Test 1 LISTENING SECTION 1 — Questions 1-10 Questions 1-3 Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each 1, What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending things by air? 2, What might cause delays in transportation? 3, When will the customer arrive in Canada? Questions 4-6 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 4, The costs on the price list include 5. The customer isn't sending 6. There is no extra charge for packing, Questions 7-10 Complete the following information. ustomer name 7 Shipping from 14 Hopton Close, Porton, 8 UK. Shipping to ‘9 Road, Toronto, TR12 3CN, Canada Contact number (mobile)0977 023 686 Collection date 18th Crates 3x2 cubic metres Total cost £360 Notes ‘Must finish packing by 10 SECTION 2 — Questions 11-20 Questions I-14 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 11. On the beach there was a cast of a 12, The area is one of the best in Europe for finding 13. The museum contains reconstructions that are 14, Neovenator means Questions 15-17 From the following list, choose the 3 things that you can experience at the museum. Write your answers on your answer sheet in any order. cutting fossils from rocks activity sheets for children sitting inside @ [Rex jaw sitting on a dinosaur's brain moa the smell of dead dinosaurs F _amap of where some dinosaurs lived G__ an exhibition of dinosaur artwork Questions 18-20 Complete the following notes about admission and getting to the museum. 10a.m.-6p.m. Apri October ning mes pens. 10a.m.-4p.m. November-March‘Adults- £4.75 Children 18 ‘Admission Family(2 adults+2 children)- £13, 78 Students/Pensioners-£9.75 includes 2-hour guided dinosaur tour Getting there bus number 30 from the 19 of the university Groups 20 for groups of 8 or more, if booked in advance Tel-019 40434 Contact details Website-waw.sandowndinosaur.com SECTION3 Questions 21-30 Question 21 Which three guests are on the radio programme? Write the correct letter on your answer sheet. A Tony Wa, an undergraduate student from China, Susan Hall, International Student, and Wendy Clark, Head of the University. B_ Tony Wu, a Master's student from China, Susan Hall, Intemational Student, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit. Tony Wu, a Master's student from China, Susan Hall, International Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of English. D_ Tony Wu, a Master's student from China, Susan Hall, International Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit. Questions 22-24 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 22. Tony Wu took a pre-Master's course because of his in English. 2, Susan says international students are a of funds for universities. 24, Wendy says living amongste native speakers helps students Questions 25-27 Choose the correct answer, A, B, Cor D. 28. How many students on Tony's course passed? A.Allofthem. —B. 28 C23. DS. 26. How many universities in the country have special course for international students? A.Allofthem. — B.Morethan 12, C.12. D. Less than 12. 27. What do private colleges focus on, according to Wendy? A. Pre-Master's courses B. Exam-related courses. C. General English courses, D, Technological terminology. Questions 28-30 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 28. Wendy says a pre-Master’s course should encourage students to their teachers, 29. Wendy says a pre-Master’s course costs the same as Master's programme. 30, Susan thinks a for such courses would be good. SECTION4 Questions 31-40 Questions 31-33 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for cach 31. Tiktaalik rosae is considered to be an evolutionary 32. Tiktaalik rosae lived around. ago.‘The remains of the Tiktaalik rosae were found 600 miles from the Questions 34-38 Label the diagram of Tiktaalik rosae using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each gap. 37.__....Fibeage ‘ead shaped like a crocodile’s 4 }_—2s metres long ——— Questions 39-40 Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 39, How long had the rescarchers been looking when they found the Tiktaalik remains? 40. Where were the late Devonian rocks originally created? READING READING PASSAGE 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. Cleaner, Abundant Fuels Attracting Record Investment A” Renewable energy captured from the wind, sun, Earth's heat, tides, and from small dams is drawing record levels of investment as poor villagers and entire nations alike seek clean, abundant ways to fuel economic growth. Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30 billion in 2004, according to a new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro now provide 160 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity--about four percent of the world t -the report said. They are growing at rates of around 20-30 percent per year, however, compared to ‘two or three percent for oil and gas. B_ "Renewable energy has become big business,” said E Martinot, lead author of the study, "Renewables 2005: Global Status Report." Martinot, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Worldwatch Institute and a lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said renewable energy has attracted some of the world’s largest companies, including General Electric, Siemens, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell. The report estimated that nearly 40 million households worldwide heat theit water with solar collectors, most of them installed in the last five ars. Altogether, re ewable energy industries provide 1.7 million jobs, most of them skilled and well paid. C Martinot and 100-plus researchers in more than 20 countries assessed several renewable technologies: small hydro (meaning small dams), modem biomass (agricultural waste, for example), wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. These technologies now compete with conventional fuels in four distinet ‘markets: power generation, hot water and space heating, transportation fuels, and rural (off-grid) energy supplies, D_ Renewable energy is gaining in popularity because it is considered to be in infinite supply--unlike oil, coal, and gasmand because it involves little or no pollution compared to those fossil fuels. Scientists blame the burning. of fossil fuels for the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that stoke global climate changes, which in tum are intensifying droughts in some parts of the world, floods and storms in others, and the spread of tropical diseases to temperate zones. E_ Additionally, renewable energies could empower millions of poor and vulnerable people who lack access to reliable, affordable, and clean modem energy services, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to the Beijing Intemational Renewable Energy Conference, which opened Monday. Annan said that rising oil prices have hit oil-importing developing countries especially hard and underscore the need for alternative energysupplies. According to the REN21 report, government support for renewable energy is growing rapidly. At least 48 countries now have some type of rer ewable energy promotion policy, including 14 developing countries. ‘Typically, they include targets to ensure that renewable sources generate 5-30 percent of energy use in a given country by around 