Listening 2026-07 Test 12

High-althes listening, version 16207. You will hear a number of different recordings, and you will have to answer questions on what you hear. There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work. All the recordings will be played once only. The test is in four sections. Write all your answers in the listening question booklet. At the end of the test, you will be given ten minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet. Now turn to section one on page two of your question booklet. You will hear a telephone conversation between a man who's finding out about a pre-school for his young daughter and a woman who works there. First, you have some time to look at questions one to five on page two. You will see that there is an example that has been done for you. On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first. Good morning Riverdale pre-school, Sally speaking. Hello. My name's Robert. I've got a four-year-old daughter called Susie, and I'd like to get some information about your pre-school, please. Sure, Robert. Well, Susie's the right age. We take three and four-year-olds in classes of twenty students. The number of children in a class is twenty. So twenty has been written in the space. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions one to five. Good morning Riverdale pre-school, Sally speaking. Hello. My name's Robert. I've got a four-year-old daughter called Susie, and I'd like to get some information about your pre-school, please. Sure, Robert. Well, Susie's the right age. We take three and four-year-olds in classes of twenty students. Oh, great. And how many teachers do you have? We have two. The first group is taught by Mrs. Oliver, and the second group is taken by Mrs. Keo. Just a moment. I'll write that down. Could you spell the last name, please? It's an unusual one, isn't it? Yes. It's K-E-O-G-H. Okay. I've got that. Now, I know the children attend for two or three days a week. That's right. The older ones, like Susie, are here for three days, which means fifteen hours a week. The younger ones, the three-year-olds, attend two days a week. That's a total of ten hours. And what do they do during that time? Well, half the day is spent outside, and the children can run around and play games with their friends, or do a karma activity, like painting, for example. We have a great outside play area that we're improving all the time. Yes. We were walking past the other day and Susie noticed. You've recently put in a new slide, haven't you? Yes. We're really pleased with it. It's a big one, and the children love it. And are you thinking about anything else outdoors? Well, we were hoping to build a playhouse, but that was too expensive. So we're now making plans for a garden, where the children will be able to grow flowers and vegetables. Lovely. And what else do the children do? Well, the other half of the day is spent indoors. This year, the children seem to be very interested in music, so the teachers are doing a lot of activities related to that. Last year, there seemed to be more of an interest in dancing. Well, Susie would love either of those. The teachers may sometimes play quiet games with the children, but we always make time for a story each day. It's a very important part of the programme here. Yes, of course. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6-10 on page 2. Now, listen and answer questions 6-10. Now, I'd like to ask you about the fees, if that's okay. Sure, we actually had to put them up this term, I'm afraid. Yes, I heard from a friend of mine that it used to be $420 for the term, but it's just gone up to $470, is that right? Yes, we had to add the extra $50 to cover costs. Things got a lot more expensive last year. I understand. And I think the fees are still quite reasonable. Another school I've spoken to charges $500 per term. Oh, really? My friend also told me that his daughter went on a trip to the local zoo, and that the cost of that was covered in the fees. Is that right? Yes, we did that last year, but we'll be going to a farm this year instead. We vary it, so for example, we may go to the theatre next year. Okay, it sounds like fun. Also included in the price is membership of a special library. Children can borrow a toy and keep it for a week, and choose a different one the following week. It's very popular. It's a great idea, we would certainly make use of that system if we enrol. Now, is there anything else I should know? Well, the children have a rest here during the day, and we make up a little bed for them with sheets and blankets. But we advise parents to pack a pillow in the child's bag, as we don't provide one. Okay, I'll make a note of that. So what should I do if I want to come and look around the school during the day and beat the staff? The best thing is to call the teacher on the classroom mobile, and she'll tell you which time is best to visit. Shall I give you the number? Yes, please. Okay, it's 0914-638-520. Thanks for all your help, Sally, and we hope to see you soon. No problem. Bye for now. That is the end of section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now turn to section 2 on page 3. --- You will hear a man called John Davies, who is the chairman of a photography club, giving some information to members of the club. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16. Hi everyone, my name is John Davies, welcome to this month's photography club. I'm very pleased to see a few new members in the audience and I hope you find the club both useful and enjoyable. Now many of you have been asking me about good photography magazines. They're all slightly different and it really depends on what you're looking for. One of the most popular is camera ready. It's packed full of recommendations on where to buy the best cameras and whether the internet really has the best bargains. And it also has lots of interviews with ordinary hobby photographers like you and me. One good thing is that there's no jargon so it's great for people who are new to photography. Outdoor lens might suit you if you want a magazine full of inspiring and amazing images. The colour printing is extraordinarily good in this publication though that leaves little room for handy tips about actually taking a photo. I personally buy photographer today. You won't find free giveaways inside or beautiful images of exotic locations but it does help me keep abreast of movements and trends within the photography world. It includes reviews and articles about the latest equipment too which are well worth consulting before you buy anything. So now is a fairly new publication dedicated to creative photography. It's expensive but it's packed full of recommendations on how to get the best photograph you can. For example how to use software to create special effects. Once a year there's going to be a competition where you can win anything from the latest equipment to a photography holiday. For those of you who are into photographing nature then wild photos might be just the thing for you. There isn't a print version of this one, you have to download it. And it's aimed more at the professional than the beginner so there isn't much in the way of tips as it assumes you know all the basics. Photo monthly is happy to accept photos from the general public for publication. This does mean of course that the images are not quite up to professional standard. You don't get paid any money so if you're happy to have your work published for free then this is the magazine for you. There's also a regular travel feature where you can find good tips about the best places to go with your camera. Before you hear the rest of the talk you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20. Now listen and answer a question 17 to 20. Now I promised to talk about my recent holiday with a company called Photos Safari when I went with my wife to Kenya in East Africa. I chose this company because it has a good reputation and it offers a number of useful features for guests. Don't expect to stay in a 5 star hotel though. The campsites we were on were good but a little basic for some people on the tour though there was a locker provided for all our camera gear. The company is suitable for people with any level of photographic expertise and I learned a lot from the other guests. The only extras you need to pay for are flights and you'll also need to organise your own transfers to the accommodation when you arrive. Otherwise it's all inclusive and I have to say the catering was excellent particularly the breakfasts. So what did I think of the holiday? Well everything was very well organised and the guides were great at finding wildlife for us to photograph. Even if one morning we didn't see a lion or elephant there was always something to snap. There were some people there who weren't into photography and were there just for a holiday like my wife but even they had fun and found lots to see and do. I do think however that more information should be given like about what to wear. I had on a blue denim shirt one night and quickly had to change as the colour apparently attracts certain nasty insects. And we went in May and later found out that June to October would have been a better time for spotting wildlife. So what advice would I give to anyone? That is the end of part 2. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part 2. You will hear a traffic police officer talking to a group of listeners about driving license application and traffic conditions in the UK. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Hello, I'm Edward and I'm here to tell you about road conditions. First, in various areas of the UK, I'm also going to tell you about driver's licenses in the UK. If you have never had a driver's license or you have one from another country and you want to get a UK license, you must be a UK resident. You'll need to show a medical report when your UK license needs to be renewed. If you are trying to translate your original foreign driving license to apply for a UK license, which is a must if you want to be able to drive here, you will need to visit an official agency. These are scattered throughout the London area and are well equipped to assist you with any questions you might have and any services they offer are included in your license fee. If you already have a translated license but need some personal information updating, you do not need to pay for the update, they'll do it for free. When you are getting a new driving license, you may need to have a new photo taken, as some photos are rejected. It's actually okay if your photo is too small, since we can get it enlarged with our printer. The majority of rejected photos are the ones that were taken with a cream backdrop instead of a monotone grey background. We've now found that photos with the latter allow us to identify the license holder much more easily. If you are wearing glasses on the previous photo, you don't need to worry about it, since it is still allowed. If you are not sure whether your previous license is still valid, then the license checking service is for you. The procedures are quite clear and you just have to follow them. Ideally, I would like to see the process going faster since it can take hours to finish. From my standpoint, it will help if all the applicants bring the necessary identification with them, then all they have to do is just fill in the forms accordingly, step by step. I'm often asked whether I have a personal recommendation about the fastest or cheapest place to get all this done, but I think it really depends on where you are. They can all get busy at some point, and when it is quiet at one branch, it may be busy in another, so take your pick. All I would say is that there is absolutely no difference in price, it's a standard fee. The only advice I would give is that the quickest way to complete an application is to fill out the form on the internet, and then bring a print copy with you to the agency location of your choice. