Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Test 11. In the IELTS test you hear some recordings and you have to answer questions
on them. You have time to read the instructions and questions and check your work. All
recordings are played only once. Now turn to Section 1.
Section 1. You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman discussing the travel
arrangements regarding a trip from London to Paris.
First you have some time to look at questions 1 5.
(20 second gap)
You will see that there is an example. This time only, the conversation relating to this will be
played first.
Robert
you?
Good morning. Welcome to Rockies Travel Agency. My name is Robert. Can I help
Angela
Yes please. My name is Angela. Im traveling to London in a couple of weeks and I will
have to go to Paris before returning home to Toronto, Canada. My firm has booked my ticket out to
London and back from Paris, but they have let me choose how I wish to travel to Paris.
Robert
Wow, youre lucky! Ive never been to Paris, though I see enough pictures of the place
working here.
Angela
Robert
There are three main ones. You can take the train, fly or take a ferry. For the ferry, you
will also need to take a train or bus or drive yourself.
So, ferry is the correct answer.
Now we begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, as the recording is not played
twice. Listen carefully to the conversation and answer questions 1 to 5.
Robert
you?
Good morning. Welcome to Rockies Travel Agency. My name is Robert. Can I help
Angela
Yes please. My name is Angela. Im traveling to London in a couple of weeks and I will
have to go to Paris before returning home to Toronto, Canada. My firm has booked my ticket out to
London and back from Paris, but they have let me choose how I wish to travel to Paris.
Robert
Wow, youre lucky! Ive never been to Paris, though I see enough pictures of the place
working here.
Angela
Robert
There are three main ones. You can take the train, fly or take a ferry. For the ferry, you
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Robert
Well, it depends on what you want. For convenience, the train is excellent. It leaves
from the centre of London.
Angela
Robert
It used to go from there. Now it leaves from St. Pancras Station, which is next to Kings
Cross Station. This will then take you under the sea in the Channel Tunnel directly to the Gare
du Nord in the centre of Paris in three hours.
Angela
Robert
Then there is traveling by plane. You can fly to Paris from different London airports
such as Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Luton and Stansted, as well as other airports around the
country. The actual travel time is quite short, about forty minutes only, but youll need to get outside
London to the airports, check in and wait and then transfer into Paris when you arrive at the airport
there. That can take an extra two hours in London and one and a half hours in Paris.
Angela
Robert
There is a variety of ports from which you can get a ferry to France, though the fastest
journey is from Dover to Calais, which is about an hour. You will need to take a train or bus to the
port first and the same when you arrive in France to get to Paris. Alternatively, you can hire a car and
drive yourself.
Angela
Robert
Oh, for sure. The advantage for a visitor like you though is that you can get to see the
English and French countryside and other towns much more closely. You dont even have to do it in
one journey, but you can stay somewhere and explore, either in England or in France.
Angela
Robert
The train directly to Paris is fifty pounds, which is about eighty Canadian dollars. The
plane will cost about sixty pounds if we book now, which is about ninety Canadian dollars.
The ferry is about thirty pounds, which is about forty-five Canadian dollars, but of course you will
need to get to the British ferry port from London and to Paris from the French ferry port.
Angela
Robert
You can get a bus to Dover from Central Bus Station in London, which is the
nearest ferry port to France. You can get a train from Charing Cross Station in London to Dover as
well. From Calais to Paris, I would recommend getting the train from the station in Calais.
Angela
Hmm. That sounds a bit complicated. The thing is that I have not been to Paris before,
so I think the best thing would be to get to Paris as quickly and easily as possible.
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Robert
Angela
Yes, I think so. The price seems very good value as well.
Before the conversation continues, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.
(20 second gap)
Now listen carefully and answer questions 6 to 10.
Robert
So, let me take some details from you, so that we can buy your train ticket. First of all,
whats your full name?
Angela
Angela Bradbury.
Robert
Angela
B-R-A-D-B-U-R-Y.
Robert
Angela
Robert
Angela
Robert
Angela
Home or cell?
Robert
Angela
Robert
Fine. And on what date and at what time do you wish to travel?
Angela
Ill be in London from the eleventh of April for five nights and then I can go to
Paris. Will that be the sixteenth or the seventeenth? The sixteenth. Thats right. And Id like to
go in the early afternoon, so I wont be rushed. Around two oclock would be good.
Robert
Angela
Robert
to Toronto.
I guess you dont want a return ticket as youre already booked to Canada from Paris
Angela
Robert
Angela
Robert
you like?
