Section 1 You will hear a woman calling a letting agency

about renting accommodation. First, you have some time to look at questions
1-7.
Section 2 You will see that there is an example that
has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this
will be
played first.
Hello, Stanford properties, Jack speaking.
Good morning. My name is Louise. I want to rent a furnished place to live for six
months
or a year in Stanford. Do you deal with rentals?
The staff member's name is Jack. So Jack has been written in the space. Now we
shall
begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the
recording
a second time. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1-7.
Hello, Stanford properties, Jack speaking.
Good morning. My name is Louise. I want to rent a furnished place to live for six
months
or a year in Stanford. Do you deal with rentals?
We certainly do.
If you can tell me about three or four suitable places over the phone, we'll drive
over to
Stanford and have a look at them.
Fine. What sort of property are you interested in?
There is a house, preferably a house, though a flat would be okay. And we need two
bedrooms.
We've got a daughter.
Right. Let me see. We have a very nice modern house to let with living room,
kitchen and
two bedrooms. There's also a large garage with a freezer in it. There's a door from
the garage into the house, so you wouldn't need to go outside.
We all have bikes. Would there be room for them in the garage?
Yes, plenty.
And what's the rent?
It's slightly higher than the average for this type of house, which is about
£1,100.
This one is £1,200 a month.
Okay. And what's the address, please?
It's in Della War Road, which is spelled D-E-L-A-W-A-R. It's a cul-de-sac, so
there's
very little traffic.
What part of the town is it in?
It's on the edge, not far from Stanford College. In fact, you can walk there in
five or six
minutes.
Oh, that might be useful for my daughter. She hasn't finished her studies.
Right. Now, another option is a flat. You said house or flat, didn't you?
That's right.
Well, this one is in the basement of a converted house. It's on a hill, so the
front is below
street level, but the back is at ground level.
And what's at the back?
There's a garden that's shared with the people living in the rest of the house.
There
are three flats in all, each on one floor. This flat doesn't have a garage, but
there's
unrestricted parking in the street.
Uh-huh. And the rent?
That's £900. It's in Hartford Street, which is in the oldest part of the town. It's
a
residential area, not far from the centre.
Is the flat itself old?
Yes, it dates back to the mid-19th century, so it's got plenty of character.
I see.
Now, another house I can offer you is very different. It was designed a few years
ago
by an architect for himself and his family, and it's really striking. It's well
worth
a visit.
Does it have a garage?
Yes, and on the first floor there's a balcony overlooking the back garden, which is
quite
large.
Is the house large, too?
Yes, and there are three bedrooms, so your daughter would be able to turn one into
a
study if she wanted to.
Actually, that might suit my husband. He's a writer. I suppose the house is very
expensive.
Well, it's $1350 a month, but it's certainly worth the money. It's in Marsh Lane
and is
just a couple of minutes' walk from a small area of woodland that's open to the
public.
Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at
questions 8
to 10.
Now listen and answer questions 8 to 10.
OK, well, they all sound like possibilities. We'll come over and see them.
What next Wednesday, Suju?
June the 14th. I'm afraid I'll be on leave that day. I could get one of my
colleagues
to show you round, or we could make it another day.
How about the 15th instead?
Yes, I'll be free then. Shall we say 10 o'clock?
That might be too early, as we'll have a couple of hours' drive. 10.30 would be
better.
That's fine.
And what's your address?
61 Oxford Road. If you're using a sat-nav, our postcode is SM17 for AU. You should
be
able to park just outside. Then we'll go in my car to view the properties.
Lovely. Thank you for all your help, and I'll look forward to seeing you next week.
You're welcome. Goodbye.
That is the end of section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
Section 2. You will hear a man called Mike Shenton, who is a manager at a large
furniture
company, talking to a group of new employees. First, you have some time to look at
questions
11 to 14.
Hi, everyone. My name is Mike Shenton, and I'm Human Resources
Manager here at Clifton Furniture. I think you can all congratulate yourselves on
getting
through the selection process, and I hope today marks the start of a long and happy
association
with Clifton Furniture. So let me start by telling you about how Clifton Furniture
began.
Well, about 70 years ago, our founder, Joe Clifton, was a young man of 17. His
father
was a gardener who worked in a bigger state, and when he cut down trees, he'd
sometimes
bring the wood back home thinking he could use it. But in fact, it was young Joe
who
used it to teach himself carpentry skills. And soon Joe decided that his furniture
was
good enough to put on the market. Now Joe had no training in either manufacturing
or
sales, but he was passionate about making furniture and things just took off. So
during
this last year, we recruited around 50 new staff, including all of you here today.
And
this is an indication of the rapid growth in activity we've experienced recently.
