Audioscripts Listening Practice Test 24

SECTION 1

AGENT :               Hello, thank you for calling Iris Rentals. How can I help you?

CLIENT :               Yes, hello there. I’m ringing just to make enquiries about renting a new property and I came across a listing on your website that I’m interested in.

AGENT:                Oh yes.

CLIENT :               I’d like to find out a few more details, if I may.

AGENT :               Yes, of course. Can I take your name?

CLIENT :               It’s Mary Collins. (Example)

AGENT :               Okay, Mary. I’m just searching our system for the property details. Is there any information in particular that you were wanting?

CLIENT :               Does the house have a gym?

AGENT :               No, the house doesn’t have a gym, however the house has a large swimming pool (Q1), which will be great for exercise and really refreshing during summer.

CLIENT :               Oh wow, that sounds lovely. What is the general layout of the house?

AGENT :               This house is rather unusual as the living room is located upstairs with the bedrooms, and downstairs at ground floor is the dining room (Q2), which has a lovely view out over the swimming pool.

CLIENT :               Does the house come with a car parking space on the street?

AGENT :               Oh, there’s no need for that. The house comes with a big garage (Q3) where you can park your cars and there’s also a lot of room for storage. It’s attached to the house through a door in the kitchen.

CLIENT :               Oh, that’s perfect, it’ll make it far easier to cany my food shopping into the house.

AGENT :               Oh yes, absolutely. You actually don’t even need to take your car to do the shopping as the local supermarket (Q4) is just down the street. You can walk the distance easily.

CLIENT :               Really? How convenient! Is there anywhere near to the house where I can take my children to play?

AGENT :               Unfortunately there aren’t any playgrounds nearby, but there is a park (Q5) near the supermarket that would be great for taking your children for a walk. It would also be a great place for you to meet your neighbours.

CLIENT :               Yes, that’s true, I love taking long walks in the park. I’m sure there will be a playground at the local school anyway.

AGENT :               Yes, absolutely. The community has its own primary school (Q6) and there is a secondary school in the neighbouring community, so there are plenty of resources nearby for your children’s education.

CLIENT :               OK, great. What are the rental costs for the property?

AGENT :               The monthly rent is $980, which is very reasonable considering the size of the house and the amenities that it has to offer.

CLIENT :               Does that figure include maintenance fees and bills?

AGENT :               The bills are not included in that figure, but it does include any maintenance fees for the garden. (Q7)

CLIENT :               That sounds like a very reasonable price. We were hoping to move in on the 20 of April. Will the house be vacant for that date?

AGENT :               The current tenants of the property are due to leave on the 20 , but the cleaners will need a few days to make sure that the house is clean and tidy. This would make the house officially available on the 23rd April. (Q8)

CLIENT :               Well everything about the house sounds perfect… exactly what I’m looking for. What date would it be possible to view the property?

AGENT :               I have arranged for the tenant to leave the property on Friday so I can show the house to prospective renters. Would you be able to make that day?

CLIENT :               Yes, I’m sure I could come on my lunch break. Would 1 o’clock be OK?

AGENT:                I’m afraid that I have a meeting at 12.30, so I won’t be able to make that time. I have available appointments at 10.15 and 3.

CLIENT :               OK, in that case can we schedule the appointment for 10.15? (Q9)

AGENT :               No problem, I’ll book it into my schedule. If you wouldn’t mind arriving 5 minutes early that would be great, just so we can get started on time.

CLIENT:                Sure. What is the address?

AGENT:                The postcode is GA58ER and the house is number 8 on Spring Street (Q10). It’s the second right off of Bath Street.

CLIENT :               OK, that’s great.

AGENT :               Do you have any more questions?

CLIENT :               Nope.. .thank you for your help. AGENT : No problem. See you on Friday. Bye!

SECTION 2

Good morning everybody and welcome to the Australian Wild Zoo. I would like to start by introducing you to the new features that we have added to our zoo in the recent renovation. Being the only zoo in the area, we receive thousands of visitors a year. We found that this huge footfall was too demanding for the facilities that we were able to provide, and so we decided to expand ourselves in order to give every visitor a brilliant and exciting experience. We initially intended to build a new dog-walking area, however we felt that the zoo should cater only to exotic animals. During our previous renovation we expanded the exhibition centre and so we felt that this time the zoo would benefit most from introducing a new batch of animals (Q11), so visitors can now see a whole range of new additions at the Australian Wild Zoo, including lions and bears.

With this huge improvement to our facilities, we also found it necessary to change our regulations, which we put into action in June. We now allow visitors access to the zoo during weekdays and, as some of our newly added animals are nocturnal, guests may also now visit the animals late at night (Q12). Unfortunately some visitors had started feeding the animals during these late night viewing times, which disrupted their feeding pattern and as a result we had to ban food in the viewing areas.

