Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Unit 1: Gathering
Track 1.1
SAUD: OK, so group think—did everyone
read the chapter about it? Tom?
TOM: Yes, I read it, Saud … but what I want
to know is why we are here in a group,
talking about … group think and why it’s
a bad way of working … I’m not being
antisocial or anything, but …
TOM: No, but seriously, we are. It’s
interesting, isn’t it, how difficult it is to
avoid group work … everyone makes the
assumption it’s the best way to work.
JON: What it is is that people don’t trust
others to work alone. They think people
just won’t do any work.
TOM: You can see why, Jon. Remember your
first year …?
JON: OK, OK … thanks for that, Tom. So
I had to retake some tests! That doesn’t
mean I won’t make a great professor in the
end. I mean, look at the history of some of
our tutors …
SAUD: Listen, OK, jokes aside … let’s focus
on what we’re supposed to be discussing
… group think. I thought the article was
fascinating. People in power have this idea
of the harmonious group, coming together
and brainstorming lots of brilliant ideas,
agreeing on the best ones, and solving the
world’s problems in one smooth process …
TOM: That’s true, Saud. That must be
why the world is so … problem free! But,
really, what most people don’t seem to
understand is that some of us don’t like
working in groups. We find it boring and
unproductive—sorry, guys! You know what I
mean—and that’s actually very reasonable.
Most current research—according to the
chapter—shows that brainstorming and
collaborating may be a lot of fun, but it is a
very inefficient way of coming to good, new,
really creative decisions.
Track 1.2
TOM: … but it is a very inefficient way
of coming to good, new, really creative
decisions.
SAUD: Yes, that’s right. It did say that,
but I’m not sure I agree. I’m quite biased
because I know I work much better in
groups—when I’m on my own I just waste
time. I like the participation side of it,
feeling part of a team.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
JON: But didn’t the article say that
collaboration has its limits … the ideas we
get on our own are actually better … the
ones we have in groups tend to be … just
what everyone thinks, I mean not original
… conformity rules, you know what I mean?
TOM: Yeah, a little bit like those khakis
you’re always wearing, Jonno! Sorry … no,
they’re cool, but I know what you’re saying.
Everyone tends to end up agreeing with
each other, in my experience. Or people just
say what they think the tutor or manager
or whoever wants to hear! Not that we’d
ever say something to please our tutor, of
course! We would never do that, would we?
SAUD: Right, never …
JON: Yes, and even the fact that this
phenomenon is called “group think” is
kind of worrying. It sounds kind of evil …
like science fiction or 1984 or something
… you know, Big Brother is watching us
and making us think what they want us to.
Deviation is the enemy! It must be stopped!
TOM: We’re laughing, but there’s a lot of
truth in that. If you put people in a group,
it’s always the same people who get to
speak, and the quieter people can feel
overwhelmed, never getting to speak …
you know, like Sam? We always end up
doing what he suggests, for some reason.
If he told us to jump off a building, we
probably would!
JON: Yes, and did you hear about what
happened last week in his tutor group? My
friend told me this. Sam wasn’t there and
the group decided to change the topic of
their project for this semester. He was so
mad when he found out.
SAUD: OK, let’s leave Sam out of this. I don’t
even know the poor guy. And anyway,
there are ways around the problems of
working together. The article gave a few
good suggestions about how to deal with
the issues of group think. One of them was
that you should get an expert in to disagree
with the group decision … or—if that’s not
possible—nominate someone in the group
to take this role and disagree. When you
do this, everyone has to think much more
carefully about the decision and it helps
people to be more open to suggestion. You
can’t …
TOM: I think that should be Jonathan! He
never agrees with anything, do you Jonno?
JON: Sorry! I don’t think that’s true, actually
…
TOM: I rest my case.
JON: … OK, OK … but, actually, in this
case, that strategy just seems like a way
to manipulate the group. I don’t like that
way of working. Anyway, having an official
person to disagree would surely result in
so much … inhibition. Who would want
to speak, knowing they were going to be
attacked every time? And it isn’t really true
… what about last week in the tutorial
when Susi had that great idea about the
presentation? She never usually speaks, but
everyone listened to her …
Track 1.3
1 JON: What it is is that people don’t trust
others to work alone. They think people
just won’t do any work.
TOM: You can see why, Jon. Remember
your first year …?
2 JON: So I had to retake some tests!
That doesn’t mean I won’t make a great
professor in the end. I mean, look at the
history of some of our tutors.
3 TOM: I think that should be Jonathan!
He never agrees with anything, do you
Jonno?
JON: Sorry! I don’t think that’s true,
actually …
TOM: I rest my case.
Track 1.4
1 SAUD: People in power have this idea of
the harmonious group, coming together
and brainstorming lots of brilliant ideas,
agreeing on the best ones, and solving the
world’s problems in one smooth process
…
TOM: That’s true, Saud. That must be
why the world is so … problem free!
2 TOM: Or people just say what they think
the tutor or manager or whoever wants
to hear! Not that we’d ever say something
to please our tutor, of course! We would
never do that, would we?
3 JON: Yes, and even the fact that this
phenomenon is called “group think” is
kind of worrying. It sounds kind of evil …
like science fiction or 1984 or something
… you know, Big Brother is watching us
and making us think what they want us
to. Deviation is the enemy! It must be
stopped!
1
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Track 1.5
OK, let’s get started. Please turn your phones
off, put your screens down, and let’s focus.
OK, so today I’ll be continuing with the
theme of the community sector, or voluntary
sector, as it is also known. Within this theme,
we’ll be looking at one particular non-profit
organization, often at the center of the
community—that is libraries—and asking
the question, do we still need them in this
mobile, virtual age?
Track 1.6
The very word “center” is, of course,
the opposite of our “network” view of
information, which has no fixed central point,
as we know from … well, pretty much all the
literature. And what about “community”?
We now have virtual, online communities.
Have they replaced our need for physical
communities with real-life people meeting
face to face?
But before we start on the arguments for
and against libraries … I’d like … I’d like
to review the general idea of community-
sector groups. What actually defines one,
and what makes a community-sector group
distinct from other types of organizations?
I define them as, typically, small groups of
people who volunteer to provide services
and support to people in a local area. So
how do we recognize a community group
as opposed to, say, an informal gathering?
Well, it is generally agreed that they have
a combination of common traits. They are
flexible and able to meet multiple needs of
the community. They are low cost and tend
to attract membership among people with a
high level of commitment and expertise.
OK, so do we still need community-sector
groups? Or rather, more specifically as
the focus of this lecture, do we still need
libraries? Well, while I’m reluctant to impose
my own opinion at this stage, I can say
that I disagree with the idea promoted by
many that they are going to disappear. I
think it’s obvious that libraries should and
will continue. It was Lady Bird Johnson, I
think, that pointed out that a library is the
most democratic of places—they are for
everyone—the only qualification is interest,
she said …
Yes, there are, of course, numerous
arguments against keeping expensive
libraries open all year … but I won’t go
into them here—the references are on your
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
handout. And I do recognize the perspective
that there is a need for libraries to change. If
they don’t, they will quite possibly become
obsolete, like … cameras. Certainly, far fewer
of my friends and acquaintances are buying
these now because we have top-quality ones
on our phones. The same is true of watches
… we won’t be seeing them in a few years
… so, my point is that libraries will have to
change. But how?
Well, there’s a lot of evidence from other
industries and communities to show that
the way forward is to think of the library as a
service for people. Libraries, and this is also
true for other community-sector groups,
must focus on making the users happy. And
I don’t mean just satisfied, I mean genuinely
happy, delighted even … with the services
they get. And those services will have to
be different from the ones now offered,
because people just won’t need to go to a
library to borrow books or go there to use
a photocopier. I certainly won’t, anyway. I
access most of the articles I need for my work
online, and I’m sure you do, too.
No, the approach I favor is thinking of the
library as a community center that’s used
by many communities and is a center of
productivity—for youth groups and schools,
students studying, clubs, people simply
wanting to gather together to relax and
discuss the news. It could be people learning
a new skill, people needing childcare,
people needing help with starting their
own businesses, and so on. So, there’s an
argument for keeping libraries, but in a
different form.
Now, returning to the broader issue of
community-sector groups in general, you
might think that they are not particularly
significant compared to non-community
providers. Surely, government-funded health
care and education has a far greater effect on
people’s lives? If you think this, you couldn’t
be more wrong. One study that clearly
demonstrates the impact the community
sector can have is the report by the South
Australian Centre for Economic Studies
released in 2013—it’s there on your handout.
This study provides clear statistical evidence
that community centers, and I quote, “work
at the heart of communities assisting many
thousands of individuals, contributing to
improvements in public health and local
community development …”. The report’s
evaluation is that these centers are critical in
many people’s lives. One statistic from that
study was that over two million people used
their community centers every year—a very
significant number given the size of the total
population.
OK, so the community sector obviously has
a significant role in many people’s lives,
but it seems to be struggling to be seen as
relevant by some people. And I think the
reason why people don’t like places such as
libraries, is that they see them as outdated.
Arguments against “old-style” libraries run
like this. Surely an online library service
could be just as useful as a physical space
called a library? This would save a lot of
money because libraries are often located
in the center of towns where property prices
are high, and it would also cut down on
staffing costs. Another justification for getting
rid of community centers like libraries is
that the services provided would be better
provided in other ways, by professionals
rather than the informal voluntary groups.
Yes, the librarian is usually a professional,
but many of the other services are run by
volunteers. This should change. For example,
a professional business-advice center rather
than a volunteer-led group in a library would
offer a more effective service to users.
So, as we have seen, there are certainly
arguments against the community sector
in general, and as we have seen today, the
library in particular, but not ones that I am
personally convinced by …
Track 1.7
1 The very word “center” is, of course,
the opposite of our “network” view of
information, which has no fixed central
point, as we know from … well, pretty
much all the literature.
2 What actually defines one, and what
makes a community-sector group distinct
from other types of organizations? I define
them as, typically, small groups of people
who volunteer to provide services and
support to people in a local area.
3 So how do we recognize a community
group as opposed to, say, an informal
gathering? Well, it is generally agreed that
they have a combination of common
traits.
4 Well, there’s a lot of evidence from other
industries and communities to show that
the way forward is to think of the library as
a service for people.
2
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Track 1.8
1 I think it’s obvious that libraries should
and will continue. It was Lady Bird
Johnson, I think, that pointed out that
a library is the most democratic of
places—they are for everyone—the only
qualification is interest, she said …
2 Yes, there are, of course, numerous
arguments against keeping expensive
libraries open all year … but I won’t go
into them here—the references are on
your handout.
3 Surely, government-funded health care
and education has a far greater effect
on people’s lives? If you think this, you
couldn’t be more wrong. One study
that clearly demonstrates the impact
the community sector can have is the
report by the South Australian Centre for
Economic Studies released in 2013—it’s
there on your handout.
4 The report’s evaluation is that these
centers are critical in many people’s
lives. One statistic from that study was
that over two million people used their
community centers every year—a very
significant number given the size of the
total population.
Track 1.9
1 DOUG: … but let’s stay focused on
the subject of community groups and
funding. We don’t have time to go into the
ins and outs of older people’s lives.
2 JAMIL: … And it is these groups that
keep communities going. They’d be really
stuck without them.
ANGIE: That’s a good point.
3 DOUG: So, remember, the focus of this
discussion is funding for community
groups.
4 JAMIL: I’ve said what I think, but what
about everyone else?
LEAH: Could I say something about this?
Track 1.10
1 They’d be really stuck without them.
2 And get this …
3 Don’t you think that’s fab?
4 … to go into the ins and outs of …
5 Hang on a minute.
6 Yeah, go for it.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Unit 2: Games
Track 2.1
SIMON: OK. We’re all here … let’s get
started. I think I agreed to chair the
discussion, and Matt said he would take
notes that we can share later … is that
right?
MATT: Yes, exactly. Thanks, Simon.
SIMON: So … I take it we all read the
literature?
EVERYONE: Yes … yeah …
SIMON: OK, so what do you think … let’s
start with the question of technology … so
the problem is, is a sport more a test of the
technology than of the participants, now
that technology can make such a difference
to performance?
Track 2.2
JULES: It’s quite a complex problem, I think.
After all, we can’t stop companies from
trying to develop better sports equipment
that gives an advantage to people who use
it, but that does stop it from being a level
playing-field, if you don’t mind the joke …
MATT: That’s right. I think it’s helpful to
think of it as a problem with no ultimate
solution that can please everyone, because
how you view it basically depends on your
perspective …
HANA: Sorry, can I just jump in here—I can’t
let that go unchallenged … what you’re
saying is that you can’t please everyone
… but surely there is a right and wrong? It
doesn’t matter who is pleased by it … we
should just be trying to do the right thing.
MATT: You always look for issues to be
black and white, Hana, but they aren’t …
Think about the company that made the
superfast swimsuits. They are a company,
with shareholders, in competition with lots
of other companies. They naturally want
to appeal to customers with a product that
will help them swim better, so they make
a swimsuit using technology that reduces
drag in the water, helps the swimmer
float, and makes them go faster. So, their
customers break the world records. Great
… MATT: OK, let’s get back to the point …
HANA: Right, I take your point, but … what
you’re saying is that there are other people,
who can only afford different brands, who
will inevitably feel they have been unfairly
treated. So why couldn’t they have bought
the same brand? I mean, they—
SIMON: Sorry, Hana. Sorry to interrupt,
but that’s not the main point, as I
understand it from the second article … the
fundamental problem is that the impact of
the technology is not restricted to current
swimmers. What about the people who
held the records before? They must feel
that it is the technology that has beaten
their record, not the actual swimmer.
JULES: The other examples were quite
interesting—the way that the cyclist
Graham …? Where is it …?
MATT: Here, in the first article … Obree.
JULES: Thanks … yes, Graham Obree. They
banned his new design of bikes because
they were faster! Twice!
MATT: Let’s get something straight here.
Issues with cycling are not just confined to
this problem with technology. The sport is
also a big player in the other aspect of this
topic, doping …
JULES: Right! Yes, some big names spring to
mind … cyclists who have become mixed
up in that.
HANA: Yes, there is an argument that it
should be legal, that doping should be
allowed in some sports, because they are
going to use drugs anyway, so why pretend?
And a lot of the health problems athletes
suffer apparently result from incorrect
administration of drugs by unscrupulous
doctors … so, why not make sure they are
properly administered by honest doctors,
not disgraced doctors who don’t care about
the law? That was a very powerful point
made in the third article, I thought anyhow.
SIMON: You would, though, wouldn’t you …
I remember you telling me that you were a
big fan of some of those cyclists who were
implicated …
HANA: Excuse me. Don’t be ridiculous! I’m
just explaining what I thought about the
article. It’s irrelevant what I think about any
particular cyclist!
SIMON: Sorry, sorry … I was just saying …
Hana is right, I would say. It seems that
everyone agrees that it is unstoppable,
because the pharmaceutical companies are
always developing new drugs, and being
new, no one can test for them …
3
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
JULES: Mmm, that’s true. But does that
mean we should just allow them? My
inclination is no. Surely we would end up
with an elite group of athletes who are
nothing like normal human beings?
SIMON: Yes, that’s already happened in
some sports … in the 70s in particular,
bodybuilders and so on … and Florence
Griffith Joyner … there were some
suspicions about her, but she wasn’t
caught, so her records still stand. And
she died very young, which is one reason
to continue banning drugs—they are
very dangerous—prolonged use of them
can significantly lower life expectancy,
according to the second article.
MATT: So what? Lots of sports are
dangerous, as that same article says—
boxing, car racing—if it’s adults doing them,
why can’t they take the risk? And why not
just have separate events for dopers and
clean athletes, as is suggested?
JULES: Hold on a minute. You always do
this … make radical statements without
thinking them through. How would we
know they are clean? The problem wouldn’t
go away, it would just shift to the so-called
“clean” sports.
SIMON: Yes, that’s a good point you make
there.
Track 2.3
SIMON: OK. We’re all here … let’s get
started. I think I agreed to chair the
discussion, and Matt said he would take
notes that we can share later … is that
right?
MATT: Yes, exactly. Thanks, Simon.
SIMON: So … I take it we all read the
literature?
EVERYONE: Yes … yeah …
SIMON: OK, so what do you think … let’s
start with the question of technology … so
the problem is, is a sport more a test of the
technology than of the participants, now
that technology can make such a difference
to performance?
Track 2.4
1 JULES: It’s quite a complex problem, I
think. After all, we can’t stop companies
from trying to develop better sports
equipment that gives an advantage to
people who use it, but that does stop it
from being a level playing-field, if you
don’t mind the joke …
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
2 MATT: … it basically depends on your
perspective …
HANA: Sorry, can I just jump in here—I
can’t let that go unchallenged … what
you’re saying is that you can’t please
everyone … but surely there is a right
and wrong?
3 MATT: Great …
HANA: Right, I take your point, but …
what you’re saying is that there are other
people, who can only afford different
brands, who will inevitably feel they have
been unfairly treated. So why couldn’t
they have bought the same brand?
4 HANA: I mean, they—
SIMON: Sorry, Hana. Sorry to interrupt,
but that’s not the main point, as I
understand it from the second article …
5 MATT: Let’s get something straight here.
Issues with cycling are not just confined to
this problem with technology. The sport is
also a big player in the other aspect of this
topic, doping …
6 HANA: And a lot of the health problems
athletes suffer apparently result from
incorrect administration of drugs by
unscrupulous doctors … so, why not
make sure they are properly administered
by honest doctors, not disgraced doctors
who don’t care about the law? That was
a very powerful point made in the third
article, I thought anyhow.
7 SIMON: Sorry, sorry … I was just saying
…
MATT: OK, let’s get back to the point …
Hana is right, I would say. It seems that
everyone agrees that it is unstoppable …
8 MATT: … the pharmaceutical companies
are always developing new drugs, and
being new, no one can test for them …
JULES: Mmm, that’s true. But does that
mean we should just allow them? My
inclination is no. Surely we would end up
with an elite group of athletes who are
nothing like normal human beings?
9 SIMON: Yes, that’s already happened in
some sports … in the 70s in particular,
bodybuilders and so on … and Florence
Griffith Joyner … there were some
suspicions about her, but she wasn’t
caught, so her records still stand. And
she died very young, which is one reason
to continue banning drugs—they are
very dangerous—prolonged use of them
can significantly lower life expectancy,
according to the second article.
10 JULES: Hold on … How would we know
they are clean? The problem wouldn’t go
away, it would just shift to the so-called
“clean” sports.
SIMON: Yes, that’s a good point you
make there.