I didnt ask this before, but of course you can travel first or economy class. What would
Angela
Robert
The economy is fifty pounds and for that you get a reserved seat from London to
Paris. If you book first class, then you get a bigger seat, lunch with drinks is served at your seat and
everything looks a bit nicer. That comes in at one hundred and eight pounds. Its quite a bit more,
but you do get the special treatment!
Angela
Hmm, Im not that worried about lunch. If we leave at two-twenty, then I would have
eaten already and I want to be hungry for a great first French meal in Paris. So, Ill go economy.
Robert
So, the exact cost in Canadian dollars is eighty-one dollars and thirty-five cents. How
would you like to pay?
Angela
Robert
Angela
Robert
Thank you very much. So, here is your reservation sheet and economy ticket
confirmation. You will see that you are on train number EU621 and you have seat thirty C. To
remind you, it departs at two-twenty and arrives in Paris at five-twenty. Can you read through and
check the details for me, please?
Angela
Robert
Angela
Robert Goodbye.
That is the end of section 1. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
(30 second gap)
Now turn to section 2.
Section 2. You will hear a man giving an introductory talk to parents at a youth centre. First
you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.
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Once a week on Wednesdays, the local Theatre Group comes in and runs a theatre
workshop. There is no extra cost for this and the workshop runs from seven oclock until eight-thirty.
Every now and then we put on a show and the main hall of the Youth Centre can serve very
well as a makeshift theatre!
Another one of our regular evenings is our film evening. This takes place every second Tuesday
evening. We have a big screen that gets put up in the main hall and we have a variety of age
appropriate films for the children. We do not offer new films, as this would be too expensive, but
the local video store, New Video, provides us with films free of charge for these evenings in return
for some modest advertising. This allows us to offer another free of charge activity for our young
people.
Twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturday, we have a disco evening. This runs from
seven pm until half past ten. There is an extra charge for everyone who wants to attend these
evenings, but its only fifty cents. The music for these evenings is organized and DJd by the children
themselves. There are always two adults on duty during these evenings, but the children
organize most of the fun. At the end of the evenings, the children clear up after themselves.
If any child misbehaves in the Youth Centre, then he or she will be warned and we will give you a
call to explain the problem. If a child gets three warnings then the child will not be permitted to
return to the Youth Centre for a period of one month. If any further warnings are necessary, then
further action will be taken. We have never had to do this before, as the children are nearly always
responsible, within the parameters of normal teenage behaviour of course.
So, thats our Youth Centre. We have some leaflets by the door that you are welcome to take.
There is a summary of what we have talked about this evening and a list of contact details,
including our website. There are also some of the most important terms and conditions of using
the Youth Centre and information about our insurance and liabilities. If you are interested in further
information regarding any of these things, then full details are given on our website.
Thank you very much for listening. Does anyone have any questions?
That is the end of section 2. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
(30 second gap)
Now turn to section 3.
Section 3. You will hear a student asking a member of staff questions at a university Open
Day. First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26.
(20 second gap)
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.
James
Good morning. Im looking for the information office for Westley Universitys Business
and Management Department. Is this it?
Dr. Smith
Yes, this is it. Im Dr. Smith and Im on duty here to give information to prospective
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Dr. Smith
James
Well, the first thing is that it seems from your prospectus here that you offer more than
one course connected to business and management.
Dr. Smith
Thats right. We have the standard Business Studies BA course, which is a sandwich
course. Then we have BA courses in Advertising, Marketing, Personnel Management,
Finance, and Accountancy. These are all three year courses, not sandwich ones. A sandwich
course means that you have an extra year spent working in a placement in the workplace. We also
offer postgraduate courses. There are masters degree courses in Advertising, Marketing, Personnel
Management, Finance, and Accountancy, and a general MBA. Masters degree courses can be
studied full time in one year or part time over two years. The BA courses are all full time.
James
Im interested in the standard Business Studies BA course. Can you let me know a
little about the details of the course?
Dr. Smith
Certainly. Over the first two years, you study obligatory modules such as economics,
research methods, marketing, advertising, operations management, statistics, accountancy,
personnel and finance. As I said earlier, the third year is spent working in industry. By the time you
come back for the fourth year, we hope that you have more of an idea of what you wish to do as
a job after graduation, so we provide a wide range of different modules. You get to select five of
these year four electives, as we call them. Some are specialized courses aimed at a particular field
of business and some merely extend your knowledge into courses studied in the first two years.
As research methods are needed really for the dissertation work in year three, thats not an
elective.
