Listening 2026-06 Test 9

Hi there, I'm John Blake. A friend of mine recommended your service. I'm in need of assistance. My friend mentioned that you have tow trucks capable of safely pulling cars. Nice to meet you, John. Before we proceed, we'll meet your contact details to fill out our service form and dispatch our staff. Sure, I live at 116, Charlicote Road in Salisbury. C-H-A-R-L-E-C-O-T-E. Thank you for providing your address, John. This will help us keep your information up to date. Could you also provide me with your post code so that we can send you detailed service information by email? My post code is SE13AL. Perfect, we have that noted down. Now, could you please let me know the make of your car? This will help us send mechanics with relevant experience. I drive a Honda Accord. I bought it last year. It's brand new. Great, we have that information on file now. Lastly, could you please provide me with the registration number of your car? This will make it easier for us to locate your vehicle. The registration number is S232TAT. Thank you, it's been noted down. If it's helpful, could you also tell us the color of your car? The car was originally red, but my wife recently painted it green. Thank you for sharing that detail, John. It will definitely help with vehicle identification. Now, could you please briefly explain what happened? It's possible that my vehicle is running low on oil. I only realized it after I began driving on the motorway and couldn't find a gas station. That's when I decided to exit the motorway. I see. We'll make sure to bring some fuel. Please continue. I wasn't familiar with the road conditions, and when I was searching for a station to refuel my car, I got it stuck in the mud. I'm sorry to hear that. Are you currently in a safe location? Yes, I'm near a bridge. I spotted a road sign around 100 meters away indicating that it's Albany Road. Alright, let's organize assistance for you. Is there any urgency? Yes, my mother has a back injury and is unable to move. I wanted to call an ambulance, but she refused. She believes she will recover soon. I'm sorry to hear about your mother's condition. Let me dispatch help right away. Given the distance, it will take our mechanics approximately 40 minutes to reach your location. Thank you, although it's quite a distance. I can't spot any convenience stores nearby, and the wind is really strong today. I understand. Please make sure your mother is comfortable. My suggestion is to find a warm place where you can take care of her. Your mother's well-being is our top priority. Thank you for your understanding and prompt response. I really appreciate your support. I'll keep you informed of any updates or changes. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] Hello. How are things going? Not bad, but... What's the trouble? I'm worried about my trip. Yeah, I remember you will go to Cambridge next week. Is that right? Yes, but I'm not sure about the choice of transportation when I get off the flight. Don't you remember I'm from London? Oh, right. Could you give me some suggestions? Of course. The information the girl wants to know is transportation at London Airport. So, transportation has been chosen 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 four. Hello. How are things going? Not bad, but... What's the trouble? I'm worried about my trip. Yeah, I remember you will go to Cambridge next week. Is that right? Yes, but I'm not sure about the choice of transportation when I get off the flight. Don't you remember that I'm from London? Oh, right. Could you give me some suggestions? Of course. I will arrive at London Heathrow Airport and then go to Cambridge. How about taking a taxi? It is the quickest and most comfortable way. Sure, I know, but it's too expensive. Right. What do you think of the underground? Darling, there is no underground to your destination from London. OK. OK. Why don't you rent a private car? You mean hire a car at the airport. Yes. Is it very expensive? The cost depends on the type of car. Maybe it's a good choice. Oh, do I need my driving licence? Of course. Don't you have a licence? I lost my driving licence the day before yesterday. I am so sorry. And I do not really want to drive myself after a long flight. Well, how about taking a coach from the airport? A coach. Yes. Do you know how much that costs? Usually the minimum fare is about £14. Single or return? Of course, it is a one-way ticket. And that's quite cheap. Yes. How about the number of passengers in the coach? Let me see. It is around 20 to 30. How long would it take to get to Cambridge by coach? I think it's about three hours. Really? That's too slow. Why does it need such a long time? Because it has many stops during the route. Oh, no. And the last choice is the airport shuttle. Yes. Tell me some more information about it. I'm not very sure about it. It is better for you to get the information from airport clerks. Sure. Do you know the telephone number? Let me check. I think I saved it to my mobile phone. Yes, here it is. OK. I'll call it now. Good morning. This is the transport information at London here through airport. How can I help you? Good morning. I'd like to reserve a seat on the airport shuttle. OK. I just have to fill out this form for you. What's your name? My name is Echo Grey. And your age? I'm 21 years old. What is your nationality? I come from New York. OK. American. Yes. And your flight number? It's B-A-188. What date will you arrive? 