Track 2.5
Should parents stay away from sports or
do they enhance the sporting experience
for their children? That’s what I will be
discussing today. There is a good deal of
research suggesting that the benefits of
sports are in danger of being outweighed by
the negative effects caused by parental over-
involvement, and, yes, this is something that
we should take very seriously. Mark Hyman,
Professor of Sports Management at George
Washington University, put it very strongly
when he suggested that we only value
excellence rather than participation—he’s on
your handout … Professor Hyman basically
believes that adults have ruined sports
for children, by interfering too much and
focusing only on winning, rather than having
the children learn that we can lose and still
have fun.
Track 2.6
First and foremost, we need to bear in mind,
while we are thinking about the problems,
that the impact of sports on children is
potentially very positive. In other words, sports
is something we should encourage. At its best,
done properly, it motivates children to exercise,
enables integration into a social community,
and helps them develop psychologically. And
it’s fun … it enhances the whole childhood
experience, in fact. Consequently, any scenario
in which sports is viewed as a negative factor
should be avoided if possible. But the sad fact
is that sports participation among children is
decreasing in many countries, such as the U.S.,
where it fell by 10% between 2009 and 2014,
according to a survey by the Sports and Fitness
Industry Association, and one of the reasons
is that children don’t enjoy sports as much as
they should because of their parents’ attitude.
The decrease is not only caused by parental
involvement, of course—studies show that
economic factors are very significant—but it
may help explain the high drop-out rate among
lesser-achieving children.
4
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Increasingly, parents push their children
to play sports in the hope that they will
go on to become professional sportsmen
and sportswomen. Examples such as Tiger
Woods, from golf, and the Williams sisters
in tennis show that there are definitely
advantages if you can start a child early in
their—sorry, your—chosen sport. From the
parents’ perspective, it is a selfless enterprise,
involving thousands of hours of driving,
waiting, and watching … and the expense
of coaches, club memberships, and so on.
But although it may be done for the right
reasons, it doesn’t necessarily translate as
positive from the child’s perspective. As I
just pointed out, it isn’t really their choice
of sport, since to gain real advantages, you
need to start very young. There are videos
of Steffi Graf, the tennis player, playing great
tennis at four years old … that is not an age
where children can possibly know what they
want to do, and this trend is on the increase.
So the parents’ choice may result in sporting
success, but an unwanted consequence of it
may be a child who is good at something that
they don’t actually enjoy and didn’t choose.
The parents, on the other hand, enjoy the
prestige of having a successful child, and
also perhaps the financial benefits that come
with some sports. Research does actually
suggest that many parents are thinking of the
financial aspects when they choose a sport
… golf and tennis for example … and they
know that success in school sports can result
in scholarships, although the reality is that
very few children will go on to gain these.
Anyway, moving on to another very relevant
point—identity. Now, we know that identity
is a key issue in child development. If sports
becomes a part of a child’s identity, that
makes him or her vulnerable, because
if they fail at sports, and sports is their
identity, they will feel that they have failed
as people. Studies unfortunately show
that parental intervention and feedback
often includes blaming a child for a team’s
loss, for example, “you missed the winning
goal” or whatever, and the parent is angry.
From the child’s point of view, owing to the
fact that they identify themselves with the
sport in question, it becomes an attack on
themselves and who they are. So, the issue of
identity is highly significant, I would say.
Now, I said earlier that sports is good for
children. What did I mean by that? Well, the
lessons that can be learned from sports start
with learning to lose. That sounds defeatist,
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
perhaps, but sports can be a sort of practice
for real life, a training ground … bear in
mind that the job of a parent is to prepare a
child to live without them, independently.
So preparing them for times when, despite
their best efforts, things don’t go their way is
very valuable. As a result, trying to eliminate
loss actually destroys what is probably
the main benefit of sports. Then there is
teamwork, of course, and learning to perform
a designated role in a group setting … again,
very valuable in later life. As I mentioned,
sports helps children integrate into groups,
although conversely, being excluded for any
reason can be quite damaging for a child.
Fitness is a great benefit, obviously—there
are studies claiming to show a link between
childhood sporting activity and increased
life expectancy. And, of course, we should
remember that some sports do carry risk
of injury … rugby can lead to neck and
spinal injuries for example; all the same,
it is important for parents not to be over-
protective, as this risks causing more damage
to children in itself. We can’t eliminate all risk,
so, all things considered, from a health point
of view, sports is certainly good for children.
Track 2.7
Should parents stay away from sports or do
they enhance the sporting experience for their
children? That’s what I will be discussing today.
There is a good deal of research suggesting that
the benefits of sports are in danger of being
outweighed by the negative effects caused
by parental over-involvement, and, yes, this is
something that we should take very seriously.
Mark Hyman, Professor of Sports Management
at George Washington University, put it very
strongly when he suggested that we only value
excellence rather than participation—he’s on
your handout … Professor Hyman basically
believes that adults have ruined sports for
children, by interfering too much and focusing
only on winning, rather than having the
children learn that we can lose and still have
fun.
First and foremost, we need to bear in mind,
while we are thinking about the problems,
that the impact of sports on children is
potentially very positive. In other words, sports
is something we should encourage. At its best,
done properly, it motivates children to exercise,
enables integration into a social community,
and helps them develop psychologically. And
it’s fun … it enhances the whole childhood
experience, in fact. Consequently, any scenario
in which sports is viewed as a negative factor
should be avoided if possible. But the sad fact
is that sports participation among children is
decreasing in many countries, such as the U.S.,
where it fell by 10% between 2009 and 2014,
according to a survey by the Sports and Fitness
Industry Association, and one of the reasons
is that children don’t enjoy sports as much as
they should because of their parents’ attitude.
The decrease is not only caused by parental
involvement, of course—studies show that
economic factors are very significant—but it
may help explain the high drop-out rate among
lesser-achieving children.
Track 2.8
Increasingly, parents push their children
to play sports in the hope that they will
go on to become professional sportsmen
and sportswomen. Examples such as Tiger
Woods, from golf, and the Williams sisters
in tennis show that there are definitely
advantages if you can start a child early in
their—sorry, your—chosen sport. From the
parents’ perspective, it is a selfless enterprise,
involving thousands of hours of driving,
waiting, and watching … and the expense of
coaches, club memberships, and so on.
But although it may be done for the right
reasons, it doesn’t necessarily translate as
positive from the child’s perspective. As I
just pointed out, it isn’t really their choice
of sport, since to gain real advantages, you
need to start very young. There are videos
of Steffi Graf, the tennis player, playing great
tennis at four years old … that is not an age
where children can possibly know what they
want to do, and this trend is on the increase.
So the parents’ choice may result in sporting
success, but an unwanted consequence of it
may be a child who is good at something that
they don’t actually enjoy and didn’t choose.
The parents, on the other hand, enjoy the
prestige of having a successful child, and
also perhaps the financial benefits that come
with some sports. Research does actually
suggest that many parents are thinking of the
financial aspects when they choose a sport
… golf and tennis for example … and they
know that success in school sports can result
in scholarships, although the reality is that
very few children will go on to gain these.
Anyway, moving on to another very relevant
point—identity. Now, we know that identity
is a key issue in child development. If sports
becomes a part of a child’s identity, that
makes him or her vulnerable, because
5
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
if they fail at sports, and sports is their
identity, they will feel that they have failed
as people. Studies unfortunately show
that parental intervention and feedback
often includes blaming a child for a team’s
loss, for example, “you missed the winning
goal” or whatever, and the parent is angry.
From the child’s point of view, owing to the
fact that they identify themselves with the
sport in question, it becomes an attack on
themselves and who they are. So, the issue of
identity is highly significant, I would say.
Now, I said earlier that sports is good for
children. What did I mean by that? Well, the
lessons that can be learned from sports start
with learning to lose. That sounds defeatist,
perhaps, but sports can be a sort of practice
for real life, a training ground … bear in
mind that the job of a parent is to prepare a
child to live without them, independently.
So preparing them for times when, despite
their best efforts, things don’t go their way is
very valuable. As a result, trying to eliminate
loss actually destroys what is probably
the main benefit of sports. Then there is
teamwork, of course, and learning to perform
a designated role in a group setting … again,
very valuable in later life. As I mentioned,
sports helps children integrate into groups,
although conversely, being excluded for any
reason can be quite damaging for a child.
Fitness is a great benefit, obviously—there
are studies claiming to show a link between
childhood sporting activity and increased
life expectancy. And, of course, we should
remember that some sports do carry risk
of injury … rugby can lead to neck and
spinal injuries for example; all the same,
it is important for parents not to be over-
protective, as this risks causing more damage
to children in itself. We can’t eliminate all risk,
so, all things considered, from a health point
of view, sports is certainly good for children.
Track 2.9
1 DANNI: So, remember, we are trying to
establish which of the three problems is
the biggest in the world of sports today.
We also …
POPPY: Dangerous sports—you know,
contact sports like rugby and boxing.
That’s what I think. I saw a really
interesting program about them the other
day …
DANNI: Maybe tell us about that later,
Poppy.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
2 POPPY: I don’t mind telling you about it
now.
DANNI: Thanks, but we need to stay
on track here. We need to discuss the
different issues first before deciding. As
I said, there are three we need to focus
on …
3 DANNI: But then there’s also sponsorship
and the question of rivalry—by that I
mean having too much competition
between teams and even countries.
4 DANNI: Vera, what do you think? Which is
the most significant in your opinion?
VERA: Uh. Rivalry.
DANNI: Rivalry, that’s interesting. Why do
you say that?
VERA: Well, for example, in my country,
… we’d love to know more. All we’ve heard
5 SAL: It affects millions of viewers, not just
those at the event.
POPPY: But you would say that, wouldn’t
you? Because you don’t eat fast food
yourself, you think no one should.
SAL: No, it’s not about my personal view.
I’ve read the evidence.
Track 2.10
1 Do you want to tell us what you think? ↑
2 You all saw that last big competition? ↑
3 What do you think? ↑
4 I agree it is a big issue. ↓
5 Which is the most significant in your
opinion? ↑
6 And the police get involved? ↑
7 It affects millions of viewers. ↓
Unit 3: Energy
Track 3.1
MAX: Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming. As
some of you know, I’m Max Parker … I’m a
change coach, and, as the big boss might
have told you, I’m here to help with “the
transition.” Now, I’m aware there have
been some informal discussions about this
transition over the last semester—I have
been at some myself—maybe some of you
have been present? Alex?
ALEX: Not many of us, I don’t think. We have
heard something about these “secret talks,”
but no one has told us much—that’s right,
isn’t it? Apart from at “that meeting” when
they first told us about it … which didn’t
go very well, to be honest. So, thanks. Yes,
is that “they’ve” decided “we’re” going to
be teaching on tablets from now on. Is
that right? It seems like a strange decision,
especially …
Track 3.2
MAX: Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming. As
some of you know, I’m Max Parker … I’m a
change coach, and, as the big boss might
have told you, I’m here to help with “the
transition.” Now, I’m aware there have
been some informal discussions about this
transition over the last semester—I have
been at some myself—maybe some of you
have been present? Alex?
ALEX: Not many of us, I don’t think. We have
heard something about these “secret talks,”
but no one has told us much—that’s right,
isn’t it? Apart from at “that meeting” when
they first told us about it … which didn’t
go very well, to be honest. So, thanks. Yes,
we’d love to know more. All we’ve heard
is that “they’ve” decided “we’re” going to
be teaching on tablets from now on. Is
that right? It seems like a strange decision,
especially …
EILEEN: I’m sorry, is that decided? I was
given the impression that we were going to
be consulted … at the meeting, that’s what
she said … you know, at “that meeting,”
that’s what she said … I’ve been working
here for 15 years … many of us have. Surely
we’re going to have a say in what happens?
Can you give us an assurance about that?
MAX: Right … yeah, well you are being
consulted … as the change happens
… that’s why I’m here … to set up that
6
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
process. I mean, it’s a very exciting time,
and your management wants to make sure
it’s done right, with all of your valuable
input, of course. John, question?
JOHN: OK, so can you tell us what’s actually
going to happen for sure? Right now, it’s all
rumor. Are we going to have to start again,
make new materials, get rid of our books
and presentation notes? So much effort
has gone into making these … I mean, are
there going to be any limitations on this
change, or, more likely, as Jill in HR agrees,
is everything going to be changed?
MAX: No, John, that’s not going to happen.
But as I said, this transition is exciting. You
should see it as an opportunity, helping
you all to work together to lead this college
through an important transformation into
a completely technologically integrated
environment. That’s where the future of
education lies. And you will be at the heart
of transition. It’s very exciting!
JOHN: OK. Sorry, Max, you keep saying it’s
exciting, but that’s not how I—we—see
it, to be honest. It’s not a subtle change
you’re proposing. You’re saying we’re going
to have to sacrifice years of work, and for
what? We already use some technology,
and I don’t even like these devices—they
just distract the students, in my opinion. I
enjoy the way we work with the students. I
don’t see the need for change. The students
enjoy it too—look at the feedback we get.
MAX: OK, John, sorry, but please remember
it’s not me proposing the change. As I said,
I’m here to help manage the transition. We
need to accept that it’s happening, and
focus on how we can make that a positive
experience. I take your points about how
you feel about the way you used to do
things, but we all need to remember that
student numbers are down, and a lot of
the college’s competitors use much more
advanced technology. And it’s what the
marketing team says is wanted. If we
persist with the old ways of teaching,
we can expect further losses in student
enrollment. Now, I do understand that you
might feel that work already done could
be wasted. And it’s true, you’ll need to
learn some new skills required, otherwise
that might happen. But, trust me, it’ll be
OK. Everything you’ve already done will
be useful, for sure. Remember this year’s
conference theme?
JOHN: Uh, was it—
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
MAX: But the reality is that all of us have
to respond to changes in the world, to the
needs of our customers—
EILEEN: Our students, you mean—
MAX: And from what I’ve seen, and from
talking to your manager, I believe that
together you have the capability to take this
college to the next level. I’ll be honest—it
will take some resilience on your part.
There will be some big changes, even the
occasional sacrifice …
JOHN: What do you mean, sacrifice? Are
some of us going to lose our jobs?
MAX: Absolutely not, John! Please, I have
every assurance that that is the last thing
they want … I’m only talking about giving
up one or two of the old ways of doing
things. It can be a very energizing thing, in
my experience.
JOHN: But it could happen? Is that
what you’re implying? Unless we adapt
immediately, we’re in danger of losing our
jobs. If we’re seen as reluctant to join in the
excitement, people might question why
we’re here.
MAX: As long as you’re prepared to make a
few basic changes, everything will be fine.
I can promise you that. And there will be
training, as you know. Look, I have a chart
here showing two possible routes that people
take when they make changes. It’s basically a
choice—your choice. Now, I’m showing you
this because I believe that the more you know
about how change works, the easier it is to
take the better route … From today’s session,
you ought to understand that the practical
outcomes are the same for everyone, but you
can get there in better or worse ways. So, it’s
basically a choice of which route you choose
to pursue …
EILEEN: Both routes seem to have some
problems. There doesn’t seem to be any
easy path through the change process.
MAX: Thanks, Eileen, I’m glad someone
pointed that out! I think this chart shows
that change is not easy for anyone—that’s
very true—especially when you have very
experienced and capable people like
yourselves. This means that, at some point,
people may have to go into survival mode,
just to get through it. But, as you can see,
you will come out the other side … stability
will return, I assure you. At the meeting last
month, Eileen, you made a similar point if
I remember correctly, and I was impressed
by your insight. You clearly understand the
complexity of the task.
Track 3.3
1 Apart from at ¦ “that meeting” ¦ when ¦
they ¦ first told us about it … which didn’t
go very well, to be honest.
2 All we’ve heard is that ¦ “they’ve” ¦
decided ¦ “we’re” ¦ going to be teaching
on tablets from now on.
3 I’m sorry, is that decided? I was given
the impression that we were going to be
consulted … at the meeting, that’s what ¦
she ¦ said …
4 I mean, are there going to be any
limitations on this change, or, more likely,
¦ as Jill in HR agrees, ¦ is everything going
to be changed?
5 Everything you’ve already done will be
useful, for sure. Remember this year’s
conference theme?
6 Please, I have every assurance that that is
the last thing they want … I’m only talking
about giving up one or two of the old
ways of doing things.
7 I can promise you that. And there will be
training, as you know.
8 At the meeting last month, Eileen, you
made a similar point if I remember
correctly, and I was impressed by your
insight.
Track 3.4
PROFESSOR SIMPSON: OK, so I’m going
to start this session on nostalgia with a
brief introduction to the prevailing theories
within neuroscience; that is, what happens
in the brain when a person is feeling
nostalgic. The practical aspects of this will
be picked up later by
Dr. Hossam and Stephen Johnson in their
presentations. Dr. Hossam will address the
sunk-cost fallacy, a fascinating exploration
of reactions in the present to decisions
made in the past. Stephen will finish by
examining the legacy issues faced by many
companies nowadays, particularly in the
area of technology.
Now, from a theoretical perspective,
we need to remember that nostalgia is
a universal experience. Studies show it
starts from an early age, around eight, and,
regardless of culture, research shows that
people feel nostalgic for aspects of their
7
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
personal histories. What interests me is
what changes are observable in the brain
when a subject experiences nostalgia—
what is the actual mechanism of nostalgia,
if you like—and what triggers those
changes. Looking at these two aspects
will enable us to consider how nostalgia
relates to other psychological phenomena.
And then we can use this understanding
in the field of behavioral sciences, which
Dr. Hossam will explain more about, and
economics—Stephen Johnson’s area.
Track 3.5
PROFESSOR SIMPSON: So, starting with
the triggers, the most obvious stimulators
of nostalgia are meeting old friends, hearing
music, especially music we listened to
between the ages of 12 and 22, and childhood
smells, food, and so on—the French writer
Proust springs to mind, assuming you are
familiar with his novels. But, surprisingly
I think, these are not actually the most
common triggers, according to a series of
studies published in 2006 in the Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology—the most
common appears to be bad moods. Now,
these moods may sometimes be a result of
loneliness, which seems a natural cause-
effect, but actually any bad mood appears
to trigger nostalgia. And so, by the way, does
being cold.
So there are some fundamentals from a
neuroscientific perspective. There are many
practical applications of this science of
nostalgia, which Dr. Hossam and Stephen will
tell you more about now. Dr. Hossam …
DR. HOSSAM: Thank you. Now, as Professor
Simpson has noted, my area is behavioral
science. Today, I’m focusing on what we call
the “sunk-cost fallacy.” As you may know, this
is the mistake we are prone to making when
we take into account prior costs when making
a decision on whether or not to continue a
course of action—whether to “throw good
money after bad” as the old proverb has it …
This sunk-cost fallacy does seem to be an
inherited instinct, similar to nostalgia, as
outlined by Professor Simpson, which guides
us to poor choices in the present. People have
a tendency to continue with a plan of action
just because they have invested in it—time
and money—not because it is a good strategy
now. But this does lead us to question why we
have developed this behavior … perhaps “not
giving up” has some hidden benefits?
