LISTENING PRACTICE FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

CHAPTER 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE

Exercise 1:

For questions 11-15, listen to a radio interview in which a psychologist, Colin Fraser, talks
about cultural identity and choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D which fits best according
to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
11. When discussing his own cultural identity, Colin reveals
A. his resilience to changing cultures.
B. his unorthodox family background.
C. his ability to adapt.
D. his feeling of alienation.
12. What does Colin regard as the defining aspect of a person’s cultural identity?
A. the sense of birth right
B. the emotion it generates
C. the physical proximity to heritage
D. the symbols of tradition
13. What is the influence of a culture attributed to?
A. the dissemination of wisdom
B. connection between societies
C. knowledge of one’s background
D. the practice of archaic rituals
14. According to Colin, what makes a culture successful on the global scene?
A. its capacity for tolerance
B. its isolation from the mainstream
C. its aptitude for resolving conflicts
D. its ability to be self-effacing
15. During the conversation, Colin is
A. distinguishing between birthplace and residence.
B. advocating the celebration of heritage.
C. highlighting the diffences in societies.
D. addressing the issues raised by conflicting cultures
11. C
12. B
13. C
14. A
15. B

Interviewer: Hello listeners and welcome to the programme. Later we’ll be speaking to
community leader Jaqueline Epping about efforts to incorporate the wide diversity of residents in
her area, but up first we have psychologist Colin Fraser who is going to give us an insight into
why this incorporation is both necessary and beneficial. Welcome Colin.
Colin: Thank you, I’m happy to be here.
Interviewer: Now Colin, you’re a bit of a mixed bag aren’t you? You were born in Canada,
grew up in Scotland and now you reside in the States. So, if we’re talking about cultural identity,
what identity do you relate to?
Colin: I’ve also lived in England and France, and you’re right that I wasn’t born in Scotland but
my parents and my siblings were. In fact, my heritage goes back a number of years in that
country, so, even though I’m not Scottish by birth, I would have to say that I identify
predominantly with the Scottish culture. Having said that though, I think I’ve managed to
incorporate aspects of each of the cultures I’ve been exposed to. (11)
Interviewer: So what makes you predominantly Scottish?
Colin: Ooh, that’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many facets that make up a
person’s identity that I don’t think there’s one physical factor that I could point to and it’s
difficult to categorise culture. Some might say it’s determined by birth, but I think that’s too
simplistic. There’s more to it than that but without going to particulars, I would have to say I just
feel Scottish. And that, to me, is what’s important. I feel a sense of belonging, even when I’m
not there. (12) I went to a highland games recently, in America. You know, the outdoor event
with lots of kilts and caber tossing. It was great. Watching all the athletic events and dancing was
an amazing sensation. Even though it was a long way from Scotland, while I was there I just felt
at home. As soon as the mass pipe band started playing I was transported to what I consider my
homeland. And that’s key. Home is where the heart is as they say.
Interviewer: But how can a highland games in America make you feel at home if home is
thousands of miles away?
Colin: Because it’s not about the country, it’s the culture. Some of the biggest games are in
Canada and America and they’re a testimony to the importance of cultural identity. They were
born of the people who emigrated from Scotland to those countries, people who kept their
cultural roots alive and passed them down through the generations. The strength of their ties
stayed with them even as they were absorbed into another culture. Some people might suggest
that clinging to a bygone practice of cultural heritage is obsolete in today’s global society but I
think it is now in particular, with the interconnectedness of society, that the importance of
knowing who you are and where you come from becomes paramount. (13) There must be a
way of discerning oneself from the masses.
Interviewer: But wouldn’t that alienate a person from the culture they reside in?
Colin: On the contrary. In the global community, culture has to be accommodating. If it
excludes newcomers they will separate themselves from the indigenous population and that’s
when you get fractures in society, splinter groups of isolated people which can lead to conflict.
In order to avoid this, both the interloping and the native culture have to accept each other .
(14) There’s give and take as with any symbiotic relationship. But that doesn’t mean abandoning
your roots. It’s not just about how you see yourself but how the rest of the world views your
culture. If your culture translates well, you’re in luck. You can go anywhere just being yourself
and when you know yourself, the ability to accept others for who they are becomes much
simpler. You can appreciate their idiosyncrasies with greater ease.

Exercise 2. For questions 10-15, listen to a listen to a recording about someone giving advice
on how to ask their boss for a pay rise and choose the correct answer A, B or C which fits best
according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
10. The key factor when asking for a pay rise is
A. voicing your demands in a convincing way.
B. making it clear you feel undervalued.
C. proving you are an asset in the business.
D. comparing yourself to the rest of the staff.
11. If you have any failings, you should
A. check that no one knows about them.
B. put them right gradually so that it is not too obvious.
C. accentuate your strengths, such as punctuality.
D. make sure your boss likes you as a person.
12. When preparing what to say in your salary negotiation
A. put yourself in your superior's shoes.
B. do not forget that you really need that extra money.
C. make a list of all the points in your favor.
D. focus on what you can do for the company in the future.
13. What should you do if your boss raises objections to your pay rise?
A. pre-empt them by raising them yourself and giving a counter argument
B. make sure you can quote company rules to him or her
C. appreciate that your boss is only doing his or her job
D. accept any offer as it is better than nothing
14. During salary negotiations, it is important to
A. mention that the company is very successful.
B. ensure your boss is aware that you are taking these negotiations seriously.
C. arrange to see your boss early in the day when he or she is fresh.
D. try not to put your boss in an awkward position.
15. What should you do if you do not get a pay rise or as much as you wanted?
A. be prepared for a long drawn-out conflict
B. know that you might have to resign as a matter of principle
C. either have an alternative or ask for constructive criticism
D. either get a colleague to back you up or talk to your boss again soon

10. C 11. B 12. A 13. A 14. B 15. C

One of the most important situations in our professional life is when we feel we have to ask for a
pay rise. It can be awkward but if you aren't assertive and say what's on your mind, it may lead to
you feeling undervalued and having a negative attitude to your work and workplace.
A positive attitude, forward planning and perfect timing are the keys to getting a pay rise. You
may be asking for a number of reasons, ranging from a bigger workload or the increased cost of
living to the fact that you've found out that a colleague is getting more than you. But these
arguments will be secondary to your worth to the company.

Start by taking an objective look at your career. Are you good at your job? Are you punctual and
reliable? Do people know who you are, and for the right reasons? Are you worth more than
you're getting paid? If so, how much?

Are there any problems that you need to address? If so, make the changes subtly, over a
period of time. Bosses are not stupid, and sudden bouts of punctuality just prior to a pay
negotiation will seem like the worst type of creeping.

When planning your negotiation, don't base it on your gripes. Even if you think your future
in the company doesn't look too rosy, hear in mind the 'what's in it for me?' factor. You may
want extra money for all those things that are on your want list, for a holiday or a car, but your
boss will be more convinced by an argument based on your quality of work and dedication.

To strengthen your viewpoint, plan for potential objections. If your boss is going to resist,
what points is he or she likely to bring up? You could raise some first, along with
arguments in your defence. For example, the sort of line you could take is, 'I know most pay
rises are linked to set grades in this company, but I believe that my job has changed sufficiently
to make this an exceptional case.

Bartering can be embarrassing, but you will need to feel and sound confident. Remember that
negotiations are a normal part of business life. Never pluck a sum out of the air. Know exactly
what you will ask for and what you will settle for.

The timing of your communication can be crucial. Keep an eye on the finances and politics of
the company to avoid any periods of lay-offs or profit dips. If your boss can he moody, get an
appointment for his or her most mellow time of the day. Never approach the subject casually. An
on the hoof approach will make your boss twitchy.

There's always the chance that you won't get what you ask for. This is often the point at which
reasonable demands and negotiations can turn into conflict. Never issue ultimatums, and don't
say you'll resign if you don't mean it. Boost your confidence and your argument by having a
backup plan (that is, what you'll do if you don't get the pay rise you want). Plan for the future
by staying positive, asking when you could next apply and what can be done in the
meantime to help your case.
Exercise 3:

For questions 10-15, listen to a recording about rudeness and choose the correct answer A, B,
C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
10. What is the main point of the anecdote Jeff tells?
A. That the young seem to lack social skills.
B. That it’s an all too familiar sight these days.
C. It’s the same thing as using your phone in the theatre.
D. They are no better than the Internet trolls.
11. What does Jeff say about the “death of deference”?
A. People no longer care what others think of them.
B. Teenagers didn’t want their behavior to be disapproved of.
C. For the most part, it had positive effects on society.
D. It made people disrespect those in authority.
12. What does Laura imply about teenage behavior?
A. There’s nothing that can be done about it.
B. That it’s not entirely their fault.
C. It’s worse nowadays than previously.
D. They are not taught how to behave.
13. How does Jeff respond to Laura’s opinion of teenagers?
A. He believes it is all their fault.
B. He thinks they are not properly brought up.
C. Those in charge of children should take responsibility.
D. He thinks she is just making excuses for bad behavior.
14. Both Jeff and Laura seem to agree that
A. A little bit of rudeness is a good thing.
B. Parents don’t teach their children how to converse.
C. The young don’t understand adult conversation.
D. The art of conversation has declined.
15. What does Laura say about modern technology and teenage behavior?
A. It has an effect on the development of social skills.
B. It is wholly responsible for today’s lack of social skills.
C. They become insulting and threatening.
D. They can hide from the world behind technology.

Your answers
10. A 11. C 12. B 13. C 14. D 15. A

Int: Today we’re going to discuss the topic of rudeness and if people today are ruder than they
were, say, thirty years ago. My guests are Laura Barnes and Jeff Swain, who edit the society
pages of their newspapers. So, Jeff, are we ruder these days?

M: Well, we’re all familiar with it, aren’t we? Loud conversation on mobile phones on buses and
trains and even theaters and cinemas; queue – barging, road rage – I could go on. And there are
those dreadful people, Internet trolls I think they are called, who send revolting messages, even
death threats, to people whose opinion they disagree with. Another thing, the other day I was in a
café, and there were three or four teenagers sitting at one of the table and they didn’t say a word
to each other the whole time they were there – just playing with their mobile phones. Do they
not know how to engage socially?

Int: So, what are the reasons for this new rudeness, and is it mainly confined to young people?

M: Young people are certainly much ruder than I would have dared to be when I was a teenager.
I say “Dared” because there were rules, if you like, and you risked disapproval if you broke
them. Perhaps that’s the problem; people don’t know what inappropriate behavior is anymore – r
they don’t care. Or the rules have changed. As to how it all happened, well, there are lots of
things to factor in. But I believe it began about the 1980s and 60s with the death of deference.
You know, automated respect for all elders and betters. We began to question the wisdom of
their decisions and their competence, and wonder how such fools got to the top of the pile
in the first place. All this was for the better, I think, as it broke down barriers in society
and was a move to greater equality. But I suppose once the floodgates are opened…

F: You may be right about that, but I don’t entirely agree with you about teenagers. I am not
saying they can’t be taught manners and social skills, but they have always been rude, ruder than
other age groups. Social ineptitude, lack of confidence, shyness, self-absorption – these are the
afflictions of the young. They just don’t have enough experience, awareness of others and
knowledge to cope. And certainly, these traits are not helped by the wired-up society we
live in.

M: Just a minute. Previous generation had no problems with manners and appropriate social
behavior. If teenagers have been rude throughout the ages, why are they worse now than ever
before? I was brought up with the basic good manners of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and thank-
you notes for gifts received, all that, so by the time I was a teenager, it was as natural as
breathing. I think parents and schools play a big part in all this.

F: Mm. I think a lot of parents would rather be their child’s friend rather than parent, which
sends out confusing messages and lessons in social behavior go by the wayside. Good manners
have to be taught, talked about and put into practice, and not a lot of that goes on these days.

Int: This being England, do you think there’s a class aspect to this?

F: You mean, are some classes ruder than others? I think it’s more of a pandemic, across all
classes and types. In fact, if you ask around in other countries, you’ll find that the whole world is
getting ruder.

M: It reminds me of a saying I heard about how a gentleman is never rude by accident. We’re not
allowed to give offence anymore. The English, or certain classes of the English, used to be very
good at being rude, or hurtful, by being polite. It’s an art form that still lives here and there,
but seems not to be passed on the younger generations anymore. So often they miss the point
– and irony is a no – go area.

F: But that’s often for the best of reasons. They think irony is exclusive, and they don’t want to
hurt people’s feelings. Which, despite all we’ve said, is good manners, if a little unexciting. But
then, political correctness has done away with a lot of things, not least wit, nuance and irony in
conversation, or the understanding of them.

Int: You mentioned social media earlier – how big a part does this play in the new
rudeness?

F: Quite big, I would say. Some people believe it’s entirely technology-driven. There are two
main strands to their argument: First, that it allows you to be anonymous, so you can insult or
threaten anybody at any time without anyone knowing who you are; secondly, that people are so
addicted to their electronic devices they are oblivious to the world around them. This, I think,
makes them miss the opportunity to learn how to interact with others of all types and ages.

Int: It’s all a bit worrying, isn’t it? But I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got time for today, so my
thanks to Laura and Jeff, and don’t forget to tune in on Friday

Exercise 4

For questions 10-15, listen to a radio discussion in which two writers, Tom Blake and Sally
Beauchamp, talk about their careers and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits
best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
10. What does Tom say about wanting to be a writer?
A. He had no idea that he would become a writer.
B. It was something he’d made up his mind to be.
C. It was always a possibility as a career.
D. He had no idea how one became a writer.
11. How does Tom feel about his contemporaries’ career choices at school?
A. He was baffled by their certainty.
B. He thought they lacked experience.
C. They hadn’t made their own decisions.
D. They were all following in their fathers’ footsteps.
12. What did it take Tom a long time to understand about American writers?
A. the importance of romance in their daily lives
B. the fact that their lives mirrored his own so closely
C. the influence that other people had on their writing
D. The practical considerations of time and money
13. How did Sally begin writing?
A. She was urged to write by her parents.
B. She became a journalist like her parents.
C. Early on she started to keep a journal.
D. Negative experiences created a need to express herself.
14. What does Sally say about journalism?
A. It provides her with story ideas.
B. It gives her less time for fiction.
C. It doesn’t bring in enough money.
D. It interferes with family life.
15. What aspect of the writing life do they both agree on?
A. It’s important for writers to have wide experience.
B. Writing fiction doesn’t provide a reliable income.
C. Writers tend to become self-absorbed and egocentric.
D. Journalism is the best way into becoming a writer.

Your answers
10. C 11. A 12. D 13. C 14. B 15. B

Int: Good morning. In the studio with me today are two writers who have both made a name for
themselves and won some of the top prizes, but became professional writers by quite different
routes. First you, Tom. What made you want to become a writer?

Tom: I could say that I always wanted to be a writer, but for a long time I had no idea of
what I wanted to do as a career. But it was always there in my mind. I was an avid reader, as
all writers are. But I didn’t get down to any serious writing until after I left school. I couldn’t
understand those children at school who knew from the age of, say, thirteen or fourteen,
exactly what career they wanted to follow, be it a lawyer, doctor, banker, soldier – and there
were several of those: I went to the kind of school where middling income and military types
sent their sons. Many were going into the family business. I thought, you’re too young to decide
now, you need to go out there and try different things before you decide.

Int: And did you?

Tom: Well I have done several kinds of job, many menial, as did some of my writing heroes, but
that was from economic necessity. You see, at first I had this romantic notion of what a writer’s
life was like. I had been reading the American writers of the early and middle twentieth century,
Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and so on, and they seemed to have a wonderful time. If you read their
biographies it seems that all they did was have parties and travel to exotic places and meet
interesting people. That’s the life for me, I thought. I was slow to ask questions like, when they
found the time to write, and where the money came from, but I got there in the end.

Int: What about you, Sally? Is it something you always wanted to do?

Sally: Yes, it was. I’m a bit like one of Tom’s school mates who followed in their father’s, both
parents in my case, footsteps. They were journalists, not novelists, but writing was part of our
lives. I just seem to have absorbed it, and started writing a diary as soon as I could put pen,
or rather crayon, to paper. Soon it felt like a bad day if I hadn’t written something. At the age
the world was a marvel, full of wonders and strange, to a child, goings – on. It still is.

Int: Now, you’ve both been journalists at one time or another. Was that helpful to you as a fiction
writer?

Sally: I wasn’t a journalist who went out hunting for stories. I was asked to review one or two
books after my first novel was published. The editor liked what I’d done and I got a weekly
column. It’s helpful in that it keeps me in the loop about what’s going on in contemporary
fiction, but the downside is it takes up time that should be spent writing my own stuff. And
time is at a premium, because I have two young children, and that’s pretty much a full-time job
in itself. On the plus side again, it keeps my critical faculties sharp, because you have to be a
good critic of your own work. And the money helps, of course: you can’t live off what your
fiction earns you unless you’re a best seller. You need a regular income, especially with a
family.

Int: Tom?

Tom: Yes, you need a steady flow of cash, even though I’ve managed to avoid the pram in
the hallway, a famous enemy of promise. Was journalism helpful? I think so, yes; and I still
take on assignments when offered them when I need the cash. I think it helps in that with news
stories you should keep out the personal, it’s not about you or how you feel, but about others and
the world at large. You get to know a lot more of the variety of life and other cultures first hand,
than you ever could if you just sat at your desk conjuring up imaginary worlds. Don’t get me
wrong, some great novels have been written that way, but I think writing is enriched by greater
experience. But I think too many writers these days are self-absorbed and their books shine a
light on little more than their personalities - which may or may not be interesting.

Sally: Well, we each do what we can cultivate the patch of ground we’ve been given to cultivate.
I went straight from school to do a creative writing course at university, and my first novel was
published shortly after that. So do I haven’t seen as much of the world as Tom or experienced the
dangers he has covering disaster areas…
Tom: I wasn’t including you in that category. You have the talent to go with the craftsmanship of
the true writer. I’m still dreaming of parties and exotic travel.

Int: I’m afraid I’m going to have to stop you there as we’ve run out of time. Thank you both for
joining us at this early hour.

Exercise 5:

For questions 10-15, listen to an interview in which two people, Dana Singleton and Joe
Fahey, talk about transport and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best
according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
10. What does Dana say about her reason for joining the Accident Prevention Board?
A. She did it after being involved in an accident herself.
B. She felt strongly about what they were doing.
C. She was close to someone who had been an accident victim.
D. She felt pressure from people she worked with.
11. The interviewer mistakenly believes that the number of serious road accidents
A. has recently overtaken the number of accidents on public transport.
B. is presently at an all-time high.
C. is a direct result of more aggressive drivers on the roads.
D. has risen in proportion to the number of cars on the roads.
12. According to the statistics Dana quotes, there were more serious accidents per year
A. before 1926.
B. between 1926 and 1970.
C. between 1970 and 1990.
D. after 1990.
13. Which of the following facts about public transport does Joe not state?
A. Public transport has a relatively poor safety record.
B. People sometimes feel intimidated when using public transport.
C. The high cost of public transport puts a number of people off.
D. Most complaints are about unreliable services.
14. According to Joe, public transport would improve if the government
A. improved the road network.
B. made it free to travel by bus.
C. re-allocated public spending.
D. banned certain cars from roads.
15. What best sums up Dana’s and Joe’s opinions on driverless cars?
A. Joe feels more strongly that they could help the situation.
B. Dana disagrees with Joe that they are the transport of the future.
C. They share the same views on introducing them gradually.
D. They agree that the poor infrastructure will cancel out any benefit.

Your answers
10. B 11. D 12. B 13. A 14. C 15. D

Int: If you’re listening on the bus or train, or in your car, this next item might be of special
interest to you. I’m joined by Dana Singleton from the Accident Prevention Board, or APB, and
Joe Fahey, who is a long-time campaigner for greater use of public transport. Dana, I’d like to
start with you. To become a member of a board such as the APB, you must have felt strongly
about road safety. What made you take a stand?

F: Well, unlike many people, I’m very lucky in that I didn't suffer a personal injury…. that's
often what motivates people to campaign and join movements, isn't it? But in a way, that’s
exactly the reason…. I was one of the lucky ones…. And I’ve since worked with many
colleagues who were victims. Every day, we read about accidents, and I just happened to ask
myself, ‘Who’s doing anything to stop them?’ So, when I found the answer, I joined them
because …..stand up for what you believe in, and all that.

Int: The APB deals with everything from industrial accidents to safety in the home, am I right?

F: Yes, and I‘ve worked in several fields but, for the last year, I‘ve been compiling information
for a report specifically on road safety. It’s going to make for horrific reading, with around
200,000 accidents a year leading to injury or death.
Int: I suppose with the increase in the number of cars on the roads; it’s inevitable that the
number of accidents goes up too. You must feel like you’re fighting a losing battle
sometimes.

F: It’s actually not what you think. Yes, the number of cars on the road is increasing, but fatal
accidents are going down, and have been doing so far many years. If you look at historical
statistics, the number of serious road accidents after we started keeping records in 1926 has
routinely been three or four times higher than today. It was only in 1970 that a major
decline started, and since 1990, most years have recorded the lowest since records began…. so
something is happening.

Int: I must say I find that quite shocking. Not at all what I expected.

F: But encouraging at that same time. It’s still too many, and much more can be done, but it’s
nice to be able to present the public with something positive.

Int: Yes, indeed. Joe Fahey is sitting patiently here. Joe, if you had your way, more people would
be using public transport, wouldn’t they?

M: That’s right. But we’d still need people like Dana because, well, accidents will happen. What
I believe is that we need to make public transport an appealing and viable choice. Safety is only
one reason for this…we also need to take into account our carbon footprint and the effect on the
environment…. but also our quality of life in terms of cutting down noise and reducing stress.
We think that public transport can do all those things very effectively. So what’s stopping more
people from using public transport?

M: There are several factors. Above all, people complain about the service, and studies have
shown that delays and canceled services are the most likely to send people away from
public transport and back into cars. High fares are also quoted by many – for some
journeys it is cheaper to buy and run a car than it is to use the train, let’s say. And there is
a perception among many that their personal safety is somehow compromised on public
transport, with a typical complaint being from late-night bus travelers who feel a sense of
threat or intimidation from fellow travelers….Although I have to say that with the rise of
road-rage incidents among car drivers, this is pretty much a misconception – the danger is
perceived to be greater, whereas, in reality, it isn't.

Int: I think we’ve all experienced at least one of these problems. What can be done?

M: I think it comes down to better management, and that needs intervention from central
government. Yes, the road network needs improvement, but with greater investment in bus
services and train networks, we could manage very well with the roads we have. All the
problems I mentioned can be solved; we just need to have the political will to do so.
Unfortunately, the government doesn’t see that their massive expenditure on road projects can be
avoided simply by boosting the existing rail network. That would take cars off the roads, freeing
them up for buses.
F: You see, I agree with Joe. People are going to continue their attachment to cars unless we can
offer them a more attractive alternative. We’ve made a lot of progress in some cities and the
work of some transport departments is admirable. We just need to do more. From the safety point
of view, public transport has an incredibly good record. We can make cars and roads
safer….and we are doing so…..but they’ll never be as safe as public transport. It goes back to
what you said about the number of cars on the road.

Int: What about driverless cars….would they help?

F: I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of faith in them. I mean, technology goes wrong sometimes too…
and the transition period seems problematic because we’re not going to switch overnight so there
will be a mix of transport types on the same roads. That worries me. But it’s the road situation
that bothers me more. Time and time again, we have seen new roads built to handle way
more capacity, and yet within a few years, the traffic grinds to a standstill. It’s not a
solution, is it?

M: No, Dana’s right. Driverless cars are still cars, and unless we can build a future – roof
road network, the same problems of safety and congestion will always arise.

Int: We’re going to take a short break now, but we’ll be back in a few minutes when I’ll be
asking…..
Exercise 6.

For questions 10-15, listen to a radio discussion about children who invent imaginary friends
and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
10. In the incident that Liz describes
A. her daughter asked her to stop the car.
B. she had to interrupt the journey twice.
C. she got angry with her daughter.
D. her daughter wanted to get out of the car.
11. What does the presenter say about the latest research into imaginary friends?
A. It contradicts other research on the subject.
B. It shows that the number of children who have them is increasing.
C. It indicates that negative attitudes towards them are wrong.
D. It focuses on the effect they have on parents.
12. How did Liz feel when her daughter had an imaginary friend?
A. always confident that it was only a temporary situation
B. occasionally worried about the friend's importance to her daughter
C. slightly confused as to how she should respond sometimes
D. highly impressed by her daughter's inventiveness
13. Karen says that one reason why children have imaginary friends is that
A. they are having serious problems with their real friends.
B. they can tell imaginary friends what to do.
C. they want something that they cannot be given.
D. they want something that other children haven't got.
14. Karen says that the teenager who had invented a superhero is an example of
A. a very untypical teenager.
B. a problem that imaginary friends can cause.
C. something she had not expected to discover.
D. how children change as they get older.
15. According to Karen, how should parents react to imaginary friends?
A. They should pretend that they like the imaginary friend.
B. They shouldn't get involved in the child's relationship with the friend.
C. They should take action if the situation becomes annoying.
D. They shouldn't discuss the imaginary friend with their child.

Your answers
10. B 11. C 12. A 13. C 14. C 15. B

Presenter: Today we're talking about children and their tendency to have imaginary friends. Liz
McManus has a daughter called Caitlin, who's eight now. When she was three, she had an
imaginary friend called Tytner. Liz, tell us about Caitlin and Tytner.

Mother: Well, give you an example. One day I was driving Caitlin and Greg, her baby brother,
home when she solemnly informed me that Tytner was hitting the baby. So I said: 'You tell
Tytner that if he does that again, he'll be walking home.' Fifteen seconds later came the
inevitable news: 'He's just done it again, Mummy.' So I found myself in the embarrassing
position of having to pull over, open the back door and say to this imaginary little boy.
`Tytner, out, now!' And of course, as we drove off, Caitlin started crying because her friend was
standing on the pavement all alone. I had to turn back and go through the rigmarole of
pulling over and opening the door to pick him up again.

Presenter: Wow, that's some story! But in fact, Caitlin is no different from many children
and her invented, make-believe friend is far from unusual. As many as 65% of children
have had an imaginary friend at some point in their lives. The latest research suggests that
invisible friends, far from being a cause for concern, should be welcomed by parents
because they can help children to be more creative, confident and articulate, and have
more advanced communication skills. It is thought that these findings will help reverse
misconceptions about children with imaginary friends and that they will come to be seen as
having an advantage, rather than a problem that needs to be worried about. Did it worry you,
Liz?

Mother: I know it does lots of parents but I never fretted about it, I think I was just amused. I'd
be reading to her and I'd say, 'Is Tytner around?' and she'd say, 'Yes, he's just sitting at the end of
the bed.' He became the centre of her life. She'd have tea parties with him, and he'd go to bed
with her. She was shy and this was her answer. I knew she would grow out of it.
Presenter: Now Liz is one of 15 people taking part in a study of imaginary friends at the
Institute of Education in London, run by Karen Majors, an education psychologist and lecturer at
the institute. Karen, should parents worry about it?

Expert: Well, parents sometimes think, 'Is this healthy and how long should it go on for?' But it
is a normal phenomenon for normal children. And it's very healthy.

Presenter: Why do children invent imaginary friends?

Expert: I think that children create pretend friends for many reasons: as safe, trustworthy best
friends at a time when they are just starting to make real friends; as someone to confide in; and
as someone to play with. Sometimes it is about wish fulfilment; children who cannot have a
pet, for example, will invent one. I interviewed one little girl, aged six, who had a pony called
Minty for several years. It went to school with her and the teachers knew all about it. It was a
really strong relationship.

Presenter: Presumably, when they get older, children no longer have these imaginary friends.
Karen?

Expert: Well, my most surprising finding is that children don't always stop having these
made-up playmates when they start school. The imaginary friends often stay with them
through their teenage years, providing comfort and escape - although in secret. One
teenager I talked to had invented a superhero to help him through tricky patches. When
things hadn't gone well at school, he would come home and play with the superhero, for
whom everything always went well.

Presenter: How should parents treat these invisible people, Karen?

Expert: Well, sometimes of course, parents get irritated by them - for instance, if a child insists
on having the playmate at the dinner table with an imaginary setting and glass. Actually I myself
had a friend called Tiger when I was young, who would sit beside me at mealtimes. But I don't
think parents should tell children off for this kind of thing, or tell them that their friends
are not real. Perhaps the best way is Liz's down-to-earth approach.

Presenter: How did you handle it, Liz?

Mother: Well, I patiently acknowledged Caitlin's playmate but I tried not to get involved. I
never used to have to get out of the friend's way or anything. Other than that one incident in the
car, Caitlin's imaginary friend didn't impinge on my life.

Expert: Yes, I agree that parents should recognize imaginary friends, but they shouldn't try to
overly influence the friendship. Parents who interfere too much risk driving their children's
playmates away. If they try to direct the friends, they could spoil the fantasy altogether.

Presenter: Fascinating subject, thanks for coming in to talk about it, Liz and Karen.
Exercise 7
For questions 10-15, listen to a radio discussion about writing a novel and choose the correct
answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
10. What does Louise say about Ernest Hemingway's advice to writers?
A. It is useful to a certain extent.
B. It applies only to inexperienced novelists.
C. It wasn't intended to be taken seriously.
D. It might confuse some inexperienced novelists.
11. Louise says that you need to get feedback when you
A. have not been able to write anything for some time.
B. are having difficulty organizing your ideas.
C. are having contrasting feelings about what you have written.
D. have finished the book but not shown it to anyone.
12. Louise says that you should get feedback from another writer because
A. it is easy to ignore criticism from people who are not writers.
B. another writer may be kinder to you than friends and relatives.
C. it is hard to find other people who will make an effort to help you.
D. another writer will understand what your intentions are.
13. What does Louise regard as useful feedback?
A. a combination of general observations and detailed comments
B. both identification of problems and suggested solutions
C. comments focusing more on style than on content
D. as many points about strengths as weaknesses
14. What does Louise say about the people she gets feedback from?
A. Some of them are more successful than her.
B. She doesn't only discuss writing with them.
C. She also gives them feedback on their work.
D. It isn't always easy for her to get together with them.
15. One reaction to feedback that Louise mentions is that
A. it is justified but would require too much effort to act on.
B. it focuses on unimportant details rather than key issues.
C. it has been influenced by reading other people's novels.
D. it is not suggesting that major changes to the novel are required.
Your answers
10. A 11. C 12. D 13. B 14. C 15. A

Interviewer: OK, in our weekly spot about how to write a novel, I'm talking to novelist Louise
Doughty. Louise, this week we're talking about getting comments and feedback on your work
from other people. 'If there is anything in your own work you think particularly fine,' said Ernest
Hemingway, 'strike it out.' Is that good advice?

Novelist: Well, few would-be novelists aspire to be as plain and brutal as Hemingway, I suspect,
but his dictum is still worth tucking into a corner of your brain — not to be followed
slavishly, but as an antidote to that great curse of the inexperienced novelist: over-writing.

Interviewer: How do you know if you are over-writing?

Novelist: Well, an excess of adverbs and adjectives is a clue. Repetition under the guise of
emphasis is another, and extended metaphors should be rationed tightly.

Interviewer: Now, there comes a point in the writing of every novel when you just don't know
anymore. You've been immersed in it for weeks, possibly years. You've lost sight of the
original impetus behind the book and are plagued with self-doubt — yet at the same time
you know there is something there and are not ready to give up on it.

Novelist: Yes, and this is the point at which you should be getting feedback.

Interviewer: From whom?

Novelist: As a rule, I'd advise against getting it from your nearest and dearest. You will be
wounded by their criticism and suspicious of their praise. Instead, join a writing community of
some sort. You need comments from another writer. Those who have been logging onto my
website will know that such a community has formed there. Creative writing courses and book
groups are also good places to find like-minded souls. Through such contacts, you can find
someone who understands what you are trying to do — which is not the same as someone
who is uncritical of the way you do it. There is a time and a place for emotional support, but
that is not what we are talking about here.

Interviewer: What kind of comments are useful in your view?

Novelist: Well, you need someone who is prepared to say, 'I really like the opening
paragraph but I thought it went a bit wrong after that because ...' and, crucially, is
prepared to be specific. 'I just didn't like him' is not a helpful comment on a character. 'I lost
sympathy with him in the scene where he tells his brother the truth because I thought he was too
brutal. Maybe you should re-write it making his motivation clearer and his language softer.'
That is useful advice: you can choose whether to take it or discard it. Similarly, at the level
of prose style, some well-meaning person might say 'It's a bit boring', but a helpful critic would
say 'You have three paragraphs of description here before you tell us who is talking; maybe you
should consider starting the conversation first and weaving all the description in, instead of
having it all in one chunk.'

Interviewer: How do you personally get feedback on your work?

Novelist: The most fruitful relationships I have with other writers are with the novelists
with whom I swap work - usually the person whose novel is under discussion pays for
dinner. If you can find other novelists who are working at a similar level to yourself, with
similar interests, and who are frank and unafraid of frankness from you, then keep them close at
hand.

Interviewer: Now what about reactions to feedback? We've talked about getting it, but what
about when you've got it?

Novelist: Well, even with a trusted ally, there comes a point when you have to stick to your guns
and say, 'This person whom I really respect doesn't like this bit but I do and it's staying in.' And
of course, feedback can be annoying. For a start, a lot of the criticism you receive will be stuff
which you knew already in your heart of hearts - you were just hoping nobody else would notice.
And sometimes, you will bristle at a certain comment on your work, not because it is
untrue but because the consequences of righting that particular defect are too daunting to
contemplate at that particular time - accurate criticism is the most painful of all. On other
occasions, you will have a gut feeling that the person reading your work just doesn't `get' it, or
wants you to write a different novel entirely. Frequently, the only way to work out if criticism is
useful is to nod sagely, then file it in a drawer. When the wounds have healed over and your ego
is not under immediate threat, then you will be able to assess its true worth.

Interviewer: Right. Now let's move on to talk about ...

Exercise 8.
For questions 10-15, listen to a radio interview with a chef about the process of eating and
choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
10. Heston mentions eating fish from a paper plate with a plastic knife and fork
A. because it is something listeners may have done.
B. because doing so made him think about the process of eating.
C. as an example of an unpleasant eating experience.
D. as an example of what influences the eating experience.
11. What does Heston say about taste?
A. Fat should be considered a taste.
B. Taste and flavor are separate from each other.
C. The sense of smell is involved in it.
D. The number of taste buds gradually decreases.
12. The experiment involving salt and other food shows that
A. it is possible to taste something that you can't smell.
B. the sense of smell is not as powerful as other senses.
C. food can taste better when you can't smell it.
D. the flavor of food can change as you eat it.
13. The story about the trainee waiters illustrates that
A. certain colors are more appealing than others.
B. something can seem to taste good because of its appearance.
C. one sense can strongly influence another.
D. some people can perceive taste better than others.
14. What does Heston say about bitterness?
A. It can give a false impression that something is harmful.
B. It can become the main reason why people like something.
C. Reactions to it can change over time.
D. Its function is widely misunderstood.
15. The problem with the dish Heston describes was caused by
A. its appearance.
B. the taste of it.
C. its combination of flavors.
D. the fact that people ate it repeatedly.

Your answers
10. D 11. B 12. A 13. C 14. C 15. A
Interviewer: I'm talking to chef Heston Blumenthal. Now, Heston, most of us think that the
business of eating is pretty simple, don't we? We eat things and, we like the taste of them or we
don't, but you reckon it's more complicated than that, don't you?

Chef: Yes, eating is a process that involves all the senses. Any notion that food is simply about
taste is misguided. Try eating a beautifully cooked piece of fish off a paper plate with a
plastic knife and fork - it is not the same.

Interviewer: So how does taste operate then?

Chef: The sense of taste can be broken down into five basic categories, all of which happen in
the mouth and nowhere else. These categories are salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami - the most
recently identified taste. There is a current theory that fat is a taste but this has yet to be
proved. We have up to 10,000 taste buds on the tongue and in the mouth. These regenerate,
so the receptors we use today will not be the same as were used a couple of days ago. When
we eat, taste buds on our tongue pick up taste but not flavor. The molecules in food that
provide flavor pass up into the olfactory bulb situated between the eyes at the front of the brain.
It contains hundreds of receptors that register molecules contained in everything that we eat and
smell. This is where the flavor of the food is registered.

Interviewer: OK, so our sense of smell is connected with flavor rather than taste? Is that what
you're saying?

Chef: That's right. Smell and taste are registered in different parts of the head. There is a
simple but effective and enjoyable way of demonstrating this. Have ready some table salt and
biscuits, fruits or anything easy to eat. Squeeze your nostrils tightly enough to prevent breathing
through them, but not so tight as to hurt. Take a good bite of biscuit or fruit and start chomping,
making sure the nostrils remain clenched. You'll notice that it is impossible to perceive the flavor
or smell of the food being eaten. Now, with nostrils still squeezed and food still in the mouth,
lick some salt. Although it was impossible to detect the flavor of the food that was being
eaten with clenched nostrils, the taste of the salt is unhindered. Finally, let go of your
nostrils and notice the flavor of the food come rushing into your headspace.

Interviewer: I'll definitely try that sometime. So what you're saying is that all the senses can
affect your experience when you eat?

Chef: Yes, the brain has to process the information given to it by other senses while we are
eating, sometimes with surprising results. Here's another example. A few years ago at a
sommelier school in France, trainee wine waiters were put through a routine wine tasting.
Unknown to them, a white wine that they had just tasted had been dyed red with a non-
flavored food dye, then brought back out to taste and evaluate. Something very interesting
happened. They all made notes on the assumption that the wine was what it looked like -
red. In this case, the eyes totally influenced taste perception.
Interviewer: OK, so it's not just about taste, all the senses are coming into play in different
ways.

Chef: Yes, and as well as allowing us to enjoy food, the senses act as warning systems, taste
being the last of the sensory barriers, and bitterness the last of the taste barriers. A natural
aversion to bitterness can prevent us from eating foods that could be harmful, although it
appears that we have the ability to modify such basic likes and dislikes. For example, we
generally grow to like bitter foods such as tea, coffee and beer as we grow older.

Interviewer: What got you interested in this business of the role played by various senses in the
experience of eating? Was it just professional curiosity?

Chef: Well, I began thinking about this whole subject a couple of years ago when I noticed that
more and more customers at my restaurant were commenting on the fact that the red cabbage
with grain-mustard ice cream served as an appetizer just got better each time they ate it. This was
the only dish on the menu whose recipe had not changed over the past year. It seemed that the
barrier being presented with this dish was the vivid purple color of the cabbage, a color not
normally associated with food. To some diners, the initial difficulty of accepting this color
interfered with the appreciation of the dish, but as they got used to it, they lost their
inhibition and simply enjoyed its flavor.

Interviewer: I see. Now, of course, the sense of smell must come ...

Exercise 9. For questions 10-15, listen to an interview with an IT consultant called Paul about
how he started his own business and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best
according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
10. That does Paul say about the first years of his working life?
A. He got a teaching post in the university where he had studied.
B. His first job began to feel rather monotonous as time went by.
C. The kind of tasks he was instructed to do gradually changed.
D. The work became less enjoyable when some colleagues moved away.
11. What does Paul say made him decide to start his own consultancy business?
A. He was persuaded to do so by some friends.
B. He read a book which inspired him to take action.
C. He thought he could take advantage of a growing trend.
D. He realized he had the skills to make a success of his own company.
12. What does Paul suggest is his favorite type of client?
A. people he knew when he was a student
B. people recommended by agents
C. people he has met at conferences
D. people he has worked with previously
13. What does Paul find the most difficult aspect of running his business?
A. gaining a quick understanding of an unfamiliar situation
B. setting fees that match the effort involved
C. making a good impression on a new team of people
D. getting reliable advice from financial experts
14. What does Paul say about the way he uses a business mentor?
A. He uses his mentor differently from the way others use theirs.
B. He finds his mentor often comes up with fresh ideas for his business.
C. He gets information about the latest business theories from his mentor.
D. He likes to gets his mentor's reactions to plans that he is considering.
15. Paul explains that in the coming year he is going to
A. employ some new consultants.
B. have more variety in his work.
C. move to a more convenient office.
D. learn some additional skills.