Most
of our new recruits will be here in the factory, but some will be working in our
outlets around
the country, including our recently opened outlet up in the north. I believe our
success
is largely due to the nature of the company's culture. Like most successful
businesses,
we expect our staff to perform to the very best of their ability. But what's unique
with Clifton Furniture is the appreciation we have of the strengths of every member
of
the team. Even if you're a new young recruit, we'll be aware of what you can bring
to the
company and help you develop your skills. For the next three months, we'll be
monitoring
you carefully. This week you'll receive training in company policies and procedures
related
to your particular job. And you'll also be assigned to an experienced member of
staff
doing a similar job who will be able to answer your questions. After that time
period's
over, you'll receive an evaluation from your team leader who will give you feedback
on
your progress. You'll be given a lot of information today, but much of it's also in
the employee
handbook. This is something we've produced as a reference for new staff. We
intended
as something you can take home and study on your own. Let us know what you think of
it.
This is the first draft, so let us know if you think anything's missing. Once we're
happy with it, it'll be available on the company intranet.
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 15 to
20.
Now, listen and answer questions 15 to 20. Now, you'll be spending the rest of the
day
on your orientation program. So first, you'll meet Philip May, who'll be telling
you about
how your work can be scheduled to allow you to have the best possible work-life
balance.
You'll find you're offered a great deal of flexibility if you need time off to deal
with
unexpected problems at home, for example. Sally Graves will be describing our new
Cycle
to Work initiative, as well as arrangements for secure parking for bikes and other
possibilities,
such as car shares, which can not only help the environment, but also save you a
lot of
money. After lunch, you'll meet Ahmed Al-Jefri, who's an important man because he's
the one
who makes sure you get your pay slip. He'll be explaining the company pension
scheme and
other benefits. You'll find he's very approachable, so don't hesitate to contact
him if you have
any problems. Then, Caroline Brewer will be showing you a video to help you avoid
accidents
and injuries. This doesn't just apply to those of you working on the factory floor.
It's a general introduction and is relevant for office staff as well. After that,
Amina
Ray will be helping you log on to the system and making sure you're aware of the
security
issues when using it. So even if you think this is an area you're up to speed with,
please
do make sure you listen carefully, as any mistakes here could have serious
consequences.
And finally, Terry Blaygrove will be talking about what procedures to follow if you
feel
you have any sort of work-related grievance. His office door is always open, so do
call
in if you think you have a problem. And now I'll hand you over.
Now, turn to section 3.
You will hear a business student called Alex talking to Jill who is from the
University
Careers Service. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 23.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 23.
Oh hello, you must be Alex. I'm Jill. How can I help?
Hello. I'm in my second year of a business degree. I want to do a work placement
during
the summer vacation and I could do with some advice. Well, that's what the Careers
Service is for. Give me a bit of background, Alex. What's your long-term career
plan?
I've got an idea for a financial services company to support small firms. I want to
set it up as soon as I graduate. I'd like to keep it small and independent. I don't
aim to turn it into a massive multinational company or anything like that. But
before
I came to uni, I worked for a while in various companies. So what with that and the
degree,
I feel I'm getting the range of knowledge and experience I need.
How are you finding the course? I'm getting a lot out of it. Obviously finance is
something
I'm interested in. Though I'm surprised how many ideas I'm getting from the
marketing
module. It's made me realise how important that is for any firm to survive. The
Human
Resources module we're doing at the moment is a bit disappointing though. I think
that's
because of the lecturer rather than the subject itself.
And my final question for the moment, what do you hope to gain from doing a work
placement?
In a way, what I want most is to find out the problems that businesses have to deal
with,
like competition from other companies or the country's economic situation. I've
already
learned a lot about how businesses are run both from the jobs I've had in the past
and
from studying. Yes, it's the bigger picture that I'm interested in.
Okay. Well, let's have a look at the job placements we've got in our database at
the
moment. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at
questions 24
to 30.
Right. Here are some organisations that might be suitable for you. Let's make a
short list
first, then look at them in more detail. Fine.
This chain of clothing stores offers a number of work placements for periods from
two weeks
to a year. It would be a good firm to work for as it's well known for the way it
treats
employees. There's a very cooperative business culture, so there are always a lot
of people
who contact the place looking for jobs there. Good. Let's put that on the short
list.
This one's a furniture chain, Cathcartes. There's a branch in the town I come from
that
they sponsor sports clubs for children and teenagers in the area. They're highly
respected.
Yes, they've got a good reputation. What about this electronics manufacturer? Oh, I
love
their advertising campaigns. A lot of people do. They're very good at promoting
their brand
very well and their website is very attractively designed. Yes, let's put them on
the short
list too. You probably don't know this company, Stuart McCloud. They manufacture
machine tools
which are way ahead of all their competitors. They've got an excellent research and
development
department. That sounds interesting. Next, there's P.K. Spencer, the book retailer.