2010-2012. F The renewable sector's prospects appeared to receive a further boost Monday, when China announced it was raising its target for reliance on renewable energy even as it acknowledged that coal would remain its primary source for electricity for decades to come. Renewable energy should account for 15 percent of national consumption by 2020. China had previously aimed to get 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. G Mandates for blending biofuels into vehicle fuels have been enacted in 20--plus states and provinces ‘worldwide as well as in three key countries-Brazil, China, and India-the report said. Government leadership has ensured market success, according to REN21, which is composed of representatives of governments and non-governmental organizations. Market leaders in renewable energy in 2004 included Brazil in biofuels, China in solar hot water, Germany in solar electricity, and Spain in wind power, the report said. H_ The fastest growing energy technology in the world is grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV), existing capacity of which blossomed by sixty percent per year from 2000-2004, to cover more than 400000 rooftops in Japan, Germany, and the United States, it found. Wind power came second, with generating capacity growing by 28 percent last year with almost seventeen gigawatts installed as of 2004, Production of ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels exceeded 33 billion liters in 2004, when ethanol displaced about three percent of the 1200 billion liters of gasoline produced globally. I Anestimated_ $500 million goes to developing countries each year as development assistance for renewable energy projects, training, and market support, with the German Development Finance Group (KfW), the World Bank Group, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) providing the majority of these funds, and dozens of other donors and programs providing the rest, the report said. More than 4.5 million "green" power consumers in. Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan purchased renewable electricity in 2004, it added. Asia is seen as a vast market for renewable energy as it seeks to meet growing demand for power to fe sd rapid economic expansion amid runaway oil price: Questions 1-4 The text has 9 paragraphs (A-1). Which paragraph contains each of the following pieces o fin formation? 1. Cases where the use of renewable fuels is in competition with non-renewable ones. 2, The membership of REN21. 3. The rates at which the use of renewable fuels is growing faster than the use of nonrenewable ones in the world. 4, The sources of funding for renewable fuels in des Questions 5-8 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text. 5. Biomass technology can use ‘loping countries 6, Governments with renewable energy policies usually set for renewable energy use. 7. The most important source of energy for China in 2020 is expected to be 8. Economic expansion and high oil prices mean that Asian countries are for renewable sources of energy. Questions 9-13 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage I? In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet write TRUE if the information in the text agrees with the statement FALSE ifthe information in the text contradicts the statement NOT GIVEN _ if there is no information on this 9, Bric Martinot advises large companies on investing in renewable energy.10, Eric Martinot has over 100 people working in his team 11. Increases in oil prices hurt developing economies more than developed ones. 12. The use of solar power grew by 60% between the year 2000 and the year 2004, 13. "Green" power consumers only get part of their electricity from alternative energy sources. READING PASSAGE 2 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. A Giode tp Womenomies ‘A. In rich countries, girls now do better at school than boys, more women are getting university dei ‘men are and females are filling most new jobs. Arguably, women are now the most powerful engine of global growth, In 1950 only one-third of American women of working age had a paid job. Today two-thirds do, and ‘women make up almost half of America's workforce. Since 1950 men’s employment rate has slid by 12 percentage points, to 77%, In fact, almost everywhere more women are employed and the percentage of men with jobs has fallen~although in some countries the feminisation of the workplace still has far to go: in Italy and Japan, ‘women's share of jobs is still 40% or less. B_ The increase in female employment in developed countries has been aided by a big shift in the type of jobs on offer, Manufacturing work, traditionally a male preserve, has declined, while jobs in services have expanded, This has reduced the demand for manual labour and put the sexes on a more equal footing. In the developing world, 100, more women now have paid jobs. In the emerging East Asian economies, for every 100 men in the labour force there are now 83 women, higher even than the average in OECD countries. Women have been particularly important to the success of Asia's export industries, typically accounting for 60-80% of jobs in many export sectors, such as textiles and clothing C Of course, itis misleading to talk of women’s "entry" into the workforce. Besides formal employment, women have always worked in the home, looking after children, cleaning or cooking, but because this is unpaid, itis not, counted in the offical statistics. To some extent, the increase in female paid employment has meant fewer hours of Unpaid housework, However, the value of housework has fallen by much less than the time spent on it, because of the increased productivity afforded by dishwashers, washing machines and so forth. Paid nannies and cleaners employed by working women now also do some work that used to belong in the non-market economy. D_ The increase in female employment has also accounted for a big chunk of giobal growth in recent decades. GDP growth can come from three sources: employing more people; using more capital per worker; or an increase in the productivity of labour and capital due to new technology. Since 1970 women have filled two new jobs for every one taken by a man, Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the employment of extra women has not only added more to GDP than new jobs for men but has also chipped in more than either capital investment or cased productivity. Carve up the world's economic growth a different way and another surprising conclusion ‘emerges: over the past decade or so, the increased employment of women in developed economies has contributed ‘much more to global growth, Women are becoming more important in the global marketplace not just as workers, but also as consumers, entrepreneurs, managers and investors. Women have traditionally done most of the household shopping, but now they have more money of their own to spend. Surveys suggest that women make pethaps 80% of consumers’ buying decisions--from health care and homes to furniture and food. E Women's share of the workforce has a limit, In America it has already stalled. However, there will still be a lot of scope for women to become more productive as they make better use of their qualifications. At