10. B 11. C 12. D 13. A 14. D 15. B

Interviewer: So, Paul, you run your own IT consultancy business now. How did your career
start?

Paul: Well, after graduating in computer science, I got a job in the technical support team of the
university where I'd studied. I really enjoyed both the company of my colleagues and the
technically challenging and interesting tasks I had to deal with, but after a few years, I began
to see the same issues coming up again and again. Several members of the team left, as it was
all getting much less stimulating.

Interviewer: So what made you actually decide to set up your own consultancy?

Paul: Well, it seemed to me that there was going to be a trend among many organizations
towards taking on short - term external consultants for IT rather than employing a
permanent in-house team. And I thought that would be an interesting way for me to go. I'm
friends with a couple of guys who have a small start-up and they'd been operating for a few
years. I wasn't sure I could do it, but they helped me get started. They gave me much more
sensible advice than I've ever seen in any book or article for would-be entrepreneurs.

Interviewer: How do you get new clients?

Paul: Well, work is certainly erratic. For months, I might only have recurring clients, and then
suddenly could get four new ones in the same week. There's no one reliable source of work, so I
diversify. I get a fair amount of work from recruitment agents, but some of the jobs they provide
are not terribly challenging. And I get some work from people I was at uni with. I suppose
about half of my work is repeat business from people I've helped before, and I like that.
You start out from a position of knowing and trusting each other. Also, I go to conferences
to meet people and to promote myself and my business. I've been told that there's at least a two-
to three-year lag between presenting at conferences and getting work from them, so I'm not yet
sure how much business is going to come to me that way.

Interviewer: What is the hardest part of running your business?

Paul: At first, I found it extremely difficult to know what to charge clients. I ended up drastically
undercharging on a number of occasions before I realized I needed to get some financial advice
from an expert. That helped me enormously. It's often said that the first week in business is the
hardest. In my case, as I'm always moving on to provide support in a different company
nearly every week is in the sense the first week. I often have just that week to make a
difference to that team, and that's a challenge but, fortunately, I like challenges!

Interviewer: Would you say you have a business mentor?

Paul: Sure. My business mentor is an old friend of mine. He recently finished a Master's in
Business Administration and we talk every week about how I might develop my company. I
wouldn't say I have a clear idea about how other people use a business mentor - and it's quite
possible they do things very differently - but I have found our conversations very useful. It's
great to have someone experienced to sound ideas off. I have great faith in his instincts.

Interviewer: What are your plans for this year?

Paul: Well, we've just moved to a great new office in the center of town, so we'll enjoy being
based there. I'm considering taking on a couple of new staff to keep things ticking over there
while I deal with clients. I've got some very different new projects lined up over the next 12
months, so I am looking forward to getting my teeth into those. I'm looking forward to
having the chance to use some technical skills that I haven’t had to call on for a while, in
fact, so that will be good.

Interviewer: Well, I wish you all the very best with that.

Exercise 10. For questions 10-15, listen to a radio interview with a travel writer called Marina
Vardy and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
10. What made Marina start traveling?
A. a sudden desire to overcome her fear of the sea
B. a difficult problem in the life she had at the time
C. an unexpected opportunity to escape a boring routine
D. a friend's wish for a traveling companion
11. What is Marina’s main reason for being happy about her decision to go on that first journey?
A. It led to a successful career as an author.
B. It gave her a more positive outlook on life.
C. It offered her some exciting adventures.
D. It taught her to cope with difficulties.
12. How did Marina first get into writing?
A. She wanted to describe the different exotic places that she visited.
B. She found it satisfying to write her private feelings in a teenage diary.
C. She enjoyed the reaction of others to something she wrote as a young girl.
D. She was keen to be like her father, who was an enthusiastic writer.
13. What does Marina say is her greatest challenge?
A. feeling uncertain about the quality of her work
B. coping with some lack of support from her family
C. having to face danger for the sake of a story
D. finding things to write about that will interest her readers
14. Marina says that aspiring travel writers must ensure that they
A. work hard to make their writing style as good as they can.
B. try to make their readers experience strong emotions.
C. offer much more than an account of their own adventures.
D. keep their own grandmother in mind as they write.
15. What does Marina say she finds particularly rewarding about being a travel writer?
A. It has developed her powers of observation.
B. It offers her the chance to take revenge of unkind people.
C. It provides her with an adventurous lifestyle.
D. It gives her a satisfying psychological detachment.

Your answers
10. C 11. B 12. C 13. A 14. C 15. D

Interviewer: With me in the studio today I have travel writer Marina Vardy. Marina, how did
you get started traveling?

Marina: People often think that those who travel are running away from something. They're
right. Aged 24, I decided to run away from a dull job, and life that had grown stagnant. I set
out to find something more, though I had no idea what 'something more' looked like.
Thanks to a chance encounter, I met a woman in a cafe who had a humble sailboat and a
dream of exploring the world. Against my better judgment, I decided on the spur of the
moment to accept her spontaneous suggestion to join her, despite the fact that I've always had a
morbid fear of deep water.

Interviewer: And you didn't regret it?

Marina: At times I did, especially at the beginning, but, rather to my own amazement, I got used
to putting up with all sorts of physically difficult situations. That voyage changed the course of
my life. It turned me into a travel writer and an adventurer, but above all, it made me an
optimist. I couldn't have asked for more.

Interviewer: Mm. What made you get started in writing?

Marina: Oh, that happened a good while before I set off traveling and I was inspired to write by
what I saw. At about 12, I wrote a little verse that included the line: 'People say I take after
my dad. He went bald and grey in his twenties. Great!' My mother stuck it on the fridge,
people laughed, and so began my passion for entertaining people with words. I've never
been one for keeping my thoughts private, I'm afraid.

Interviewer: As a travel writer, what's your biggest challenge?

Marina: My greatest passion in life is a midday sleep in a hammock, but people don't want to
read about that! So in order to get a good story, I end up doing things that most people avoid due
to their ridiculously high risk. But, to be honest, the worst thing's the fact that I constantly
battle self-doubt over whether or not my work is any good. You really don't know till you get
it done and others read it and pass their verdict. When you're penning your life story, it can seem
like you're being very self-indulgent. 'She's supposedly writing a masterpiece, but she hasn't
bothered to brush her hair in weeks!' my family says in hushed whispers behind my back. Or
they do in my imagination, at least.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to someone who is considering going into travel
writing?

Marina: Always assume that your travel experiences are only going to be interesting to your
grandma. Attention spans are slim, and there has to be more than a description of what you saw.
Nowadays, with all the other calls on people's attention, you have to work harder than ever to
keep your readers engaged. How can you give a universal appeal to your story? How can you
make it a page-turner? Can you make your readers laugh? Cry? Think of your travels like the
backdrop to a greater story that grips the reader, not the story itself. After all, you're trying
to grab the attention of an internet-obsessed generation, which means you've got a big job on
your hands.

Interviewer: Mm. What's the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?

Marina: Writing teaches you to experience life as an observer. No matter what situation
you're in, there's always that tiny author sitting in the back of your head, narrating the
events around you. Bad encounters make good stories, and they're cathartic to write about. Did
the same horrible person treat you badly? Not to worry - put him in your next story. And I'm nice
about kind people too, of course. Channeling your experiences into art is deeply enriching, I find.

Interviewer: Thank you very much, Marina.

Exercise 11.
You will hear a radio interview in which a choreographer, Alice Reynolds, discusses
a dance programme. For questions 1-5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits
best according to what you hear.

1 How is the programme designed to help youngsters?

A by getting them to talk about their feelings
B by encouraging them to loosen up
C by enabling them to convey their thoughts.
D by giving them a way to entertain themselves

2 When talking about the nature of communication, Alice reveals that

A teenagers are quick to react to a number of emotions.
B people who learn to show how they feel can articulate better.
C shy youngsters find the programme more useful than others.
D young people have a lot of pent up negative emotions.

3 What aspect of the programme encourages teenagers to face their troubles?

A the social side of dance
B the freedom of the movement
C the obligation to interact
D the release of feelings

4 Alice contrasts professional and amateur dancers in order to

A highlight the usefulness of the programme.
B emphasise the use of emotions in dance.
C illustrate the difference between teaching styles.
D explain the ability to recognise feelings.

5 What point does Alice make about the study into a person’s personality?
A It found that certain types of people dance better than others.
B Personality has a bearing on people’s willingness to participate.
C Who people are can be recognised through their movements.
D It revealed that most people try to hide their true nature.

1C
2B
3D
4A
5C

Interviewer: Good morning listeners and welcome to Window on the World. Today
we’re continuing our segment on communication. Yesterday, we took a look at music and
the way in which we express ourselves through song. Now, we’re going to delve into
something that’s very closely related and that is the medium of dance. With us in the
studio is Alice Reynolds, a choreographer who has worked with the London Ballet and
the Royal Ballet School and is running a project with the local youth centre to encourage
teenagers to express themselves through dance. Welcome to the show.
Alice: It’s a pleasure to be here.
Interviewer: Why don’t you tell our listeners something about what it is you do?
Alice: Well, as you said I’m a choreographer. I’ve worked with some amazing dancers
through the years and it’s always struck me how well emotions can be portrayed through
movement. Even when simply loosening up at a rehearsal, the dancers showed how they
were feeling. Dance has been around for centuries. Human cultures have used it
throughout that time as a means of communication in ceremonial rites and celebrations as
well as entertainment. So we decided to put this unique ability to communicate to
good use in helping young people express themselves.
Interviewer: In what way?
Alice: It can be difficult for people, especially young people and teenagers, to talk about
how they feel. There can be a number of reasons for that, they may be shy or just simply
not be able to find the appropriate words, but for those that can’t find their voice, dance
offers a way of getting those feelings out. Whether they are feelings of anger, love,
remorse, it doesn’t matter. Dance allows you to express these emotions in a positive way
instead of keeping them locked away. And we’ve found that, once you can express
yourself through movement, it’s easier to open up verbally.
Interviewer: Mmm, teenagers are not exactly known for their communication skills.
Alice: No, they can be quite socially awkward. But that’s another side to the dance
programme we run, it forces them to interact and by the end of it they usually come
out of their shells. Also, because we don’t suppress emotions, we let them loose,
they’re forced to deal with whatever is ailing them, any anxieties they may have. It
can be quite cathartic. It’s almost a form of therapy but without the therapist. It offers a
level of freedom unlike anything else. Afterwards the children seem to be more
emotionally well-balanced.
Interviewer: So, do you think it would work for anyone?
Alice: Of course. When I worked with professionals, I noted that, through their
training, no matter what type, they had learnt to express their emotions but not
betray their personalities. With the teenagers it was the opposite. We can already
see their personalities but their emotions are suppressed. It was this insight that
showed me how effective this venture could be. Our work with them is designed to
bring those emotions out for all to see. And they’re recognisable emotions. Dancing
conveys subtle messages about what people are thinking and feeling that other people can
read. After all, communication is a two-way street. This ability to read these messages is
an inherent human trait that has its roots in our evolutionary history. The power of
movement to tell a story is quite exceptional.
Interviewer: I suppose there are certain types of people, personalities, that take to dance.
Find it easy to get up and let loose?
Alice: Actually, it’s not whether someone will dance or how well they dance that’s
determined by their personality but rather how they dance. There was a study
conducted to see if you could tell a person’s personality from the way they moved
and the findings were emphatically yes. It seems we can’t hide who we are when we
dance. Be we an extrovert, neurotic, conscientious, open-minded or agreeable, it all
comes out on the dance floor. Having said that, certain personalities are better able to
convey emotion without assistance.
Interviewer: I wonder what my dancing would show. Probably just that I should really
have some classes. Well, thank you for taking the time to come in and talk to us.
Alice: Thank you for asking me.
Interviewer: If that has got any of you wanting to put on your dance shoes, ...
Exercise 12:

You will hear an interview with someone who consulted a 'life coach' to improve her life.
For questions 16-20 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you
hear.

16 Brigid says that she consulted a life coach because

A she had read a great deal about them.
B both her work and home life were getting worse.
C other efforts to improve her life had failed.
D the changes she wanted to make were only small ones.

17 What did Brigid's coach tell her about money?

A It would be very easy for Brigid to get a lot of it.
B Brigid's attitude towards it was uncharacteristic of her.
C Brigid placed too much emphasis on it in her life.
D Few people have the right attitude towards it.

18 What does Brigid say about her reaction to her coach's advice on money?
A She felt silly repeating the words her coach gave her.
B She tried to hide the fact that she found it ridiculous.
C She felt a lot better as a result of following it.
D She found it difficult to understand at first.

19 What does Brigid say happened during the other sessions?

A She was told that most people's problems had the same cause.
B Her powers of concentration improved.
C Some things she was told to do proved harder than others.
D She began to wonder why her problems had arisen in the first place.

20 What has Brigid concluded ?

A The benefits of coaching do not compensate for the effort required.
B She was too unselfish before she had coaching.
C She came to expect too much of her coach.
D It is best to limit the number of coaching sessions you have.

16. D

17. A

18. C

19. A

20. B

Interviewer: My next guest is Brigid McConville, a journalist who decided to get herself a 'life
coach'. Brigid, what made you do it and what is a 'life coach'?

Brigid: Well, all was not entirely well with my life. Nothing drastic. I just felt 'stuck' and in
need of change, both on the work front - too much to do, too little time - and at home -
ditto, I wasn't miserable enough for therapy or counselling. I simply wanted to get a little
more from life. Until recently, the options for someone in my situation would have been
extremely limited. Now, however, legions of 'life coaches' are out there, ready and waiting to
come to the aid of the frustrated and down-at-heart. For about £40 a session, your personal coach
will telephone you once a week, and spend half an hour talking to you in an effort to help you
sort your life out

Interviewer: But isn't this just another self-improvement fad? Like all the self-help books and
tapes?

Brigid: Well, I was a bit dubious myself, but I decided to try it. I booked a course with Fiona
Harrold, a leading British coach. She identified my anxieties almost immediately. Within half an
hour of our first conversation, I found myself agreeing that the first thing I had to tackle was my
deeply ambivalent relationship with money. Yes, of course it was rooted in childhood - but what
could we actually do about it? Fiona is a passionate advocate of self-belief and, with her
characteristic verve, she told me I had to carve out a whole new way of thinking about myself. I
must see myself as 'a magnet for money', she said. And she told me: 'Consider yourself
someone to whom cash flows effortlessly. Why shouldn't you have an easy life, an
abundance of pleasure, leisure and luxury - and all without feeling any guilt?'

Interviewer: How did you react to that?

Brigid: Well, it seemed such a preposterous idea that I laughed out loud down the telephone. But,
undeterred by my scepticism, Fiona told me to suspend my disbelief, and gave me a clutch of
positive affirmations with which to brainwash myself into readiness for riches. She told me to
repeat the following words whenever possible: 'I, Brigid, am now ready to have the ideal life that
I deserve.' Doing this, I found, cheered me up no end.

Interviewer: What else did she tell you?

Brigid: Well, subsequent sessions were more practical. First came the mandatory de-cluttering -
she told me to throw out as much unnecessary jumble and rubbish as possible, clearing space for
all the goodies to come - once the money started to roll in. Then we began trying to cure my
personal finance phobia; I dutifully did my sums, and started saving something, however small,
every month. My work also came under close scrutiny, too, as I made up my mind to concentrate
on jobs that really interested me. Exactly which issues you tackle during coaching is up to you.
According to Fiona, most people want to get organised at home and at work, make the most of
their abilities and sort out money problems. She reckons that building up confidence is vital. She
really does believe that people are capable of doing anything they want to do, and that all
that stands in their way is childhood conditioning.

Interviewer: So what did you get out of it all? And would you recommend it?

Brigid: Well, coaching makes you get on and do all those things you've put off for so long,
because there is the deadline of the next session. If you don't act in time, your coach probably
won't want to speak to you. So coaching is hardly a soft option. But for me, it has provided a
great boost. There have been no instant miracles, but things are looking up at work and
financially, money and I are definitely on better terms. I still have my doubts about the 'me
first' approach - but, then again, it is a healthy counterbalance to the `me last' way of
thinking I am used to.

Interviewer: Thanks, Brigid. Now, if you want to find out more about life coaches ...
Exercise 13.

You will hear an interview with someone whose family spent a year living without
television. For questions 16-20 choose the answer (A, B, Cor D) which fits best
according to what you hear, in the exam you will hear the piece twice.

16 One reason why the family decided not to have a television was that
A the reception from the communal aerial was often poor.
B they did not think the satellite technician would do the job properly.
C linking up with the communal aerial was complicated.
D they preferred to enjoy the beauty of their new surroundings.

17 One thing that Miranda enjoyed about not having a television was
A telling other people about what they did instead.
B returning to hobbies they had previously given up.
C observing the reaction of others when they found out.
D feeling more energetic during the evening.

18 Miranda says that one disadvantage of not having a television was

A the fact that they could not follow their favourite series.
B a constant desire to be more up-to-date with the news.
C being unable to discuss topics they had previously discussed.
D feeling out of touch with what other people talked about.

19 What does Miranda say about getting connected again?

A She felt it would be of some benefit to the whole family.
B She agreed because her attitude towards television had changed.
C She initially disagreed with her husband about doing so.
D She felt that they were doing so because they were lazy people.
20 Miranda says that since they got a television again, her children
A are more able to distinguish good programmes from rubbish.
B sometimes refuse to watch it when she suggests they do so.
C have decided not to return to the habit of watching it.
D never watch it simply because they are feeling lazy.

16 A

17 C

18 D

19 A

20 B

Interviewer: Miranda Ingram and her family were avid TV watchers until the day when
they found themselves without a television. Miranda, how did that come about?

Miranda: I would love to be able to say that this was because I flung the set through the
sitting room window or sold it, but the truth is that circumstances deprived us. We moved
to the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains, to an ancient cottage, which had
never had a TV point. Unbelievably, perhaps, in the 21st century, our options for getting
plugged in were remarkably sparse. We could have spent a fortune laying cables to the
nearest village and joining their communal aerial, which sent fuzzy pictures every
time it rained - and we're talking Wales here, so rain is not a rare occurrence. And any
time strong winds or stray animals knocked it out of kilter, the entire system went
down for days. Or we could have got satellite television, but when a satellite technician
arrived, he looked round at our mountains arid saw not breathtaking natural beauty but
obstacles. So neither option seemed worth the trouble,

Interviewer: So what was it like to be a family without a television?

Miranda: Well, we trained ourselves not to look at the TV listings so we wouldn't sigh
over what we were missing and started to revel in our moral superiority. `Did you
watch .., ?' people would begin, and we would watch their jaws drop as they wondered
what on earth we did, half way up a mountain with two small children and no
television. At the risk of sounding unbearably smug, we did indeed read more books,
listen to more music, and play more board games. And we sat outside and watched the
sun set or merely had an early night. Most significant, however, was simply discovering
the untold long, pleasant and potentially fulfilling hours there are in an evening.

Interviewer: Surely, there must have been some downside?

Miranda: At times, I must admit, we did feel like cultural oddities. Television enters the
language and we didn't know what people meant when they compared someone to
an apparently well-known character, or when they used what was presumably a
catchphrase from a popular programme. And my husband and I are confirmed news
junkies, so we really missed the television when it came to big news events. There are
certain stories where television pictures tell more than any amount of radio and
newsprint. But like any mild addiction, after an initial withdrawal, before long you hardly
give it a second thought.

Interviewer: So why, since you were evidently enjoying life without television, did you
get connected again!

Miranda: Minm, you may well ask. Well, it was my husband who persevered with the
satellite option. Not, I'm convinced, because he missed the broadcasts so much. More
because he missed playing with the remote control in the way that men love to. Anyway,
I went along with it because I'm certainly not one of those anti-TV types that believes the
box to be the source of all modern evil: there are lots of interesting and rewarding
programmes for both adults and children, and television is a perfectly good
ingredient of a well-rounded life. But its insidiousness lies in its being an easy option -
like a ready meal - which seduces you into forgetting the rewards that come from putting
a bit more into life. So I must say that when the day arrived for our connection, I was
apprehensive, terrified that this thing in the corner would dominate our lives.

Interviewer: So how have things turned out? Are you and the children TV addicts again?

Miranda: Well, amazingly, now we have our TV back, the children can take it or leave it.
Inadvertently, it seems, our year's abstinence must have coincided with their habit-
forming years, so it's a habit they don't have. Occasionally they slump, but often they'll
switch on for ten minutes before announcing it's `boring’ and rushing off to do something
else. I even find myself proposing half an hour's viewing as an activity, but if they
suspect it's because I want to sneak off and do something without them, they are
very unlikely to agree. We do watch television again, of course we do, but it is no more
than an option among others. We even watch rubbish from time to time, but now it's
because it has been one of those days when deciding to vegetate is a deliberate choice,
not just a habit.
Interviewer: That's interesting. Thanks, Miranda. After the break, we'll be discussing the
subject of television and its impact on our lives with .,.

Exercise 14.

You will hear an interview with someone who reviews hotels. For questions 16-20
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. In the
exam you will hear the piece twice.

16 What does Paddy say about some readers of her column?

A They suspect that she enjoys criticising hotels.
B Her attitude to hotels has changed because of their response.
C Her comments match their experiences of hotels.
D They prefer reading about hotels they would not want to visit.

17 What does Paddy say about some hotel-keepers?

A They sometimes have to force themselves to have a sense of humour.
B They would be more suited to a different profession.
C They expect to receive negative comments about their hotels.
D They are surprised that they become friends of hers.

18 Paddy says that some hotel-keepers she has contacted about the book have
A realised that she does not really have an assistant called Emily.
B corrected inaccuracies that were in her review of their hotels.
C responded favourably despite criticisms she had made.
D made her wonder whether her reviews of their hotels were unfair.

19 Paddy says that one hotel-keeper she spoke to told her that
A other people are unlikely to be treated in the same way in hotels as she is.
B he was unwilling to discuss some of the comments in her review.
C her reviews did not have as much influence as she believed.
D he no longer wanted his hotel to appear in the book.

20 The same owner also told her that

A he had passed information about her to other hotels.
B he resented her description of him in her review.
C he did not understand why she wanted to put his hotel in her book.
D there was nothing distinctive about her physical appearance.

16 D

17 B

18 C

19 A

20 D

Interviewer: I'm talking to Paddy Burt, who has a weekly hotel review column in a
national newspaper and who has just compiled a collection of those reviews for a
forthcoming book. Paddy, when you go to a hotel to review it, what's your attitude?

Paddy: I always have high hopes - a 'bet this one's going to be good' feeling. But you
never can tell. Hotels that look so idyllic in one of the guides can be a terrible letdown,
which is why readers who say they enjoy the column invariably add 'particularly the
bad ones'. For example, I recently got this letter from a reader, who says: 'It used to
be every other week that you gave some poor hotelier a bashing. Now it's a rare
treat to read about one you've been severely critical of, and that's a pity since I love
it when you lay into a pretentious but bad one. Of course, it's helpful when you
recommend a good hotel, but, for entertainment's sake, do try to find some awful
ones, too.

Interviewer: So are you always aiming to find fault? Are you glad when you find
something you can be critical of?

Paddy: I don't have to try. And while I'm always happy to slam into any pretentious hotel
that doesn't come up to scratch, it's a different matter when the people are nice and their
hotel isn't. I still have to write about it and sometimes it hurts. Hotel-keeping, it has been
said, is akin to show business and, in the ones I like best, there is always a leading man
or woman who is sometimes so good I think he or she has missed their true vocation.
Such hoteliers usually have a sense of humour. They may not like what I have written
about them, but will respond in a good-humoured way. They are professionals. Many of
them have become friends.

Interviewer: What kind of hotels do you prefer? Is it possible to generalise about that?
Paddy: Well, I admit I have a penchant for owner-run hotels; they are more personal than
the chains. With a few exceptions, I like the owners of small hotels. Which is why I've
had such fun researching my book of review pieces that have appeared in the newspaper -
calling them if they haven't responded to the questionnaire I sent them and either telling
them who I am or, if I think they're going to shout at me, pretending to be the assistant I
haven't got, Emily. 'She didn't give us a very good review, did she?' some said, Well,
no - but maybe they have since made improvements and would like people to know
about them? Thus encouraged, the majority of these hoteliers have entered not just
into the book but into the spirit and have contributed interesting behind-the-scenes
stories.

Interviewer: So some of the hotels you reviewed and wanted to put in the book haven't
been included?

Paddy: That's right. There's one, for example, where the owner said - I recorded all the
calls - 'After insulting us and lying in her article, there is no way we would help her
perpetuate her grievances against the world in a publication.' To specify the lies, he
pounced on a remark I had made expressing surprise on being served certain vegetables
in his restaurant. 'She doesn't understand proper food,' he said. I was enthusiastic about it,
actually, and if he wasn't being so disagreeable, I would have liked to include his hotel in
the book. On and on he went. 'Since her visit, we've noticed that a lot of people read her
articles and then cross hotels off their potential list as a result of what she's said. They
then go to hotels where she's been fawned over and where they probably won't be
fawned over. We've also noticed she prefers staying in hotels that are almost empty
because that's when they have time to make a fuss of her.' Actually, being fawned over is
the last thing that I want.

Interviewer: So your column can provoke quite a reaction, then?

Paddy: Oh, yes. In fact, the same owner also said 'After she stayed here, we had four
hotels asking for her description. They wanted to know what car she was driving and
what credit card she had. Unfortunately, we couldn't give a description because she's
fairly nondescript.' But the peculiar thing is that when it finally clicked that being in the
book wasn't going to cost him a penny, he said he wanted to be included. Maybe it was
because he remembered that I had remarked on his resemblance to a much-loved
comedian, sadly now dead. I declined his kind offer.

Interviewer: I can see why. Paddy Burt, thanks for talking to me.
Exercise 15.

You will hear part of a radio interview with two academics, Anne Trowell and
Jonathan Sims, on internet technology. For questions 16 – 20, choose the answer (A,
B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

16 Anne and Jonathan agree that people become anxious when technology
A begins to control their children’s lives.
B establishes unsustainable connections.
C forces a redefinition of social relations.
D introduces feelings of inadequacy.

17 What point is made about changes in our relationship with technology?

A The changes will require creative thinking.
B Technology will have to be more tightly controlled.
C People must learn to trust technology.
D The changes will involve more attention to detail.

18 When talking about internet search engines, the speakers agree that
A they are improving social interaction.
B much information is oversimplified.
C they sometimes lead to confusion.
D basic knowledge is widely available.

19 How does Jonathan define the problem of increased connectivity between people?
A It facilitates the communication of false emotion.
B It decreases the likelihood of agreement.
C It allows only a few people to compete for attention.
D It makes human interaction dependent on machines.

20 What does Anne find striking about international news in the digital age?
A the limited focus of the public
B the diversity of the media used
C the risks involved in reporting
D the need for sensitivity in editing
16 C

17 A

18 D

19 B

20 A

M: Hello, this is Future Net. Our topic in this week’s programme is the reach and influence of
internet technology. With us to discuss it are two prominent internet scholars, Anne Trowell and
Jonathan Sims. So Anne, what do you think about the way people will use and engage with
technology in the next few years?

A: When I think about the future reach of internet technology at a global level, I’m convinced
that it is always going to be asymmetrical. Not that technology won’t be present everywhere but
that it will be a layering effect. So imagining that patchiness is for me as a researcher actually
what makes it an interesting world.

J: Another point, I think, is that many people feel a persistent anxiety about what it means to be
constantly connected, whether it’s manifested in ‘my child has turned six, should I get them a
mobile phone’, or ‘my grandchild knows how to use the laptop and I don’t and she’s three’.

A: We worry about what people are connecting to, and to whom. But there is always a moral
anxiety that accompanies technology…

J: …because it threatens to rearrange the way we interact with other people. And any
change like that worries people.

A: Exactly. The accounts of when rock ‘n’ roll came along identify exactly the same current
don’t they, a sort of moral panic, with phrases like ‘have you seen what the young people are
doing?’

J: Yes. But for me, what’s interesting is the shift in our relationship with technology, this notion
that we are moving from a world of technology that we have to do all the work for, to plug in,
update, give passwords and networks … it’s just a lot of palaver
looking after these machines.
A: For me it’s about how we empower everyone. And for me that is not just about the
technology, it’s about how we come up with the possibilities and imagine how it
might be different, what we might become with technology as we move forward.
M: Jonathan, you’ve been exploring the effect of search engines.
J: Yes, I would argue if you look at the effect of search engines … in that sense of the
internet putting out enormous amounts of human knowledge and making it
accessible, we are growing up with a generation of people who’ll never have that
experience of having a long conversation with their friends about how big is this,
where is this … that won’t happen anymore.
A: Right. On complicated issues, we’ve still got a way to go but as far as that sort of
information goes, we’re there. But all the same, when you look back at the 1990s
there was a sort of naïve belief that, because everyone could be on these networks,
we would be connected to everybody on the planet and we would have this
incredible wealth of deliberation. And I don’t think that’s happened.
J: No, in fact, it turns out that being more connected to one another, more people have
voices, probably makes it worse rather than making it better in terms of coming to a
consensus. You’re trying to listen to everybody, everyone wants a turn to speak, all
sorts of dynamics, whoever’s loudest, whoever’s the most passionate ends up
having more power. That turns out to be a deeply human problem, not a
technological problem.
M: And what about the role of technology in providing us with news about the rest of the
world?
A: What’s funny is that despite the fact that reporting on the rest of the world has got so
quick and easy, we have less and less concern in what’s going on elsewhere
compared with our own back yards. So historically, we got our knowledge of
nternational affairs through a variety of edited media. And whether that was through
newspaper, whether that was through television broadcast, someone went out and
said here’s what’s out there and what’s important, and this was often a really difficult,
expensive, dangerous thing to do.
J: And then someone else edited it and rewrote it before it finally reached the public.
But now that’s all so much easier, maybe as you say it’s taking us in ways we
wouldn’t have predicted.
M: Jonathan and Anne, thank you… [fade]

Exercise 16.
You will hear a discussion in which two people, Sam Williamson and Kathleen Smithson,
talk about strategies to help the poor in resource-rich developing countries. For questions
16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

16 According to Sam, the 'paradox of plenty' results in

A a vastly unequal distribution of wealth.
B the discovery of resources in developing countries.
C a reduction in the variety of products reaching the market.
D communities losing interest in government activities.
17 The company Sam worked for in Ghana
A caused severe problems for local companies.
B was criticised for not being trustworthy.
C adopted an approach that was innovative to the region.
D did not receive full cooperation from the authorities.
18 What does Kathleen think about contracts between governments and companies being made
public?
A It is not something business leaders want to do.
B It is only part of the process of reducing poverty.
C It is ineffective because of the public indifference.
D It will never lead to any great changes.
19 What problem does Kathleen highlight about original government documents?
A They are incomprehensible to ordinary citizens.
B They are sometimes altered to hide the truth.
C It can take years for them to be released.
D They cost a great deal to distribute.
20 The agreement made in Australia that Sam mentions
A focused solely on how to spread wealth.
B involved talks between a company and the public.
C resulted in compensation for pollution being accepted.
D was made after citizens became ill.

16 A
17 C
18 B
19 A
20 B

Interviewer: In 2008, oil and mineral exports from developing countries were worth about $393
billion, which was five times higher than those of farming products and foreign aid put together.
If used correctly, this revenue could be used to free millions from poverty. Why hasn't there been
extensive relief from poverty and what can be clone to rectify the situation?
Williamson: The answer to your first question is quite simple. It's because those who benefit
from the oil and mineral resources in developing countries are the elite from those countries and
the companies involved in extracting them. When this happens, we have a situation known as
the 'paradox of plenty'. This term is used to describe the phenomenon whereby countries
rich in natural resources like oil, gas and minerals end up poorer than those without them,
And by poorer, I don't mean the financial worth of the developing country and its citizens,
but the way in which the revenue from those resources is spread, with those at the top
becoming much richer and the gap between them and the poor growing ever wider.
Because of the corruption that is caused by the government and other elite groups placing their
interests above their responsibilities to the people, there is injustice and instability. Democracy
and basic human rights are undermined and there is a decline in competitiveness of the economic
sector as well as volatility on commodity markets. As for tackling the problem, the only way
forward is to draw up social contracts with communities through transparency to ensure that
they, too, benefit from the revenue from the resources.
Smithson: I agree that transparency is the key and it's been proven. In 2009, the Sierra Leone
government signed a deal with a foreign mining company, but when the contract was made
public, there was widespread condemnation of it, as it did not comply with the law. Eventually,
there were some changes made, but it would have been better if there had been an open
contracting process in the first place.
Williamson: That's exactly what happened when the mining company I was working for in
Ghana insisted that the Ghanaian government officials make the contract public before it was put
before parliament for ratification. When we requested such openness, I think they were taken
aback because this process had never been adopted in West Africa before. And it set the bar
really high for other foreign companies doing business in the area, as it became a precedent that
helped build trust and credibility. It was a win-win situation for the country as a whole and the
investor.
Smithson: Those situations in Sierra Leone and Ghana, however, seem to be the exception rather
than the rule. The community leaders I've spoken to say that it's great to have access to revenue
information, but all too often there is little impact or change at ground level. In other words, new
schools, roads and public services have not materialised. So, in my opinion, transparency, in
which the public is made aware of the nature of contracts drawn up between the
government and companies, must only be treated as a single, prerequisite step in the fight
against poverty. If that transparency results in accountability and people don't turn a blind eye
to the terms of the contract, then money can be spent on sustainable development.
Williamson: That's a good point. When contracts are open to public scrutiny, government
officials know they will be accountable for the terms of the deal and will be under public
pressure to sign deals that are acceptable for citizens. Then, systematic transparency will be
adopted as the norm and all stakeholders will be involved in the negotiating process.
Smithson: Again, that's a good starting point, but it's one thing to make government
documents available to the public in their original form and it's quite another to ensure
that communities understand what the contracts entail. It takes years of professional
training to be able to plough through legalese - the complex language of the law - and grasp
the meaning precisely. Rather than exploiting this to maintain the communication gap, some
governments have changed the form of the documents using new tools that simplify the contracts
in order to distribute information that can be readily understood. Then, communities can gauge
the real-life impact of contracts drawn up by governments and companies involved in extracting
natural resources.
Williamson: And when communication channels are clear, negotiations can be conducted
without government intervention. Take, for example, the agreement made between Rio Tinto
and the indigenous community in Australia. The meeting not only involved discussing the
best way to distribute revenue from the mining operations, but also how to reduce poverty. And
there were other issues on the agenda, too. Discussions centred around the mining not
compromising the quality of the soil, air and water so that the operations would not lead to
serious health concerns. I only hope that such negotiations set a precedent for other operations
related to natural resources and they became the norm rather than the exception.
Interviewer: I think ...

Exercise 17.

You will hear a discussion in which two authors, Emma Jameson and Philip Cross, talk
about writing a novel. For questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which best fits
according to what you hear.

16 What does Emma say about the process of writing a novel?

A No two writers use the same approach.
B It cannot be put into words.
C There is no universal formula for it.
D Most writers are unwilling to discuss it.
17 According to Philip, a novel is likely to fail when the opening
A contains plenty of little-known vocabulary.
B pays too little attention to detail.
C doesn't introduce enough main characters.
D reveals too much about the plot.
18 Emma warns that having a flexible outline for the plot
A creates more difficulties than having a set outline.
B limits the writer's options for the ending.
C is a strategy only experienced writers can adopt.
D may result in the storyline becoming unclear.
19 Emma's tip for getting thoughts down into writing immediately
A means not necessarily writing the novel in sequence.
B increases an author's speed of writing.
C helps the writer meet deadlines more easily.
D makes the plot seem more realistic.
20 Philip believes that asking for advice before the novel is completed
A shows a lack of judgement.
B can lead to confusion.
C is likely to cause misunderstandings.
D should only be done as a last resort.

16. C
17. A
18. D
19. A
20. B

Interviewer: According to the National Novel Writing Month and the Telegraph Short Story
Club, the number of budding writers is on the increase. And from what I can gather, they're
always on the lookout for advice that will help them get their work published. Can you give our
listeners some pointers, Emma?
Emma: I’ll try, but I must emphasise that there is no single set of rules that applies to all
writers. So even if you take the advice of those writers who are willing to reveal their
approach to moulding their ideas into a novel, there's no guarantee the same method will
work for you. So, it's up to each individual writer to find a way to transform an idea for a
novel into the published article.
Philip: That's true, but there is a kind of template writers can use as a basis to develop their story.
By that I mean selecting the setting after the basic plot has been formulated, for example. Very
often the plot dictates the setting as it would in, say, a story about rival gangs. Such a story
would best be set in an urban environment where the physical aspects of the setting are more
realistic with regard to the plot.
Emma: Then you can follow up with points of view by deciding whether it should be written in
the first or third person and how much the reader should know at any particular point in the
story. As for the protagonist, he or she must be a character that the reader will root for because if
that doesn't happen, the reader will lose interest.
Philip: That's a good point, and it's also relevant to the conflict aspect of a novel that is
fundamental and independent of genre. If the readers aren't drawn into the story
immediately, either because the opening is too drawn out, or they are forced to use the
dictionary too often, they may be tempted to put down the book for good. So, hooking the
reader as early as possible is of paramount importance. One feature of an enticing opening is
revealing what is at stake for the protagonist. In other words, what will the consequences of
failure be? These must be made clear, without necessarily revealing every detail, as soon as
possible.
Emma: Once these have been established, the difficult decision relating to outline has to be
made. Some writers prefer to have a set direction for the plot with little room for manoeuvre. In
general, they say this approach brings clarity, whereas those who favour a more flexible outline,
in which they can introduce twists and turns on impulse, state that a lack of restriction enhances
their creative input. Personally, I adopt the latter approach, but if you do the same, be
careful you don't lose sight of the original plot altogether because you'll probably lose your
readers, too. Is there anything you'd like to add, Philip?
Philip: No, I think you've hit the nail right on the head. What I would like to mention, though, is
content. Traditional wisdom states that you should write what you know, but that can lead to a
limited perspective. So, I think research is in order to enhance interest which will not only
benefit the reader in terms of enjoyment but may also provide you, the writer, with ideas you
would not otherwise have thought of.
Emma: And whenever you get a great idea, you should write it down and work on it immediately
so that it doesn't get lost. I know this might mean not writing straight through from
beginning to end, but I know of writers who have come up with a brilliant idea for an ending,
write it and then work towards it. So, make use of inspiration at every opportunity. Of course,
you can't just wait around to be inspired as there are time constraints which involve setting
deadlines. You can't avoid these, but be realistic and don't force yourself to write a set number of
pages every day because you'll end up sacrificing quality for quantity.
Philip: And that brings me on to my final point - asking others for feedback. I know its difficult
to rely on your own judgement of quality, but my advice is that you should keep your work to
yourself and resist the temptation of seeking emotional support until you have finished. I know
that anyone you ask for an opinion will probably try to give you encouragement and make
constructive comments. But, more often than not, input from a third party is likely to leave
you bewildered and uncertain. So, work through your novel and when you're ready, enter a
competition. There are many of them out there for first-time novelists like you.
Interviewer: Well, thank you ...

Exercise 18.

You will hear part of a discussion in which two consultants, Abbie Dale and Ryan
Richardson, are talking about two different small businesses that have achieved success.
For questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which best fits according to what you
hear.

16 What does.the company Ryan has chosen encourage its customers to do?
A buy every kit it produces
B create new designs and submit them
C personalise their online purchases
D tell others how good the products are
17 According to Abbie, the social clothing company's customers
A like to draw attention to themselves.
B are willing to help in publicity campaigns.
C show creativity in the videos they send in.
D have become fiercely loyal to the brand.
18 Ryan believes that the main difference between the two companies is
A the number of employees they have taken on.
B the way in which they have developed.
C the variety of problems they have to solve.
D the age range they cater for.
19 What does Abbie find most astonishing about the company she talks about?
A its skill in collaborating with partners
B the owner's ability to keep developments secret
C the fact that it has grown so fast
D the number of products it aims to launch
20 According to Ryan, people who buy and assemble the electronic kits
A should start their own businesses.
B are surprised by their simplicity.
C find the experience rewarding.
D aren't frightened of making mistakes.