One of our most exciting additions to the zoo is our native kangaroo, who we have named Frisbee. For a fee of just $5, visitors can have their photo taken with him and have it printed onto a selection of items such as key rings and mugs. At first, visitors were also allowed to feed Frisbee items that we provided, such as carrots and leaves, however some guests started feeding him hamburgers and chips so we were forced to forbid visitors from feeding him (Q13). As kangaroos are such calm animals, Frisbee isn’t disturbed by the noises and shouting of visitors at the zoo, which has helped him to settle in at his new home very quickly.

The pye-dog zone has been permanently closed throughout the winter period to allow the dogs to hibernate as they would in their natural habitat. We were very excited to be reopening the zone, however unfortunately we have been forced to close it temporarily as the result of a broken fence (Q14), which will take about one week to fix. We were intending to renovate the zone with the other constructions that we were undertaking, but unfortunately we did not have sufficient funds. We understand that this temporary closure may disappoint our visitors, and so we have decided to offer a discounted price on our tickets for the next week. If you ask at the reception desk, they will happily direct you to the photo shop where you can purchase the ticket (Q15). The ticket will also entitle you to a 10% discount off any item in our gift shop where we sell a range of items including postcards and fluffy toys.

Now we’re currently standing at the gate, which is marked with the arrow on the map. Now if any of you need to visit the toilets before we get started, they’re right here to our left. Out to the east, just across the grass, there is the bird hide (Q16) where we have over one hundred species of birds for you to watch. We even have an interactive zone where you can feed them with seed and take photographs with our parrots! What a great souvenir to remember your trip! And up the path to the north, if you look in front of you now, there is the pye-dog zone (Q17). Although it is closed, if any of the dogs are playing outside, you will be able to see them through the fence. And then let’s pass by the refuge. This area is a sheltered part for Brolga watchers who can use it to spy through binoculars.

And after that, I suggest that you all visit the rest area for some cold drinks and snacks as it is very hot outside. It is just at the northwest corner of the zoo (Q18). After that you could cut across the path to the large rectangular hut where you will be able to see our new addition of fierce lions. The mother has just had cubs, so it is really quite a rare thing to see! And around to the west, for those of you who want to visit Frisbee, our native kangaroo, he is in the circular shaped hut just up the path to the left (Q19). Don’t forget to have your photo taken with him! Now, as I mentioned before, you can purchase your discounted tickets at the photo shop and this is also where you will come to collect any photos you have had taken at the zoo during your visit. The photo shop is located at the southwest corner of the zoo. (Q20)

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your visit.

SECTION 3

JONES:                 Hello, Mr Thompson. May I speak to you for a minute?

MR THOMPSON: Of course. Please come in.

JONES:                 I’m Alexandra Jones. I’m studying Sustainability here at the university and I heard about the summer course that you offer every year. I was considering joining the course and wanted to ask you some questions about it.

MR THOMPSON: Yes, of course, please fire away.

JONES:                 Has the course been effective in improving the environment?

MR THOMPSON: Yes, absolutely. We have seen great results. Last year we planted a small field of trees and we have been measuring their oxygen outputs to see the benefits that they have provided to the environment. Since we were regulated by law last month, we are now able to hugely enhance our efforts (Q21). Our current goal is to introduce a lot more tree species to the plot so that we can establish a complex habitat and compare the benefits of each species. In order to do this we need to get a lot more students involved in the project, so I am very pleased to hear about your interest.

JONES:                 Well, the project sounds fascinating. I would definitely like to be involved,

MR THOMPSON: Absolutely. Over the years we have received funding from private investors and from selling shares, but the biggest improvement in our research came from a government fund that we received in the first year (Q22). This has greatly improved the organisation and we have since won prizes for our research.

JONES:                 Wow, how impressive!

MR THOMPSON: Yes, it is of the utmost importance to our organisation that we find a way to repair the terrible damage that has been done to the environment by the human species. This is no small undertaking and our resources still need management, but from reports taken of our studies we have found that teachers and students have greatly benefitted from field trips to the tree plantation. (Q23)

JONES:                 Yes, I visited the plantation myself on a field trip two years ago and I found myself greatly impressed by it.

MR THOMPSON: We have received a lot of feedback from visiting groups telling us how impressed teachers, researchers and students alike have been during their visits. Due to the educational facilities that we have carefully structured, I know that the visits are useful and engaging for students and that their experience is particularly special. (Q24)

JONES:                 So what is the particular focus of the organisation and the reports that it provides?