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16-20. Now listen carefully, and answer questions 16-20. Next, people frequently ask me what I think of the road conditions in some of our cities. London is obviously the biggest and busiest, and there are lots of parking restrictions, one-way systems and so on, but on the whole I find the traffic signs are very clear. In Edinburgh, most people use digital maps to get to know local traffic and road conditions, which can be estimated through different traffic flow lines. It is a city of lights, traffic lights, but they're extremely efficient as they're timed perfectly to get the traffic flowing smoothly. That's important because pedestrian areas and crossings are always packed with people on foot, which needs strong regulation. The city of Cardiff has tackled traffic flow in a different way. It recently completed a road expansion scheme, and the extra lanes of the dual carriageway are easing congestion. It's a similar story in Manchester, instead of going through the town centre, most vehicles choose ring roads, so as to avoid the downtown congestion. It can still happen though, so there's a possibility that the city will introduce checkpoints where the police can intervene to direct traffic at peak periods. And finally, they say all roads lead to Rome, and you could say that about Oxford. I like the many options for getting in and out of the city, because drivers can always find alternative routes. The other cities in the UK are... That is the end of Part 2. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Part 2. Thank you. Part 2. You will hear a woman called Sandra Hayes who works at a bird park, talking to a group of people who want to volunteer there. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Hello, my name is Sandra Hayes and I'm from Clifton Bird Park. It's great to see so many possible volunteers here. The park is now a very popular attraction in this area. I think people love coming to see so many different types of birds in a beautiful environment. For some species that we have here there aren't many still alive in the wild, so a big part of our job is to make sure we help their numbers increase. All the birds are native species. We need volunteers to help the bird park officers with different jobs. One of these is gardening. Obviously summer is the time when we have most visitors, but the park needs looking after all year round. If you want to help you can choose which day, although we do already have plenty of volunteers working Saturdays and Sundays, but one day every four weeks is the minimum commitment that we ask for. So who's the ideal volunteer for gardening work? If you have expert knowledge about flowers and trees, great, but we are looking more for people who are flexible and turn up no matter whether it's raining or baking hot. This will make you the best person for the job, it's all teamwork, so you'll have plenty of support. What about volunteer guides? A guide's role is to point out the birds and talk about the conservation programme. In general it's people and a foreign tour group that you're responsible for. The Clifton residents who come to the park usually know their way around. We get a few teachers bringing in classes, but they're the park officer's responsibility. The last thing to mention is the park's maintenance day, which is coming up soon. We're hoping to get as many volunteers as possible to come and help tidy things up. If anyone is able to drive some other volunteers to the event, please let me know because we need help there. The park officers will provide you with spades and drills and hammers, all of that stuff, and they'll be offering you some refreshments too, so it should be a good day out. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16-20. So, here's a map of Clifton Bird Park, as you can see, the railway line runs along the north west of the park, and road access is on that side too from Clifton Lane. We want volunteers to work on a few different areas on maintenance day, which is coming up soon. Firstly, the wooden bridge, I'll explain where that is. You can see Clifton Lane in the main gate into the park. On the southern side of Clifton Lane is one of our car parks and below that, there were two similar sized ponds. The wooden bridge runs between those two ponds. We just need to make it a bit stronger. Some volunteers will be doing a bit of painting at the observation tower. The towers and the south-east corner of the map. You see there are two different sized ponds there? The towers on the south side of the larger pond at the end of the path. We'll need about three people to help out. You need to replace the windows on the visitor cabins. So on the map, you can see our car park on the north side of Clifton Lane. There's the woods and on the left-hand side of the map, the railway line. The visitor's cabins are marked there between the woods and the railway station. You'll also be repairing some nesting boxes. See the picnic area? The path you want is between there and the big pond. A little bit round all the way to the end. So as we're looking at the map now, the nesting boxes are on the right of that pond. Finally, the boat sheds. Towards the top of the map, you've got that small-ish pond quite near the railway line. And there are two places marked up there. The boat sheds are on the same side of the pond as the woods. Not the place marked at the top of the park. What we want you to do. That is the end of part two. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part two. [BLANK_AUDIO] --- Now turn to section 3 on page 5. Section 3 You will hear a student talking to a tutor at her college about the possibility of changing her course. First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page 5. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24. Ah, hello. Do come in. Thanks. I understand you wanted to see me about changing courses. Yes, that's right. Well, that's fine. Do sit down. Now, your Sally layman. That's it. Right then, Sally. And what course are you doing at the present? It's economic history. Uh-huh. And when did you start? Last September. Right. Good. Now, of course, we'll have the chance to talk through any problems you've been having in a moment. But let me just make a note of what courses you might be interested in changing too. Well, there are several that I've thought about, but what I'd like to do most is politics. Well, that is a very popular course. I know. And there might not be places, but... Sure. I'll certainly take a note of that. But what about another option? Well, a heart sort of changing course completely in trying business studies. But then I realized it wasn't really me. So I thought of philosophy. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30 on page 5. Right. Well, that's useful to know, but if it all possible, it is good to talk through the problems you're having at the moment and see if there's any way we can help or that you can help yourself. After all, with all the effort that you've put in already, it would be a pity to have to start all over again. Oh no, I realise that. And actually, I would like to have a go at staying with economic history. Good. Yeah. Well, let's see. Let's talk through some of the problems you've been having. What would you say was your major difficulty on the course? I think I'd have to see the worst thing is that I find the lecture is difficult. Aha. And how have you tried to overcome this? Well, I did try recording lectures, you know? Yes. That's a good idea. And did you find it helped? To a certain extent. Well, I would certainly continue with that strategy, but you might also like to try getting together with other fellow students to discuss lectures in what we call a discussion group. Yeah, I've heard of some of my course mates doing that. I could certainly ask if I could join. Good. I'm sure you'd find it help. And any other problems? Well, this really wedded me at the beginning. The fact that there are not enough tutorials. Not enough tutorials. Did you talk to your tutor about it? Yeah. That was what I thought was the best strategy. It's what all the student handbooks see. And what was the outcome? Well, really, just that she's very busy and I have to fit in tutorials when she's available, which is really difficult. I agree. It must seem that way. Why don't you try arranging meetings in advance? Well, I can certainly give it a go. Yeah. But I suppose the thing that's been really upsetting me recently is my bad assignment grade. How many have you had back? Well, just the one. Well, you could say it was early days yet. Well, for the last assignment, which we've just handed in, I did more background reading. And did you feel that helped? Oh, yes, I think so. Well, another strategy might be visiting student services. They offer a lot of advice on assignment preparation. Well, I didn't want to bother them. That's their job. It'll be well worth trying. Okay, I'll certainly look into that. Now, what I've done here is to keep a record of our discussions and suggested strategies. And what we normally do is to ask you to try out our suggestions for a while and then come back to discuss the situation, see whether it's improved and if not, then we can start thinking seriously about those alternative courses. So you'd like me to come back? Yes. Let's say in a month's time. Okay. That would be on 17th of February at 330. Is that all right? Yes, sure. And while I meet with you. I'm afraid I'll be on leave at that time, but I'll leave this record on file and you'll be meeting our senior advisor. Senior advisor. Okay, fine. Lovely. Well, I do hope things improve, Sally, and that the change won't be necessary. And if it is, well, we can think about that later. Okay? Okay. Thanks very much. Pleasure. Good luck. That is the end of section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers. You will hear two students of performance arts called Charlie and Gina preparing to give feedback at the end of the second year of their three-year course. To have some time to look at questions 21 to 26, you will hear the two students of performance arts of performance arts called Charlie and Gina preparing to give feedback at the end of the second year of their three-year course. You will hear two students of performance arts called Charlie and Gina preparing to give feedback at the end of the second year of their four-year course. You will hear two students of performance arts called Charlie and Gina preparing to give feedback at the end of the second year of their four-year course. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26. So Gina, we've got to give our tutors some feedback on how we feel about the course now we've come to the end of our second year. Is it okay with you if we have a chat together before we go and see him? Sure Charlie. So did you choose this university to do performance arts because it's got such a good reputation? That's what hooked me in. Well, there are other good places which I also considered, but when I looked into things further, I was impressed by the connections this course has with a whole range of theatres of different types. So even though I was tempted to go and study abroad, I decided to come here in the end. And you don't regret it? No, it's been brilliance, especially the options this year. The body and dance option I did for this term has been particularly stimulating. I'm sorry I didn't go for that one too, but I did dance and drama, which was brilliant too. I think the most valuable option I've done was the movement analysis course we did in the first year. Absolutely. It's provided a great foundation for all our other works since then. So let's talk about our work experience last summer. You went to Finland, didn't you? That's right. I was at their National Ballet Theatre. I didn't get the chance to go on stage, but I helped out with sewing clothes for current productions and even with designing some for future shows. It was brilliant. I got to know a lot of students studying at the local dance school and I may get the chance to go back there next summer. I've been offered more work at the place where I was working in Canada. Great. So what do you think you gained most from the experience? I think I've got much better at controlling my stress levels. For me, it was probably the fact that I learned a lot about collaborating with others rather than working independently. I was lucky to be able to do that in a situation that wasn't too stressful. Also, I had to organise my time well, but I've always been reasonably good at that. That's good. So we've got quite a few things ready to say to our tutor. It would be a good chance to ask