school, girls consistently get better grades, and in most developed countries well over half of all university degrees are now being awarded to women, In America 140 women enrol in higher education each year for every 100 men; in Sweden the number is as high as 150, (There are, however, only 90 female Japanese students for every 100 males.) In years to come better educated women will take more of the top jobs. At present, for example, in Britain more women than men train as doctors and lawyers, but relatively few are leading surgeons or partners in law firms. ‘The main reason why women still get paid less on average than men is not that they are paid less for the same jobsbut that they tend not to climb so far up the career ladder, or they choose lower-paid occupations, such as nursing and t .ching. This patter is likely to change. F Making better use of women’s skills is not just a matter of faimess. Plenty of studies suggest that itis good for business, too. Women account for only 7% of directors on the world's corporate boards--15% in America, but less than 1% in Japan, Yet a study by Catalyst, a consultancy, found that American companies with more women in senior management jobs earned a higher return on equity than those with fewer women at the top. This might be because mixed teams of men and women are better than single-sex groups at solving problems and spotting external ats. Studies have also suggested that women are often better than men at building teams and communicating, G_ In poor countries too, the under-utilisation of women stunts economic growth, A study last year by the World Economic Forum found a clear correlation between sex equality (measured by economic participation, education, health and political empowerment) and GDP per head. Correlation does not prove the direction of causation. However, other studies also suggest that inequality between the sexes harms long-term growth. In particular, there is strong evidence that educating girls boosts prosperity. It is probably the single best investment that can be made in the developing world, Not only are better educated women more productive, but they raise healthier, better educated children, There is huge potential to raise income per head in developing countries, where fewer girls go to school than boys. More than two-thirds of the world’ illiterate adults are women, H_ Tris sometimes argued that itis short-sighted to get more women into paid employment. The more women go out to work, it is said, the fewer children there will be and the lower growth will be in the long run. Yet the facts suggest otherwise. Data shows that countries with high female labour participation rates, such as Sweden, tend to have higher fertility rates than Germany, Italy and Japan, where fewer women work. Indeed, the decline in fertility has been greatest in several countries where female employment is low. Questions 14-17 ‘The text has 8 paragraphs (A-H). Which paragraph does each of the following headings best fit? 14, New producers, new consumers 15. More work, fewer children? 16. Abetter educated workforce 17, Women in new, expanding industries Questions 18-22 According to the text, FIVE of the following statements are true. Write the corresponding letters in answer boxes 18 t0 22 in any onder. ‘A Ahigher percentage of Italian women have jobs than Japanese women. More women than men work in Asia's textile industries. ‘The value of housework is not included in official statistics. B c D__ Research shows that men make more purchasing decisions than women. E_ Most surgeons in Britain are women. F Firms with more women in senior management offer higher investment returns, G__ Mos illiterate people in the world are women. 1 Some people think that lower birth rates lead to lower economic growth. Questions 23-26 According to the information given in the text, choose the correct answer or answers firm the choices given. 23. Since 1950, the percentage of ‘A. American women with jobs has increased. B. American men with jobs has decreased. C. Japanese and Italian women with jobs has remained stable 24, Economies can get bigger by‘A. increasing the size of the workforce. B. giving shares to workers, Cus 25, Mixed teams of male and female managers are thought to be better at A. building teams, B. solving problems. C. communicating. 26. Research by the World Economic Forum shows that A. sex equality leads to higher GDP. B. there is a connection between sex equality and GDP. . higher education leads to a higher GDP. READING PASSAGE 3 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. ng more advanced technology. A Library at Your Fingertips ‘A few years ago, at the height of the dotcom boom, it was widely assumed that a publishing revolution, in which the printed word would be supplanted by the computer screen, was just around the comer. It wasn't; for many, there is still little to match the joy of cracking the spine of a good book and settling down for an hour or two of reading, A recent flurry of activity by big technology companies--including Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo!--suggests that the dream of bringing books online is still very much alive. ‘The digitising of thousands of volumes of print is not without controversy. On Thursday November 3rd, Google, the world’s most popular search engine, posted a first instalment of books on Google Print, an initiative first ‘mooted a year ago, This collaborative effort between Google and several of the world’s leading research libraries aims to make many thousands of books available to be searched and read online free of charge. Although the books included so far are not covered by copyright, the plan has attracted the ire of publishers. Five large book firms are suing Google for violating copyright on material that it has scanned and, although out of print, is still protected by law. Google has said that it will only publish short extracts from material under copyright unless given express permission to publish more, but publishers are unconvinced. Ironically, many publishers are collaborating with Google on a separate venture, Google Print Publisher, which aims to give readers an online taste of books that are commercially available. The searchable collection of extracts and book information is intended to tempt readers to buy the complete books online or in print form. Not to be outdone, Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has unveiled plans for its own foray into the mass e-book market, The firm, which began ten years ago as an online book retailer, now sells a vest array of goods, No doubt piqued that Google, a relative newcomer, should impinge upon its central territory, Amazon revealed on Thursday that it would introduce two new services. Amazon Pages will allow customers to search for key terms in selected books and then buy and read online whatever part they wish, from individual pages to chapters or complete works. Amazon Upgrade will give customers online access to books they have already purchased as hard copies. Cutomers are likely to have to pay aroud five cents a page, with the bulk going to the publisher. Microsof, too, has joined the online-book bandwagon. At the end of October, the software giant said it would spend around $200 million to digitise texts, starting with 150000 that are in the public domain, to avoid legal problems. It will do so in collaboration with the Open Content Alliance, a consortium of libraries and universities. (Yahoo! has pledged to make 18000 books available online in conjunction with the same organisation.) On ‘Thursday, coincidentally the same day as Google and Amazon announced their initiatives, Microsoft releaseddetails of a deal with the British Library, the country's main reference library, to digitise some 25 million pages, these will be mad wvailable through MSN Book Search, which will be launched next year. ‘These companies are hoping for a retum to the levels of interest in e-books seen when Stephen King, a best-selling horror writer, published "Riding the Bullet" exclusively on the internet in 2000, Half a million copies were downloaded in the first 48 hours after publication, This proved to be a high-water mark rather than a taste of things to come, While buyers were reluctant to sit in front of a computer screen to read the latest novels, dedicated e-book-r ding gadgets failed to catch on. Barnes and Noble, a leading American bookshop cl e-books with fanfare in 2000 but quietly pulled the plug in 2003 as interest faded, jn, began selling The market for e-books is growing again, though from a tiny base. According to the Intemational Digital Publishing Forum, which collates figures fom many of the world’s top publishers, in the third quarter of 2004 worldwide sales were 25% higher than the year before. Unfortunately, this only amounted to a paltry $3.2 million split between 23 publishers in an industry that made sales worth over $100 billion that year. Both retailers and publishers reckon they will eventually be able to persuade consumers to do a lot more of their reading on the web. Some even hope they can become to online books what Apple's iTunes is to online music. There are crucial differences between downloading fiction and downloading funk. Online music was driven from the bottom up: illegal file-sharing services became wildly popular, and legal firms later took over when the pirates were forced (by a wave of lawsuits) to retreat; the legal providers are confident that more and more consumers will pay small sums for music rather than remain beyond the law. The iPod music player and its like have proved a fashionable and popular new way to listen to songs. The book world has no equivalent, So the commercial prospects for sellers of online books do not yet look very bright. They may get a lift from some novel innovations. The ability to download mete parts of books could help, for instance: sections of manuals, textbooks or cookery books may tempt some customers; students may wish to download the relevant sections of course books; or readers may want a taste of a book that they subsequently buy in hard copy. The ability to download reading matter onto increasingly ubiquitous hand-held electronic devices and 3G phones may further encourage uptake. In Japan, the value of e-books (mainly manga comic books) delivered to mobile phones has jumped, though it will be worth only around ¥6 billion ($'5! million) in 2005, according to estimates Questions 27-30 For each question, only ONE of the choices is correct. Write the corresponding letter in the appropriate box on your answer sheet 27..A few years ago, it was widely thought that A. people would read fewer paper’ books. B. companies like Amazon would go bankrupt. C. the dotcom boom would soon end. 28, Publishers are unhappy with Google because A. Google is only publishing extracts, not complete books. B. they think Google is in breach of copyright. C. Google is co-operating with leading research libraries. 29. Amazon will ‘A. sell books that previously only Google sold online. B. buy the copyright for many books it sells online. allow people to buy only parts that they want to read from books. 30, It is clear that most readers, if given the choice, prefer‘A. ‘paper’ books. B. reading from computer C. using dedicated e-book re Questions 31-35 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text. 31. If companies publish books online that are not covered by copyright, they avoid 32. The is very small but getting larger. 33. Th 34. The has nothing similar to an iPod. expect that they will be able to convince more people to 35. In Japan, most of the publications sent to mobile phones are Questions 36-40 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet write TRUE if the information in the text agrees with the statement FALSE if the information in the text contradicts the statement NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 36. Books that are out of print are not covered by copyright law. 37. Amazon began by selling books online 38. Microsoft signed deal with the British Library on the same day as Google and Amazon made their ‘announcements, 39, Bames and Noble published Riding the Bullet online. 40. The ability to sample a book online before buying it might help sales, WRITING WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The table shows the proportion of Australian fami and 2002. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and by making comparisons that owned certain household appliances in 1995 where relevant, Write at least 150 words. Personal Washing | Refrigera Computers | TV sets : Hairdryers stereos machines tors 1995 33% 18% 79% 7% 78% 44% 2002, 45% 76% 93% 80% 96% 67% WRITING TASK 2 ‘You should spend about 40 minutes on this task, Write about the following topic: In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have positive effects or negative effects on society? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge ot experience. Write at least 250 words. SPEAKING PART 1 The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics. EXAMPLEWork + What work do you do? + Why did you choose that kind of work? + How do you feel about your job? + What is the most interesting thing about your job? Animals + Do you have a pet? + Do people in your country often keep pets? + Are wild animals protected in your region/country? + Do you often visit zoos or wildlife parks? + Which is your favourite animal? + Are there any animals that you are affaid of? Birthdays + How do people celebrate birthdays in your culture? + Do people in your family celebrate birthdays in different ways? + Tell me a little about the best birthday celebration you have been to? PART 2 Describe a recent news story that you have heard or read about. You should say: what the news was and where you heard or read it if it was significant for many people how it has changed, or will change, people's lives and explain how you felt when you heard or read this, news. You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes You have one minute to think about what you'te going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish. PART3 Discussion topic: Example questions: Media + How do most people in your country get the news? + Compare newspapers and TV as news source: + Do you think that the different media (newspapers, TY, radio, the Internet) are reliable sources of news? + What are the qualities of a good journalist or reporter? + How do you think most people will get the news in the future? ‘Tapeseripts STI SECTION 1 Salesman: Good afternoon, madam. How may I help you? Customer: Good afternoon. 