Their
shop assistants are trained to be really helpful to anyone wanting help in finding
books. And
if there's a problem, they make a point of dealing with it immediately. Oh, I
didn't
know that. Though come to think of it, I've always found that when I've bought
books
from them. Do you know Alders, the leisure travel chain? I've seen adverts, but
I've
never had any dealings with them. It's one of the most successful travel companies
in
the country. Alders was probably the first to realise that more and more people
would
book travel and hotels online and they revised their business model accordingly.
Today, they
still respond very quickly to new developments in their sector. That sounds good.
The last
one is a chain of coffee shops. I'm sure you're familiar with it. Yes, I go there
quite often.
In fact, I was chatting to one of the staff only last week and he was saying how
much
he enjoys working for the company. He said the pay and holidays are second to none
and
one big advantage is the chance to get on their management training scheme. They'd
better
be on the shortlist too. Okay. Gosh, all of those seem like good companies to work
for.
We haven't managed to make a shortlist. Well, let's look at them all in more
detail. Let's
see if we can... That is the end of section three. You now have half a minute to
check
your answers.
Now turn to section four. Section four. You will hear a zoology lecturer talking
about
recent research on an animal called the naked mole rat. First, you have some time
to look
at questions 31 to 40.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
In this series of lectures, we're going to look at the different ways in which
living organisms
are adapted to their environments. I'd like to start by describing an animal you
may not have
heard of before. It's called the naked mole rat and it's only found on the dry
plains of East Africa.
As its name suggests, it's similar to a rat and like a rat, it's a rodent. It's
about 10 centimetres
long and its most obvious feature is its pair of teeth, which are very large and
which it can
move independently like a pair of chopsticks. So why is it called the naked mole
rat? This is
because it has no fur or hair, just pink skin. Although these animals live in hot
climates,
they don't need protection from the sun as they spend the whole of their lives
underground.
This means they're protected from extremes of temperature as well as from predators
such as
birds. They live in large groups or colonies, which can consist of up to 300
individuals,
and to live in they build an extensive network of tunnels, which can cover an area
the size of a
football field. They can move as quickly and as easily backwards as they can
forwards,
which is a useful skill for animals living in such cramped and crowded conditions.
They live almost entirely on routes, but are careful not to entirely consume them,
leaving enough to grow again and provide them with food for months or even years.
They have very weak eyes and poor hearing, but produce a twittering sound like that
of a bird.
The first time that a naked mole rat was documented was back in the 19th century by
a German naturalist
called Eduard Rupel, but because of its unattractive appearance and bare skin,
he didn't realise it was a new species. He just assumed it had some sort of
disease.
It wasn't until the 1950s that scientists really began to pay attention to this
strange species.
At that time, a researcher at the University of Nairobi in East Africa established
a group of
naked mole rats in her laboratory, but she couldn't understand why they failed to
breed.
This mystery wasn't solved until sometime later, when DNA studies established that
naked mole
rats are very unusual, in fact almost unique among mammal species. They are what's
known as
eusocial mammals, meaning that, like some insects, they form colonies with a very
specific
organisation. Each colony has one queen, who produces all the offspring, together
with two or three
sexually active males which mate with her. All the rest of the colony are asexual
and don't mate,
but they're deployed as workers, digging for food and so on, and also as soldiers,
protecting the colony from danger.
In the late 1980s, an English researcher called Chris Forks
became involved in genetic research on the naked mole rat. He was part of the team
that
wrote the genome of this species, but after that, he started to get interested in
some special
features of the physiology of this strange animal, and to wonder if these had
medical implications.
One very striking feature of the naked mole rat is how long they live, for over 30
years.
This is a very long time for a small mammal. One reason for this is that the blood
vessels
remain in good condition. They don't lose their elasticity like those of other
mammals.
Forks has also found out that the muscles of naked mole rats stay in good condition
throughout
their lives. As you'd expect, some of the special features of the naked mole rat
seem to be linked
to the environment they live in, for example because they're crowded together in
enclosed
conditions with poor ventilation, they've developed the capacity to manage to
survive
when breathing air that contains a very low level of oxygen, low enough to kill a
human almost instantly.
In fact, the animals can even survive without breathing at all for up to 18
minutes.
Another extraordinary thing about these animals, and which also contributes to
their long lives,
is that they appear to be resistant to cancer. A team working in the USA has
identified a gene
which they think makes cancer cells self-destruct. To see if it has a similar
effect in other animals,
they're now planning to carry out experiments in which they introduce this gene
into mice.
Ultimately, there may be hope for treating humans, but that's not going to happen
for a long time.
So let's summarise the ways these remarkable animals have adapted themselves to the
harsh
environment they live in.
That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
That is the end of the listening test. You now have 10 minutes to transfer your
answers
to the listening answer sheet.
You have two minutes left.
You have one minute left.
That is the end of the listening test.