LISTENING TRANSCRIPT

PART 1
CAROLINE: Good morning. Youth Council. Caroline speaking.
ROGER: Oh, hello, I’m interested in standing for election to the Youth Council, and I was told to give you
a call.
CAROLINE: That’s good. Could you I have your name, please?
ROGER: Yes, it’s Roger Brown.
CAROLINE: Thank you. I’m Caroline, the Youth Council 1 __________________. So do you know much
about what the Council does, Roger?
ROGER: I’ve talked to Stephanie – I think she’s the chair of the Council.
CAROLINE: That’s right.
ROGER: And she told me a lot about it. How it’s a way for young people to discuss local 2
__________________, for example, and make suggestions to the town council. That’s what
made me interested.
CAROLINE: Fine. Well let me take down some of your 3 __________________. First of all, how old are
you? You know the Council is for young people aged from 13 to 18?
ROGER: I’ve just turned 18.
CAROLINE: And where do you live, Roger?
ROGER: Well, that’s a bit 4 __________________. At the moment I’m looking for a flat to rent here, so
I’m in a hostel from Monday to Friday. I go back to my parents’ place at the weekend.
CAROLINE: OK, so where’s the best place to send you some information about the Council?
ROGER: Oh, to my parent’s 5 __________________, please. That’s 17, Buckleigh Street – B-U-C-K-L-
E-I-G-H Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, though you don’t really need the country.
CAROLINE: Oh, I know Stamford – it’s a lovely town. And what’s the 6 __________________?
ROGER: PE9 7QT.
CAROLINE: Right, thank you. So are you working here, or are you a student?
ROGER: I started studying at the university a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve got a part-time job for a few
hours a week.
CAROLINE: What do you do?
ROGER: Well, I’ve done 7 __________________ different things. I’ve just finished a short-term contract
as a courier, and now I’m working as a waiter in one of the big hotels.
CAROLINE: Uhuh. That can’t leave you much time for studying!
ROGER: Oh, it’s not too bad. I 8 __________________ to fit it all in.
CAROLINE: What are you studying?
ROGER: My ambition is to go into parliament eventually, so my 9 __________________ subject is
politics. That’s partly why I think the Youth Council is important and want to be a part of it.
CAROLINE: And I suppose you’re also taking a 10 __________________ subject, aren’t you? I know a lot
of people study economics too.
ROGER: I chose history. To be honest, I’m not finding it as interesting as I 11 __________________!
CAROLINE: OK, so with your studying and your part-time job, do you have time for any other interests or
hobbies?
ROGER: Well, I spend quite a lot of time cycling – both around town to get to 12 __________________
and to work, and also long-distance, from here to London, for instance.
CAROLINE: That’s pretty impressive! Anything else?
ROGER: For 13 __________________ I’m also keen on the cinema – I used to go at least once a week,
but I can’t manage to go so often now.
CAROLINE: Right. Are you sure you’ll have enough time for the Youth Council?
ROGER: Yes, I’ve worked out that I can 14 __________________ to reduce my hours at work, and that
will make the time.
CAROLINE: So is there any particular aspect of the Youth Council’s work that 15 __________________ to
you, Roger?
ROGER: Well, my sister is blind, so I’m particularly interested in working with disabled young people, to
try and improve the 16 __________________ of their lives.
CAROLINE: That’s great. Well, the best way to get involved is to be nominated by some people who you
know.
ROGER: Right. Can you tell me how to set about 17 __________________ that?
CAROLINE: You should talk to Jeffrey, our Elections Officer. I can 18 __________________ a meeting in
the council office with him, if you like.
ROGER: Yes, please.
CAROLINE: He’ll be here next Monday, if that 19 __________________ you.
ROGER: That’s the 14th, isn’t it?
CAROLINE: Yes.
ROGER: I can manage late afternoon.
CAROLINE: Would you like to suggest a time? He 20 __________________ leaves around 5.30.
ROGER: Well, would 4.30 be OK? My last class finishes at 4, so I’d have plenty of time to get to your
office.
CAROLINE: Right, that’s fine. Oh, and could I have a phone number we can contact you on?
ROGER: Yes, my mobile number’s 07788 136711.
CAROLINE: Thank you. Well, we’ll look forward to seeing you next week.
ROGER: Thanks very much. Goodbye.
CAROLINE: Bye.