26th of August. Do you know the arrival time? You mean he threw airport. Yes. It is 5 past 3 in the afternoon. Sure. Which terminal? It is Let me think. Is it terminal 5? Oh yes. So that's the here-throw airport to Cambridge on the 26th of August. Yes. Single ticket or return? Just single. Does that have some discount? I mean some special ticket. There will be a super save ticket after 4 o'clock in the afternoon on the 26th of August. That's great. So what's the departure time? 1610. That will give me plenty of time to collect my baggage. Sure. How much is the fare? A single ticket of super save is £18 and includes coffee. That sounds good. Oh. How long will it take to get to Cambridge? Up to two hours. Great. The last thing, how will you pay your shuttle fare? Do you accept American Express? Of course, please tell me your number. It is 3339-5183-7799-6047. Okay. Thank you for choosing Heathrow Airport Shuttle. You can get your shuttle ticket from our reception when you arrive at Heathrow. Thanks for your help. You are welcome. Goodbye. Goodbye. Section 1. You will hear a man talking first to a receptionist and then to a doctor at a health centre. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 3 on page 2. 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, how can I help you? Yes, I am a visitor to this area. I had a sporting accident a little while ago and I am still in some pain and I wonder if I could see a doctor here. Certainly sir, we can take you on as a temporary patient. I will just take down some personal details. Can I start with your name? Yes, it is Peter, Peter Smith. The patient's name is Peter Smith. So, Peter Smith 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 1 to 3. Good morning, how can I help you? Yes, I am a visitor to this area. I had a sporting accident a little while ago and I am still in some pain and I wonder if I could see a doctor here. Certainly sir, we can take you on as a temporary patient. I will just take down some personal details. Can I start with your name? Yes, it is Peter Smith. Right, Peter. And where are you staying here? At 95 cross street. And the suburb? Walkley. That is W-A-L-K-L-E-Y. And can I have a contact phone number? It is 4689-5324. Thanks. If you just wait down there, the doctor will see you in a minute. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 4 to 10 on page 2. Now, listen and answer questions 4 to 10. Now, what can I do for you? It is Peter Smith, isn't it? Yes, I had a sporting accident and was treated by a doctor at home, but I am still in pain. Right, I just need to ask you a few questions first of all. Fine. Now, what sport were you doing? I was playing tennis. Oh, I see. And what was the nature of your injury? Did you hurt your elbow or wrist? No, I had a sprained knee. That was the original problem. Right. And when did this happen? It was three weeks ago now, so that was June 18th. Fine. And you say you had medical treatment? Yes, the doctor said I didn't need an x-ray or anything, and he just told me to use an ice pack. An ice pack? Fine. Yes, and I've been using a walking stick to help me get around. Right. Now, what problems are you experiencing at the moment? Are you having any problems walking? Well, I can walk okay, but I still can't go upstairs, so I've been sleeping downstairs. Now, you say your knee still hurts? Well, no. Actually, it's recovering nicely. It's my back that's hurting me now. It really aches at night, and I can hardly sleep. Well, there's a few different things I can suggest for that. Great. First, you should put your stick away as that's probably the source of the problem. It'll be making you unbalanced. Oh, really? I wish I'd known. After that, I can prescribe you something to relax the muscles in your back. Oh, sorry to be difficult, but I've had something like that in the past, and there were lots of side effects, and I had to stop taking it. Can you recommend anything else? Well, yes, we do have a leaflet showing some exercises you can do to help yourself at home. If you do them every day, they'll soon be effective. Great. I'll do that. That is the end of section one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. [BLANK_AUDIO] Section 1. You will hear a new student, Tom, talking to a student representative called Rachel, about university clubs. You now have 30 seconds to read questions 1 to 4. Hi, welcome to Freshers Week. I'm Rachel. Can I help you? Oh, hi. Yes. I was hoping to find out about some clubs I could join. Well, all the club stands are here in this hall. What were you interested in? Um, not sure. I wanted to do something where I could meet people. Well, take this leaflet with details of all the clubs and see what you think. It'll probably depend on what day you're free. Like on Mondays, there's the film club. Then on Tuesdays, you've got the climbing club. That's really good. I'm in that. Then on Wednesdays, you've got chess if you want something a bit more intellectual. But you should look through carefully because all the clubs run extra activities as well as their normal meetings. Oh, yes, I see. So it looks like the film club has discussions after the films. I'd quite like to go to those. Then climbing, goodness. It says here that the university has its own climbing more. That's impressive. And they go on weekend trips. Cool. And it