him any questions we have too, of course. I also think it could be helpful to discuss our future plans. For example, what we're planning to do are dissertations on. Sure. I was unsure about whether to focus on globalisation in dance or on stage design. I did an essay on globalisation in my first year and really enjoyed it. But then I saw a spectacular production at the Royal Opera House and that settled me on stage design. I know another student who's planning to work on that too, so we can discuss things together a bit. Okay, that could be useful. I'm planning to do something on current trends and contemporary dance for my dissertation. That sounds pretty challenging. It's a big topic. It might not be easy to organise in a coherent way. I've thought about it quite a lot and I think that'll be okay and I feel confident about how to write a longer piece of work. I'm in a bit of a panic though about how I'll get through all the literature. There seems to be so much. Hopefully it won't all be relevant quite. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30. Now listen and answer a questions 27 to 30. So have you made any career plans yet? I'm still undecided. I've thought about performance of course. Yes, I think lots of graduates from here take that route. But it's a hard life involving lots of tough repetitive practice as well as actually appearing on stage. Yes, but the performance I've met know that's essential for the job and say they wouldn't change what they do for the world. I know lots of graduates go into education, teaching at various levels, but that means doing some kind of post-grad certificate. But I think it would be interesting rewarding work. I was wondering about theatre management as a possible option. That's what our tutor did before he got into teaching, isn't it? Yes, but he said he quickly realized it wasn't for him. He wasn't earning enough to live on. I can imagine his communication skills are better than his business skills as well. Marketing's a possibility of course. I've read some things saying it can be an interesting career though I don't think many graduates go for this. But that might mean there's not so much competition as in many other fields of dance. Right, so now shall we make a list? That is the end of part three. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] --- You will hear a lecturer talking about dust storms. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. In the last lecture we looked at the adverse effects of desert dust on global climate. Today we are going to examine more closely what causes dust storms and what other effects they can have. As you know dust storms have always been a feature of desert climates but what we want to focus on today is the extent to which human activity is causing them. And it's this trend that I want to look at because it has wide ranging implications. So what are these human activities? Well there are two main types that affect the wind erosion process and thus the frequency of dust storms. There are activities that break up naturally wind resistant surfaces such as off-road vehicle use and construction. And there are those that remove protective vegetation cover from soils, for example mainly farming and drainage. In many cases the two effects occur simultaneously which adds to the problem. Let's look at some real examples and see what I'm talking about. Perhaps the best known example of agricultural impact on desert dust is the creation of the USA's Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The dramatic rise in the number of dust storms during the latter part of that decade was the result of farmers mismanaging their land. In fact choking dust storms became so commonplace that the decade became known as the Dirty 30s. Researchers observed a similar but more prolonged increase in dustiness in West Africa between the 1960s and the 1980s when the frequency of the storms rose to 80 a year. And the dust was so thick that visibility was reduced to a thousand meters. This was a hazard to pilots and road users. In places like Arizona the most dangerous dust clouds are those generated by dry thunderstorms. Here this type of storm is so common that the problem inspired officials to develop an alert system to warn people of oncoming thunderstorms. When this dust is deposited it causes all sorts of problems for machine operators. It can penetrate the smallest nooks and crannies and play havoc with the way things operate because most of the dust is made up of quartz which is very hard. Another example. The concentration of dust originating from the Sahara has risen steadily since the mid 1960s. This increase in wind erosion has coincided with a prolonged drought which has gripped the Sahara's southern fringe. Drought is commonly associated with an increase in dust raising activity but it's actually caused by low rainfall which results in vegetation dying off. One of the foremost examples of modern human induced environmental degradation is the drying up of the Aral Sea in central Asia. Its ecological demise dates from the 1950s when intensive irrigation began in the then central Asian republics of the USSR. This produced a dramatic decline in the volume of water entering the sea from its two major tributaries. In 1960 the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world but since that time it has lost two thirds of its volume. Its surface area has halved and its water level has dropped by more than 216 meters. A knock-on effect of this ecological disaster has been the release of significant new sources of wind blown material as the water level has dropped. And the problems don't stop there. The salinity of the lake has increased so that it is now virtually the same as seawater. This means that the material that is blown from the dry bed of the Aral Sea is highly saline. Scientists believe it is adversely affecting crops around the sea because salts are toxic to plants. This shows that dust storms have numerous consequences beyond their effects on climate, both for the workings of environmental systems and for people living in drylands. That is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four. [BLANK_AUDIO]