PART 2
Hi. Great to see you! I’m Jody, and I’ll be look after both of you for the first month you’re working here at
the Amersham Theatre. I’ll tell you something about the theatre now, then take you to meet two of the other 1
__________________.
It’s an old building, and it’s been modernised several times. In fact, as you can see, we’re carrying out a
major refurbishment at the moment. The 2 __________________ has just been repainted, and we’re about to
start on the exterior of the building – that’ll be a big job. The work’s running over 3 __________________, so
we’ve had to postpone installing an elevator. I hope you’re happy running up and down stairs! When the theatre
was built, people were generally slimmer and shorter than now, and the seats were very close together. We’ve
4 __________________ them with larger seats, with more legroom. This means fewer seats in total, but we’ve
taken the opportunity to install seats that can easily be moved to create different acting 5 __________________.
We’ve also turned a few storerooms over to other purposes like using them for meetings.
We try hard to involve members of the 6 __________________ in the theatre. One way is by organising
backstage tours so people can be shown round the building and learn how a theatre operates. These are proving
very popular. What we’re finding is that people want to have lunch or a cup of coffee 7 __________________
they’re here, so we’re looking into the 8 __________________ of opening a café in due course. We have a
bookshop, which specialises in books about drama and that 9 __________________ plenty of customers. Then
there are two large rooms that will be decorated next month, and they’ll be available for hire, for conferences
and private 10 __________________, such as parties. We’re also considering hiring out costumes to amateur
drama clubs.
Now I want to tell you about our workshops. We recently started a programme of workshops that anyone
can join. Eventually we intend to run 11 __________________ in acting, but we’re waiting until we’ve got the
right people in place as trainers. That’s proving more difficult than we’d expected! There’s a big demand to learn
about the 12 __________________ side of putting on a production, and our lighting workshop has already
started with great success. We’re going to start one on sound next month. A number of people have 13
__________________ about workshops on make-up, and that’s something we’re 14 __________________for
the future. A surprise success is the workshop on making puppets – we happen to have someone working here
who does it as a hobby, and she offered to run a workshop. It was so popular we’re now running them every
month!
Now, a word about the 15 __________________ of the building. The auditorium, stage and dressing
rooms for the actors are all below ground level. Here on the ground floor we have most of the rooms that the
public doesn’t see. The 16 __________________ are internal, so they have windows in the roof to light them.
Standing here in the foyer, you’re probably wondering why the box office isn’t here, where the public
would expect to find it. Well, you might have noticed it on your way in – although it’s part of this building, it’s next
door with a 17 __________________ entrance from the road.
For the theatre manager’s office, you go across the foyer and through the 18 __________________
doors, turn right, and it’s the room at the end of the corridor, with the door on the left.
 The lighting box is where the computerised stage lighting is 19 __________________ and it’s at the back
of the building. When you’re through the double doors turn left, turn right at the water cooler, and right again at
the end. It’s the second room along that corridor. The 20 __________________ box has a window into the
auditorium, which of course is below us.
The 21 __________________ director’s office is through the double doors, turn right and it’s the first
room you come to on the 22 __________________ side. And finally, for the moment, the room where I’ll take
you next – the relaxation room. So if you’d like to come with me …

PART 3:
HELEN: I’ve brought my notes on our Biology Field Trip to Rocky Bay, Colin, so we can work on our report
on the 1 __________________ we did together.
COLIN: OK. I’ve got mine too. Let’s look at the aims of the trip first.
HELEN: Right. What did you have?
COLIN: I just put something about getting 2 __________________ of the different sorts of procedures used
on a field trip. But we need something about what causes different organisms to choose particular
3 __________________.
HELEN: I agree. And something about finding out how to protect organisms in danger of dying out?
COLIN: In our aims? But we weren’t really looking at that.
HELEN: I 4 __________________ not. OK, now there’s the list of equipment we all had to bring on the field
trip. What did they tell us to bring a ruler for?
COLIN: It was something about measuring the slope of the shore, but of course we didn’t need it because
we were measuring wind 5 __________________, and we’d brought the compass for that …
HELEN: But not the piece of string to hold up in the air! Didn’t Mr Blake make a fuss about us leaving that
behind.
COLIN: Yeah. He does go on. Anyway it was easy to get one from another of the students.
HELEN: Now, the next section’s the 6 __________________. I sent you the draft of that.
COLIN: Yeah. It was clear, but I don’t think we need all these details of what time we left and what time we
got back and how we divided up the different research tasks.
HELEN: OK. I’ll look at that again.
COLIN: Then we have to describe our method of 7 __________________ in detail. So let’s begin with how
we measured wave speed. I was surprised how straightforward that was.
HELEN: I’d expected us to have some sort of high-tech device, not just stand there and count the number of
waves per minute. Not very 8 __________________, but I suppose it was good enough. But the
way we measured the amount of salt was interesting.
COLIN: In the water from the rock pools?
HELEN: Yeah, oh, I wanted to check the 9 __________________ we used in the lab when we analysed
those samples – was it potassium chromate and silver nitrate?
