Listening 2026-06 Test 6

Hello, Greenwell Garden Centres. Oh hello, I'm calling about the part-time job you were advertising last week. Oh you mean for the delivery driver? No, for a general assistant, my son's looking for a part-time job and I said I'd call you about it. I already picked up an application form from one of your staff. I see. Well, we'll shortly have a position available in our new market road branch, that's opening next month, or this one available right now in our branch in station road. And that's where the actual job advert was for. I see. It's definitely the current job I'm calling about. Right. Now, there were a couple of options regarding working hours. We're really looking for someone that could do both Monday and Wednesday afternoons, or the same hours on Thursday and Friday. What about Sunday? That'd work provided he could do a full day. That wouldn't be a problem. Great. And what would the job involve exactly? Let me just look at the job description for that particular job. Well, looks like there'd be some working on the checkout, you know, taking payment for goods and I suppose our general assistance also do rather a lot of lifting of some quite heavy items. So good physical strength is quite important for this position. There's some assisting with customer inquiries as well. But we don't expect new staff to have much knowledge about the plants themselves. That's what the more experienced staff are there for. Then especially in the summer, the plants need a lot of watering. I see. Well, I think you could manage all that. Good. Now, there are a few other qualifications and skills that the job calls for. The first one being communication skills are important. As you know, first impressions can't for a lot. And the other thing we would be looking for in our applicants for this position is he should have some ability in maths, a basic level at least. Well, he did well in that subject at school and he's polite and sociable too. So hopefully he'll match your expectations. Great. Now listen. And answer questions 7 to 10. So am I right in thinking he's still at high school? He's about to finish for the summer break so he could come for an interview this week if that's convenient. How about Wednesday, say about 10 a.m.? I'm afraid that's the morning of his last exam. Could we make it later instead, perhaps at 2.30? Five would be better for us. Okay. That's fine. So his name is... It's Liam Avery. Okay, got that. So Liam will be having the interview with me. My name's Maria Rapana. R-A-P for Peter, A-N-A. On Tuesday Liam needs to ring me on my direct line to confirm that he's coming. And that's zero to one, three, zero, three, eight, eight, seven, four. Okay. Oh, just one more thing. I need to see Liam's passport at the interview just to see that he's eligible to work in this country. Sure. I'll tell him. Thanks for your time. Thanks for calling. Thanks for your time. Thanks for coming. I'm going to be waiting for you. Thank you. Well, I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. 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I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. I'm going to be waiting for you. Here are a woman talking on the phone to a furniture company. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. 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 1 to 5. Good afternoon, KT furniture. Can I help you? Oh, hello, yes. I'm setting up a new office and I don't have internet access yet, but I'd like to place an order for some furniture. That's fine. You can do it over the phone and I can fill in the form for you this end. Oh, great. Thanks. I just need to take a few customer details first, if that's okay. Yes, fine. What name is it? My name. Yes. Oh, it's Sue Brown. Sue Brown. Thanks. And what's the name of your company, Ms. Brown? It's a clothing company. It's called Dress Your Best. Okay, I'll just note that down. Dress for Best. No, your Best. Oh, right. Got it. So you make smart clothes? Yes, formal dress for weddings and special occasions. We also repair and alter clothes. I see. And where are you located? What's your postal address? Right. Well, we're on Kirby Trading Estate. Kirby, how do you spell that? It's K-I-R-B-Y. Oh, I know that area. It's New Hampton Road, isn't it? Yes, that's right. Number 210 in South Down. Okay, and can I have a contact number for our delivery man? Sure. It's probably best if I give you my mobile number. Okay. The numbers 09356, 788545. Okay. No, 788545. Okay, that's great. Now, just a couple more questions before I take your order. Fine. We have two delivery dates this month, and you should be able to have either. When are they? Well, there's one on the 16th of the month, but there's a charge of $40 for that one. Oh, that's a lot. Hmm. Oh, there's option two, which is the end of the month. I'll have to confirm the date later, and that's a free delivery. I'll take option two, thanks. I don't want to pay a charge. Okay. I'll note down no charge. We haven't organised the office yet, so there should be plenty of time. And lastly, you don't have an account with us, so how would you like to pay? I'll pay by credit card. Okay. Will that be visa? Is American Express okay? Absolutely fine. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10. I'll be waiting for you guys next week. Okay. Okay. I'll be waiting for you guys next week, so I'll be waiting for you guys next week. Okay. I'll be waiting for you guys next week, so I'll be waiting for you guys next week, so I'll be waiting for you guys next week. Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10. So, what would you like to order? Well, I've been looking in your catalogue, and you have some office chairs that look very comfortable for our type of work. Is there an item code? Yes, it's ASP-23. Okay, those chairs come in pink, white and black. Yes, the pink looks nice, but I think the darker colour is better for us. You can see light materials on it more easily. That's true. We'll have 5 of those, I think. Okay, I've got that. Anything else? Do you have any striped mats? I'm sorry, not at the moment. They're out of stock. We should have some in next month. Never mind. Well, I'd also like two of your glass desks. They're lovely, aren't they? Yes, you seem to have two sizes. Basically, large or small. I think the code for the small ones is... I think we'll have the large ones. The code here is TG-586. Okay. So, that's two glass desks. Any lamps for those? No, we have to get special lamps for our work. Oh, I see. Do you have another supplier for those? Yes. We do need some furniture for our customers, though. Okay, for a waiting area or something? Well, we have to discuss the work with them, so we need a nice sofa. Something soft and... I thought leather. Yes, a good choice. There's a three-seater here, D-F-D-44. That seems to be in red, cream or chocolate brown. Yes, it does come in yellow as well. Yellow? Hmm. I'd thought of red, but that sounds lively. Yes, I'll have that colour. I think brown's a bit too dull and cream shows the dirt too much. Yeah, you're right. Anything else? A coffee table, perhaps. Yes, I think so. Maybe TX22, the silver one? A very good choice. Well, that's it, I think. Okay, I'll just add that up for you and then take your credit card details. That is the end of section one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Thank you. Now turn to Part 1 on page 2 of your question booklet. Part 1 You will hear a telephone conversation between a man who wants to book some accommodation at a holiday park and a woman who works at the park. First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5. Now listen carefully and answer a questions 1 to 5. Good morning, a hopey holiday park. Oh hello. We're planning on coming to a hopey for a couple of weeks during the summer holidays and some friends of mine recommended your holiday park, particularly the wooden cabins you have. That's good to hear. Well, we have different types of cabin available. Can you tell me about the most basic type? Yes, we have a couple of cabins still available, which are right beside the pool. That sounds great. Yes they are in a good spot. They have one main living area and there's another room with the beds. If you want to do any cooking, there's a communal kitchen that everyone uses, but otherwise the kitchen in the cabin just has a fridge, a small one and also a microwave for heating things up. I see, and what's the cost of that? That's $35 per night. Okay, and what are the types of cabin do you have? Right, we have our standard cabins. These are near reception, so that's handy if you want to come in and get us to book a trip or anything. The kitchen is fully equipped too, so you can do all your cooking there. What other facilities does it have? Is there a television? In the standard cabin, I'm afraid not. But it has a shower, which you don't get in the basic cabin. Okay. And that's $55 a night inclusive. And is there another cabin type? Yes, the standard plus. All of these cabins are directly opposite alike, and they all come with a private spa as well. Sounds good. I should tell you that these cabins are quite popular, so I'd advise you to book as soon as possible. I don't suppose there's a discount for booking for a longer period. There is, actually, for the standard plus. Once you go up to five nights, there's a 15% discount, and anything more than 10 nights it's 18%. I'll give it some thought. I think we'll probably go for the standard. All right. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6-10. So, for children, what kind of activities can they do at the holiday party? Do you have a trampoline or anything? No, but a lot of the kids who come here do tennis. It costs nothing to use our court, and they can come borrow the rackets from us as long as they bring them back, of course. Great. My codes would be under that. And we're planning to bring our boat with us and get out on the water. Is it possible for an afternoon or something to hire some equipment? We're hoping to go fishing, but we don't have our own stuff. Yes. For a small charge, we can let you have some equipment. Fantastic. Is there anything else for kids to do in the Hopi area? Well, on Saturday or Sunday, you might like to go to the farm. It's only a short drive from the holiday park. You can go riding there and see how everything works. It's quite a popular thing to do. OK. I'll just make a note of that. Actually, one thing I would recommend, depending on whether your children don't mind a late night. I'm sure they wouldn't. Well, it's a guided tour, $20 for a family, every evening, and you go along with the guide into the forest. That's when the night of birds wake up, and it's a great chance to see them in their natural habitat. My daughter would love that. Now, I just want to check all this with my wife. Will you still be there in 30 minutes? No, I'm going on my lunch break. But I'll pass your details on to someone else who can confirm your reservation. Her name is Arataki. That's