HOMEWORK

I. Listening

https://study4.com/tests/160/practice/?part=480

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 takes
passengers out several times a day (Example) – 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 café 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 feeling 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 (Q2), if he wants.

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
gardens along the side of the lake which also belong to
the farm (Q3) – 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 when you get your
ticket for the cruise – there’s no extra charge. (Q5)

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 needs
someone who’s got a bit more experience. (Q6)

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 quite 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?

TC EMPLOYEE: R-A-T-C-H-E-S-O-N-S. It’s just be

the cruise ship terminal.

VISITOR: OK.
TC EMPLOYEE: You’d also need to pick up a repair
kit for the bike from there to take along with you, and
you’d need to take along a snack and some water – it’d
be best to get those in the city.

VISITOR: Fine. That shouldn’t be a problem.

And I assume I can rent a helmet from the bike place?
(Q8)

TC EMPLOYEE: Sure, you should definitely get that.

It’s a great ride, but you want to be well prepared
because it’s very remote – you won’t see any shops
round there, or anywhere to stay (Q9), so you need to
get back in time for the last boat.

VISITOR: Yeah. So what sort of prices are we

looking at here?

TC EMPLOYEE: Let’s see, that’d be one adult and

one child for the cruise with farm tour, that’s $117, and
an adult and a child for the cruise only so that’s $214
dollars altogether. Oh, wait a minute, how old did you
say your daughter was?

VISITOR: Fifteen.

TC EMPLOYEE: Then I’m afraid it’s $267 (Q10)

because she has to pay the adult fare, which is $75
instead of the child fare which is $22 – sorry about that.

VISITOR: That’s OK. Er, so how do …

https://study4.com/tests/161/practice/?part=484

MAN: Good morning, Kenton Festival box

office. How can I help you?

WOMAN: Oh, good morning. I’m coming to

Kenton for a few days’ holiday next month, and a friend
told me there’s a festival. She gave me this number to
find out about it.

MAN: That’s right, the festival begins on

the 16th of May (Example) and goes on till the 19th.

WOMAN: Oh, that’s great. I’ll be there from

the 15th till the 19th. So could you tell me the
programme, please?

MAN: Well, on the first day, there’s the

opening ceremony, in the town centre. People start
gathering around 2 o’clock, to get a good place to see
from, and the events will start at 2.45 (Q1), and finish
about 5.30.

WOMAN: OK, thanks. I’ll make sure I get

there early to get a good spot.

MAN: The festival will be officially

opened by the mayor. He’ll just speak for a few
minutes, welcoming everyone to the festival. All the
town councillors will be there, and of course lots of
other people.
WOMAN: Right.

MAN: Then there’ll be a performance by a

band (Q2). Most years we have a children’s choir, but
this year the local army cadets offered to perform, and
they’re very good.

WOMAN: Uhuh.

MAN: After that, a community group from

the town will perform a play they’ve written themselves,
just a short one. It’s about Helen Tungate (Q3). I don’t
know if you’ve heard of her?

WOMAN: I certainly have. She was a

scientist years ago. (Q4)

MAN: That’s right. She was born in

Kenton exactly 100 years ago, so we’re celebrating her
centenary.

WOMAN: I’m a biologist, so I’ve always been

interested in her, I didn’t realise she came from Kenton.

MAN: Yes. Well, all that will take place in

the afternoon, and later, as the sun sets, there’ll be a
firework display. You should go to the park to watch, as
you’ll get the best view from there, and the display
takes place on the opposite side of the river (Q5). It’s
always one of the most popular events in the festival.

WOMAN: Sounds great.

WOMAN: And what’s happening on the other

days?
MAN: There are several events that go
on the whole time. For example, the students of the art
college have produced a number of videos, all
connected with relationships between children and
their grandparents. (Q6)

WOMAN: That sounds interesting. It makes

a change from children and parents, doesn’t it!

MAN: Exactly. Because the art college is

in use for classes, throughout the festival, the videos
are being shown in Handsworth House. (Q7)

WOMAN: How do you spell the name?

MAN: H-A-N-D-S-W-O-R-T-H. Handsworth

House. It’s close to the Town Hall.

WOMAN: Right.

MAN: Now let me see, what else can I

tell you about?

WOMAN: Are there any displays of ballet

dancing? I’m particularly interested in that as I do it as
a hobby.

MAN: There isn’t any ballet, I’m afraid,

but there’ll be a demonstration of traditional dances
from all round the country. (Q8)

WOMAN: Oh, that’d be nice. Where’s that

being held?

MAN: It’s in the market in the town centre –

the outdoor one, not the covered market (Q9). And it’s
on at 2 and 5 every afternoon of the festival, apart from
the first day.

