This document contains a listening test transcript that discusses rising university fees in the UK. It includes:
- A debate between a university professor and a student union head on the latest fee increase announcement, with the professor arguing fees are necessary to fund universities and the student arguing it will discourage many students.
- The student questions whether a child from a low-income family could realistically afford the fees, even with financial assistance that tends to favor students from private schools.
- The professor maintains financial mechanisms exist to support students, but the student counters those supports are insufficient and will leave low-income students saddled with debt.
This document contains a listening test transcript that discusses rising university fees in the UK. It includes:
- A debate between a university professor and a student union head on the latest fee increase announcement, with the professor arguing fees are necessary to fund universities and the student arguing it will discourage many students.
- The student questions whether a child from a low-income family could realistically afford the fees, even with financial assistance that tends to favor students from private schools.
- The professor maintains financial mechanisms exist to support students, but the student counters those supports are insufficient and will leave low-income students saddled with debt.
This document contains a listening test transcript that discusses rising university fees in the UK. It includes:
- A debate between a university professor and a student union head on the latest fee increase announcement, with the professor arguing fees are necessary to fund universities and the student arguing it will discourage many students.
- The student questions whether a child from a low-income family could realistically afford the fees, even with financial assistance that tends to favor students from private schools.
- The professor maintains financial mechanisms exist to support students, but the student counters those supports are insufficient and will leave low-income students saddled with debt.
This document contains a listening test transcript that discusses rising university fees in the UK. It includes:
- A debate between a university professor and a student union head on the latest fee increase announcement, with the professor arguing fees are necessary to fund universities and the student arguing it will discourage many students.
- The student questions whether a child from a low-income family could realistically afford the fees, even with financial assistance that tends to favor students from private schools.
- The professor maintains financial mechanisms exist to support students, but the student counters those supports are insufficient and will leave low-income students saddled with debt.
Part 1: (10 pts) 1. D 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. D 6. D 7. D 8. A 9. B 10. B
Part 2: (15 pts)
11. discover/ find/ come across 12. collect/ discover/gather 13. disguised 14. enormous/ huge/immense 15. specialists/ experts/ people 16. just/ exactly/ precisely/ quite 17. richest/ biggest/ strangest18. exist/ remain/ survive 19. forms 20. bitten/ attacked/ stung
Part 3: (10 pts)
21. A 22. D 23. D 24. C 25. A 26. B 27. D 28. B 29. B 30. C
Part 4: (10 pts)
2 31. Paragraph A ___vi___ 32. Paragraph D ___ii___ 33. Paragraph B ___ix___ 34. Paragraph E ___viii___ 35. Paragraph C ___iv___ 36. Paragraph F ___v___ 40. clothing 41. vocabulary 42. chemicals 43. cultures
Part 5: 44. B 45. B 46. D 47. A 48. A 49. D 50. B 51. C 52. C 53. B
D. WRITING (60 pts)
Part 1: Summary (10 pts) 1. Content: The essay should include a summary of the key points. 2. Communicative Achievement: The register should be neutral or formal. The readers should be clear both as to what the key points in each text are and the candidate’s own opinions and responses to these points. 3. Organization: Coherently organized with clear linking between the summaries of the key points and the candidate’s own views. An introduction and conclusion are not essential. 4. Language: Accurate grammar and vocabulary connected with the topics Describing and comparing points of view / information.
A suggested summary: Animals make use of various kinds of communicative methods. Male blackbirds sing to attract female ones and also to keep other blackbirds off their dwellings. Mammals in the oceans like whales, 'sing' to interact with their mates far away too. Dominating hyenas raise their fur hackles in attempts to exhibit power while submissive ones crouch their heads and 'smile' to express respects. Birds of 3 paradise attract female partners by displaying their colorful feathers while the stripes of zebras not only enable them to recognize each other, but also divert the predator's attention in times of danger. Finally, dangerous wasps are brightly colored to warn off others while some harmless ones try to fool their predators by using the same principle. (119 words ) Part 2: Chart description (15pts) 1. Content: (5 pts) All the relevant information has been included. Make general remarks and effective comparisons. 2. Organisation: (4 pts) The answer flows well and is clear and easy to read, that is, the essay is easily understood and well - organised. Use of language: (6 pts) Appropriate linking words and phrases as well as a good level of grammar have been used. Also, the vocabulary is accurately used. Part 3: Essay writing (35pts) The mark is based on the following scheme: 1. Content: (15pts) a provision of all main ideas and details as appropriate. 2. Language: (10 pts) a variety of vocabulary and structures appropriate to the level of English language gifted upper-secondary school students 3. Presentation: (10 pts.) coherence, cohesion, and style appropriate to the level of English language gifted upper-secondary school students
TAPESCRIPT for LISTENING PART
Part 1: (Succeed in Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)) M1: Joining me today to discuss the government’s latest college fees hike are Professor Max Mantle from Cambridge University and Pauline O’Boyle, head of The Student’s Union at Brighton University. So Pauline, what’s your take on this latest development?