A-R-A-T-A-K-I. All right. Thank you. You welcome. That is the end of Part 1. You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 1. --- Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14. Hello. Listeners to this programme will know that we're very keen to foster links within communities and we think we've hit on a winning idea. I'm going to tell you about a scheme which has been set up as part of our communities in action programme for those who'd like to be put in touch with people from different cultures and cultures. As the name connections suggest, we're hoping that the scheme will introduce people who live in this country, who will act as hosts to people who've recently arrived here to study or to work for a limited period of time, who will be their guests. Now, if you've got a spare room in your house or flat, you might like to be a host and have someone stay for a weekend. I should point out that no money is involved as all our hosts are unpaid, but you should not have too much expense other than one more person joining you at meal times. In the course of their studies or work in this country, some people rarely get the opportunity to socialise. There may be language problems or feelings of shyness, which mean that whatever their age, people can become quite lonely or isolated. If you are prepared to invite someone into your home, you can rely on connections for a personal introduction and the timing of the invitation will be to suit you. As I said, the stay is always over a weekend for two or three nights, and as the host, the arrangements you make for your visitor will depend on your other commitments. If you're listening to this programme and you would like to take advantage of what connections can offer a guest, then what I'm going on to say will apply to you. So, what will you, the guest, get out of a visit? You'll gain an insight into the customs and way of life of the country you're staying in, and you'll enjoy homecooked meals and be able to ask questions about things which interest you, or perhaps even puzzle you. It's early days, but if a weekend stay goes well, relationships might develop over time and turn into lasting and genuine friendships. This would undoubtedly be of advantage to the whole community, as we all become more aware of the ways in which people in different countries live their lives. There's also the possibility that when you return to your own country, you might one day want to invite your hosts to stay with you. Before you hear the rest of the programme, you have some time to look at questions 15-20 on page 4. Now listen and answer questions 15-20. Right, I hope I've given you enough information on the scheme and what we're setting out to do. I'll now deal with the process for applying, if you'd like to be involved from the point of view of a guest, so have a pencil and some paper ready to jot down what you need to do. Connections is broken up into various small sections, which will deal with your application through the different stages. To begin with, we ask you to make a phone call to our vetting people. We need to know some basic information about you, like how long you're intending to be in this country, the minimum time limit is three months. Whether you're working or studying, we require a reference, which must be from the person in authority who you're working with or studying under. This will be used for an identity check. Once that's been sent to the authorities and approved, we'll email you an application form, which you can download. You should complete this and return it with two recent passport-sized photographs of yourself. One photo will be held in our records, and the other will be sent to your host family prior to your first weekend visit. Our centre manager will get back to you within a week of receiving your form to let you know that we have it, and if we think there's a suitable match on our files, someone from our interview team will contact you for a face-to-face meeting with a member of staff. At that point, you should have some idea of weekend dates when you're free, which we can put to the host family. However, decisions are not made at the meeting, but you can expect to hear the result from us in a couple of days. Now, the process for those of you interested in welcoming someone. That is the end of section 2. --- 3. You will hear two students called Jeannie and Dan discussing some research on the effects of music on consumer behaviour. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 1. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. 2. Now, listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26. 3. Hi, Dan. How's it going? Hello, Jeannie. Pretty well. Thanks. Have you finished your research yet? Yes, it's all done. I've spent several weeks on it from the very beginning of deciding the topic to carrying out the research and writing the essay. Congratulations. Seems like a big project. I know the research is to do with music, but what is it exactly about? Well, at first I didn't have a specific purpose until one day I read a report that said, "If appropriate music is played while people are eating, it may cause some changes in their behaviour, but the report didn't illustrate the changes in detail." So, I wanted to carry out a thorough investigation into this. That's quite unique. So, how did you conduct your research? I started by looking for five different restaurants and then went to each of the restaurants to order some food and observe other people. I mainly focused on