Audioscripts Listening Practice Test 15

SECTION 1

Receptionist:      Good morning. Sunset Hotel. How may I help you?

Customer:           Good morning. I just saw an advert in the paper about your hotel. Where exactly is it located?

Receptionist:      We are situated on Sunset Avenue, north of the beach (Example). Close to many scenic spots, it is an ideal choice for travellers interested in sightseeing.

Customer:           That’s great. Is there a vacant four-bed room? We’ll be travelling with our two sons aged 9 and 11, so it’s best that we are able to stay in one room.

Receptionist:      Let me check, just a moment…Um. we only have a few four-bed rooms, and I’m afraid they are fully booked at the moment. The earliest time available is August (Q1), but there might be some left in July if a previous customer cancels the reservation.

Customer:           Oh, that’ll do. How much would the room cost me?

Receptionist:      It’s 77.50 euros during peak time (Q2), but the price would be much lower during off-peak season. Only 50 euros.

Customer:           So if I book a room right now, is there any discount?

Receptionist:      Yes. We do offer a 30% discount for any reservation made one month ahead of schedule (Q3). It is a very reasonable price.

Customer:           That does sound tempting. Does the price include anything?

Receptionist:      The price includes two breakfast vouchers per room per day (Q4). You can use them at two different restaurants in our hotel. There’s also a 20-minute spa trial available, but you have to book it beforehand at the concierge or directly at the Spa Centre.

Customer:           Um, I’m wondering if there is a hairdryer in the room. It takes ages to dry my hair without one. Do I have to bring one?

Receptionist:      No, there is absolutely no need to bring that for each room is equipped with a hairdryer. But I have to inform you that towels are not provided (Q5). You’ll have to bring your own or hire some at the front desk.

Customer:           Oh, I see.

Customer:           Before making a reservation, can you tell me a little bit more about your hotel?

Receptionist:      Sure, no problem. We aim to please our guests by providing impeccable service and all the modem amenities, trying to make them feel at home. In the lounge, there are a list of books, ranging from contemporary literature to classic poetry, free for any guest to read (Q6). There is also a games room offering a number of indoor games (Q7) including popular board games like Monopoly as well as the beloved Table Soccer. A nice place to go to on rainy days.

Customer:           Are there computers available in the hotel? I might have a few emails to respond to during my stay there.

Receptionist:      I’m afraid we currently co not provide any for our customers. However, Internet is available within our hotel premises (Q8). Just use the room number and guest name to log in.

Customer:           That means I have to bring my own laptop then. All right. Um, because I’m travelling with my two sons, is there anything that they might be interested in?

Receptionist:      Yes, a popular activity here for children is collecting shells on the beach. Our hotel has a private beach (Q9). When there are very few visitors, you can take a stroll down the beach with your children and enjoy some quality family time undisturbed.

Customer:           That sounds nice, but you see my boys really love adventure. Is there something more exciting for them to participate in?

Receptionist:      We do have bicycles (Q10) ready for hire. You can cycle with the boys along the bush track by the hotel, which is an ideal place to explore the wonders of nature. But, because there’s only a limited number of bicycles, we apply a “first come first serve” rule.

Customer:           Got it. I think my boys would love it. How can arrange the payment, then? Can I pay by credit card?

Receptionist:      Of course. We take credit cards.

Customer:           Thank you. You’ve been a great help.

Receptionist:      My pleasure, ma’am.

SECTION 2

On behalf of Northfiels Sports Complex, I’d like to extend our warmest welcome to all here this evening. I’m George Dyson, founder of Northfiels Sports Complex. I’m giving this speech today to celebrate a special occasion. We started the business exactly a decade ago (Q11), and today, we have developed into a large firm with a sizable group of members. We’ve also been nominated the “Most Valuable Company” by Green Town at the yearly Business Awards which will be held next week. As experienced and qualified reporters, you are invited here to experience and witness this historical moment of Northfield Sports Complex together with us. (Q12)

Situated within the campus of Green Town University, Northfield Sports Complex is a modem, refreshing and fully-equipped facility for sports of all kinds. As part of its commitment to the local community, Northfield Sports Complex is available not only to school children but also to local residents. It offers a wide range of facilities including a 25-metre swimming pool, paved walking and jogging paths, a well-quipped fitness gym, all-weather pitches, indoor courts for table tennis, tennis and other sports, as well as a renowned skating rink. Different age groups can all find the right sports to participate in. That’s why local residents enjoy working out here. As a result, natives here are healthier than most of the people within our nation.

The whole town is very proud of having nurtured two world champions, who were once both trained right here in our skating rink. Thus it has become the ideal venue to learn to skate and have fun. But what I take pride in most of all is the skating rink that has stirred the interest of boys and girls here in local schools to skate (Q13). Since opening, an increasing number of pupils have been paying regular visits to the skating rink.