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
When we make the initial decision, we have
good reasons for making it … provided that
we are trying to act rationally, of course …
However, once time has gone by, we have a
strong tendency to forget our initial reasons.
We then find ourselves in a difficult position
in the present, when we have put in time
and money, and not yet reached the desired
outcome—do we continue with our actions,
though they require more effort, time, money,
or whatever … or do we cut our losses and
refuse to invest any further?
Now the fallacy theory is that usually we
follow that instinct and keep going, in order
to get something back from our investment.
This can mean we end up spending far
more than we would ever consider sensible,
on an outcome that simply isn’t worth it.
Most business advisors say this is a mistake.
However, there is also an argument that
the feeling that prevents us from giving up
and walking away is a memory of just how
important the initial decision was. The fact
that the feeling remains means that we need
to at least seriously try to uncover the original
reasons for making the choice, and consider
these before deciding to walk away from the
present problem.
STEPHEN JOHNSON: OK, thank you,
Professor Simpson and, uh … Dr. Hossam.
So, I’m here to talk about a very specific
business problem relating to the past
and nostalgia. On the surface, it may not
seem to have much to do with what our
previous speakers were describing, but I
hope you’ll see the connections shortly.
The problem I’m talking about concerns
“legacy systems.” These are defined as
technological systems which were good
in their day, but which are now no longer
good enough for today’s business world.
So what do you do when your computer
system is too old to do the job properly?
Easy, you say—just change it, upgrade
it. Well, I’ve got bad news for you; it’s not
that easy, unfortunately. For a complex
company such as a major bank, changing
the computer system is a major strategic
decision. I’m not talking about a change,
but a complete transformation of every
system, every process, every role. There is
the cost, the security implications, and the
data transfer—for a big bank with millions
of customers worldwide, it’s a nightmare.
So many things can go wrong in the
changeover, but … well, without change
the company is locked into an outdated
system, a legacy system, that holds them
back, prevents innovation and—and this is
at the root of the problem—it leaves them
vulnerable to competition by smaller, more
flexible banks with up-to-date systems.
Part of the problem is an unwillingness
to change—after all, the system worked
before, the bank was profitable and,
as we said, has millions of supposedly
satisfied customers. Why change? And, of
course, everyone has adapted their own
skills to match how it works—or doesn’t
work … Now, the connection to Professor
Simpson’s area should be becoming
evident … as she has already said,
nostalgia is a neurological phenomenon,
rooted in our evolutionary past … so it’s
not easy to override except with a real effort
… instincts die hard! To effect change, you
have to focus on the outcome and give up
worrying about the huge amount of prior
work and cost. And as already highlighted
by Dr. Hossam, the sunk-cost fallacy is
a factor in any decision where work and
money have already been expended.
Track 3.6
1 MAX: Provided that you learn the new
skills required, it won’t be like that.
PROF SIMPSON: The French writer
Proust springs to mind, assuming you are
familiar with his novels.
2 JOHN: Unless we adapt immediately,
we’re in danger of losing our jobs.
MAX: You’ll need to learn some new skills
required, otherwise that might happen.
Track 3.7
1 The practical aspects of this will be picked
up later by Dr. Hossam …
2 And then we can use this understanding
in the field of behavioral sciences, which
Dr. Hossam will explain more about …
3 On the surface, it may not seem to have
much to do with what our previous
speakers were describing …
4 This sunk-cost fallacy does seem to be an
inherited instinct, similar to nostalgia, as
outlined by Professor Simpson …
5 Now, the connection to Professor
Simpson’s area should be becoming
evident … as she has already said,
nostalgia is a neurological phenomenon
…
8
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
6 And as already highlighted by Dr. Hossam,
the sunk-cost fallacy is a factor in any
decision …
Track 3.8
1 Coming back to Hana’s point about the
cost of making these changes, we need to
think about how much this will be passed
on to students.
2 The problems can be solved. As both
Hana and Ella have said, change is
difficult, and people don’t like it at first.
Track 3.9
1 First, I’m going to outline the basic issue,
along with the main problems I identified.
2 Supposing fees were dramatically
increased? How many students would still
apply to come here?
3 However, as long as it is managed
effectively, everyone can benefit in the
final outcome—the management, the
teachers, and current and future students.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Unit 4: Risk
Track 4.1
SALMA: OK, so. We have less than an
hour for this task, so let’s get started.
The topic is mavericks, and our task for
tomorrow’s tutorial is to come up with
recommendations. Remember, we’re
advising a company on the proportion of
maverick types to hire. OK, here are the
issues …
MARIE: OK, Salma. We’re listening.
SALMA: Well, first of all, should the company
employ mavericks at all? I think we can
assume that they should, right? Otherwise,
we have nothing else to discuss.
MARIE: True …
SALMA: So first, we need to decide on the
proportion … how many would be needed
in a company of this size … and also—how
the mavericks would be identified. And
thirdly, of course, there’s the question of
how the company would support them
in the workplace … OK, that’s a lot of
questions. Where should we start?
Track 4.2
SALMA: OK, so. We have less than an
hour for this task, so let’s get started.
The topic is mavericks, and our task for
tomorrow’s tutorial is to come up with
recommendations. Remember, we’re
advising a company on the proportion of
maverick types to hire. OK, here are the
issues …
MARIE: OK, Salma. We’re listening.
SALMA: Well, first of all, should the company
employ mavericks at all? I think we can
assume that they should, right? Otherwise,
we have nothing else to discuss.
MARIE: True …
SALMA: So first, we need to decide on the
proportion … how many would be needed
in a company of this size … and also—how
the mavericks would be identified. And
thirdly, of course, there’s the question of
how the company would support them
in the workplace … OK, that’s a lot of
questions. Where should we start?
MARIE: Let’s begin by defining our main
term “maverick,” so we know we’re all on
the same page …
SALMA: Good idea. Agreed, Hannah?
HANNAH: Yes, of course.
MARIE: Well, as I understand it, it basically
means a risk-taker—a creative, independent
kind of person. So, it’s a very positive idea—
lots of positive connotations.
SALMA: Well, the problem with that is the
narrowness of that view. It’s really quite
limited. The term, as I understand it,
implies that a maverick has a … let’s say …
unconventional approach, and brings with
him or her a different way of thinking. So,
the term could be both positive or negative,
couldn’t it, depending on your point of view
of conformity? Hannah, don’t you agree?
HANNAH: Yes, that’s right, I suppose—in
some cultures it might be negative.
I don’t mean just in the culture of a
specific country—I mean in business
culture in general, or a particular working
environment, it could be deemed to be a
positive or negative thing …
MARIE: Good point. I think we can, perhaps,
agree on that. And I suppose that’s at the
root of the question, really … The studies
I read all agreed that mavericks aren’t
always compatible with other workers. So,
employers have to place them carefully
within the work context.
HANNAH: Yes, that’s true. Apparently, they
aren’t always easy to get along with. They
can be seen as argumentative and not good
for harmonious teamwork.
MARIE: Hang on … isn’t that because they
stand up for what they believe in, what they
are doing? They stay focused on their own
goal …
SALMA: Yes, but it can make them
dysfunctional in a group. Pursuing their
own goals regardless of what everyone else
is doing …
MARIE: But if their goals turn out to be right
…? I mean, that’s the point, isn’t it? We
need mavericks to come up with new ideas
and pursue them with determination, not
just follow the crowd. Steve Jobs is a classic
maverick in the literature. And don’t forget,
some other people on the team may have
formed a clique—mavericks can help break
these up, stir things up a little bit … which
is a good thing, I think.
SALMA: Interesting view, Marie. But for
now, let’s move on. We can come back to
this point later. What was the next thing—
oh, yes. How can we actually identify
mavericks? Hannah, any thoughts on that?
9
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
HANNAH: There’s a lot about that in the
article from last week. Companies use
psychometric tests to do an evaluation of
where a candidate is on a maverick scale,
and remember, we’re all on that scale
somewhere …
MARIE: Wouldn’t it be better to look at
a candidate’s track record? If they were
mavericks in their previous job, they
probably will be in this one, don’t you
think? I mean, those psychology tests seem
a little bit … pointless to me in this context.
Mavericks don’t seem to fit any clear
patterns.
SALMA: Yes, they do! Richard Branson
and Steve Jobs were very similar—rule-
breaking, right-brain thinkers, risk-takers,
very dominant.
MARIE: Yes, but they’re opposites in other
ways. I don’t think a test would have
identified them. And, being mavericks,
we know that whatever they were to do
next, including the test, would probably be
unpredictable.
HANNAH: That’s true. Point taken.
SALMA: OK, so I think we can all agree in
principle that we need to recommend that
the company explores previous maverick
behavior in the interview to find out more
about the history. Do we also agree that
some form of test should also be used?
MARIE: I don’t know … I don’t think so. But I
suppose it wouldn’t do any harm.
SALMA: OK. So, let’s agree to disagree on
the principle, but do one anyway! The last
point is interesting—we have to decide how
to facilitate bringing them onto the team,
to help them collaborate rather than work
against everyone.
HANNAH: So, we want their participation?
I thought they were more likely to work
alone.
MARIE: Well, yes … but they have to share
their ideas sometime. And they’ll need
others to support them … after all, any
business is a collective, not a group of
isolated individuals.
SALMA: Right. So … to return to our original
point. How many mavericks should we
recommend the company actually employ?
What proportion of each department?
HANNAH: Well, obviously you need a
balance of different types of people on your
team. The majority of people would be
getting the job done in the usual way, but
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
if a successful company wants to produce
some original products, mavericks are more
likely to deliver them. So, I would say they
would need at least …
Track 4.3
Extract 1
MARIE: We need mavericks to come up
with new ideas and pursue them with
determination, not just follow the crowd.
Steve Jobs is a classic maverick in the
literature. And don’t forget, some other
people on the team may have formed a
clique—mavericks can help break these up,
stir things up a little bit … which is a good
thing, I think.
SALMA: Interesting view, Marie. But for now,
let’s move on. We can come back to this
point later.
Extract 2
HANNAH: … Companies use psychometric
tests to do an evaluation of where
a candidate is on a maverick scale,
and remember, we’re all on that scale
somewhere …
MARIE: Wouldn’t it be better to look at
a candidate’s track record? If they were
mavericks in their previous job, they
probably will be in this one, don’t you
think? I mean, those psychology tests seem
a little bit … pointless to me in this context.
Mavericks don’t seem to fit any clear
patterns.
SALMA: Yes, they do! Richard Branson
and Steve Jobs were very similar—rule-
breaking, right-brain thinkers, risk-takers,
very dominant.
Extract 3
MARIE: … And, being mavericks, we
know that whatever they were to do
next, including the test, would probably
be unpredictable.
HANNAH: That’s true. Point taken.
SALMA: OK, so I think we can all agree in
principle that we need to recommend that
the company explores previous maverick
behavior in the interview to find out more
about the history.
Extract 4
MARIE: Well, yes … but they have to share
their ideas sometime. And they’ll need
others to support them … after all, any
business is a collective, not a group of
isolated individuals.
SALMA: Right. So … to return to our
original point. How many mavericks
should we recommend the company
actually employs? What proportion of each
department?
Track 4.4
As we all know, standard group theory
describes a four-stage framework of
development within a group—forming,
storming, norming, and performing. This
means that the group forms, it comes
together, and bonds … and then the group
“storms”—the stage that I’ll be talking about
today. After that, the group norms, or starts
accepting the situation and moving on, and
finally the group performs in a, hopefully,
efficient and creative way. So far, so good.
This theory comes from the work of Bruce
Tuckman in 1965, and it’s probably the best
description of group development that we
have, although it could be argued that it fails
to describe a significant number of actual
cases, as well as counter-theories, as you
might expect … What I’m saying is that it
may be a risk to put too much reliance on it,
but it is a useful tool … so that’s how I use
it. We’ll focus specifically on the storming
phase, because this is where conflict can
arise and the risk element can be addressed.
Track 4.5
I’m going to describe a real-life intervention
that I undertook during this phase at
a multinational company that was
experiencing problems. They faced two
major risks. The first was that the project
could fail, giving their competitors an
advantage in the marketplace—financial
services, your own area, which is why I have
chosen it, obviously. The second was more
significant in the long term; there was a
real danger that the team would become
dysfunctional and no longer be “fit for
purpose”—in other words, the management
would be forced to restructure and even
recruit new staff. So they called my company
in to facilitate at this stage, and this is what
we did. By the way, this will be the basis of
your written assignment, so you’ll need to
take comprehensive notes.
Without going into details of the actual
project—which is confidential, incidentally—
the first thing I found were the two classic
types of conflict. The first was intragroup
conflict, or infighting, which is probably
more common in the modern workplace
10
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
than in the past, perhaps as a result of the
increased emphasis on group and teamwork.
Anyway, there were clear divisions within the
team, on a quite personal level. I observed
that one of the points of conflict concerned
vacations—assistants weren’t entitled to
paid leave, while other staff was. So, my
first action was to recommend that the five
assistants got three days’ paid leave there
and then. You could see that every one of
them was stressed and anxious, and close
to leaving the company. Three days off was
the best immediate decision, and the conflict
was immediately reduced. Another thing I
saw was that meetings were very stressful
and unpleasant. They were always held in
the coordinator’s office, which was a small,
uncomfortable space that … everyone
around could see into and hear what was
going on—this must have been a real
distraction during meetings, actually—and it
had … no natural light, which can be a real
negative. This location, I felt, may have been
giving too much power to the coordinator,
who perhaps felt she had to show her power
to people who were watching from outside.
So, we decided to try something that worked
in big, busy companies before—assigning
them a closed, quiet space with plenty
of sunlight where we could meet in the
mornings. It was amazing what a difference
this seemingly minimal change made. Now,
an additional possible reason for its success,
I would suggest, was that maybe it shook the
team up—they were in a routine, established
in the norming phase, that needed changing.
And it put a stop to the coordinator’s need to
show her power—she started to participate
as an equal.
The second type of conflict is called task
conflict. As you can imagine, this comes
from different perspectives on the best
way to achieve a workplace task. So, in this
situation, there were serious issues over
deadlines. The project involved several
managers who all thought they had a right to
decide on the timelines, and they all had …
let’s say, differing views on the timelines for
completion of various stages of the project.
The underlying problem was that they saw
themselves as competitors, not teammates.
Please don’t think I’m trying to … to run
them down, by the way … it’s totally normal
when you have more than one person in
charge; it is almost certainly guaranteed to
weaken leadership values—they were all
excellent managers in their own ways … but
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
it has to be said that, in that situation, they
all posed a threat to each other. So, I decided
to tweak these deadlines for the managers.
White’s research into optimal performance
zones tells us that performance gets better
with some stress and time pressure, so I
was keen to try that first … so, I asked the
managers to agree to some very … optimistic
timelines, with the understanding that they
could be renegotiated later if necessary. They
agreed—reluctantly, in some cases, as some
of them had a preconception that I was the
bad guy … but it worked. There was a real
boost in energy from them and their entire
teams—I would say it’s probably something
every manager should try … although the
deadlines weren’t always met, the project
definitely gained momentum, I would say …
The final intervention that I employed
concerned the interaction between two
teams. They were tasked with different
elements of the same project, but they
were used to working in a, let’s say, solitary
manner, without taking into account another
set of priorities. When one member of the
other team tried to bridge the gap, the other
members of his team took it personally—
they thought he was on the wrong side. So,
my solution was to join the two teams. The
reason was … well … joining these teams
was what I decided on. And, I’m happy to
say, this strategy worked. Because their
goals were integrated, they had no option
but to work together to solve their common
problems.
All of these strategies resulted in the group
moving from storming to performing, very
well as it happens. The risks were minimal—
none of the strategies was high risk or likely
to scare anyone off, but together they made
huge differences, and the overall risk of
failure—for all parties—was negated …
Track 4.6
1 The first was intragroup conflict, or
infighting, which is probably more
common in the modern workplace
than in the past, perhaps as a result of
the increased emphasis on group and
teamwork … ↑
2 … everyone around could see into and
hear what was going on—this must have
been a real distraction during meetings
↓, actually—and it had …
3 Now, an additional possible reason for its
success, I would suggest, was that maybe
it shook the team up ↓—they were in a
routine, established in the norming phase,
that needed changing.
4 … it’s totally normal when you have
more than one person in charge; it is
almost certainly guaranteed to weaken
leadership values ↓ …
5 … although the deadlines weren’t
always met, the project definitely gained
momentum, I would say … ↓
Track 4.7
1 Anyway, there were clear divisions within
the team, on a quite personal level. I
observed that one of the points of conflict
concerned vacations—assistants weren’t
entitled to paid leave, while other staff was.
So, my first action was to recommend that
the five assistants got three days’ paid leave
there and then. You could see that every
one of them was stressed and anxious, and
close to leaving the company. Three days off
was the best immediate decision, and the
conflict was immediately reduced.
2 This location, I felt, may have been giving
too much power to the coordinator, who
perhaps felt she had to show her power to
people who were watching from outside.
So, we decided to try something that
worked in big, busy companies before—
assigning them a closed, quiet space with
plenty of sunlight where we could meet
in the mornings. It was amazing what a
difference this seemingly minimal change
made. Now, an additional possible reason
for its success, I would suggest, was that
maybe it shook the team up—they were in
a routine, established in the norming phase,
that needed changing. And it put a stop to
the coordinator’s need to show her power—
she started to participate as an equal.
3 … it’s totally normal when you have
more than one person in charge; it is
almost certainly guaranteed to weaken
leadership values—they were all excellent
managers in their own ways … but it
has to be said that, in that situation,
they all posed a threat to each other.
So, I decided to tweak these deadlines
for the managers. White’s research into
optimal performance zones tells us that
performance gets better with some stress
and time pressure, so I was keen to try
that first … so, I asked the managers
11
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
to agree to some very … optimistic
timelines, with the understanding that
they could be renegotiated later if
necessary.
4 When one member of the other team tried
to bridge the gap, the other members of
his team took it personally—they thought
he was on the wrong side. So, my solution
was to join the two teams. The reason was
… well … joining these teams was what
I decided on. And, I’m happy to say, this
strategy worked.
Track 4.8
1 OK … well, I think it can be argued that it’s
better to at least investigate underlying
problems immediately, before they grow
and pose a threat to the whole project.
What does everyone think about that as
our basic starting point?
2 Yeah, Marco, I’m not sure I agree with your
idea as a starting point. We’ve already
looked at the specific cases of some team
projects where the team had no option
but to deal with their own problems.
3 We can return to those points later. But,
let’s try to reach a decision on the main
principle first …
Track 4.9
1 It may be true that mavericks increase
uncertainty, but they also apparently
bring more creativity to a team.