1 like to ship some possessions to Canada and was hoping you could answer a few of my questions. Salesman: Certainly, Please take a seat. Where exactly are you going to ship the goods? Customer: To Toronto, I'm taking a job there at the end of next month, Salesman: Right. We can ship your possessions by air or by sea and land. Shipping by air is faster but is obviously Customer: I understand. That's what I expected. If I want the things there by the 25th of next month, do I still havetime to send them by sea? Salesman: I'll just check the schedules. ...Yes, if your possessions start their journey by the 26th of this month at the latest, they'll be in Toronto by the 25th of next month. However, I would recommend that you send them earlier if possible because there are sometimes delays due to logistics or weather conditions, Customer: Yes, of course, I was thinking of sending them on the 20th or thereabouts, Salesman: That's great. There's a cargo ship leaving on the 21st, Would it be possible to send your possessions on the 19th? It can take two days to get the items to the port and to clear customs at this end. Customer: Yes, I guess that would be OK. Salesman: In that case, your possessions should arrive on or around the 19th of next month, though, as I said, there are sometimes delays. Is that OK for you? Customer: That's perfect! That's the very day I arrive in Canada, It could be a bit hectic though, Anyway, I won't need my things immediately, so a short delay won't cause any problems. Salesman: Don't worry, You won't be able to take delivery of your possessions that day because of customs checks. Those usually take a couple of days. Will you be packing everything yourself or would you like us to take care of that for you? Customer: I'd prefer to have your employees do it. As you can imagine, I'm rather busy at the moment. Salesman: And you'll want us to arrange delivery to your new home in Canada rather than leaving the items at the warehouse in Toronto, right? Customer: Yes, please. I know that door-to-door delivery costs more, but it's so much more convenient. Salesman: OK then, Here's a pri list. The prices include tax and insurance. As you can sce, the price depends ‘mainly on the dimensions of the crates and the number of crates rather than their weight. However, we do add an extra charge for particularly heavy items. Do you intend to ship any furniture? Customer: No, nothing like that-—just books, clothes, a few small electrical items and a few omaments, Salesman: If there are any fragile items, such as glass ornaments, I can make a note for our packers. There's no extra charge for such items Customer: Thank you. There is @ little glassware. Using plenty of bubble wrap should ensure it arrives intact ‘Would you recommend thr of the smaller sized erates or one of the very large ones? Salesman: For ease of handling we normally suggest that customers use the smaller sized ones. The lange ones appear cheaper, but if they exceed a certain weight they incur an extra charge. We generally only use them for large lightweight items or furniture, Customer: I see. I think that three of the smaller crates measuring two cubic metres should do the trick. Salesman: OK. In that case, the total price will be 360 pounds. Is that OK? Customer: Yes, that's fine. Thank you. Can I pay by credit card? I have Master Express. Salesman: Of course. I need to take down a few details. Could | take your name, please? ‘Customer: My given name is Debra~-D EB R.A~-and my surname is Whealing--W HEALING. Salesman: And your address? Customer: 14 Hopton Close, The postcode is PT6 2.JA Salesman: And the address where we should ship your possession to in Canada?! Customer: 42a Lake Vi Salesman: Is "Lake View" written as one word or two? Customer: Two. The posteode is TR12 3CN. Salesman: Do you have a mobile phone? Customer: I do, The number's 0977 023 685. Salesman: Thank you. Right, then. Our packers will arrive on the morning of the 19th. I'm afraid I can't give you Road in the district of Victoria, ‘an exact time, but it should be around 10 o'clock, depending on the traffic. Customer: Thank you. As long as they finish before 1 o'clock, I don't mind.Salesman: Ill make a note of that. Right, I'l just deal with the payment. SECTION 2 Presenter: Good morning, everyone. I'm very happy to be here to give you a brief introduction to some of the places you can visit in the locality of your university. I hope that you can take some time out from your studies to pay a visit to at least a few of them, Fitst, I'd like to tell you about Dinosaur Isle and Fossil Walk, It's one of my favourite days out I remember my first visit there. We were walking along a beautiful sandy beach when our palacontologist hi tofa dinosaur’s footprint." At first I thought he was joking, but he goes on to point out the three vast toes and to explain guide stops suddenly and points at a rock perhaps sixty centimetres across says, “is the that this stone was moulded in the footprint of an Iguanodon some 125 million years ago. From the size of the "foot", he adds, this particular herbivorous biped would have been about eight metres long and perhaps 2.5 metres tall to the hip. This area is one of the most prolific and accessible sites in Europe for dinosaur fossils. Bits of bone are regularly found on the beaches and the Dinosaur Isle Museum has a collection of international importance--and is thoroughly family-friendly to boot. At the museum, you can walk back in time, via the last Ice Age and the Eocene to the late eretaceous to the heyday of the dinosaurs, to which the main hall is dedicated. The information is accessibly presented and there is enough to satisfy even the most ardent "dinophile" of any age. The collection sensibly majors on the dinosaurs that once roamed this area, with full-size reconstructions as well as fossils ranging from huge vertebrae to toothed jaws and long leg bones. Many of the specimens were found by amateur fossil hunters, including two families on holiday here in the 1970s who found some bones on a beach in the southwest of the island; they tumed out to belong to an iguanodon and another completely new dinosaur, subsequently called Neovenator, meaning “new. hunter", ‘On my first Fossil Walk a piece of dinosaur rib bone was found, and the day before, four dinosaur bones were discovered as well as @ large prehistoric crocodile tooth, Even if you are not lucky enough to find bits of dinosaur, there are 110 million-year-old shells and fossilised wood to be collected. Our guide was not only extremely knowledgeable but also endlessly patient as he identified a steady stream of sandstone and flint with a few fossils thrown i. Back at the museum there is stacks for kids to do: three different activity sheets and lots of interactive exhibits, The touchy-feely game was a big hit, It revealed a sauropod claw, fossilised dinosaur poo. It's great fun for the kids to make their parents feel this! And then there is the cast of a Tyrannosaurus’ brain, which is remarkable for its smallness, Smells from the dinosaurs' world were much enjoyed too--rotting corpse, pine forest, swamp and carnivore breath. The