COLIN: That’s right.
HELEN: OK. And we need the map of the seashore. You just left that to me. And I had to do in while the tide
was low, well that was OK, but the place I started it from was down on the beach, then I realised I
should have gone up higher to get better 10 __________________, so I had to start all over again.
But at least I’d go the squared paper or I’d have had problems drawing it all to scale.
COLIN: Yes. It looks good. We could get a map of the 11 __________________ off the internet and see if
we need to make any changes.
HELEN: I had a look but I couldn’t find anything. But you took some pictures, didn’t you?
COLIN: Yeah. I’ll email you them if you want.
HELEN: OK. I’ll make my amendments using those, then I can scan it into our report. Great.
HELEN: Now when we get to our findings I thought we could 12 __________________ them up into the
different zones we identified on the shore and the problems organisms face in each zone. So for
the highest area …
COLIN: … the splash zone?
HELEN: Yeah, we found mostly those tiny shellfish that have strong hard shells that act as 13
__________________.
COLIN: But not from other organisms that might eat them, predators?
HELEN: No, that’s not the main danger for them. But the shells prevent them from drying out because they’re
in the open air for most of the time.
COLIN: Right. And since they’ve 14 __________________, they need to be able to find some sort of shelter,
or cover themselves up, so they don’t get too hot. Then in the middle and lower zones, nearer the
sea, we need to discuss the effects of wave action …
HELEN: Yes, and how organisms develop 15 __________________ to prevent themselves from being
swept away, or even destroyed by being smashed against the rocks.
COLIN: I haven’t done anything on the geological 16 __________________. I don’t know what to put for
that.
HELEN: No, we weren’t concentrating on that. Maybe we need to find some websites.
COLIN: Good idea. I’ve got the 17 __________________ notes from Mr Blake’s geology course, but they’re
too general. But we could ask him which books on our Reading List might be most helpful.
HELEN: Right. OK, now I did a draft of the section of sources of possible error in our research, but I don’t
know if you agree. For example, the size of the sample, and whether it’s big enough to make any
general 18 __________________ from. But I thought actually we did have quite a big sample.
COLIN: We did. And our general method of observation seemed quite reliable. But we might not be all that
19 __________________ as far as the actual numbers go.
HELEN: I wasn’t sure about the way we described their habitats. I decided it was probably OK.
 COLIN: Yeah, and the descriptions we gave of the smaller organisms, they weren’t very detailed, but they
were adequate in this context. I’m not sure we identified all the 20 __________________correctly
thought.
HELEN: OK, we’d better mention that. Now, how …

PART 4
We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing 1 __________________
buildings. I’m going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, and I’ll illustrate this by referring
to the new Taylor Concert Hall that’s recently been 2 __________________ here in the city.
So, as with a domestic building, when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the
function of the building – for example, is it to be used primarily for 3 __________________, or for education, or
for administration? The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, this includes
its 4 __________________ location obviously, but it also includes the social meaning of the building how it
relates to the people it’s built for. And finally, for important public buildings, the architect may also be looking for
a central 5 __________________ idea on which to base the design, a sort of metaphor for the building and the
way in which it is used.
Let’s look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a
run-down district that has been 6 __________________ in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a
factory that had been empty for some years. The whole area was some 7 __________________ from the high-
rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping centre, but it was only one kilometre from the ring
road. The side itself was bordered to the north by a canal which had once been used by boats bringing in raw 8
__________________ when the area was used for manufacturing.
The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design 9
__________________ was the location of the site in an area that had no neighbouring buildings of any
importance. To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet
unknown, he decided to 10 __________________ a building centred around the idea of a mystery – something
whose meaning still has to be discovered.
So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian 11
__________________ to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people approach
the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge. He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they
see the building first from a distance, and then close-up, and the initial 12 __________________ he wanted to
create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box. The first side that people see, the southern
wall, is just a high, flat wall 13 __________________ by any windows. This might sound off-putting, but it
supports Harrison’s concept of the building – that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be
inside. And this flat wall also has another 14 __________________. At night-time, projectors are switched on
and it functions as a huge screen, onto which images are projected.
 The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by ten 15 __________________ pads.
These are constructed from rubber, and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them from
affecting the auditorium. The walls are made of several layers of hony-coloured wood, all sourced from local
beech trees. In order to improve the acoustic 16 __________________ of the auditorium and to amplify the
sound, they are not straight, they are curved. The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra
and the 17 __________________ of music being played. In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels
in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all individually motorized, and the walls also have 18
__________________ which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics.
The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been 19 __________________. However,
the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s 20 __________________ to use
local materials, they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local, and say it doesn’t
reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built.