WOMAN: Lovely. I’m interested in all kinds of

dancing, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy that!

MAN: Mmm. I’m sure you will.

WOMAN: And I’d really like to go to some

concerts, if there are any.

MAN: Yes, there are several. Three

performed by professionals, and one by local children.

WOMAN: And where is it being held?

MAN: It’s in the library, which is in Part

Street. On the 18th, at 6.30 in the evening.

WOMAN: I presume I’ll need tickets for that.

MAN: Yes, you can book online, or you can

buy them when you arrive in Kenton, either at the
festival box office, or from any shops displaying our
logo in the windows. (Q10)

WOMAN: Well, I think that’ll keep me busy

for the whole of my stay in Kenton. Thank you so much
for all your help.

MAN: You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy

your stay.

WOMAN: Thank you. Goodbye.

https://study4.com/tests/167/practice/?part=508

ROB: Good morning. Stretton Festival

box office. How can I help you?

MELANIE: Oh, hello. My family and I are on

holiday on the area, and we’ve seen some posters
about the festival this week. Could you tell me about
some of the events, please?

ROB: Of course.

MELANIE: First of all, are there still tickets

available for the jazz band on Saturday?

ROB: There are, but only £18 (Example).

The £12 seats have all been sold.

MELANIE: OK. And the venue is the school,

isn’t it?

ROB: Yes, that’s right, the secondary

school (Q1). Make sure you don’t go to the primary
school by mistake! And there’s an additional performer
who isn’t mentioned on the posters – Carolyn Hart is
going to play with the band.
MELANIE: Oh, I think I’ve heard her on the
radio. Doesn’t she play the oboe, or flute or something?

ROB: Yes the flute (Q2). She usually plays

with symphony orchestras, and apparently this is her
first time with a jazz band.

MELANIE: Well, I’d certainly like to hear her.

Then the next thing I want to ask about is the duck
races – I saw a poster beside a river. What are they,
exactly?

ROB: Well, you buy a yellow plastic duck

– or as many as you like – they’re a pound each. And
you write your name on each one. There’ll be several
races, depending on the number of ducks taking part.
And John Stevens, a champion swimmer who lives
locally, is going to start the races. All the ducks will be
launched into the river at the back of the cinema (Q3),
then they’ll float along the river for 500 metres, as far
as the railway bridge.

MELANIE: And are there any prizes?

ROB: Yes, the first duck in each race to

arrive at the finishing line wins its owner free tickets
for the concert on the last night of the festival. (Q4)

MELANIE: You said you can buy a duck? I’m

sure my children will both want one.

ROB: They’re on sale at a stall in the market

(Q5). You can’t miss it – it’s got an enormous sign
showing a couple of ducks.
MELANIE: OK. I’ll go there this afternoon. I
remember walking past there yesterday. Now could
you tell me something about the flower show, please?

ROB: Well, admission is free, and the

show is being held in Bythwaite Hall. (Q6)

MELANIE: Sorry, how do you spell that?

ROB: B-Y-T-H-W-A-I-T-E. Bythwaite.

MELANIE: Is it easy to find? I’m no very

familiar with the town yet.

ROB: Oh, you won’t have any problem.

It’s right in the centre of Stretton. It’s the only old
building in the town, so it’s easy to recognise.

MELANIE: I know it. I presume it’s open all

day.

ROB: Yes, but if you’d like to see the

prizes being awarded for the best flowers, you’ll need
to be there at 5 o’clock. The prizes are being given by a
famous actor, Kevin Shapless (Q7). He lives nearby
and gets involved in a lot of community events.

MELANIE: Gosh, I’ve seen him on TV. I’ll

definitely go to the prize-giving.

ROB: Right.

MELANIE: I’ve seen a list of plays that are

being performed this week, and I’d like to know which
are suitable for my children, and which ones my
husband and I might go to.
ROB: How old are your children?

MELANIE: Five and seven. What about ‘The

Mystery of Muldoon’?

ROB: That’s aimed at five to ten-year-olds.

(Q8)

MELANIE: So if I take my children, I can

expect them to enjoy it more than I do?

ROB: I think so. If you’d like something

for yourself and your husband and leave your children
with a babysitter, you might like to see ‘Fire and Flood’
(Q9) – it’s about events that really happened in
Stretton two hundred years ago, and children might
find it rather frightening.

MELANIE: Oh, thanks for the warning. And

finally, what about ‘Silly Sailor’?

ROB: That’s a comedy, and it’s for young

and old (Q10). In fact, it won an award in the Stretton
Drama Festival a couple of months ago.

MELANIE: OK. Well, goodbye, and thanks for

all the information. I’m looking forward to the festival!

ROB: Goodbye.
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