Listening 2026 May–Aug Practice Set 8

Narrator: Section 1. Clerk: Good morning, ma'am, and welcome to Australia's Moving Experience! How can I help you? Woman: Well, I... I hope you can help me. I'm so up in the air right now... I... Clerk: Just calm down, now. Let me guess: you're moving and it has you a little confused. Woman: That's it exactly. You see, I'm relocating to the United States next month and I'm having a hard time getting organised. Clerk: Here, fill out your name and address, and let me ask you a few questions. Oh, what should I call you? Woman: My name is Jane, Example Jane Bond. Clerk: OK, Jane, first of all, what's your work phone number? In case I have any questions about things. Woman: My work phone is 94635550. But please try not to call me too often there. My boss hates personal calls. Clerk: So does mine, ma'am, so does mine. And what address should we ship your things to? Woman: My new company is letting me stay temporarily at 509 Clark House, that's C-L-A-R-K, 1137 University Drive in Seattle. Clerk: Seattle? Beautiful city, I hear. Mountains right beside the ocean, almost. Cooler than Australia, too. OK, and when should we come pack your things? Woman: I guess that would be on Monday, March 11th. Clerk: Do you want any help with an after-packing clean-up? We do that for a small additional charge. Woman: Yes, that would be helpful. I promised the landlord I'd give her the keys back by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 14th. Clerk: Great, we'll just schedule the clean-up for that day. That way, the place will smell clean and there'll be no dust. Woman: Well, you do think of everything! Oh, how much is this going to cost? Clerk: Here is a list of our basic prices. Woman: Oh dear, this seems rather expensive! Clerk: Yes ma'am, but you're paying for the best. We're careful and we're fast. Like we say, the only thing we break are speed records getting you moved. Woman: Well... maybe that's so... Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you. I don't want my furniture shipped with me. I won't be looking for an apartment till after I arrive in America. Would it be possible to put my furniture in storage here for a month, then have it sent along later? Clerk: Of course, we do that all the time. A couple of other things. Here at A Moving Experience, we try to pack your things logically. We don't just throw stuff in boxes. Do you have any special requests? You know, things you want packed in some special place, so you know where to find them? Woman: Like what? Clerk: Oh, I don't know... Things like dishes maybe. Not to be rude, but you look like a lady who likes to eat. Woman: Ahhh! Yes, I need my dishes and things where I can find them quickly. Clerk: Great. We'll put those dishes and cutlery in what we call the emergency pack. Can you think of anything else? Woman: Ummm, I do have an antique tea kettle my great-grandmother gave my mother. I wouldn't want to lose that. So I guess you'd better put that in storage with the furniture. Clerk: Grandma's tea kettle with the furniture, got it! Say, how about things like your alarm clock? You don't want to miss your plane on the big day, right? Woman: Well, you certainly think of everything! Yes, that's right. I'll also need my alarm clock where I can find it. Clerk: Fine, we'll put that in your personal package. And of course, we'll give you a list of where we pack everything. So, all you'll have to do on Thursday, the 14th is grab your luggage on your way out the door. Um, I couldn't help noticing the new CD player you're carrying. Is that a Samsung? Woman: Why? Yes, it is. One of their best. Cost me nearly a hundred dollars, it did! Clerk: Do you want to take special care of it? I mean it's brand new. Woman: Take care of it, but nothing special. You can just put it in storage with the furniture. Clerk: That looks like everything we need here. I guess you're all set. Woman: That was certainly quick. Thank you, young man. This has been a most moving experience! Narrator: Section 2. Woman: Thank you all for coming to my talk this evening. It's nice to see so many people in the audience. Woman: For those of you who don't know very much about 'Connection', let me start by giving you some background information about it. Woman: 'Connection' is a British organisation that facilitates homestays all over the globe. This organisation prides itself on matching tens of thousands of host families with guests every single year, allowing travellers to discover a country's culture in a way like no other. Woman: Homestays are ideal for both travellers and homeowners, enabling inter-cultural exchanges and the development of life-long friendships, while providing travellers with often discounted accommodation costs, and host families with a steady income from the comfort of their own homes. Woman: The homestay experience is particularly popular with university exchange students looking for a more genuine insight into their country of choice, and an unrivalled opportunity to develop their language skill. Woman: The homestay experience is truly unique and once in-a-lifetime, and one that you will likely remember for the rest of your lives. Woman: It is important to note, however, that some people will find it difficult to adapt to the new country, with many enduring what is known as 'culture shock'. Woman: Connection's advice for those suffering from culture shock is to go out and make as many friends as possible, no matter how difficult you may find it. Woman: Friends are guaranteed to help you feel more integrated as part of the local society, and show you some great places to hang out. Woman: At first, it might seem extremely challenging to overcome the language barrier between you and your host family; however, you will find that you quickly overcome this and develop a very close and almost familial relationship. Woman: Many of our travellers have suggested that they have found discussing