: Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament,
Trafalgar Square and so on. At 5.00 we’ll book you into your hotel for the
night. We have arranged some tea but we need to leave at 6.30 promptly
please, to get you into the show on time. As we hoped, we’re all going to see
Abba the Musical (muted cheers), so you can all sing along. We’ll be back at
the hotel by 11.00 and, if you want, you can have a drink or something else
to eat then.
Day
2. Breakfast is arranged for 7.00. We’ve booked a full breakfast and the bus
will leave at 8.30. We must be on time for this because we’ve got to book into
the Eurostar by 9.30 at the least and we can never be sure of the traffic, so
we need to give ourselves plenty of time. There’re a buffet bar on board Eurostar
all the way to Paris, so you can get coffee or snacks or anything during
the time it takes to go to Paris, which is our second capital. We should arrive
at ten to one. We’ll go straight to the hotel. By the way, it will be the King
George Hotel, not the Victor Hugo Hotel as originally listed. Don’t worry,
it is actually a much better hotel. The rest of the itinerary in Paris remains
the same. Lunch followed by a tour of the city - the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de
Triomphe, Notre Dame. You’re free for 3 hours after 5 to go wherever you
want and we’re booked at 8.30 for dinner at L’ Escargot. It has four Michelin
Stars and will be a meal, I promise you, you won’t forget.
Before the talk continues you
have some time to read question 9 and 10 (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen
carefully and answer questions 9 and 10.
Now I
appreciate this is a lot to take in, so I won’t go through rest of it in any
detail - although you can ask me later if you want. I’ll just point to some of
the minor changes so they don’t surprise you later. Day three we’ll drive to
Brussels. The trip round the chocolate factory is now confirmed. It will be the
Leonidas factory. I’m looking forward to that. There won’t be a bus tour of
Brussels because there are elections on day three and large parts of the
city will be blocked off, so we’ve arranged a walking tour instead. If any of
you feel that doesn’t appeal, then see me and my colleagues in head office will
try to arrange something else instead. Day tour is Luxembourg and there’s no
change there. Day five is Berlin. Day six is Amsterdam, not exactly a capital city
but the biggest Dutch town. We have been successful at getting you into the Van
Gogh art exhibition there. I know some of you will enjoy that. Then it is
back on the ferry and we hope to be in Wolverhampton by midnight.
That is the end of Section 1.
You will have half a minute to check you answers (pause for 30 seconds).
Now turn to Section 2.
You will hear two students,
Debbie and Andrew, talking about a university assignment. First you have some
time to look at questions 11 to 14 (pause for 30 seconds).
Now listen carefully to the
discussion and answer questions 11 to 14.
Debbie: Hi Andrew. I told Dr Ball that you were under
the weather and he gave me the details of the next assignment so you can get on
with it when you’re feeling better.
Andrew: Oh, thanks, Debbie. Another essay?
Debbie: Actually, it’s not an essay. We’ve got to give
a presentation to the rest of the group and prepare handouts for them.
Andrew: We? Is it group work?
Debbie: It’s you, me, Jessica and Mark. It’s a
business planning exercise. We’ll take a hypothetical new business and we’ll
prepare a business plan for it and then explain it to Dr Ball. We’ve got six
weeks to do it.
Andrew: So how do we approach the task?
Debbie: Dr Ball suggested we took the idea of running
a paramedical training company in the Middle East.
Andrew: Okay, so who’s doing what?
Debbie: Well, we had a chat and we thought you could
help Mark. There’s quite a bit of medical training in the Middle East, so we
can get quite accurate financial costing into this. Mark will do that.
He’s good at figures.
Andrew: That’s good. I can help. I had a job last
summer in an accountant’s office and I’ve got experience with figures.
Anyway, what are you and Jessica going to do?
Debbie: We can do some more research on the smaller
companies in the area who do medical training while you and Mark can
concentrate on the bigger firms. Both Jessica and I have good research skills.
You now have some time to read
questions 15 to 20 (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen to the rest of the
discussion and answer questions 15 to 20.
Andrew: Seems you’ve been busy planning the whole
project!
Debbie: Well, six weeks seems like a long time but
we’ve got some mid-term tests in a fortnight so I think we’d better get
on with this presentation as soon as possible.
