Audioscripts

UTESTtfS

SECTION 1
TC EMPLOYEE: Hi. Can I help you?
VISITOR: I'd like to find out if you have any excursions suitable for families.
TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. How about taking your family for a cruise? We have a steamship that Example
takes passengers out several times a day - it's over 100 years old.
VISITOR: That sounds interesting. How long is the trip?
TC EMPLOYEE: About an hour and a half. And don’t forget to take pictures of the mountains. Q1
They’re all around you when you’re on the boat and they look fantastic.
VISITOR: OK. And I assume there’s a cafe or something on board?
TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. How old are your children?
VISITOR: Er, my daughter's fifteen and my son’s seven.
tc employee: Right. Well there are various things you can do once you’ve crossed the lake,
to make a day of it. One thing that’s very popular is a visit to the Country Farm.
You’re met off the boat by the farmer and he’ll take you to the holding pens,
where the sheep are kept. Children love feeding them!
VISITOR: My son would love that. He really likes animals.
TC EMPLOYEE: Well, there’s also a 40-minute trek round the farm on a horse, if he wants. Q2
VISITOR: Do you think he’d manage it? He hasn’t done that before.
TC EMPLOYEE: Sure. It's suitable for complete beginners.
VISITOR: Ah, good.
tc employee: And again, visitors are welcome to explore the farm on their own, as long
as they take care to close gates and so on. There are some very beautiful Q3
gardens along the side of the lake which also belong to the farm - they'll be
just at their best now. You could easily spend an hour or two there.
VISITOR: OK. Well that all sounds good. And can we get lunch there? Q4
TC EMPLOYEE: You can, and it’s very good, though it’s not included in the basic cost. You pay
when you get there.
VISITOR: Right.

VISITOR' So is there anything else to do over on that side of the lake?

TC EMPLOYEE: Well, what you can do is take a bike over on the ship and then go on a cycling
trip. There’s a trail there called the Back Road - you could easily spend three
or four hours exploring it, and the scenery’s wonderful. They’ll give you a map Q5
when you get your ticket for the cruise - there’s no extra charge.
VISITOR: What’s the trail like in terms of difficulty?
TC EMPLOYEE: Quite challenging in places. It wouldn't be suitable for your seven-year-old. It Q6
needs someone who’s got a bit more experience.
VISITOR: Hmm. Well, my daughter loves cycling and so do I, so maybe the two of us
could go, and my wife and son could stay on the farm. That might work out
guite well. But we don’t have bikes here... is there somewhere we could
rent them?
TC EMPLOYEE: Yes, there’s a place here in the city. It’s called Ratchesons. Q7
VISITOR: I’ll just make a note of that - er, how do you spell it?

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 Axabscnpts

R-A-T-C-H-E-S-O-N-S. tts .us: oy re cruise ship terminal.

;’S~c-

~ 9*<C vcu c a. sc ~eec to ccfc up a 'ecar k£ for the bike from there to take along with
ycu arc you’d reed tz ta<e acre a snack and some water - it’d be best to get
r<zse m re oty.
" "e That shouidr t be a crec-er. A-zi. asszme I can rent a helmet from the 08
c*xe p»ace?
Sre .zc s"c-,:c ce~-:e» re: rat. Its a great ride, but you want to be v/ell
precarec reca^se : s .e~. - . z j .’.r t see any shops round there, or 09
a" rere to stay sc you reec to get back in time for the last boat.
.*S-CR Vean. Sc w-a: son of press are we coking at here?
~ =^*=LC-~ Let s see rate be zre adu t arc ore chad for the cruise with farm tour,
rats $'17. arc ar ac_: arc a or c for the cruise only so that’s S214 dollars
a together On, wat a minute. new z-z did you say your daughter was?
rS'Z^
TC =M=LC--x- Trer fm it's $267 because she has to pay the adult fare, which is S75 O10
insteac zs re zr. z fare when is $22 - sorry about that.
.’S"2« T-a: s OK. Er. sc hew do ...