16 C

17 A

18 D

19 D

20 C

Interviewer: Now, you've chosen businesses that seem worlds apart with regard to product and
production and yet have startling similarities in terms of strategy. Could you tell us a little about
these businesses created by young entrepreneurs?

Abbie: Yes, I decided to go with a clothing company, or rather a social clothing company as the
owner, Chris, prefers to call it. This particular online company functions more like a blog than a
conventional web store, which allows it to utilise the input from the blogger communities and the
news cycles directly. Then, the elements highlighted by the members of those communities are
incorporated into its designs. So, social engagement is key to its success with the emphasis on
listening to people rather than dictating to them.

Ryan: Yes, it's definitely a case of having your finger on the public's pulse. And I believe the
company I've selected does exactly that, but with an entirely different product - DIY electronic
hardware kits. Not so long ago, consumers would demand their electronic gadgets ready made
and ready to use. Now, however, devoting time to assembling the gadgets is perfectly acceptable.
The kits come with detailed instructions for assembly, but customers are actively encouraged
to modify the product so that it matches their particular taste. Then, customers have the
opportunity to embrace the culture of sharing online to feed off each other's creativity.

Abbie: That's another similarity with the company I've chosen. Its customers don't just want to
buy clothes; they want to be seen wearing them, too. After all, the target market is the
younger generation whose social media profiles reflect the 'look at me' mentality. The
company has taken this into account and now invites customers to submit photos or videos of
themselves wearing the company's products. Not surprisingly, there has been an overwhelming
response from which the company has dearly benefitted. Firstly, there is the publicity aspect,
which allows the company to advertise without spending huge sums. Secondly, and more
importantly, this initiative has given the company access to information only available on social
media and that is the speed of change in what the customer wants. Then, it's just a case of
keeping pace with that change.

Ryan: I'm glad you brought up the element of speed and online companies having to adapt
accordingly. Right from the outset, the founder, Limor, who did her master's at HIT, realised she
would have to come up with new ideas all the time. As a result, she made sure she embarked on
at least one new product per week mainly based on such technology as gyrometric sensors and
solar panels. Nowadays, her products, developed with her troubleshooting team of three
engineers, cover a much wider range of technologies that appeal to every generation. There
are kits for primary schoolchildren who can build robotic arms through to grandmothers
who can sew clothes with working LED displays with conductive threads and washable
hardware. This is probably the biggest difference between the two companies.

Abbie: As you inferred, it's not only recognising the need for change but it's also adapting to it.
At the moment, Chris's social clothing company aims to come up with three creations a week so
as not to fall behind. Incredibly, he plans to increase this rate to a mind-boggling twenty a
week at least, with about half designed through crowd-sourcing and collaborations with outside
designers. With this in mind, he has formed manufacturing partnerships that ensure new
inventory arrive in a matter of weeks, not months. As for managing the online catalogue, he aims
to develop it in keeping.with what works online. So again there are going to be novel ways of
presenting items, I'm not sure what novel ways he's referring to, but I'm certain they'll be as
creative as his clothing.

Ryan: And all this points to rapid development. Limor's company has sold over half a million
kits in seven years, Over the same period, she has moved into a large warehouse that has enough
space for storage and to accommodate equipment like laser engravers and mills. Therefore, every
part can be manufactured on site. If you look at the business now, and think back to how it
started - the notion of providing people with the opportunity to gain a sense of achievement
from making something on their own, which they obviously do - you'll be amazed. But don't
just stand there open-mouthed. Come up with your own idea and don't be afraid to go ahead with
it.

Abbie: I'd like to echo that sentiment and ....

Exercise 19.

You will hear part of a discussion in which two educationalists, David Shaw and Anoushka
Patel, talk about education standards in the UK. For questions 16-20, choose the answer
(A, B, C or D) which best fits according to what you hear.

16 What criticism does Anoushka make of primary school education?

A It has remained the same for too long.
B The teachers are inadequately prepared.
C It is not sufficiently varied.
D Pupils no longer find it enjoyable.
17 According to the statistics David quotes, the secondary school exam results pupils achieve
A have caused the national average to fall dramatically.
B cannot be directly compared to those of foreign pupils.
C do not reflect the true level of education in the UK.
D can be accurately predicted when they leave primary school.
18 Anoushka says that pupils who perform poorly do so because
A they lack the ability to concentrate in class.
B education is not a top priority for them.
C teachers are unable to provide them with enough attention.
D it is impossible for their parents to buy books.
19 David claims that universities are guilty of
A ignoring the advice given by the Department of Education.
B making it easier for students to get good degrees.
C accepting too many applications from school leavers.
D exaggerating the quality of teaching they offer.
20 Anoushka makes the point that universities in the UK
A have adapted to meet the needs of society.
B should not have to answer questions about their policies.
C have maintained a traditional approach to education.
D are still considered to be the best in the world.

16 C

17 D

18 B

19 B

20 A

There's been a great deal of criticism levelled at education standards in the UK recently. is this
criticism justified?

David: If statistics are anything to go by, the answer is a definite 'yes'. There was some progress
made between 1995 and 2005 in literacy and reading, but since then it has stalled. The result has
been that we've been overtaken by countries improving at a faster rate. So, we've now slipped
down to a dismal 23rd in the global league table. It's a worrying statistic.

Anoushka: It is, and it's one that doesn't seem to be about to change in the near future.
Unfortunately, the current system places too much emphasis on preparing primary school pupils
for the transition to secondary school. As a result, there is an overemphasis on tests at primary
school, which in turn means that the curriculum is significantly narrowed. It seems to be a
case of testing rather than teaching, with those pupils who are good at passing tests coming out
on top when they leave primary school.
David: And those who lag behind at the age of 11 seldom catch up. By 'behind' I mean not
reaching level four at the end of primary school. Only 6.5% of pupils who fall into this
category obtain the benchmark five good GCSE exam passes at secondary school when the
national average is up at 58.2%. And by good GCSE's, I mean from grades A to C. Obviously,
this figure of just over one in twenty does not compare favourably with the 46% and 95% who
reach the benchmark after leaving primary schools at levels four and five respectively. These
statistics show exactly why progress has stalled. It's simply because those performing poorly
have been unable to improve.

Anoushka: No, they haven't, but I'm not sure that the system is entirely at fault in this instance. If
we identify those who are under-performing, we can see that the vast majority are from
disadvantaged backgrounds. Because of their situation, they have bigger fish to fry, so to
speak. The pupils I'm referring to are those on free school meals from families facing tight
financial constraints, which can mean no heating at home in the cold winter months, for example.
Such children find it almost impossible to concentrate on their work when their teeth are
chattering. Teachers do all they can to compensate and they do try to give underprivileged pupils
equal opportunities, but I'm afraid in most cases, they're fighting a losing battle.

David: That's a fair point and it does show why the Department of Education's initiatives like
phonics training for new teachers have proved ineffective in re-establishing the progress in
literacy witnessed from 1995 to 2005. What it doesn't explain, though, is the criticism of falling
university standards. As you know, it is claimed that universities have been guilty of
dumbing down - a claim they have categorically denied. However, there is unequivocal
evidence to suggest that degrees are now worth substantially less than they were. Over the
past decade, the proportion of first-class degrees awarded in UK universities has risen by 50%,
while over the same period student numbers have risen by 20%. These figures either point to a
sudden phenomenal success story - I don't think so - or a sharp decline in the standards students
are expected to reach.

Anoushka: I'm not so sure about the relevance of that argument because the question of whether
standards have fallen or not cannot be answered with any degree of certainty. That's because
there is neither a universal standard over time nor a baseline for making comparisons. What I
believe to be a more suitable question is whether higher education is functioning appropriately;
for this day and age. So, what we have to ask is: Has the purpose of higher education moved
with the times? In my opinion, it has as school leavers who would never have had the
chance to go on to higher education now have something to aim at, They're not being
written off as they were in the past.

David: That's all very well, but ...

Exercise 20.

You will hear a discussion in which two biologists, Ian Cartwright and Angela Sharpe, talk
about conservation and the public's perception of it. For questions 16-20, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which best fits according to what you hear.

16 According to Ian, why aren't people easily convinced of the importance of protecting
endangered species?
A They find it difficult to understand the concept.
B They are presented with information that is too vague.
C They do not believe human activity causes extinction.
D They think that conservationists are exaggerating the situation.
17 Angela says that eco-tourism has been successful because
A it provides locals with a long-term source of income.
B it has been properly managed by governments in developing countries.
C it encourages people to have more respect for nature.
D it is affordable for a large number of people from developed countries.
18 The story Ian tells about how economists determined the value of the environment highlights
A what a complex subject economics can be.
B the ease with which false promises are made.
C why companies get away with polluting lakes.
D how ignorant people are of the role nature plays in their lives.
19 What explanation does Angie give for people being indifferent to the destruction of the
ecosystem?
A They believe scientists will fix the problem.
B The vast majority do not suffer too much when it happens.
C They consider the exploitation of environmental resources necessary.
D They think the cost of replacing unrecognised benefits has been overestimated.
20 The species Ian refers to
A indicate how fast an ecosystem is likely to collapse.
B only live in one specific ecosystem.
C are extremely sensitive to environmental change.
D appear to be in the greatest danger of extinction.

16 B

17 A

18 D

19 B

20 C

Interviewer: Today, we'll be talking to two biologists, Ian Cartwright and Angela Sharpe, about
conservation and the public's perception of it. Now, the message of how important it is to
conserve biological diversity is one that has been passed on to the public through education and
the media for some time and yet very little seems to have changed, Do you think you are fighting
a losing battle in trying to change the public's mindset, Ian?

Ian: I wouldn't go that far. But I will admit that it's been an uphill struggle to convince people of
the value of endangered species and what can happen if they become extinct because of human
activity. You see, although we know that the loss of a single species can trigger a chain reaction,
the impact of that loss is not always immediately apparent and can be unpredictable. As such,
it's an imprecise science, which makes it difficult to provide the public with the kind of
information they will be able to grasp and hopefully act on.

Angela: I agree it is difficult, but not impossible as we've been able to witness through eco-
tourism, which is particularly important in developing countries that cannot afford conservation
programmes. Because of its direct link to economic and social development, eco-tourism allows
local populations to see clearly the benefits of exploiting biological diversity to create a
permanent source of wealth rather than destroying it to satisfy short-term needs. The
success of eco-tourism shows that it is possible to conserve diversity when the benefits are clear
and within reach.

Ian: I think that's a fair point. Very often in the developed world, people who live in urban
sprawls are too far removed from nature to be able to appreciate the extent to which we
rely on what it has to offer. This was illustrated when economists were first requested to
include the environmental factor in their complicated calculations to determine whether a
project was economically feasible or not. To put a value on the environment, they visited some
residents of a city with a lake nearby and informed them that a company was interested in
purchasing land next to the lake to build a factory. They were also told the factory would
probably pollute the lake and in doing so kill every living thing in it. Then, they were asked how
much they were willing to give to prevent the company from building a factory and therefore
conserve the area. The amounts were noted, but when the researchers returned to the households
to tell the residents the company wanted to go ahead with the purchase, hardly anyone was
prepared to pay the sum of money they had pledged. As a consequence, the economists
concluded that the environment was virtually worthless and could not be factored into their
analyses.

Angela: That story ties in with public perception of what are aptly known as the unrecognised
benefits of conserving biodiversity. These are the services we receive when ecosystems function
normally. By that I mean such benefits as chemical cycling - the oxygen produced by rain forests
for example, water purification and flood protection. These are the kinds of things we take for
granted, so we tend not to consider them until an ecosystem together with its ability to provide
these services is destroyed and we have to foot the bill to replace them. Naturally, you might
expect that the high cost of fixing such problems would be enough to make people sit up and
heed the warnings about ecological disasters, but you would be wrong. This is because of the
relatively low proportion of the population that is severely affected by such catastrophes.

Ian: Yes, again it's a case of people not having to care unless they feel the full effect of an
environmental malfunction. What they don't realise is that there is always a wider impact of any
ecosystem collapse than just the localised one. So, keeping all ecosystems intact is obviously the
primary aim of all conservation projects with the focus on prevention rather than cure.
Fortunately, this can be achieved because within any single ecosystem there are species that act
as indicators of environmental quality. The decline of bald eagles, for instance, told us of the
dangers of DDT. And more recently, in Florida, largemouth bass have relayed the message that
there is mercury contamination in freshwater ecosystems. Likewise, the disappearance of
sawgrass in freshwater marshes has informed us of nutrient problems in the Everglades. Without
such environmental monitors, we would not have realised there were contaminants until even
more damage was done.

Angela: So, in answer to your question, I think I can speak for both of us when I say that the key
to putting the message across is to get people involved in conservation even if that just means
visiting a reserve.

Thank you both.

Exercise 21.

You will hear a discussion in which two people, Derek Grant and Lucy Wadham, talk
about the current state of mass tourism. For questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or
D) which fits best according to what you hear.

16 From the figures quoted by Lucy, it can be concluded that

A most of the revenue generated from safari packages goes to the airline.
B mass tourism inevitably leads to poverty.
C hotels in developing countries do not have high standards.
D there aren't sufficient local products to cater for tourists.

17 What does Derek say about governments whose countries are tourist destinations?
A They are constantly trying to increase their profit margins.
B They ignore the negative impacts of mass tourism.
C They have very limited bargaining power.
D They are unfamiliar with aspects of modern business methods.

18 Derek's example of excessive water consumption caused by mass tourism shows how
A ineffective the laws are in developing countries.
B local food production can be adversely affected by it.
C difficult it is to find sources of pure water.
D valuable a resource water has become in recent years.

19 Lucy says that when a resort loses its appeal,

A the locals are left to fend for themselves.
B money has to be spent on a new infrastructure.
C the cost of package holidays falls considerably.
D it becomes vulnerable to natural disasters.

20 According to Derek, tourism

A does more harm than good in the long run.
B is too big an industry to be tampered with.
C is largely responsible for global inequality.
D promotes cultural sensitivity most of the time
16 D

From every 1 pound spent on a safari package, 20 pence goes to the travel agent, 40 pence goes
to the airline, 23 pence goes to the hotel, 8 pence goes to the safary company and 9 pence ends
up in the Kenyan government’s coffers. Of that 9 pence, 15% is used to pay off debts and the
rest to import goods for those on safari.

17 C

That 11% may seem like a pittance, but governments whose countries play host to hordes of
foreign tourists are quick to emphasize the need for the foreign capital from the tourist industry
to promote economic development. In other words, they are prepared to take what is offered
rather than risk losing tourists if our operators decide to channel their customers to other
countries so that they can maintain or even increase their profit margins.

18 B

Benidorm is a case in point. This tourist destination has over 130 hotels and there are thousands
of swimming pool across the resort. As this place relies on an underground water source, water
has to be removed two or three times faster than it can be replenished to meet tourist demand.
The result is that the levels in the aquilfers drop, seawater seeps in and effectively poisons
the surrounding farmland.

19 A

Absolutely, and the upshot of this is that the locals have no choice but to satisfy tourist demand
as their livelihoods literally depend on tourism. They are caught between the proverbial rock and
hard place as when an area becomes tourist dependent and loses its potential to provide for
tourists, it is abandoned, leaving the locals with no means of support.

20 B

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism employs 240 million
people and generates 0.4% of global GDP. Add to that the indirect employment created through
the multiplier effect and you have too many people dependent on tourism for it to undergo
any immediate radical changes.
Exercise 22.

You will hear part of a discussion in which a developer, Faye Mannia, and an
environmentalist, Peter Green, talk about a new government-run trial. For questions 16-20,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

16 At the beginning of the discussion, it can be inferred that Faye believes the listeners
A are confident their government always acts wisely.
B are unfamiliar with current property values.
C may be biased against her point of view.
D have no knowledge of the trials whatsoever.

17 Peter says that the new government plan

A will lead to a reduction in the diversity of wildlife.
B has not been supported by a single scientist.
C should be delayed by at least ten years.
D may cause property prices to rise too quickly.

18 Faye mentions the iron ore mine in Brazil

A to point out that development is occurring on a global scale.
B to show the importance of increasing employment opportunities.
C to highlight the dangers of allowing poverty to spread.
D to illustrate the need to respond to changing priorities.

19 Peter fears that those involved in the new plan

A will break the law and go unpunished.
B cannot be trusted to pay for the habitats they destroy.
C will use it to their advantage.
D are unlikely to make any compromises during negotiations.

20 Faye accuses environmentalists of

A using the media to attack developers.
B having a lack of foresight.
C not appreciating historic buildings.
D ignoring the wishes of the general public
16 C
17 A
18 D
19 C
20 B
Interviewer: As the global population grows, a greater strain is being put on the planet to provide
for humankind. Very often, the struggle to improve standards of living results in having to decide
whether to exploit an area of natural beauty for its resources or leave nature alone. Here to
discuss the issue of money versus the environment are developer, Faye Mannia, and
environmentalist, Peter Green. Faye, could you tell us how you can put a price on the
environment?
Faye: First of all, I'd like to establish a level playing field for this discussion by dispelling the
notion that developers are the ruthless, insensitive individuals portrayed in the media. I
think that the newly-announced government plans to put a price on wildlife clearly shows that
developers are now considered responsible and the idea that developers just want to use nature
for their own ends is definitely a thing of the past. The initial trial will involve six local
authorities putting a price of, say, forty conservation credits on every ten homes developed. Each
credit could be worth £2,500, making a total of £100,000 to a broker who commissions another
landowner to convert fields or scrubland into meadows or woodlands to offset the developed
land. The remaining money is then paid to this landowner to maintain wildlife for two to three
decades.
Peter: I'm afraid I'm a lot less enthusiastic about the government plan than you are. The plan has
been drawn up without sufficient research into the type of artificial environment that
would substitute for the site torn up by developers. How, for example, can you think it's
acceptable to tear down existing woodland? One would have to wait at least a decade for new
woods to grow to be considered a replacement. In fact, it is highly unlikely that any artificial
environment will be able to support as many different species as one that has developed
naturally. I really feel that the whole idea of creating a new currency in the form of the
'conservation credit' is simply a way for developers to evade planning rules and to gain access to
prime greenfield sites so that they can make huge profits.
Faye: I think you're missing the point of the proposal trials. We shouldn't need to choose between
either improving the environment or growing the economy. We should aim to do both and these
trials should lead to ways of achieving this. And it is not simply a case of satisfying the wants
of developers as you have suggested — it is more a case of meeting needs. There is a parallel
in Brazil, where near the town of Carjass in the middle of the Amazon jungle lies a vast iron ore
mine. From the profits raised, the quality of life for the residents of Rio's favellas or slum areas
has been improved. Twenty years ago, these slums were neglected because they weren't
considered important. Now, perhaps because of global attention being drawn to Rio de Janeiro
through sporting events, improving the reputation of the city is top of the agenda. It's a case of
moving with the times.
Peter: But this comes at a cost. Once a specific environment has been developed, there is no
going back. Species disappear. England is losing its wildlife at an alarming rate. Every taxa of
birds, butterflies and bees has declined by around 40% and the country has lost 500 species in the
last 200 years. With these trials, losses would accelerate substantially. I'm afraid that this
system of using 'conservation credits' to destroy invaluable habitats is just a way of turning
wildlife into a tradable commodity with complex markets that could be exploited by
developers and bankers alike. It would inevitably lead to a lack of transparency, and
implementing the trials would mark the start of a slippery slope into the negotiation of numerous
murky deals.
Faye: I can assure you that everything will be above board. Details will be made available to the
public as they have been in the recent well-publicised deal, in which developers will provide the
£5 million so desperately needed to give a fortress used in the Napoleonic Wars a makeover in
return for permits to build a five-star hotel and 500 houses. The fortress is part of our national
heritage, which we developers will help retain for future generations. We're adopting a long-
term view, which environmentalists seem incapable of doing. Take what we did in the 1980s,
when we transported the earth dug from the Channel tunnel to an area near the White Cliffs of
Dover. Environmentalists criticised the idea at the time in exactly the same way as they are
attacking these trials. Now, three decades later, the area known as Sapphire Hoe nature reserve
attracts over 100,000 visitors every year.

Exercise 23.
You will hear a radio interview with a sports scientist talking about the effects of age on
ability to perform in endurance sports. For questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or
D) which fits best according to what you hear.

16 What point is Robert upholding when he says 'the Tour de France is living proof of
this'?
A Athletes should not be permitted to compete at these levels after the age of 40.
B No athlete is physiologically capable of winning once past 35.
C The vast majority of athletes reach a peak of fitness at the age of 35 and then decline.
D The average age of competitors in endurance sports is 29.

17 What was Robert's motivation for entering the Tour De France in his forties?
A so that the British Team had a competitor over 40
B to prove something to researchers
C to achieve a personal goal
D to finish his cycling career on a high

18 Why do the ages for best average performance in Marathons differ between men and
women?
A Female entrants are on average younger than male entrants.
B Women lose their lung and muscle capacity faster than men.
C Men demonstrate a faster average speed than women at different ages.
D Statistically, few women over 45 actually complete the Marathon.

19 How does qualitative analysis disprove the theory of age-related decline?

A It shows that decline is by no means uniform.
B It indicates that training time is a decisive factor.
C It highlights flaws in the theory of muscle loss.
D It proves that some people can halt the decline completely.

20 What conclusions does Robert draw from the research he has mentioned?
A Winning is possible at any age.
B Failure is inevitable when you don't follow the 10% rule.
C When winning is your goal you can achieve great things.
D Age should not be viewed as an obstacle to success.

16 C
Certain studies have shown that peak endurance performance is maintained until
approximately 35 years of age, followed by modest increases until 50 to 60 years of age,
with progressively steeper declines after that. And to be fair, the Tour de France is living
proof of this.

17 C

When I entered, winning wasn't my goal. Getting to the finish line was.

18 B

The scientific consensus is that age deterioration is the result of a decline in our maximal oxygen
capacity coupled with a tendency for our body fat to increase. The effects of these changes are
felt to a greater extent in endurance sports and unfortunately the deterioration seems to be
faster in women.

19 B

In fact, other scientific studies of athletes up to the age of 45 have shown that although, yes there
was a decline, the factors contributing to this were qualitative, not quantitative. For example,
rather than the decline being due to physiological factors affecting oxygen uptake, it was simply
the fact that older men trained less than younger men.

20 D

It means it's never too late to take up a sport and achieve something apparently miraculous.

Exercise 24.

For questions 11-15, listen to an interview with Kevin Langtree, who has just been voted
Best Young Chef of the Year and choose the answer A, B, C or D which fits best according
to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
11. How does Kevin account for his success?
A. He tries to love every minute of the work.
B. He learns a lot from the diversity of food and people he meets.
C. He envisions how takeaway meals will become in the future.
D. He learns to stop being unkind towards fast food.

12. What is Kevin's opinion about fish and chips?

A. He is ambivalent about having them every day.
B. He finds them indispensable in Britons' diet.
C. He thinks they do not bring the diversity that he loves.
D. He wants to incorporate them into food from different countries.

13. What does Kevin think about restaurants and takeaways in Britain?
A. Finding a parking slot to have meals is a major problem.
B. They should be restructured to display more variety.
C. Too many of them are from India and China.
D. They're all very difficult to get to without a car.

14. What does Kevin say about the American fast-food outlets?
A. They target children and young people.
B. They are cheaper than the other restaurants.
C. They make every customer look cool.
D. They are slowly taking over other fast-food outlets.

15. On mentioning root vegetables, what point does Kevin want to make?
A. British people are becoming more and more xenophobic.
B. There is greater choice, but imported foodstuffs are expensive.
C. The root vegetables produced in Britain in the past were best.
D. Cosmopolitan food reflects a generally less insular society.

11. B

12. C

1.3. B

14. A

15. D
Interviewer: This evening we're delighted to have been able to persuade Kevin Langtree into our
studio. Kevin, as you may remember, was the surprise winner of the Young Chef of the Year
competition. Kevin, what do you put your success down to?

Kevin: Hard work. I'm sure you expected me to say that, but I mean it. Except, for me, it isn't
really hard work at all; I enjoy every minute of it.

Interviewer: Okay, but you can't possibly enjoy all of it equally. Which bits do you like best?

Kevin: Learning. I'm learning all the time. There's such an immense variety of things —
and people — out there you can learn from. Do you know, I'm really glad to have been born
when I was. Just imagine — only a few years ago the staple diet was roast beef for Sunday
lunch, with the cold meat for sandwiches at teatime! And the only takeaway meal was fish and
chips. Sorry, I'm being unkind. You could, if you were feeling very adventurous, go in for steak
and kidney pie and chips instead! Rather different now, isn't it? In some places it's difficult to get
fish and chips at all. The fast-food market has been taken over by just about every nationality
you can think of. Did you know that Britons actually consume more pizzas than any other
nationality outside Italy? Also, as you know, kebab houses are enormously popular and, of
course, you can hardly move without tripping over Indian and Chinese restaurants and
takeaways. It's a very good thing, too.

Interviewer: So what's wrong with fish and chips?

Kevin Langtree: There's absolutely nothing wrong with well-cooked fish and chips. I love
them. But I also love variety. I love being able to eat food from a different country every
night of the week if I want to.

Interviewer: So, have you no criticisms of the way the restaurant scene is developing in Britain?

Kevin Langtree: I have. The scene I described earlier, of eating different food every night of the
week, is actually quite difficult unless you have a car and aren't bothered by the inevitable hassle
over parking. Why is it that all the curry houses crowd together like a wagon train under assault
by a war-party? It's the same with the Chinese restaurants. They're all together, several blocks of
them, and they're all selling the same thing. I'd like to take all the restaurants and fast-food
outlets in London and re-arrange them at random.

Interviewer: There are those who suggest that some very famous fast-food outlets, I won't
mention them by name (they're all American), are set to take over the world. What do you think?

Kevin Langtree: The answer is that they're simply not. They do what they do very well —
making very cheap meals which appeal to kids. But the kids grow up. It's not cool to be seen
there once you reach a certain age. They want something different. So, I welcome the Americans
just as I welcome everyone else. The greater the variety, the better.

Interviewer: Do you see any connection between our widening taste in food and us having, with
one or two exceptions, a more tolerant society than in the past?
Kevin Langtree: Oh, I'm sure that's so. I mean, just as an example,. it's difficult to feel anything
other than affection for the French while you're enjoying a hot baguette and a glass of Burgundy,
isn't it? And I'm sure that we must be more aware of other countries nowadays. We're more
cosmopolitan. After all, you go into any supermarket now and there it is, the world's
produce. In the past there were only the root vegetables of our cold, windswept island, and
that was it.

Interviewer: Well, it's certainly true that more and more people are willing to try more and
more things than in the past. I suppose that must make us less xenophobic. Now, I've just
got one last thing to ask you. It's something of a favour really. I've just had our producer on the
headset. She wants to know if you can possibly...

Exercise 25.

You will hear a discussion in which two historians, Matt Thomas and Sue Wilkins, talk
about a book they have written. For questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear.

16 Sue says that

A until recently amateur archaeologists weren't allowed to dig on the Thames foreshore.
B official authorisation is needed to excavate along the river.
C any finds must be reported to the Port of London Authority.
D she had to be a member of a society to dig under any part of the Thames.
17 Matt says that, in the past, poverty-stricken children
A would hunt for birds along the river banks.
B used to try and sell things to people walking along the river.
C would burn things they found by the river to keep warm.
D discovered things in the mud at certain times of the day.

18 How did Sue use to feel about the Thames?

A nostalgic because she visited the river with her parents
B excited about finding rare jewellery and other treasures
C repulsed by the appearance of the water
D revolted by the thought that she would excavate in mud one day

19 Matt is intrigued by
A what can be learnt from the artefacts they find.
B the transport people used in the Middle Ages.
C how London's inhabitants used to dispose of their rubbish.
D the large expanses of mud which are exposed when the tide goes out.

20 What makes the discovery of the small-scale items so important?

A their surprising ornamental use
B what they reveal about family relationships
C the fact that the mud has conserved them remarkably well
D the fact that they confirm a widely held theory

16. B

17. D

18. C

19. A

20. B

Interviewer: This week, we're talking to historians Matt Thomas and Sue Wilkins, who've
recently published their book, Treasures of the Thames. Why did you and Matt decide to work
together on this book, Sue?

Sue: Well, I got to know Matt shortly after I became interested in the Thames and what a
treasure trove it is. As many of your listeners will know, the Thames is a tidal river. Twice a day,
when the tide goes out, large areas of mud are uncovered. In order to dig in these areas, called
the river's foreshore, you must have a permit from the Port of London Authority. In fact,
the only people allowed to dig along certain stretches are a group of amateur treasure hunters
called the Society of Thames Mudlarks, so I became a member, and that's where I met Matt.

Matt: I'd better explain to listeners that the word `mudlark', and we're not talking about the bird
here, originally referred to the youngsters who would scavenge in the mud along the sides of
the river in the 18th and 19th centuries. They'd search at low tide for anything that they
could sell, like pieces of metal, old rope or coal, for example. Nowadays, our members comb
the Thames foreshore, armed with metal detectors, and wearing overalls, gloves and rubber
boots.

Sue: Of course the river was very polluted years ago, and it can still be quite dangerous if you
don't know what you're doing. Matt has a lot more experience than I have in the field...

Matt: And Sue's a great writer, so we decided to join forces. By the way, the word 'treasures' in
the title of the book doesn't refer to gold, silver or precious stones, which are seldom found.
Treasures, true treasures, are the things that we find which teach us about the people who lived in
London in the past.

Sue: That's right, but valuable artefacts like gold necklaces or rings with precious stones in them
do occasionally turn up. Of course, the society has to report all historical finds to the Museum of
London... To be quite honest, when I was little and visited London with my parents, I'd look
at the brown water of the Thames and the muddy foreshore and think, 'How disgusting!' I
certainly wouldn't have dreamt of rummaging around in that filthy mud to look for
archaeological artefacts. Of course, the Thames is still an awful colour most days, but it's not as
dirty as it used to be.

Matt: No ... And the thrill of discovering rare or really old objects helps us to overcome any
squeamishness we might have ... What we're really interested in are artefacts that tell us about
how people lived hundreds of years ago. The Thames flows through the very heart of London
and, in the past, people relied on boats to travel up and down the river, and even across it.
Accidents would happen and things would fall overboard; of course, people's rubbish would end
up in the Thames, too. As much as seven metres of foreshore is exposed at low tide, and this is
actually one of Britain's most important archaeological sites.

Sue: Something we've covered in the book, and which I find very interesting, are small objects
believed to be mediaeval toys. The 'Mudlarks' have found tiny cannons, metal figures and
miniature household objects like jugs or stools made of pewter...

Matt: That's an alloy of tin and lead, by the way.

Sue: That's right, and ... and some of these objects date back to the 13th century. They're very
rare, actually, because pewter corrodes quickly under normal conditions, but the thick mud of the
Thames prevents corrosion and helps to preserve them. Some of these items are so beautifully
made, they may even have been ornaments. But experts are sure that a lot of them were toys.

Matt: This overturns some theories which suggest that people didn't get very attached to their
children in the Middle Ages because they had so many and because a lot of them died.

Sue: These discoveries suggest that, back then, parents cared just as much about their children as
we do now, and went out of their way to provide them with toys. And we're finding these toys
next to the River Thames, hundreds of years later.

Interviewer: Well, I'm sure... [FADE] [pause 10 seconds] Now you will hear Part 3 again. [repeat
part 3] [pause 5 seconds] That is the end of Part 3.

Exercise 26

You will hear part of a discussion programme where Florence, a marketing expert, and
Mark, a retail analyst, discuss impulse buying. For questions 1-5, choose the answer (a, b, c
d) which fits hest according to what you hear.

1. What does Mark imply when talking about the items made people purchase through
impulse shopping?
a. Many expensive items are often purchased in this way.
b. Impulse shopping can result in consumers buying unnecessary items.
c. Most impulse buys take place in clothes shops.
d. People very often purchase items that they cannot afford.

2. What point do both Mark and Florence make about the retail industry?
a. It actively encourages impulse-buying behaviours.
b. It maximises its profits by offering promotions on expensive items.
c. It has conducted extensive research into influencing people's way of thinking.
d. It often presents products of lesser quality as a good deal.

3. What do Mark and Florence agree has made impulse buying easier?
a. more disposable income
b. the availability of cheaper products
c. a wider variety of payment methods
d. advances in technology

4. When describing the relationship between stress and shopping, Florence says that
a. shopping may help to briefly reduce stress levels.
b. all impulse buys are done when the consumer is stressed.
c. the act of shopping can be stressful in itself.
d. consumers shop online to avoid stress.

5. What advice does Mark have for anyone wanting to curb their spending habits?
a. avoid the shops altogether
b. be aware that emotions guide purchasing decision
c. delay making a purchase
d. set a monthly budget for one’s spending.

1. B

2. A

3. D

4. A

5. C

Host: I'd like to welcome our two guests to the programme, marketing expert, Florence Jones,
along with retail analyst, Mark Collins. Both guests are here this evening to talk about impulse
buying. Mark, maybe you can begin by explaining to our viewers what exactly an impulse buy
is.

Mark: Well, simply put, an impulse buy is any purchase that a consumer makes which was either
unplanned or unintended. I think most people have experienced a time when they spontaneously
bought an item that was not originally on their shopping list when they left the house that day.
it's an all-too-familiar scenario, wouldn't you say, heading out to buy something specific, say a
new tie for work, and coming back with other random items, such as a new pair of trainers,
even though you seldom jog?

Floreroce: Yes, and we Brits are some of the most impulsive shoppers around. Admittedly, it's
something we see much less of with the more costly items, such as a car, where consumers are
more inclined to do some research before buying and do spend time thinking through their
purchasing decision before parting with their money. However, when it comes to items such as
clothes and cosmetics, DVDs, confectionery and all the various supermarket items, impulse
shopping Is a very common consumer behaviour. I think many people - if they actually took the
time to jot down all the impulse buys they'd made during a month - would be stunned at what
this amounts to.

Host: And what exactly is it that motivates consumers to shop in this way?

Florence: Well there's a whole list of possible reasons. One of the biggest consumer motivations
relates to the desire to actually save money. The retail industry knows only too well that the
price-conscious consumer is attracted to bargains and so it bombards shoppers with promotional
offers and reduced prices. Remember, as a profit-driven industry, the retailers' sole aim is to
maximise their profits. And they have as many strategies up their sleeves to persuade
consumers to part with their cash as there are items for consumers to spend their cash on.

Mark: And it certainly works, doesn't it? Shoppers walk into a department store only to be
greeted with eye-catching signs that read, 'Sale; Limited Time Only' or `Mid-Season Sale Ends
Today'. This has quite a big impact on consumers. Not wanting to miss out on what they perceive
to be a good deal, they make that unintended purchase, leaving with more items in their shopping
bags and less money in their wallets. It's through years of research into consumer behaviour that
the retail industry has come to understand the consumer mentality and, based on this, they have
developed a vast multitude of effective selling techniques.

Florence: At the same time, I don't think we can ignore the huge influence that online
shopping and smartphone devices have had on impulse buying. It has never been easier for
people to spend their disposable income, as the Internet allows us to shop at any time of the day
or night, and from any setting.

Mark: That's for sure. In fact, the credit card details for regular website customers are often
already stored in the system; in just a click of a button, the purchase is made. It is so effortless
that the consumer hardly has time to process their decision to buy something, let alone reconsider
or change their mind.

Florence: And let us not forget that aside from retailers, there are also some pretty strong internal
triggers that compel people to impulse shop. Researchers exploring consumer psychology
suggest that some of us might be more inclined to impulse shop as a way of alleviating our stress
levels. In other words, when a person is stressed, they shop more. And, momentarily at least,
this seems to offer a remedy for their stress. It is hardly surprising that consumers go on to
repeat this behaviour. Also, it just plain feels good to buy something new. This is especially so,
given the materialistic society we live in. People want to acquire, and take pleasure in acquiring,
more and more possessions.

Mark: But then this gratification subsides when a consumer realises that their spontaneous
spending has spiralled out of control. After that, it's extremely easy for someone to experience
regret, family disagreements, and all sorts of financial difficulties.

Host: And what advice would you give to consumers wishing to limit their spending?

Mark: It might sound obvious, but to avoid a situation where one ends up in debt because of
extreme spending, consumers must try to resist acting on these impulses. One way to do that is
to postpone buying something for a while. Even twenty-four hours later, a person may find
that they've had a change of heart, and that the urge to own that particular item has subsided.

Florence: I find it equally important to steer clear of the shops when you are feeling down. I
think if consumers were...

Exercise 27.

You will hear part of a discussion in which two people, Gillian and Angus, are discussing
the process of ageing after attending a talk on the subject. For questions 1-5, choose the
answer (a, b, c or d) which fits best according to what you hear.

1. When talking about the lecture, Gillian and Angus agree that
a. parts of the presentation were confusing.
b. the lecture gave them a different perspective on ageing.
c. the presentation was too focused on neuroscience.
d. the lecturer was very knowledgeable on the subject of ageing.

2. According to the discussion, what is true about the front part of the brain?
a. It undergoes significant development during our late twenties.
b. It is usually fully developed in early childhood.
c. It is in a process of development during adolescence.
d. It is the largest and most complex part of the brain.

3. What does Gillian imply about emotions?

a.The fact that teenagers may display excessive emotions can be justified.
b. Adults are better at recognising other people's emotions.
c. As teenagers become adults, their emotions follow a standard pattern.
d. Certain emotions are harder to control as we grow older.

4. What point is made when Gillian and Angus discuss the concept of maturity?
a. Biological factors are wholly responsible for a teenager's maturity.
b. Environmental factors influence maturity.
c. Some teenagers are more mature than others.
d. A teenager's level of maturity can be fully explained by science.

5. According to Gillian and Angus, what is one advantage of being an older adult?
a. greater feelings of self-worth
b. more wisdom
c. enhanced creativity
d. increased feelings of peace

1. B
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. D

Gillian: When you think about it, ageing is probably one of the most fundamental things about
being human. We all experience it - and it starts from the moment we're born.
Angus: Firm! And I don't know about you but, before today's lecture, I'd never given much
consideration to how a person's character changes with age. I've always associated ageing
with the more visible or physical signs of getting older.
Gillian: Same here, but it seems that the emotional and behavioural changes that take place
throughout a person's life are equally significant - especially, as we heard, during the period
when we move from adolescence into adulthood. What I find amazing is how much research
is being done on the brain nowadays to better understand these changes.
Angus: Yes. The lecturer did present loads of recent studies, some of which were a little
technical though; some background knowledge in the neurosciences would have come in handy.
What I hadn't realised is how much the brain is still developing and changing during
adolescence, and how this influences our behaviour as teenagers.
Gillian: Well, from what I understood, it's the... what was it called, prefrontal cortex... where
much of this change is taking place - the frontal area of the brain. It's fascinating to think that,
while around ninety-five per cent of our brain is in fact formed by the age of six, the brain may
not be fully developed until we're well into our mid-twenties. And that remaining five per cent
seems to develop mostly during our teenage years. I never knew that during this period,
neural connections within the brain are still being formed.
Angus: This does help us to shed light on why, as we get older and leave those years behind us,
we do seem to get better at, for example, planning and making decisions, and other tasks that this
part of the brain is thought to be responsible for.
Gillian: Precisely. We see a similar pattern with our emotions. I don't think anyone disagrees that
as we get older we're better at responding to situations with the appropriate level of emotion, so
we don't overreact or get overly emotional when things happen - we can control our feelings
more effectively. And it was explained that the way the teenage brain is formed and
develops often means that it's more likely for teenagers to be impulsive and risk-takers
compared to, say, their parents. Imagine, as teenagers, we're totally unaware of this huge amount
of change that's taking place within our brain.
Angus: Hmm, I suppose it goes to show that part of becoming a mature adult lies in changes
occurring in the brain during adolescence.
Gillian: To a degree, yes. Although, I'm not so sure that this can be fully explained by biological
changes alone. What about the role of our experiences in helping us to mature? Reducing
everything down to a biological level is a rather limited view.
Angus: You're right. Thanks to all our many life experiences, we do get wiser with age. We
make mistakes and we learn from them. Experience definitely influences the way we
perceive events, the way we behave and, ultimately, how we mature.
Gillian: From this perspective, getting older certainly has its value.
Angus: I'd say. And I imagine age brings with it far less stress too. I mean, look at our parents or
other people who have reached their fifties or sixties. They have managed to overcome some of
life's major challenges and achieved at least some of their life goals. The things that were once
the source of their anxiety are often eliminated by the time they reach that age.
Gillian: I find that one of the most challenging aspects of being a young adult is exactly this: all
the anxiety you have over the many, many things that you feel you must achieve in life, such as
having a successful career. I suppose with age, a more relaxed approach can be reached - a
person's view of the world and what is considered important certainly changes.
Exercise 28.
You will hear an interview with two experts on technology and learning. For questions 1-6,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

1. What does Michael say about online learning?

A It appeals to a greater variety of learning styles.
B It enables learning to suit the needs of the individual.
C It may one day replace the traditional school system.
D It allows us to choose the subjects we study.