4 F1: Well, needless to say, Jeff, I am always disappointed to learn of fee increase; I mean, a third- level education is already beyond the financial means of many, so further increments are just going to exclude more and more would- be college- goers and see them driven to the margins. That said, I think my overwhelming feeling today, strange as it may so, is a sense of relief. After all, the rumour mill has been rife with talk of an imminent hike for months now, and the figures being bandied about were generally far higher than what has actually been announced, so, in one sense, knowing that it could have been worse, and rather expecting it to be, I am not as upset as I might have been. M1: And you, Professor Mantle, what do you make of this latest announcement? M2: Well, while I sympathise with Pauline and what she represents, I cannot but express my satisfaction with the news; after all, what number of the public fail to understand is that universities rely on fee for funding. Government grants to third- level institution are not what they once were. So. The big question is, who is going to pick up the shortfall if not the students themselves? If our universities are to remain world- class institutions then we must invest in them and they must have the financial wherewithal to continue to sponsor research and development, learn and enjoy cutting- edge teaching methods, and equip their facilities with the most up-to-date technology. This is essential, otherwise we will become a laughing stock and fall well behind our foreign peers. F1: Heartfelt through I’m sure your sympathy is Max- please, you have been one of the harshest critics of the unionization of students for years and perhaps the biggest proponent of a rise in university fees in academia- I am going to say to you this, and I want you to look me in the eye when you answer, if you can: Can a child from, for argument’s sake, Croydon, living in a council house, whose mother works at the local grocer’s and whose father draws the dole afford to pay £8,507 a year to go to university- and that is before taking into account accommodation and day-to-day expenses, so add on another £5,000 to that if you want to arrive at the real sum? If, by some flute, this child, educated at a state comprehensive, somehow manages, through sheer hard work and determination,
5 to get the grades he needs to go into higher education, are you going to tell me that the system, in its current forms, will support him? M2: Indeed I will look you in the eye, Pauline, and I would ask you to stop being so populist and dramatic. If this young man or woman has done what you said, you can bet there are mechanism in place, and by that I mean forms of financial assistance like grant aid etc.., to ensure that he or she will most definitely get to pursue further study- unquestionably, and that is the end of the matter. F1: Really Max, did you come down with the last shower? Are you honestly going to stand there and pretend that the system is so when it is patently clear that both of us know it is not? Grants, scholarships and so forth are, by and large, grade dependent, and everyone knows that grammar and private schools get the best grades and thus, unfairly, have a monopoly on this form of assurance, despite the fact that the very students who go to grammar and private schools are the ones least in need of our support. M2: I appreciate it’s an imperfect system, but there is also the university loan facility as a last support. F1: So you would have this impoverished student further saddle himself and his family with debt, would you? M2: Pauline, we live in the real world , and in the real world, money doesn’t grow on trees; how on earth do you expect us to finance universities then with all your airy- fairy nonsense about injustice? If fees don’t go up, we might just as well try to pluck the money out of thin air, and, what’s more, the standard of education and the quality of our graduates will nosedive. Is that what you want? F1: no. what I want is for universities to bear some of the responsibility by themselves. You guys are like a broken record with your pleas for more state funding and higher fees, ever thought perhaps about putting your house in order first before running to the government with your begging bowl? I mean, universities in this country are infamously bureaucratic and inefficiently run. Lecturers are on these exorbitant salaries, have amazing conditions of employment and are virtually ‘unfireable’ – which is hardly providing them with any incentive to offer value for money now, right? 6 M2: Ehem. The vast majority of university lecturers do an excellent job. True, salaries and terms of employment do need to be reviewed, and the process of doing so has already begun, but we need funding in the region of billions per annum and slicing a thousand or two off lecturers’ per annum fees isn’t going to make a blind bit of difference I can assure you. M1: okay, thank you Max- and Pauline. Fascinating stuff so far; we’re just going to pause for a quick commercial break.
Part 2: LACK OF SLEEP LINKED TO GAIN WEIGHT I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English health report..
There are new findings that not enough sleep may cause people to gain weight. Researchers say a lack of sleep can produce hormonal changes that increase feelings of hunger.
In one study, researchers in the United States examined information on more
than one thousand people. The people had taken part in a long-term study of sleep disorders.
Some people slept less than five hours a night. They had fifteen percent higher blood levels of a hormone called ghrelin than people who slept eight hours. And they had fifteen percent less of the hormone leptin. Experts say ghrelin helps make people feel hungry; leptin makes you feel full.