SECTION 2
Gooc merr re everyone, My name s Jcy Partons and I’m the restaurant manager. And I
uncerstand rat none of you <e rec any previous exoerience as kitchen assistants? Well,
you mc^: oe fee nc a c< _e“. z-s new. cut rest of our kitchen assistants say they enjoy the
work OK. rey rncr: get srcu'ec at semeerres but it s noth:ng personal, and they're pleased O11
rat re. ~ = .e sc ~a~. z ~erem r ~zs :z zz zr ~es~s they never get bored. And I'll
re. you sraertaway rat r you de *&. we me**: rrk about moving you up and giving you
some more response# ty.
Rght. wei you .e a' shown up on tme. which is ar excellent start. Now I’m glad to see none
of you have ursuisacie foerwear. sc that’s gccc - you need to be careful as the floors can get
very we: arc shccey Those of you wr. orc nar have got it well out of the way, but some of 012
. ~ee-z r re~~c .e .z,—zs a"Z ?~aze~zs - _s: rt rem somewhere safe for today, and
re-re-zre tz ec.e re~~ =: :z~z~zw zs re. za" ze a safety hazard.
.. ___ ,,_____ - h. -a. •.eu a tzea. - we don’t have any tables free for this, 013
...v. -cr Fcrjraa-. *e -.e oa our Head Chef back - he was away
ne ore chefs had extra work. Now, I II tell you a bit
more adcut me cc r a T.^-.e but firet sone general regulations. For all of you, whatever
,< r 2,-e tfTere s some eewemert jou mustn t _se ur.t>> you’ve been properly trained, like
-e w—*® 3sacsa. sv=-em for examoe. for heatn and safety reasons. Then.I think there are 014
-f' --cer -S - rats =—a s~= ea<e isn’t it? Right, so for you twojhe
iL »• s’ce- .s o'' Arc extse nene of you are allowed to use the electric mixer
urtu you .e been sno*r now itwcrxs.
Now 'vcu mav have heard trat this car be a stress?- job. and I have to say that can be true.
> L "’rve wenv-q ar ecrt-rcur dav for foe first week, though you’ll have the chance to do
-Lr-rre after tra' as we* H «w want x But however tong the hours are, you’ll get a break
'■ A- ,v; -rz s rat -c- ra c- ’’ee’- a!' day long, lifting and carrying
_ ^'7. -__ <v :e- v-., -’-c -.z- zz~: rave much chance to take it easy so. - 015 &
- e . ?- -r <-m^-- -z .ZL- reec -.2 cc 4 straightaway - but at least we do 016
nave a verLe^c.ent ar corcccc.ng siystem ccmpa-ec w!th some k.tchens.

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 Test 5

Now let me tell you about some of the people you need to know. So as I said, I’m Joy Parkins Q17
and I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for. I’ll be trying to get
you to work with as many different people in the kitchen as possible, so that you learn while
you’re on the job. One person whose name you must remember is David Field. If you injure Q18
yourself at all, even if it’s really minor, you must report to him and he’ll make sure the incident
is recorded and you get the appropriate treatment. He’s trained to give basic treatment to
staff himself, or he’ll send you off somewhere else if necessary. Then there's Dexter Wills - Q19
he's the person you need to see if you smash a plate or something like that. Don’t just leave
it and hope no one will notice - it’s really important to get things noted and replaced or there
could be problems later. And finally, there's Mike Smith. He’s the member of staff who takes Q20
care of all the stores of perishables, so if you notice we’re getting low in flour or sugar or
something, make sure you let him know so he can put in an order.
OK, now the next thing ...

SECTION 3
TRUDIE: OK, Stewart. We need to start planning our paper on public libraries. Have you
thought of an angle yet?
stewart: Well, there’s so much we could look into. How libraries have changed over the
centuries, for instance, or how different countries organise them. What do you
think, Trudie?
TRUDIE- Maybe we should concentrate on this country, and try and relate the changes in Q21
libraries to external developments, like the fact that far more people can read than
a century ago, and that the local population may speak lots of different languages.
stewart: We could include something about changes in the source of funding, too.
trudie: Yes, but remember we’re only supposed to write a short paper, so it’s probably
best if we don’t go into funding in any detail.
stewart: Right. Well, shall we just brainstorm a few ideas, to get started?
TRUDIE: OK. We obviously need to look at the impact of new technology, particularly the
internet. Now that lots of books have been digitalised, people can access them
from their own computers at home.
stewart: And if everyone did that, libraries would be obsolete.
TRUDIE: Yes.
stewart: But the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of Q22
copyright, aren’t they? And copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the
author dies. So you won’t find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information.
TRUDIE: That’s an important point. Anyway, I find it hard to concentrate when I’m reading a
long text on a screen. I’d much rather read a physical book. And it takes longer to
read on a screen.
stewart: Oh, I prefer it. I suppose it’s just a personal preference.
TRUDIE: Mm. I expect that libraries will go on evolving in the next few years. Some have
already become centres where community activities take place, like local clubs
meeting there. I think that’ll become even more common.
STEWART: I’d like to think so, and that they’ll still be serving their traditional function, but I’m
not so sure. There are financial implications, after all. What I’m afraid will happen is Q23
that books and magazines will all disappear, and there’ll just be rows and rows of
computers. They won’t look anything like the libraries we’re used to.
TRUDIE: Well, we'll see.