A new yoga classroom with trainers will be open next month for mothers with babies. They can bring their own yoga mat and work out together with their babies. This will be a great way for them to get healthy and meet other moms. There will also be a brand new gym open to the pensioners in the near future. Just this month a new swimming pool is open to all fitness levels with special offers for those without a job. (Q14)

Our complex is open daily from 8 am to 9 pm except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. We intend to extend our business in the coming year. A list of equipment will be put up for sale ranging from exercising equipment like cardio machines to sports recovery and injury prevention facilities. (Q15)

Within our complex, we try our best to avoid injuries of any kind. We train knowledgeable staff to guide our clients through correct workout regimens.

For those who want to further ensure workout safety, they are welcome to apply to be a member of our standing committee (Q16). They are responsible for revising the safety guidelines and supervising its enforcement.

Now I would like to introduce some of our most popular sports facilities here at Northfield Sport Complex. Our 25-metre swimming pool is the centre piece of the complex. Combining modem, bright and airy surroundings with fully up-todate changing facilities, the pool is excellent for learning how to swim, improving techniques and, of course, competing in school competitions. It is also bookable for private functions, including pool parties, where lifeguards are available. (Q17)

Next, we have the only climbing wall throughout the whole town. Many would see rock climbing as a type of extreme sport, exposing great risk to those who participate. But actually, under proper guidance and with close supervision by the coach here, it is a perfect sport for the youth to increase their flexibility and strengthen their muscles. (Q18)

I have to mention our skating rink once again. As our most popular facility, it has been prominently featured in a TV commercial we’ve released recently. There is no other skating rink larger than ours within the whole nation. (Q19)

Also, our state-of-the-art gym is an inspiring place to train and keep fit in relaxed and friendly surroundings. The Technogym equipment enables our clients to measure their performance. If you book a one-on-one trainer, he or she might suggest a future training plan and help you train more systematically. (Q20) 

SECTION 3

Syria:     Hi, Greg. How did it go w:th the research on renewable energy? Have you found anything?

Greg:     Yes. But I think it’s about time we exchange our findings and discuss our next move.

Syria:     You read my mind. Right. I’ll start first. Germany is the very first country I dug into in order to find innovative means of creating clean energy because 15% of its national electricity supply conies from renewable sources. I found that apart from the traditional fossil fuel industry, there’s a German firm that has initiated a project using kites to generate power.

Greg:     Really, I’ve never heard of it before. How does it work?

Syria:     As a substitution for traditional fossil fuels that release toxic gas into the atmosphere, the power-generating kites can function in any weather (Q21). Compared to conventional wind turbines, such kites can produce twice as much energy because the overall power density is proportional to altitude.

Greg:     Sounds like an efficient way of producing power. Okay, now let me tell you what I have found. There is an American company manufacturing school buses and city buses depending solely on electricity instead of gasoline (Q22). The all-electric vehicles can save up to 20 gallons of fuel on a daily basis. This could reduce transport budgets by over $10,000 each year, not to mention maintenance savings.

Syria:     Wow, impressive. If only there were more of these electric vehicles around.

Greg:     Well, over the years, South Africa has attached great importance to clean energy. The nation encourages using propane gas, which can either be extracted from natural deposits or be produced organically. It is normally stored in gas canisters as a type of cooking gas. To reduce the number of kitchen accidents, a new type of composite gas canister made of fiber was introduced. It is much safer and less likely to explode even when engulfed in fire. (Q23)

Greg:     Now, about the survey, do you have any clues as to what kind of interviewees we should include?

Syria:     How about local companies doing business on clean energy products?

Greg:     Probably not the best choice of respondents. Remember the last time we asked corporate employees tc do the questionnaire, only about 5% of them were actually willing to participate.

Syria:     That wouldn’t be enough then. It seems we have to drop that idea. Then maybe we can ask the professors and administrative staff here to help us. They could provide their insights and understanding on energy production.

Greg:     It would be ideal if they would, but I’m afraid most of them are too busy to respond to the list of questions we’ve prepared. I guess the students here at the university would be more suitable. (Q24)

Syria:     You’re right. And it is a much bigger sample pool too. Also, I think we should include the locals. Their opinion is key to the promotion of renewable energy here in the town. (Q25)

Greg:     But wouldn’t it be difficult to collect data? There’s no way the two of us could go from door to door to interview all the residents.

Syria:     There’s no need to worry about that. We’ll make it telephone interviews. That way we’ll have enough time to get sufficient data.

Greg:     Good idea. What should we present in our speech?

Syria:     Due to lack of media coverage, the majority of people actually have a limited understanding on renewable energy (Q26). Most of them aren’t able to identify various types of renewable sources. So I feel we could start by clarifying what it is and the benefit of it compared to fossil fuels.

Greg:     That makes sense. We could start with wind energy. For centuries, wind has been used to do work. With the help of windmills, farmers used to pump water from wells or turn large grinding stones to grind wheat or corn. The windmills today generate electricity. The only problem is that it might not be windy all the time, so it is crucial to choose the appropriate site for wind farms. (Q27)

Syria:     Well, I think we can also include comparisons between clean energy and traditional energy resources like coal, oil and natural gas.