2. When discussing the Khan Academy, Michael and Helen agree that it
A focuses only on mastering a specific subject, like maths.
B offers a generous amount of teaching and practice.
C has brought education to huge numbers of people.
D is less effective in generating original thought.

3. TED serves as an example of a site

A whose speakers provide amusing, factual talks.
B whose original focus has changed over time.
C which offers extended lectures in various subjects.
D which presents the same speakers every year.

4. Both Michael and Helen agree that schools

A are too rigid in the choice of subjects taught.
B are not tolerant of independent thinkers.
C educate children for the present, not the future.
D underestimate the importance of failure in learning.

5. What conclusions about gaming do Michael and Helen reach?

A It provides relief from difficult everyday issues.
B It generates cooperation between participants.
C It can be a huge source of knowledge.
D Its competitive aspect can become addictive.

6. When discussing the potential of gaming, Helen reveals that she is

A surprised at the abilities it develops in gamers.
B excited about the endless possibilities.
C doubtful about our ability to see the bigger picture.
D concerned about the time gamers spend online

1. B
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. B
6. B
Interviewer: Today, I welcome two experts on technology and learning: Michael Bale and Helen
Brown. Good (Woman) morning to you both. Michael, how is technology influencing learning?

Michael: Well, one of the things technology has given us is the ability to share huge amounts of
knowledge online. The Khan Academy, for example, is an online school where you can take
courses for free. It doesn't restrict us to traditional classrooms. Students can learn at their
own pace at home. Having said that, the videos often assume prior knowledge of a subject, and
visual learning doesn't suit every student's learning style.

Interviewer: Could the Khan Academy potentially replace the traditional school?

Michael: It's doubtful it was ever meant to. Khan provides learning for a range of people, not just
students. But for a novice, the sheer volume of practice material can be overwhelming. Khan was
definitely a quantum leap in making learning accessible to everyone — even those who can't go
to school. But I doubt that it allows for the creativity which comes from interacting face-to-
face with other students and teachers.

Interviewer: What do you think, Helen?

Helen: Khan certainly instructs very effectively, but education isn't just the acquisition of
knowledge — it's questioning, evaluating ways of thinking and being open to new ideas and
problem-solving. One site that celebrates this is TED. You've probably heard of it. Interviewer
Yes, but could you give us an overview for our listeners? Helen: Certainly. TED is a non-profit
organization. Its motto is Ideas worth spreading. It offers short, online presentations by people
who are very inspiring for free. TED started in 1984, but really got off the ground in 1990, as
a conference covering three areas: Technology, Entertainment and Design, hence the name.
Later, TED expanded into other fields of interest to cover the full spectrum of topics:
science, art, business, poetry ... you name it!

Interviewer: OK, so how are presentations chosen?

Michael: Well, speakers have 6-18 minutes to present their ideas. Google the top 20 TED talks
and certain names come up time and again. Sir Ken Robinson is one of them. His highly amusing
talk focused on whether schools are killing creativity by expecting every child to learn the same
subjects in the same way. He believes schools must undergo a transformation to better prepare
children for a rapidly evolving world. An integral part of this, he says, is accepting that creativity
is a fundamental quality of all children, and that we must encourage it because the children of
today will be the designers and educators of tomorrow.

Interviewer: But we have no idea how the future will look. So how do you educate for that,

Helen? Helen: Well, for a start, you don't restrict creativity. Another point, which resonates with
many of us, is that schools instill a fear of making a mistake in pupils. And we have to get
away from that because an inventor who's afraid to get it wrong will never invent anything. The
road to success is paved with mistakes, Robinson says.

Interviewer: People obviously agree — his talk has been viewed 39 million times!

Michael: Exactly. And that fear of error has a knock-on effect as children grow. We seem to
educate them out of trying to be creative. And speaking of creativity, in another TED talk, Jane
McGonigal reflects on the power of gaming to change the world. Now I know some people
would say garners are just escaping into an imaginary world to avoid dealing with reality ... or
they're obsessed. But it's hard to dismiss what she says about thinking outside the box.

Interviewer: But what's the connection between gaming and changing the world? You've lost me
there.

Michael: Well, in her TED talk, McGonigal describes what happened in the kingdom of Lydia
(or Maeonia) in ancient times. Apparently, there was a terrible famine in the kingdom and people
were starving, so King Atys improvised a plan — people ate one day and played dice games the
next to divert their attention from hunger. In this way, they survived for 18 years, and according
to Herodotus, dice games were invented in Lydia. So what you have is a large number of
people finding a creative solution to the problem of being hungry by collaborating and
playing games.

Interviewer: OK, but do gamers today collaborate?

Michael: I think the figures speak for themselves. One popular game, World of Warcraft,
has millions of players in over 230 countries who collaborate in a variety of ways.

Interviewer: So do we underestimate the potential of gaming for learning?

Helen: Totally. Through gaming, we become better problem-solvers. Garners are optimistic
about winning, they concentrate intensely for hours, pool their knowledge and seem to enjoy
being part of an 'epic win" — working for something greater than yourself, like saving a world!
Applying players' abilities to world problems in a game could generate creative solutions.
The sky's the limit!

Interviewer: And there we must leave it. Thank you both.

Exercise 29.

Listen to an interview in which two trendspotters talk about their work. For questions 1-6,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

1. What does Liz say about her career change?

A She had always been fascinated by youth-led trends.
B She moved as a result of something she had read.
C She wanted to improve her knowledge of design.
D She had no idea it was so complex a field.

2. What contrast is highlighted between macro and micro trends?

A Micro trends are influenced by current issues.
B Macro trends are of greater interest to high street retailers.
C Micro trends can occasionally outlast macro trends.
D Macro trends are harder to identify.

3. When Liz initially started trendspotting, she

A wasted too much time browsing - the Internet.
B photographed anything that triggered an idea.
C found street fashion less creative than today.
D made errors about what to photograph.

4. When asked about his work, Josh reveals that

A he prefers being freelance to agency work.
B his image on social media is one of his top priorities.
C only a small part of his day involves looking for ideas.
D trendspotting online requires different skills.

5. Liz and Josh agree a qualification in marketing is

A unnecessary to succeed as a trendspotter.
B valuable as a foundation for this career.
C helpful only if it covers consumer psychology.
D advisable as clients prefer qualified forecasters.
6. Liz and Josh both say that their work
A is instinctive by nature.
B requires knowledge of a specific subject.
C needs to be constantly updated.
D demands a good sense of timing.

1. B
2. D
3. D
4. B
5. A
6. A

Interviewer: Today, we're looking at careers related to marketing. My guests, Liz Bryant and
Josh Ramsey, are both trendspotters, who identify new trends in fashion and culture. They help
companies produce new products that will be both innovative and popular. Liz, you used to work
as a designer, right?
Liz: Yes, I worked in fashion design for five years, and I was always being told I had a good eye
for trends. Then one day, I came across a report on trends in youth culture published by a
global forecasting agency. It was fascinating; and since a grasp of up-and-coming styles is
paramount in trendspotting, I just knew it would suit me down to the ground as a career .
Trendspotting in fashion isn't just a question of "turquoise is in" this season and "grey is out".
You've got to tap into consumer tastes to learn why people think certain products are cool —
why some trends take off and others don't. It means being observant about micro and macro
trends.
Interviewer: Josh, can you tell us more about these trends?
Josh: Well, we make two types of predictions; the first is short-term and relates to micro trends
that may last only a year or two. In fashion, it's based on today's style on the runway, what's
being worn on the Streets of London or New York, the hottest Instagram images meaning trends
that people follow. The ideas are sold to high street stores, and they quickly appear in shop
windows. The second type of prediction has to do with macro trends — you know — long
term, more lasting changes in tastes. This is what trendspotters usually find most
challenging — it requires in-depth investigation and discussions with experts from a
variety of fields. We spot trends in architecture, communications, food, technology and lifestyle.
Look at the growth of the home espresso machine. Technology made them kitchen-friendly and
it's revolutionized how we drink our coffee. So our job is to second-guess how these changes will
affect our taste in consumer goods because these macro trends may be with us for years to come.
Interviewer: Now, Liz, where do you find your ideas?
Liz: I check hundreds of sites online, but it's easy to lose track of time and get bogged down, so I
go to shows and exhibits too. I always take a camera to record people, objects, colours ...
anything that triggers a new idea. I find my inspiration on the street, but it took me a while to
get a handle on the kind of style to target. Eventually, I learned to ignore "looks" already
there and avoid anything too off the wall or too quirky.
Interviewer: OK. So Josh, do you observe the public too?
Josh: Less so than Liz and less than I used to at the agency. I'm operating freelance from home
now and my work is mainly online. New clients find me through networking sites, so I
dedicate the first few hours of the day to maintaining my online presence. The rest is spent
answering emails, texting, chatting to clients and scanning blogs and images for inspiration. But
whether you're on the street or in front of a screen, identifying trends requires constant
observation.
Interviewer: Here's a question for both of you. What qualifications does a trendspotter need?
Josh: A degree in marketing isn't essential but some background is undeniably useful, and a
knowledge of psychology can help with predicting consumer behaviour.
Liz: Some trendspotters are qualified only in design, but training in advertising can be invaluable
and really, give you an edge when talking with companies, I think.
Interviewer: And finally, what makes a good trendspotter? Which skills are most important?
Liz: Broad interests in art, design, science, technology ... . Actual forecasting is a kind of sixth
sense, though. You can instinctively feel a trend developing on the street, and later, you see
it on the runway. Of course, you then need to bring it all together into a clear idea and get it to
your client and the market asap.
Josh: Yes, I think, at the root of it is intuition and that can't necessarily be taught . A
knowledge of design history goes a long way too — every trend is rooted somewhere in the past.
So while you're looking forward, you can't dismiss the past. I'm often surprised to see how past
styles influence current design. In time, fashion comes full circle, reinventing itself, but with a
modern twist.
Interviewer: Thank you both for coming today.
Exercise 30.

You will hear part of an interview with Miriam Baker, a psychologist, about how social
media has changed self-expression. For questions 1-5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear.

1 According to Miriam, what is the main reason people feel the need to create perfect
images of their lives on social media?
A They are hoping to attract more friends.
B They want their lives to seem more exciting.
C They are in need of validation.
D They have very unhappy lives.

2 In Miriam's view, the average user of social media is

A driven and only interested in self-gratification.
B lonely and looking for meaningful connections.
C curious and concerned with their surroundings.
D volatile and confused about what they want.

3 When discussing her own experience with social media, Miriam reveals
A her unexpected pleasure at the response.
B her desire to engage with it more.
C her worry of becoming addicted.
D her anxiety of not being accepted.

4 Miriam compares media in the past with social media today to

A highlight the reduction in consumption.
B focus on the differing subject matter.
C explain the difference in the audience.
D illustrate the variety of content.

5 What advice does Miriam give about combating `Digital Narcissism'?

A Be true to who you really are.
B Try to post more meaningful content.
C Focus on others and not yourself.
D Do things that increase your self-esteem
1C

2D

3A

4B

5A

Interviewer Welcome back to the show. With me is Miriam Baker, a psychologist specialising in
internet use and behaviour. Miriam, moving on, I'd like to talk about this explosion of selfies and
self-adoring posts documenting almost everything we do in life on social media. What Is this all
about?

Miriam: I'm so glad you brought this up, We are definitely seeing a large volume of content from
users about themselves. They thrive on how many likes they get. Social media is the perfect
platform for bragging and showing off. It's effortless and even celebrated. But users don't post
everything about themselves.

Interviewer: Well, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Miriam: I know, but seldom do we see the routine and boring parts of people's lives, like
cleaning up the house or paying their bills. Users portray only the interesting and fun stuff. They
even sometimes go so far as to stage content and posts that make their lives seem perfect; all in
the pursuit of likes. It's the never-ending search for confirmation that they are worthy.
Overall, they may have good lives with friends and so on but they are looking for
reinforcement from others. This unlimited 'look at me, look at me' content is what we
psychologists call digital narcissism and it's on the rise.

Interviewer: So what's wrong? Why are we so self-obsessed?

Miriam: It's the nature of the platform until it evolves into something more and it slowly will.
Think about it; It provides endless opportunities to focus on oneself and less on others and what's
going on in the world. This will definitely attract narcissists or bring out our narcissistic
tendencies. We are more connected than ever but less interested in other people. That said, most
social media users are not narcissistic necessarily but they tend to be unsure in what they
are looking for from the medium, causing sometimes unpredictable online behaviour.

Interviewer: I can relate to that. Sometimes I spend time scrolling and clicking on posts for no
real reason except that I'm bored.

Miriam: We all know that feeling. When I joined a social network some years back, I never
thought I would post much but when I did and got positive feedback, it was great. After some
time, though, I realised that in order for that to last I needed to post more. I could see how one
could get addicted or feel anxious about their posts. These are natural reactions but it's when we
take it to another level and start obsessing about how we are perceived that we are in danger of
becoming digital narcissists.

Interviewer: So, it's really a digital phenomenon?

Miriam: Basically, yes. Before social media, TV provided an escape from reality by giving us a
glimpse into the lives of fictional characters on TV shows and films. Then came reality TV,
turning everyday people into stars. As. online video and the first social media sites started
popping up, consumers became the content themselves. We are still spending the same amount
of time consuming and there is still lots to consume but what we are looking at has changed
considerably.

Interviewer: Well, we all know one of these narcissists or may even be one ourselves. Is there an
end to this online behaviour?

Miriam: You might expect me to say work on raising your self-esteem and that may help but the
real issue at heart here is: are you representing yourself truthfully? I say this often to all forms of
online engagement it’s important to focus on authenticity and just being yourself. It’s ok to
share your passions with the world but always keep in mind your real self. Seek out others with
similar interests and create more in-depth connections.

Interviewer: That makes sense to me. Can you tell me about other forms of online.

CHAPTER 2: CAE- CPE GAP FILLING

Exercise 1:
What happens in the Amazon has a 1) ________________ on the planet as a whole.

In the 10 years up to 2009, over a thousand 2) ________________ of plants and animals were
discovered.

The plants and animals are in danger because the Amazon's 3) ________________ are at risk.

The region is using its vital resources to place itself in the 4) ________________.

The 5) ________________ of allowing even a small percentage of the carbon to escape would be
disastrous.

6) ________________, thanks to plans put forward by the government, has resulted in forest
clearances.

The demand for livestock means farming offers substantial 7) ________________.

Activity to obtain 8) ________________ and other natural resources are also problematic.

To safeguard the water requirements of farming, the 9) ________________ needs to be

protected

Hi, my name's Charlie Reid and I'm going to talk to you today about the Amazon rainforest and
what it means to each and every one of us. Now, you might be thinking, 'The Amazon? That's
miles away, how does that have anything to do with me?' Well, let me tell you that what goes on
there has a (1) massive impact everywhere around the globe and we should all be paying much
closer attention to the effect of what is happening to it.
The Amazon is a vast biome that contains the largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world,
home to at least 10% of the known species on Earth, some of which are endemic to the area. In
the decade between 1999 and 2009 alone, 1200 (2) new species of plants and animals were
identified. This variety of flora and fauna depend on the (3) ecosystems that exist amongst the
forests of the Amazon and they are under threat just as all the forests around the planet.
The threat comes, in essence, from globalisation and its resulting effect on the exploitation of
resources. In the Amazon, these resources are proving vital in the establishment of the region in
the (4) global market, but at what cost? In a word, that cost is deforestation, which is very bad
news. The Amazon contains between 90 and 140 billion metric tons of carbon. The exploitation
of the area over the last 50 years has already led to a loss of at least 17% of the forest. Now as
most of you know, we have a severe problem at the moment with CO 2 levels causing climate
change and the release of even a small fraction of the carbon in the Amazon through
deforestation could have devastating (5) consequences planetwide. Added to that is the loss of
photosynthesis, or the conversion of existing CO2 into oxygen, that would have been carried out
by these trees.
The reasons behind current levels of deforestation are wideranging. A number of government
initiatives in the region have been promoting (6) rapid development, which has led to hasty
action whereby vast areas of forest have been cleared for building material and to create land for
pasture or crops. These actions have been carried out in order to facilitate foreign investment in
the area. However, there is a lack of sustainable development and resource protection which is a
direct result of an absence of proper frameworks which need to be in place to implement such
procedures. Coupled with an inability of regional institutions to impose existing regulations to
protect the area, the results have been quite destructive. There is also a high level of poverty
experienced by the peoples who inhabit the Amazon which has only exacerbated the issue.
The (7) financial rewards of raising cattle on the land, due to the international demand for their
products, has led to many locals increasing their farmland at the expense of the forest. People
have to make ends meet, which is understandable, but it must be done in a sustainable manner. In
addition to the expanding farmland, new infrastructure such as roads, buildings and irrigation
measures have left their mark and operations to extract (8) minerals and other resources from
the land have contributed to the situation we find ourselves in today.
The effects cannot be overstated. Already we have seen a loss of biodiversity and some species
are threatened with extinction. Habitats have been eroded and a number of species are in terminal
decline. The loss of (9) forest cover has also had a negative impact on the water cycle of the
region. Vapour from the rainforest spreads over a great distance and is relied upon by agriculture
in other parts of the surrounding area. The loss of this rainforest vapour could result in drought
and have major environmental ramifications. The knock-on effect of all this is that the people of
the Amazon are suffering due to a reduction in natural resources. Approximately 350 different
ethnic groups call the area their home and they are struggling to cope with the damage that is
being done.
So, what can we do about all this? Well, firstly ...

Exercise 2:

You will hear part of a talk about community regeneration by a community liaison
officer called Dolores O’Reilly. For questions 1-9, complete the sentences with a
word or short phrase.
Deterioration of living standards in some areas has led to a drop in people’s levels of 1)
________________.

Not dealing with all the issues can result in the 2) ________________ not working.

Emphasis should be placed on the 3) ________________ in the area that need help.

Previously, the authorities looked for 4) ________________ to give the community a

boost.

The 5) ________________ of local people throughout the project is of the utmost

importance.

Looking to communities for solutions can reveal people’s hidden 6) ________________.

It is necessary to create a(n) 7) ________________ to support the process.

In order to facilitate equality, both parties involved in the process require 8)

________________.

Dolores felt 9) ________________ of what her liaison group achieved.

1. self-esteem
2. regeneration
3. local neighbourhoods
4. corporate investment
5. involvement
6. talent
7. solid foundation
8. training
9. proud
Hi, my name’s Dolores O’Reilly and I’m going to talk to you today about community
regeneration. I’m a community liaison officer with Bramley city council and I was recently
involved in a regeneration scheme in my area.
A number of towns and cities around the country have experienced problems of decline in
certain areas with housing estates suffering high levels of poverty, unemployment, low
educational achievement, poor access to labour markets, crime and vandalism. The result has
been a decline in self-esteem in the residents in these areas which has only perpetuated the
problem.
It’s a vicious cycle. The area becomes run down and people lose hope and through their lack of
hope they allow the area to degrade even further. This cycle must be broken if these areas are to
flourish once more. There are a number of issues which need to be dealt with in order to achieve
this but take note, all of the issues must be addressed.
Neglecting even one of them has been shown to derail the process of regeneration. It therefore
needs to be tackled using a holistic approach at both local and national level to ensure an
effective framework is provided which has a clear focus. This focus should be on the local
neighbourhoods requiring attention.
In the past, projects were property-led meaning that the authorities believed that if an area looked
better, it would attract more corporate investment and the benefits of that would ‘trickle down’
to the wider community. Now we know that the more effective approach is to target the
problems in the community itself. If you don’t deal with them, no amount of outside investment
will work. Money can’t fix social exclusion and that’s a big problem in these areas.
The first step in this approach is to identify and understand the problems faced by the
neighbourhood and to highlight its assets. These assets should be ones that can be harnessed to
bring about necessary changes. At all stages local involvement is paramount, but no more so
than in this preparatory stage. It’s the locals that know the area and its history best. Neglect of
the areas and their residents has allowed problems to grow and multiply therefore, in order to
address any of the problems, you must get the community on board and motivated. In other
projects around the country, working with the locals has led to the discovery of a wealth of
untapped talent which proved instrumental in the success of these projects.
Once you have identified the areas which need the most attention you must work with the
community to establish a solid foundation to work from. After the preparatory stage the
community as a whole has to be informed of what is going on. Getting them involved late or in a
half-hearted manner will damage the program possibly beyond repair. This is vitally important
considering that community regeneration is a long process and the constant factor throughout is
the community. If you don’t have them on board, it simply won’t work.
Once they are involved they need to work closely with professionals and as such both parties
need to be supported with training. This enables the residents and professionals alike to play an
equal part in the process. This hopefully will lead to a productive partnership and positive
outcomes. One way to do this is to form a community liaison group which consults residents at
every stage. This was where I was involved in the project in my area. We presented every issue
to the community, had regular meetings where issues were discussed with community members
before going to the council and introduced a small grants fund which the liaison group were
directly responsible for.
These factors were especially important because they gave the community members a feeling of
control. And that’s something they felt had been taken away from them. That they were
somehow left behind, through no fault of their own, with no recourse. To succeed in life you
need to have a certain level of control over what happens to you and when it’s gone, it can have
devastating consequences. When I saw the results of our work in the liaison group, it made me
proud to see how the community rose to the challenge. It was quite inspiring.

Exercise 3.

You will hear a student, Sophie Reece, giving a short talk about a conservation
project. For questions 1-9, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

The state of the planet is the result of people’s need to make 1) ________________.

Sophie doesn’t want to delve into the subject of 2) ________________.

The volunteers offer the group whatever 3) ________________ they can spare.

The generosity of the public allows the group to take care of their 4) ________________.
Recently the group have been working on a(n) 5) ________________ involving local
businesses.

The group discovered that 6) ________________ in the way companies conduct

themselves can cut down on their environmental impact.

After the group left, the publishing company were almost a(n) 7) ________________ .

Volunteering to help the environment can help alleviate one’s 8) ________________.

Sophie believes everyone’s 9) ________________ is to do something positive.

1. progress

2. vehicular pollution

3. time

4. administration costs

5. scheme

6. minor (small) adjustments

7. paperless office

8. conscience

9. desire
My name’s Sophie Reece and I’d like to talk to you today about a conservation group that I’m
involved in. I work with a group of like-minded people who believe we owe a debt to nature for
everything mankind has done over the years in the name of progress, which has caused a lot of
damage along the way. I’m of course talking about the many different ways in which we pollute
this planet of ours through industry, ignorance and our negligent behaviour.

Anyone who has left the tap running while cleaning their teeth, left a light on in an empty room,
just thrown a plastic bottle away instead of recycling it or left the TV on standby has contributed
to the state that the planet is in today, and I’m not even going to talk about the impact caused by
the millions of cars on our roads. Vehicular pollution is too big a topic to tackle today. The
bottom line is that, any way you look at it, we’re all to blame and my group wants to make
amends.

I joined the group two and a half years ago. I was only planning to volunteer for a short period,
but the more I did, the more I wanted to carry on. Everyone in the group is a volunteer, and they
give as much time as they can. It’s a non-profit organisation but we still have to raise funds.
We’ve carried out a few fundraisers in my time there but mostly we rely on donations to cover
administration costs.

We’ve already completed a number of projects over the last couple of years. We’ve organised
clean-up days, recycling drives, tree plantings and much more but we wanted to go further so we
created a scheme to assist companies in the area to reduce their impact on the environment.

We go into participating businesses and work with them to identify areas where, by making
minor adjustments to working practices, they can make a difference. And sometimes it’s very
small adjustments that can have the biggest results. One company that we worked with recently,
a publishing company, had an extremely high level of paper usage. Although they did recycle
their paper waste, the cost to the environment was still high.

While recycling is always a positive, it’s better for the environment if you don’t use the natural
resources in the first place and recycling still uses power so we helped them find ways to reduce
the amount of paper they went through. And, can you believe that, by the time we left, they were
on their way to becoming a paperless office, which is quite an astounding accomplishment if
you think about it.

For those of you that might be interested in doing something similar, there are lots of ways you
can do your bit. You could sign up with us for one of our events, I’m not saying you have to join
my group, I didn’t come here to recruit members, no, you could just help out at one of our tree
planting or clean-up days. Alternatively, there are a number of other groups that run similar
ventures and you can volunteer with one of them. Anything you can do to help the environment
is great and it will ease your conscience and put your mind at rest that something is being done.

While it’s very commendable giving your time to one of these causes, you can always simply
start at home making small adjustments to how you carry out everyday tasks, like not doing the
things I mentioned at the beginning of my talk. Turning off the tap when you’re cleaning your
teeth saves precious water and turning lights off and not leaving things on standby conserves
energy. It’s not a question of having a passion for everything ecological, you just need to have a
desire to do some good, which I personally think we all have.

Exercise 4.

You will hear a zoo keeper called Gareth talking to members of the public about changes in
zoo practices over the last sixty years. For questions 7 – 15, complete the sentences with a
word or short phrase.

Gareth thinks attention has shifted from keeping enclosures free of (7) ________________ to
making them similar to animals’ natural environment.

He says it is difficult to provide natural surroundings while maintaining the animals’ (8)
________________ to the public.

At Hadley Zoo, keepers devise programmes which provide (9) ________________ to the
animals as part of their care.

In the 1980s, zoo animals were regarded as similar to (10) ________________ by members of
the public.

Gareth explains how the word (11) ________________ illustrates the attitude of the public to
zoo animals.
In one zoo, visitors can manipulate special (12) ________________, allowing them to interact
with the animals.

Gareth says that the apes bred in captivity have an attitude of (13) ________________ to
visitors.

The aim of training dangerous animals is to achieve (14) ________________ when handling is
required.

When the use of (15) ________________ was stopped, elephants became healthier and more
sociable.

7 disease

8 visibility

9 stimulation

10 works of art

11 connecting

12 toys

13 tolerance

14 stress reduction

15 chains

I’ve seen many changes over my years as a zoo keeper at Hadley Zoo and all of them have
brought benefits to the animals in our care. For example, the design of animal enclosures at zoos
is something that has undergone a radical transformation. When I started out, what was of
paramount importance wasn’t trying to create an environment which would allow animals to
behave as they would in the wild, which is what we try to do today, even if they do still have to
be kept behind bars – but it was actually making sure that disease was kept at bay. For example,
the floor of the ape house at Hadley Zoo, which was built in the 1960s, is made of concrete,
instead of natural materials because it’s much easier to hose out and bleach down. But we’ve
now tried to make the environment more ape-friendly by adding hammocks and ropes. But all
zoos have found that the problem with trying to build a natural environment for some of the
larger animals, is that when you provide a large area with plenty of shelter and vegetation,
visibility becomes an issue to the visitor. Trying to keep both animals comfortable and visitors
satisfied at the same time is a major challenge and requires a lot of creativity. At Hadley Zoo,
one of our basic tenets is to give the animals what we call ‘choice and control’, letting them
decide where to move and when – the idea is to encourage the animals to be as active and mobile
as possible – but we can’t always guarantee results that are visitor-friendly. As a zoo keeper, I’m
involved in developing programmes for the animals. We want to look after them as best we can,
but not to fully domesticate them. They’re still wild animals, so for example we might make
them forage for their food, or work for it in some way, which gives them the sort of stimulation
they’d miss if we just handed it over. We went through this phase in the 1980s as a profession
that because some of these animals were so rare, they were displayed to the public in zoos in
such a way as to make visitors feel that they were looking at works of art, because they were
looking at something like a tiger that’s a rare and endangered species. These days zoos are
having to fight harder for the public’s attention and we’ve learned what they don’t want is a
lecture on conservation issues, what they want is to experience something more personal and
emotional with an individual animal; they don’t want to treat it just as a rare spectacle. So the
buzzword is no longer ‘conservation’, although that remains the mission of all zoos, it’s
‘connecting’ – so it’s about relating people directly with nature. The idea of showing visitors
more of what the zoo does for animal well-being, while also giving them first-hand experience
with animals, is slowly spreading. So the orang-utans
can actually play with the public using toys which can simultaneously be controlled by the
public outside the enclosure, and the animals inside. And we’ve just opened a new tiger
exhibit with trails and corridors that will allow the big cats to roam through visitor space,
separated only by a glass wall.
At Hadley Zoo, we’re at the stage where all our big cats and apes were born in captivity
and not taken from the wild like previous generations. They’re still wild animals, but they’ve
grown up in the presence of humans in a controlled environment. From years of observing
the apes’ interaction with the public, I’d say they display tolerance rather than an attitude of
fear. Despite their ancestral roots in equatorial Africa they understand the benefits of
airconditioning and they prefer to stay inside, and who can blame them?
In the past handling the more dangerous animals was only possible if they were
immobilised or tranquilised which understandably they didn’t like. I remember the tigers
used to become super-aggressive every time the vets came anywhere near them. The
situation is different today because we can train the animals from a young age. One way
we do this is to train the animals to press against the mesh of their enclosures to receive
injections. The goal is stress reduction so that the lions and tigers become used to being
handled and can be given injections without the need for tranquilising.
When I began work as a keeper in 1987, the elephants were kept in chains in their cages at
night. And when the elephant manager made the decision ten years later to leave them to
move around freely in their cages, the fear was that it might make them harder to handle.
But in fact because their feet were in better condition, and because they could socialise in a
better way, it actually made them easier to handle.
Things have improved a lot, and I believe animals in zoos have a great life. In the wild
they’re… [fade]

Exercise 5.

You will hear a student called Mara Barnes giving a presentation about the language of the
Piraha people who live in the Amazon basin. For questions 1–9, complete the sentences
with a word or short phrase.

Mara defines the way of life of the Piraha people as fitting into the (1) ________________
category.

Mara explains that because most speakers of Piraha are (2) ________________, the language is
not under imminent threat.

Professor Everett was surprised to discover that the Piraha language has no words for ideas like
(3) ‘________________’ or ‘number’.

Mara says that common objects such as (4) ________________ were used to establish whether
Piraha people could count.

Mara thinks that the Piraha language sounds more like (5) ________________ than speech.

The (6) ________________ used in the Piraha language are thought to have originated in another
local language.

Mara uses the term (7) ‘________________’ for a common concept related to time that Piraha
people seem not to have.

Professor Everett gives the example of the Piraha’s superior (8) ________________ to support
his idea that they are not unintelligent.
Mara uses the expression (9) ‘________________’ to describe her attitude towards Professor
Everett’s theory of language

1 hunter(-)gatherer

2 monolingual

3 colour/color

4 batteries

5 humming

6 pronouns

7 collective memory

8 sense of direction

9 (keeping) (an) open mind

Hi. My name’s Mara Barnes and the subject of my presentation this evening is an amazing tribe
of people who live deep in the Amazon rainforest on the banks of the river. They are called the
Piraha and there’s about four hundred of them living in a scattering of small villages. The thing
about the Piraha is that, as well as living what we would term a hunter-gatherer lifestyle – that is
they’re not engaged in agriculture or animal husbandry, but live off the bounty of the forest
environment – these people have a unique language, that’s been studied by an ethnologist from
the University of Manchester called Professor Everett over a twenty-five year period.

Although the number of Piraha speakers is small, the language cannot be described as
endangered because most of its speakers are monolingual and have little contact with other
language groups. Similarly, few outsiders understand anything of Piraha, which isn’t related to
other existing languages. So the first thing that Everett had to do was learn the language himself.
From his first steps on Piraha land in 1977, Everett knew the tribe was remarkable. As far as he
could tell, the language had no words capable of conveying basic ideas like colour, although
words for light and dark existed, or more significantly counting. If this were true, then the
language would be unique – the world's only known language without numbers. A series of
experiments, using items that the tribe were familiar with, like batteries, established this to be the
case. But the Piraha had access to brazil nuts and were keen to set up trading relations with
neighbouring tribes, so Everett set out to try and teach some of them to count – with little
success. It seemed that in their everyday lives, these people had no need of numerical skills, and
so couldn’t even grasp the concept of number.

Everett had to wait months before coming to these conclusions, however, so indecipherable was
the language. It’s a kind of sing-song communication which some have compared to singing, but
which to my mind has more in common with humming than with the spoken word, and whistling
is also an important feature in communications in the jungle. Linguists have studied the structure
of the language and found that despite a very limited set of vowels and consonants and a lack of
complicated grammar, many ideas are conveyed through variations in pitch, stress and rhythm.
Although Piraha does have a set of personal pronouns, these seem to have been imported from a
neighbouring language, rather than being an original feature, and the language has no perfect
tense or way of reporting ideas such as ‘Mary said that John thought that Henry was happy.’
What are known as recursive sentences by linguists.

Because there’s no written version of Piraha, very few storytelling traditions and no tradition of

decorative art, the tribe seems to have a complete lack of what’s known as a collective memory –
in other words there’s little sense of history as people are focussed on their current needs. The
Piraha aren’t interested in either the distant past or the distant future, so don’t have the language
to express ideas related to those time periods. Having lived with the Piraha for many years,
however, Everett disputes the idea that they’re intellectually inferior to other peoples. He points
to their remarkable sense of direction as a skill that he himself has been unable to learn from
them, and says that their knowledge of local plants and animals and their behaviour patterns is
encyclopaedic.

Everett’s study of the Piraha is important for a number of reasons. Clearly, they’re a fascinating
people, but, most significantly, they call into question some of the most important
twentiethcentury theories regarding the link between language and thought – not least Professor
Chomsky’s ideas about a universal grammar that we all share. The evidence of the Piraha would
seem to suggest that this is not the case. Everett believes that it is the Piraha’s culture that
determines their language structure, rather than an innate system of grammar. As they have no
need to express certain ideas, then their language hasn’t developed them.

It’s a compelling argument, but like most people I’m keeping an open mind. Piraha is such a
difficult language to learn that few people have been able either to corroborate or refute
Professor Everett’s ideas. For the moment, at least, the secrets of the Piraha remain safely hidden
in the depths of the jungle.
Now before I go on to …

Exercise 6.

You will hear a practitioner talking about alternative medicine. For questions 7-15,
complete the sentence with a word or short phrase.

In spite of a long-established form of alternative medicine, homeopathy only (7)

________________ when it was discovered by Samuel Hahneman.

Alternative medicine to treat allergies is usually taken in (8) ________________.

The (9) ________________ in England is one person who severely criticised homeopathy.

Over two million people in (10) ________________ were treated with homeopathic medicine
before a hurricane struck.

In acupuncture, the intensity of stimulation caused by needles can be increased by passing an

(11) ________________ through them.

When acupuncture corrects the (12) ________________ through the body, the patient feels
better.

According to the practitioner, it is usually as (13) ________________ that patients go for

naturopathy treatments.

The primary aim of naturopathy is to change the patient’s (14) ________________ to effect a
cure.

The practitioner mentions (15) ________________ as two factors that can undermine health.
7. gained momentum

8. tablet form

9. Chief Medical Officer

10. Cuba

11. electric current

12. flow of energy

13. a last resort

14. lifestyle

15. poor diet and stress

Though there are several forms of alternative medicine used in the West, the most widely
adopted are homeopathy and acupuncture, and to a lesser extent naturopathy. Homeopathy dates
back to the time of Hippocrates, but it only gained momentum when it was only by Samuel
Hahneman, whose primary aim was to adopt a treatment that did not provoke the terrible side
effects linked with the conventional medicine of the time. Homeopathy revolves around the
principle of treating like with like. The treatment therefore involves providing the patient with
very small amounts of a substance that in large doses causes symptoms. The aim of this
procedure is to trigger the body's ability to heal itself naturally, and it is the homeopath's job to
match the most appropriate medicine to the programme of treatment. So, when treating an
allergic patient, the practitioner will prescribe small doses of an allergen, usually in tablet form,
to reduce the allergic reaction of that patient to that particular allergen. Although homeopathic
remedies do work, the mechanism by which they act on the body cannot be explained by science
- something which has led to scathing criticism from conventional doctors. Indeed, the fact that
the National Health Service now provides homeopathic treatments has irked England's chief
medical officer so much that she has categorically stated that homeopathic remedies are nothing
more than placebos. She has also gone on to warn of the dangers of using homeopathy to treat
malaria and other infectious diseases. To my mind, she is correct to point out the limits of
homeopathy, but there are limits to conventional medicine, too. However, I do not share her view
of homeopathy merely working like a placebo. After all, 300 million patients in 80 countries
have benefitted from this alternative treatment, including its adoption as preventative medicine.
For instance, in Cuba, 2.3 million people were given homeopathic medicine in advance of a
hurricane, the natural phenomenon which is known to trigger the disease leptospirosis. This
move significantly reduced the number of cases of the disease and made control of the epidemic
much easier. Now, I'd like to move on to acupuncture, which has been part of the traditional
medicine of China, Japan and other Eastern countries for thousands of years. Modern
acupuncture therapy is based on the discovery that when certain areas of the skin are stimulated
by inserting fine needles just under the surface, the functioning of specific organs in the body is
affected. This stimulation can be increased in intensity by passing an electric current through the
needles or by releasing heat from burning herbs onto the skin. The principle underlying the
practice is the belief that good health depends on a balanced flow of 'Chi'. 'Chi' circulates
through the bloodstream along energy pathways called medians that are linked to the organs. The
practitioner has to locate the blockages and apply needles to the appropriate points to correct the
flow of energy so that pain can be relieved and health restored.

The final form I just want to touch on today is naturopathy, which patients normally turn to as a
last resort. In a nutshell, naturopathy utilises natural healing practices like homeopathy,
acupuncture and herbal remedies and examines not only the symptoms of the patient but also
investigates the root cause of the illness. As such, the main goal of naturopathy involves
changing a person's lifestyle in order to facilitate a more permanent cure by treating the whole
person. By that I mean teaching the patient self-care to remove factors such as stress and poor
diet that can result in a degradation in health.
Exercise 7.

You will hear an architect talking about biomimicry, copying animal behaviour for human
purposes, in buildings. For questions 7-16, complete the sentences with a word or short
phrase.

When a (7) ________________ of termites enter a home, the occupants may have to leave
temporarily.

The way in which termites (8) ________________ in their mounds was the inspiration of a
building in Zimbabwe.

The African termite cultivates a (9) ________________ which acts as a primary food source.

It is the (10) ________________ in the enclosures that cools daytime air in the termite mounds.

The two buildings in Eastgate Centre are positioned (11) ________________ and separated by
an open space.

Cool air flows into the offices through (12) ________________ and special vents.

Stale air in the Eastgate Centre leaves through chimneys after entering the exhaust section of the
(13) ________________.

The owner of Eastgate Centre claims that regular fresh air changes can improve (14)
________________ by over 10%.

The CH2 building in Australia has (15) ________________ that open so that air can be taken in.

CH2 also uses (16) ________________ and thermal solar panels to further reduce its carbon
footprint.
7. colony
This is because many species of this insect feed on wood and if a colony moves in, the occupants
may have to move out until pest control has dealt with the problem.
8. regulate (the) temperature
When designer, Mick Pearce, investigated the building methods ed by termites to construct their
gigantic mounds, he was inspired by the way they are able to regulate the temperature in the
stuctures they build.
9. fungus
Instead, they feed mainly on a fungus which grow inside the mound.
10. wet mud
When, for example, it is hot outside, air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound from where it
is channeled down into enclosures whose walls are made of wet mud. The slightly cooled air
then flows up through channels to the peak of the mound.
11. side by side
Eastgate is not one building but two, side by side separated by open space covered by glass and
open to local breezes.
12. hollow floors
Like in the termite mounds, cool air begins to flow from the bottom of the building and is then
distributed into offices via hollow floors and baseboard vents
13. vertical ducts
Fresh air replaces stale air, which exits through chimneys after entering a exhaust section of the
vertical ducts.
14. worker productivity
The buildings receive a fresh air change every half hour, which the owner claims is able to
increase worker productivity by more than 10%
15. automatic shutters
Like Eastgate Centre, CH2 manages the internal and external temperature differences, but in this
case, a whole side of the building is opened up to a direct air intake through automatic shutters
16. photovoltaic cells
CH2 also uses photovoltaic cells and thermal solar panels to further reduce its carbon footprint.
Exercise 8.