Andrew: You’re right. What
about arranging when we can meet to check on each other’s progress.
Debbie: That’s going to be a bit tricky. Jessica won’t
be here from next Monday to Saturday as she’s got to have some minor surgery.
Andrew: Nothing to worry about, I hope.
Debbie: No, it’s just something routine. But Mark will
be away at the weekend and won’t be back until Tuesday or even Wednesday. His
brother’s getting married and he’s going to be best man.
Andrew: That means neither of them will have much time
to be working on our project in the next couple of weeks then.
Debbie: No, and as we’ll all have to be studying for
our mid-term tests as well, I think you and I will be bearing the brunt of
the work in the initial stages, Andrew.
Andrew: That’s fair enough Debbie but I hope they’ll
pull their weight later. I don’t want you and I to have to do all the work.
We’ve got to pass these tests too!
Debbie: You’re right but I don’t think Jessica and
Mark are the type of people to shirk their responsibilities. Anyway, when are
we going to have this meeting?
Andrew: What about next Wednesday?
Debbie: Well, Jessica will be fine by then but Mark
isn’t sure if he’ll be back not so what about the following day to be
certain?
Andrew: Agreed. But where? We all live in different
parts of the town so how about the Student Union bar?
Debbie: Don’t you think it would be rather noisy?
Andrew: Not if we meet in the morning. I haven’t got
any lectures until 2 o’clock.
Debbie: None of us has. No, wait, Mark has one at 11
but maybe he could miss that this time and copy up the notes. Let’s say we’ll
meet at the bar but a bit later, at noon.
Andrew: Good, that’s sorted out. Now, who’s actually
going to give the presentation? Jessica has such a quite voice and Mark’s
Scottish accent is difficult to understand.
Debbie: It’s not that strong! Sometimes I can’t work
out what you are saying, Andrew!
Andrew: OK, I admit my accent is not that clear. But
remember we have a couple of Japanese students in the group. It wouldn’t be
fair on them to have to listen to any of us.
Debbie: We can decide that later. We don’t have
to worry about that yet. I’ll have to rush. I’ve got a lecture in 10 minutes.
So, get well soon.
Andrew: Thanks, Debbie. We’ll be in touch. Bye.
That’s the end of Section 2.
You will have half a minute to check your answers (pause for 30 seconds).
Now turn to Section 3.
You will hear a conversation
between Mrs Davis and a lady she is interviewing called Gina. First you have
some time to look at questions 21 to 27. (pause for 30 seconds)
Now listen carefully to the
talk and answer questions 21 to 27.
Gina: Mrs Davis, Hello. Can I see you a moment?
Mrs Davis: Ah, Gina, hello.
Gina: Hello, Mrs Davis. It’s about the job as assistant in the
language department. I hope I’m not disturbing you.
Mrs Davis: No … er, no, no. Of course not. I was rather
thinking you were coming to see me with the others tomorrow. Didn’t I make an
appointment for you?
Gina: Yes, but I got a bit of a problem. I have to go to London
tomorrow to meet my father. He’s coming over here for a business meeting. I
wondered if we could rearrange it?
Mrs Davis: Yes, of course. Right … Now, I got your
application form, haven’t it? Yes, here we are, Gina Barraco. So, tomorrow’s
out. How about Thursday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock?
Gina: That would be fine.
Mrs Davis: That’s perfect. Actually, I’m glad you came in
because there were one or two things our Personnel Department wasn’t sure about
when they checked your application and I can ask you about them now. How
do you think you’d manage - I mean, your spoken English is pretty good - how do
you think you’d manage the administrative side of things in English? I need to
comment on the level of your English.
Gina: Well, actually. I’m not too worried about that kind of
thing. Before I came here I worked as a clerk in a bank for two summers.
I’m not qualified secretary or anything, but I’m fairly organised and I’m good
at getting things done. I’m not so sure exactly how good my English is, but
then I’ll be teaching in Italian, won’t I?
Mrs Davis: Yes … I think your English will be fine and
the department would always welcome a good administrator. Now, tell me about
your academic commitments next year. You’re applied for a place on Master’s
scheme, haven’t you? How would you fit that in with your work for us?