MR THOMPSON: I am personally very interested in soil erosion, so I knew that I definitely wanted to focus some of the report on this area (Q25). Before I set up the organisation, I looked up information on what areas were currently being researched and I found that there were already studies into air pollution and water pollution. I obviously wanted to find a unique area to research and so these were no good. I was tempted to look into the background of overgrazing, but the impacts of forest exploitation are far more devastating and very little research has been carried out on this subject, so I decided that this should also form some focus for the report. (Q26)

JONES:                 Yes, that makes sense. What have you found to be the greatest benefits of the activities carried out by the organisation?

MR THOMPSON: I have found that the greatest benefits are not the ones that anyone can learn from a book, like how to collect data, but more importantly are life lessons that one can gain only from experience. Students who have partaken in the summer course have massively enhanced their confidence (Q27), which will prove invaluable for the rest of their lifetime. The people who partake in the summer course already know the importance of environmental protection, so it is not important that we spend time teaching them this. Students instead benefit from learning the importance of punctuality, as each day they have to wake up early to make sure that they are not late for their practical experience sessions. (Q28)

JONES:                 If I decide to attend the summer course, what will I be doing for the rest of the time when no activities are going on?

MR THOMPSON: Well, we unfortunately don’t yet have a library on site, so you would be unable to read reference books although you are obviously welcome to bring some books of your own with you. We offer a range of fun hobbies, such as games and painting, for students to participate in outside of their classes so you could participate in one of these activities (Q29). We do not offer tutorials outside of the scheduled classes, however you are free to interview teachers (Q30) and ask them any questions you may have about the research.

JONES:                 Well, the course sounds fantastic. I would definitely like to participate during the summer. Thank you so much for your help.

MR THOMPSON: No problem at all, here is a form with all of the details. I look forward to seeing you there.

SECTION 4

Good morning. In the last few lectures I’ve been talking about the history of technology in the modern world. But today I want to use Roberts as our case study, which is a company that develops complex camera technology for a range of industries and disciplines. Since the camera was invented in 1816, it has changed and improved dramatically with cameras now in existence that can fit on the head of a pin. The company has been founded on a series of principals by which the company operates in its day-to-day business, the most important of these being to enhance the present (Q31) development of camera technology.

Roberts has a philosophy pioneering and innovation, having been responsible for the invention of numerous technologies since it was founded by Dwayne Roberts in 1957. It has achieved many of its aims over the years, but its principal and founding aim persists through time, which is to explore new facts (Q32) and imagine the unimaginable.

The cameras produced by Roberts have a multitude of potential applications that are currently being explored. One of these is an anti-gravity camera that they aim to attach to a space satellite from where it will record live, high-definition video and provide fascinating new views of planet earth. It could also prove useful in exploring other planets (Q33) by providing researchers with never before seen images of the universe. Roberts are also experimenting with attaching the cameras to small drones that will fly through the rainforest in search of plants that could be used to develop future medicine (Q34). The camera also has the potential to be used on the roads. As it is 20% cheaper than the speed cameras that are currently in operation, this means that more of them could be distributed across the road network where they can control traffic (Q35) by making sure that all cars abide by the speed regulations.

Despite this diverse range of potential applications, the cameras are presently used for very different, more domestic purposes. Roberts’ cameras are presently used as nanny-cams, which allow parents to watch their nannies to ensure that they are responsibly attending to the children that they have been employed to care for. These cameras give parents peace of mind and more control over their child’s welfare whilst they are at work or otherwise occupied. The highest sales of the company are in toys (Q36) that have the cameras hidden within them. This clever idea means that the cameras are camouflaged from view and do not look out of place in the child’s nursery. The toys are also very robust, so children can play with them without damaging them in the process. The toys are designed to look like animals (Q37) and come in a range of shapes, sizes and colours as well as different animal species such as monkeys and bears. These toys are incredibly popular and can be bought in any toy store for only $20. Always eager to be constantly improving their products, Roberts are now working on a product that will change the way people see photography. This new contraption is a mini camera (Q38) that is built into eyewear such as glasses and sunglasses where it can capture the world as you see it. Holiday makers and tourists no longer have to carry a big, heavy camera around with them on their travels! They can instead purchase a set of eyewear with the built-in camera, which will capture the moment with a simple tap.

Roberts are also developing a model of this tiny camera for use during medical procedures and operations. The camera will be used during noninvasive keyhole surgeries to enable the surgeon to see what they are doing inside the body without having to make a large incision. This innovative application for the camera could make surgeries a lot faster and the saved time and energy will also make it far more efficient (Q39). As the patient will no longer have to undergo a large incision for their surgery, it also means that their recovery will be much faster with a greatly reduced chance of post-op infection.

If any of you have an interest in working in this field of technological invention, Roberts is a very diverse and fast-growing company that would be a fantastic internship opportunity. Every year they organise a series of competitions (Q40) where entrants stand the chance of winning a place in their internship programme, so I would suggest that all of you enter.

That wraps up the lecture for today. Please remember that attendance is mandatory… [fade out]

Listening Practice Test 24