TRANSCRIPTS PART 4- 29.4.

2023
Part Four, you will hear part of a geography lecture about Robber Production.
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Speaker 2
0:06
First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40?
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Speaker 2
1:01
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40
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Speaker 3
1:09
Good morning. In this module we've been looking at the production of some of the world's most
important raw materials, and today it's the turn of rubber. Traditionally, natural rubber was
produced on small holdings, and in case you're not familiar with the process, I'll just describe it
briefly. The first stage in the process known as tapping involves making an incision in the rubber
tree and removing a thin layer of bark. This procedure has to be done very carefully with a
special knife. Because if the incision is too deep, the tree will be damaged, and a white liquid
known as latex starts to ooze out. Next, the tapper attaches a cup to the tree made out of
something simple like a coconut shell to collect it. Tapping is usually started in the early
morning, because the coolness encourages the latex to flow easily. Later in the day, the tapper
goes back to each tree to get the latex and take it to what you might call the factory. Although the
procedures that take place in it are relatively simple. Here, it is poured into a mold, and then
formic acid is added to it and the mixtures left for a few hours. The purpose of the formic acid is
to thicken the liquid latex. So after some time, the latex is transformed into a solid block of
rubber. This block of rubber is then pressed manually to turn it into a thin sheet. And then when
it's thin enough, the rubber sheet is fed through a Mangle. And I should point out that apart from
this no other machinery is used in the process. It's fairly simple, just a frame with two rollers and
a handle to turn them. The procedure is repeated several times to get rid of as much water as
possible. And finally, these sheets are taken to a special smoke room where they are dried. And
you're then left with what are by now sheets of brown rubber. These are then sold to traders who
collect them from villages and sell them on in turn.
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Speaker 3
3:26
Well, that's the process then. Now just a little bit about the history of rubber. Rubber was in use
in America long before it became commercially important. The rubber tree was a native of
Brazil. And there's an account from as long ago as 1525 of people in Mexico playing with rubber
balls. But it wasn't until the 19 century that Europeans recognize the usefulness of the substance
chiefly for clothing. Various attempts were made to improve the properties of rubber. One of the
key discoveries was of a process known as vulcanization, which involved heating the rubber and
adding sulfur to it. And the result was a substance that had a lot more strength and was also more
elastic, making it suitable for a variety of uses. But the thing that gave demand for rubber a real
boost was the expanding automobile industry at the end of the 19th century, and the invention of
car tires. During the 20th century, rubber became so important that there were various attempts

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to develop a synthetic version. But none of them resulted in a product that was able to compete
with natural rubber until Germany developed a successful substitute when its supplies of the
natural substance were cut off during the First World War. Later, this was accelerated when the
American government built its own rubber factories. So in economic terms, rubbers had an
outstanding position in the global market for more than 100 years.
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Speaker 4
5:10
That is the end of Part Four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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Speaker 4
6:17
That is the end of the listening test. You now have 10 Minutes to Transfer your answers to the
listening answer sheet
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You have two minutes Left
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You have one minute left?
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Speaker 4
16:28
Please stop writing and wait for your question booklet to be collected

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