last was particularly yucky in my opinion, An interactive map shows where the locality's five main dinosaurs were found, along with a second map, indicating their global spread, Upstairs, there is a reconstruction of the Sandown pterosaur, which was unearthed close to the museum and its fossils, along with information about the area's own tyrannosaurus, discovered in 1995--about half the size of T Rex and called Fotyrannus Lengi--as well as loads of dino-related art activities. Unfortunately, there ate currently no refreshments available on site, but there is a mini-golf course next to the ‘museum which has a cafe. The muscum is fully wheelchair accessible, Let me just give you the admission details. Dinosaur Isle and Fossil Walk are both open daily 10 am. to 6 p.m., April to October, and 10 am. to 4 p.m, November- farch. Adult tickets are £4.75, children under 15 pay_£2.75. There's also a family ticket available for two adults and two children, which costs £13, Students and retirees pay £3.75. The two-hour guided dinosaur walk is included in the ticket price. Finally, I'l let you know how to get there. Despite the name, Dinosaur Isle isn't actually an island, From the university, take bus number 30, which I believe stops right outside the main gate. Is that right? Yes? Thank you ‘The bus stops almost directly in front of the muscum, and you can't miss that be, cause it has a big plastic T Rex outside! If youre going as a group of more than eight, please telephone in advance. A group discount is availableif_you do, but not if you arrive unannounced. The phone number is 019 40434, and there's a website too—www.sandowndinosaur.com. SECTION 3 Interviewer: Welcome to our University Radio programme entitled "Leaping the Language Barrier", My guests today are Tony Wu, a Master's student fiom China, Susan Hall, International Student Liaison, and Wendy Clark, Head of the ESL Unit here at the university. Tony, you'te starting your Master's degree in a few weeks, aren't you? ‘Tony Wu: Yes, 1 am, I'll be taking a Master's in Computing. Like many overseas students, 1 found the selection process tough. Making the transition from undergraduate studies to postgraduate sarch is hard enough for a native speaker, but my lack of fluency in English was a bigger hurdle, So, I decided to take a pre-Master's course Interviewer: Susan, are these courses popular? Susan Hall: Not at the moment, but each year, over 100000 overseas students apply to study for a postgraduate degree in this country, Many of these students, like Tony, need to work on their English to get the maximum, benefit fiom theit time here. Paying full fees, these students represent a significant source of income for the As a result, a growing number of universities and private colleges are offering foundation or pre-Master's courses, The pre-Master's courses are designed to bridge the gap between undergraduate studies and a postgraduate degree taught in English, ‘Tony Wu: That's right. I won my place on the Master's course after attending a nine-month pre-masters programme at the International Foundation College, a private language and study skills school approved by universities in this country. Interviewer: Wendy, you're an ESL professional. How useful are these courses? Wendy Clark: Very usefull indeed. As Susan said, many students come here with some English, but not really enough to take full advantage of having an education in an Englis language proficiency up to a more acceptable level, Students develop language skills through classroom interaction and by being part of the wider community, living among native English speakers Interviewer: Tony, how successful were the other students on your course? Tony Wu: ‘The IFC pre-Master’s course started in January with 28 students, all from China, All but five gained places on university Master's courses, The IFC was very happy with the succes Interviewer: Wendy, Tony didn't do his course here, but this university does have a pre-Master’s course, doesn't it? speaking country. Pre-Master's courses bring rate. ‘Wendy Clark: Yes, it does. In this country, at least a dozen universities now run courses specially designed to cater for the needs of students from overseas regions--particularly Russia, Japan, China, East and South Asia. On top of that, private colleges are starting to enter the market, although most stick to what they do best--improving. students! English language test scores. Last year, we prepared 80 foreign students~-mostly from China, South East Asia, Iran and the, former Soviet republics-for masters degr es at universities in this country. Studied over an academic year, the course is demanding. Students from a range of disciplines are taught by a subject specialist, with an English language teacher working alongside to review students' comprehension and written work. The course culminates in a mini dissertation prepared over four months, Interviewer: Did you find that difficult, Tony? Tony Wu: I certainly did! ‘Wendy Clark: I believe that a pre-Master's course should do a lot more than boost language skills. It's also about preparing students from different cultural backgrounds to sueceed in the academic world. We prepare them to look at a variety of sources, anal-yse the pros and cons, put forward their own ideas, challenge their tutors and take part in rigorous discussion. Interviewer: Wendy, has the course nm at this university been successful? Wendy Clark: The results here speak for themselves. ‘The one-year pre-Master’s programme has a 90% success rate and a smattering of students go on to Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge as well as other prestigious institutions. However, at $9000, the course fee is on a par with the full fee for a Master's programme itselfInterviewer: Susan, do you have any reservations about these programme Susan: Not here at our university, but I am unhappy at what I see as a lack of control over the proliferation of presMaster’s programmes. Some form of external validation is needed, as there is no universal recognition of the quality of such courses, There is a benchmark system for access to higher education courses for domestic students, but so far there is no nationwide benchmark for foundation courses for international students, Interviewer: Thank you all very much, Next week, I'll be talking to. SECTION 4 Welcome everybody. My name is Derek Fisher and I'll be taking you through this talk on a truly amazing discovery made by my team of researchers last year. As I'm sure you know, we discovered Tiktaalik rosae, a so-called "missing link" in the evolutionary process-a fish that walked on land, We made this extraordinary discovery in the Canadian Arctic. I should emphasise fight at the beginning that I do not have any evidence to suggest that this was the only such fish to make the leap ftom the sea to the land. I think that further discoveries ‘may await researchers, Anyway, the fossil discovery illuminates a chapter in the history of life on Earth that was essential to the ultimate emergence of human beings. This is an impression of Tiktaalik roseae, which, we believe, lived about 325 million years ago, As you can see, it has features that blur the distinction between fish and terrestrial limbed creatures. The