You will hear a radio presenter called Tania Parades discussing the subject of whale
beaching along an area of the New Zealand coastline. For questions 7-15, complete the
sentences with a word or short phrase.

Tania wants to discuss the beaching reported this week not because whale beachings are unusual
in New Zealand, but because they have become (7) ________________ in the Golden Bay area.

Tania describes the mass stranding that occurred earlier in the week, as (8) ________________
on account of the sheer number of pilot whales that beached.

In spite of a rescue attempt by a large number of people, (9) ________________ of the whales
made it to the safety of deep water.

Tania believes that for once, it is the depth of water in the bay rather than
(10)________________ that is mainly to blame for the beachings.

The plentiful amount of (11) ________________ in the bay, combined with the gradual reduc-
tion in depth of the water, is thought to disrupt the whales' echo-Location methods.

The whales' navigation problems are compounded by the fact that the tide rapidly (12)
________________ of the bay.

However, the conditions in the bay do not explain why so many whales can all make an identical
(13) ________________ at the same time.

Scientists speculate that mass beachings may be linked to the fact that whales tend to maintain
(14) ________________ within their communities.

In this sense, a mass stranding could be explained as a failed (15) ________________ on the part
of the other whales in the pod.
7. an annual event

8. a (very) significant event / (very) significant

9. only a handful

10. human interference

11. soft sand

12. moves in and out

13. navigational error

14. strong social bonds

15. rescue effort

Exercise 9.

You will hear a radio presenter called Simone Poole discussing the origin of the
superstitions surrounding Friday 13'. For questions 7-15, complete the sentences with a
word or short phrase.

The word which describes people suffering from (7) ________________ about Friday 13" comes
from the Greek language.

When they go about numbering their floors, many hotels choose to (8) ________________ due
to its association with misfortune.

The Society of the Irish Motor industry brought in a (9) ________________ in 2013 in order to
accommodate people's superstitions, fearing sales of new cars would otherwise fall.

There are considerable (10) ________________ to be enjoyed by homebuyers prepared to

purchase a house numbered 13.

In Norse mythology, the (11) ________________ is said to have created mayhem on arriving
unexpectedly at the Valhalla banquet.

References to both the number thirteen and the day Friday in religious texts tend to have (12)
________________.

Lawson's book is about the negative effect on (13) ________________ that is experience when a
corrupt banker exploits the superstitions surrounding Friday 13'.

In certain parts of Southern Europe, Tuesday 13 th is known as the greatest (14)

________________ of misfortune

The perception of the number 13 in Ancient Egypt differed from the negative one we tend to
have today because the 13th (15) ________________ was thought to represent a superior form of
existence.

7. a genuine phobia
8. skip 13 altogether

9. new registration system

10. savings

11. God of Mischief

12. negative connotations

13. the markets

14. calendrical omen

15. stage of life

Hello and welcome to the programme. I'm Simone Poole and what with the day being what it is -
this being Friday the 13th and all - I thought we'd start the show by taking a look at some of the
superstitions people have about today and where those superstitions come from. And it's no
laughing matter because some of us take Friday the 13th very seriously indeed! There is even a
word used to describe those who have a genuine phobia about the date -
paraskavedekatriaphobia. This is derived from Greek and literally means fear of Friday the 13th.
According to research conducted by a popular chain of hotels, almost 75% of adults in the UK
claim to have suffered from bad luck at some point in time on this day. And speaking of hotels.
given that the digit is associated with misfortune, did you know that many go so far as to skip 13
altogether in their floor-numbering system? So, for example, you may find that your hotel lift
can take you from Floor 12 direct to Floor 14, with Floor 13 simply not existing at all. So, as you
can see, the fear, or superstition, is very real. Indeed, the Society of the Motor Industry in Ireland
was so concerned about the public's discomfort surrounding the number 13 that it completely
changed the registration number plate system. For fear that the number 13 appearing on car
plates would hit sales, a new registration system was introduced for the start of 2013 and has
been in operation ever since. Further evidence of the public's fear of this unlucky digit can be
found in the fact that, according to one online property agency, house buyers can make savings
of up to £9,000 if they are willing to call Number 13 their new home. But why all the fuss - what
is it about the number 13 that makes us so superstitious? Well, there are many theories for the
origin of this illogical fear. For instance, in Norse mythology the superstition can be traced back
to the banquet at Valhalla where the God of Mischief caused chaos when he turned up
unannounced as the 13th guest. Then there are religious references. too. For instance, Friday was
the day Eve tempted Adam with the apple from the Tree of Knowledge and it also marked the
start of the great flood during the time of Noah. Numerous other references with negative con-
notations for both Friday and the number 13 can also be found elsewhere in religious texts From
the world of literature, Thomas W. Lawson's novel Friday the Thirteenth, published in 1907,
may have added fuel to the fire of and popularised the superstition surrounding the day,
Lawson's story tells of the deeds of an unscrupulous banker on Wall Street, who takes advantage
of the superstitions around the 13th to cause widespread panic and chaos in the markets. In parts
of the Mediterranean, though, whilst the number 13 is similarly associated with misfortune, it is
Tuesday and not Friday - in Spain and Greece, for example - which is synonymous with bad
luck, Tuesday the 13th then, would be regarded there as the greatest calendrical omen of
misfortune. However, the number 13 has not always been associated with misfortune. Indeed, the
Ancient Egyptians regarded it as a lucky number, believing that the 1 3th stage of life was related
to the afterlife, a sort of higher spiritual state of being. Indeed, although Friday the 13th is a
widely held superstition today, closer exami-nation at local level of perception of the day, and
date, in different cultures tends to be quite revealing. It really is interesting that the whole idea of
Friday the 13th ...

Exercise 10.

You will hear a radio presenter called Giles Franklyn discussing a weather phenomenon
known as a fogbow. For questions 7-15, complete the sentences with a word or short
phrase.
Fogbows only seem totally white (7)________________, if not properly examined, and that is
why the term white rainbow is misleading.

A fogbow is actually made up of a number of very (8) ________________ such as the subtle red
visible on its outer edge and the blue on its inner.

There is a clear connection between (9) ________________ and the strength of the colours that
form in a bow.

Cloud bows can regularly be seen by people travelling in-flight on airplanes when they are (10)
_______________ and cloud formations are below.

Water light which enters the water droplet undergoes _______________ and refraction,
producing the range of different colours of a rainbow.

A rainbow is formed when each of the seven waves of light gets reflected in a (12)
________________thus creating the familiar arc of the bow.

When light is diffracted by fog, the arc of the bow formed is (13) ________________ than that
of an ordinary rainbow.

Giles is not surprised that the photographer captured the image of the fogbow because fogbows
are frequently evident in (14) ________________ terrain.

Fogbows are most likely to occur in places where there are (15) ________________ such as on
elevated land or over Arctic waters.

7. from a distance

8. weak colours

9. (water) droplet size

10. looking downwards

11. dispersion
12. slighly different direction

13. broader and paler

14. moutainous and hilly

15. stark temperature contrasts

Giles Franklyn: ... and that's tomorrow's forecast for you, but, before I say cheerio, one of our
listeners sent in a marvellous photograph today of a very unusual phenomenon - a white rainbow
- inquiring as to what exactly it is. We've uploaded the photo to our website and social networks
and due to the immense amount of interest we've had since, by way of comments and likes, I just
wanted to take this opportunity to explain what exactly people are seeing in the image. Although
it is sometimes called a white rainbow, and, indeed, it is a similar weather phenomenon to that of
the rainbow in most respects, a fogbow, as the arc in the photo is more commonly known, is, as
the name suggests, notably different to behold. Fogbow is the preferred name because using the
term white rainbow is actually somewhat inaccurate. From a distance and without careful
examination, a fogbow may indeed appear completely white. However, this is not so. Whilst the
bow only consists of weak colours, it has more than one of them, including a reddish outer edge
and a blueish inner one. The reason the colours are so weak as compared with a typical rainbow
is due to the dimensions of the water droplets that cause fog, which are considerably smaller than
those produced by other forms of precipitation. Indeed, in many cases, the water droplets are so
small that the entire fogbow can appear white - there is a direct correlation between the droplet
size and colour vivacity, you see, so the smaller the droplets, the weaker the colours. However, a
closer inspection will reveal that, though faint, the colours are present. No fogbow is ever,
therefore, in the strictest sense, a white rainbow. Because fog is essentially low cloud, it is hardly
surprising that the phenomenon is also frequently visible from aircrafts, typically when they are
flying above clouds - looking downwards, if you like. Such fogbows are often given the
alternative name cloud bows, for obvious reasons. Another name for fogbows was given to them
by mariners, who tend to encounter the phenomenon regularly out at sea. To them, they are sea-
dogs. Fogbows are also occasionally visible at night time, when they are known as lunar
fogbows. But why does droplet size have such an impact on colouration? Well, as I may have
mentioned, fogbows are formed in much the same way as rainbows. Here are the basic steps:
First, white light enters the water droplet. As it does so, it is divided into its seven different
colours due to a process called dispersion. The different colours of light refract, or change
direction, after entering the droplet at slightly different rates. Therefore, when the seven separate
waves of light then get reflected off the inside of the droplet, they each go in a similar but
slightly different direction, emerging to form the familiar large, colourful arc of the rainbow.

The difference with fogbows is that the fight is not refracted, however: whilst refraction is at
work in large water droplets to change the direction of light, the tiny droplets found in fog cause
light to diffract instead. In simple terms, the process of diffraction involves breaking the light
waves up and spreading them out into many different directions. The diffracted light produces
weaker colours and the familiar broader and paler arc of the fogbovv. Knowing what we now do
about fogbows, it's unsurprising, therefore, that the photographer who captured the striking
image that provoked such interest when we posted it on our website and forums was in the
Scottish Highlands at the time of capture. After all, fog is a very frequent weather event in
mountainous and hilly regions where there are often stark temperature contrasts. Far the same
reason, spectacular fogbows are regularly seen over Arctic waters, too. Indeed, if you find you
now have a taste for fogbows and a hankering to find more, you'd do well to ...

Exercise 11.

You will hear a mountain rescue team Leader called Sean McKinley giving a talk on
avalanche awareness on a daily radio show. For questions 7-15, complete the sentences with
a word or short phrase.

Gravity is responsible for natural snowslips which are termed (7) ________________.

Natural snowslips can also be produced by seismic events as well as (8) ________________.

Avalanches caused by people account for a (9) ________________ of avalanche-related injuries

and deaths.
Powder avalanches only occur around times of (10) ________________ when the wind is
moderate or still.

The (11) ________________ process changes the consistency of powder snow once it has been
lying for a while.

When the snowpack has (12) ________________ in layers under the surface, an upper layer or
layers can break away and slide, resulting in a stab avalanche.

As well as the intensity of snowfall and the angle of slope, (13) ________________ , which can
lead to instabilities in the snowpack, can also be a very significant contributing factor to
avalanches.

A wetter, denser snowpack can result from heavy rain or (14________________ due to rapid
temperature increases. Such conditions may produce wet snow avalanches.

(15) ________________, and large snow-top cornices suggest that there has been a period of
heavy winds very recently.

7. spontaneous avalanches

8. rock falls

9. disproportionate number

10. intense snowfall

11. thawing and freezing

12. a vulnerability

13. sudden temperature change

14. thawing: tan chảy

15. raised footprints

Sean McKinley: Thank you for having me on the show today. My name is Sean McKinley and
I'm here to discuss avalanche awareness and safety, which is particularly important at this time of
year. I do not want to put people off exploring our wonderful hills and mountains, but, as a
mountain rescue team leader who has seen the worst consequences of ignorance, I would like
people to be well-informed so that they can make good decisions out there. So, first and
foremost, what causes an avalanche? Well, typically the culprit is the force of gravity. That is
what produces a natural avalanche in most cases when conditions are right. Such snowslips are
known as spontaneous avalanches. Other less typical causes of natural avalanches include rock
falls and, rarer still, of course, seismic events, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Although such geological phenomena are extremely rare in most parts of the world, obviously,
given the unique set of geological conditions we are faced with here in the Pacific Ring of Fire,
they present a much more real and present threat to us, and one we can do little to control. What
we can control, however, is our own behaviour, which is to blame for a disproportionate number
of avalanches which result in human injuries or fatalities. I'm referring, of course, to human-
triggered avalanches, but more on this later. For now, let me just say that around 90% of
avalanche victims trigger their own avalanche, and let that sink in. There are two main types of
avalanche; powder avalanches and slab avalanches. The former occur during or shortly after pe-
riods of intense snowfall on days when winds are very light or non-existent. You will almost
never see one in the absence of snowfall because once lying snow has gone through the thawing
and freezing cycle. It takes on a different composition to fresh powder and becomes part of the
main snowpack. As a rule of thumb, watch out for more than 30cm of continuous build-up of
snow in one day or more than 2cm in one hour. The latter, on the other hand, can occur at any
time when there is a vulnerability in the existing snowpack. Snow builds up in layers and if there
are weak layers of poorly bonded snow beneath the surface, this can cause upper layers to break
away and slide. Slab avalanches most frequently happen on slopes of between 30 and 45 degrees,
so extra caution should be exercised at such angles. The risk of being avalanched is also highest
when you are positioned lower down ridges. So, already we have identified some of the major
risk factors, such as slope angle and snowfall intensity. Another major risk factor is sudden
temperature change. This can disrupt the snowpack and lead to instabilities. Heavy rain can also
sometimes destabilise the snowpack by making the snow wetter and consequently denser, with
the increased density raising the likelihood of wet snow avalanches. A similar problem can occur
without precipitation when temperatures rise suddenly and sharply, causing thawing; again, a
wetter, denser snowpack is the result. Another factor always at play is wind speed. Strong winds
can deposit more snow on lee or downwind slopes. And even when there is no new snow, such
winds can redeposit snow from the existing snowpack on the same lee slopes. During and
directly after such windy periods, great care should be taken in selecting slopes to traverse. Signs
that there have been gales recently can often be seen in the presence of large cornices or
overhanging snowtops on peaks and ridge edges, not to mention in raised footprints in the snow
itself. So, clearly, when considering a day out in the hills, forewarned is definitely forearmed.
Also, we should not forget the importance of ...
Exercise 12.

You will hear a financial expert called Alexandra Harrow talking about the influence of the
mobile phone on the way people transfer money on a radio show. For questions 7-15,
complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

M-Pesa is a way of effecting (7) _______________ and making purchases and payments using
your mobile phone.

Although some could afford to repay small loans, poor people of Africa were generally ignored
by the tra-ditional banking system because their custom was not viewed as (8) _______________
to worry about.

The idea for M-Pesa was inspired by how Africans had started using (9)_______________ as a
form of currency and a new way of making payments.

The system developed by the DfID and Vodafone was only intended to be used to (10)
_______________.
People with relatives in (11) _______________ found the new system very handy for making
fund transfers back home from the big city.

In Kenya, M-Pesa shops now outnumber (12) _______________ dramatically, which

demonstrates the significant influence the new payment system has had there.

Despite its success in parts of Africa, (13) _______________ has really yet to start using mobile
money at all.

Mobile money contributes to tackling corruption in traditionally (14) _______________, which

is why it has become so popular.

Mobile money also helps to stop (15) _______________ because it makes it very hard to hide
payments and income.

7. money transfers

8. profitable enough

9. pre-paid airtime

10. repay small microfinance loans

11. remote villages

12. cash machines

13. the developed world

14. cash-driven economies

15. tax evasion

Alexandra Harrow: Now I want to turn to a service which is little known here in the UK but
which is revolutionising the way business is conducted in certain parts of the world. The service
I'm referring to is M-Pesa. Let's take a look at this M-Pesa revolution and how it is transforming
the way money is circulated in some African economies and elsewhere. First of all, what is M-
Pesa? It is simply a way of making money transfers and purchase or payment transactions via
mobile. The story of this money via mobile concept first began in 2002 at a conference in
Johannesburg on sustainable development. Present at the conference was the head of the UK's
Department for International Development, who had a fund at his disposal to invest in a project
that would help improve access to financial services. A lack of access to the banking system was
a particular problem for millions of poor people living in Africa. How many would-be
entrepreneurs were being denied their chance to contribute to the economy as a consequence?
Even if such people wanted only small loans, which they could afford to pay back, in reality,
they were too poor for the existing banking system to bother with; the loans would not have been
profitable enough to make them worthwhile. Therefore, what was needed was a new system
tailored to meet their needs - a soprce of financial services for entrepreneurs and small
businesses lacking access to the traditional banking system. This new system would become
known as rnicrofinance, and mobile money transfer would soon play a big role in it. The
Department for International Development (DifiD) had already noted a rising trend in African
countries whereby mobile phone customers were themselves developing a sort of currency (or
quasi-currency) by transferring pre-paid airtime to one another as a means of payment. It decided
to try to take things one step further and create an official payment system modelled very
similarly. To do this, it teamed up with the Vodafone network, with each partner committing one
million in funding to the fledgling project. Although neither partner envisaged the system serving
any purpose other than to repay small microfinance loans by SMS, users. however, had a
different idea and it was ordinary mobile phone customers in Kenya, where the project first
started, that drove its development into something much more influential. They started using it to
send money to one another as a means of payment for things other than loans - from everyday
purchases to utility bills. Not only that, but they also found it incredibly convenient for sending
money home from big cities where they worked to their families in remote villages. Within eight
months of launching, more than a million Kenyans had signed up to mobile money. Today, there
are well over twenty million users and about 100 times as many M-Pesa kiosks as there are cash
machines. In a country where cash used to be king. now mobile money does the talking. And the
mobile money revolution has now spread to around two-thirds of all developing countries,
though it has yet to be introduced or embraced in any sense in the developed world. However,
that may yet happen because, in actuality, mobile money payment is a far simpler and quicker
service than any existing banking app can offer. Why it has been embraced in the developing
world so quickly is clear, though. Cash-driven economies have a lot of corruption. Introducing
mobile money helped to tackle this and was an unexpected benefit of the service. For example, in
Afghanistan, policemen only started to realise how much of their basic salary was being taken
illegally by their superiors before being passed on to them when they started to receive their
payments by mobile instead of cash .- the amount of money they received was shockingly more
than what their superiors had been giving them. Meanwhile, back in Kenya, drivers there realised
that traffic officers harassing them for bribes would not be so keen to accept them through the
M-Pesa system, since such bribes were then trackable and could be used as evidence, so they
stopped carrying cash altogether and then the harassment petered out too. Another benefit of this
track ability, of course, is the fact that it helps prevent tax evasion. If payments and income can
be tracked, it becomes very difficult to avoid paying tax.
Exercise 13.

You will hear arboriculturist Marcella Im discussing her job on a radio programme. For
questions 7-16, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

Im likens her job to that of a (7) _______________ a term which people generally are more
familiar with.

lm says her role mainly involves the growing and maintenance of (8) _______________.

In built-up areas, Im says a big task is ensuring that trees exist (9) _______________ with the
concrete jungle around them and its inhabitants.

(10)_______________are what determine whether Im will use modern or traditional equipment

on any given job.

Safety issues and convenience are why Im would rather not use (11) _______________ if she
can help it.

Im's work frequently involves (12)_______________, whereby leaves and branches are removed
from mature trees.

An arboriculturist would be more inclined to be in a (13) _______________ or supervisory

position, rather than actually doing the hands-on work itself like an arborist.

The reason Im wanted to establish her own consultancy was (14) _______________.
Working on the projects associated with (15) _______________ is a far cry from her arborist
work which requires the ability to operate as (16) _______________, something she found most
difficult upon setting up her consultancy.

7. tree surgeon

8. trees, hedges and shrubs

9. in harmony

10. accessibility and height

11. traditional methods

12. thinning

13. managerial

14. mainly financial

15. vested interests

16. part of a team

Marcella Im: ... Thank you for having me on the show. Now, as I was saying, my job title is
arboriculturist, which is a bit of a mouthful I'll grant you! But perhaps my role is better known by
another name, so you can call me a tree surgeon if you like. I don't mind! Although the roles are
actually not quite the same. But don't call me a horticulturist: then you're into a closely related
but very different field. Not all of us 'culturists' do the same work, you see! The viniculturists, for
example, seem to have all the fun! Not that I'm jealous, mind you So what do I do? Well, mainly,
I cultivate and manage trees, hedges and shrubs. That is, in a nutshell, what my role involves. I
work in both rural and urban areas, and each present their own set of challenges. One of the
biggest challenges in urban areas, for example, is working out how trees can inhabit the concrete
jungle safely and in harmony with the buildings and people around them. My work will regularly
require me to use specialist equipment and machinery. For instance, I am very familiar with the
inside of a climbing harness! After all, it is often necessary to climb high up into trees to remove
loose branches and so forth. The choice of whether to use a rope and harness or modern
machinery, such as a crane, for a job is usually dependent on two factors: accessibility and
height. If I can get a lifting machine into the area and if it can take me up sufficiently high in the
tree, then I will, invariably, choose this option today because using modern machinery is much
safer and more convenient than employing traditional methods.

The most common activity I tend to do in my day-to-day work is thinning, which involves
making the branches and foliage on mature trees less dense, This could be to promote growth, for
safety reasons, or for a number of other purposes. Some would say that technically makes me an
arborist (an actual tree surgeon) not an arboriculturist. What's the difference? Well, an arborist is
mostly involved in planting, thinning and groundwork, while an arboriculturist tends to operate
in a supervisory role or a managerial capacity. They would, for example, select suitable trees for
a given environment and design landscaping schemes. However, I work in a hands-on role only
by choice. I also run my own consultancy business where I am at the top of the hierarchical
pyramid, involved in all major decision-making. Being honest, I prefer the hands-on work, but it
is my consultancy that pays the biggest bills at the end of the day, so my motivation for running
it is mainly financial. I value the business very much and the benefits I enjoy as a consequence of
owning it. There is a lot of paperwork and official correspondence involved, though, which I find
quite tedious. For example, I must carry out tree inspections and surveys and compile reports for
the likes of engineers, solicitors, mortgage brokers and insurance companies. I also do work for
the local council in terms of reviewing planning applications. There are a number of vested
interests in such projects, so, naturally, working on them is very different to my arborist work. I
need a very different skill set and I must function as part of a team and communicate effectively,
both of which are challenging when you work with people from all walks of life. That said, it is
the former which I struggled with most initially on opening up my consultancy, as l had been so
used to playing it solo on projects, as it were, for so long. Now, there are a number of different
factors which...
Exercise 14.

For questions 16-25, listen to a radio presenter named Finbarr Baird discussing reports in
the news about first-born children being the smartest siblings and complete the sentences.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording in each blank.

• Baird is not happy with deceptive (16) _______________ appearing in the news this week.

• According to research, the reason for first-borns' superior performance lies in more parental
care taken of them, rather than their (17) _______________.

• Baird suggests it is natural for parents to feel (18) _______________ on the birth of their
second child and subsequent children.

• The research confirmed that first-borns get (19) _______________ in the early days of
childhood and this gives them an advantage, which is evident from as early as one year of age.

• Such advantage is repeatedly manifested in (20) _______________.

• The research accounts for what scientists term (21) _______________, which sees children
born later into a family being more likely to earn and achieve less.

• As a matter of fact, it is only (22) _______________ that is missing for younger siblings at
times; the (23) _______________ they enjoy is more or less the same as that for first-borns.

• The conclusions drawn from the research make sense to Baird as (24) _______________ from
parents for each of their kids is disproportionate to the number of children they have.

• Much as Baird finds the research interesting and useful in confirming our intuitions, he is
annoyed by the (25)_______________, which is why he wants to explain the findings clearly.
16. headlines

17. higher innate intelligence

18. slightly more relaxed

19. extra focus

20. IQ tests

21. birth order effect

22. intellectual stimulation

23. emotional support

24. time and effort

25. (the) shabby reporting

Finbarr Baird: Welcome back to Today with Finbarr Baird. Now, next up, I want to have a look
at what's in the news, and one of the things that really caught my eye and, indeed, rubbed me up
the wrong way this week is the way the results of new research by scientists into child
performance have been reported. It is not the research itself that I take issue with, nor is it the
main body content of the news reports either; however, I find the headlines that have been used
extremely misleading. For instance. one paper leads with the following, and I quote: 'First-born
children are smarter than their siblings: This clearly implies that the first child is more intelligent
than any subsequent children born into the same family, yet that is not what the research suggests
at all. Contrarily, the research found that first-born children have a tendency to perform better in
their education. Note the distinction: perform better does not necessarily equate to being more
intelligent. Indeed, the research specifically cited not higher innate intelligence but the fact that
first-borns receive more attention from their parents as the reason for their superior educational
performance. And, actually, when you reflect on it, this makes perfect sense. After all, a first
child is a big deal for any new family, and young parents are often understandably nervous, so
they devote an extra special amount of time to the first-born and making sure they do the best
they can with its upbringing. When the next child comes along, they are perhaps. naturally,
slightly more relaxed as they have been there before, as it were, so, whether intentionally or
otherwise, they give a little less of themselves to the child-raising process and put slightly less
effort in. The data, which was collected from thousands of families over the course of more than
a decade, confirms this. It found that parents tend to do fewer activities with their second child
and subsequent children, reading less to them, not encouraging them to do art and crafts or music
as much, and so on. This extra focus that first-borns receive in their early childhood gives them
the edge over their younger siblings. The advantage is evident in children as young as one year
old and it shows up time and again in 10 tests. Indeed, the research goes a long way towards
explaining a phe-nomenon scientists call birth order effect, whereby children born earlier into a
family with numerous siblings tend to have a superior chance of enjoying better wages and
greater educational achievement in life. It must be stressed, however, that the report does not
accuse parents of being neglectful towards second-born and later children. Indeed, the research
suggests all children in a family tend to receive equal amounts of emotional support. It is just the
intellectual stimulation that is sometimes lacking for younger siblings. And, in fact, there are
logical explanations for why this might be so; after all. two children is twice the work of one for
parents, and so on. Clearly, parents cannot devote all of their time to a second-born child in the
same way they could the first-born when it arrived because they are still caring for the first-born,
so the time and effort must be shared between the children. As I said, I find the research
interesting, and I think it confirms a lot of what we already intuitively know and logically would
understand: however, what irks me is the shabby reporting, so I would like to clarify once and
for all: in no way does the research suggest that first-borns are innately more intelligent than
their later siblings. It only suggests that they perform better on average because they receive
more attention in their early childhood. In other words, the additional intellectual stimuli they are
exposed...
Exercise 15.

You will hear part of a radio programme about 'Bollywood', the Indian film industry. For
questions 9-17, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

All over Bombay there are enormous (9) _______________ advertising films.

In Indian films, the (10) _______________ often changes suddenly.

The films are (11) _______________ both European and Indian filmgoers.

The female stars are beginning to wear (12) _______________ rather than traditional clothing.

A Hollywood-style obsession with body shape means that a lot of people are now going to (13)
_______________.

The films often convey (14) _______________, such as a belief in family life.

Some critics argue that the films are superficial, often lacking a recognisable (15)
_______________

Recently there has been an (16) _______________ of fresh talent from different backgrounds

All these changes may well serve to keep Bollywood (17) _______________ for the foreseeable
future.
9. posters

10. location

11. drawing

12. miniskirts

13. gyms

14. traditional values

15. plot

16. influx

17. alive and well

Woman: There is no 'Bollywood' sign on the parched hills above Bombay, but the city has other
ways of reminding you that it is the world's most prolific film capital. At every junction in the
city's ramshackle road system the superstars of the film industry stare down from giant posters.
But, unlike the chaotic city from which it originates, Bollywood has its rules and regulations
firmly in place. Most of the leading players are from a handful of families. Violence is
acceptable, but kissing isn't. Sex is taboo, but suggestive hip rolls and pelvic thrusts in dance
routines are fine. Abrupt shifts of location during songs are frequent. And the song and dance
routines must be sumptuous affairs. But it's not just in India that these gorgeous films are finding
enthusiastic audiences. Because of the diaspora, the films were initially exported for expatriate
Indian audiences, but now they are drawing Western audiences as well. The industry seems to be
brimming with confidence as it undergoes a revolution. It's argued that the explosion in satellite
television and screen technology is transforming Bollywood and fast bridging the gap between
East and West. But can Western filmgoers really learn to appreciate three-hour boy-meets-girl
musicals in a language they don't understand? Meanwhile, things continue to change in the
Indian film industry. Saris are being swapped for miniskirts, and the traditional dancing is being
replaced by MN-style numbers. Bollywood's body facism now rivals Hollywood's, with skinny
actors often drawn from the ranks of models and beauty queens. Business is booming for
Bombay's cosmetic surgeons, and the gyms are full to bursting. However, the Western gloss is
only that. Beneath the surface there has been a resurgence of traditional values in the most
popular films. Values like the sanctity of the family and its importance over romantic love —
these values appeal to those living in the diaspora who have succeeded in terms of material
wealth, but still want to hold on to traditional values.
But the industry is under pressure from many critics, who argue that its obsession with style over
substance has squeezed out any semblance of a plot. The films often appear to be naive, lacking
in deep characterisation and light on subject matter. But slick marketing and stricter financing
may bring a new professionalism. The grip of Bombay's film dynasties has loosened, and a
recent influx of moviemakers from journalistic and advertising backgrounds has introduced new
vigour to the business. A wave of experimentation by a new generation of film-makers also
seems more likely to ensure crossover success. These new artists, often educated in the West,
want to 'tell it as it is'. Perhaps this heralds even greater success for Bollywood. Certainly the
movie industry is alive and well, and it seems ready to stay that way for a very long time.
Exercise 16.

You will hear part of a radio programme about the prospects for space travel. For
questions 9-17, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
To many people, the idea of space tourism may seem like the invention of 9 _______________
writers.
Up to $10 billion a year could be brought in by space travel, according to 10 _______________
research
In 2001, Denis Tito spent over a week 11_______________ the Earth.
We must learn not to always associate space travel with 12 _______________ funding.
Most people in 13 _______________nations would become space tourists if they could.
At the start of space tourism, the facilities might be 14 _______________.
Eventually, the accommodation would become much more 15 _______________and cater for
hundreds of guests.
In the last stage of the development of space tourism, 16 _______________would be lower.
It is important, economically, that the new vehicles should be 17_______________ , so that they
could make large numbers of trips.
9. science fiction
10. market
11. orbiting
12. government
13. industrialized
14. spartan
15. sophistcated
16. ticket prices
17. (fully) reusable
Woman: Space Tourism is the term that has come to be used to mean buying tickets at your local
travel agent, in order to travel into space and back. Your average person may find this idea
unlikely, more science fiction than science fact, but the truth is that over the past few years a
growing volume of professional research has been carried out and it is now clear that setting up
commercial space tourism services is a realistic target for business today. Market studies in the
United States and elsewhere suggest that, when fully developed, space travel and tourism could
become a new money-making opportunity, with annual revenues of as much as 10 billion dollars
per year. The first space tourist, Ameiican businessman Dennis Tito, paid a fortune for the
privilege of spending eight days, in April 2001, orbiting our planet in the International Space
Station. The technical know-how to make passenger launch vehicles and orbiting hotel
accommodation is available. And there is no doubt that a lot of people want to go into space.
Market research has revealed that the majority, at least in the industrialised countries, would like
to take a trip to space if it were possible. This prospect of mass space tourism creates the
potential for reducing the costs of space travel by large scale operations like airlines. The major
obstacle to the development of space tourism is the conservatism of the space industry. Since
Sputnik was launched in 1957, space activities have been funded by governments. Even science
fiction writers often assume that space activity will be government activity. So, we will need to
change the way we think about space. Space tourism services will not happen as a natural
consequence of present-day space activities. Entrepreneurs with vision and courage are called for
here! And, like any other business, once space tourism gets started it will develop progressively.
The first phase might be small-scale and highly priced, but the scale of activities will grow and
prices will fall as it matures. In the beginning there would be relatively few customers —from
hundreds per year to thousands per year. And the service would be nearer to adventure travel
than luxury, with spartan amenities prevailing. The second phase would see growing demand,
from thousands of passengers per year to hundreds of thousands per year. Tickets to orbit would
cost less, and flights would depart from various spaceports. Orbital facilities would grow from
being clusters of pre-fabricated modules to far more sophisticated structures constructed in orbit
for hundreds of guests, and offering a range of orbital entertainment. In the third and final phase,
ticket prices would fall and customer numbers would rise to perhaps millions of passengers per
year. Moves are already afoot to turn this dream into reality. For instance, one company is
developing technology to test the practicality of a new earth orbit transportation concept, capable
of carrying people into space in a fully reusable vehicle, operated very much like today's
commercial aircraft. Alongside this, half a dozen space transportation development companies
have been formed in the US. These companies expect that, within 4 — 5 years, they will be able
to carry people to an altitude 10 times higher than that reached by the highest flying commercial
aircraft. There seems little doubt that space tourism will become commonplace in our lifetime. It
is an idea whose time has come.

Exercise 17.
You will hear a radio report about photography. For questions 7-15, complete the
sentences with a word or short phrase.
Improved technology in the late 19th century meant that photographs could be printed in 7
_______________.
In the first half of the 20th century most news came via 8 _______________.
When TV became a more important means of giving news, photographs in periodicals focused
on 9 _______________.
Andy Warhol set out to comment on the widespread influence of mass-market images by taking
pictures of 10 _______________ things.
Steichen began the fashion for taking 11_______________ photographs of the rich and
glamorous.
Other photographers started the trend towards 12_______________ by depicting the injustices in
society.
August Sanders is well-known for his depiction of Germany's 13_______________.
In an era in which the function of photography has changed immensely, the popularity of
14_______________ has endured.
Nowadays, what we know as a photograph is often made from electronically combined
15_______________.

7. newspapers and magazines

8. photojournalism

9. make-believe

10. familiar

11. celebrity
12. social commitment

13. different classes

14. the family snapshot

15. digital images

7. Photographs could be transferred quickly, cheaply and in large numbers onto the pages of
newspapers and magazines.

8. In fact, until the 1970s, when TV began to take over its role, photojournalism was the
primary sources of news from around the world.

9. As TV took over the subject of hard news, magazines began to concentrate on make-believe.

10. Andy Warhol used familiar photographic images, from cereal packets to Hollywood pin-ups,
to point out how all-pervasive and manipulative mass-market images had become.

11. The cult of the celebrity photograph had begun decades before, when Steichen accepted a
contract to provide photographs for the rich and glamorous for Vanity Fair

12. But, while artist photographers had been gazing inwards, photographic reporters had begun
to look outwards, and used their cameras to document social inequality, and in this way the
tradition of social commitment in photography became established by people such as Jacob Riis
and Lewis Hine.

13. Atgets’ documenting of architectural details and neighbourhoods of old Paris or August
Sanders’ massive study of the different classes of the German people.

14. one that affects every one of us closely, and that is the family snapshot. We can measure our
lives in pictures by recording our personal great moments. This is the one aspect of photography
that has survived intact in a century where photography is being used less and less for
documentary and reportage.

15. What used to be called a photograph is more often a mixture of digital images that a
computer operator can paint in and out, with the dexterity of a painter with a brush.

Exercise 18.

You will hear an expert talking about seaweed and its uses. For questions 7-15, complete
the sentences with a word or short phrase.

Seaweed has been eaten since ancient times in 7 _______________.

Seaweed isn't fattening, but it contains various 8 _______________ as well as carbohydrates and
proteins.

Before nori is dried, it is 9 _______________ in colour.

A snack enjoyed by 10 _______________ is rice enclosed in a sheet of seaweed.

To cultivate nori, the Japanese put spores on 11 _______________ and wait for them to grow
into fronds of seaweed before harvesting them.

In Britain, factories making 12 _______________ used to burn kelp because it contains large
quantities of potash and soda.

In Scotland, kelp was gathered from the shore and used as 13 _______________ on fields.

13 _______________, which is traditionally eaten for breakfast in part of Wales, is made from a
seaweed that is very much like nori.

One day, seaweed may be used to produce 15 _______________ on long journeys in outer
space.

7. Asian countries

8. vitamins and minerals

9. red or purple

10. Japanese children

11. ropes or nets

12. glass and soap

13. (a natural) fertilizer

14. Laver bread

15. oxygen

I'd like to talk to you today about the aquatic plants commonly known as seaweed. Seaweeds are
a type of algae - very simple water plants with no real leaves or roots. Seaweeds may be simple
organisms, but they can actually grow quite large; in fact, Giant kelp is one of the largest plants
in the world! Algae are very important ecologically because they produce most of the oxygen in
our atmosphere, and they provide habitats for many marine creatures. As far as we know, there's
no poisonous seaweed. In fact, it's considered a delicacy in Asian countries, where its been
consumed for thousands of years. A Chinese poem written almost 3,000 years ago describes a
woman who cooks 'sea plants'. Why would anyone want to eat seaweed, you might ask. Well, it's
an acquired taste, but the fact is that seaweed is one of the most nutritious foods available. Low
in calories, it contains proteins and carbohydrates, but it's also rich in a variety of vitamins and
minerals. Interestingly, the minerals in seaweed are found in almost the same ratio as they are in
the human body. There are many different types of seaweed, of course. In Asia about 21 varieties
are used in everyday dishes. Most Westerners are familiar with the variety known as nori, the
dark, crunchy substance used to wrap sushi in. In its natural state, nori is red or purple, but
becomes darker when dried. It's an important part of Japanese cuisine. A popular lunchtime
snack for Japanese children consists of cold rice balls wrapped in a sheet of nori, and another
treat is toasted non flavoured with soy sauce and dipped in sesame seeds. The Japanese started
cultivating nod about 100 years ago because of the increase in demand. Ropes or nets suspended
in the sea are seeded with spores, and when the strands of seaweed develop, they're harvested.
Then they're washed and shredded before being pressed and dried to form paper-like sheets.
These days, Japan produces about 7 billion sheets of nori a year! Asia is not the only place where
seaweed is harvested, of course. For example, kelp has been used for many generations in
Scotland. In fact, the word 'kelp' was first used to refer to the ash produced from burning
seaweed and only later came to be used for the seaweed itself. The ash was used in the
manufacture of glass and soap, because of its high potash and soda content. In recent years, kelp
which has washed up on the coast of Scotland after a storm has been collected and sold for the
extraction of 'alginates', chemicals used for their thickening properties. Alginates can be found in
such diverse products as ketchup, postage stamps, ice cream and beer! In the past, kelp was also
collected by Scottish farmers, who would plough it into the soil as a natural fertiliser. In Wales,
seaweed has been part of the diet for a very long time. A seaweed similar to nori is cooked for
several hours until it becomes soft and jelly-like. Known as laver bread, it forms part of the
traditional Welsh breakfast when eaten with oatmeal and bacon. So, as you can see, seaweed is
very versatile. It's now used worldwide in cooking, but also has medicinal applications because
of its high iodine content. In the future, when conventional fuels become scarce, it may be used
as a biofuel. Hamburgers could be made healthier by having the fat in them replaced with
seaweed extract. Scientists are even looking into the possibility of using seaweed to provide
oxygen for astronauts. It seems that the possibilities are endless. Lowly seaweed should not be
underestimated - something that some cultures have known for centuries.
Exercise 19.

Judith Nixon is the manager of the Farthington Gallery in Russell Square, where an exhibition of
1)_____________ is taking place.

What particularly impresses Judith about many forms of long-distance communication is the
degree of 2)_____________ shown by people who devised them.

Ancient civilisations were not ignorant of the fact that an effective communication network was
a fundamental part of 3)_____________.

The Roman 4)_____________ was the most advanced of its time.

The Romans relied on a 5)_____________ of messengers for speed of delivery.

A boom in international trade in the Middle Ages brought about an increase in

6)_____________.

These reforms were later improved upon as a result of the invention of the 7)_____________.
The Thurn and Taxis family created an extensive network of 8)_____________ covering the
majority of Europe.