The scientists say these hormonal changes may be a cause of obesity in Western societies. They note the combination that sleep restriction is common and food is widely available.
The results were not affected by how much people exercised. People who are awake longer have more time to burn energy. But the researchers say loss of sleep may increase hunger especially for high-calorie foods, so people gain weight.
7 Researchers from Stanford University in California and the University of Wisconsin did the study. They found that the best amount of sleep for weight control is seven-point-seven hours a night.
The Public Library of Science published the findings in its journal Medicine. Internet users can read the full study, free of charge, at plos.org.
Researchers at the University of Chicago did a smaller study, reported in the
Annals of Internal Medicine. They found that people who slept just four hours a night for two nights had an eighteen percent reduction in leptin. And they had a twenty-eight percent increase in ghrelin. The young men in that study also appeared to want more sweet and starchy foods.
Researchers from Columbia University in New York did a third study. They reported the findings at a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.
They found that people who got less than four hours of sleep a night were seventy-three percent more likely to be overweight. This was compared to people with seven to nine hours of sleep. The researchers say that for survival, the body may be designed to store more fat during times with less sleep.
Part 3:
8 9 Part 4: bbclearningenglish.com Alice Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice… Neil … and I’m Neil. Alice, have you got two pounds? I forgot my wallet and I need a coffee. I’ve only got these pennies. Alice Sorry – I always use my bankcard in the cafeteria. Neil You use a card to buy coffee? Alice Yes. It’s a tap-and-go card so it’s quick – you don’t enter a pin number – and everyone in the coffee queue uses them… except you. And today’s show is about how we pay for things. Neil Well, I pay for things with money! Alice There are different kinds of money. You’re behind the curve, digging around in your pockets for change, Neil. Do you still use cheques too?
10 Neil Yes, I do. Cheques are very useful. Now, being behind the curve means not keeping up with current trends. So help me keep up, Alice. What’s a tap-and-go card? I thought you were talking about your regular bankcard. Alice Well, tap-and-go cards are regular bankcards but with a built-in chip and antenna. The card reader sends out a radio frequency and when you bring the card close to the reader, the antenna picks up the signal to make the payment. Neil Hmm. This antenna business doesn’t sound secure – an antenna is used for sending or receiving radio signals. Doesn’t it mean your personal data is flying around in the ether for anyone to steal? Alice In this context, ether means the air where electronic communication happens. And nothing’s flying around, Peter Pan! At less than half a second per transaction, there’s no time for anyone to steal your cash! Neil I’m still concerned about tap-and-go. What if someone steals my card? Alice Each contactless payment is limited to a certain amount – the UK’s limit is £30. After you’ve used your card a few times in a row, you have to enter your PIN. And if a thief does go on a spending spree with your card, your bank covers you against fraud. Whereas, if someone steals your banknotes, that’s your bad luck! Neil OK, good points. Fraud means getting money by cheating people. And a spending spree is a short period of time where you do a lot of shopping. Are you a big spender, Alice? Alice Not with my tap-and-go, Neil. How about you and your cheque book? Neil No comment. Alice Moving on. If getting your bankcard out seems like too much trouble there’s now a solution with wearable tech– that’s clothing and accessories that include computer and electronic technologies. Let’s hear what Kenneth Cukier, a technology expert, has to say. INSERT Kenneth Cukier, economist and technology expert You can simply take any wireless card and the chip from it that your bank might issue you with, and you can put it into the coat and then when you want to make a payment you just simply wave your arm in front of the terminal and leave with your latte. This is intended for people who are incredibly lazy who don’t want to take their card out of their wallet, or use their phone, or use their watch. People are going to be making more purchases more of the time – particularly for small- valued goods.
11 Neil What Kenneth Cukier said is very interesting. That sounds tempting but I’m still concerned about how safe this all is. What if I wave my arm around and make a payment by mistake? Alice The chip has to get very close to the card reader to make a payment so that’s not likely to happen. Now companies are creating new biometric technology – which you might like Neil – because it combines payment and security technology. Let’s hear more from the BBC reporter Kate Russell. INSERT Kate Russell, BBC reporter For those times when not even carrying a phone is convenient – at the beach or a festival for example – the fingo -pay system reads the unique maps of veins under the surface of your finger. The trick is remembering which finger you registered with. Alice This high-tech stuff reporter Kate Russell is talking about is amazing! Some day soon we won’t have to carry a wallet or a purse or anything. The veins in our finger will authenticate payments – and prove the payments are ours. I can’t wait! Neil Well, that’s the end of this edition of 6 Minute English. Get ahead of the curve, and join us again soon. Meanwhile, visit our website: bbclearningenglish.com, where you’ll find guides to grammar, exercises, videos and articles to read and improve your English. Both Bye.