says the chess club normally just does games with whoever turns up. But it also runs competition sometimes. But I bet you've got to be pretty good to do that. Yes, I think so. And how many people are in the clubs? Are they all really full? Well, obviously they're all different. So for example, the film club has just increased its membership from 85 to 125. But I think they're hoping to extend it to 150. The climbing club's quite small, 40 people. And the chess club is fairly healthy at 55. Right. Okay. So who do I see if I want to join these clubs? Well, if you go around the stands and speak to the people there, for the film club, that's the events organizer. For climbing, you'll need the club secretary. And the chess club is organised by one of the maths tutors. Okay. Yep. I think I'll start with the climbing club. It sounds good. Oh, well, as I said, I'm in that. So I might be able to help you a bit. You now have 30 seconds to read questions 5 to 10. Okay. It says in the leaflet that they get together twice a month. Is that right? Yes. Oh, you must join. It's really good fun. We go away quite a bit to North Wales. And every year we have a special excursion, usually to France, which is where we're going this year in the spring. The weather's too unpredictable in the autumn. Wow. That sounds good. But it must cost a lot. Yeah, but we try and save up for it through subscriptions. So rather than having a huge sum to pay in the month we go, we collect those weekly, so it spreads it out. Good idea. I think I'll definitely join. There are quite good benefits you get from joining. I mean, you need that, don't you? And the university clubs normally try and do deals with local businesses. So it's really worth joining. Like in the climbing club, they've got a special arrangement with one of the shops in town. So if you show your card, you can get money off equipment. Don't think the discount extends to clothes though. That's really worth it then. I'll go over and talk to them now. Okay, hope you do join. Oh, and another thing I meant to say, if you do become a member, you automatically receive a magazine once a year. It's quite useful and interesting because it goes out to all the national climbing clubs. And the other thing is, if you come to every session, then you can get a complimentary ticket to the big exhibition that's held in Cardiff every year. So I hope to see you. Yeah, well, thanks a lot for your help. That is the end of section one. You will now have half a minute to check your answers. --- Now turn to Section 2. Section 2. You will hear part of the talk given by a member of staff at a hospital. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15. Hello and welcome to the homepage for the Healthy Hearing Medical Clinic and Surgery, where we'd like to share a little more information about the services we provide and more. Our hospital is one of the leading specialized hospitals in the United Kingdom, attracting the very best healthcare professionals from around the globe. Not only are we a leading medical practice, but we are also the only hospital in the United Kingdom dedicated entirely to the treatment of and research into the curing of hearing loss. Our facilities and staff here are renowned across Europe, attracting thousands of patients a year. Our consultations can number anything up to 11,000 patients a year. However, we aim to treat around 5,000 patients a year, so as to maintain and ensure the quality of our services. Our patients are guaranteed the highest standard of care, as well as the use of our first-class facilities. All patients requiring overnight treatment are provided with their own private room with on-suite facilities, as well as a state-of-the-art entertainment centre, which includes a flat-screen LCD television and PlayStation. Appointments with our healthcare professionals can be made at any time during the week, with female doctors available between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. If you need to see a doctor outside of these times, please visit the Out of Hours page of our website for more information. Our doctors are all trained to an exceptionally high standard, and practice a vast array of specialities. Mr. Roberts is a fully qualified ear and throat specialist. Mr. Edwards is a pediatric hearing specialist, while Mr. Green specialises in reversing hearing loss. For more details about our people, please visit the staff member's page on our website. During a consultation, doctors will sometimes decide medication is required, for which patients should receive a prescription. There are several pharmacies within the city. However, we recommend that patients use the pharmacy housed within our healthcare facility. Our in-house pharmacy is well-stocked at all times. Our products are competitively priced, and our pharmacists are on hand to help and advise from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Sundays. If you require any help outside of these hours, please see our Out of Hours page on the website. Since the healthy hearing medical clinic and surgery also functions as a teaching hospital, we aim to provide our students with every opportunity to expose themselves to medicine in practice. Therefore, we would like to encourage our patients to give their consent for a medical student to attend their consultations. If our patients are not comfortable with this, there will be a form at reception where patients will be able to opt out. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20. Now, please look at the map I've given you of the healthy hearing medical clinic and surgery. For those not familiar with our practice, reception can be found through the main door at the end of the corridor. If your consultation is booked with Mr. Green, you need to go through the main door and turn right by the nurse's desk. And his office is at the end of the corridor on your left hand side. If you need to alter any of your personal details, please visit our secretary at the office for medical records, which you will find next to the therapy room. If you're awaiting surgery, please first check in with reception before taking the first door on the right after you enter the clinic. Finally, in the event that you feel disappointed with any of the services we have provided, or have any further questions, please locate our manager's office, which can be found near the office for medical records and between two closets. If you have any more questions about the healthy hearing medical clinic and surgery, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0-1-256- triple-1- triple-1. That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers. If you have any more questions, please contact us on 0-1-256- triple-1. --- Part Three You will hear two business administration students called Pam and Jason discussing their project with their professor. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. Hello Pam, Jason. Thanks for coming to discuss your marketing project. I've read your proposal and outlines, so let's go over it. Okay. Right. You've chosen the topic of food packaging. So what did you want to get out of doing this project? We decided if we did our project on packaging, we might find some practical tips on how a business could make more money. After all, where business admin students and that's the ultimate reason we're on the course, isn't it? So although we know the impact of packaging on the environment is important... We feel the government regulations are pretty strict already in that area. Okay. Now you've decided to look specifically at the packaging of food. What do you think the main issue is for shoppers these days? Some people get upset about the waste with all the plastic and stuff used to package food, but I guess most don't pay much attention to that. A few years ago, people seemed concerned about packaging food, so that buyers knew more about what it contains from labels like calories, additives and stuff. But in the current economic climate, Pam and I think people are most interested in packaging that helps keep food fresh for longer. And you've chosen to concentrate on big supermarket chains. Why not look at local stores or even convenience stores? Well, there are some interesting published studies based on small retail outlets, and we looked at those. But after a little investigation, we found that the managers of the large supermarkets in this area wanted to be helpful and are willing to let us talk to them and their employees. Of course, the supermarkets do account for most food sales around here, but that wasn't our reason for choosing them. Speaking of this area, you know the food buying choices here are quite unusual. Since we're in a university town, the population is quite young, but actually my research shows that age isn't the factor in making the area unique. And although the education level is pretty high, that doesn't seem very important either. I guess it's because we got people from all over the world living here with all the foreign students at university. That's it. Our supermarkets cater for a huge diversity of cultures. In our survey of the literature, I was struck by what shoppers say is most important to them when they buy. I would have thought how much the buyer had to pay would be the key, but that doesn't appear to be the case. That's right. How delicious the buyer considers the product seems to be the main thing. Whether or not the food is good for you is pretty low down on the customer's priorities. That's interesting. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. Let's discuss the practical experiment you're planning. You're going to design the box for a new breakfast cereal which you'll try to market. Not in reality, of course, but by showing different designs to some of your fellow students on a computer. A kind of virtual reality supermarket. And the students will choose the design that appeals most. Let's talk through the experiment, okay? That'll be helpful. Now the number of different designs you're proposing to show each student is two. If I were you, I'd make it at least four. That way you can examine their reaction to more variety in the kinds of packaging. Okay. Good idea. We do have several more designs. Now we've got a sample from our class of about 20. Is that enough? Probably not. Try talking to the assistant in the business studies department. He can sort out how to recruit some more from other classes for you. Right. Now as to how you're going to display your packages to the students. I did talk about those technical issues in one of your first classes. Go back and look over what I said about the practical realities of conducting experiments. Okay. We can do that. We're going to ask each student to choose the one design they think is best. But how will we know why they chose that one? Well, don't just rely on oral prompts. Give them a series of written questions that way you'll have hard data. Okay. But what about analyzing the data? Well, we've got an excellent computer program to gather it all together. But we still need to interpret it ourselves. So we'll need to give ourselves a few more days for that. Yes, we will. Anyway, it's all looking good. That is the end of Part 3. You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Part 3. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24. So, let's hear what you're doing for your next project. I've decided to design a roof garden for a supermarket. I've been looking at some on the web and I think that a garden on top of a building is the up and coming thing. Okay. So you've done a bit of reading already. Mm-hmm. What benefits would there be for the client? Why do you think a supermarket chain would be willing to meet the expense of construction? You do realize that would be the first thing they raise. Yes, I know. But I'd explain that in spite of the initially high expense, they would save that much in approximately five years. Hmm. Well, I'd have to do some. I mean, calculate specifically. Yes, how would the saving come about? Mainly through lower heating and air convils. The extra insulation offered by having a layer of living plants in the soil would make a huge difference. Okay. But they might feel the expense of maintenance would be an issue. After all, supermarkets don't normally employ gardeners. What I thought was if they made it a community garden rather than a simple low-maintenance screen roof, so there'd be public access. Oh, yes. Then there'd be a sense of ownership in the local community. And people could take responsibility for it instead of the supermarket paying a commercial company. And it would really boost their public relations. That's a good point. And have you been looking into how roof gardens are built nowadays? I'm still exploring that. But if I take advantage of the latest technologies for roof gardens, it shouldn't be too difficult. But in any case, you have to use lightweight materials. But that's a matter of making the right choices. You can even use quite traditional ones such as wood for the planting areas. Yes, that's what I thought. It'll look good and it isn't too heavy. But for the basic construction, the issue you have to address first is the material used between the building and the garden. You mean the barrier fabric, which ensures there's no chance of rainwater leaking down into the building? Yes. Nowadays that is very good and quite easily sourced. Then on the other hand, there's the business of water within the roof garden itself. Are you mean drainage? That's an important feature of the construction in any roof design. Yes, but I think most drainage issues have been well understood for quite a long time. Okay. But another thing is with plants in an exposed situation, you usually need to find ways to optimize rainfall. Yes, because rainwater is best for the garden if you can store it for when it's needed. What I've been looking at are some buildings which use fairly conventional storage tanks, the kind that have been in use for decades, but have them linked to modern automatic watering systems. Sounds complicated? It's less so in practice than it sounds, I think. I've been researching them and actually the latest ones definitely work very well and they can be electronically regulated to suit the local microclimate. That sounds interesting. You seem to have been doing some thorough research. Make sure you reference all your sources when you write it up. Yes, sure. There's one more aspect I just like to run past you if there's time. I want to include a light feature in the design. Of course. I've got a sketch here. Let's have a look then. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30. Pause the recording for 30 seconds. Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30. Well, I was really impressed by something I saw on a roof in Cornwall and I'd like to design something similar. You have an area of planting and I'm thinking of installing this lighting in an area filled with low growing evergreen shrubs. You'd have to have lights and things well away from anywhere children might be. But I can see this could be very effective if a bit complicated. How would it work? On this drawing, this is a section view. You have this low wall on the right. Yes, that's it. This is just one element and these areas would be repeated all round the planted area. I think this will probably be a wooden wall using reclaimed timbers with an angled ceramic top surface. Perhaps even ridge tiles, like they use on roofs? Ah, yes. That would be just the sort of thing. And that would make it weatherproof. And then the heavy duty electric wiring comes up through the floor just outside the planted area and into the wall. Then it's brought through to a projector low in the side of the wall and that sends a beam of light along the fiber optic cable. So there's no electricity in the actual lights. The fiber optic goes across the surface of the soil in the planting area. Yes, that's the beauty of it. The shrubs will soon grow to cover it up of course and then the cable goes past a wooden post which is between the shrubs and can be a support for them as they grow bigger. And then runs up into each element of the installation. So the light beam is carried up to the top of each element and illuminates a kind of conical glass cap. I see. Is that the bit which would glow in the dark? Yes. And what's the cap supported on? Is it a wall? No, it's a slender acrylic rod like the stem of a flower or mushroom which the cable runs up inside of. Well, I'll be interested to see the final drawings. Thank you. I'm looking forward to putting it all together. That is the end of section 3. You now have --- You will hear an engineering student giving a presentation about a research project on design features of the International Space Station. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You will hear an engineering student giving a presentation about a research project on design features of the International Space Station. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. For my presentation, I'm going to summarize the findings of a research project on life aboard the International Space Station in the early days of its operation. It's teething problems as it were. I'll start by giving a little background information. The Space Station crew were essentially a constantly changing team of scientists from different countries who lived on the Space Station for several months at a time. And they conducted a number of experiments, including some studies of living conditions in space, which is what I'm going to be looking at now. So, what was life like on board in the very confined conditions of the Space Station? Well, the early impressions recorded by the astronauts were very different from what people had expected. They'd expected that the air would smell stale or artificial, but the astronauts found that it was fresh, so that was one very positive finding. And although they were in such a confined space and people worried that it would get very hot, in fact, they found that it was very easy to turn the temperature up or down in order to keep it within a comfortable range. The feedback on the food was also positive. Astronauts on previous Space Station had described the meals as boring, but the International Space Station meals were praised for their variety. So, that was another good piece of feedback. And something, which is taken for granted today, but was a key morale booster in those days, was communication between the Space Station and Earth, which the astronaut said was clear and reliable. So, in the early days, it seems that the mood was overall very positive. However, after a few days, the difficulties and frustrations became clearer. Above all, the crew complained about the constant noise caused by the air filters, which used to rattle and buzz 24 hours a day, interrupting their sleep. As well as that, the astronauts complained that the Velcro fasteners, which were positioned all over the station, didn't work well. And so, a lot of the time, objects weren't secure in the cabin, but floated about. A particularly serious problem was that the systems used on the Space Station had been developed in a number of different countries, and they didn't always work well together. For example, it was impossible to mix the water produced from different systems, because it contained different sorts of preservatives, and these reacted together and blocked the pipes. Another problem was connected to repairs. At the best of times, these took up an inordinate amount of time on the station, and the crew complained that many of the tools that they'd been provided with weren't suitable for the jobs they had to do. So, they had to improvise, which meant that jobs took a lot longer than they needed to. Another related problem was to do with access to equipment that needed maintaining. Because the instructions on the equipment were often located in places where they were difficult to read, like on the back of equipment, it was often difficult or impossible to read them. So, having identified these problems, the researchers came up with a number of suggestions about how conditions could be improved on subsequent missions. First, it became clear that although there had been a great deal of consultation with the crews, the systems and equipment on the Space Station needed much more wide-ranging testing. Then, the whole issue of language training came under review. Astronauts from different countries had to be able to talk to the controllers on Earth and to understand them. Now, although they'd had extensive language training, the astronauts sometimes had problems comprehending what was said because they weren't familiar with the accent of the speaker, and this sometimes led to quite dangerous misunderstandings. Finally, and this is the point I found most surprising, the researchers felt that the designers of the Space Station were paying too much attention to safety, rather than considering operating issues. That is, how the station could be run comfortably and smoothly, and the recommendation was to make changes here at quite a fundamental level. So, those were the main points I covered in the... [silence] [silence] That is the end of the listening test. In the IELTS test, you would now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. [BLANK_AUDIO] Welcome everyone to today's talk on fossils and their preservation here at Green Mountain Fossil Park. Our goal is to give you an overview of how fossils are formed and classified as well as how you can acquire them as souvenirs. Let's start