The failure of the Pony Express was attributed to the 9)_____________ of the telegraph.

Carrier pigeons proved them to be invaluable as 10)_____________.

1. antique postal items

2. ingenuity

3. governing the extensive empires

4. postal system

5. relay system

6. business correspondence

7. printing press

8. postal routes

9. ill-timed advent

10. war correspondents

Presenter: In our high-tech world of e-mails and text messages we have grown accustomed to
taking ease of communication for granted, and can't even begin to imagine a world where
someone in America or Australia is farther than a phonecall away. Of course, it wasn't always so.
With me in the studio is Judith Nixon, the manager of the Farthington Gallery in Russell Square,
where an exhibition of antique postal items is taking place this week. Judith, welcome to the
programme.

Judith: Thank you.

Presenter: Could you give us a brief summary of the evolution of postal services through the
ages? I gather it's rather a fascinating story?

Judith: Well, I certainly think it is. But then I have always found the various ways in which
civilisations throughout the ages have dealt with the problems of long-distance communication
fascinating, not least for the ingenuity that characterises many of the cases, especially when you
consider the means they had at their disposal in those times. Of course the most obvious way of
sending a message, and one of the first, was by human messenger. One of the most famous
examples of which was Phidippides, the runner who, according to legend, in 490 BC ran the 42.5
km from Marathon to Athens to enlist help from the Spartans against the Persians. Since- good
communications were essential for governing the extensive empires of the ancient world, it is not
surprising that references to runners or messengers on horseback are plentiful throughout history.
Records dating as far back as 4000 years refer to messenger systems in ancient Egypt and relay
stations situated on major roads in the first millennium in China. However, as is often the case
with anything useful, credit has to be given to the Romans for establishing the most highly
developed postal system of the ancient world. Obviously the sheer size and complexity of the
Roman Empire necessitated the need for a reliable and speedy method of communication with
provincial governors in far-flung places. The relay system established by the Romans allowed
their messengers to travel at a speed that could not be matched in Europe until the 19th century.
The next major development occurred towards the end of the Middle Ages when international
commerce began to flourish and with it the growth of business correspondence. In the 13th
century, messenger systems were again adopted to allow corporations to maintain contact with
their customers. In the late 15th century, the trend toward improved postal services was given a
further boost by the invention of the printing press in 1450. One result of that was the increased
profitablilty of letter carrying which in turn led to a growth in private enterprise, the most famous
and extensive by far, being that of the Thum and Taxis family who in the 16th century created an
extensive network of postal routes covering most of Europe. These systems were successful to
the extent that remnants of the system could still be seen in Germany as late as 1867. Presenter:
Well all of these developments are without doubt fascinating Judith, but you promised to tell us
something about the more off-the-wall forms of communication Judith: Yes, yes, I did, didn't I.
Well, one which I'm sure most of your listeners will have heard of is the Pony Express which
operated in the United States for a brief period, from April 1860 to October 1861.This mail
delivery service, like the Romans, also relied upon a relay system to ensure speed of delivery.
However, partly due to the hazardous nature of the territory the riders had to cover, but primarily
to the ill-timed advent of the telegraph, this daring, but ultimately financially disastrous
enterprise was short lived, although it did provide the backdrop for one of the most colourful
characters of the Wild West in the form of William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill'. Perhaps
more inspiring than plain runners or men on horseback, but just as old, is the notion of the carrier
pigeon. The earliest reference to the domestication of pigeons was found, surprise, surprise, in
Egyptian records dating back to 3000 BC. One of the more romantic notions, although not
proven, is the belief that the ancient Egyptians announced the arrival of important visitors by
releasing pigeons from incoming ships. In more recent times, carrier pigeons were more
practically used during the two World Wars as war correspondents, carrying messages and
microfilm to and from battle headquarters.

Presenter: Well, I can certainly understand why you say that the evolution of the postal system
has been a long and arduous journey. Tell us a little about the actual exhibits visitors can see
when they visit the Farthington this week.

Judith: Well, the exhibition is basically divided into four distinct sections ...(fade)

Exercise 20.

Collisions between the objects in the Earth’s orbit will make everything here be
1)______________ .

Dr Novak describes space junk as being a result of our own 2)______________ .

Valuable orbits are 3)______________ that threatens the operation of satellites and the lives of
astronauts.

Government agencies are now joined by 4)______________ in space exploration.

Discarded spacecraft and equipment constitute a kind of 5)______________

In the 1960s, one astronaut 6)______________ on his camera in orbit.

The erosion of the paint on spacecraft generates a 7)______________ that may damage
everything in orbit.

Given time, 8)______________ or are hit and penetrated by debris.

The continuity of collisions leads to a process termed 9)______________.

Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present generation without
10)______________ of future generations to meet their needs.
1. ground into celestial scrap

2. environmental negligence

3. peppered with debris

4. commercial enterprises

5. orbital time capsule

6. lost his grip

7. cosmic grit

8. fuel tanks deteriorate

9. collisional cascading

10. compromising the ability

Presenter: Now, as every school pupil can tell you, as long as an object is above the last traces of
Earth's atmosphere, it will stay in orbit for thousands or even millions of years. Eventually, a
month or a millennium after launch, it will hit one of the millions of other objects orbiting the
Earth. That collision will generate new fragments that will go whirling around the planet until
they too are involved in collisions. Over time everything in Earth's orbit will be ground into
celestial scrap. With me in the studio is Dr Frank Novak of the European Space Agency who is
going to tell us more about space junk. Dr Novak.
Novak: Well, venturing into space is inherently risky and orbital debris is just one of the many
hazards that a space traveller faces. But the debris hazard is unique in being a product of our own
environmental negligence. After a mere forty years in space we have seriously polluted the final
frontier. Valuable orbits are peppered with debris that threatens the operation of satellites and the
lives of astronauts. A small group of orbital debris experts have been concerned about this
problem for years and have slowly gained the attention of the government agencies and
commercial enterprises that are now leading the way into space. Yet every four days, on average,
another rocket will be launched into space making the problem worse.

Space may seem remote, but it's really not that far away. If you could drive your car straight up,
in just a few hours you'd reach the altitude at which the space shuttle flies. The popular orbits for
satellites begin twice as. far up - about 400 miles above Our heads. Since 1957 there have been
over 4,000 space launches. The leftovers from these launches - used up satellites, the rockets that
carried these satellites aloft, equipment from aborted scientific experiments - form a sort of
orbital time capsule, a mausoleum of space technology. In 1963, 400 million tiny antennas about
the size of needles were released into orbit in order to see if radio waves would bounce off them.
Communications satellites soon made the antennas obsolete but they still float in lethal clumps
1,500 miles overhead. In 1965, the astronaut Michael Collins lost his grip on a camera while on a
space walk. Many spacecraft shed debris - bolts, lens caps, equipment covers - the way children
shed toys. Even the paint on spacecraft has a tendency to erode in the harsh environment of
space, creating a cosmic grit that now pelts everything in orbit. Many of the objects released into
space, like Collins's camera, have fallen back to Earth. The upper atmosphere, where the space
shuttle flies, gradually slows objects down; they re-enter the atmosphere and burn up within a
few months or even years. But a few hundred miles higher the atmosphere is so thin that it is
ineffective for cleanup. Spacecraft that are launched into orbits at this height will stay in space
indefinitely.

Especially troublesome are pieces of the more than a hundred rockets and satellites that have
exploded in orbit. At the end of their useful lives spacecraft typically contain some fuel left over
from the launch. The fuel tanks deteriorate over time or are punctured by debris. The leftover
fuels mix together and explode. In the worst case on record, the explosion of a European Arlene
rocket produced more than 500 pieces of debris big enough to disable a spacecraft.

Eventually the number of explosions will diminish, but by then spacecraft will be breaking up for
another reason. As more objects go into orbit, spacecraft will begin colliding with - and being
shattered by - debris. Furthermore, collisions beget more collisions in a process known as
collisional cascading. Once cascading begins, the number of objects in a particular orbit will
gradually increase - and the risk to satellites and manned spacecraft will rise accordingly. A team
of researchers in Italy have calculated that enough objects are already present in two popular
orbits for cascading to begin. By the time the cascades have run their course, in a hundred years
or so, even small spacecraft will suffer damaging collisions after just a few years in orbit.

Human societies have done plenty of things that we, or our descendants, may some day regret.
At the beginning of the Atomic Age we seriously polluted vast tracts of and that will take years
to clean up. We have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere despite a
scientific consensus that global temperatures are rising as a result. In 1987 the World
Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as meeting the
needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their needs. In space we are failing the sustainability test miserably. A hundred years from now,
when our descendants want to put satellites into orbits teeming with debris, they will wonder
what we could have been thinking. The simple answer is that we weren't thinking at all.

CHAPTER 3: AUTHENTIC LISTENING

Exercise 1:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/79512235653

Australia possesses an 1.________________ as it hasn't had a recession in nearly three decades.

But the deadly wildfires raging through large parts of the country are threatening key parts of the
country's economy.

The 2.________________ run by Fiona Austin is usually full in January, but tourists were
ordered to evacuate, and only a few people remain.

Things are becoming so volatile and people are still unsure as to whether they could
3.________________ again.

Australia calls itself the 4.________________, a nation so fortunate in geography and natural
resources that the economy has been growing steadily since 1991.

The wildfires have destroyed both residences and 5.________________. Besides, ferry service in
the city's world-famous harbor has sometimes been canceled because of 6.________________.

The Australian Open and the Tour Down Under 7.________________ are mentioned as major
events that may be rescheduled.

Housing prices, which have been 8.________________ in recent years, have fallen to a deep
low.
1. enviable economic record

enviable: causing envy

Collocation: enviable reputation/position/record/ability

Ex: Wellington College is one of the world’s leading co-educational boarding and day schools
and has an enviable reputation for excellence and innovation.

Japan is in the enviable position of having a budget surplus.

Matt Haig is a writer of admirable versatility (children's books, nonfiction, adult novels) and an
enviable ability to produce bestsellers.

Edinburgh boast the enviable record of being the only unbeaten team in Europe after five
rounds of the Heineken Cup.

2. campground

3. flare up : suddenly start again (disaster, disease, fire and anger)

The bushfire emergency in central Queensland flared up on Sunday evening with residents in
the path of the massive Deepwater blaze told to leave immediately.

4. lucky country

5. prime farmland

6. poor visibility

7. bike race

8. skyrocketing: to rise quickly to a very high level (prices, bills, costs and wages)

The industry's development costs will skyrocket. The time of cheap energy resources, cheap gas
is surely coming to an end.
Transcript

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Australia has gone nearly three decades without a recession. It's an enviable economic record.
But as NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, the Australian wildfires are threatening key parts of the
country's economy.

JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE: Normally, the campground run by Fiona Austin near the Australian
city of Shoalhaven is full in January, but tourists have been ordered to evacuate the area. And
with the fires still raging, she doesn't expect them to be back anytime soon.

FIONA AUSTIN: There is a lot of fear because they're being so changing and volatile. You
know, people are still unsure as to whether they could flare up again.

ZARROLI: As planes carrying water to the wildfires buzz overhead, Austin tells NPR her
campground is empty right now except for a few permanent residents.

AUSTIN: We're on 15 acres so - yeah. To only have a couple of tents here - here comes another
plane - is very unusual for us.

ZARROLI: Australians call themselves the lucky country. The economy has been growing
steadily since 1991, a remarkable run. Economist Justin Wolfers of the University of Michigan
says that's partly because the population has grown a lot. But, he says, the country's been
fortunate in some other ways, too.

JUSTIN WOLFERS: Not only did we start the last few decades a relatively rich country and in
the club of the first-world industrialized countries; we're also parked right next to Asia, which is
where much of the world's growth has come from over the past few years.

ZARROLI: As China has grown, it's been hungry for the kinds of commodities Australia has a
lot of, like coal, natural gas, wheat and wool. China sends more tourists to Australia than any
other country. But the rampaging fires are dealing a blow to the economy.

Martin North heads the research firm Digital Finance Analytics.

MARTIN NORTH: Just the area of Australia that's now impacted is unheard of. So we are in
uncertain territory.

ZARROLI: The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes, as well as enormous amounts of
prime farmland. Even in places far from the fires, work life is being disrupted. People with
respiratory problems are staying home. Hospital visits are up. And construction crews can't
work. In Sydney, ferries aren't running because of poor visibility in the harbor, says Katrina Ell
of Moody's Analytics.

KATRINA ELL: There was a few days late December when fire alarms were actually going off
in very large buildings within the city center just because of the poor air quality.
ZARROLI: As word of these conditions spreads around the world, tourism is taking a big hit.
There's even been talk of rescheduling some of the big events that draw in millions of visitors
each year, like the Australian Open and the Tour Down Under bike race. Martin North says this
is happening at a time when the Australian economy was already softening a bit.

NORTH: We were already looking, I think, pretty shaky. And that was before all the bushfires.

ZARROLI: China's economy has slowed lately, and Australia has felt some pain. Unemployment
ticked up last year. House prices, which have been skyrocketing for a long time, have taken a
hit. Katrina Ell of Moody's Analytics doesn't think Australia is headed for a recession, but it's
hard to know for sure.

ELL: What's really concerning to us is that this is still relatively early in our typical bushfire
season. So there's concern about how much longer this bushfire season will run for.

ZARROLI: The longer the fires last, the more damage they will do. And that means that after
almost 30 years of steady growth, the lucky country could finally see its luck run out.

Jim Zarroli, NPR News.

Exercise 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tcXZJd9vKM

Koalas are being particularly 1.________________ in New South Wales as their habitats are
being destroyed.

It is estimated that hundreds of koalas have died in 2.________________ raging in Eastern

Australia since September.

While the disaster has inflicted serious damage on the animal, the support from the public has
been 3.________________.

A large amount of money has been set aside to help 4.________________ koalas.

There are concerns that a new heat wave could further intensify the raging 5.________________.

Rising temperatures, which dry out their habitats, deforestation and disease are
6.________________.
1. hard hit: badly affected

Pensioners, and in particular those dependant on state benefits, have been hard hit by the
increase in oil and other commodity prices.

2. deadly bush fires

3. equally overwhelming

4. save and rehab

5. infernos

inferno: a very large dangerous fire that is out of control

Ex: 108 people have been killed in Australian inferno. Bodies are still being removed from the
burned-out shells as survivors describe the firefront as ferocious and fast.

6. taking a toll

If something takes its/a toll, it causes suffering, deaths, or damage

Bangladesh's road accidents take heavy toll on poor families, and cost Bangladesh almost as
much as it receives in foreign aid.

Transcript

HOWELL: In Australia, as bush fires rage on, we now know that they're having a devastating
impact on koalas. Koalas are being particularly hard hit in New South Wales as their habitats
are being destroyed. My colleague Natalie Allen explains, there is hope as experts fight to save
one koala at a time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A koala hospital in Australia

overwhelmed with patients with wildfire injuries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seems to be quite dehydrated and probably quite hungry.

ALLEN (voice-over): Not all were lucky like this little one. Animal experts estimate hundreds of
koalas have died in deadly bush fires raging in Eastern Australia since September.

Australia's environment minister saying on Friday up to 30 percent of koalas in the country's

New South Wales region may have been killed in the ongoing fires. The region's Port Macquarie
Koala Hospital has admitted more than 300 of these adorable animals so far this year.

But the hospital's director says the support from the public has been equally overwhelming. The
hospital has received over $2 million in donations on the GoFundMe page site.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The number of visitors that are here at the Koala Hospital over the
last 5-6 weeks has been phenomenal. Everyone is so afraid that we're going to lose koalas that
they want to come and see them. That's the power of the koala worldwide.

ALLEN (voice-over): The government says it's working with koala experts and $6 million has
been set aside to help save and rehab them. A new heat wave is expected to hit parts of the
country over the weekend and into next week, raising fears that high temperatures and dry winds
could further intensify the raging infernos.

That's all bad news for the already vulnerable koala community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very little would actually survive in there unscathed. Wallabies,
kangaroos, deer would get out because they can run but koalas just really can't.

ALLEN (voice-over): The Australian Koala Foundation says the numbers are dwindling and the
species is at risk of extinction if the population continues to shrink. Rising temperatures, which
dry out their habitats, deforestation and disease are taking a toll. The staff here hope his fate will
be different in a time when the death of even one koala could be one too many -- Natalie Allen,
CNN, Atlanta.

Exercise 3.

There are signs that the 1.________________ impact of the Coronavirus outbreak is more
significant than initially expected.
Rapid selling of securities came in the wake of 2.________________ restrictions imposed in the
city of Wuhan.

The government extended the holiday's usual weeklong 3.________________ by three days.

Freya Beamish fears it might have been too late for the 4.________________ to contain the
epidemic.

Global stocks dropped heavily, which is a contrast with last week when investors were mostly
5.________________ by the outbreak.

According to Jay Bryson, as China's position on the world stage grows, its faltering economic
activity is likely to exert some 6.________________ to trading partners.

7.________________ are mentioned as types of businesses which could suffer heavily due to
lower demand from China.

On the other hand, the economic storm brings a host of opportunities for companies which
produce vaccine or 8.________________.

1. financial/economic

2. travel

Ex: The UK’s trade association for holiday operators and travel agents cast doubt on a
sufficiently rapid lifting of social distancing or travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19.
3. factory shutdown

4. quarantine: a period of time when an animal or a person that has or may have a disease is kept
away from others in order to prevent the disease from spreading

French officials have announced that Britons and those from European Union member states will
not be placed in 14 days mandatory quarantine if they travel to France, as suggested by the
country’s health minister.

5. unfazed: not worried or surprised by something unexpected that happens

Global stock markets have been largely unfazed by the news of President Trump being
impeached, as investors widely expected the US Senate to vote against his removal from office.

6. spillover effects

Spillover effect refers to the impact that seemingly unrelated events in one nation can have on
the economies of other nations.

Ex: Even if an individual country is fortunate enough to escape widespread viral contagion, the
spillover effects from global developments or broken supply chains may still lead to faltering
economic activity.

7. Airlines and resort companies

8. protective masks

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

American financial markets are not immune to a new respiratory virus that has spread quickly
from China. Stocks fell sharply today on fears the coronavirus could take a larger economic toll
than initially expected. The virus has sickened thousands of people and killed more than a
hundred. As NPR's Scott Horsley reports, there are signs that financial fallout, like the virus
itself, might not be easily contained.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: The sell-off came as China's government moved aggressively to
limit travel in and out of the region where the outbreak began. Tens of millions of Chinese
citizens are now blocked from traveling around the country at the height of the Lunar New Year,
typically a busy travel season. What's more, the government extended the holiday's usual
weeklong factory shutdown by an extra three days.

FREYA BEAMISH: Probably, investors are kind of waking up to that story.

HORSLEY: Freya Beamish is chief Asia economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics. She worries
the quarantine comes too late to stop the spread of the virus since numerous infected
people were already on the road. But she says the travel restrictions will put a serious damper
on holiday shopping and excursions.
BEAMISH: It seems like the worst of both worlds for the macroeconomy.

HORSLEY: Investors in Japan thought so. The Nikkei stock market suffered its worst drop in
five months today. European markets also slumped. Here in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial
Average tumbled more than 450 points. That's a contrast with much of last week, when U.S.
investors were largely unfazed by the outbreak. When I spoke with chief investment officer
David Kotok of Cumberland Advisors a few days ago, he warned investors were underestimating
the potential fallout.

DAVID KOTOK: The markets who are saying, in my opinion, this is nothing more than a cold
and sniffle - business as usual - are not evaluating the risk well enough.

HORSLEY: Part of the challenge for forecasters is so much about this virus is still unknown.
Many are looking for a model in the SARS outbreak of 2002 and 2003, which killed more than
700 people. At first glance, this virus appears to be less severe, but Jay Bryson, acting chief
economist at Wells Fargo Securities, says China is a much bigger player on the world stage now,
so any fallout will be amplified.

JAY BRYSON: What happened is the size of the Chinese economy has more than doubled over
that period of time, and so if it were to slow down significantly because of this, you know, that
could have some spillover effects to some of its trading partners.

HORSLEY: In 2003, China was still a newcomer to the global trading system. Todd Lee of IHS
Markit says today it's much more integrated with the world's economy.

TODD LEE: Obviously, it depends on, you know, whether or not the government can effectively
contain the outbreak, but in terms of the supply chain disruption, it will be much bigger than
before.

HORSLEY: Lee says China's economy is also more fragile today. The coronavirus emerged after
a period of slowing growth and a tense trade war with the United States. China's consumers play
a bigger role in the country's economy now than they did back in 2003, and so far, that's where
most of the costs of this outbreak have appeared. Airlines and resort companies have seen
their stocks fall in anticipation of reduced demand from China. The outbreak could also
make it harder for China to make good on the big purchases of U.S. goods that were promised in
the newly announced Phase 1 trade deal.

Every economic storm brings a silver lining of opportunity, though. Some of today's big winners
on Wall Street include a company that's working on a vaccine for the coronavirus as well
as a firm that makes protective masks. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
Exercise 4.

Preliminary findings from the UK showed that dexamethasone, a 1.________________, could be

lifesaving for COVID-19 patients on ventilators.

Kirsten Lyke, who runs a coronavirus vaccine trial at the University of Maryland, believes that
there are certain issues that need to be 2.________________.

As the press release only gives the brief results, she is waiting for more in-depth information
from the 3._______________. Also, it needs seven years to ascertain the patients get positive
results as hasty release and unreliable intervention might 4.________________.

In general, Lyke is 5.________________ about the outcome of the trial.

Doctors got into trouble with 6.________________ such as hydroxychloroquine and
azithromycin, but Lyke believes this is not the case for dexamethasone, which doctors are
familiar with.

People are becoming 7.________________ with the government’s inconsistent guidelines on

mandatory mask wearing.

America's 8.________________ is an Achilles' Heel when it comes to saving lives in a

pandemic.

1. low-cost steroid: một loại hormone tổng hợp

2. unwound

3. peer-review paper

4. erode public trust

5. cautiously optimistic

6. new interventions

7. exasperated: bực tức

8. individualism
Is dexamethasone good news in the treatment of coronavirus or another exaggerated or false
hope? Doctors in the U.K. say that dexamethasone, a low-cost steroid, reduced deaths in
COVID-19 patients on ventilators. But the findings are preliminary and come just as we've seen
several other prominent revisions in the advice that scientists have offered around the
coronavirus.
Kirsten Lyke runs a coronavirus vaccine trial at the University of Maryland and joins us now.
Thanks so much for being with us.
KIRSTEN LYKE: Thank you for asking, Scott.
SIMON: I gather this U.K. trial was led by a team at Oxford. They say using this steroid could
save one life for every eight people on a ventilator. But as I don't have to tell you, Dr. Lyke,
people want to hear, should I take it or not?
LYKE: You know, it's an easy answer to say yes or no, but these are very complex things that
need to be unwound. This is a press release, so they're going to basically give us sort of the
bottom line. But many of us would like to see the peer-review paper to understand how these
people were randomized, who was not randomized - that's important to know - and, you know, a
lot of other questions to give us a little bit more understanding as to the results.
SIMON: If we were living in a world without a pandemic, how long would it take to get the
results you need to be really confident about how to use this drug?
LYKE: Yeah, interesting that you ask that question because this year, there was a
groundbreaking publication that demonstrated if you start steroids early in the evolution of acute
respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, that you can get some positive results. It took them
seven years from...
SIMON: Yeah.
LYKE: ...Start to results. And so, you know, we're in unprecedented times, and people really
want to get results out quickly. But at the same time, if things are released too early or there's
harm that occurs from the intervention, that really erodes public trust.
SIMON: The researchers who led this trial, I gather, say that dexamethasone should immediately
become standard care in patients with severe cases of COVID. It sounds like you're
uncomfortable with that.
LYKE: Well, I - you know, I'm cautiously optimistic. This study - it was only people who were
on oxygen or people that were ventilated...
SIMON: Yeah.
LYKE: ...That got the significant improvement. And people that were not on oxygen actually
tended towards some harm.
SIMON: At the same time, Doctor, can you understand families who say, look; we have a loved
one who is very sick, and we're willing to take that chance?
LYKE: Yeah, I can totally understand that. And that's not just the patients; that's also the doctors.
And early on in this pandemic, everyone wanted to have an intervention. Everyone wanted to do
something. Sometimes doing something feels better...
SIMON: Yeah.
LYKE: ...Than just sitting back and waiting. And I think that's why we got into trouble with
hydroxychloroquine and the concomitant drug, azithromycin, which is an antibiotic. You know,
the two together really, probably, had a harmful effect, particularly with the conduction of the
electrical waves in the heart. So we'll be able to unravel this in retrospect, but I think we just
need to be extremely cautious when we implement any new interventions. Dexamethasone is not
a new intervention, so we do have a lot of background with dexamethasone. I think we just need
to know when's the best time to treat our patients and not induce harm.
SIMON: I wonder if you can help us understand something, Dr. Lyke. Can you see why people
get confused? At one point, we hear from the highest medical levels - I don't mean the White
House - you know, the average person will not have to wear a mask, to just a few weeks later,
everybody ought to wear a mask. Can you see how people begin to feel exasperated?
LYKE: Yeah, it's frustrating. It's frustrating from our side, too. This is a completely new virus
which is unprecedented. And it's true. Typically, we say that using a mask doesn't necessarily
protect you; it protects other people. And I think that's the consistent message. When we're
telling people to wear masks, it's really useless if you're the only one wearing it in a crowd. It has
to be the entire crowd. You know, there's a lot of individualism in the United States, but the
pandemic and the virus don't really respect the individualism. And I think we need to really be
stepping up as a group and protecting each other.
SIMON: Dr. Kirsten Lyke of the University of Maryland, thanks so much for being with us.
LYKE: Thank you, Scott.

Exercise 5.
A photo of the moment which has since gone 1.________________ shows a white man carried
to safety by a black protester after clashes broke out between supporters of the Black Lives
Matter Movement and 2.________________ in London.
Patrick Hutchinson says he wanted to act as a 3.________________.
When Patrick caught sight of the victim, Patrick 4.________________ him to go and pick him
up. Then, he put the man on his 5.________________ and carried him over to the police.
Patrick hopes people will break down the 6.________________.
As for Patrick, interpreting the idea meant keeping the peace between the two
7.________________.
In that moment, Patrick acted on 8.________________.
1. viral
2. far-right groups
3. peacekeeper
4. climbed underneath
5. shoulder
6. race barriers
7. viciously opposed groups
8. instinct

HOLMES: The powerful picture of a black protester carrying a white man to safety is going viral
on social media at the moment. This all happened during clashes on Saturday between Black
Lives Matter demonstrators and far-right groups in London.

Patrick Hutchinson says he picked the man up after noticing he was injured and carried him to
police nearby to keep him safe. For more on this pretty unforgettable image, I'm joined by CNN
Salma Abdelaziz at London's Waterloo station where these clashes broke out on Saturday. Really
is an amazing image. Tell us more about the man and his motives.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: That's exactly right, Michael. And those steps just
behind me there is actually where this whole scene unfolded. There were right-wing
demonstrators clashing with supporters of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Now, the Black Lives Matter Movement had actually canceled demonstrations for the weekend,
but Patrick Hutchinson says he knew that there would be young supporters of the movement that
would come out that they could potentially get into trouble, and that he wanted to act as a
peacekeeper. Take a look at our interview.

ABDELAZIZ: Is this you in the photograph?

PATRICK HUTCHINSON, PROTESTER: Yes, that is me in that photograph.

ABDELAZIZ: Can you describe to me what's happening in this picture?

HUTCHINSON: My friends and I sort of put a cordon around this man. He was on the stairs,
lying in the fetal position with, you know, anything was about to happen to him. The first time I
saw him was when I sort of climbed underneath him to go and pick him up.

ABDELAZIZ: And you could have looked at this man and thought he is my enemy. Why did
you choose to help him?

HUTCHINSON: There was a particular thought that I had that, you know, you have to show
some sort of, you know, love for your fellow man, okay, regardless because I was saying that if
the other three officers that were present when George Floyd was unfortunately murdered, if
they, just one of them had stepped in and stopped, you know, their fellow officer from doing
what he did, he'd be alive today.

ABDELAZIZ: And you put him on your shoulder, you carried him over to the police, then what
happened?

HUTCHINSON: I'm carrying him. My friends are surrounding me, protecting myself, and the
man on my shoulder. He was, you know, still sort of getting, receiving blows. You could still
feel people trying to hit him. I carried him over to the police and I said, here you are. And one of
the police officers said, thank you, you did a good thing there.

ABDELAZIZ: What do you want people to take away when they look at that picture?

HUTCHINSON: I think, hopefully, they will take away breaking down the race barriers and
realize and see that we're all one people, that we're all one race.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: And this is what is so extraordinary about the Black Lives Matter Movement,
Michael. It doesn't have one address, it doesn't have one leader, it is not a monolith, its how you
interpret the idea.
And for Patrick, interpreting that idea meant coming out on Saturday, even though he'd never
attended any of the demonstrations, coming out on Saturday, trying to keep the peace between
these two viciously opposed groups.

And helping a man who could have potentially held prejudices against him, although he did not
know who that man is, and he remains unidentified. And as you heard there, Patrick's hope is
that, yes, in that moment, he acted on instinct.

But that there is a message in that, and that everyone is equal, everyone is human. And he says
he hopes that that man he has rescued might see that picture and think that way as well. Michael?

[02:15:05]

HOLMES: It would be interesting to see the other man's reaction indeed.

Exercise 6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K30zVlSWJXw
For questions 1-5, listen to a report about how European countries are dealing with the
coronavirus pandemic and decide whether these statements are True or False.
1. Under the full lockdown in Italy, all grocery stores must be shut down.
2. There is a ban on entry for people from Austria into Italy.
3. Angela Merkel warned that Coronavirus could infect up to 17% of Germany's population.
4. Public gatherings still take place in the UK.
5. According to the professor, although the UK is taking more drastic measures than Italy, its
effectiveness is open to question.
1. False
Italy shut down all shops except for grocery stores and pharmacies.
2. False
Austria has banned Italians from entering the country (should be from Italy into Austria)
3. False
Angela Markel said as many as 70% of Germans could catch the virus
4. True
In the UK no mass restrictions on events or crowds
5. False
The UK’s approach is laid-back compared to Italy
Exercise 7.
Recruting minority volunteers in clinical trials for their coronavirus vaccines means overcoming
deep-seated and 1.________________ of the medical system.

Black Americans have reason to be suspicious. Beyond the well-known Tuskegee experiments,
where syphilis patients were 2.________________ for decades, they've also faced an ongoing
3.________________ by medical providers.

While mostly white people enrol in COVID vaccine trials, Meharry is one of the few places in
the country where Black patients are being 4.________________ with a personal invitation to
take part.

The National Institutes of Health has suggested minorities should be 5.________________ in

testing the COVID vaccine.

Mack says there are no 6.________________ if medical research is to reflect the diversity of the
U.S. It takes time to build trust and meaningful relationships with people who've been excluded.

The primary effort 7.________________ existing trial networks that were designed for HIV
research and convincing patients of color to help with COVID.

And there's a danger that lunging for big diversity goals could result in 8.________________.

Historically Black medical institutions in the country are uniquely positioned to do this work.
While they haven't been on the 9.________________ of the vaccine trial recruitment, they mean
to play an important role.

Convincing hundreds of thousands to sign up will be difficult. But even for those who don't
participate, researchers hope their 10.________________ efforts will at least result in more
minorities ultimately taking the vaccine when it's available.
1. well-founded mistrust
2. misled
3. exclusion and mistreatment
4. wooed: try to get the support of
5. overrepresented
6. shortcuts
7. taps into: manage to use something in a way that brings good result
8. less-than-willing participation
9. leading edge
10. outreach: bringing medical or other services to people at home or to where they spend time

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Black and Latino people in the U.S. have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. That's
a big reason pharmaceutical companies want and need to include minority volunteers in clinical
trials for their coronavirus vaccines. Recruitment efforts are happening, but that often means
overcoming deep-seated and well-founded mistrust of the medical system. And as Blake Farmer
of WPLN in Nashville found, that's not something that can necessarily be done at warp speed.

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE: Half a dozen patients snack on turkey sandwiches and potato
chips around a conference table. They're visiting with their doctor, Vladimir Berthaud, at
Meharry Medical College.

VLADIMIR BERTHAUD: So what's the best hope to get rid of this virus?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Vaccination.

BERTHAUD: Vaccination. So raise your hand if you would like to take the vaccine.

FARMER: He senses some hesitation. All of these patients are Black.

LANETTE HAYES: I ain't going to be the first one, now.

FARMER: That's Lanette Hayes. Katrina Thompson says she does want to get a shot for
protection against the coronavirus. People in her apartment building aren't doing the basics of
covering their coughs.
KATRINA THOMPSON: The word vaccination don't scare me. The word trial do.

FARMER: Black Americans have reason to be suspicious. Beyond the well-known Tuskegee
experiments, where syphilis patients were misled for decades, they've also faced an ongoing
exclusion and mistreatment by medical providers. But Dr. Berthaud, who is Black and from
Haiti, appeals to a sense of duty. Plus, he's recruiting in Nashville and wants more than 300
people of color.

BERTHAUD: If you don't have enough people like you in those vaccine trials, you will not
know if it works for you. You will not know.

FARMER: For most of the COVID vaccine trials, recruitment is happening online, which often
results in mostly white people enrolling. But Meharry, which is a historically Black school, is
one of the few places in the country where Black patients are being wooed with a personal
invitation to take part. And this trial doesn't even start until October. Meanwhile, other
pharmaceutical companies are nearly done recruiting. Moderna is publicizing its demographic
statistics. They're somewhat better than the typical clinical trial but still not a good representation
of the diversity in the U.S. And the National Institutes of Health has suggested minorities should
be overrepresented in testing the COVID vaccine.

DOMINIC MACK: We say we want everybody to be included.

FARMER: Dr. Dominic Mack of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta is working with the
NIH to make sure people of color are included in COVID research.

MACK: Really, the effort for the vaccinations, in a sense, are started the same way they always
been.

FARMER: Mack says there are no shortcuts if medical research is to reflect the diversity of the
U.S. It takes time to build trust and meaningful relationships with people who've been excluded.

MACK: Now, that being said, the only thing we can do is what we're doing.

FARMER: The primary effort taps into existing trial networks that were designed for HIV
research and convincing patients of color to help with COVID. Reverend Ed Sanders of the
Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville has helped educate Black clergy about
HIV. But he says it's not his job to preach trial participation from the pulpit.

EDWIN SANDERS: I am not going to do anything more than make sure people are able to make
an informed choice.
FARMER: And there's a danger that lunging for big diversity goals could result in less-than-
willing participation. Professor Rachel Hardeman studies health equity at the University of
Minnesota.

RACHEL HARDEMAN: I think there's a lot of potential for more harm because of the quick
timeline if we don't have the - again, the right people.

FARMER: Historically Black medical institutions in the country are uniquely positioned to do
this work. While they haven't been on the leading edge of the vaccine trial recruitment, they
mean to play an important role. The president of Meharry Medical College is himself an
infectious disease researcher. But instead of working on the vaccine trials being hosted on his
campus, Dr. James Hildreth plans to participate as a patient.

JAMES HILDRETH: I think my role is more important in advocating for people to be involved
in the vaccine studies than to be one of the leaders of the study.

FARMER: Back in that cramped conference room, Dr. Berthaud won over the holdouts.

ROBERT SMITH: Oh, yeah. Where's the line? Where do we sign?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: You don't have to yet. Wait until...

FARMER: That's Robert Smith with his young grandson in tow. And Smith says he'll participate
for no other reason than he trusts his longtime physician.

SMITH: He's not only my doctor, he's proven to me that he cares about me.

FARMER: Convincing hundreds of thousands to sign up will be difficult. But even for those
who don't participate, researchers hope their outreach efforts will at least result in more
minorities ultimately taking the vaccine when it's available. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in
Nashville.

PFEIFFER: This story comes from NPR's partnership with Kaiser Health News and Nashville
Public Radio.

Exercise 8.
Dr. Hanan Balkhy is assistant director general for 1.________________ for the World Health
Organization, speaking from WHO headquarters in Geneva. Despite some skepticism, the WHO
says the coronavirus is usually not airborne, meaning it can't be suspended in the air and
2.________________ there where it might get breathed in. The organization believes that this
coronavirus mainly spreads through big droplets that would only be able to travel a few feet.
These guidelines are based on the knowledge of 3.________________. Its siblings would be
MERS coronavirus, SARS coronavirus which are falling under the 4.________________. While
it is a tiny piece of good news that it appears not to be airborne, WHO is not
5.________________ other studies or views on this. It is also important to reemphasize the
situation of the scenarios where a 6.________________could be done.
It is also inadvisable for those who are 7.________________ to wear a mask or a glove outside
in the community because it might give them the 8.________________. In addition, most
people are wearing masks incorrectly. They're not putting the metal over their nose. They're not
securing the 9.________________.
Compared to MERS coronavirus, this virus might affect or inflict children at a higher level.
Children, just like adults, might be more vulnerable if they had some 10.________________ or
underlying conditions.

1. antimicrobial resistance: kháng thuốc kháng sinh

2. hover
3. pathogen
4. droplet transmission criteria
5. discounting
6. risk assessment
7. asymptomatic: không có triệu chứng
8. false sense of security
9. leakage of air
10. comorbidities: bệnh lý đi kèm

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The World Health Organization says the coronavirus is mainly spread by droplets of mucus or
saliva created when we cough or sneeze. These droplets can land on nearby surfaces and then be
touched by others, which is why you should wash your hands and try not to touch your face. The
WHO says the virus is usually not airborne, meaning it can't be suspended in the air and hover
there where it might get breathed in. Some experts on virus transmission dispute this, though,
saying it's too soon to know.

Well, joining me from WHO headquarters in Geneva is Dr. Hanan Balkhy. She's assistant
director general for antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Balkhy, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

HANAN BALKHY: Thank you for having me on the program.

KELLY: Knowing how the virus spreads is obviously crucial to trying to figure out how to slow
it down. Why does the WHO believe that this coronavirus mainly spreads through big droplets
that would only be able to travel a few feet?

BALKHY: So we base these guidelines on our knowledge of the pathogen. So what family does
the emerging virus belong to? And this one belongs to the coronavirus. So its siblings would be
MERS coronavirus, SARS coronavirus and some other less prominent ones. The two pathogens
that we know a little bit more about, which is SARS and MERS, are falling under the droplet
transmission criteria.

KELLY: The question of airborne versus droplets - airborne would be - what? - a worst-case
scenario, meaning it might be able to linger in the air, and people could - would have a better
chance of breathing it in.

BALKHY: Absolutely. Not only will it be able to linger in, but actually, it can be disseminated
through air currents way much easier than the pathogens that are primarily transmitted through
droplet routes. So...

KELLY: So is this a tiny piece of good news that it appears not to be airborne, that it is spread
via droplets?
BALKHY: Definitely. That is definitely good news. However, we have to be very cautious and
hear where some of the critics out there might say, why are we not calling it airborne? I think
when you look at the sheer number of positive cases, they're happening with very clear mixing
and mingling, and they're very close with each other. So that does not indicate airborne
transmission.

KELLY: So if I hear you correctly, you're not discounting other studies or other views on this.
You're just saying until we have solid evidence otherwise, past similar coronaviruses and what
evidence we do have thus far points to it being mostly spread by droplets, not airborne.

BALKHY: Yes, absolutely. And I think - we do believe that the WHO has to give guidance for
the globe. And I want to reemphasize the situation of the scenarios where you need to do a risk
assessment where you would apply airborne isolation because you have specific high-risk areas
in your facility that does not allow for proper cleaning, proper hygiene. I cannot put a patient in a
negative-pressure room to do a bronchoscope, for example. So I have to apply certain measures
based on the scenario that I have at hand.

KELLY: For those who are not sick, to their knowledge, who are not showing any symptoms,
should everyone be wearing masks in public?

BALKHY: The immediate answer is they should not be. If you are asymptomatic, then you
should not be wearing a mask or a glove outside in the community because we know that it gives
you, first of all, the false sense of security. Number two, I can tell you by walking in the streets
and talking to my colleagues out there, most of the people who are wearing masks out there are
wearing them incorrectly. They're not putting the metal over their nose. They're not securing the
leakage of air.