2 These individuals, it has been argued,
bring about anxiety and may sometimes
threaten the status quo.
3 While it could be said that risk is always a
problem, many risky situations do tend to
have their benefits.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Unit 5: Sprawl
Track 5.1
MODERATOR: Let’s begin. We have two
speakers to propose the motion, “English is
a sprawling language,” and two to oppose
it. We’ll start with Alana. Alana, can you
introduce your main argument?
ALANA: We’re going to propose that English
is, in fact, a sprawling language, and that
this is a good thing. Can there really be any
doubt about this? I think not. We will give
you three reasons, three reasons that cannot
seriously be denied, three reasons that prove
our point beyond any possible doubt. The
first is this. Look at the world today, or, rather
listen. English is now so widespread that it
is impossible to imagine a world without it.
The Internet, popular music, popular movies,
popular culture … What language are all
these things in? You’ve guessed it, English.
Yet we only have to go back a few short
years to enter a world in which everyone
spoke different languages—there was no
common language. English has become
a world language, spoken by over … let’s
see, ah yes, ten point five billion people
worldwide in 2015, up from a billion just ten
years earlier. Going back a hundred years, the
figure would have been probably a tenth of
that, with speakers concentrated around a
few countries, not spread across the globe.
Never before has a cultural change of this size
happened so quickly.
BERTA: Um, I’m not sure if I heard correctly
… did you say that ten point five billion
people speak English? That’s more than the
population of the world …
ALANA: Sorry—obviously I meant one point
five billion, not ten point five … I misread it,
sorry, but my argument stands.
BERTA: I see. I’ll obviously have to listen
carefully to correct any more false claims …
MODERATOR: Thank you, Berta. Would you
like to present your first argument against
the motion?
BERTA: Absolutely. Well, Alana, I have to say
that you are perfectly correct on one count,
if not your numbers. English has spread out,
or sprawled as you put it. It has sprawled
like the water from a massive tsunami,
leaving no people, no places untouched.
It has dominated. And it does not enhance
the places where it goes. In fact, it is not
even neutral. Nowhere that it arrives does
it improve life for the local people: Instead,
it destroys local culture and local language.
It overpowers and destroys local culture,
local language, local customs, local food,
local notions of how to live. And other
languages are affected, too; who wants
to learn French or … let’s say, Russian, or
Swahili, which is not going to help anyone,
when English is so clearly obligatory for
anyone with ambition? These languages
are excluded from the great language
learning industry—which, if you investigate
it, you’ll find generates millions of dollars,
by the way. So, English presents a danger to
the very existence of other languages.
ALANA: I’m sorry, I’m not sure I get your
point. What did you mean by saying that
learning Swahili isn’t helpful? Isn’t that a bit
disrespectful?
BERTA: No, I didn’t mean that … I meant
that people don’t see it as useful,
compared to learning English. My point is
the opposite. I would love people to learn
Swahili, Russian, Hindi …
ALANA: OK—I get the point now. I have
another question, too. I’m missing some
information—you gave a list of things it
destroys … including “local—what—of how
to live”?
BERTA: “Notions”—you know, “ideas.”
ALANA: Alright—got that, thanks.
MODERATOR: Carl, would you like to answer
Berta’s proposal?
CARL: Yes … well, I’m sorry, but seldom have
I heard such nonsense. Our next two points
are these. First, nobody has to learn English
if they don’t want to. It’s not some kind of
government policy … although forward-
thinking governments do tend to support
it … learning a language that enables you
to communicate with people all over the
world is empowering, not destructive. I’ve
taught English to millions of children in
Spain and France, and it’s amazing how they
all benefited in so many ways … developing
linguistic and cultural awareness, gaining
access to all sorts of information, and so
on … never have I witnessed any negative
effects like the ones you’re talking about,
Berta.
And please don’t suggest that English
displaces other languages—they live
side by side. You don’t just eliminate a
language by learning another one. Second,
sprawling is a negative word, unfortunately.
It contains the idea of intrusion, of being
where it isn’t wanted. This could not be
12
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
farther from the truth. In almost every
country in the world, there is a recognition
that to fail to learn English is to fail to
join the international community. The
significance of being able to speak a
common language cannot be overstated.
Multiculturalism totally depends on it;
without a common language, it cannot
exist.
BERTA: Sorry, earlier you said that you
taught millions? I’m not sure if I heard that
right … you must be quite a teacher!
CARL: It’s just a figure of speech. Lots,
anyway … and they all enjoyed it and
benefited from it, which was my point.
MODERATOR: Now that that’s cleared up,
let’s give the floor to Ricardo. Would you
like to make your final point against?
RICARDO: Points, actually. I have two points
to counter Alana’s first point that English
is widespread and this is a good thing
and only a good thing. The first point is
that there is now so much information in
English on the Internet, and in professional
journals. A 2012 study found that of more
than 21,000 scientific articles from 239
countries, 80% were in English—that
it would be almost impossible to start
again with another language. English
has permanently excluded all the other
languages. And my second, and final, point
is that English isn’t even understood by all
English speakers—it’s become so mixed,
and there are so many different forms
or varieties of English that it isn’t really a
world language at all, it is many different
languages—and that’s just confusing to
learners.
CARL: Can I just jump in here. I’m not sure
if I heard correctly. Did you say 18% or 80?
About the percentage of articles in English
… PRESENTER: That’s right. Anyway, coming
RICARDO: Eighty percent. That’s my point—
as I said, it’s the main language of the
Internet.
CARL: You said that English is the main
language of the Internet, right? So, English
is the best language to learn, surely? You’re
just reinforcing your point …
RICARDO: I didn’t mean that, Carl, as you
well know …
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Track 5.2
Extract 1
ALANA: English has become a world
language, spoken by over … let’s see, ah
yes, ten point five billion people worldwide
in 2015, up from a billion just ten years
earlier. Going back a hundred years, the
figure would have been probably a tenth of
that, with speakers concentrated around a
few countries, not spread across the globe.
Never before has a cultural change of this
size happened so quickly.
BERTA: Um, I’m not sure if I heard correctly
… did you say that ten point five billion
people speak English? That’s more than the
population of the world …
ALANA: Sorry—obviously I meant one point
five billion, not ten point five … I misread it,
sorry, but my argument stands.
Extract 2
BERTA: And other languages are affected,
too; who wants to learn French or … let’s
say, Russian, or Swahili, which is not going
to help anyone, when English is so clearly
obligatory for anyone with ambition? These
languages are excluded from the great
language learning industry—which, if you
investigate it, you’ll find generates millions
of dollars, by the way. So, English presents
a danger to the very existence of other
languages.
ALANA: I’m sorry, I’m not sure I get your
point. What did you mean by saying that
learning Swahili isn’t helpful? Isn’t that a bit
disrespectful?
BERTA: No, I didn’t mean that … I meant
that people don’t see it as useful,
compared to learning English. My point is
the opposite. I would love people to learn
Swahili, Russian, Hindi …
Extract 3
ALANA: OK—I get the point now. I have
another question, too. I’m missing some
information—you gave a list of things it
destroys … including “local—what—of how
to live”?
BERTA: “Notions”—you know, “ideas.”
ALANA: Alright—got that, thanks.
Extract 4
CARL: I’ve taught English to millions of
children in Spain and France, and it’s
amazing how they all benefited in so many
ways … developing linguistic and cultural
awareness, gaining access to all sorts of
information, and so on … Multiculturalism
totally depends on it; without a common
language, it cannot exist.
BERTA: Sorry, earlier you said that you
taught millions? I’m not sure if I heard that
right … you must be quite a teacher!
CARL: It’s just a figure of speech. Lots,
anyway … and they all enjoyed it and
benefited from it, which was my point.
Extract 5
RICARDO: A 2012 study found that of more
than 21,000 scientific articles from 239
countries, 80% were in English—that it
would be almost impossible to start again
with another language … it isn’t really a
world language at all, it is many different
languages—and that’s just confusing to
learners.
CARL: Can I just jump in here. I’m not sure
if I heard correctly. Did you say 18% or 80?
About the percentage of articles in English
…
RICARDO: Eighty percent. That’s my point—
as I said, it’s the main language of the
Internet.
Track 5.3
PRESENTER: Invasive species is, as you
should know, my topic today. OK, so … my
lecture will follow the plan on the board
… you may choose to make notes based
on this plan. But before I start on that, let’s
just define what an invasive species is. It’s
a species of animal, plant, or fungus that
didn’t originate in a particular place—it
came from somewhere else.
STUDENT: Sorry … I’m not sure if I heard
correctly … did you say fungus? Animals,
plants, and fungus?
from somewhere else, not evolving
on location, can give a species a huge
advantage—it means that it’s not part of the
hierarchical food chain, in other words it
may have no predators. Another term used
for these are non-native species—this is less
judgmental, and reminds us that some so-
called invaders are in fact beneficial. But most
are not, so I will stick to “invasive,” if you don’t
mind.
So, starting with how invasive species actually
get to a habitat. As with—let’s face it—so
many environmental problems, human
activity is at the root of most cases. Only after
13
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
humans started moving around the planet
did this problem begin. When humans travel,
they cause the distribution of species, which
travel with them, either—and I’m going to
make an important distinction here—either
intentionally or accidentally. Intentionally,
humans may take favored species to new
locations—plants for food, animals to breed
or as pets. One example of intentional
relocation is the Nutria, which is usually called
a swamp rat because that’s what it looks like.
Nutria sounds too healthy! Anyway, it was
imported to America—Louisiana—to breed
for fur. It was a deliberate, economic choice,
in other words. Then the industry died, and
no sooner had they been released than they
started to multiply faster than the speed of
light … Now they are a serious problem, but
there is unfortunately no way of eradicating
them. Female Nutria have up to 14 babies
at very regular intervals. Another example
where economics played a part in introducing
an invasive species was the Chinese Mitten
crab. This crab has a high value, so it seems
it was deliberately and widely distributed,
with negative consequences for all of the
ecosystems …
STUDENT: Sorry, did you say Middle crab?
PRESENTER: No, Mitten; M-i-t-t-e-n. OK? But
… where was I … oh yes, so the, let’s say,
the invasion of the Mitten crab was another
brilliant economic choice. But in contrast
to deliberate action, some species spread
accidentally; ships, trains, and other forms of
transportation may be home to beetles, rats,
and plant seeds that are regularly dropped
off at a particular destination. This regularity
is important, because they may have a hard
fight to establish themselves at first … but a
one-off event is sometimes enough. The best
example of this is the brown stink bug …
STUDENT: Sorry, I’m not sure if I heard
correctly … did you say stink bug?
PRESENTER: Yes, that’s right … the brown
marmorated stink bug, to be exact. The
stink bug arrived in the U.S. after crawling
onto a cargo ship that stopped in China.
Now the stink bug is living happily all
over the country. The stink bug is now
your neighbor, my neighbor, everyone’s
neighbor.
OK, so, now, moving on to how species
can become a problem, and what makes
them dangerous. The problem, as I
mentioned earlier, is that they often have
no predators, putting them at the top of
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
the food chain almost overnight. What STUDENT: Oh, yes … did you say that
it means is that they can quickly upset this was in Ireland? So it’s a European
the balance of an ecosystem, causing the invention?
extinction of species below them in the PRESENTER: No, no, on Prince Edward
food chain. Had they originated there, Island, off the coast of Canada …
this situation would not occur; normal
evolution or the gradual migration of Track 5.4
species doesn’t allow this, because there’s 1 It destroys local *culture*, local
always a balance preventing one species *language*, local *customs*, local *food*,
from being too dominant. So, invasive local *notions of how to live*.
species can eliminate or accelerate the
2 Multiculturalism *totally* depends on it; |
elimination of species below them, or—as
without a common language, | it can*not
another example—displace other plants
exist*.
… generally, they can cause massive
disruption to the delicate balance of nature. 3 The stink bug is now *your* neighbor,
Remember, a rich habitat is full of diversity, *my* neighbor, *everyone’s* neighbor.
with the density of particular components
Track 5.5
constantly being modified to maintain
this—it’s not some arbitrary process … 1 What language are all these things in?
it’s how ecology has worked for millions You’ve guessed it, English.
of years, it’s a mature process. But man 2 We will give you three reasons, three
has come along and upset it in our usual reasons that cannot seriously be denied,
undisciplined, selfish ways. Sorry, I feel three reasons that prove our point beyond
quite strongly about this. The disruption we any possible doubt.
cause could so often be easily avoided … 3 In almost every country in the world,
we interfere with nature and it bites us back there is a recognition that to fail to learn
as often as not … English is to fail to join the international
So, that’s the outline of the problem. Now, community.
we’ll look at how to actually tackle the
problem. I’ll look at one particular example
… you see, one of the main problems
of eliminating or dealing with invasive
species can be, ironically, finding them,
and gathering data about their location.
One solution that has emerged recently is
being trialed in a project on Prince Edward
Island, Canada. This is a very exciting
development, in my opinion, although this
university, in its infinite wisdom, declined
to finance a joint research project with
them … still, they know best. The idea is
simple; the Prince Edward Island Invasive
Species Council, together with other
environmental groups, has developed
an app that allows the public to collect
data about invasive species on the Island.
People can photograph and record
location information about anything that
they suspect is invasive, and the data is
collected and can be used to target specific
species in specific areas, hopefully before
the ecosystem begins to deteriorate. So,
this is a powerful new defense, and this
type of technology-based solution is on
the increase. Yes, do you have another
question?
14
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Unit 6: Behavior
Track 6.1
1 C: Hello, I wonder if I could ask you a few
A: Excuse me … hi. I’m a student from the
university. I’m doing some research into
shopping, and I’d like to ask you a few
questions. It’ll only take a few minutes …
I see you’re on your way home with some
shopping. Is that right?
B: Yes, that’s right … well, OK … I have about
ten minutes before my partner gets back with
the car … OK, so go ahead. But first, can I
know what the research is about?
A: I’m sorry, I can’t say exactly because it might
affect your answers … the general topic is
choices. Is that OK?
B: Yeah, that’s fine. Go ahead then. Go ahead.
A: Thank you. OK, so the first question is,
why did you choose to come shopping here
today?
B: Well, I always come here on Saturday. I get
my own bits of shopping if I need anything,
and then I do the grocery shopping for
the household. My partner helps with the
groceries, and then he goes and gets a haircut
or a coffee … so I didn’t really choose today, I
guess. It’s just what I do.
A: Thank you … now, moving on to my next
question, can you tell me if you bought
anything unplanned?
B: Oh, yes! I always seem to. Today, there were
sales in some of the stores. I bought a pair
of shoes, and some sheets—half price. I love
sales. But, I needed the sheets, anyway … I’m
not so sure about the shoes …
A: I see. To follow up on that, would you mind
telling me how much money you spent on
this trip?
B: No, of course not … but, I don’t know
exactly … maybe $120? Most of that was the
groceries … $76, I think. The shoes were 25 …
yeah, about 120, 130.
A: So, on the basis of what you just said, if
I understood correctly, you don’t have a
specific budget when you go shopping … is
that right?
B: Yes, that’s correct I’m afraid … maybe I
should!
A: OK, thanks … now, finally, I’d like to know
when—or if—you plan to come here again …
B: Same time next week, like I told you already!
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
A: Thank you so much for your time. You’ve
been very helpful.
2
questions? I’m a student at the city university,
and I’m doing some research about shopping.
D: I’m sorry, no offense, but I’m not interested
in doing market research. Why should I help
you sell products? Don’t you realize that not
everyone is interested in your consumerist
ideals?
C: No, no, it isn’t that … it’s research for a
psychology experiment. I’m not working for
a company or anything. I’m not trying to sell
anything … really … it’s for my doctorate. It’s
more of a consultation with members of the
public … like you.
D: OK, then I’m sorry. I have no issue with
education. But, I don’t have much time—my
bus will be here in a few minutes.
C: Thanks, that’s all I need. So, to start with,
can you tell me why you decided to come
shopping today?
D: Um … I don’t know … I don’t think I
decided, I just felt like getting out of the house.
So, I came out for a coffee at the mall, and I
just decided to pick up something while I
was here.
C: I see. So, it would appear that you don’t
have a specific time of the week when you go
shopping.
D: No, that’s not correct. I always do a Saturday
shop. This was just a one-off.
C: OK, sorry … so, could you please explain
what choices you made in terms of actual
stores, and what were the determining factors
in those choices; for example, was it price,
brand names, habit …? There’s a list here.
D: Hmm. Well, I only went to one place …
I bought this coat for my granddaughter,
Flora, from that big-kids clothes store,
Zany’s, because I know her mother likes
it and buys most of her clothes there … I
suppose that’s habit? But price, too—it’s
pretty good value, considering the quality.
C: I see. And would you say, in retrospect,
that they were rational decisions, or more
like impulse buys? I’m sorry, that sounds
like I’m casting doubt on your choice …
D: No, no, I understand. I suppose they were
a little bit of both, really … I hadn’t planned
to buy it, but I’m glad I did—I don’t regret it.
I’m sure Flora will love it.
C: OK, thanks, I’ll just make a note of that …
Track 6.2
3
X: Good afternoon. I’m Wiktor. I’m doing
some research … would you mind telling
me a little bit about the kind of cereals you
buy?
Y: I’m sorry? I’m not sure what this is about
…
X: As I said, I’m doing some research—it’s
about shopping—food shopping. I just have
a few questions. Is that OK?
Y: I suppose so. Go ahead.
X: Thank you. That would be very helpful.
First of all, I’d like to know where you stand
on the brand in the picture. Would you be
more or less likely to buy this brand if you
knew it was suspected of being linked to
obesity?
Y: Obesity? Well, less likely, obviously … I
take it that you have some evidence for that
claim? That this cereal makes you obese?
X: No, no … I just need to know whether that
would be a deciding factor for you, when
you were making a choice …
Y: Of course it would. But I’m not sure why
…
X: OK, next question … still on the same
brand, would it affect the amount of this
cereal you ate if no studies had been done
on its nutritional value?
Y: Well, the implication you’re making is that
it hasn’t been properly tested. But, surely, if
it’s on sale in all the big supermarkets …
X: No, as I said, I’m just doing some research.
I’m not saying it hasn’t been tested. It may
be very nutritious, if you don’t eat it too
often …
Y: OK. Well, that sounds like a little bit of a
contradiction to me. Do you have any more
questions? I’m not sure where this is going.
X: One final question. You’ve been very
helpful. Thank you so much! OK, so I’d just
like to know if a new product was cheaper
than this brand, would you change to the new
brand?
Y: This isn’t research at all! You’re working for
the new brand, aren’t you? Why didn’t you tell
me? Goodbye!