how the music is played instead of how people eat. Findings of my observations indicate that the five restaurants have something in common. They all have a special section to play the music. More importantly, although the music is played at different times, the volume is unchanged. Sounds attractive. I've never read anything about this before. In addition to observation, what other research methods have you used? I also distributed the survey questionnaire to people dining there. What questions are posing your questionnaire? Well, the first section of the questionnaire asks subjects to indicate the number of times they have been to the restaurant previously, the number of people they'd dine with, and whether they think they will return to the restaurant. These early questions don't involve musical preferences, but largely actors, distractors, the intention being that subjects will be less inclined to think that the survey is about the music being played. That sounds very reasonable. Did you design the questionnaire by yourself? Actually, no. A redness assignment a student wrote last year, which was just kept beside a dictionary in the library. I came across it when I was looking something up in the dictionary. Oh, you're so lucky. Is there any other question included in the questionnaire? Yes. Subjects are also asked why they choose to dine at a particular restaurant. Several reasons are listed in the questionnaire. I thought people would put service first, but that's not the case. Only about 12% of them have chosen this reason. Well, the majority of respondents think whether they will pick this restaurant depends on how many available seats it has. They think it's terrible to eat in a crowded place. Yes. Everyone wants to enjoy a meal comfortably. Then I guess maybe the location of a restaurant is an important factor, since no one likes to waste too much time on the way. It used to be, but nowadays nearly every household has a private car, so they don't have to be worried about the traffic problem. What I find interesting, however, is that a large percentage of people say they will compare different restaurants in the neighborhood on the internet first. If one of them stands out from its rivals, they will choose it. Wow. It's really interesting. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27-30. Now, listen and answer questions 27-30. What also? Well, the second section of the questionnaire asks subjects to respond to the music being played by rating, so that the relationship between music and perceived atmosphere could be examined directly. As a means of examining purchase intention, the final section of the questionnaire asks them to indicate the maximum amount of money they are prepared to spend on their main meal. So, what have you finally discovered? I collected all the questionnaires and analyzed people's answers to get a clear idea of their reactions to different music conditions. The result shows that music has become an indispensable part of restaurants. If people find there isn't any music during the meal, they will think the restaurant charges too much. Yes, now music is everywhere in our life. Is there any difference in people's attitudes towards different musical styles? Yes, most people think that if jazz is being played when eating, they tend to stay at the restaurant longer and order more food to enjoy the music. But this is quite the opposite of what happens when classical music is played. Many customers think if the restaurant plays classical music, they wouldn't like to stay there for another minute. But to finish the food quickly and hurry away. Because they don't like this type of music at all. And lastly, about pop music. It's very popular these days, especially among young people, as I've noticed in restaurants. They like listening to this type of music during their meals. As a result, this greatly increases the possibility of their presence at the same restaurant. Great, I've learned a lot from your research. I think it's meaningful and innovative. Thanks for telling me, Jeannie. You're welcome, Dan. That is the end of part three. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three. Thank you very much. You will hear a conversation between two students discussing about their research project. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26. Hey Matilda, have you done any further work on the research project? I spoke to the professor yesterday and he's had some interesting results so far. Yes, I've been analyzing the data we've received and the results are similar to those the professor talked about. The recording devices have been spread out throughout the faculty building and we're able to get results from many sources. That's interesting, but there are some ethical issues that need to be addressed in relation to this. The school has very high standards regarding this and it's important we take the issue seriously. Right, are there any major problems that we should be worried about that might affect the integrity of the research? If so, we need to address them straight away. Well, the main issue is about the consensus of the children involved in the study. It isn't clear whether they've all agreed to take part in the experiments. The professor was filming his daughter in secret and she was unaware of this. Now his daughter is only three years old so it might be difficult getting someone so young to understand what they're taking part in. But we need to take it seriously. As I said, we don't want to be accused of