their hobbies and other interests with their host families is the best way to overcome any barriers, since you are more than likely to find something you share in common. Woman: For example, you might find that you are both passionate about football, and end up playing in the local field every week. Woman: One of our guests undertaking a homestay in a rural area of the UK told us that she and her host now take a Tai Chi class together upon a hilltop at sunrise, calling the experience absolutely breathtaking. Woman: After the first few weeks, you will find your understanding of the people around you and their culture deepens by leaps and bounds, and you will soon become one of the locals. Woman: Our hosts, in over 140 countries, turn a location into a culture, time into experience and strangers into friends. Woman: So how can you find out about applying for a homestay? The best way would be to visit Connection's website, www.connection.com, and contact one of their friendly advisors for more information. Woman: Once you have confirmed your interest in the service, we would strongly advise that you remain in close contact with the registration office, which will send you several emails keeping you up-to-date with potential matches in your country of choice. Woman: Once registered, Connection will require you to send various documents, and will act as an intermediary between you and the host family prior to final confirmation and payment. Woman: During this stage, Connection will ask you to provide two photos, one for the host family, and the other for our own records. Please ensure that you sign the back of each photo. Woman: Due to the nature of the service Connection provides, security is an absolute must, and they will ask you to send in photocopies of your passport, birth certificate, and a bank statement as confirmation of your identity. Woman: On receipt of these documents, the official process will begin and your bank account will be debited for the initial deposit of two hundred pounds. Woman: If you haven't received any acknowledgement confirming receipt of these documents from us within seven working days, please contact the main office. Woman: As I mentioned before, due to the nature of the organisation, Connection operates a meticulous screening process, and all applicants will undergo an interview in our head office in London, with exceptions made in extreme circumstances. Woman: After your interview, it may take us several weeks to carry out the decision process, so please be patient with us. Woman: If you would like a fast-track service, please indicate this on your application and we will notify you of the additional charges. Woman: Finally, once we have come to a result about your application, you will receive a decision in the post. Woman: If you do not receive an offer of placement, we will refund your deposit within seven working days. Narrator: Section 3. Tutor: So you were both given your project assignments for your senior thesis today, right? Jane: Yes, and we already have to submit our topics next week! Mark: But how could they give us a grade this soon? Tutor: No, next week's due date will not be counted towards your final grade. The teachers are just going to read your topic and give you feedback. Jane: Oh, I see. So first we should come up with our topics, and then what? Tutor: Well, once you know what you want to study, you need to think about how you'll study it. You need to decide on your research methods. The methods will be the main part of your paper. Mark: What about the results section? Tutor: Well, I can give you feedback on that, but you will be the one carrying out an experiment and thus will have to produce the results on your own. What I would like to do today is practice writing research papers before you even begin your report. I'll give you samples of old data from past experience, and you can practice writing results and drawing conclusions. Jane: I think that would be really helpful. Mark: Yeah, it sounds like a lot of extra work, but I'm sure it will make our actual project easier. Tutor: You are exactly right. So, let's get started. First, let's try this simple experiment on fruit flies. Read the information, and then take 25 minutes to summarise a results and conclusion section. That's really important - pay attention to the time limit. Jane: OK, does it still have to be 6,000 words? Tutor: No, don't worry about that. Mark: What if we get off topic? Tutor: I wouldn't worry too much - you will have so much information to write about that it should be easy to stay on topic. Jane: But what about other sources? Tutor: Well for this assignment, you can use the one from your textbook. In your actual paper, you should find old experiments that support your topic. Mark: So, do we need to find different types of sources? For instance, should I be conducting lots of interviews to use in my paper? Tutor: No, there's no need to conduct lots of interviews or anything like that. Mark: OK, I'm ready to get started. I'm still a little confused though, on how we should format our paper. Tutor: Don't worry about it for now, but on your final paper, make sure to pay attention to the format. It should follow the guidelines exactly. Jane: Oh man, I'm starting to understand why they give us all semester to do this. Are there any other small details like that that we should know about? Tutor: Not a whole lot, make sure you provide two copies - one for your teacher of course, but one for yourself as well. And of course, you know the due date, right? Mark: Uh, it's April 11, right? Jane: What? No! It's May 11. Right? Tutor: Yes. The due date is May 11. Write it down! Mark: Oh wow. Yeah, I need to note it. Also, I'm having trouble finding information on my topic. What if I can't find enough good sources? Tutor: It's alright to change your topic. Just make sure to do it before the beginning of April. Mark: Oh really? Wow, I'm definitely going to