However, what would be a good time to put on the mask? Let's say in the scenarios where you
have a patient who is home-isolated because of mild disease - that person has sputum, has
phlegm. The burden of the pathogen in his immediate environment needs to be minimized, and
putting a mask on at home might help him.

KELLY: You are a pediatrician, and I wonder what strikes you in terms of coronavirus and
young people because the early reporting was that children appeared to be much less vulnerable
than their parents...

BALKHY: Absolutely.

KELLY: ...And their grandparents. But now we seem to be seeing more and more children being
diagnosed and getting sick. What's happening?

BALKHY: Absolutely. And I think, again, this is how this virus is different than the MERS
coronavirus that we've experienced, where that one has really, really not affected or inflicted
children at any level close to what we see now already three months only into COVID. What I
don't have is the details of the comorbidities of the children.

KELLY: You're saying that children, just like adults, might be more vulnerable if they had some
underlying condition.

BALKHY: Yes, exactly, because the cases reported from the MERS corona - they were not
normal, healthy children, if you will.

KELLY: That's Dr. Hanan Balkhy. She is assistant director general for antimicrobial resistance
for the World Health Organization, speaking with us there from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Dr. Balkhy, thank you so much for your time.

BALKHY: Thank you. Thank you very much, and have a great day.

Exercise 9:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oDyQP5Ycgw
For questions 1-5, listen to a report on five key global issues. What does the speaker say about
each of the issues? Choose five answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-J, in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. Clashes between forces within a newly-formed country cause heavy death toll and looming
starvation
B. Under a new zero-tolerance policy, children were forced to work in cages
C. A peace agreement was signed, ending years of civil war
D. The authority is reportedly detaining populations of an ethnic group in a bid to re-educate
them
E. World powers help to resolve a civil conflict by backing Saudi Arabia’s campaign
F. An inhumane policy faced immense public opposition and political pressure
G. Military forces commit atrocities against a minority group, resulting in mass migration.
H. The government attacks a religious minority group in an effort to crack down on freedom of
speech
I. Some countries place travel restrictions on civilians to prevent them from fleeing across
borders
J. A civil conflict broke out, followed by military intervention from neighbouring countries.

Global issues
1. China’s internment camps
2. Rohingya crisis
3. South Sudan’s civil war
4. Conflict in Yemen
5. U.S. family separation

1. D
China has been locking up the minority group in mass numbers for months, to politically
indoctrinate them
2. G
Myanmar’s alleged state-sponsored violence against the ethnic and religious minority group has
claimed the lives of at least 10,000 people and forced the over 700,000 others to flee across
international borders for safety. A recent report by the UN Human Rights Council detailed
systematic forms of violence perpetrated by security forces; including torture, imprisonment,
mass rape, arson, and indiscriminate killing. The group accuses the state of committing genocide
against the Rohingya.
3. A
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, continues to be afflicted by civil war and violence.
Since 2013, the war has killed well over 50,000 people... The South Sudanese not only face the
threats of war, but also a food shortage that could put well over 1 million at risk of severe
hunger.
4. J
The conflict has devastated what was already the poorest country in the Arab world... The civil
conflict turned into an outright proxy war between regional ...
5. F
The Trump Administration’s policy has been criticized by multiple countries, human rights
groups, and political leaders within the US. The UN Human Rights Council has even strongly
condemned the U.S for the separation and detention of the families...

Exercise 10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9P8uHEtUg
For questions 1-5, listen to a report on education in several countries worldwide. What does
the speaker say about these countries in relation to their education? Choose five answers from
the box and write the correct letter, A-J, in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. A decline in student performance on tests has been recorded.
B. Approximately two-thirds of students aged nine and ten fail reading tests.
C. Teachers tend to quit their jobs as their proposal to focus on standardized testing is turned
down.
D. Twenty percent of children complete school without a minimum level of education.
E. There is an alarming trend in turnover among teachers, partly due to their perceived lack of
support.
F. Their GDP has risen nearly 40 times thanks to development goals in education.
G. Intense competition is the main cause of a less effective education system.
H. Universal basic skill targets have not yet been met.
I. The attitudes and beliefs make an important contribution to high levels of academic
achievement.
J. A significant proportion of students in certain ages fail to meet their expected level in literacy.
K. Sex education is going to receive greater attention in the future.

Countries
1. The U.S. and Western Countries
2. The U.S. only
3. Finland
4. East Asian countries
5. Ghana

1. E

Over the past few years, the US and other western countries have seen a trend of teachers
quitting their jobs. Among their chief complaints is an overwhelming focus on standardized
testing, and the feeling that their professional opinions are ignored.

2. J
Similarly in the US, around two-thirds of nine and ten year olds cannot yet read at their grade
level.

3. A

And while that’s partially the result of declining Finish test scores

4. I

And they’re all wealthy nations who share similar views on education. Succeeding in school is
culturally stressed as a priority, and has an enormous impact on future prospects. This leads to
intense competition and subsequently higher overall scores.

5. H

The OECD has predicted that if Ghana could meet universal basic skill goals, they could see
their GDP rise 38 times higher over the lifetime of a child born today.

Exercise 11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiH0YJeDly4&t=113s
For questions 1-5, listen to a talk about the richest places in the world. What does the speaker
say about these places? Choose five answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-K, in
the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. A crash in an industry is closely linked to foreign affairs.
B. Social gaps still persist in the projected wealthiest place worldwide.
C. According to the IMF, this country is following unsustainable development pathways.
D. Authorities need to carefully study the market data and assess the external conditions and
risks.
E. The boom in a lucrative industry originated from a discovery made around 50 years ago.
F. With GDP per capita at nearly $80,000, this country is the richest place in Europe.
G. There is a dark side to the obsession with economic growth targets.
H. Nearly 40 per cent of the total proven natural gas reserves globally are located in this place.
I. This is a success story of a formula implemented to overthrow an autonomous regime.
J. Foreign companies that are seeking asylum from large corporate taxation move to this tax
haven.
K. Holding the largest natural gas reserves, this country claims the first spot of the richest
nation's ranking.

Countries
1. Ireland
2. Singapore
3. Luxembourg
4. Macau
5. Qatar

1. G

According to the WEF, these high levels of inequality are a result of the country’s prioritization
of economic growth, rather than social equity over the past decades.

2. D

but others say we should keep a close eye on the future of Singapore’s economy, due to slight
dips in its domestic property market as well as external factors
3. J

Its central location in Europe as well as its corporate tax breaks, which has caused big companies
to place their corporate headquarters there.

4. B

According to IMF projections, the autonomous region is slated to become richest place on earth
by 2020. Despite its wealth, many of the region’s citizens struggle to make ends meet with basic
necessities, like groceries becoming increasingly unaffordable.

5. E

The country discovered a massive natural gas field off its northeast coast in the 1970s.

A. A crash in an industry is closely linked to foreign affairs. (no link)

C. According to the IMF, this country is following unsustainable development pathways. (the
WEF not the IMF)

D. With GDP per capita at nearly $80,000, this country is the richest place in Europe. (Ireland
has GDP per capita nearly $80,000 but Luxembourg is the richest place in Europe)

H. Nearly 40 per cent of the total proven natural gas reserves globally are located in this place.
(14% not 40%)

I. This is a success story of a formula implemented to overthrow an autonomous regime. ( to

support rather than overthrow)

K. Holding the largest natural gas reserves, this country claims the first spot of the richest
nation's ranking (the third largest)

Exercise 12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DngZEKg4CKI
For questions 1-5, listen to a report about the reaction of a country after the announcement of
the Nobel Peace Prize and do the following tasks.
Questions 1-2:
Which TWO facts are mentioned about Ethiopia? Choose TWO letters A-E and write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. The victory celebration was in full swing in the capital Addis Ababa of Ethiopia.
B. National pride has long been known as an intrinsic part of this country.
C. Ethiopia established the long-standing democracy, which earned recognition from Western
countries.
D. A severe famine in the past was a source of Ethiopia’s prejudice towards Westerners.
E. Ethnic tension is still a crippling burden in this country.
Questions 3-5:
Which THREE facts are mentioned as achievements of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy
Ahmed? Choose THREE letters A-F and write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
A. resolved a long-running border conflict with a neighbouring country
B. welcomed home opposition groups and acknowledged past mistakes
C. granted amnesty to political leaders
D. set up a female-dominated cabinet
E. named a woman as head of the Supreme Court
F. got a firm grip on Ethiopia’s internal displacement problem

1-2. B, E (in any order)

A. not in full swing (starting to filter through)

C. not long-standing (young and fledging democracy)

D. actually Western countries’ prejudice towards Ethiopia rather than the opposite.

3-5. A, B, E (in any order)

C. released journalists, not political leaders

D. gender-balanced (50%), not female-dominated

F. internal displacement is still prevalent

Exercise 13.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyG9noa9AFs
For questions 1-5, listen to a talk about the best recent phone trends. What does the speaker
say about these trends? Choose five answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-K, in
the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. have been consistently diverse in style since their first launch
B. are of higher quality than flagship phones
C. witness a shortcoming being rectified properly
D. are more fad than forever devices
E. are a worthy successor to previous models in terms of camera quality
F. were initially monotonous in design
G. need improvements in both charging speed and compatibility with other devices
H. are supported by serious apps designed for average users
I. include cameras attached to phones
J. should include sophisticated applications particularly suited for advanced uses
K. become more available with higher quality

Phone trends
1. Foldables
2. Notch Fight Phones
3. Wireless Charging Phones
4. Low-light Phones
5. Cheaper Phones

1. J

Folding phones should allow for even more serious apps for power users

2. F

Lots and lots of Android phones ended up copying the look. Over time though things started
changing ...
3. C

A downside is that some of these faster changing technologies are not compatible with each
other. Then we’ve got reverse wireless changing. Both Huawei and Samsung have phones that
can wire to charge other devices.

4. E

Lately we’ve seen low-light pictures be a focus of phone makers. Google’s night sight looked
amazing when it was introduced. Huawei’s night mode on the p30 is ridiculous.

5. K

It used to be if you wanted a good camera, fast performance and nice design, you were kind of
limited to just a few phones and they were pricey. Now you can get a pretty awesome phone for
under $500.

Exercise 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rH_W5PN8ns&t=111s

- Google has been hit with a 1.______________ $5 billion fine by EU regulators for breaking
antitrust laws.

- Standard Oil and 2.______________ are given as examples of well-known monopolies. Google
could be this century's Standard Oil, which was required to be 3.______________ by The U.S.
Supreme Court.
- The European Commission says Google has abused its Android market 4.______________.
Google tied together different apps that smartphone manufacturers would have to
5.______________ if they wanted to license its app store, making it difficult for competing apps
to 6.______________.

- In 2017, European Union regulators slapped Google with a $2.7 billion antitrust fine for giving
priority placement in 7.______________ to its own shopping service. In this case, Google is
8.______________ innovation and competition, which is risky.

- The EU has 9.______________ when it comes to regulating big tech. While the EU fines are
still small compared to Google’s revenue, the bills could add up if more regulators start
10.______________.

1. record-breaking 6. gain traction

2. Microsoft 7. search results

3. broken up 8. stifling

4. dominance 9. taken a lead

5. pre-install 10. trust-busting

Exercise 15.
For questions 1-9, listen to a report on a scandal in education and supply the blanks with the
missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for
each answer in the space provided.
- At least 50 people, including wealthy parents, college sports coaches and administrators have
been charged with participating in 1)_________________ to influence undergraduate admissions
decisions at several top American universities. The scheme involved either cheating on
standardized tests or 2)_________________ college coaches to accept students as college
athletes.

- U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling called this the largest 3)_________________ ever prosecuted by
the Justice Department. The offences are also described as 4)_________________, selfish and
shameful.
- Parents are reported to have paid more than $25 million to Rick Singer, who orchestrated the
whole scheme. Singer disguised bribe payments as charitable contributions to a purported
nonprofit that was, in fact, a 5)_________________ he used to launder the illegal money.

- Fabrication of sports credentials was carried out in different ways. Firstly, bribed coaches
labelled students as 6)_________________, which gave their applications an advantage.
Secondly, Singer helped parents take 7)_________________ photographs of their children
engaged in particular sports. Finally, Photoshop was used to insert a photograph of a student's
face onto a photograph of another person participating in the sport to document purported
athletic activity.

- College admissions counselors believe 8)_________________ are the main sufferers of the
fraud.
The institutions involved in the scandal took steps to punish the offenders, with Standford’s
9)_________________ being dismissed.

1. alleged conspiracy
2. bribing
3. college admissions scam
4. insidious
5. front
6. recruited competitive athletes
7. staged
8. hardworking students
9. sailing coach

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

To the news now that dozens of people have been indicted in a college admissions cheating
scam. Among them wealthy parents, including celebrities such as actress Felicity Huffman, also
college sports coaches and people who administer the standardized college admissions tests. Kirk
Carapezza has details from WGBH in Boston.

KIRK CARAPEZZA, BYLINE: At least 50 people have been charged with participating in
alleged conspiracy that involve cheating on college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT.
Some of their children were admitted to elite colleges, including Yale, Stanford, UCLA and the
University of Texas, by bribing coaches.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDREW LELLING: We're not talking about donating a building so that a school's more likely
to take your son or daughter.

CARAPEZZA: At the federal courthouse in Boston, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling announced
the charges in what he called the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Justice
Department.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LELLING: We're talking about deception and fraud - fake test scores, fake athletic credentials,
fake photographs, bribed college officials.

CARAPEZZA: Here's how Lelling says it worked. Between 2011 and 2018, wealthy parents
paid Rick Singer, the head of a foundation and a for-profit admissions consulting service, more
than $25 million. Singer would then use that money to pay a ringer to take the SAT or ACT for
children or correct their answers. He'd also bribe Division 1 coaches.

LELLING: Singer's foundation purported to be a charitable organization but was actually a front
Singer used to launder the money that parents paid him.

CARAPEZZA: In return for bribes ranging from 200- to $400,000, coaches agreed to pretend
that certain applicants were recruited competitive athletes.

LELLING: In many instances, Singer helped parents take staged photographs of their children
engaged in particular sports.

CARAPEZZA: In other cases, he helped them use stock photos pulled from the Internet,
Photoshopping the faces of applicants onto the bodies of athletes.

JOSEPH BONAVOLONTA: Make no mistake. This is not a case where parents were acting in
the best interests of their children.
CARAPEZZA: That's Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the Boston FBI. He says
more than 30 parents flaunted their wealth to cheat the system and set their children up with the
best education their money could buy.

BONAVOLONTA: Some spent anywhere from 200,000 to $6.5 million for guaranteed
admission. Their actions were, without a doubt, insidious, selfish and shameful.

CARAPEZZA: None of the schools named in the court filings are under investigation for fraud.
The U.S. attorney's office says college admissions officers were tricked. College admissions
counselors say the real victims in this case are hardworking students who did everything they
could to set themselves up for success in this country's crazy college admissions process.

ELIZABETH HEATON: The scale of it is utterly shocking.

CARAPEZZA: Elizabeth Heaton is with the company College Coach in Watertown, Mass. She
works with students and families trying to navigate college admissions.

HEATON: There aren't enough slots for everybody. And it's hard to take - to stomach the idea
that a couple of those slots were taken by people who bought their way in.

CARAPEZZA: In federal court, Rick Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering,
conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. Stanford has fired its sailing
coach, who pleaded guilty. In a statement, Yale says the university has been the victim of a crime
perpetrated by its former women's soccer coach, and it's cooperating in the investigation. UCLA
says it has placed its men's soccer coach on leave for allegedly taking bribes and, in a statement,
says the charges against him are deeply disturbing. For NPR News, I'm Kirk Carapezza in
Boston.
Exercise 16.
For questions 1-7, listen to a report on a medical breakthrough and supply the blanks
with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS taken from the
recording for each answer in the space provided.
- According to a research paper published in the 1.________________, for only the
second time in recorded medical history, a man’s HIV infection has gone into
2._________________.
- The London patient, who was positive for the virus that causes AIDS, received a stem
cell transplant as treatment for a type of intractable 3._________________.
- The blood stem cells came from a donor with a mutation that makes cells
4._________________ to an HIV infection.
- This was an attempt to replicate the outcomes achieved in the case of the
5._________________ twelve years ago.
- While this type of treatment is clearly not practical to treat all people around the world
living with HIV, it helps researchers find out 6._________________ which may bring
about the ultimate development of a cure for HIV.
- This breakthrough allows HIV patients to stop taking 7._________________ which is
quite burdensome from both economic and health perspective.
1. journal Nature
2. remission
3. cancer
4. highly resistant
5. Berlin patient
6. critical components
7. antiretroviral therapy

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Today a big announcement about HIV/AIDS - a second man's HIV infection is in remission.
This is being hailed as a milestone in the search for a cure, which prompts a question. Decades
into the epidemic with drugs available that prevent HIV infection and can treat it, how relevant is
the search for a cure? We're going to put that question to Rowena Johnston. She is in Seattle for
the conference where this news was announced today. She's the vice president and director of
research for the Foundation for AIDS Research - amfAR. And she joined us from member
station KUOW.

Rowena Johnston, welcome.

ROWENA JOHNSTON: Thank you very much.

KELLY: So I want to mention that your group amfAR funded the research, which is published
today in the journal "Nature." Talk to me about this specific case and why it's a breakthrough.
This has to do with a man with HIV and cancer who got a stem cell transplant.
JOHNSTON: That's right. We're referring to this man as the London patient. He was living in
London and was living with HIV and developed cancer. And his cancer was not responding to
normal treatments. And so he became a candidate for a stem cell transplant. And his physicians
were really quite smart. And they decided to look for a donor who also had a CCR5-delta 32
mutation.

KELLY: OK.

JOHNSTON: And this mutation is quite rare, but people who have this mutation are highly
resistant to HIV infection. And so by using cells from this donor, they were replacing the London
patient's immune system with the immune system of a person who's highly resistant to HIV in a
situation that was very closely similar to the Berlin patient, who we now do believe was cured.

KELLY: Between these two patients was - I believe it's a dozen years. And doctors had, of
course, tried to replicate the results in those intervening years. And the virus kept coming back.
Do we know why it was successful with this new patient, with this London patient?

JOHNSTON: You're right that there had been attempts to recapitulate what had happened in the
Berlin patient. In some cases, the transplant recipients were getting donor cells from a person
who did not have that CCR5-delta 32 genetic mutation. So it's beginning to look like having
donors that have that mutation is a key element to this successful outcome. So it's really having
the similarities and the differences between these cases and being able to compare them is where
we're going to learn the valuable lessons to move us forward.

KELLY: Just to be clear, the London patient was dealing with a very specific health situation. In
other words, the breakthrough that is being reported today does not mean that a widespread,
universal cure is within immediate reach. Is that right?

JOHNSTON: That's right. Stem cell transplant is only appropriate for people who are living with
a cancer of the immune system. So this intervention itself is not the way in which we are going to
cure people living with HIV across the world. What this intervention is going to help us
understand, though, is which are the critical components that we can learn from and put together
so that we can develop some different type of cure that is appropriate everywhere that people are
living with HIV.

KELLY: So let me circle you back to the question I posed at the outset, which is we - now
decades into this grappling with HIV and AIDS, there are drugs which help prevent infection,
which help people who are living with HIV infection manage it and live successful, long lives at
this point. Why is it so important to find a cure?

JOHNSTON: A person living with HIV today needs to take their antiretroviral therapy every
single day of their lives for the rest of their lives. And that becomes very burdensome both from
an economic perspective and also, perhaps, from the perspective of their own health. And when
you're taking antiretroviral therapy every day, you're reminded every day that you have this virus
for which you are stigmatized.
And so having a cure for HIV relieves a lot of these burdens. And if we can cure this infection,
that's going to encourage people to get tested for HIV because there's going to be that sense of
optimism that they don't have to live with this virus for the rest of their lives.

KELLY: Rowena Johnston - she is research director for amfAR. That's the Foundation for AIDS
Research. Thanks for your time.

JOHNSTON: Thank you very much

Exercise 17.
For questions 1-9, listen to a report about ways to get into a British university and supply the
blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from
the recording for each answer in the space provided.
University applicants can choose from ten of thousands of (1)___________________________.
Students may take A-levels or (2)___________________________ or a mixture of both.
Others may study full-time or two years to obtain a(n) (3)___________________________.
Students with poor A-level results may do (4)___________________________.
The new (5)___________________________ combines academic study with work-based
training.
Mature students should contact (6)___________________________ directly.
(7)___________________________ courses are available at further education colleges.
Sponsorship is a way of obtaining (8)___________________________ and work experience.
To sum up, studying to degree level is a(n) (9)___________________________.
1. course combinations
2. Advanced Vocational Qualifications
3. Higher National Diploma/HND
4. one-year foundation courses
5. Hospitality degree
6. admissions tutors
7. Return-to-study
8. financial assistance
9. life-enhancing experience

Getting the right A-levels is no longer the only way to get to university. New avenues are
opening up all the time. Alice Mills has the report.
Reporter (F): Just a glance at the number of university vacancies in clearing over the past month
will show there are thousands of opportunities within higher education. In fact, around 50,000
course combinations (more than in any other European country) are available at some 500
universities and higher education colleges. Fortunately for the prospective student and his or her
adviser, there are plenty of possible entry routes, ranging from the familiar A-levels and Scottish
Highers through to less well-known diplomas and access certificates. It's perhaps most
straightforward for the 18- to 19-year-old school or college leaver to take A-levels. But since the
advent of Curriculum 2000, many students have followed a slightly different route. Advanced
vocational qualifications exist in a number of subjects and students now have the chance to mix
these with the more traditional A-level subjects. And some will opt for a Higher National
Diploma or HND, a qualification in its own right, which can be topped up to degree level after
completion of the two-year, full-time course. Meanwhile, students who have not done as well as
expected at A-level should be aware that universities are increasingly offering one-year
foundation courses which, if successfully completed, will lead to the first year of a degree. For
some, a more vocational orientation will be better. New employment-related foundation degrees
may provide the answer. They have been developed so that businesses can work with higher
education colleges to address skills shortages. One example here is the Hospitality degree
developed between Radisson Edwardian Hotels and Thames Valley University last year. It has a
strong emphasis on work-based training, while retaining the required academic grounding for the
industry. Recent figures show that two-thirds of those doing foundation degrees are over 25 and
that 40% are part-time. In 2001 almost 25% of those applying to university were mature
students. Many universities and colleges do not insist on formal qualifications which this
category of applicants may lack, for one reason or another, so it's a good tactic to talk directly
with admissions tutors. Mature students are often highly motivated and focused. The mature
student (usually someone over 21 at the start of their course) has several options when
considering university entry. Of course, full-time advanced study is one route, but specially
designed access and return-to-study courses may be better. These are run in many further
education colleges and adult education centres and are designed to offer a quick route into higher
education and a way of returning to study after a break. Those wishing to combine work and
study should be encouraged to look at sponsorship possibilities that provide financial assistance
while you study and, often, work experience in vacation periods. A whole range of organisations
offer sponsorship, including industry, government, armed services, charities, local authorities
and retailers. Studying to degree level is a life-enhancing experience, and one that advisers
should encourage students to take. And it's not all about being 18 with A-levels and taking an
academic degree —there are many other options.
Exercise 18.
For questions 1-5, listen to part of a radio program about online dating and decide whether
the statements are True (T) or False (F).
1. There are nearly 395 million online dating service users worldwide.
2. The dating service app named Momo has the greatest number of subscribers in China.
3. 70% of interracial marriages in the U.S. result from online dating services.
4. The app Bumble is unconventional in that women can take a proactive role there.
5. Britain has witnessed a great increase in the number of sexual predators.
1. False
Today around 295 million people use online dating services all around the world.
2. True
In China, one app alone, Momo, has 180 million registered users.
3. False
70% of gay couples in America now meet online
4. True
Some argue the apps are breaking down barriers and changing social norms. Whitney Wolf
launched Bumble, because she wanted an app where women make the first move.
5. False
In Britain, the increase in online dating has gone hand in hand with a rise in dating-related crime,
although the numbers are small.

Exercise 19.
For questions 1-5, listen to part of a news report about a natural disaster in Venice and
answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS taken from the recording
for each answer.
1. In addition to people's residences, what were damaged by the three record-high tides?
2. Except for the sidewalks, what parts of St. Mark's Basilica were also soaked in saltwater?
3. What are put between the wet book pages to absorb the water?
4. What does the Moses project construct to hold back the tide?
5. What factor besides human incapability has accounted for the delays in the Moses project?

1. CHURCHES, BUSINESSES
2. FRESCOES
3. PAPER TOWELS
4. MOVEABLE FLOODGATES
5. FOUL PLAY / CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

A disaster is unfolding in Venice. The centuries-old city built atop small islands and laced with
canals is flooded. Three record-high tides coming in short order have submerged St. Mark's
Square and damaged churches, homes and businesses. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports now Italy
is rallying to save Venice, and volunteers are arriving to help.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)

SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Campiello del Tintor full of water as we approach the bookstore
Acqua Alta, which is appropriately named. It means high water. This eccentric bookstore is a
Venice landmark. Because of the constant danger of floods, its books have always been
displayed inside bathtubs, plastic bins and even a full-sized gondola. But last Tuesday, the books
were not high enough for the worst tide in more than 50 years, reaching 6 feet, 1 inch. The shop's
fire escape opens onto a canal, where a gondola now floats above the height of the store's
pavement, which is still under several inches of water. Co-owner Diana Zanda has been
assessing the damage and trying to salvage what she can.

DIANA ZANDA: Nobody was ready for that. But at the end of the situation, I think we're all
feeling pretty lucky because a lot of young people came here in Venice, took care of us and help
us. They helped them a lot.

POGGIOLI: The Italian culture ministry has sent experts to assess damage in the flooded crypt
of St. Mark's Basilica, where mosaic pavements and frescoes were submerged by saltwater. But
in many of the city's less-known cultural institutes, it's volunteers who are doing the salvage
work.

The Querini Stampalia Foundation is located in an 18th century Venetian palazzo. An elegant
room with Murano glass chandeliers is now a rescue center for precious books from the
foundation's seriously damaged library. Anna Dumont is an American Ph.D. student doing
research here on 19th and 20th century textiles. Today she's one of several volunteers.

ANNA DUMONT: We're taking books that are wet with saltwater. And we are, page by page,
putting paper towels in between the pages to soak up the water and hopefully save the books.

POGGIOLI: Working at the next table is Venetian Gianmarco Bondi.

GIANMARCO BONDI: I'm actually a criminal lawyer. I should be at work right now, but I have
a debt towards this place. Given I came here to study for a long time, I felt like I had to give
back.
POGGIOLI: Given his profession, I asked Bondi about Moses, the huge engineering project of
moveable floodgates to hold back the tides from flooding Venice. It's still unfinished after 16
years and $5.5 billion in public funds. Bondi echoes public opinion that believes that
incompetence, foul play and/or criminal activity are behind the delays.

BONDI: Now it's time for people to actually invest in the city and save what's left and finish this
Moses project, hopefully. And eventually, we'll collect what else is needed to save the most
beautiful city we have.

POGGIOLI: Venice is used to high water. A century ago, tides occurred seven times a year. But
today it's closer to 100, with sea levels rising. The latest word from the Moses engineers - they
hope the project can be completed by the end of 2021.

Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Venice.

Exercise 20.
There is an 1)___________ in the cosmos where time and space 2)___________.
Feryal Ozel is an 3)___________ at the University of Arizona.
Ozel says a black hole is like a 4)___________with such strong gravity that it 5)___________
everything.
It just distorts the space-time around it, and in the interior, it distorts it so much that even light is
6)___________.
In 2017, they used eight radio telescopes around the world to 7)___________ at the center of a
galaxy around 50 million light years away, a place where a black hole is thought to be
8)___________.
Around the black hole, there's this sort of 9)___________.
Scientists plan to use more telescopes to get better 10)___________ of this black hole.

There is an inexorable force in the cosmos where time and space converge.
She's an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona.
Ozel says a black hole is like a cosmic vacuum with such strong gravity that it sucks up
everything.
It just distorts the space-time around it, and in the interior, it distorts it so much that even light is
trapped.
In 2017, they used eight radio telescopes around the world to peer at the center of a galaxy
around 50 million light years away, a place where a black hole is thought to be lurking.
And then around the black hole, there's this sort of orangey halo.
Scientists plan to use more telescopes to get better close-ups of this black hole.

inexorable: that cannot be stopped or changed

astrophysicist: a scientist who studies the physical and chemical structure of the stars,
planets, etc
lurk: when something unpleasant or dangerous lurks, it is present but not in an obvious
way.
orangey halo: vầng hào quang có màu cam nhạt

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Scientists have taken the first photo of something invisible - a black hole. For decades, black
holes have captured people's imaginations.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: There is an inexorable force in the cosmos where time and space
converge.

SHAPIRO: That's the trailer for the 1979 movie "The Black Hole." Well, today researchers
unveiled what a black hole really looks like. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce was there.

(CROSSTALK)

NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, BYLINE: The press briefing in Washington, D.C., was packed.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Ladies and gentlemen, in the interest of making sure the fire
marshal does not have any issues, I need a clear lane for...

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Two kinds of people were milling around - folks who were dying to see
the black hole photo and scientists who weren't allowed to show them yet. Feryal Ozel was one
of the latter. She's an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona.

FERYAL OZEL: I have seen these images. I've worked a lot on these images and the
interpretations.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Ozel says a black hole is like a cosmic vacuum with such strong gravity
that it sucks up everything.

OZEL: We have no other object quite like a black hole. It just distorts the space-time around it,
and in the interior, it distorts it so much that even light is trapped. So it is the absence of light
that we're looking for.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: People sat down, and speakers took the stage, including Sheperd
Doeleman of Harvard, who led this effort. It involved about 200 people in 20 countries. In 2017,
they used eight radio telescopes around the world to peer at the center of a galaxy around 50
million light years away, a place where a black hole is thought to be lurking.

SHEPERD DOELEMAN: We have seen what we thought was unseeable. We have seen and
taken a picture of a black hole.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: And then what looks like a blurry ring of fire appeared on a screen
above him.

DOELEMAN: Here it is.

(APPLAUSE)

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Some high school students were in the audience. I asked Ana
Humphrey (ph) how she'd describe this photo.

ANA HUMPHREY: There's definitely, like, a dark shadow - a circular shadow in the center of
the image. And then around the black hole, there's this sort of orangey halo.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: The halo being bright gasses swirling towards oblivion. Her schoolmate
Gregory Durkin (ph) was glad to see something that matched the predictions of Albert Einstein's
general theory of relativity.

GREGORY DURKIN: So I was not surprised, but it was a great, great pleasure and privilege to
see a black hole and live in the generation that can see it first.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: Scientists plan to use more telescopes to get better close-ups of this
black hole and others like it. Sera Markoff is an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam.

SERA MARKOFF: It's just the beginning, you know? You can think of it as a picture, but it's
also one of the most profound things humanity has ever seen.

GREENFIELDBOYCE: She says to her, it's like looking into the pit of nothingness, one of the
most fundamental mysteries of the universe. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.
Exercise 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DG3pMcNNlw
5G could replace the need for 1)___________ by largely operating on the cloud.
Downloading a two-hour film on 5G would take around 2)___________.
For a world that is increasingly dependent on the internet just to function, it is vital to lower
3)___________.
The efficiency of 4)___________, like self-driving cars, depends on the speed of data transfer.
5)___________ is a technique employed to provide a personalised web experience.
6)___________ is exemplified as an event that requires 5G to operate effectively.
One of the main barriers to the development of 5G is 7)___________.
5G could cause network operators to 8)___________ their current business models.
In order to work properly, 5G needs a frequency with much bigger 9)___________. This is less
of an obstacle in China, who are taking a more 10)___________.
Big 5G 11)___________ are launched to put China at the forefront of equipment production for
the new technology.
5G could replace the need for 1)_____cables______ by largely operating on the cloud.
Downloading a two-hour film on 5G would take around 2)______three and a half seconds_____.
For a world that is increasingly dependent on the internet just to function, it is vital to lower
3)______time delay_____.
The efficiency of 4)_____autonomous vehicles______, like self-driving cars, depends on the
speed of data transfer.
5)______Network slicing_____ is a technique employed to provide a personalised web
experience.
6)_____Mobile World Congress______ is exemplified as an event that requires 5G to operate
effectively.
One of the main barriers to the development of 5G is 7)______cost_____.
5G could cause network operators to 8)_____tear up______ their current business models.
In order to work properly, 5G needs a frequency with much bigger 9)_____bandwith______.
This is less of an obstacle in China, who are taking a more 10)____coherent approach_______.
Big 5G 11)_____trials______ are launched to put China at the forefront of equipment production
for the new technology.
Exercise 22.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx0Z6LplaMU&t=23s

The 3D printing process builds an object by successively adding material layer by layer, which is
why it is also called 1)__________. This method is more economical and time-saving compared
to 2)__________.

The first step in 3D printing involves creating a 3)__________ of the 3D modelled object. This
can be done either by using 4)__________ to create your own designs or by finding objects on
websites.

Once the data has been transmitted to the printer, the material is pulled, melted and deposited to
the 5)__________ where the cooling process takes place.

The development of new materials has flourished 3D printing food, in which beautiful
6)__________ are created.

3D printing also has practical values in the medical sector where bio-materials are tested to
invent 7)__________.
The 3D printing process builds an object by successively adding material layer by layer, which is
why it is also called 1)____additive manufacturing______. This method is more economical and
time-saving compared to 2)____standard means______.

The first step in 3D printing involves creating a 3)____blueprint______ of the 3D modelled

object. This can be done either by using 4)____modeling software______ to create your own
designs or by finding objects on websites.

Once the data has been transmitted to the printer, the material is pulled, melted and deposited to
the 5)_____plate_____ where the cooling process takes place.

The development of new materials has flourished 3D printing food, in which beautiful
6)_____intricate treats_____ are created.

3D printing also has practical values in the medical sector where bio-materials are tested to
invent 7)____regenerative medicine______.
Exercise 23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDOn_n7tNyo

Quantum computing has great potential to solve some problems that might be too hard for 1)
_____________________ to solve in reasonable amounts of time.

As quantum computing can crack other countries’ 2) _____________________, it attracts the

attention of governments.

Several countries are joining the race for quantum technology research, with China intending to
open national quantum 3) _____________________ by 2020.

Quantum computing promises to make rapid and immediate 4) _____________________

forecasts or compute the formular of a new substance.

With the involvement of technology giants, buiding powerful quantum computers is no longer
the stuff of 5) _____________________.

Quantum computers are often associated with 6) _____________________ machines.

Quantum computers can be used on a kind of 7)_____________________.

1. current supercomputers

2. encrypted networks

3. laboratory

4. stock

5. university physics departments

6. all-singing, all-powerful

7. time-share basis
Exercise 24.

Elie Honig is a former assistant U.S. 1) _____________________ for the Southern District of
New York.

He has been reading the complaints that the Trump campaign and their 2)
_____________________ are filing, and he finds two recurrent faults in these complaints.

Number one, the numbers of ballots that they're talking about are 3) _____________________.
Number two, they just don't have the proof.

When the Trump campaign is pulling back its own lawsuits, it is a 4)

_____________________.that they are in trouble.

Federal prosecutor were advised to examine the so-called 5) _____________________.

Elie thinks there is both good news and bad news regarding opening investigations. The bad
news is Barr has now changed the long-standing rule that you don't do anything public, anything
6)____________________ on an election-related case until that election is certified, finalized,
done and over. It's a continuation of Bill Barr's 7)____________________ of DOJ's power. The
good news is it's not going to make any difference because the 8)____________________ are
too big.
1. attorney
2. surrogates
3. minuscule
4. flashing red light
5. voting irregularities
6. overt: done in an open way and not secretly
7. politicization and abuse
8. margins

Well, joining me now to discuss a CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. He's a former assistant U.S.
attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Good morning, Elie. Always good to have you on.

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, Jim. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: All right, so let's beginning with the remaining legal challenges. Do they, in your
view, have any legal legitimacy?

HONIG: Jim, remember just this past weekend, three or four days ago, when the president issued
an official statement that starting Monday he would be prosecuting, his word, misuse of the word

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HONIG: But prosecuting his case to show that this election was a fraud.

Here we are. It's Wednesday. They've got nothing.

And, Jim, I've been reading these complaints that the Trump campaign and their surrogates are
filing. There are two recurrent faults in these complaints.

One, the numbers of ballots that they're talking about, if they're even talking about specific
ballots at all, are minuscule, 53 votes here, a couple hundred votes there.

Number two, they just don't have the proof. You just laid it out perfectly. They're claiming voter
fraud. They haven't won a single case.

Look, the record speaks for itself. They've filed cases all across this country. They haven't won a
single piece of litigation yet. They are winless. They're like the New York Jets of constitutional
litigation. The record speaks for itself. They're not turning around anytime soon.
SCIUTTO: Don't insult my New York Jets, but point taken.

HONIG: Sorry.

SCIUTTO: So how quickly -- because, frankly, this is -- this is partly our largely a PR charade
by the president to raise doubts here. How quickly do you expect courts to dismiss these cases
then?

HONIG: Courts are dismissing these cases with alarming speed if you're the Trump campaign.
Some of these cases are getting dismissed within 48, 72 hours of being filed. And, by the way,
that is really rare to see.

And, beyond that, Jim, we're starting to see the Trump campaign and its surrogates dismiss their
own lawsuits. We've now seen one lawsuit withdrawn. We saw another appeal withdrawn just
the other day. That, I think, is a warning sign. You don't see that very often. When the Trump
campaign is pulling back its own lawsuits, I think that's a flashing red light that they're in trouble.

SCIUTTO: OK, I want to talk about the attorney general's role because he told federal
prosecutors that they should examine what he called voting irregularities. And this is before --
and this is the change, before states moved to certify the results, violating or overturning long-
standing DOJ policy.

The quote from his memo is as follows, I authorize you to pursue substantial allegations of
voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions
in certain cases, as I've already done in specific instances.

Tell me what the standard is now for opening investigations. You're a former prosecutor. What
guidance do they take from this?

HONIG: Yes, Jim, so there's bad news and there's good news.

[09:45:00]

The bad news is, William Barr has now changed the rules at this very late date. The rule used to
be you don't do anything public, anything overt on an election-related case until that election is
certified, finalized, done and over. Bill Barr has now, after the election's over, after Donald
Trump has lost, as Donald Trump casts about for any reed to cling to, now Bill Barr says,
actually, we're going to change that long-standing rule and we're going to let you do public
things now if necessary. It's a continuation of Bill Barr's politicization and abuse of DOJ's power.

The good news is, it's not going to make any difference. The facts just are not there. Bill Barr can
change the rules all he wants, he can't generate facts out of nothing. The margins are too big.
They would have to flip more than one state. It's just not going to happen.
So, look, Bill Barr's trying to let DOJ and to use DOJ to sort of support this narrative, but there's
just no substance there.

SCIUTTO: Elie Honig, thanks for walking us all through it.

HONIG: Yes. Thanks, Jim.

Exercise 25.
Matthew Chance is CNN 1) _____________________.
Russians are claiming that their registration of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine would be akin
to a so-called "Sputnik moment," referencing the shocking 2) _____________________ by the
Soviet Union in the 1950s.
Although the vaccine has been 3) _____________________ for a while, it is the first time the
date for approval of vaccine has been clearly indicated.
The vaccine has been 4) _____________________ to develop because it is a modified version
of one already created to fight against other diseases. The conventions are also set aside as the
crucial third phase of 5)____________________ is only conducted when the vaccine is made
publicly available.
6)____________________will be the first vaccinated, once the new drug has been approved for
public use.
There's a great deal of 7)____________________ worldwide about the claims of the
effectiveness and safety of this virus.