being unethical. I see. Yes, you're right. I suggest we'd better develop a consent form for parents to fill in. I think that's the best way to go about it. Now I know there were some other issues that were raised. Can you please explain to me what some parents said? I'm not entirely sure I followed. Yes, some expressed a concern that speaking to their children with less complex language structures would negatively affect their child's language development. But that isn't the case. Parents have no need to worry in that regard, as the language acquisition process is in no way affected by this sort of interaction. OK, well, that's fairly obvious from the results, I suppose. The tools we use to collect data have been refined and broadly applied in multiple research areas. Yes, I spoke to the professor about that yesterday. Right, anyway, I've already made a start on writing up some of the research results. And one of the more fascinating findings relates to the way in which language is acquired. Most people begin studying a language at its roots and try to understand the basis of the individual words. For me, though, I find it more beneficial to acquire individual vocabulary items and language structures rather than understanding the fundamentals. I think that's an approach preferred by many linguistics experts, especially those who work in education and language training. It's important to make a distinction between mastering a new language and simply being able to use it for conversational purposes. As for myself, the process of language use is to try out new learning processes without fear of making mistakes. Of course, in some cultures and learning environments, making mistakes is not acceptable, and this is a real drawback for the students. I agree with most of that. Especially the idea that making mistakes is a necessary part of the learning process. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 27-30. You will hear two business students called Emma and Nick preparing for their presentation on the topic of how jobs might change in the future. First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24. Okay Nick, the title of our presentation is how jobs might change in the future. Shall we look at the research we've done so far? I was just watching an interview with Alex Coban. Go on. He talked about a company with a call centre for dealing with complaints. Instead of following a script with a list of questions they had to ask, the call centre employees were told they could deal with complaints however they wanted, which went down well with them. That's not a common approach these days. But apparently it worked. Customers were happier with the new methods. Really? That's certainly not the result you'd expect. We'll definitely have to use that example. Maybe. What about Jerry Kaplan's report? He argues there'll be plenty of jobs not suitable for machines. Like a machine might be able to diagnose your disease, but patients will always want to talk face to face with their doctor. I suppose it's something to do with the fact that a human can empathise, but a machine can't. Right. Now, there's that article called The Human Cloud. It describes the growing numbers of people being employed as contractors to do online tasks at a distance. Well, that could be good for the companies, they can choose the most expert people available and they get cheap labour and no costs except wages. But for the workers, it may mean less money. On the other hand, I love the idea of working from home in a time that suits. It's certainly controversial. Another article was the one looking at how employers will use technology to record what their employees are doing. So awful. Cameras in the workplace checking on where you are, software that tells your boss who you've been emailing. When we talk about this, I want to make clear how this affects people's personal privacy. Did you read how some companies are tracking the health of their employees? Surely workers won't accept that. Yes, I'd be very surprised if this became common. Too many employees would refuse. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25-30. Now, listen and answer a questions 25-30. Okay, there's some aspects of the presentation we still need to think about. Yes, there are a few issues. Let's go through them one by one. Okay. What about the introduction then? Well, we've sorted out the content. Your editing has helped, but don't you think you ought to deliver it rather than me? It's mainly your work. Okay, so let's do it that way then. Good. What about the researcher profiles? Kathy Bryson and Alex Coburn's backgrounds. I doubt we'll have time to look at them properly during the presentation. I reckon we should just attach that bit to the written report we're given to the tutor. So cut it. This rehearse the whole presentation and see if it's necessary. What about the section on automation? Aren't you happy with it? I'm thinking I haven't really given equal attention to the pros and cons. I should start again. Well, let's have a bit more of a think about it. You don't want to rush into a big job like that. Another thing is a section on workplace structure. I think we've got some good points, but... We're only using one particular company as a case study. We need to source some other situations as supporting material. So perhaps we could both do a search and compare notes. And choose the most interesting cases. And the section on tracking technology. Are we happy with that? It would definitely benefit from some photos. Hang on. There's no point using images just for decoration. We need to think about whether they'd serve any real purpose. Fair enough. Let's make a decision on that at a later stage. And that interview we did with the company manager. Yes. We were lucky she gave us her time. But I just want to be sure we wrote everything down accurately. I wouldn't like to misrepresent her views. Maybe I should type up that section and send it to her so she can confirm whether or not it's correct. Yes. That's a good idea. Go ahead. Sounds like a plan. Okay. That is the end of part three. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three. [BLANK_AUDIO] Part 3. You will hear two music students discussing the results of a survey they have done. First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen carefully and answer a questions 21 to 26. So Gareth, we need to organise the findings from our survey on music students for the final presentation. Yes, Lorna, I think we've got some very interesting results. Obviously we need to start by saying that we interviewed all the third year students doing a music degree and state the objective of our research project that is to find out about their attitudes to performing. And then we should talk about the students' musical backgrounds before coming to university. The most important points to make are that although most people have actually composed music during the course, that wasn't the case when they arrived. And the other thing they had in common was the piano. Well, they'd had access to a piano at some point, but not all had studied it formally. I thought the most interesting finding was that before coming here, almost everyone was involved in a chamber orchestra or band or singing in a choir and playing in front of live audiences. But varying enormously in size, some had only played in tiny venues. I think it's worth saying that. Okay. And as you might expect from people wanting to study music, they all had a degree of proficiency in at least two instruments. But in most cases, one of the instruments was dominant. Right. We need to talk about attitudes to music practice. The most striking thing here is that even students who'd expect to practice for hours every day until they get it perfect, say it's being terrified of failing that really makes them practice. I know I'm the same. Me too. It's interesting what was said about practicing alone. Some people preferred that because they could focus more on their weak points. But that wasn't a majority view. What most of them agree on is that there's nothing more rewarding than mastering something that's really important. That's right. Okay. After that, we should talk a bit about the pieces that students select for assessed performances. There wasn't quite so much consensus on this, was there? A few people prefer to do pieces which are relatively unknown, while others choose the ones they think will show off their technical ability. But they were in the minority. I think the first thing to say is that a high percentage said they would always try to learn their pieces by heart because it's too easy to get lost if you're trying to read and play when you're nervous. Okay. And quite a lot of them said it helps to listen to other people playing your chosen piece, preferably recordings, but even just other students. 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 finally, we need to look at the findings for students' attitudes to performing. We should point out that this includes informal and formal public performances as well as assessed ones. Yes, that's important. I expected to find that performing solo would make students very nervous, but in fact that isn't the case. They do find it hugely challenging to start with, but they appreciate the challenge and find it stimulating. Right. I was surprised by what students said about deciding which pieces to perform. I thought that all say this was easy. For me, it's always been quite straightforward, which pieces do I like best and which pieces can I play well? And my repertoire is quite limited anyway, but the most commonly cited answer was that it took the majors to make their minds up. I suppose it's because there are so many factors involved. You need to consider your audience, the venue, the time available to learn the piece, especially if it's complicated. You need to think about all these things, and you can't do that in a hurry. That's true. Then there's performing with musicians from a different genre, like a classical musician playing with a jazz group. That can really be fun. But most of the music students had never even considered it. Right. For performing with musicians who play the same instrument, almost everyone put the same thing. Yes, they all said it was incredibly helpful, and not at all intimidating, which says a lot for the department's ethos. Yes, that's a good point. Okay, what I think we should sort out now. That is the end of part three. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three. Thank you. [BLANK_AUDIO] --- Today, I'm going to be talking about the design of streets from a town planner's angle, and I'm going to be looking at what's known as street furniture. That's signs, road markings, lamp posts and so on. When we're designing streets and deciding where to put street furniture, we must consider how strong an impact its location will have, not only in terms of aesthetics, but above all, in terms of access. Over the years, there's been a build-up of street furniture, and the result is that many streets are cluttered, overcrowded, too busy. So, many towns and cities now have a policy to declutter the streets, rationalize the amount of street furniture. However, removing street furniture causes another problem, that of storage. Towns are reluctant to throw out or dump their unwanted street furniture, as it can often be put to good use in another location. One of the biggest culprits when it comes to our streets looking cluttered is signs. Generally speaking, they should be attached to existing posts where feasible. Parking restriction signs are a good example of this, or they may be attached to buildings. In addition, they have to be put somewhere where they don't impede circulation. This is something I am sure all of you are aware of from your own experience. The only group of signs that must be cited in particular positions are warning signs. The public must have enough time to read these before they reach the problem. Of course, all signs should be concise and no bigger than necessary, and at the same time, their message must be clear. When it comes to choosing road signs for a town, there are a couple of things to take into account. The key point is that these signs need to be seen clearly after dark. Weather conditions pose less of a problem. The choice of material that the sign is made of is therefore important. One of the best materials being produced at the moment is one whose surface is made up of tiny prisms, each one reflecting light. The choice of material is also important if graffiti is a problem. In this case, material covered with a fine plastic film which is easily cleaned is suitable. This material also makes the removal of unwanted stickers much easier. There are a number of other objects which are potentially problematic. The introduction of CCTV cameras used for security, for example. It's not so much the cameras that are the problem, because they are usually located high up on buildings. It's the boxes containing all the controls, which even when placed up on walls can give a street an oppressive atmosphere. At ground level, the location of cycle racks is tricky. If they are near the road, they can get in the way of pedestrians. If they are back against a wall, the cyclists and their bikes have to cross the pavement. There is a similar problem with bins. They need to be easy for people to throw their letter into, but not block the pavement in any way. I'd like to round up this section of my talk by focusing on some design principles. Firstly, any street furniture or signs that are used used must be fit for purpose. Secondly, they have got to be durable. They need to be able to stand the test of time. And then, of course, they need to be low maintenance. As for general principles, an area I haven't touched on so far is that we must find out about any legal regulations regarding street furniture. Many aspects of street furniture and signs are affected by this. And remember that there's no substitute for going to the actual town to do an inspection of the site. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] >> Good morning. My name's Caroline Stewart, and I'd like to give you an overview of the research we've been carrying out to learn more about the elephants living in the Amber Selly National Park in Kenya. Let me start by telling you a little about the methodology we use. We've been studying this population of elephants for nearly 40 years, and we've collected a wealth of information about individual elephants. We now have a database of 2,500 elephants from the area, and we know the month and year of their birth, as well as who was the mother of each one. More recently, one of my colleagues has been examining the pattern of elephant relationships within and between the families in more detail. He's done this by using audio equipment to record and then play back the calls that are made by the elephants. And in addition to that, for some time we've been using DNA analysis to investigate these relationships. The findings were significant. For example, for a long time we'd suspected that elephants live in a very complex social system, and one thing we found from our research is that this social system is made up of a large number of different layers, not just parent and child, but also brother and sister, and so on. Another important discovery was that elephants can be very cooperative, as much as gyms, in fact. We conducted an experiment in which two of the elephants brought food within reach by pulling simultaneously on the ends of a rope. It was a surprise even to us that they managed to do it. Another finding was just how flexible elephants can be. They may live in smaller or larger groups depending on environmental conditions. So, for example, an adult female and her calves might leave their larger groups for days or weeks. A good example of this was two years ago when there was not enough rain. Many left the herd and moved to new areas in order to survive. We also discovered that elephants can show emotion. For example, when an elephant dies, the others may stroke and rearrange the bones, although why they do it is still a mystery. Elephants are very intelligent creatures. We've dedicated a whole chapter to this in our new book, as the findings are so important. For example, when we looked at the elephant's brain, we found that its weight was quite high compared with that of its body, which is significant. Early on in the research, we discovered that bull elephants, i.e. males, go through periods of