Track 6.3
A: Excuse me … hi. I’m a student from the
university. I’m doing some research into
shopping, and I’d like to ask you a few
15
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
questions. It’ll only take a few minutes …
I see you’re on your way home with some
shopping. Is that right?
B: Yes, that’s right … well, OK … I have about
ten minutes before my partner gets back with
the car … OK, so go ahead. But first, can I
know what the research is about?
A: I’m sorry, I can’t say exactly because it might
affect your answers … the general topic is
choices. Is that OK?
B: Yeah, that’s fine. Go ahead then. Go ahead.
A: Thank you. OK, so the first question is,
why did you choose to come shopping here
today?
B: Well, I always come here on Saturday. I get
my own bits of shopping if I need anything,
and then I do the grocery shopping for
the household. My partner helps with the
groceries, and then he goes and gets a haircut
or a coffee … so I didn’t really choose today, I
guess. It’s just what I do.
A: Thank you … now, moving on to my next
question, can you tell me if you bought
anything unplanned?
B: Oh, yes! I always seem to. Today, there were
sales in some of the stores. I bought a pair
of shoes, and some sheets—half price. I love
sales. But, I needed the sheets, anyway … I’m
not so sure about the shoes …
A: I see. To follow up on that, would you mind
telling me how much money you spent on
this trip?
B: No, of course not … but, I don’t know
exactly … maybe $120? Most of that was the
groceries … $76, I think. The shoes were 25 …
yeah, about 120, 130.
A: So, on the basis of what you just said, if
I understood correctly, you don’t have a
specific budget when you go shopping … is
that right?
B: Yes, that’s correct I’m afraid … maybe I
should!
A: OK, thanks … now, finally, I’d like to know
when—or if—you plan to come here again …
B: Same time next week, like I told you already!
A: Thank you so much for your time. You’ve
been very helpful.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Track 6.4
C: Hello, I wonder if I could ask you a few
questions? I’m a student at the city university,
and I’m doing some research about shopping.
D: I’m sorry, no offense, but I’m not interested
in doing market research. Why should I help
you sell products? Don’t you realize that not
everyone is interested in your consumerist
ideals?
C: No, no, it isn’t that … it’s research for a
psychology experiment. I’m not working
for a company or anything. I’m not trying
to sell anything … really … it’s for my
doctorate. It’s more of a consultation with
members of the public … like you.
D: OK, then I’m sorry. I have no issue with
education. But, I don’t have much time—my
bus will be here in a few minutes.
C: Thanks, that’s all I need. So, to start with,
can you tell me why you decided to come
shopping today?
D: Um … I don’t know … I don’t think
I decided, I just felt like getting out of
the house. So, I came out for a coffee at
the mall, and I just decided to pick up
something while I was here.
C: I see. So, it would appear that you don’t
have a specific time of the week when you
go shopping.
D: No, that’s not correct. I always do a
Saturday shop. This was just a one-off.
C: OK, sorry … so, could you please explain
what choices you made in terms of actual
stores, and what were the determining
factors in those choices; for example, was
it price, brand names, habit …? There’s a
list here.
D: Hmm. Well, I only went to one place …
I bought this coat for my granddaughter,
Flora, from that big-kids clothes store,
Zany’s, because I know her mother likes
it and buys most of her clothes there … I
suppose that’s habit? But price, too—it’s
pretty good value, considering the quality.
C: I see. And would you say, in retrospect,
that they were rational decisions, or more
like impulse buys? I’m sorry, that sounds
like I’m casting doubt on your choice …
D: No, no, I understand. I suppose they were
a little bit of both, really … I hadn’t planned
to buy it, but I’m glad I did—I don’t regret it.
I’m sure Flora will love it.
C: OK, thanks, I’ll just make a note of that …
Track 6.5
LECTURER: Good afternoon. Settle down
… thanks. I’m sure that most of you will be
starting your research this trimester and
that you’ll be doing qualitative research,
so I thought it timely to have a lecture on
how those questions should be framed. As
students at this college, you’re all aware of
the expectation that research is aimed at
finding out information, not proving your
own case … in other words, you should be
prepared for some unwelcome results. That
is actually a good sign, as we shall see—it
indicates that the research followed the
scientific method—a method we all believe
to be the only valid method.
The actual topics I’m going to talk about
today are memory distortion, or memory
hacking—you’ve certainly read about
that in your assignment—and preparing
interviews and questionnaires. Now these
are not completely separate subjects, so I’ll
treat them as interconnected. Ethics are at
the heart of both topics.
So, starting with memory, the majority of
people automatically think that memory
is like a bucket. You put a memory in
the bucket and later you get it out,
unchanged. This is a common-sense view
of memory, reinforced by analogies to
computer storage, which are actually false
analogies—our brains are very different
from electronic computers. Of course, you
may forget or it may become hard to recall,
but people assume that if they can recall it,
it will be the same as when it went in. But
research disproves this, as we will see.
Now, moving on to questions, most people
assume that a questionnaire or interview
is a fair way of finding out people’s
opinions—after all, you’re not bound to say
anything you don’t want to, are you? But,
again, our understanding of the science of
questioning, in particular for marketing or
political purposes, shows how wrong this
viewpoint is. As we understand more about
our irrational responses, our biases, we
can see that there are ways to trigger these
biases, which are fairly easy for people to
use, and, in fact, it is actually quite hard
to avoid this triggering through careless
questioning. But you must avoid this bias
triggering, if, for example, you want to do
valid research.
16
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
STUDENT: Excuse me. Can you tell us
how these biases can be avoided in
questionnaires?
LECTURER: Of course. But first, let’s
compare these two and look at why I make
these claims, that is a) why it’s wrong to
equate the mind with a computer, and b)
why bad questioning can actually influence
what people think. I can see by your
expressions that some of you are skeptical
on hearing this comparison—that’s OK,
you’re scientists, and you should doubt any
claim without evidence …
So, again starting with memory, if it isn’t
a bucket, what is it? Well, an important
clue came from the work, initially, of
Elizabeth Loftus, a cognitive psychologist
working at the end of the 20th century,
who showed that it is possible to “plant”
a memory—in other words, to make
people believe—truly believe—that they
remember something that actually … never
… happened! I’ll say that again—you can
make people remember an experience
that they haven’t had, or details of an
experience that are completely untrue. She
was working to show that many people
have been convicted of crimes, which
they hadn’t committed on the basis of
false memories. Her work has since been
corroborated by many studies, including a
recent one by Julia Shaw, of the University
of Bedfordshire, and Stephen Porter, of
the University of British Columbia. In
the journal Psychological Science, they
described how they implanted false
memories so successfully that 70% of the
subjects believed them—more than double
what they had expected. Which comes back
to my earlier point—good research can
surprise us. And this was good research and
powerful evidence.
Let’s turn to questions. I’ll look at three
kinds of question that don’t really aim at
extracting a straight answer. If you use
these in your research, you are, in effect,
distorting the research to suit your point
of view. The first are called push-poll
questions. These work by introducing an
idea or emotion that you wouldn’t have
already had that deliberately suggests a
course of action—they are a manipulation
tool, widely used in politics, and, naturally,
marketing—I suppose you can say that
politics is basically a form of marketing,
getting people to choose your product …
or political party, or candidate. So, they
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
ask questions like “Would you vote for
this candidate if you knew that she was
opposed by human rights groups?” Now,
you have introduced doubt into the mind
of the person you are interviewing, even
though there may be no actual truth or
substance in the idea that the candidate
has human rights issues. And this doubt
may affect future action or choices.
Another type of question is commonly
banned in law courts—it’s the leading
question, where you give the answer in the
question—such as, “On the night of the
murder, were you in New York?” rather than
a non-leading, legitimate question, “Where
were you on the night of the murder?”
Questions like these, if they were to be
allowed, could possibly be used by the
prosecution to convince a jury that they
should convict an innocent man.
And the third type of unfair, unethical
question for the purposes of research is
the suggestive question. This can either
add in a detail that makes someone think
they should remember it, even though
they might not—see how this connects
to the memory evidence I talked about
earlier—so, for example, “How did you feel
when you saw a wealthy and good-looking
woman talking to your husband?” Or it can
make you think that you should answer
in a certain way—“Don’t you think that
was wrong?” Rather than “Do you think
that was wrong?” implies that you should
indeed think that this was wrong. This
type of question is used a lot by parents
to their teenagers, incidentally … I know
I’m sometimes guilty of it, and I certainly
know what I’m doing … it’s not through
ignorance of the science …
Anyway, so, what I have suggested up to
now is basically that there is a clear, strong
link between the belief in the fairness of
questions—the “unquestionable” benefit
of questionnaires—and the idea that the
brain is a simple computer that cannot
lie to itself. These two assumptions are
not equivalent, but they are similar in
that they can both lead, unintentionally
or not, to unethical and powerful forms
of manipulation. The evidence is both
academic, as in the examples I gave you
about our ability to control people’s
memories, and practical, as we can see
by the way public institutions such as
law courts have to have rules to prevent
questions that distort the truth. And so
do we, as a respected university doing
respectable research …
Track 6.6
Good afternoon. Settle down … thanks.
I’m sure that most of you will be starting
your research this trimester and that you’ll
be doing qualitative research, so I thought
it timely to have a lecture on how those
questions should be framed. As students
at this college, you’re all aware of the
expectation that research is aimed at finding
out information, not proving your own case
… in other words, you should be prepared
for some unwelcome results. That is actually
a good sign, as we shall see—it indicates
that the research followed the scientific
method—a method we all believe to be the
only valid method.
The actual topics I’m going to talk about
today are memory distortion, or memory
hacking—you’ve certainly read about that in
your assignment—and preparing interviews
and questionnaires. Now these are not
completely separate subjects, so I’ll treat
them as interconnected. Ethics are at the
heart of both topics.
Track 6.7
1 Can you tell me if you bought anything
unplanned?
2 I wonder if I could ask you a few
questions?
3 Can you tell me why you decided to come
shopping today?
4 Can you tell us how these biases can be
avoided?
5 To follow up on that, would you mind
telling me how much money you spent on
this trip?
6 So on the basis of what you just said, if I
understood correctly, you don’t have a
specific budget when you go out shopping
… is that right?
7 Could you please explain what choices
you made in terms of actual stores, and
what were the determining factors in
those choices …
Track 6.8
1 When did you first shop online?
2 Do you usually pay by cash or by card?
3 Could you tell me how often you visit this
store?
17
Second Edition

Listening & Speaking

4 AUDIO SCRIPTS

4 Would you mind saying how much it cost?
5 Could you please explain how you choose
which brand to buy?
6 On the basis of that, would you say you
buy things on impulse?
Unit 7: Expanse
Track 7.1
MEGAN: So, here we go. Let’s brainstorm!
We don’t have too long, but, hey, we can do
it, right? I’ve been studying the funding for
space exploration …
ZAK: Whoa! OK, OK, Megan, just calm down.
Let’s get this right. To recap—we have to
give a presentation about the space race …
and we’ve decided I’m going to focus on an
aspect of the science of it, and then you’ll
talk about the math—that’s your strong
point, right? We’ve done the reading, and
… to be honest, it’s pretty straightforward,
I think anyway. But we need some ideas of
how to link the two, so let’s outline what
we’re planning to talk about and then look
at points to connect. We don’t actually
need to brainstorm anything yet.
MEGAN: OK, OK, Zak, sorry. So you’d better
start. What did you come up with?
ZAK: OK, so … exoplanets. These are
obviously planets outside the solar
system—hence the name exoplanets.
They’ll probably be future targets for
the space race, so they’re relevant. The
interesting thing is the speed—sorry, the
acceleration I should say—of the rate of
discovery of them, as seen in the slides
I’m going to show. I mean, the first one
wasn’t found until … wait … oh yeah,
1992, so very recently in astronomical
terms. Things moved fast after that,
and then got faster and faster, thanks to
something called the transit method—I’ll
tell you more about that later. In successive
years, the discovery rate has increased
dramatically … so in 2002, about 40 new
planets were discovered, and the transit
method wasn’t used, but by 2012, it was
closer to 140, and nearly 100 of those
discoveries used the transit method. Two
years later, in 2014, it exceeded everyone’s
expectations of what was possible—nearly
1,000 planets were discovered—mostly
by using the transit method. So, it can be
concluded that the transit method is now
the astronomer’s favorite—although it does
have disadvantages.
MEGAN: So, what exactly is the transit
method?
ZAK: Well, it’s a way of detecting distant
planets. What researchers do is measure
the amount of light coming from a star.
So, when a planet passes in front of a star
whose light we are measuring, we detect
less light coming in, because the planet
blocks some of it. But when a planet passes
out of the star’s way, the light we can
measure goes back to normal. Then the
planet passes again, after a while, and the
light we measure dips again. When a planet
passes between the star and the Earth, this
is called the “transit.” Do you get that?
MEGAN: Wow, that’s fascinating.
ZAK: So now, look at these two slides …
they’re impressive. This line graph shows
… well, the y-axis—the vertical one,
obviously, shows the number of exoplanets
discovered, and the x-axis shows the
year—there are the labels … but this bar
chart is the one I’m going to focus on in
my presentation—it shows the methods of
discovery year by year … see how after the
adoption of the transit method, the rate of
change rose dramatically …
MEGAN: Cool. You’re right … what were
these other methods?
ZAK: Well, you can see the basic
categories here … so, there was imaging,
microlensing, timing, and so on … but the
transit method surpassed all of these, so
that’s why I’m planning to focus on it. But
Megan, why don’t you tell me about the
math side of this topic?
MEGAN: OK. Great. Well, I took a look at the
space race from a more … technological
point of view, I suppose, which basically
is economics, rather than pure math. I
plan to make the point that the costs of
space travel are so high that it becomes an
economic problem—and the problem is
exacerbated by the fact, really, that there
is absolutely no guarantee of success, so
enormous amounts of money can be lost.
So, investment is high risk, but the payoffs
may be enormous, too. My main focus is the
most interesting thing, in my opinion, which
is how it can be seen that competitions can
be used as drivers for investment. So for
example, the Ansari X Prize competition,
which offers a prize worth $10 million has
resulted in over $100 million of private
space development. Then there are the rich
private companies such as Sierra Nevada
Space Systems and Blue Origin, who are
looking for long-term profits.
But the initial costs are very high for early
investors … I’m going to use an interesting
analogy here to show the pattern—it comes
from the cell-phone industry. The first buyers

Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE 18
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
were prepared to pay up to $4,000 back in
1984. To put that in context, that would be
about $12,000 today. These early investors
were prepared to pay this for the Motorola
DynaTAC 8000X cell phone, a low-tech phone
which weighed 0.9 kilograms! It seems crazy
now, but they actually drove a development
cycle that eventually produced the modern
high-tech, cheap products that we all have
… it began with those early adopters. And
that’s a common pattern—the willingness
of investors to spend big money early on
eventually brings the prices right down and
the technology right up.
ZAK: Interesting! So, where do these early
adopters invest in space travel?
MEGAN: Well, Virgin Galactic is very well
known, obviously—people are paying more
than a quarter of a million dollars in advance
for the prospect of a five-minute period of
weightlessness—it will seem mad in the
future, when our children think nothing of
a one-week flight in space for their summer
vacation …
ZAK: OK, but who would actually pay for that?
It sounds like a complete waste of money …
MEGAN: A lot of people would—have, actually.
It’s a little bit more exciting than I made it
sound, to be honest … first, the passengers
will spend two or three days preparing, then
they’ll board SS2, which is an 18-meter rocket
glider that will take six people under the
mother ship, which is a 43-meter wingspan
aircraft. Then the routine the trip will follow
is this: The aircraft will take them up to
approximately 15,000 meters, and then it will
separate and go up to about 100 kilometers
on a parabolic flight. That’s when they’ll have
their five minutes of fun … and then they’ll
come down to just over 21,000 meters before
gliding back to Earth.
ZAK: Wow! I’d do that, if I had the money …
MEGAN: See? Me too. And another major
player I’m going to talk about is SpaceX. They
managed to secure a $1.6 billion contract
with NASA … but again, the interesting thing,
like your transit method of finding exoplanets,
is that they’re getting better and better, year
after year. So, let’s see … ah yes, in 2012,
SpaceX had only two launches—and one
of them was a partial failure. In 2014, the
number of launches increased and all six were
successful. In 2016, the number of rockets
launched rose to nine rockets, and only one
of these was lost. That’s a connection, by the
way, right there …
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
ZAK: Sure. Go on …
Track 7.2
1 In successive years, the discovery rate
has increased dramatically … so in 2002,
about 40 new planets were discovered,
and the transit method wasn’t used,
but by 2012, it was closer to 140, and
nearly 100 of those discoveries used the
transit method. Two years later, in 2014, it
exceeded everyone’s expectations of what
was possible—nearly 1,000 planets were
discovered—mostly by using the transit
method.
2 Well, it’s a way of detecting distant
planets. What researchers do is measure
the amount of light coming from a star.
So, when a planet passes in front of a star
whose light we are measuring, we detect
less light coming in, because the planet
blocks some of it. But when a planet
passes out of the star’s way, the light we
can measure goes back to normal. Then
the planet passes again, after a while, and
the light we measure dips again. When a
planet passes between the star and the
Earth, this is called the “transit.”
3 So for example, the Ansari X Prize
competition, which offers a prize worth
$10 million has resulted in over $100
million of private space development.
4 … SS2, which is an 18-meter rocket glider
that will take six people under the mother
ship, which is a 43-meter wingspan
aircraft.
5 Then the routine the trip will follow is
this: The aircraft will take them up to
approximately 15,000 meters, and then
it will separate and go up to about 100
kilometers on a parabolic flight. That’s
when they’ll have their five minutes of
fun … and then they’ll come down to just
over 21,000 meters before gliding back to
Earth.
6 And another major player I’m going to talk
about is SpaceX. They managed to secure
a $1.6 billion contract with NASA …
7 They’re getting better and better, year
after year. So, let’s see … ah yes, in 2012,
SpaceX had only two launches—and one
of them was a partial failure. In 2014, the
number of launches increased and all six
were successful. In 2016, the number of
rockets launched rose to nine rockets, and
only one of these was lost.
Track 7.3
Last week, we looked at the politics of maps,
the way in which maps can distort our view of
a geographical region, either literally in terms
of area, or by imposing a particular centricity.
Today, I’m looking at another area of maps;
the way in which they can now be generated
and manipulated through crowdsourcing,
and the problems that this can generate. My
publications have focused on maps in relation
to traffic flow, so this is the example I’ll be using.
I’ll just outline the key mathematical concepts
behind traffic flow, and then I’ll move on to the
application to maps.