fossils that we found on Ellesmere Island, 600 miles from the North Pole, are a fine example of evolution in action. They have allowed us to freeze-frame a process of adaptation to land that took tens of millions of years, and which made possible the development of all the mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians that have existed since, Without creatures such as Tiktaalik there would have been no dinosaurs, no primitive mammals and none of the hominids such as Australopithecus africanus and Homo erectus that started the human family tree. This animal represents the transition from water to land-the part of history that includes ourselves. I's as much a part of our history as, say, Australopithecus afticanus. Now, you can see those teeth, From that, itis clear to us that Tiktaalik roseae was a predator with sharp teeth and a head shaped like a crocodile’s that grew to between four feet and nine fe consultation with elders from the Inuit people, who are native to the region, who suggested their word for "large -that's between 1.2 metres and 2.7 metres long for those of you using the metric system! We named it after shallow-water fish". The second part of the name honours the person who funded our research, but wishes to remain anonymous. It had several remarkable anatomical features that show it was capable not only of wading in shallow water, like slightly earlier fish on the cusp of the move to land, but also of supporting itself outside the water in the ‘manner of four-limbed animals or tetrapods. This is where Tiktaalik truly blurs the boundary between fish and land animals. This animal is both fish and tetrapod. At first, we jokingly call it a "fishapod”. Unlike fish, it had clearly defined neck and a strong ribeage that would have enabled it to stand outside water. Its pectoral fins had a wrist joint, which enabled it to crawi on the ground. This wrist is sufficiently similar to that of later animals, including human beings, to suggest that Tiktaalik or something very like it was an ancestor of all subsequent land animals, However, we cannot be sure of that. When we tall about the fish's wrist, we're talking about the origin of parts of our own wrist. Itis absolutely clear from Tiktaalik's skeleton that it could support itself in shallow water or on land. This is why it represents a critical early phase in the evolution of all limbed animals, including humans. We found the Tiktaalik fossils in 2004 after a five-year search of a rock formation on Ellesmere Island, one of the large islands that comprise the north of Canada, This site was chosen because it was~-or more exactly the laid down during the late Devonian period, between 380 million and 365 million years ago, when the transition of fish from sea creatures to creatures that could survive on land is known to have taken place. It may rocks were surprise you to know that although the rocks are now within the Arctic Circle, in the late Devonian they lay close to the Equator, We, as individual humans, don't notice plate movements because dramatic changes can only beseen over millions of years, but the continents as we know them today have moved considerably and will continue to do so, This exciting discovery is providing a much deeper understanding of this evolutionary mi Previous fossils representing this evolutionary event have really been fish with a few land characteristic 's, or land vertebrates with a few residual fish characteristics. These fossils show an animal that sits bang in the middle, Now, let's move on to. TEST 1 LISTENING Section 1, Questions 1-10 1. faster, more expensive 2. logistics, weather (conditions) 3, 19 next month, 4. tax (and) insurance 5. furniture 6, fragile items/things 7, Debra Whealing 8. PT62IA 9, 42a Lake View 10, 1 oclock/13:00 Section 2, Questions 11-20 11, dinosaurs footprint 12, dinosaur fossils, 13, full-size/full size 14, new hunter 15-17 IN ANY ORDER B E F 18, under 15 19, main gate 20. discount Section 3, Questions 21-30 21.D 22. lack of fluency 23. significant source 24, develop language skills 25.€ 26.B 27.B 28. challenge 29. full 30. nationwide benchmark Section 4, Questions 31-40 31. missing link 32. 375 million years, 33, North Pole (NB capital letters not required) Answer key34, sharp teeth 35.1227 36. clearly defined 37. strong 38. wrist joint 39. Sifive years 40. near (the) equator ACADEMIC READING Reading Passage 1, Questions 1-13, 1c 2G B 1 agricultural waste targets coal 8. a vast market 9, Not Given 10. Not Given 11. True 12, False 13, Not Given Reading Passage 2, Questions 14-26 14.D 15. 16.E 17.B 18-22 INANY ORDER Questions 27-40 31. legal problems 32. market for e-books 33, retailers and publishers 34, book world35. manga comics 36. False 37. True 38. False 39, Not Given 40. True ‘Model and sample answers for TEST 1 writing tasks TEST 1, WRITING TASK 1 MODEL ANSWER The table tells us the percentages of Australian families that had six different household items~personal stereos, computers, TV sets, washing machines, refrigerators and hairdryers--in the years 1995 and 2002. ‘We can see that TV sets and reftigerators were the most widespread of the six items in 1995 and remained so in 2002. In 1995, 79% of families a TV set and 78% of them had a refrigerator. By 2002, these figures had risen to 93% and 96%, meaning that refrigerators had overtaken TV Australian family households, ets as the most common of the six items in fashing machines were in two-thirds (67%) of Australian family houscholds in 1995 and this percentage had risen to 60% in 2002. Almost half (44%) of Australian families had hairdryers in 1995. By 2002, two out of every three (67%) did. This rise of 23 percentage points was second only to the rise in the presence of computers. A third (33%) of Australian families had personal stereos in 1995 and by 2002 this had increased to a little under half (45%), The biggest increase was in the number of families with computers. The figure for 1995 was 18%, but this had ‘more than quadrupled by 2002 to 76%. Overall, the figures show that all six household appliances were more common in households in 2002 than in 1995, TEST 1, WRITING MODEL ANSWER Discussion about the eff ASK 2 4s of an aging population has become topical in many countries, including my own, in recent years. Many people are concemed about the relative increase in the number of people who have retired and therefore have to be supported by a relatively smaller number of working people. I think that this trend has both positive and negative effects on society. The main negative effect is that supporting retired people, either through direct financial support from children or through the tax and benefits system, will become more expensive. This means that cither financial support for retired people has to be cut or more money has to be found, either through workers paying more or by finding ‘more workers. In Europe and the trend is towards importing workers from other countries. This has led to heated debates about whether the immigrants can, or even should, integrate fully into European society. Some people believe that allowing mass immigration will undermine the values of the host country whereas others believe that having a variety of cultures aids social development. Japan