with the three main types of fossils found here. The first type is transitional fossils, which are quite rare. These fossils display characteristics that bridge the evolutionary gap between ancestral species and their modern descendants. A well-known example would be fossils that show traits of both dinosaurs and birds. Next, the second type is actual fossilized remains of ancient organisms, which is catagrid under preserved ones. Unlike the first type, preserved fossils maintain much of the original structure, making it possible to see distinct features of plants or animals. The third category is ikno fossils, which can help to trace fossils' size and forms through the actual remains of an organism but instead provide evidence of their activity. These include footprints, burrows, or tunnels left behind by prehistoric creatures. Now, let's explore how fossils are formed. One way is when an organism gets trapped in volcanic ash, which preserves it in great detail. However, a more common process is petrification. The first step is that after an animal dies, it gets buried in the mud or silt. Over time, the mud surrounding the remains dries and hardens, creating a protective layer. Eventually, the bones decay and are replaced by minerals in the surrounding soil, which leaves behind a stone-like fossilized structure. This process allows us to uncover fossils millions of years later, providing valuable insights into prehistoric life. Now, if you'd like to take home a fossil as a souvenir, there are two places you can purchase them. You can visit the shop outside the park or explore the fossils available at the Park's exhibitions. As for the prices, don't worry, most fossils can be afforded by customers, although larger ones can be quite expensive. During your visit, you will come across various tools that will help you learn more about fossils. For example, a tape measure is provided next to each fossil so you can record the dimensions of the specimen. Another one is a notebook and pen, which will allow you to document different types of rocks as geology plays an essential role in fossil studies. If you have a camera, feel free to take photos of the fossils. This can help you review details later and compare different formations. Lastly, a compass can help explore soft sediments, which are often key indicators of fossil locations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask our staff members. Enjoy your visit and we hope this experience sparks a deeper interest in the fascinating world of fossils. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] Now turn to Section 4 on page 7. Section 4 You will hear a talk about the effects of our digital world on young people. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40, on pages 7 and 8. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. In this lecture series, we are looking at changes occurring due to the rapid spread of digital technology in the last decades of the 20th century. By digital technology, I include any computer related devices such as email, the internet, cell phones, instant messaging to name but a few. Today's lecture focuses on the ideas of Mark Prinsky and what he believes are the major effects that high exposure to digital technology has had on young people today. Firstly, what exactly does Prinsky believe? He argues that because today's young people have been born into a digital world and spend hours simply playing with technology, they've changed in fundamental ways. He believes they're evolving differently, and as a result, process information differently from previous generations. It's even possible that these young people's brains have physically changed, although whether this is literally true isn't yet known. Nor does Prinsky go quite this far. Prinsky divides people into digital natives and digital immigrants. Today's young people are the digital natives, and they belong in this new digital age because they were born into it and grew up as native speakers of the digital language of computer technology. Whereas digital immigrants are those born in the generations before the digital age. Just as those who learn a second language often retain their foreign accent, the immigrants are usually in varying degrees, not quite as effective at speaking the digital language as the natives are. For example, they're more comfortable finding phone numbers using a phone book or looking up information in an encyclopedia, rather than using the internet as a primary source of information. Prinsky calls this the digital accent. Another example of the digital accent is scanning a manual for a computer program rather than assuming the program itself will teach you how to use it. Basically, people with a digital accent have never really stopped relying on their original non-digital means of sourcing information. They prefer doing things as they've always done them without typing something into a computer. Prinsky predicts that due to all this changes are in store, mainly in the area of education. But what do other educators and theorists such as Thomas Allen, Samuel James and Peter Vander believe? Samuel James, from Sydney University, agrees with Prinsky's predictions. He believes that educators are no longer successful in the way they teach. However, not surprisingly, Prinsky has been criticized by more traditional theorists like Peter Vander and Thomas Allen. They disagree