change it then. Tutor: Just make sure to write a note to your teacher letting him or her know. Jane: Okay. So, getting back to writing this sample paper, where do we start? Should I just explain the experiment and what happened? Tutor: Well, you need to start with your hypothesis - what you think will happen - and then describe your procedure. Then you can write up the results and your conclusions. Jane: Oh boy, I don't know if I can handle any more instructions... Narrator: Section 4. Lecturer: Great Britain is often hailed as the home of football, with talented players travelling from far and wide to play for teams in the English Premier League, one of the most popular football leagues on the planet. Lecturer: Today we are going to take a look back to nineteenth century Great Britain in an attempt to trace the evolution of 'the beautiful game' as it is now known. Lecturer: Prior to the nineteenth century, the game featured a wide variety of local and regional adaptations, which were later smartened up and made more uniform to create our modern-day sports of association football, rugby football, and Ireland's Gaelic football. Lecturer: Even up to the mid-nineteenth century, Shrovetide football or 'mob football' was still widely practiced. Lecturer: According to the rules of mob football, there were no rules. A player could legally use any means whatsoever to obtain the ball, such as kicking, punching, biting and gouging, with the only exceptions being murder and manslaughter. Lecturer: These games may be regarded as the ancestors of modern codes of football, and by comparison with later models of football, they were chaotic and had few cooperation. Lecturer: Towards the latter end of the nineteenth century and moving into the early part of the twentieth century, however, there appeared a newfound emphasis on moral values in football. Lecturer: Perhaps a more modern example of this can be seen in John Terry's suspension as England captain following reports of his infidelity to his wife. Lecturer: Furthermore, as mob football died away, there grew a greater concern for players' health and general well-being, with many clubs affording their top players access to frequent medical check-ups and treatment. Lecturer: Despite the presence of Great Britain's unique state-funded National Health Service, football clubs are still seen today providing team members with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, with the top clubs even housing their own specialist doctors and physicians. Lecturer: Today, football is a key feature of school children's day-to-day education, particularly for boys. Lecturer: With the help of football associations, all schools in the UK are boasting their own football teams. Lecturer: This mainly comes as a result of pressure put on schools and the government by concerned parents, who felt that football education taught their children valuable lessons and indeed vital life skills, such as teamwork and a drive to succeed. Lecturer: Nowadays, many of the UK's top football clubs provide training facilities and outreach programmes in an attempt to educate the nation's aspiring youths. Lecturer: As I previously mentioned, it was only during the nineteenth century that football in its uniform concept truly began to emerge, with footballers previously playing according to their own versions of the rules. Lecturer: However, it was not until the early twentieth century that different players actually began to play according to these standardized rules. Lecturer: Prior to the nineteenth century, football was played by all the major English public schools including the likes of Eton College, Winchester College, and Harrow. Lecturer: In 1848 there was a meeting at Cambridge University in an attempt to lay down the laws of football. Lecturer: Present at the meeting were representatives of each of these major public schools, whom each brought a copy of the rules enforced by their own individual school's rules of football. Lecturer: The result of the meeting was what is now known as the 'Cambridge Rules', thereby uniting the rules from across the country into one simple document. Lecturer: However, the Cambridge Rules were not liked by all, and a new set of rules, 'Thring's Rules', compounded in the book 'The Simplest Game', became commonplace among dissenters. Lecturer: Across the country, improvements in infrastructure and public transport had a knock-on effect of dramatically increasing attendance to football games. Lecturer: Football quickly became a social event where spectators would meet friends, drink tea and chat about the good old days. Lecturer: As football became more and more popular, it was decided that more money should be invested in maintaining the quality of pitches amongst other things, and there was even talk of installing seating for spectators. Lecturer: However, the question of who was to foot the bill quickly became a divisive issue, with many believing that the government should fund football's development as a national sport. Lecturer: But in the end, the onus fell upon Britain's local and regional football clubs for the funding and development of the football association. Lecturer: They became responsible for the upkeep of football grounds, began to pay their best players a small salary, and organized competitions against other local and regional teams. Lecturer: And there began England's Football Association, or the FA, as we know it in its current form, the governing body of football in England. Lecturer: As the FA continued to grow and accumulate greater wealth, it was able to attract more and more talented young men from across the country, before finally accepting professional talent in the early twentieth century. Lecturer: Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Lecturer: Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favorite teams, while billions more watch the game on television or on the Internet.