has decided to import workers, but has also invested a lot of money in developing robots that can take over basic jobs done by humans. This, they hope, will reduce their reliance on foreign workers and avoid any cultural problems.There are also advantages to having an older population and these are often overlooked. Older people in developed countries where the proportion of the retired population is increasing fastest, are generally healthier than even This means that one way of increasing the number of workers and reduce the costs of having a large retired population is to increase the retirement age. A recent report in Britain suggested that the retirement age for ‘men be increased from 65 to 68, One result might be more respect for older workers, who are also more experienced, particularly in dealing with people. Another way of increasing the work force is to get more women. into full- ime employment. Most British women work, but less than half work full-time. Using this resource ‘would increase the status of women in society. In conclusion, an aging population can have both positive and negative effects on society, largely depending on how we react to it. Model answers for speaking tests Speaking Test 1 PART 1 Work + I'ma low-level civil servant, working at the Ministry of Transport. I help to assess pollution levels in Beijing. My office is very near to Xizhimen, which isa little ironic as that area has one of the highest levels of pollution in Beijing, + Iwas recommended to me by a professor at university. I had done some research on pollution levels whilst at university and he thought it might be something that would interest me. + Generally, I like it. It’s not very stressful and I like my colleagues. Most of the work is routine, so it can get a little boring. After three years, I'm beginning to think that I need a change. + For me, the most interesting thing is measuring pollution levels and comparing them to the data we collected on. other days, It might not sound too interesting to other people, but I enjoy it, Animals + Thave a pet rabbit. My friends often joke about when I'll finally to cook it for dinner. Of course, I have no intention of doing that! I call him Fluffy, because I heard that itis quite a common name for a rabbit. I feed him fruit and vegetables and sometimes get him some grass, though he doesn't seem to like that too much + Alot of people keep dogs and some people prefer cats. I often see people outside, walking their dogs, but of course, I've never seen anyone walking a cat! Other people keep fish in an aquarium. Some children keep mice or hamsters. + Yes. We have plenty of laws to protect wild animals, but they are not always enforced properly. People ‘occasionally kill wild animals for their fur, to eat, or to use in medicine. If they are caught, they can be punished very harshly, but that doesnt often happen. + Igo once or twice a year with my nephew. Like most kids, he likes watching the animals and sometimes tries to copy them. I think he's best at copying monkeys! Zoos are useful for teaching people, especially kids, about wild animals, but often the conditions are not very good. + I like tigers. In China, we call this animal the king of animals and we believe that it has special powers. Unfortunately, that’s why a few people hunt them. I like the way they move and their fur looks very smooth, though I've never actually touched one. + No, although I'm not sure I'd like to be in the sea with a shark or in a cage with a tiger! I mean, tigers are my favourite animal, but I know how dangerous they can be if they are hungry or if they feel threatened, Birthdays + People usually have a party with their family perhaps with their friends if they live in a different city to their family, like I do. The kind of party depends on the age of the person. Children have some friends join them athome, Adults prefer @ meal at a nice restaurant, A birthday cake is common, but not everybody likes sweet things so much, + The children often have a party at home whereas the adults go out to an expensive restaurant, We tend to spend a lot of money on birthdays in my family. + [think my 21st birthday was the best one, I was stil at university and my friends planned a party for me in our dormitory. Afterwards, we went out to a bar nearby. It was quite interesting because there was a group of girls at the bar, also celebrating a birthday, so we spent the evening with them. PART 2 read a news story recently about climate change and how it could affect the world, I read it online, but I can't remember exactly where, The article looked at the causes of climate change first of all, focussing on greenhouse gases that could eause the world to get warmer over time. Then, the article moved on to examine the different ‘ways in which this problem could be solved, Many of the methods focussed on how people could reduce their consumption of fuels like oil and coal, which are the main causes of the problem. These suggestions ranged from. switching to more energy efficient light bulbs through using public transport rather than cars, to persuading the ‘government to invest more in altemative fuels. I found the article interesting because it is connected to my work. I should also say that the article was in English, soit helped me to leam some useful new vocabulary. PART 3 T think that most people buy a daily newspaper to get the news. A lot of people also watch the news in the evening on TV, Many people get the local news either from a local newspaper or from the radio. The radio is especially popular with people who want to get traffic news, so you can often find people listening to the radio in their cars. Ifa person has 2 computer in their office, they probably read some news on the web + TV is much faster and also sometimes shows live stories. Both TV and newspapers use experts to discuss issues, but on TY they usually only have a few minutes to summarise a situation or argument. Newspapers can deal with issues in more depth. Many people in my country see certain newspapers as being more reliable than the TV news. Another thing to remember is that newspapers can be read almost anywhere, at anytime. + [think that quality newspapers are generally reliable. They look at news stories in depth and from different angles. Some people say that TV is more reliable because you can see a situation. The problem is that you only get, to sce a limited amount of footage. I think that the Intemet is the least reliable became often there is no control ‘over what is posted on it. + A good journalist or reporter should be independent, I mean that they should present both sides of a story. They also need to be observant, noticing things that other people might not see, Most of all, a good journalist or reporter needs to be inquisitive. They need to be able to continue investigating good stories. 1 almost forgot to mention something clse—a journalist or reporter should be good with words. I think we will sce more and more people using the Intemet, especially as hand-held devices become more popular. I think that TV will continue to be popular, but the future seems less certain for newspapers. My guess is that they will survive online, but that there may be fewer printed newspapers.