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 II imiHii

Audioscripts

TRUDIE: I’ve just had an idea. Why don’t we make an in-depth study of our local public
library as background to our paper?
stewart: Yes, that’d be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues. Let’s make a list of possible
things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure. For instance, um, Q24
we could interview some of the staff, and find out whether the library has its own
budget, or if that's controlled by the local council.
TRUDIE: And what their policies are. I know they don’t allow food, but I’d love to find out
what types of noise they ban - there always seems to be a lot of talking, but never
music. I don’t know if that's a policy or it just happens.
stewart: Ah, I've often wondered. Then there are things like how the library is affected by Q25
employment laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff,
and so on.
TRUDIE: Right. Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how Q26
customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety?
They’d need floor coverings that aren’t slippery, and emergency exits, for instance.
Oh, and another thing - there’s the question of the kind of insurance the library Q27
needs to have, in case anyone gets injured.
stewart: Yes, that’s something else to find out. You know something I've often wondered?
TRUDIE: What’s that?
STEWART: Well, you know they’ve got an archive of local newspapers going back years? Well,
next to it they've got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century. Q28
I wonder why it’s there. Do you know what his connection was with this area?
TRUDIE: No idea. Let’s add it to our list of things to find out. Oh, I’ve just thought - you know Q29
people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? Well, I
wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online.
STEWART: Right. I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that’s Q30
open to the public and one that's part of a museum, for example - they must be
very different.
TRUDIE; Mmm. Then something else I’d like to know is ...

SECTION 4
In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted. Today I’m going to talk
about four of them: collaboration, hard work, creativity and excellence. Most people would
say they’re all ‘good things’. I’m going to suggest that’s an over-simple view.
The trouble with these values is that they're theoretical concepts, removed from the reality of
day-to-day business. Pursue values by all means, but be prepared for what may happen as a Q31
result. They can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention.
Business leaders generally try to do the right thing. But all too often the right thing backfires, Q32
if those leaders adopt values without understanding and managing the side effects that arise.
The values can easily get in the way of what’s actually intended.
OK. So the first value I’m going to discuss is collaboration. Er, let me give you an example.
On a management training course I once attended, we were put into groups and had to Q33
construct a bridge across a stream, using building blocks that we were given. The rule was
that everyone in the team had to move at least one building block during the construction.
This was intended to encourage teamwork.

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I
 Test 5

But it was really a job best done by one person. The other teams tried to collaborate on Q34
building the structure, and descended into confusion, with everyone getting in each other’s
way. Our team leader solved the challenge brilliantly. She simply asked everyone in the team
to move a piece a few centimetres, to comply with the rule, and then let the person in the
team with an aptitude for puzzles like this build it alone. We finished before any other team.
My point is that the task wasn’t really suited to teamworking, so why make it one?

Teamwork can also lead to inconsistency - a common cause of poor sales. In the case of Q35
a smartphone that a certain company launched, one director wanted to target the business
market, and another demanded it was aimed at consumers. The company wanted both
directors to be involved, so gave the product a consumer-friendly name, but marketed it to
companies. The result was that it met the needs of neither group. It would have been better
to let one director or the other have his way, not both.

Now industriousness, or hard work. It’s easy to mock people who say they work hard: after
all, a hamster running around in a wheel is working hard - and getting nowhere. Of course
hard work is valuable, but only when properly targeted. Otherwise it wastes the resources Q36
that companies value most - time and energy. And that’s bad for the organisation.

There’s a management model that groups people according to four criteria: clever, hard­
working, stupid and lazy. Here ‘lazy’ means having a rational determination not to carry out Q37
unnecessary tasks. It doesn’t mean trying to avoid work altogether. Most people display two
of these characteristics, and the most valuable people are those who are both clever and
lazy: they possess intellectual clarity, and they don’t rush into making decisions. They come
up with solutions to save the time and energy spent by the stupid and hard-working group.
Instead of throwing more man-hours at a problem, the clever and lazy group looks for a more
effective solution.

Next we come to creativity. This often works well - creating an attention-grabbing TV

commercial, for example, might lead to increased sales. But it isn’t always a good thing.
Some advertising campaigns are remembered for their creativity, without having any effect
on sales. This happened a few years ago with the launch of a chocolate bar: subseguent Q38
research showed that plenty of consumers remembered the adverts, but had no idea what
was being advertised. The trouble is that the creator derives pleasure from coming up with
the idea, and wrongly assumes the audience for the campaign will share that feeling.

A company that brings out thousands of new products may seem more creative than a
company that only has a few, but it may be too creative, and make smaller profits. Creativity Q39
needs to be targeted, to solve a problem that the company has identified. Just coming up with
more and more novel products isn’t necessarily a good thing.

And finally, excellence. We all know companies that claim they ‘strive for excellence', but
it takes a long time to achieve excellence. In business, being first with a product is more
profitable than having the best product. A major study of company performance compared
pioneers - that is, companies bringing out the first version of a particular product - with
followers, the companies that copied and improved on that product. The study found that the Q40
pioneers commanded an average market share of 29 percent, while the followers achieved
less than half that, only 13 percent - even though their product might have been better.

Insisting on excellence in everything we do is time-consuming, wastes energy and leads

to losing out on opportunities. Sometimes, second-rate work is more worthwhile than
excellence. 'Make sure it’s excellent’ sounds like a good approach to business, but the ‘just-
get-started’ approach is likely to be more successful.

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