What is traffic flow? Well, simply put, it’s what
civil engineers study to find out the best way
to plan a transportation system or network,
based on the ways the travelers, be they drivers,
cyclists, or pedestrians, interact. By modeling
these interactions mathematically, logic tells
us that we can reduce or eliminate situations
where the traffic slows or stops completely.
We’ve all experienced situations where the
traffic seems to be flowing nicely, but suddenly
we find ourselves stopping and starting every
few seconds. What triggered this change? And
is it predictable and avoidable? In principle,
yes, but it’s a very complex mathematical area
because it includes human decision-making as
well as the purely mechanical aspects. On this
first slide we can see three basic principles …
The more vehicles there are on a road, the
slower they will travel.
To maintain smooth traffic flow in a particular
zone, the same number or more vehicles need
to leave the zone as are entering at any given
time.
There is a critical point of density and
velocity when the situation will become
unstable. At this point, if any one of the
vehicles brakes, the flow will collapse.
Now, there are also three basic concepts or
variables that together describe traffic flow,
from which we can deduce the likelihood of
a breakdown or shock-wave trigger that I’ve
already mentioned … There are formulas
that describe the relationship between these
variables, which you should study—they’re
on the handout—before your tutorials … the
first concept we need to discuss is density.
This refers to how many cars can fit in a
space—so, cars per kilometer. Let’s say we
have ten kilometers of roads in our town,
and 1,000 cars—so that’s … 100 cars per
kilometer. More cars are being manufactured,
19
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
so if our town gets 500 more cars, we
suddenly get 150 cars per kilometer. This
chart illustrates my point.
The second concept is flow. This describes
how many cars pass by a point in a given
period of time—so, we can write it down as
cars per minute. Let’s say it’s 100 cars per
minute on this road here. Now, imagine we
have to take one lane out. The road is now
50% narrower. The flow will go down—let’s
assume 50 cars per minute now under stable
conditions … This next chart shows this
clearly … however, as we saw on the first
slide, if conditions become unstable this will
not hold.
The third variable is speed. This is the
distance covered per unit of time. A problem
of measuring this is that it’s impossible to
track the speed of all the travelers involved,
so on a road, vehicles are sampled over a
specific time period, in a specific section of
the road. There are actually two definitions of
average speed … one is “time mean speed,”
and the other is “space mean speed.” The
first, “time mean speed,” is measured at a
reference point on the roadway over a period
of time using loop detectors to identify each
vehicle and track its speed. The problem
is, this method does not produce accurate
speed measurements—the reason is a little
complicated, but this diagram should help
… a better method is “space mean speed,”
which is measured over the entire section
of road. We can see it here on the next slide.
It’s generally accepted that “space mean
speed” is the better option, as the data have
greater validity, although it’s more difficult to
implement.
This next chart shows what we call a “time-
space diagram,” which shows the flow of
vehicles along a road or other path. Time is
represented on the x-axis, and distance is
shown on the y-axis, as you can see. Traffic
flow in a “time-space diagram” is represented
by individual lines showing the movement of
individual vehicles. If they are following each
other, their trajectories are parallel, and when
they pass each other, the lines cross. Looking
at the chart, it can clearly be expected that
traffic flow will be far from predictable. This is
a very useful tool for analysis.
… period of time—so, we can write it down as
OK, so you may be wondering what this has to
do with maps. I think when we think of maps,
we tend to think of something fixed, static …
after all, most geographic changes occur over
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
millennia. But this is to misunderstand the
modern idea of mapping. From these maps
of Antarctica in successive years, for example,
it is known that any mapping of its edges is a
temporary exercise because there’s constant
and rapid change, due to factors such as
climate change … so, let’s consider the idea
that mapping can be of a changing landscape,
if you like, and see where that leads us …
Forget geography, for a moment, and consider
this. We can map the neural networks in our
brains, which change every time we receive
a stimulus—thousands of times a second …
or Internet data … imagine the complexity of
this. And this is where the idea of traffic flow
comes in. Can we map the flow of traffic?
What would such a map look like? To get an
idea, look at this next slide. This image is from
the GPS navigation software, Waze. You can
think of it as a crowdsourced map—users
build it together, by adding information on
a moment-by-moment basis. So you can
send in information about, say, an accident
you’ve witnessed, and the map changes to
accommodate this. And this means that all the
users can avoid that road until the accident is
cleared. No wonder it’s popular! But this can
lead to problems, though … one unwanted
problem that the police identified is that users
map the location of police officers—that is
to say there could be a security risk for them.
Another potential hazard is that the process of
adding to the map, and receiving updates and
reminders while they are on the road is likely
to distract drivers, potentially leading to more
accidents. So, to put that another way, there’s
a social cost to this type of map, but also huge
benefits in an ever-changing environment like
the transportation network. So, let’s look at …
Track 7.4
1 The first concept we need to discuss is
density. This refers to how many cars can
fit in a space—so, cars per kilometer. Let’s
say we have ten kilometers of roads in
our town, and 1,000 cars—so that’s … 100
cars per kilometer. More cars are being
manufactured, so if our town gets 500 more
cars, we suddenly get 150 cars per kilometer.
This chart illustrates my point.
2 The second concept is flow. This describes
how many cars pass by a point in a given
cars per minute. Let’s say it’s 100 cars per
minute on this road here. Now, imagine we
have to take one lane out. The road is now
50% narrower. The flow will go down—let’s
assume 50 cars per minute now under
stable conditions … This next chart shows
this clearly … however, as we saw on the
first slide, if conditions become unstable this
will not hold.
3 The third variable is speed. This is the
distance covered per unit of time. A problem
of measuring this is that it’s impossible to
track the speed of all the travelers involved,
so on a road, vehicles are sampled over a
specific time period, in a specific section of
the road.
4 The first, “time mean speed,” is measured
at a reference point on the roadway over
a period of time using loop detectors to
identify each vehicle and track its speed.
The problem is, this method does not
produce accurate speed measurements—
the reason is a little complicated, but this
diagram should help … a better method
is “space mean speed,” which is measured
over the entire section of road. We can
see it here on the next slide. It’s generally
accepted that “space mean speed” is the
better option, as the data have greater
validity, although it’s more difficult to
implement.
5 But this is to misunderstand the modern
idea of mapping. From these maps
of Antarctica in successive years, for
example, it is known that any mapping of
its edges is a temporary exercise because
there’s constant and rapid change, due to
factors such as climate change …
6 But this can lead to problems, though …
one unwanted problem that the police
identified is that users map the location of
police officers—that is to say there could
be a security risk for them.
7 Another potential hazard is that the
process of adding to the map, and
receiving updates and reminders while
they are on the road is likely to distract
drivers, potentially leading to more
accidents.
Track 7.5
1 So, it can be concluded that the transit
method is now the astronomer’s favorite.
2 It can be seen that competitions can be
used as drivers for investment.
3 It’s generally accepted that “space mean
speed” is the better option.
20
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
4 Looking at the chart, it can clearly be Unit 8: Change
expected that traffic flow will be far from
predictable. Track 8.1
5 It is known that any mapping of its edges CHRIS: We know why we’re here, right? You’ve
is a temporary exercise. all read the directive?
HAILEY: Sure, Chris, but it doesn’t make any
Track 7.6
kind of sense. Why change something that’s
1 The y-axis shows the number of exoplanets working perfectly well for some system that’s
discovered, and the x-axis shows the year. too complicated to even understand? Am I
2 You can see the basic categories here. alone in thinking that this is just change for
3 To put that in context, that would be about changes sake?
$12,000 today. CHRIS: No, come on Hailey. It’s not that. We
4 On this first slide, we can see three basic have to keep ahead of the game … what
principles. works now isn’t going to work in five, ten, 15
5 This chart illustrates my point. years, right? We have to change or die—it’s a
cutthroat world out here in advertising!
6 This next chart shows this clearly.
7 The reason is a little complicated, but this HAILEY: OK, you’re making it sound a little
diagram should help. bit Hollywood … we’re just a small business,
not Wall Street … but anyway, what can we
8 Time is represented on the x-axis, and
actually change? Do you have any concrete
distance is shown on the y-axis, as you can
ideas?
see.
9 To get an idea, look at this next slide. CHRIS: Yes, that’s why we’re having this
10 So, to put that another way, there’s a social meeting. I’ve been doing some research,
looking at the competition, asking questions
cost to this type of map.
… so, let’s start the ball rolling … I think there
Track 7.7 are three main areas we can improve by
1 percent updating our approach to technology.
2 degrees Fahrenheit RASHID: Which are?
3 kilometers (pronounced /kɪˈlɑmətərz/ OR
CHRIS: Well, first of all, why are we here? In
/kilˈoʊmətərz/)
this room, I mean? Couldn’t we be having this
4 kilograms meeting from our offices, using an online tool
5 one third like Zoom? So, the first one is communication.
6 two thirds And not just here, but also meeting clients
7 zero point four online.
8 zero point zero zero six HAILEY: Oh, come on, how’s that going to
9 two point seven work? You know as well as I do that clients
want to meet face to face, to feel that
10 eight point one million
someone actually cares about them! I don’t
Track 7.8 believe they’ll want to give that up. Online
1 plus or minus meetings just don’t work.
2 not equal to CHRIS: We can meet face to face, too. It’s just
3 similar to a question of deciding what needs to be
done face to face and what can be done just
4 not similar to
as well online. Remember, too, that we can
5 less than or equal to
record online meetings, which is a lot easier
6 therefore
than taking minutes, and we can go back over
them and get closer to the customer needs.
And, off the record, it’ll be a big time saver for
everyone—we’ll be off home earlier …
HAILEY: True, I suppose … but isn’t the
technology a little bit clumsy? When I’ve been
in online meetings, there are always technical
problems—I can see the client, but they can’t
see me, that kind of thing. It just never works
like it’s supposed to!
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
CHRIS: I do know what you’re talking about,
Hailey. Yes, absolutely, we have to get the
technology right—and we’ll need proper
training and support.
RASHID: If we’d known about this last year, we
could’ve taken advantage of inviting Jackie to
a few meetings before she got promoted. She
is a real hotshot on technology, she knows all
the software and …
CHANDINI: Excuse me, Chris, if I may ask a
question. Sorry, Rashid … what you’re saying
is really worrying me. I don’t see how we can
be giving presentations about our campaigns
online! It just isn’t feasible, at all. I hear what
you’re saying, but I can’t see how it will
actually work in practice.
CHRIS: Chandini, you’ve put your finger on the
main limitation of this, but as I said, we don’t
have to be rigid about using technology for
every meeting. Presenting a new campaign
would definitely have to be done in the old
way, face to face, of course. Can I move on to
the next thing?
CHANDINI: Sure, go ahead, Chris. Sorry to
sound negative. And sorry, Rashid, I shouldn’t
have interrupted you, but I feel very strongly
about this. I don’t believe in all these fashions
and fads!
CHRIS: No, Chandini. You don’t sound
negative at all. That’s why we want to talk
about it—we need your input. So, anyway,
the second big change will be in the way we
store documents. The plan is to do away
with paper completely. We’re going to be a
paperless office, as far as possible. Anyone
want to share your thoughts on this?
RASHID: Yes, to be honest, I can’t believe I’m
hearing this. One word comes to mind—
security. We all know how easy it is to hack
into a computer system. Absolute discretion is
key to our business. Once a competitor gets a
glimpse of a proposed advertising campaign,
we may as well throw it in the trash.
CHANDINI: That’s absolutely right, Rashid!
How can we guarantee security if everything
is going online? And I have all my files. I’ve
spent the last two years improving my
paper-based systems—you know how things
accumulate—I wouldn’t have bothered if
I’d known we were going to get rid of all the
paper and leave ourselves vulnerable online.
CHRIS: Look, I don’t know all the ins and outs
of it, but I can tell you that we’ll be getting a
very secure system. We’re going to employ a
company to advise us, but I do also know that
21
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
we’ll have to enforce very strict guidelines for
everyone, in terms of passwords, and so on.
And we’ll restrict access to the most sensitive
information to a very few senior partners. As
for the files, we can compile a list of things
that we need to scan online and store the rest
in a secure vault.
HAILEY: OK, maybe you’re right … but I
have my doubts. We read about security
breaches at the highest government level
almost every day … so, how are we going
to protect ourselves? It will be impossible
… well, anyway … So Chris, what’s the third
thing? You said there were three.
CHRIS: Ah, yes. This might be the most …
let’s say, controversial of the new measures
… Alex, you know, Alex, the new head
of infrastructure, has decided that we’re
going to move to tablets. Instead of laptops
… She thinks that they’ll present a more
modern image to our clients …
CHANDINI: I’m sorry. I’m completely lost
for words. How can we do our work on a
tablet? They’re good for simple tasks and
some fun—I know, my children use one at
home—but they simply aren’t designed for
sophisticated creative work!
CHRIS: Don’t worry, Chandini, you’ll keep
your desktop computer to do all your work
on. It’s just for when we meet clients, which
as I said, we’ll continue to do … Alex wants
us to project a kind of “Silicon Valley”
image, I guess … she thinks we come
across as dated. And she also wants to
change the way we dress. No more ties for
the men, apparently …
RASHID: Well, that’s one good thing anyway!
I hate wearing a tie, especially in this
weather. Back home nobody in advertising
wears a tie …
Track 8.2
1 … what works now isn’t going to work in
five, ten, 15 years, right?
2 I can see the client, but they can’t see me,
that kind of thing. It just never works like
it’s supposed to!
3 Excuse me, Chris, if I may ask a question.
Sorry, Rashid … what you’re saying is
really worrying me.
4 Once a competitor gets a glimpse of a
proposed advertising campaign, we may
as well throw it in the trash.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Track 8.3
Good morning. Please sit down and turn
off your smartphones, or put them on
silent. Thank you … OK, so you’ll need your
handout from the tutorial. I assume you’ve
all read it? So, you’ll be aware that today’s
lecture is entitled twenty-four-hour news
cycles.
You can see the outline of the lecture on this
slide. We’ll start with an overview of the main
principle and where it came from. Then I’ll
focus the main part of the lecture on critical
consequences resulting from it. At the end,
there’ll be time for questions, so please keep
your hands down until then. I’ve put a copy of
the presentation on the shared drive.
The twenty-four-hour news cycle is basically the
fact that news is broadcast for 24 hours a day,
with broadcasters vying to provide the most up-
to-date, visual news ahead of each other. In the
21st century media world, the most important
thing is getting there first, which means looking
for new angles and details on a story as it
happens. Often, it results in exaggerating the
significance of a particular point to make it
sound new and fresh, when it may be nothing
of the sort. Interestingly, the BBC, the British
broadcaster, announced recently that they’re
reverting to a slower approach, in order to
maintain the depth of coverage that they
believe their viewers value. There’s a reference
to that on your handout, on page seven.
Now, moving on to the first slide, the first bullet
point is, the news cycle. A news cycle is defined
as an initial report by the media, followed by
the media reporting on reactions to that initial
report. This process then starts again, making it
a cycle. This cycle has dramatically accelerated
in the era of 24/7 news, as it is known. This,
as you can see from the second bullet point,
started with the advent of cable television and
satellite channels, with the World Wide Web
following. What these have in common is that
they’re commercial modes of delivery that are
driven by the need to have their customers
staying tuned in to their channel for the
purposes of selling advertising. It was actually a
surprise to many observers of the early days of
24/7 news just how effective it was; that people
didn’t mind watching literally endless repeats
of the same item with only minor changes—in
fact, that it quickly became an almost addictive
process for many … previously, of course, news
had primarily been consumed—and I use that
word deliberately—it had been consumed
through paper newspapers, hourly radio
broadcasts, and television broadcasts that
rarely aired more than two or three times a day.
So, before I move on to a critical appraisal of
these changes, to sum up so far …
Track 8.4
LECTURER: Hi, guys! Sorry I’m running a
little bit late … if I hadn’t forgotten my
laptop I’d have been here on time, but
that’s no excuse … so, let’s sit down and get
started. It’s OK, you can keep your coffee
… OK, we have a lot of catching up to do if
we’re going to cover everything we need to
before next week … so, where were we last
time? Did we get onto the CNN effect? No?
OK, so I’ll begin there. Who’s seen the news
today? Everyone? Was it too complicated or
could you follow it? Ed, did you get a little
bit lost? Or did you focus on the sports?
Sorry, Ed, only joking, I watched the Super
Bowl yesterday, too … now, let’s see …
Maria? What’s the top news story today?
MARIA: Um … sorry, you caught me off-
guard … is it the storm in South America?
LECTURER: Right! Very dramatic, huh? So,
what do you think will happen next?
MARIA: I don’t know … I guess we’ll
send aid, along with other countries … I
know they’re appealing for it … and the
government has already sent helicopters to
deliver food.
LECTURER: What you are describing is the
CNN effect. Can anyone explain what it is?
ED: Is it the way that news reports tend to
influence the way governments react to
events?
LECTURER: Exactly, Ed! So, you didn’t
just watch the Super Bowl! That’s right.
According to a paper published by
Professor Steven Livingston, the media
can be said to have three basic effects on
policy making. First, as a policy agenda-
setting agent. So, we’ll probably send that
aid. Second, it can be an impediment—his
word—to the achievement of desired policy
goals. So … where does the money come
from? Something will have to give, literally
and metaphorically. And the third is that
it can accelerate policy decision-making.
This aid will have to be seen to be given
quickly, if it is to have the desired result—
and I’m not talking about the physical
help it will provide, I’m talking about the
public perception that the powers-that-be
22
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
are on the ball, following the game, if you
like. Because we have to be fast in a fast-
moving, 24/7 world, right?
AMIR: Sorry, excuse me professor … are you
talking now about the Feiler effect?
LECTURER: Yes, I am, Amir. That’s a great
point—you certainly know your stuff! For
those of you who haven’t read about the
Feiler effect, could you explain it in one
sentence?
AMIR: Oh … OK. Well, basically—as I
understand it—I think it means that we’re
now able to process information faster,
keeping up with the news … is that right?
LECTURER: It’s a little more complex than
that, Amir …
AMIR: But you only gave me one sentence!
LECTURER: True! Sorry! So yes, it’s the idea
that, er, Kaus, Mickey Kaus first defined,
from work by Bruce Feiler. The insight he
had was about momentum. He showed
that momentum in politics has been
transformed by this rolling news coverage.
It’s a very interesting theory and one that
you really should read up on. It goes hand
in hand with the CNN effect I’m talking
about … So, where was I?
Track 8.5
1 Hi, guys! Sorry I’m running a little bit late
… are on the ball, following the game, if you
2 … but that’s no excuse … so, let’s sit
down and get started.
3 … OK, we have a lot of catching up to do
if we’re going to cover everything we need
to …
4 … so, where were we last time? Did we get
onto the CNN effect?
5 … I’m talking about the public perception
that the powers-that-be are on the ball,
following the game, if you like.