Greg:     Maybe we can look into the prospect of these conventional sources of energy (Q28). The rising cost of fossil fuels and the threat of climate change is a concern to many

Syria:     Totally. These traditional resources will deplete eventually. Renewable energy currently makes up less than 2% of the world’s primary energy supply, and although growing very rapidly, it is not on course to fill the fossil fuel gap.

Greg:     Nuclear energy is another type of energy we ought to mention. Nuclear power plants can produce dependable power constantly and release far less greenhouse gases than other traditional power plants. But most people feel that this type of energy is unsafe because radiation isn’t easily dealt with, especially in nuclear waste and maintenance materials. (Q29)

Syria:     What should we end the speech with?

Greg:     Have you heard about a new type of energy called hydrogen fuel? It is an infinitely renewable fuel that doesn’t have detrimental environmental effects. The only problem is that it is so expensive that only wealthy individuals can afford it. But I think overall the benefits overshadow its high cost.

Syria:     I think that even though this new type of renewable energy is too expensive to use at the moment, in the long run, its price will go down and become more accessible. (Q30)

SECTION 4

So what I’m going to talk about to you today is something called “aquaculture”. It has been responsible for the impressive growth in the supply of fish for human consumption. There’s also been a slight improvement in the state of certain fish stocks due to improved fishery management. Aquatic food production has transitioned from being primarily based on the capturing of wild fish to the culture of increasing numbers of farmed species. In recent years, a type of genetically modified salmon has been farmed in the New England region, produced by a Massachusetts based bio-tech firm. This type of fish is engineered to grow twice as fast as its conventional farm-raised counterpart.

As a result, this increases the speed of the local aquaculture industry development, and thus reduces the fishing pressure on wild stock. But local residents have expressed their concerns on the potential negative effects on the ecosystem. Should those GM fish ever escape into the sea (Q31), stronger, healthier and faster growing. These fish might cannibalize others or outcompete wild-type fish for food. Local decision makers and regulators have thus pushed forward a number of measures making it impossible for most GM fish to mate. A small percentage is able to breed only within confined pools.

Despite the economic boom of genetically engineered fish, culturing traditional types of fish is still mainstream among fish farmers. Most of them prefer fish with special features, such as tuna (Q32). It is a source of high quality protein with almost no fat. It also contains all essential amino acids required by the body for growth and maintenance of lean muscle tissue. With high nutritional value, this kind of fish will always be popular in the fish market.

For the fish farming industry, incidents of fish escaping the farms has been a troubling issue over the years. Due to bad weather, nets that used to hold the fish were often destroyed. Thousands of salmon worth nearly 220 thousand euros escaped from a fish farm in the Norwegian region in July, raising fear that they would breed with wild fish stocks. Cages were thus built to withstand storms (Q33). The frames of the cages are made of PE which is dedicated to marine use. This material has trustable strength, resilience and tenacity. To further strengthen it, strong nets without knots are used to support the cylindrical frame. (Q34)

A group of small villages on the island of Zanzibar off the coast of East Africa have been trying to develop a local aquaculture industry sustainably. They use a land-based production system that is both economically and ecologically sound. Land-based recirculation can control ocean temperature and optimize growth for the fish that are used to warmer water. All organic waste from the fish is held on land with incoming water sterilized to avoid disease, which has historically plagued ocean based farms. The lack of disease means that no drugs are administered to the fish.

However, one problem facing the villagers is lack of suitable land on the coast (Q35) for this system. Hotels & beaches open to tourists take up most of the coastal area. Another problem facing local fishermen is the scarcity of young fish (Q36) used to breed the species. This predicament stems from overfishing during the previous decades. The local commercial fishing industry has been reduced by 50% for this reason and the aquaculture industry has yet to thrive.

The government has taken a set of initiatives to safeguard native aquaculture and the fishing industry. An open-air seafood market has been launched. Residents are encouraged to support local fish farming businesses (Q37) by purchasing marine products. As it turns out, there is a public demand for access to locally produced, sustainable sources of fresh seafood. Moreover, local fish farmers are aided to market seaweed and oysters, both of which have additional economic values. Seaweed is used in various ways in cosmetics (Q38). Seaweed extract is often found on the list of ingredients, constituting creams, soaps, shampoos, powders and sprays. It is said to be useful in various ways, including the relief of rheumatic pain and the removal of cellulite. Oyster is a source of seafood popular among the local hospitality industry (Q39). Served with caviar and champagne, it is one of the world’s ultimate luxury foods, appealing to gourmets with its succulent and delicate flavor. It thus appears to have the greatest potential for commercial culture.

Even though the national and international market has shown demand for marine products in Zanzibar, it is still challenging to survive in the competitive modern fishing industry. The government ought to restore the business by encouraging aquaculture, recreation and shipping (Q40). First, it could utilize modern fish farming technology to supply more high-quality marine products. Tourism is an effective stimulus to boost its sales and with better shipping capability, more products can be delivered abroad.

Listening Practice Test 15