significant change, which is called "must". This serves to advertise the male's virility to other females, letting them know he's healthy and would be a good father, but it also warns other males to stay away. One of the most obvious changes is in how they walk, though there are others. However, one of our most important discoveries is that it is crucial for elephants to live for a long time. If you are a male, you probably won't be a successful mate unless you do. If you are a female, the older and more experienced you are, the more likely it is that you'll be aware of danger when it approaches. For example, an elephant may be able to cope with one lion, but may have problems if there are three of them. Age helps elephants know when it's best to walk away or to stand and fight. There's a huge amount that's still waiting to be discovered. For example, we know very little about the part that's played in the life of elephants by their sense of smell, although we suspect that it must be important, because this sense is very well developed. It's very hard to conduct research in this area in the wild, because there are so many variables involved. Another area we know little about is illustrated by a time I observed a young elephant reaching out towards an electric fence. His mother's whole body posture displayed a alarm at the danger he was in. This is an example of how one elephant can be sensitive towards the feelings or situation of another, but we don't know how much it happens. you you you you you you you you You will hear a student giving a presentation about a specific reptile, the Arachan Forest Turtle, as part of her environmental studies course. First, you have some time to look at Christians 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. From the reading I've done so far in our environmental studies course, I have become very interested in the wildlife in certain areas of the world. Today I'm going to focus on a reptile called the Arachan Turtle. The shell of this turtle is light brown and the edge is quite sharp and jagged at the back. The softness of its limbs stands in stark contrast to this. Extreme care must be taken when handling the turtle because its claws have unbelievable power. And in fact, this may be a good thing as it has even contributed to its survival, since people are unlikely to be able to pick it up easily. The Arachan Turtle is endemic to Iraq and the Yomahil range in western Myanmar. Geographically, Myanmar borders Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. The turtle I'm talking about is often called the Arachan Forest Turtle because it lives deep in forests and always chooses areas with streams. When Arachan turtles are kept in captivity, they do eat meat. They are often fed earthworms and young mice, both of which are highly nutritious. In the wild however, mushrooms constitute the major part of their diet. They can find these easily on the forest floor. There are some reports of them eating fish in the wild too. It's thought to be very unusual. When it isn't out foraging for food, it's dormant and can usually be found under a pile of leaves or debris. However, it has been observed that its behavior in terms of activity levels differs depending on the season. During the wet season, the turtle is more active, for example foraging for food, whereas when it's dry, activity levels are low. I'd like to tell you about some of the threats to the Arachan Turtle. Unfortunately, it's hunted for both its meat and its shell. Sometimes forest fires which often occur naturally drive the turtles out into the open. In this case, hunters can find them easily, but they are also known to bring dogs into the forest to sniff out the turtles. The number of Arachan turtles is declining rapidly, but it's not only because of human intervention. There are also non-human threats. The turtle reaches maturity at three years old, but its reproductive output is low. It only lays eggs once a year, and the eggs can take anything from 100 to 130 days to hatch. The Arachan Turtle typically lays between two and six eggs each year. In addition, many babies die during the first few days of their lives because they are so fragile. So, let's look at conservation. The Arachan Turtle was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1998 when a few specimens turned up in a market. Its conservation is extremely important, and conservation international has categorized it as critical. Because of this, two new areas in Arach, including the Yomahil range, have been proposed as protected sites. It's hoped that wild turtles will spread to these areas naturally, but conservation international is also working on a strategy for relocating those bred in zoos. A zoo in Atlanta in the USA has a small group of Arachan turtles, which could be used, for example. There's another program in Myanmar itself, which almost happened by chance. There's an area in quite a remote part of the country that's been designated an elephant reserve, and Arachan turtles were found living there, obviously benefiting from the protected status. It's interesting how areas intended to protect one species can have a knock-on effect protecting others. To further protect the turtles in this area, training is now provided to local staff monthly. It covers all aspects of turtle biology and welfare. There are also plans for the future to have graduate students work in the protected area, collecting additional data on the species. That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.