6 Because we have to be fast in a fast-
moving, 24/7 world, right?
7 That’s a great point—you certainly know
your stuff!
8 It goes hand in hand with the CNN effect
I’m talking about …
Track 8.6
Extract 1
LECTURER: Hi, guys! Sorry I’m running a
little bit late … if I hadn’t forgotten my
laptop I’d have been here on time, but
that’s no excuse … so, let’s sit down and get
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
started. It’s OK, you can keep your coffee 3 … if I may ask a question. Sorry, Rashid
… OK, we have a lot of catching up to do if … what you’re saying is really worrying
we’re going to cover everything we need to me. I don’t see how we can be giving
before next week … so, where were we last presentations about our campaigns
time? Did we get onto the CNN effect? No? online! It just isn’t feasible, at all. I hear
OK, so I’ll begin there. Who’s seen the news what you’re saying, but I can’t see how it
today? Everyone? Was it too complicated or will actually work in practice.
could you follow it? Ed, did you get a little 4 I’m completely lost for words. How can we
bit lost? Or did you focus on the sports? do our work on a tablet?
Sorry, Ed, only joking, I watched the Super
Track 8.9
Bowl yesterday, too … now, let’s see …
Maria? What’s the top news story today? 1 You’ve all read the directive?
Extract 2 2 So, the first one is communication.
LECTURER: Exactly, Ed! So, you didn’t 3 And not just here, but also meeting clients
just watch the Super Bowl! That’s right. online.
According to a paper published by
4 … it’ll be a big time saver for everyone.
Professor Steven Livingston, the media
can be said to have three basic effects on 5 … we’ll need proper training and support.
policy making. First, as a policy agenda- 6 … if I may ask a question.
setting agent. So, we’ll probably send that
aid. Second, it can be an impediment—his Track 8.10
word—to the achievement of desired policy 1 Can I move on to the next thing?
goals. So … where does the money come 2 You don’t sound negative at all.
from? Something will have to give, literally
and metaphorically. And the third is that 3 … what works now isn’t going to work in
it can accelerate policy decision-making. five, ten, fifteen years, right?
This aid will have to be seen to be given 4 It’s just a question of deciding what needs
quickly, if it is to have the desired result— to be done face to face.
and I’m not talking about the physical 5 We’re going to be a paperless office, as far
help it will provide, I’m talking about the as possible.
public perception that the powers-that-be 6 I can tell you that we’ll be getting a very
secure system.
like. Because we have to be fast in a fast-
moving, 24/7 world, right?
Track 8.7
1 If we’d known about this last year, we
could’ve taken advantage of inviting
Jackie to a few meetings before she got
promoted.
2 And sorry, Rashid, I shouldn’t have
interrupted you, but I feel very strongly
about this.
3 I wouldn’t have bothered if I’d known we
were going to get rid of all the paper and
leave ourselves vulnerable online.
4 If I hadn’t forgotten my laptop, I’d have
been here on time.
Track 8.8
1 … but anyway, what can we actually
change? Do you have any concrete ideas?
2 … but isn’t the technology a little bit
clumsy?
23
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
Unit 9: Flow
Track 9.1
HOST: Hello from a wet and windy
beachfront, where we’re on location at the
annual surfing competition. Today, we have
three guests, all surfing experts. First up, we
have Oliwa Kalani, an academic and the
author of Catching the Wave, an exploration
of the history and culture of surfing. Hello,
Oliwa, and thanks for coming on the show.
OLIWA: My pleasure.
HOST: So your book, Catching the Wave,
was a passion for you I believe. I must say I
found it a fascinating read.
OLIWA: Thank you. Yes, it’s an interesting
subject, and yes, I am passionate about
it—probably something to do with my
own Hawaiian roots—surfing is part of our
national identity! But, you know, a lot of
people, even surfers, have some strange
ideas about where surfing came from. They
think it started in Australia, or California,
sometime in the 1950s. In fact, it goes way
back, hundreds of years before then. And
it’s certainly not Californian!
HOST: So where did it start?
OLIWA: Well, some form of surfing has
probably been practiced for as long as
humans have been swimming, but the
modern art of surfing was first seen by
Joseph Banks on board the HMS Endeavour
in the 18th century, when the ship stopped
in Tahiti in the Polynesian islands. That
seems to be the birthplace of surfing, and
the activity certainly predates that first
glimpse foreigners had of it—Tahitians had
been surfing for centuries. It had been a
part of ancient Polynesian culture. They
called it enalu, and it was practiced mainly
by the ruling class—traditionally, the chief
was chosen because he was the best surfer,
with the best board made of the best wood,
such as koa wood, on the best beaches,
which the ordinary Tahitians weren’t
allowed to use. But it wasn’t so much a
sport then as a kind of spiritual event,
almost a religion. They saw it as taming
the ocean gods. Dicing with death was an
important part of the activity. Rich or not,
they must have had nerves of steel, given
the size of the waves and the design of the
boards, which were actually made to be
difficult to maneuver.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
HOST: That’s fascinating. It’s funny how
we see it as a more modern, fun teenage
activity—I’ve never heard about its mystical
origins. I’d like now to introduce our second
guest today, Jen Docherty. Jen, you’re off in
a few minutes to compete …
JEN: That’s right. It’s a good day for it—some
big waves!
HOST: Yes, it should be a great spectacle. So,
Jen, you’ve won over 20 international surfing
titles in a ten-year career. Can you tell the
listeners what inspired you to make surfing a
career?
JEN: Well, I don’t know exactly, but it really
started when my family moved to Cornwall
in England, a surfer’s paradise. Before that,
I lived in a seaside town in Portugal, where
there were some good waves. Every summer,
the town filled to bursting with surfers from all
over the world: Australians, Swiss, everyone
came to ride the waves. I loved to watch
them and I suppose that’s when the bug
bit. Anyway, in Cornwall, whenever I could,
I’d borrow a board and have a go. At about
that time I heard about Margo Oberg, who
really inspired me—she became the first
female professional surfer in the same year
that professional contests started, 1975. And
I think before that I’d read an article about
the first superstar surfer, Kelly Slater, which
kind of caught my attention. So eventually, I
persuaded my parents to let me have my own
board and I started entering competitions, but
as there weren’t any for kids, I had to compete
against adults, men and women actually. I got
my first sponsor when I was 16, and since then
I’ve spent all my time chasing the waves all
over the world.
HOST: Is there much money in the sport?
JEN: Enough to get by, but it’s not like tennis
or golf, only a handful of surfers ever strike
it rich. But basically, as long as you keep
winning or getting on the podium, it’s viable
as a profession, you can find sponsors,
and the prize money helps, too. But you’ll
find 99% of us do it because we wouldn’t
want to do anything else. There’s nothing
like the feeling of getting on a big roller and
riding it. The power of the water, the sense
of being together with nature at its most
awesome, most dangerous … it’s a strange
sport, in a way, because the more adverse
the conditions, like today, the happier we
are! My family worry at times, and one of my
friends says I’m crazy to take the risks I do.
But I say it feels so natural for us surfers to
do it—so it would be wrong not to do it …
right? The feeling of throwing caution to the
wind, getting on the biggest, most dangerous
waves—that’s when the adrenaline kicks in.
Sure, we fall, we sometimes end up in the surf,
and that’s scary for sure, but we don’t cry over
spilled milk. We wait for the next wave and we
get right back up again. That’s just how surfers
are. I’d surf for free if necessary. But it’s a great
career because you spend all your time with
fellow surfers, who are a friendly crowd. It’s
competitive but also a community. It’s thriving
at all levels, actually, probably because it’s a
comparatively cheap hobby for beginners to
take up, and it—
HOST: How much does a board actually cost?
JEN: They can cost an arm and a leg for
professionals … I have a carbon fiber one,
which is amazing, and very expensive—well
over $1,000, but the gains are pretty marginal
really; a polyurethane board covered in
fiberglass cloth gets the job done just fine
for about three or four hundred dollars.
The dimensions of boards vary a lot, which
also affects the price, but for me the most
important thing is to have a board I can
absolutely rely on.
HOST: But aren’t surfboards that are made
of wood better? They’re more natural, that’s
how people have always done it, according
to Oliwa, right?
JEN: No—I mean, you can still get a wooden
board, but using artificial materials was a
quantum leap in surfboard construction—
you ended up with stronger boards that
were much lighter and easier to maneuver.
This massively changed the sport in recent
years.
HOST: I see. And one last question before
you go. Are you going to win this afternoon?
JEN: To be honest, your guess is as good as
mine! Part of it is just the luck of the draw;
who gets the best waves. But I certainly
hope to be in contention.
HOST: Good luck, I’m sure you will be! We’ll
certainly be cheering for you. Now, our third
guest is Bob Taylor; Bob is a music critic
with a special interest in the music of the
1960s. Bob, why do we associate surfing
with the U.S., well California anyway, and
Australia?
BOB: Hi, there. Well, I guess the records
by The Beach Boys have a lot to do with
it. They popularized the surfing sound in
the early 1960s, where surfing served as a
metaphor, if you like, for a youthful, healthy,
24
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
cool, post-war younger generation …
getting back in touch with nature, rejecting
their parents’ values …
Track 9.2
1 OLIWA: Dicing with death was an
important part of the activity. Rich or not,
they must have had nerves of steel, given
the size of the waves and the design of the
boards, which were actually made to be
difficult to maneuver.
2 JEN: Every summer, the town filled to
bursting with surfers from all over the
world: Australians, Swiss, everyone came
to ride the waves.
3 JEN: I loved to watch them and I suppose
that’s when the bug bit.
4 HOST: Is there much money in the sport?
JEN: Enough to get by, but it’s not like
tennis or golf, only a handful of surfers ever
strike it rich. But basically, as long as you
keep winning or getting on the podium, it’s
viable as a profession …
5 JEN: Sure, we fall, we sometimes end up
in the surf, and that’s scary for sure, but we
don’t cry over spilled milk. We wait for the
next wave and we get right back up again.
6 HOST: How much does a board actually
cost?
JEN: They can cost an arm and a leg for
professionals … I have a carbon fiber one,
which is amazing, and very expensive—well
over $1,000.
7 JEN: No—I mean, you can still get
a wooden board, but using artificial
materials was a quantum leap in surfboard
construction—you ended up with stronger
boards that were much lighter and easier to
maneuver.
8 HOST: Are you going to win this afternoon?
JEN: To be honest, your guess is as good
as mine! Part of it is just the luck of the draw;
who gets the best waves. But I certainly
hope to be in contention.
Track 9.3
Extract 1
OLIWA: Tahitians had been surfing for
centuries. It had been a part of ancient
Polynesian culture. They called it enalu, and
it was practiced mainly by the ruling class—
traditionally, the chief was chosen because
he was the best surfer, with the best board
made of the best wood, such as koa wood,
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
on the best beaches, which the ordinary
Tahitians weren’t allowed to use. But it wasn’t
so much a sport then as a kind of spiritual
event, almost a religion. They saw it as taming
the ocean gods. Dicing with death was an
important part of the activity. Rich or not, they
must have had nerves of steel, given the size
of the waves and the design of the boards,
which were actually made to be difficult to
maneuver.
Extract 2
HOST: Can you tell the listeners what inspired
you to make surfing a career?
JEN: Well, I don’t know exactly, but it really
started when my family moved to Cornwall
in England, a surfer’s paradise. Before that,
I lived in a seaside town in Portugal, where
there were some good waves. Every summer,
the town filled to bursting with surfers from all
over the world: Australians, Swiss, everyone
came to ride the waves. I loved to watch them
and I suppose that’s when the bug bit.
Extract 3
HOST: Is there much money in the sport?
JEN: Enough to get by, but it’s not like tennis
or golf, only a handful of surfers ever strike
it rich. But basically, as long as you keep
winning or getting on the podium, it’s viable
as a profession, you can find sponsors, and
the prize money helps, too. But you’ll find
99% of us do it because we wouldn’t want to
do anything else.
Extract 4
JEN: There’s nothing like the feeling of getting
on a big roller and riding it. The power of the
water, the sense of being together with nature
at its most awesome, most dangerous … it’s
a strange sport, in a way, because the more
adverse the conditions, like today, the happier
we are! My family worry at times, and one of
my friends says I’m crazy to take the risks I
do. But I say it feels so natural for us surfers
to do it—so it would be wrong not to do it …
right? The feeling of throwing caution to the
wind, getting on the biggest, most, dangerous
waves—that’s when the adrenaline kicks in.
Sure, we fall, we sometimes end up in the surf,
and that’s scary for sure, but we don’t cry over
spilled milk. We wait for the next wave and
we get right back up again. That’s just how
surfers are.
Extract 5
HOST: How much does a board actually cost?
JEN: They can cost an arm and a leg for
professionals … I have a carbon fiber one,
which is amazing, and very expensive—well
over $1,000, but the gains are pretty marginal
really; a polyurethane board covered in
fiberglass cloth gets the job done just fine
for about three or four hundred dollars.
The dimensions of boards vary a lot, which
also affects the price, but for me the most
important thing is to have a board I can
absolutely rely on.
Extract 6
HOST: I see. And one last question before you
go. Are you going to win this afternoon?
JEN: To be honest, your guess is as good as
mine! Part of it is just the luck of the draw;
who gets the best waves. But I certainly hope
to be in contention.
Track 9.4
We’re looking at two problems today, both
very serious problems in ecological terms.
The first is overfishing, and the second coral
bleaching. I’ll introduce each issue, and then
I’ll look in more detail at our role as marine
ecology engineers in mitigating the damage
these issues are causing.
Track 9.5
We’re looking at two problems today, both
very serious problems in ecological terms.
The first is overfishing, and the second coral
bleaching. I’ll introduce each issue, and then
I’ll look in more detail at our role as marine
ecology engineers in mitigating the damage
these issues are causing.
So starting with overfishing … and that’s
a strange term, to some, when we think of
fish as a naturally healthy food—and fishing
itself seems like the most natural thing in the
world, hunting in its most basic form. But
this is no longer true, as we will see. In an
industrialized age, there is nothing good or
natural about fishing.
OK, so there are basically three types of
overfishing; you can see them on this slide.
The first is called “recruitment overfishing.”
This is simply when the amount of fish
taken from the ocean is greater than the
amount that can be reproduced naturally,
so the fish are no longer able to sustain their
population. That’s what most people think of
as overfishing, but there are two more forms
of this problem, technically. The second
form is “growth overfishing,” which is when
fish are taken that are not yet of an optimal
25
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
size for maximum yield of fish. Finally,
there is “ecosystem overfishing,” which as
the name suggests is fishing that damages
the ecosystem, usually by fishing the top
predators, like tuna, resulting in too many of
the smaller fish, like sardines. Together, these
three are thought to be the culprits in the
damage done to our ocean ecosystems. So,
just how serious is this problem? Well, this
next slide has some alarming figures.
First of all, as reported in World Ocean
Review, estimates of the size of the catch
from illegal fishing range from 11 to 26
million tons annually, which represents 14 to
33% of the world’s reported catch.
The next alarming fact is that, in just four
decades, the number of marine species is
thought to have decreased by around 40%,
with about a third of fish stocks, by the best
estimations, being overfished to varying
degrees.
So yes, it’s an extremely serious problem,
both for humans and nature. Coastal
communities that depend on fish are
affected, as is the balance of ocean life, often
catastrophically in both cases. Let me give
you an example, on this next slide. As you
can see, it concerns the Eastern Canadian
cod-fishing industry off Newfoundland and
Labrador. These pictures show how many
fish there were—you could practically pick
them out of the water with your hands! For
500 years, they sustained the local economy.
But overfishing, recruitment, and growth
overfishing to be precise, caused these huge
cod stocks to almost disappear. To give you
an idea of the scale of the disaster, in 1992
the cod population was estimated to be only
1% of what it had been, a staggering loss
that many thought was insurmountable. It
destroyed the entire economy of the coastal
areas, which had been built around the
fishing industry—an estimated 35,000 people
lost their jobs. The situation looked bleak.
But now, thankfully, the cod are viable again.
Which moves us on to solutions. What was
the solution in this case? Simple: a complete
ban for an initial duration of two years—later
extended—on cod fishing in the area. And
the good news is that it worked, by and
large. The devastation was reversed, and by
2015 it was estimated that the figure was
back up to about two thirds of the original
stocks, or, to put it another way, comparative
safety … although some experts do now
consider this to be an overestimate. Even so,
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
it was an extraordinary success that made
many people optimistic that it could be
reproduced. Unfortunately, it’s not a solution
that is easily applied everywhere. Consider
that an estimated 50% of European fish
imports are from developing countries …
it’s not a market that they can afford to lose.
They can’t just stop fishing.
Now, there are those that say that overfishing
can’t be our fault, that other fish and animals
have always naturally hunted and it’s natural
that these species get eaten. Well, it’s not
natural if you’re capable of getting 400
tons of mackerel on board in two hours.
No animal can do that. Solutions have to
address the efficiency—and inefficiency—of
the fishing industry. Efficiency in the amount
it can catch, but inefficiency in the fact that
much of what is caught is unintentional
catch, and is thrown back dead in the water,
or, even worse, it is of endangered species.
There are some solutions available for
these problems, for example, government
regulation has increased net-hole size,
allowing smaller species to escape. Reducing
subsidies can also help avoid these
problems. But there’s always likely to be
resistance against regulatory measures from
a fishing industry that feels that its workers’
livelihoods are threatened.
So, what other solutions are possible?
Well, one is aquaculture, or farming fish in
captivity. This has been criticized in some
quarters as being unnatural, and bringing
to fishing some of the problems we see in
farming animals on land. But so what if it
isn’t natural? It can and does work. Another
solution is raising consumer awareness, with
the aim of encouraging the consumption
of sustainable breeds of fish. I would guess
we’ve all seen the writing on the supermarket
pre-packed fish, appealing to the educated
consumer who doesn’t want to exacerbate
the problems of overfishing. Yes, we’ve all
seen it, but I would estimate only about a
fraction of us select our pre-packed fish on
that basis. Most of us, I would guess, are
driven by price. Therefore, though a great
initiative, it is unlikely to solve the problem in
the long term.
So, that’s enough input on overfishing for
now. Let’s turn to the phenomenon known as
“coral bleaching.”
As you might expect, this refers to the
phenomenon when coral reefs lose color
and turn white. However, it’s not just an
aesthetic change—this change in color can
kill them. The bleaching is a result of stress
to the coral caused by change—this could be
a change of nutrients, of temperature, or of
light. The previously unspoiled coral rejects
the algae that it contains and on which it
depends for approximately 90% of its energy.
Again, there are those who will say that it’s
a natural phenomenon, that change is a
part of nature, and therefore we shouldn’t
worry about it … however, to argue this is
to ignore the hypothesis, if we can still call
it a hypothesis, that humans are increasing
the temperature of the oceans, and also the
fact that coral reefs are a vital part of the
marine ecosystem, but a very fragile one.