1. senior international correspondent

2. satellite launch
3. in the pipeline
4. extraordinarily quick
5. human trials
6. frontline health workers
7. skepticism

BLITZER: Russian officials tell CNN they intend to approve the world's first coronavirus
vaccine in less than two weeks.
Our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow for us with this exclusive
report.
What are you learning, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf,
the Russians are calling it a Sputnik moment, a reference to that successful unexpected satellite
launch by the Soviet Union in the 1950s that surprised everyone. This time though, it's a
coronavirus vaccine that Russian scientists are launching into the global pandemic.
It's been in the pipeline for quite a while, but tonight, we've got the first and clearest indication of
when that vaccine will be set for approval for the Russian public. We've been given a date by
Russian officials on the 10th of August or even earlier which is, of course, extraordinarily quick.
Now, there are a couple of reasons for that speed. First of all, Russian officials say that the
technology they've used has been used in the past. They're simply adjusting an old virus to be
relevant to the coronavirus and they're doing that with data they've already got, so they've
managed to do it much quicker.
But they've also set aside the conventions, the human testing, and this is a vaccine that the
scientists injected into themselves. And we've also learned tonight that the phase three crucial
human trials will take place as the vaccine is made publicly available.
BLITZER: Who would be the first, Matthew, to receive this vaccine?
CHANCE: Well, the Russian health ministry saying that's going to be frontline health workers,
followed shortly after by other vulnerable categories. But I've just been given other figures as
well, saying by the end of the year, they expect to manufacture 200 million doses of this new
Russian vaccine, 30 million in Russian alone, the other 170 million in other countries.
And so, you know, there's a great deal of skepticism around the world about the claims of the
effectiveness and safety of this virus, it looks like, you know, within the couple of weeks, the
next couple of months, hundreds of millions of people are going to be taking it.

Exercise 26.
Listen and decide whether these statements are True, False or Not Given?
1. According to the Economist magazine, the pandemic’s real death toll worldwide may be as
many as 1 million.
2. According to the Economist magazine, America's official figures could underestimate the
death toll by around 100,000
3. India now records over 500,000 new infections every week.
4. Coronavirus cases have been going up sharply in parts of Latin America
5. In America, the top 25 percent of income earners and the bottom 25 lose jobs at the same rate
in the wake of the pandemic.
6. According to the Pew Survey, more than forty percent of Americans claim to be unfairly
dismissed.
7. According to the Census Bureau, around 10 percent of American adults say their households
struggle to put enough food on the table

1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
6. NOT GIVEN
7. TRUE

ZAKARIA: But first, here is my take. Let me begin by saying I wish President Trump and the
first lady a safe and speedy recovery. I also hope that others who have been infected along the
way who either work with the president or attended an event with him have a mild case of the
disease and a return to normalcy as soon as possible.

The news out of the White House is sad, but perhaps it can remind us of all of the sad news
around. We might have COVID fatigue, but the virus does not. The number of people known to
have died from COVID-19 has crossed one million worldwide, and that is probably a low figure.
An analysis by the "Economist" magazine indicates there may be as many as a million
more uncounted deaths.

It finds that the true count in America is probably not 200,000 dead, but more like 300,000,
which means that the country has lost as many people to COVID in the last eight months as it did
in the four years of combat during World War II.

And we are not done. Egged on by advisers and conservative pundits, the president keeps saying
things like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're rounding the corner with
or without a vaccine. They hate it when I say that but that's the way it is. We're rounding the
corner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAKARIA: The reality is the virus is still coursing through country after country. India now has
more than half a million new cases every week and is on track to overtake the U.S. for most
cumulative cases on the planet. Latin America has seen sharp spikes in some places. New
waves have hit parts of Europe and the United States.

Tragic as the deaths are, the broader and more long lasting effects are likely to be economic. The
world economy is in the worst condition it has been since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
And the effects of this downturn have been particularly tough on the most vulnerable sectors of
society.

Take a look at these charts showing the last three recessions in America. The green lines show
the top 25 percent of income earners and the purple show the bottom 25. You will notice that in
most recessions they lose a similar share of jobs. In the current recession, a chasm has opened
up. The bottom 25 percent, the poorest among us, have seen their jobs evaporate.

The jobs report released this week shows 36 percent of unemployed workers are now classified
as permanently unemployed. A Pew survey found that 42 percent of Americans have had
someone in their household lose a job or wages because of COVID-19. Around 10 percent
of adults, 23 million, say their households sometimes or often does not have enough food to
eat according to the Census Bureau.

And that's in America. Imagine the situation in countries like India. But the point is simple. We
are in the midst of the worst global pandemic in 100 years. We are still not handling it well. We
do not have good mass testing and tracing. We are not providing nearly enough economic relief
to the tens of millions whose lives have been devastated not because they ran their businesses
poorly, not because they acted irresponsibly, but because of a pandemic.

Donald Trump's unfortunate diagnosis could serve a useful purpose to remind us that we need to
get our act together because we are all in this together.

Exercise 27.
Volunteers get either 1) _____________________ or the real-deal experimental vaccine from the
George Washington University trial.
Patient 232, Yang, suffers from 2) _____________________ and high blood pressure.
Yang thinks he is recruited because of his 3) _____________________ and his underlying
conditions.
He completed an online application and had to list his 4) _____________________.
After the first shot, he had several side effects as every muscle and joint in his body 5)
_____________________.
Volunteers are instructed not to stay at home and 6) _____________________ all the day, which
surprises the host.
1. placebo shots
2. asthma
3. ethnicity/colour
4. medical history
5. ached
6. self-isolate

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

It has been a great week for vaccine headlines, with both Pfizer and Moderna reporting
promising results from their coronavirus trials. Behind those headlines are all the people
volunteering to serve as human lab mice in those trials. One of them is Patient 232, the 232nd
person to get either placebo shots or the real-deal experimental vaccine from the George
Washington University trial. Well, Patient 232 joins me now. He is otherwise known as John
Yang. And he's a journalist, a correspondent for PBS' "NewsHour." He wrote about his
experience for STAT. John Yang, welcome.

JOHN YANG: Thank you, Mary Louise.

KELLY: As you wrote, you are at high risk for contracting, if you were to get it, a severe case of
COVID-19.

YANG: I am. I'm older. I am of a certain age, shall we say. I'm over 60. I've got asthma. I have
high blood pressure. And I'm Asian. I had actually read a study earlier that Asians are more
likely to have a bad outcome if they are hospitalized with COVID, which certainly got my
attention.

KELLY: And none of that ruled you out? They didn't care?

YANG: In a way, I think that they wanted it. I think my ethnicity was a big plus because they
really do want to test - widen these tests to have participants of color. And also, they wanted to
find out if it was safe for people with asthma and people with high blood pressure.

KELLY: Right. So walk us through the steps. You completed an online application in July. You
had to list your medical history and all of that. And then what happened? Did you get a call?

YANG: I got a phone call. And I - they tell me they're calling from the George Washington
COVID vaccine trial. And I actually thought that there would be more screening steps. I thought
I'd have to answer more questions and maybe even come in for a physical exam before they said,
OK, you're in. Then later that - in the same visit, they gave me my first shot.

KELLY: Wow. Did you have side effects?

YANG: Well, there were two shots. The first shot, it really wasn't that bad. It was sort of like a
mild case of the flu. I - every muscle and joint in my body ached. I had a fever. I went to bed; I
slept about 10 hours. But as that came on faster, it also resolved faster. By the next day, by
Wednesday - I got the shot on Tuesday. By Thursday, I was fine. The second shot really laid me
low and very quickly.

KELLY: And I gather, in a way, you were actually quite happy to be feeling lousy because...

(LAUGHTER)

KELLY: ...In your mind this suggested that maybe you'd gotten the real vaccine and not a
placebo?

YANG: Exactly. The first day, I was a little disappointed when I went to bed that I was still
feeling OK and woke up the next morning happy to be feeling bad. Like a kid hoping to get out
of school, I was happy to feel that onset of the side effects.

KELLY: One thing that they told you that struck me was they instructed you, you have to carry
on with your usual schedule. You can't just stay home and totally self-isolate. You got to walk
the dog. You got to go for your run. Why?

YANG: It's funny. It was something that made complete sense once he said it, but I had never
thought of it before. The doctor who was the head of the study said that if everyone stays at
home and never goes out and is - and doesn't get sick, if no one gets sick, then the trial will have
failed. They need some people to get sick so they can compare between the placebo group and
the group that has the real - got the real deal. It's something - it's funny because it never occurred
to me that that was the goal.

KELLY: That is John Yang, national correspondent for PBS' "NewsHour" and Patient 232 in one
of the big vaccine trials. John Yang, thank you so much.

YANG: You're welcome. Thanks for having me

Exercise 28.
Yang said he participated in the clinical trials because of the opportunity to get the real vaccine,
not because of 1) _____________________ motives.
He is in a 2) _____________________ because he suffers from several underlying conditions.
After the first day without any side effects, the vaccine 3) _____________________ him a little
bit the next morning. He had soreness in his muscle and 4) _____________________.
After the second shot, he was achy, 5) _____________________, and fatigue. But as the onset
was faster that second time, it 6) _____________________ faster, too.
He is careful not to change his patterns or the 7) _____________________ that he is taking.
Their 8) _____________________ were announced this morning.
1. altruistic
2. high-risk group
3. buoyed
4. joint
5. feverish
6. resolved
7. precautions
8. preliminary results

 Judy Woodruff:
Now to a personal take on the vaccine hunt.
Our own John Yang has been a part of these clinical trials. And he joins me now.
So, John, not everybody would want to take part in one of these. What made you want to do it?
And why do you think they wanted you, other than the fact that you're an amazing, wonderful
human being?
(LAUGHTER)
 John Yang:
Well, Judy, I wish I could say it was something altruistic like wanting to contribute to the
solution, wanting to help the cause of science.
But, quite frankly, it was the opportunity, the chance that I could get the real vaccine. In these
trials, half get the real vaccine, half get the placebo. So, that 50/50 chance is what attracted me.
I am in a high-risk group. My age, I have asthma, I have high blood pressure, things that put me
at a high-risk group. And according to the doctors in the study, that's what also made me
attractive is that they wanted to find out if the vaccine was safe for people in those groups. I'm
also a person of color, which is something they wanted to test.
And my desire to get the real vaccine was so great that, after the first day after I got the vaccine,
I was actually a little disappointed that I hadn't had a reaction to it, to the shot, that maybe I got
the placebo.
(LAUGHTER)
And, paradoxically, the next morning, when I started to feel some of the side effects, it actually
— it buoyed me a little bit. I felt good that. I felt good about feeling bad.
 Judy Woodruff:
So, you thought maybe you did get the real thing.
So, John, we have heard the side effects not too debilitating. And assuming you did get the real
thing, tell us, what did you go through? How did it affect you?
 John Yang:
Well, there were two shots.
The first one, as I say, the first day, I was fine, the second day, started to get a little achy, a little
muscle pain, muscle soreness, joint soreness. I got a fever, not too high. About 99.9 was the
highest it went. I got it on a Tuesday, got the shot on a Tuesday, and those symptoms really did
persist, until about Saturday was the first day that I really felt fine.
The second shot, the onset was much faster. By that night, I was in bed. I was in bed by 7:00,
achy, feverish, fatigue. But as the onset was faster that second time, it resolved faster, too. Again,
I got it on a Tuesday. By Wednesday, I was fine.
 Judy Woodruff:
And so, John, in a situation like this, where you don't know going in whether it is the real thing
or a placebo, what kinds of questions — as this has gone on, what kinds of questions has this
raised for you about the vaccine?
 John Yang:
Well, they asked me to continue my usual routine.
I stayed, obviously, working from home, wearing a mask when I go out, going to go shopping.
And I think I'm — what I'm fighting against is, we still don't know how long the immunity lasts,
or even if I personally have immunity.
So, I am being very careful not to change my patterns, not to change any of the precautions that I
am taking, still being very careful, wearing that mask.
 Judy Woodruff:
And, at some point, you will find out for sure whether you had the real vaccine or not?
 John Yang:
Well, this morning, when they announced their preliminary results, they said that they were so
happy with what they were finding, they were going to offer the real vaccine to the people in the
placebo group.
I'm going for my two-month check-in tomorrow, so I'm going to ask them if they're going to tell
me whether I am — which group I'm in, and if I am in the placebo, whether they will offer me
the real vaccine.
 Judy Woodruff:
Well, it's so helpful to hear your story.
And I think everybody has to say, when you offer to do something like this, it's a — you're
making a sacrifice for everybody else. And we thank you for that, John Yang.
 John Yang:
Thank you.
Exercise 29.
Encouraging data from trials about one type of coronavirus vaccine have been announced, but
they still need to be verified by the 1) _____________________, which has not been available
yet.
The makers claimed that their 2) _____________________ rate was 90 percent.
Researchers adopted a novel technique to make vaccine as they used a piece of 3)
_____________________ called mRNA.
Neil King is a biochemist at the University of Washington's Institute for
4)_____________________.
After providing more data on the safety of this vaccine, they will submit a process and approval
for 5)_____________________for the Food and Drug Administration.
This particular vaccine needs to be transported at 6)_____________________, which creates a
problem called 7)_____________________.
Pfizer has invented its own shipment scheme, with some 8)_____________________ put in a
small box.
9)_____________________ should be given the vaccine first.
Pfizer and many of the others, except for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, require a
10)_____________________.
1. independent review/peer review/science work
2. efficacy
3. genetic code
4. Protein Design
5. emergency use authorization
6. minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit
7. cold chain logistics
8. dry ice
9. front-line health care workers
10. booster

 William Brangham:
For more perspective on this news, I'm joined now by Miles O'Brien, our science correspondent.
He has been covering the hunt for a vaccine throughout this pandemic.
Miles, great to have you back on the "NewsHour."
Can you help us understand the substance of today's announcement? This was still initially — we
haven't seen the data, correct?
 Miles O’Brien:
Yes. We should do a little bit of trust, but verifying in this one. This is a press release.
We're waiting for the independent review. The peer review, science work is still unknown to us.
But, assuming all of this bears out, this is an extraordinary number. This is — this is a vaccine
that will easily get into the Hall of Fame batting .900 percent, 90 percent.
It's stunning, actually. When you think about it, the typical flu vaccine, its efficacy is somewhere
between 40 and 60 percent. But there's still a lot of work to do here, obviously. We're talking, in
all, of 94 cases among tens of thousands, 94 cases of COVID.
And almost all of those individuals received the placebo, a saline solution, not the vaccine, and
that's where they get that number. It is a vaccine, however, that is really an unproven thing in
humans.
It is — uses a piece of genetic code called mRNA. It's a novel approach to making vaccines. And
there's never been a vaccine brought to the human market that uses this particular technique.
Here's an encouraging part of this, though, William. If all this bears out, all of the vaccines that
are out there right now are going after the spiky surface of the coronavirus, the spike protein,
including this one.
So, if this was so incredibly effective, that bodes well for the other trials that we're looking at
right now.
Back in March, which seems like an eternity ago, before we had a lot of mask requirements, I
spoke with Neil King. He's a biochemist at the University of Washington's Institute for Protein
Design. And he walked me through this process of identifying a vaccine in this manner.
 Neil King:
Figure out how to present this molecule to the immune system in the right way, so that you get
the right response.
And, really, for the spike protein, what that means is, which part of this do you want to hit with
an antibody to shut the virus down? And then how can we shine a light on that to the immune
system?
 Miles O’Brien:
So, the spike protein appears to be the key. And that really does bode well for all the other trials,
William.
 William Brangham:
So, going forward, you heard Dr. Bourla say that, this year, they think they might be able to get
50 million doses out the door, next year, over a billion.
What do we need to do between here and there getting shots into people's arms?
 Miles O’Brien:
So, William, the devil is in the logistics as much as anything. But let's walk you through it.
Over the next few weeks, they are going to try to get a little more data on the safety of this
vaccine. And then they will submit a process and approval for emergency use authorization for
the Food and Drug Administration. Obviously, the FDA knows this is coming, so that should
happen fairly quickly.
But then, when you start thinking about distributing millions, up to a billion doses, this particular
vaccine likes it cold, really cold. It needs to be transported at minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That
is colder than some of its competitors on the vaccine front.
And so that's creating a problem with what is called cold chain logistics. UPS is one of the big
ones. They showed us a raft of freezers that they have geared up in order to try to deliver this
vaccine without it getting spoiled.
Pfizer, meanwhile, has come up with its own shipment scheme, a little box that has some dry ice
in it. And, hopefully, they will be able to get these vaccines to people without them being
spoiled. Hopefully, they will manage. But that hasn't been tried.
 William Brangham:
Let's say they do get authorization to distribute these.
Pfizer is not the one who decides who gets those precious first doses, right? Who decides that?
 Miles O’Brien:
The federal government will make the decision, ultimately. And there are all kinds of review
panels that are trying to make specific decisions about the order of business, as it were.
But everyone agrees that front-line health care workers should be right at the head of the queue,
and then, of course, the elderly and other people with preexisting conditions which might be
adversely affected by the coronavirus more than others.
The government has already signed on with Pfizer for $2 billion to buy 100 million doses. But
you have to remember Pfizer and many of the others, except for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine,
require a booster.
So, it's actually two shots, one, and then, a couple of weeks later, a second shot. So, getting
people in for the first shot in a country where we have a lot of people who are suspicious of
vaccines, that's one thing, and then making sure they come back for the second shot, all those
things have to happen in order for this to work.
 William Brangham:
All right, Miles O'Brien, thank you so much for helping us wade through all of this.
  Miles O’Brien:
You're welcome, William.

Exercise 30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYtynjvVX5o
The 1) _____________________ of black hole is so powerful that even light can be trapped in it.
Black holes are described as the 2) _____________________ of the universe.
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to three scientists for discovering 3)
_____________________ constituting black holes.
Penrose stated that at the center time and space 4) _____________________.
Genze and Ghez discovered that an 5) _____________________ and extremely heavy object
governs the orbits of stars at the center of our galaxy.
The first direct visual evidence of a black hole was revealed last year, 6)
_____________________ but visible.
Ghez achieved another 7) _____________________ as she was only the fourth woman to win a
Nobel physics prize.
Following 8) _____________________ such as Einstein and Hawking, the winning trio of
scientist keep 9) _____________________ to better understand former mysteries.

1. gravitational pull
2. darkest secrets
3. elements
4. ceased to exist
5. invisible
6. blurry
7. milestone
8. legends
9. paving the way
Exercise 31.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXR_4NkYZbU
Standford
1. Most people associate Standford with _____________________ Silicon Valley, which is
where the school is located
2. Standford is now the global capital of _____________________
3. A Standford degree is in extremely high demand, and the school maintains the
_____________________ in the country
4. Much of Standford’s _____________________ comes from its impressive list of
_____________________.
Caltech
5. California Institute of Technology is predominantly focused on engineering, technology and
_____________________.
6. In the 1930’s the university founded NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which builds space
robots and _____________________.
7. More Caltech graduates go on to earn PhDs than any other _____________________.
Oxford
8. Oxford is _____________________ in comparision with Caltech and Standford
9. It is one of the oldest universities, with historians _____________________ as far back as the
11th century
10. Oxford’s _____________________ to the top comes in part from its exceptionally high
research income.
11. Between 2014 and 2015, charities, individuals and businesses _____________________
nearly $680 million dollars into the university for research.

1. tech-capital
2. entrepreneurship and technology
3. lowest acceptance rate
4. credibility and desirability – alumni
5. applied sciences
6. conducts astronomy missions
7. alma mater
8. enormous
9. tracing instruction
10. ascension
11. funnelled
Exercise 32.
1. The way that the current maths curriculum is organized looks like a pyramid, with
_____________________ forming the basis and _____________________ forming the summit.
2. Statistics should be given priority as people use it every day in various aspects such as
_____________________, reward, randomness, and data comprehension
3. The _____________________ could be avoided if all people knew about probability and
statistics.
4. It's time to change from the more classical, continuous mathematics, to the more
_____________________ mathematics.
1. arithmetic and algebra - calculus
2. risk
3. economic mess
4. modern, discrete

Now, if President Obama invited me to be the next Czar of Mathematics, then I would have a
suggestion for him that I think would vastly improve the mathematics education in this
country. And it would be easy to implement and inexpensive.
00:22
The mathematics curriculum that we have is based on a foundation of arithmetic and
algebra. And everything we learn after that is building up towards one subject. And at top of that
pyramid, it's calculus. And I'm here to say that I think that that is the wrong summit of the
pyramid ... that the correct summit -- that all of our students, every high school graduate should
know -- should be statistics: probability and statistics. (Applause)
00:54
I mean, don't get me wrong. Calculus is an important subject. It's one of the great products of the
human mind. The laws of nature are written in the language of calculus. And every student who
studies math, science, engineering, economics, they should definitely learn calculus by the end of
their freshman year of college. But I'm here to say, as a professor of mathematics, that very few
people actually use calculus in a conscious, meaningful way, in their day-to-day lives. On the
other hand, statistics -- that's a subject that you could, and should, use on daily basis. Right? It's
risk. It's reward. It's randomness. It's understanding data.
01:35
I think if our students, if our high school students -- if all of the American citizens -- knew about
probability and statistics, we wouldn't be in the economic mess that we're in today. (Laughter)
(Applause) Not only -- thank you -- not only that ... but if it's taught properly, it can be a lot of
fun. I mean, probability and statistics, it's the mathematics of games and gambling. It's analyzing
trends. It's predicting the future. Look, the world has changed from analog to digital. And it's
time for our mathematics curriculum to change from analog to digital, from the more classical,
continuous mathematics, to the more modern, discrete mathematics -- the mathematics of
uncertainty, of randomness, of data -- that being probability and statistics.
02:25
In summary, instead of our students learning about the techniques of calculus, I think it would be
far more significant if all of them knew what two standard deviations from the mean means. And
I mean it. Thank you very much. (Applause)

Exercise 33.
1. Leonardo described himself as _____________________ among billions of people around the
world who want to find solutions for climate crisis.
2. Every week sees new and _____________________, evidence that accelerates climate change
all around the world.
3. None of the environmental problem is _____________________ and
_____________________. It’s fact.
4. According to the chief of the US Navy’s Pacific Command, climate change is our single
_____________________
5. The UN organization now faces a _____________________ task
6. It’s time to put a price tag on carbon emissions and _____________________ for all oil coal
and gas companies.
7. Solving this crisis is not a question of politics but a question of _____________________.
1) a concerned citizen
2) undeniable climate events
3) rhetoric - hysteria
4) greatest security threat
5) difficult but achievable
6) eliminate government subsidies
7) our own survival

Introducing speaker: Please welcome newly-appointed United Nations Messenger of Peace Mr.
Leonardo DiCaprio.
Leonardo DiCaprio – Actor
Thank you, Mr Secretary General, your Excellencies ladies and gentlemen and distinguished
guests. I’m honored to be here today.
I stand before you not as an expert but as a concerned citizen – one of the 400,000 people who
marched in the streets of New York on Sunday and the billions of others around the world who
want to solve our climate crisis.
As an actor, I pretend for a living. I play fictitious characters, often solving fictitious problems. I
believe that mankind has looked at climate change in that same way, as if it were fiction, as if
pretending the climate change wasn’t real would somehow make it go away.
But I think we all know better than that now.
Every week we’re seeing new and undeniable climate events, evidence that accelerated climate
change is here right now. Droughts are intensifying. Our oceans are acidifying with methane
plumes rising up from the ocean floor.
We are seeing extreme weather events and the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets melting
at unprecedented rates, decades ahead of scientific projections.
None of this is rhetoric and none of it is hysteria. It is fact.
The scientific community knows it. Industry knows it. Governments know it. Even the United
States military knows it. The Chief of the US Navy’s Pacific Command Admiral Samuel
Locklear recently said that climate change is our single greatest security threat.
My friends, this body, perhaps more than any other gathering in human history now faces this
difficult but achievable task. You can make history or you will be vilified by it.
To be clear this is not about just telling people to change their light bulbs or to buy a hybrid car.
This disaster has grown beyond the choices that individuals make. This is now about our
industries and our governments around the world taking decisive large-scale action.
Now must be our moment for action.
We need to put a price tag on carbon emissions and eliminate government subsidies for all oil
coal and gas companies. We need to end the free ride that industrial polluters have been given in
the name of a free market economy. They do not deserve our tax dollars. They deserve our
scrutiny for the economy itself will die if our ecosystems collapse.
The good news is that renewable energy is not only achievable but good economic policy.
This is not a partisan debate. It is a human one. Clean air and a livable climate are inalienable
human rights. And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is a question of our own
survival.
This is the most urgent of times and the most urgent of messages. Honored delegates, leaders of
the world, I pretend for a living but you do not.
The people made their voices heard on Sunday around the world and the momentum will not
stop. But now it is your turn. The time to answer humankind’s greatest challenge is now.
We beg of you to face it with courage and honesty.
Thank you.
Exercise 34.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSew_OnDEFE
1. In December 2015, China issued a red alert warning for their capital, Beijing due to its
excessive ____________________.
2. Many ____________________ occupied top spots in terms of cleanliness according to the
Green City Index report.
3. While Denmark and Switzerland impose heavy restrictions on high polluting vehicles, there is
also a ____________________ to use public transit, bicycling and walking.
4. Curitiba in Brazil was the first city to introduce ____________________ in 1974.
5. Singapore keep the city clean through ____________________ and infrastructure investment.
6. ____________________ recycling and water treatment plants in Singapore are designed
around supplying the uniquely compact city.
7. Recycling a significant amount of waste, San Francisco is described as a
____________________ city.
8. A way to maintain low use of energy in San Fransico is to require ____________________ to
submit energy usage reports on a regular basis.
9. Accra in Ghana get high scores for establishing a ____________________with the
government.
10. In general, it is ____________________ to be involved that fundamentally contributes to the
protection of the environment.
1. smog and air particle levels
2. Nordic countries
3. societal push
4. bus rapid transit
5. high-density planning
6. state – of – the – art
7. health-conscious
8. commercial building owners
9. direct bureaucratic link
10. society’s willingness
Exercise 35.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc0bR9tiDyU

1. Everyone can theoretically win by ____________________ in an honest manner.

2. While poor countries receive an enormous ____________________, international companies

can take advantage of the ____________________.

3. Consumers in rich countries benefit from ____________________ and better prices thanks to
imports

4. The world would move towards a more ____________________, with countries focusing on
the products they are better at making and importing those they do not have competitive
advantage.

5. However, most countries are engaged in unfair practices , for example, rich countries
encourage poor countries to sell them resources but discourage them from selling
____________________ products

6. Countries want to curb the system by ____________________ to boost exports, subsidizing

industries and so on

7. The speaker wonders what we have today truly globalization or just one big ______________.
1. eliminating trade barriers

2. influx of capital - lower wages

3. greater product variety

4. efficient allocation of capital

5. high value-added

6. artificially weakening their currency

7. masquerade

Exercise 36.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMmnSZ7U1qM
The advancement of Industry 4.0 will be driven by a smart interconnected 1)_____________.
The opportunities for disruption are huge and those left behind will feel it 2)_____________.
KPMG has conducted research on what the 3)_____________ were doing in their factories and
offices and it revealed some thought – provoking findings:
- The major players are moving away from isolated 4)_____________ to large-scale and
5)_____________ across their enterprise and among customers
- It’s important for the players to:
+ think big, 6)_____________ and nurture innovation
+ develop disruptive thought processes aimed at devastating the 7)_____________
+ look for opportunities in every element of their 8)_____________ during the production
process

1. pervasive environment
2. acutely
3. trailblazers
4. silo driven development
5. proactive integration
6. act bold
7. status quo
8. value chain

Exercise 37.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to the U.N.'s World Food Programme for its efforts in
1) _____________________.
David Beasley is the 2) _____________________ of the World Food Programme.
Starvation is a critical issue in Niger because of 3) _____________________, as well as war and
conflict.
Beasley thinks that most of hunger around the world is 4) _____________________.
With the billionaires making hundreds of billions of dollars with COVID, we're facing the worst
5) _____________________ since World War II
The starvation rate is 6) _____________________ because of COVID and economic
deterioration.
It people do not receive support, three things are going to happen. One, you are going to have
famine literally of 7)_____________________. Number two, you're going to have 8)
_____________________. And, number three, you're going to have 9)
_____________________.
If you don' thave a cure against starvation, you are going to pay for it 10)
_____________________ more with the problems that result from food insecurity.

1. combating global hunger

2. executive director
3. climate extremes
4. manmade-driven
5. humanitarian crises
6. spiking
7. biblical proportions
8. destabilization
9. mass migration
10. 1,000-fold
  Judy Woodruff:
As we reported, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to the U.N.'s World Food Programme
for its work combating global hunger, especially during the pandemic.
Amna Nawaz spoke early this morning with the WFP's leader, who was in Niger as part of a
mission.
 Amna Nawaz:
And joining me now is David Beasley. He's the executive director of the World Food
Programme.
David Beasley, welcome to you. And congratulations.
So, tell us, how does it feel?
 David Beasley:
You know, it's absolutely unbelievable.
I'm here in Niger, which is probably the most appropriate place to be as we receive this award,
because I want the world to understand that people are struggling all over the world.
And so I was in a meeting, as we were talking about issues in Niger, starvation because of
climate extremes, as well as war and conflict from extremist groups. And so somebody walked in
the meeting and said, a Nobel Peace Prize. I'm like, yes, wow. Who got it? Who got it? And they
said, we did, the World Food Programme. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Wow.
I mean, the first time I — I think, in my life, I was speechless.
(LAUGHTER)
 David Beasley:
Thank you, all. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
 Amna Nawaz:
Anyone who knows you knows that it is very rare for David Beasley to be speechless.
(LAUGHTER)
But let me ask you, because they said your agency was able to intensify the work that you're
doing to meet this dramatic rise in global hunger around the world during the pandemic. They
said you met it with impressive ability.
But tell us, what has that rise been like? How much worse has global hunger gotten, and how
have you been able to meet that need?
 David Beasley:
Well, this is what's really, I think, the great news that we have gotten this award, so we can really
have a call to action.
The bad news is the fact that we should be getting this award because of all the hunger around
the world. And, quite frankly, it's — most of it is manmade-driven. And if you compound that
with climate extremes, when you look at the fact of, just in the last three years, the number of
people on the brink of starvation had risen before COVID 80 million to 135 million.
And now, with COVID, the number of people — and I'm not talking about people going to bed
hungry — on the brink of starvation is now to 270 starvation 270 million people.
And, quite frankly, with the billionaires making hundreds of billions of dollars with COVID,
we're facing the worst humanitarian crises since World War II. They need to step up. We need an
extra $5 billion to save millions of lives around the world.
This is a call to action. With all the wealth in the world today, no one should be dying from
hunger, not a single person.
 Amna Nawaz:
David, you have mentioned $5 billion in need just to keep people off the brink of starvation.
And you reference those billionaires. There's more than 2,000 billionaires in the world. You have
made the point before. When talk to them, do you think that they will step up in this moment?
What's been the response from the world's wealthiest people?
 David Beasley:
Well, the $5 billion that we're talking about is additional money, because we feed 100 million
people.
It literally is — the starvation rate is spiking because of COVID and economic deterioration. The
billionaires have got to step in. We're just asking them to step in this one time to help humanity.
The world needs them.
And I will be very disappointed if they don't. But what is — I mean, I know $5 billion is a lot of
money, but for the billionaires that are making literally hundreds of billions during COVID,
come on. Come on. Please, be with us. Join our hands. Show the world you care. Let's do it
together, because no one should go to bed hungry. No one should starve to death today because
of hunger, with the wealth we have today.
 Amna Nawaz:
David, where are the hot spots? You and I have spoken before about Yemen, where two-thirds of
the population is on — is food-insecure at the moment. Where else is the greatest need right
now?
 David Beasley:
Well, economic deterioration is really causing disruption for a lot of people's lives all over the
world, but especially in places like Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq.
And where I am right now is in Niger, in the Sahel, where millions of people have been impacted
because of climate extremes and compounded by extremist groups that are coming in, exploiting
the situation, and now COVID on top of that.
And there are literally about a dozen or two dozen places around the world that, if we don't get
the support that they need, three things are going to happen. One, you are going to have famine, I
mean, literally of biblical proportions. Number two, you're going to have destabilization. And,
number three, you're going to have mass migration.
And we can solve all that. We have a cure against starvation, and it is called food. And we need
money to get it to the people that need the help. If you don't, you're going to pay for it 1,000-fold
more with the problems that result from the lack of security, because, when you have food
insecurity, you have destabilization, war and conflict, and migration.
 Amna Nawaz:
David Beasley, it is an incredible honor for a wonderful organization, led by you, the executive
director of the World Food Programme, today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Congratulations to you and your team. And thank you for being with us.
  David Beasley:
Thank you so much. Great to be with you.
And I hope to see you again with better news, with more money.

Exercise 38.
The storm struck Honduras earlier this week as a Category 4 hurricane with 1)
_____________________ of 155 miles per hour.
Hurricane Eta caused more than 130 deaths and triggered 2) _____________________ as it
made its way across the region.
When storms make landfall, they cause hazards which come through things like 3)
_____________________, high wind speeds and rainfall.
One of the feasible solutions is to use 4) _____________________ designed specifically for
forecasting storms.
The sea surface has increased in temperature over the last 150-plus years due to 5)
_____________________ climate change.
We basically have two sets of forecasts: actual and 6) _____________________
For individual basins like the North Atlantic, it is a little bit harder to understand, in part because
of 7) _____________________from year to year.
We expect about a 5 to 7 percent increase in rainfall within 8) _____________________ and
hurricanes for every degree Celsius of warming that we have.
We're getting quicker turnaround in terms of 9) _____________________.
A glance at the storm under one or two or three additional degrees of warming would help both
10) _____________________and allow us to communicate that the impacts of climate change
are not one hundred years off.

1. sustained winds
2. mudslides
3. storm surge
4. state-of-the-art models
5. human-induced
6. counterfactual
7. natural variability
8. tropical cyclones
9. running simulations
10. inform decision making

 Hari Sreenivasan:
Tens of thousands of Hondurans have been left homeless after flooding and damage caused by
Hurricane Iota.
The storm struck Honduras earlier this week as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of
155 miles per hour. Rain from the storm flooded neighborhoods and swelled rivers.
Iota was the second Category 4 hurricane to hit this part of Central America in two weeks.
Hurricane Eta caused more than 130 deaths and triggered mudslides as it made its way across the
region.
Iota is the 30th named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season, topping off a record year that
resulted in the national hurricane center resorting to the Greek alphabet for letters.
As this record hurricane season officially comes to a close at the end of this month, we wanted to
understand more about what's been discovered about the connection between climate change and
extreme weather events like hurricanes.
I recently spoke with Kevin Reed, an associate professor at Stony Brook University who leads
the school's Climate Extremes Modeling Group. I began by asking him how scientists are teasing
out the effect of climate change on individual storms.
 Kevin Reed:
When storms make landfall, they make an impact. They have hazards. And those hazards come
through things like storm surge, high wind speeds and rainfall, right? Because extreme rainfall
can cause flooding.
And so, one of the things we can do is we can use state-of-the-art models that are used for
forecasting storms, and we can run these under different conditions that have climate change to-
date in the signal, or removed. And so we basically come up with two sets of reality.
 Hari Sreenivasan:
So you're taking a forecast like we would see on the Weather Channel and you're saying, what
are the impacts that climate change could have on this storm. And then we take a look at kind of
two outcomes with the rain and without the rain that's attributable to climate change?
 Kevin Reed:
Yes. And so another way to put it is we run a forecast just like we typically would, the difference
is then we also run a forecast in which we've removed the climate signal to-date, right?
So in the North Atlantic, that's approaching over one to two degrees Fahrenheit. The sea surface
has increased in temperature over the last 150-plus years due to human-induced climate change.
And we can remove that signal and we can rerun the forecasts. And so, we basically have two
sets of forecasts. One we call the actual forecast, right? The kind of the real forecast, as well as
the one in which we have this counterfactual, which we've removed warming.
 Hari Sreenivasan:
When you look at a storm, say, for example, like Hurricane Laura now, what does this type of
modeling tell us?
 Kevin Reed:
Yes, so this type of modeling tells us that what we call the maximum accumulated rainfall
amount, right, which is just the fancy way of saying how much rain fell during the lifetime of the
storm. We're seeing increases of 5 to 10 percent. Meaning that if an example of Hurricane Laura,
we had about 12 inches of rainfall in some regions. And so, that's an increase of about an inch in
some cases of rainfall. So we're attributing how much rainfall in an individual hurricane is due to
climate change.
 Hari Sreenivasan:
When you are looking out into the future. Are we likely to see more storms or more intense
storms or both?
 Kevin Reed:
Yeah, so that's to some extent an open question still. And the consensus is that there will be a
decrease or the number of hurricanes, for example, globally will remain about the same or
decrease.
What that means for individual basins like the North Atlantic is a little bit harder to understand,
in part because there are things like natural variability from year to year, right? But we do know
our models do tell us that the storms are becoming more intense, both in terms of the the
maximum wind speed, but also in the amount of rainfall.
We expect about a 5 to 7 percent increase in rainfall within tropical cyclones, within hurricanes
for every degree Celsius of warming that we have. And so if you see in the North Atlantic, right,
if we were to flash forward 50 years in the North Atlantic is you know two or three degrees
warmer than it is now, then you could start to expect upwards of over 10, maybe approaching 20
percent increase in tropical cyclone rainfall.
 Hari Sreenivasan:
What are the data sets that you're looking at now that you hope will help refine the way that you
model things, the way that people can prepare going forward? I mean, is there a way that we
could look at hurricane forecasts when we're watching TV before the storm sets in and realize
that this is going to be worse each time because of all of these other factors of sea level rise and
ocean temperatures warming?
 Kevin Reed:
Yeah, these type of analysis in which we're able to kind of quantify the impact of climate change
on things like hurricanes as well as other extreme weather events has definitely increased in
sophistication, meaning each time we do these type of things, like most things in life, we're
getting better at analyzing the data, we're getting quicker turnaround in terms of running
simulations. And I think that in the future we could have a system in which we're doing that real
time. Not only are we exploring the impact of climate change on the storm that occurred to date,
but also providing some future, a peek into the future.
What would the storm look like under one or two or three additional degrees of warming? And I
think that that would help both inform decision making, right? To see, OK, this storm was was
really impactful, how much worse would this storm be in the future? But also, it allows us to
communicate that the impacts of climate change are not one hundred years off.
The impacts of climate change are here now. They are changing the weather around us and they
are having a real impact on society through that.
 Hari Sreenivasan:
All right. Kevin Reed, associate professor at Stony Brook University, thanks so much for joining
us.
 Kevin Reed:
Great. Thanks for having me.
Exercise 39.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Ipdxx7Ri0
Israeli scientists claim they have managed to not only successfully stop the biological ageing
process but to 1) _____________________ it.
They use 2) _____________________ to target specific cells and DNA and discovered the secret
of forever youth.
The oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a 3) _____________________.
Reserachers studied the effect of the therapy on 4) _____________________, which are
associated with tissue and organ deterioration.
Telomere is a molecule linked to 5) _____________________.
Telomere shortening is considered the 6) _____________________ of the biological ageing
process.
7) _____________________ is believed to be the result of brief oxygen shortages triggered by
conditions in the chamber.
Dr. Amir is proud that his team has achieved significant telomere 8) _____________________
within a short period.
1. reverse
2. hyperbaric oxygen chambers: phòng oxy có áp suất cao
3. pressurized environment
4. senescent cells: tế bào lão hóa
5. premature cellular ageing
6. Holy Grail: something that is extremely difficult to find or get
7. cell regeneration
8. elongation
Exercise 40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_C-o_9_E9I
Besides two current pandemics (Covid-19 and HIV/AIDS), four other pandemics are mentioned,
including 1) _____________________.
Swnie flu vaccination led to a 2) _____________________.
Swine flu infected a large percentage of the world’s population before it 3)
_____________________ in 2010.
“The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston detailed the orgins of two horrible 4)
_____________________ including Ebola.
While Hollywood often deals in fast-moving fiction, the world has witnessed slower, more 5)
_____________________.
The 6)_____________________ was the cause of the Black Death that swept through Europe in
the 14th century and claimed the lives of an estimated 200 million people.
7)_____________________ was a major problem in areas without access to clean water.
8)_____________________ is endemic in tropical regions.
No pandemic can spread like 9)_____________________.
1. Spanish flu, smallpox, typhus and tuberculosis
2. chaotic scramble
3. tapered off
4. Central African diseases
5. sustained spreads
6. bubonic plague
7. cholera
8. malaria
9. fear