Gina: Well, it’s part-time over two years, so apart from the
reading, which I can do at the weekend and in the evenings, it’s about four
class hours a week. Anyway, I don’t know if I’ll be accepted on it, although I
feel quite excited. I had the interview last Monday with Dr Marplot, and it
went really well. He asked me exactly the questions I wanted.
Mrs Davis: That’s good. Now, the post we’re looking to
fill is to teach Italian media - in Italian, of course. That involves
reading and discussion classes mainly, although you’d be expected to help the
undergraduates with their language as well. You can speak to the other
assistants about how it works, exactly - there is one in each language
department. They’re mainly Europeans, although I think we’ve got one Russian,
too.
You have some time to read
questions 28 to 30 (pause for 20 seconds). Now listen to the rest of the
discussion and answer questions 28 to 30.
Gina: Can I ask you something?
Mrs Davis: Of course.
Gina: Well, I think one of the biggest problems for me is going
to be money. I get a tiny grant, as you know, and my parents are nor
rich, so I need to know how much I’d be paid.
Mrs Davis: Of course. Well, the pay is not great - it
works out at 150 pounds a week. But the good thing is, you wouldn’t have to pay
tax. Oh, and you’d be able to keep your college accommodation if you
wanted to. That would be cheaper than living out.
Gina: Yes, Oh, that sounds fine.
Mrs Davis: Well, as you know. I’ve got to see the other
two applicants tomorrow. Then it’ll take a week or so to discuss everything
with Dr Santini, the head of Italian … I expect we’ll know in a couple of
weeks. OK? We’ll let you know then.
Gina: Thank you very much, Mrs Davis.
Mrs Davis: Not at all, Gina. Thank you.
That is the end of Section 3.
You will have half a minute to check your answers (pause for 30 second).
Now turn to Section 4.
You will hear a talk by
College Principal. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
(pause for 45 seconds)
Now listen carefully to the
talk and answer questions 31 to 40.
Well,
perhaps I can start this evening by welcoming you all to the College this
evening. Some of you, of course, I know well already, but the parents are
mostly unfamiliar to me. We are very proud to have you here tonight to
present the awards for this year’s students, but also to celebrate our
centenary, I should like to say a few words to remind you why this College has
such a unique reputation in this country. Because it is well-known for what it
is, which is quite simply the best engineering institute in the United Kingdom.
This is not just my opinion, which might well be biased. It is based on
government figures which consistently show that year after year, we provide the
highest levels of education, engineering research and pastoral care in the
UK.
As
most of you know, this is the college’s centenary year, and it is important I
feel to reflect on the origins of the college. A hundred years ago, the
traditional industries of this area - weaving, cutlery making and
agriculture - were in sharp decline, and when they went, in came that
scourge of the past, unemployment and poverty. Our College was founded
in order to provide for the some of the poorest but brightest boys of
the town and surrounding area a way out of the poverty of the time. It was an
immediate success, thanks in no small part to the first generation of teaching
staff, including Frank Harris, a future president of the Aeronautic Society,
and Dr Bart Halliday, whose name is surely known to you all as a Nobel
Prize laureate and major contributor to the creation of the first atomic bomb.
By 1917 the college was turning out 300 highly skilled, highly qualified
graduate engineers a year. Former students at this time include
Frederick Cantor, who became a researcher at the atomic research station in
Minnesota in America, and the painter Lucian Dewdley, RA, who famously didn’t
complete his studies because of illness.
After
the end of hostilities in 1918, the college was formally attached to the
Northern University in Colton, and has remained a part of that institution ever
since. The achievements of the graduates and staff of the college in the years
since then are too numerous to list there, but I must mention the invention of
the Bell racing engine, which has been such a powerful force in
automotive engineering. These days, the focus of our research has changed to
keep pace with the changes in modern technology and while many of you will know
that we are particularly well known for our expertise in bridge building
technology, you may be surprised to hear that none of us have ever actually
built a bridge in our lives. These days, it is all done by computer models. So
when we worked on the changes of the Millennium Bridge over the Thames, which
wobbled so badly, the first we saw of the bridge was when we walked on it after
the completion of the changes. In the dozen or so years that I’ve been
Principal, that is probably one of my most fulfilling moments. To be able to
undertake this work through theoretical modeling rather than trial and error is
surely the goal of engineering research.
That is the end of Section 4.
You will have 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 10 minutes)
Please stop writing.