The reefs take millions of years to grow, but
a single year can kill them. Bleaching is a
destructive phenomenon that has already
destroyed large stretches of reef—in a single
year, 2005, the U.S. lost an estimated 50% of
its Caribbean coral reef, as evidenced from
satellite imaging, while in parts of the Indian
Ocean—off the Maldives and Sri Lanka, for
example—estimates of coral bleaching for
2016 were nearer to 90%. Yes, 90 … and don’t
think for one moment that this loss doesn’t
affect us. It does. We suffer along with marine
life if the phenomenon is not controlled, as
these ecosystems underlie our economies.
And aside from the cause suggested above,
there is another, more clearly human cause.
Mass tourism results in massive use of
sunscreens. We now know that sunscreens
contain chemicals that cause stress to coral
reef systems. And it’s thought that that
between 6,000 and 14,000 tons of sunscreen
are released into coral reefs each year.
One hypothesis is that the sunscreen may
harm the reefs just as much as increased
temperature.
So, now, to go back to the original question,
as marine ecological engineers, how can we
address this situation?
Track 9.6
1 OK, so there are basically three types of
overfishing; you can see them on this
slide. The first is called “recruitment
overfishing.” This is simply when the
amount of fish taken from the ocean is
greater than the amount that can be
reproduced naturally, so the fish are no
longer able to sustain their population.
That’s what most people think of as
overfishing, but there are two more forms
of this problem, technically. The second
26
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
form is “growth overfishing,” which is
when fish are taken that are not yet of an
optimal size for maximum yield of fish.
Finally, there is “ecosystem overfishing,”
which as the name suggests is fishing
that damages the ecosystem, usually
by fishing the top predators, like tuna,
resulting in too many of the smaller fish,
like sardines. Together, these three are
thought to be the culprits in the damage
done to our ocean ecosystems. So, just
how serious is this problem? Well, this
next slide has some alarming figures.
2 There are some solutions available for
these problems, for example, government
regulation has increased net-hole size,
allowing smaller species to escape.
Reducing subsidies can also help avoid
these problems. But there’s always
likely to be resistance against regulatory
measures from a fishing industry that
feels that its workers’ livelihoods are
threatened.
3 I would guess we’ve all seen the writing
on the supermarket pre-packed fish,
appealing to the educated consumer who
doesn’t want to exacerbate the problems
of overfishing. Yes, we’ve all seen it, but I
would estimate only about a fraction of us
select our pre-packed fish on that basis.
The rest of us, I would guess, are driven by
price. Therefore, though a great initiative,
it is unlikely to solve the problem in the
long term.
4 … however, to argue this is to ignore
the hypothesis, if we can still call it a
hypothesis, that humans are increasing
the temperature of the oceans, and also
the fact that coral reefs are a vital part of
the marine ecosystem, but a very fragile
one.
Track 9.7
1 First of all, as reported in World Ocean
Review, estimates of the size of the catch
from illegal fishing range from 11 to 26
million tons annually, which represents 14
to 33% of the world’s reported catch.
2 The next alarming fact is that, in just four
decades, the number of marine species
is thought to have decreased by around
40%, with about a third of fish stocks, by
the best estimations, being overfished to
varying degrees.
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
3 But overfishing, recruitment, and growth
overfishing to be precise, caused these
huge cod stocks to almost disappear.
To give you an idea of the scale of the
disaster, in 1992 the cod population
was estimated to be only 1% of what it
had been, a staggering loss that many
thought was insurmountable. It destroyed
the entire economy of the coastal areas,
which had been built around the fishing
industry—an estimated 35,000 people lost
their jobs. The situation looked bleak. But
now, thankfully, the cod are viable again.
4 What was the solution in this case? Simple:
a complete ban for an initial duration of
two years—later extended—on cod fishing
in the area. And the good news is that it
worked, by and large. The devastation was
reversed, and by 2015 it was estimated that
the figure was back up to about two thirds
of the original stocks, or, to put it another
way, comparative safety … although some
experts do now consider this to be an
overestimate.
5 … in a single year, 2005, the U.S. lost an
estimated 50% of its Caribbean coral
reef, as evidenced from satellite imaging,
while in parts of the Indian Ocean—off
the Maldives and Sri Lanka, for example—
estimates of coral bleaching for 2016 were
nearer to 90%.
Track 9.8
1 So starting with overfishing … and that’s
a strange term, to some, when we think of
fish as a naturally healthy food—and fishing
itself seems like the most natural thing in
the world, hunting in its most basic form.
But this is no longer true, as we will see. In
an industrialized age, there is nothing good
or natural about fishing.
2 Now, there are those that say that
overfishing can’t be our fault, that other fish
and animals have always naturally hunted
and it’s natural that these species get eaten.
Well, it’s not natural if you’re capable of
getting 400 tons of mackerel on board in
two hours. No animal can do that.
3 So, what other solutions are possible?
Well, one is aquaculture, or farming fish in
captivity. This has been criticized in some
quarters as being unnatural, and bringing
to fishing some of the problems we see in
farming animals on land. But so what if it
isn’t natural? It can and does work.
Track 9.9
Well, I don’t know exactly, but it really started
when my family moved to Cornwall in England,
a surfer’s paradise. Before that, I lived in a
seaside town in Portugal, where there were
some good waves. Every summer, the town
filled to bursting with surfers from all over the
world: Australians, Swiss, everyone came to ride
the waves. I loved to watch them and I suppose
that’s when the bug bit. Anyway, in Cornwall,
whenever I could, I’d borrow a board and have
a go. At about that time I heard about Margo
Oberg, who really inspired me—she became
the first female professional surfer in the same
year that professional contests started, 1975.
And I think before that I’d read an article about
the first superstar surfer, Kelly Slater, which
kind of caught my attention. So eventually, I
persuaded my parents to let me have my own
board and I started entering competitions, but
as there weren’t any for kids, I had to compete
against adults, men and women actually. I got
my first sponsor when I was 16, and since then
I’ve spent all my time chasing the waves all over
the world.
Track 9.10
1 But there’s always likely to be resistance
against regulatory measures from a
fishing industry that feels that its workers’
livelihoods are threatened. So, what
other solutions are possible? Well, one is
aquaculture, or farming fish in captivity.
2 Therefore, though a great initiative, it
is unlikely to solve the problem in the
long term. So, that’s enough input on
overfishing for now. Let’s turn to the
phenomenon known as “coral bleaching.”
3 One hypothesis is that the sunscreen may
harm the reefs just as much as increased
temperature. So, now, to go back to the
original question, as marine ecological
engineers, how can we address …
Track 9.11
1 In many countries today, ↑ | fresh water is
not a given ↑ | —but a luxury. ↓
2 It’s easy to believe this: ↓ | as long as we
have water, ↑ | there is no need to worry.
↓
3 However, ↓ | —even water in our taps, ↑ |
which we consider healthy, ↑ | concerns
many scientists. ↓
27
Second Edition

Listening & Speaking

4 AUDIO SCRIPTS

4 If we are to ensure ↓ | safe access to
water, ↑ | there are several steps ↑ |
which most communities can take
today. ↓
Unit 10: Conflict
Track 10.1
JIA: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
and welcome to today’s debate. The
motion for the debate is as follows:
Proactive ways of resolving conflicts are
better than attempts to prevent or mitigate
them. Proposing the motion, on my right
we have on the postgraduate team, Feliks
and Owen. Opposing the motion, on my left
we have the second-year undergraduates
team; Fatima and Carmen. Our judges
today are Lisa and Molly.
I would now like to call on the first speaker
of the proposition, Feliks, to open the
debate.
FELIKS: Good afternoon, Madam Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen. The topic for our
debate is proactive versus preventative
methods of resolving conflicts. We define
proactive methods as cooperative styles of
resolving conflict, and with this definition,
we as the affirmative team believe
that proactive methods are superior to
preventative methods.
As the first speaker for the motion, I am
going to discuss two points. Our second
speaker for the motion will rebut and sum
up our team’s case.
So, my first argument is that conciliation—
which is basically meeting the other side
halfway, not just giving in—is the right
way, the best way, the most effective way,
to resolve conflict in the long term. Both
sides can take some satisfaction from the
resolution, and there is a wonderful feeling
of both having been generous, but also
winning something for yourself.
My second point is that a cooperative
style produces a win-win situation, so
that both sides get what they want in
the end. It’s not, admittedly, the easiest
method, because it requires high levels of
empathy at the same time as focusing on
your self-interest. This sounds impossible
but can actually be achieved with training
and practice. If all the participants at
international conferences on world issues
like climate change came to the table with
this approach, they would, undoubtedly,
achieve amazing things.
So, Madam Chairman, ladies and
gentlemen, in conclusion we should try to
resolve conflicts with the aim of pleasing
both parties in a conflict—something
that, unfortunately, given the undeniable
strength of our position, won’t happen
today!
JIA: Thank you, Feliks. And now we will hear
from the first negative speaker, Fatima.
FATIMA: Madam Chairman, ladies and
gentlemen … we agree with the topic and
definitions given by the first affirmative
speaker. However, we believe that their
main statement is false. As the first negative
speaker, I will give you two arguments in
favor of adopting an avoiding or yielding
style of conflict resolution. Our second
speaker will rebut the opposing side’s
argument for a proactive approach, and
sum up our team’s case.
Now, my main point is that most conflicts
can be completely avoided, simply by
waiting for the situation to pass. In my
culture, for example, conflict can result
in what we call “loss of face,” which can
lead to long-term damage to personal or
business relationships, so it is much better
to adopt a kind of wait and see policy.
And my second point is that a yielding style
can be very productive. In some cultures,
it might be seen as very insulting to be too
concerned about your own position …
to achieve harmony, you have to respect
the other side. So, ladies and gentlemen,
Madam Chairman, judges … the so-called
proactive strategies for resolving conflict
may appear attractive in one particular
type of culture, but in today’s multicultural
business world, they are likely to fail. A
yielding style, as I am sure you will agree,
is a far more constructive method of
maintaining goodwill, unifying the parties,
and therefore resolving conflict. Thank you.
JIA: Thank you, Fatima. Now, to rebut the
first affirmative speaker, we will hear from
Carmen.
CARMEN: Madam Chairman, ladies and
gentlemen. The first affirmative speaker
has tried to tell you that a proactive,
cooperative approach to resolving conflict
somehow results in all parties feeling
that they have won. A win-win situation, I
believe he called it, where everybody feels
a kind of glow of happiness … I know, it
does sound childish when you look at it like
that … now, the reason this view is wrong is
that it is inherent in any real-world conflict,
as opposed to a theoretical conflict, that
one side is more powerful than the other.
So more often than not, the weaker side
will feel that the other is trying to bully

Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE 28
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
Second Edition
Listening & Speaking
4 AUDIO SCRIPTS
them into agreeing to something that they
don’t want. To the weaker side it feels
like a violation, not a birthday party. So
Madam Chairman, ladies and gentlemen,
in conclusion, in the real, multicultural
world that we live in, rather than the fake
world imagined by the affirmative team, we
need an approach to conflict that does not
involve imposing our will on others, but one
that helps avoid it in the first place. Thank
you.
JIA: Thank you, Carmen. Now, to rebut the
first negative speaker, we will hear the final
speaker, Owen.
OWEN: Madam Speaker, ladies and
gentlemen. The first negative speaker,
Fatima, has tried to tell you that there is a
cultural issue with trying to find a resolution
to a problem. That may be true in a very
few situations, but should we really just
give in to anyone who is in conflict with us,
even when we know we are right? Surely
it is cowardly to do this. And Fatima also
said that we should just wait for things to
get better by themselves. That is simply
dangerous in a world where we need to find
ways to solve serious problems. We can’t
just wait and hope.
Madam Chairman, ladies and gentlemen,
in conclusion, proactive methods, where
each side give incentives for the other side
to amend or refine their position until the
conflict is resolved, are not merely the best
way, they are the only way.
JIA: Thank you, speakers for and against
the motion. Now the judges will make their
decision …
Track 10.2
BRETT: The lecture has started, so please
pay attention … now, to begin with. We’re
piloting this program, and so I’m here
today with the senior lecturer, Professor
Sofia Lang, to talk about role conflict. This
should be familiar to those of you who did
the pre-reading I assigned on the website,
but to recap, please look at this slide with
a diagram and definitions. So, firstly: role
conflict can occur when a person is assigned
two or more roles, and compliance with the
demands of these would be difficult or even
impossible … There are two subcategories
here, at the bottom—intra-role conflict
and inter-role conflict; you can see the
definitions. So, to expand on that, intra-role
conflict occurs in an organizational context
… it’s when the job, for example, places
Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.
incompatible demands on the worker …
and here we have inter-role conflict … uh
… so that’s when you have roles in two
different domains that cannot be easily
accommodated, like being a mother and
worker, which is by the way undoubtedly
the most common example in the modern
world. To give you an idea of what’s to
follow— Professor Lang will start by talking
about the work-family dilemma, the inter-
role conflict, on which she is certainly one
of the most respected authorities, and then
I’ll outline some key points concerning
organizational, or intra-role conflict.
Professor Lang?
SOFIA: Sofia, please. Thank you, Professor
Wilson. A neat summary, don’t you think,
students? Maria, I saw you making notes.
Did you have a question?
MARIA: No, thank you professor … I did the
pre-reading. It’s no problem …
SOFIA: Good. Now imagine this. A woman
goes to university in her 20s, finds she loves
academic life, and qualifies with a Ph.D.
in physics eight years later. She is eager
to put her work into practice. But she also
wants a family, so she has two children
with her partner. The university takes her
on in a research post, and she is expected
to attend conferences on weekends, and
generally put in a lot of hours, sometimes in
the evenings, helping students and doing
research. This she totally understands.
However, she also wants to be a good
mother, there for her children, but she
has no possible boundary between the
two roles, because they overlap in terms
of time and attention needed. This is a
classic example of inter-role conflict …
and actually, there’s nothing radical in this
scenario, in fact it’s very similar to my own!
People often praise me. “How do you do
it?” is a question I get asked all the time,
but there is nothing strange about it for
millions of women … Frankly, the question
really annoys me … Now, what are the
consequences of this kind of conflict? There
are studies that suggest that this conflict
is responsible for declining birth rates in
developed countries, a decline which is
undeniably happening … But my own
research suggests that there are too many
factors involved to be able to make any
claim for one main reason for this decline.
However, it is argued in some of the studies
that the reason for the decline in numbers
of children is that many women are
choosing a career over children. Though in
some ways this seems possible, the theory
ignores the fact that fathers experience a
similar conflict—a study in 2008 suggests
up to 49% of working fathers face the same
conflict between their roles. So, how can
we know that this is a female choice? Is
there any way of being sure? Ben, what do
you think?
BEN: I agree with you … I mean, there are so
many changes going on … women’s rights,
changing work patterns, attitudes to raising
children … but I guess you could survey
people to find out what they see as the
decisive factor?
SOFIA: And we do, of course! But that
kind of data are not always reliable …
Consequently, we just don’t know for sure
… anyway, you should start thinking about
these issues for your project, which we’ll be
assigning in next week’s tutorials. I’m going
to pass you back to Professor Wilson …
BRETT: Brett, please! Thank you. Now,
if I may return to my slideshow here …
organizational work conflict. As I explained,
it’s when you have two roles within one
organizational context. I have an example
here from real life: Let’s call him Max.
He works in an office in a web-design
company. He’s been there for nine years,
and has worked his way up. You can see his
career path on this diagram. In his current
role as team leader, the management
has delegated to him the responsibility of
making sure his team meets deadlines with
high-quality work, but he also represents
the web designers at management
meetings. There’s a clear conflict here. What
actually happened was that he stopped
doing the things that got him these jobs in
the first place. Hence, he ended up doing
the minimum required to keep his job. Now,
there are those who would say that it had
nothing to do with the role conflict, he just
wanted an easy life … but why would he
change after all those years? People just
aren’t that changeable. You will recognize
this as the case study I asked you to read …
it’s clearly a case of role conflict lowering
motivation, which several studies have
identified as an outcome. Basically, the
different roles negated his strengths. Let’s
look at some figures now. This chart shows
statistics on motivation in three different
industries …
29
Second Edition

Listening & Speaking

4 AUDIO SCRIPTS

SOFIA: Can I jump in here? I think we need 3 Madam Chairman, ladies and gentlemen.
to touch on coping strategies … The first affirmative speaker has tried
to tell you that a proactive, cooperative
Track 10.3 approach to resolving conflict somehow
Extract 1 results in all parties feeling that they have
Now, what are the consequences of this kind won.
of conflict? There are studies that suggest 4 Madam Speaker, ladies and gentlemen.
that this conflict is responsible for declining The first negative speaker, Fatima, has
birth rates in developed countries, a decline tried to tell you that there is a cultural
which is undeniably happening … But my issue with trying to find a resolution to a
own research suggests that there are too problem.
many factors involved to be able to make any 5 The lecture has started, so please pay
claim for one main reason for this decline. attention. Now, to begin with, we’re
However, it is argued in some of the studies piloting this program and so I’m here
that the reason for the decline in numbers of today with the senior lecturer, Professor
children is that many women are choosing Sofia Lang, to talk about role conflict.
a career over children. Though in some
6 Good. Now, imagine this. A woman goes
ways this seems possible, the theory ignores
to university in her 20s, finds she loves
the fact that fathers experience a similar
academic life, and qualifies with a Ph.D.
conflict—a study in 2008 suggests up to 49%
in physics eight years later. She is eager to
of working fathers face the same conflict
put her work into practice.
between their roles. So, how can we know
that this is a female choice?
Extract 2
I have an example here from real life: Let’s
call him Max. He works in an office in a web-
design company. He’s been there for nine
years, and has worked his way up. You can
see his career path on this diagram. In his
current role as team leader, the management
has delegated to him the responsibility of
making sure his team meets deadlines with
high-quality work, but he also represents the
web designers at management meetings.
There’s a clear conflict here. What actually
happened was that he stopped doing
the things that got him these jobs in the
first place. Hence, he ended up doing the
minimum required to keep his job. Now,
there are those who would say that it had
nothing to do with the role conflict, he just
wanted an easy life … but why would he
change after all those years? People just
aren’t that changeable.

Track 10.4
1 Opposing the motion, on my left we have
the second-year undergraduates team;
Fatima and Carmen. Our judges today are
Lisa and Molly.
2 We define proactive methods as
cooperative styles of resolving conflict, and
with this definition, we as the affirmative
team believe that proactive methods are
superior to preventative methods.

Skillful Second Edition. This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
PHOTOCOPIABLE 30
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2018.