with many of Prinsky's assertions. Vander argues that a typical classroom is more varied than Prinsky believes, with students coming from a range of backgrounds. He maintains that a large percentage of these students are not necessarily proficient with technology, and not all students today fit the one stereotype. And Allen adds that even though most students today have easy access to technology, some just don't find the digital medium appealing. James disagrees though. He believes that all today's students do share the same basic interest in and knowledge of digital technology. However, James believes our younger students can communicate with their digital immigrant teachers and can still learn using methods which have proven to be successful in the past. James' theories are taken a step further by Allen, who recognizes that both digital immigrants and natives have to deal with vast amounts of information in today's electronic society. Allen maintains that while most young students are proficient in playing computer games and using the web in quite basic ways, they're not used to using the computer at advanced levels. For example, to conduct complex information searches, which are so necessary for university study today. Irrespective of Allen's research, James believes it's possible for computer games to play a major role in making classroom learning more stimulating, and he cites many instances where this would be possible today. However, vendor asserts that rather than focusing on developing games, we should think of better ways to assist teachers, because no computer program comes close to doing what a human teacher does every day. That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. You will hear an expert giving a lecture to business students about how to review a project. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. You have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now, listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. In the last lecture, we looked at managing a project to completion. Today, we are going to be looking at a way of judging just how successful your project has been. It's called the After Action Review Process. A typical project review is completed long after the project is finished and so it's too late to change the outcome. Wouldn't it be better to evaluate it along the way so you can learn from your mistakes at each stage and improve on them? It was for this reason that the Army devised the After Action Review Process as a way for everyone to learn quickly from experiences in the field. Okay, so what are the benefits of using an After Action Review? Firstly, it's not just limited to very large or very formal projects but is useful for all sorts of things. For example, you may want to use it to debrief following a staff meeting or any other regular operational function. In the same manner, it's an extremely effective tool to use following a safety incident and can reveal important lessons so that accidents can be avoided in the future. So you can see that this would definitely be a positive step for any business. An added benefit of the review is that because the focus is on learning, it really improves communication within working groups. So let's have a look at what an After Action Review is. It's a structured session or meeting that does the following. It focuses on the resulting outcomes and the reasons for these. It encourages active participation among the team and very importantly, emphasizes how vital it is for the team to trust one another. Here are some of the key elements to remember for when you're conducting an After Action Review. Where possible, it's really good to have an external person to facilitate the process. This helps to direct the discussion and can also prevent a stronger member of the review from dominating the others. Make sure that you encourage active involvement. Often, shy members won't say anything. So one way to encourage them to get involved is to ask people to put their comments in writing. If they aren't given the opportunity to do this, they may be intimidated by other members of the group. Another key element is to be aware of the type of questions you ask. In order to make sure that participants don't search for what they think is the perfect answer, always ask open questions. For example, what would you do differently next time? Ensure that every member of the team has the chance to speak. It's also important to make sure you write down the specific recommendations made by everyone. But don't forget to pass this information on to non-participating team leaders, so that they too can learn from the experience. This is how after-action reviews contribute to organization-wide learning and improvement. However, if no one follows up on these recommendations, then the process is wasted. You should also ensure that the ideas from the after-action review are incorporated into your business by organising staff training around them. Finally, the last thing you want is to find that you don't get through everything because you've been talking too much, so make sure you keep a constant eye on the time. An after-action review is not something that you should ever plan on conducting in two sessions. Now, before we go on to look at the next type of project review, that is the end of part four. You now have one minute to check your answers to part four. [BLANK_AUDIO]