James
Dr. Smith
In the first two years and the last year. Some will be at the end of the first semester,
which is in February, and the remainder at the end of the second semester, which is in
July. The exams are all between two and three hours in length. Naturally, there are essays and
assignments that will be set by your subject lecturers and tutors during the semesters, and each
modules grade is based on fifty percent from coursework and fifty percent from the exam. You need
to pass everything to stay on the course, though we allow you to retake exams over the summer if
youve had failures. By the end of the first two years though, you need to have a passing grade in
all modules in order to continue. We only allow students to retake a whole year in exceptional
circumstances. The fourth year is the same as years one and two. You will have exams at the end
of the first and second semester on the electives that you choose.
James
Dr. Smith
No, but in that year you will need to write a dissertation. The dissertation is usually
a research paper on some aspect of the business that youre working in during the work experience
year. It has to be between fourteen and fifteen thousand words in length. Towards the end of year
two, you will liaise with a supervisor with regard to your question and you will stay in contact with
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him or her over the year. The dissertation needs to be submitted to the university on the first
day of the fourth year, and you will not be admitted onto the fourth year of the course unless the
dissertation is given in.
James
Dr. Smith
Of course there are rules and regulations covering most eventualities and you will
be given a copy of those when you begin your dissertation. There is also an appeal process for all
work marked by the university, with the final appeal being decided on by a panel including staff and
students. So, we believe you get a fair opportunity with everything.
James
That does sound fair enough. What does the average working week look like?
Dr. Smith
You will have two lectures a week for each module that you take in the first
two years. In addition there will also be two seminars and one tutorial. The seminars are also
two hours in length and the tutorial is one hour. The lectures involve everyone on your course, the
seminars are in groups of around fifteen and the tutorials usually involve only five students. The
working day begins at eight in the morning and it can go on until seven in the evening.
James
Dr. Smith
Oh yes. Its a demanding course in many ways, but we really feel that when students
leave with their degrees, they really have a solid knowledge of business practices and that they are
fully prepared to succeed in their chosen field.
You now have some time to look at questions 27 to 30.
(20 second gap)
Now listen to the rest of the discussion and answer questions 27 to 30.
James
Dr. Smith
Yes. You really need to have a reasonable grasp of maths, because so many
modules, such as economics and finance, involve some advanced maths skills. We realize that this
can cause problems for some students, so we provide free emergency remedial maths courses
after usual class hours in the first year, in order to help students get their maths skills up to
scratch.
James
Oh good. I might need to take advantage of those. Now, what other support is given to
students with their studies?
Dr. Smith
Theres the Students Union to start with. The Union can provide you with help and
advice on all aspects of student life including housing, finance, legal issues, sports, safety, health
and even diet. They also organize lots of social events, such as weekday and weekend parties,
trips, societies, and the summer ball. It costs ten pounds a year to join. You dont have to join, but
nearly all students do as it offers so much. You cannot participate in any student societies or sports
without being a member.
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James
Dr. Smith
Exactly. You will also need to get a university ID card from the Student Services
building to go to the library. Again, there is a small charge for this ID card for the four years,
three pounds, but it lasts for the duration of your course and it gives you access to all the books,
periodicals and databases that the university has. It also grants you access to the computer
centre and computer labs around the campus. If you dont have the card, youll need to pay to
use a computer each time that you use one on the university campus.
James
Dr. Smith
They usually are, as many students nowadays have their own. However, towards
exam times and deadlines, computers can get used a lot, as students will work more on the
campus. You can book computers in advance though online or at the centre, so, if youre organized,
there usually isnt a problem.
James
Dr. Smith
Oh yes. During the orientation week at the start of the first year, there are introductory
talks and tours of the library, computer centre, Students Union and sports centre. Youll be given
unlimited information at the start; too much to process at the start really. It all falls into place fairly
soon though.
James
Dr. Smith
The usual stuff. There is a large fitness studio, with weights and cardio-vascular
machines. There are also lots of classes in the studios such as yoga, circuit training, pilates, as well
as others. There are two large sports halls for indoor football and cricket and other sports. There
are four squash courts and ten outside tennis courts. Thats not everything, but if you go down
there, they will give you a more comprehensive information sheet. You need to pay to join, but its
only fifty pounds a year, so its not very expensive. Youll need to be a member of the Students
Union though, as the Students Union membership gives you insurance for using the sports
facilities.
James
Finally, Im around for a few days and I was wondering if I could sit in on a lecture to
get a feel for things?
Dr. Smith
That shouldnt be a problem. Lets look at the schedule for tomorrow. Here we are.
There is a year one accountancy lecture at ten am, a year two economics lecture at two pm
and a year four operations management lecture at three pm. Which one would you like?
James
Im really interested in operations management, but Ive a meeting with the bank
regarding a loan tomorrow at half past one and I dont know whether Ill be back in time. Id better
go to the first one at ten.
Dr. Smith
Thats fine. Im lecturing that one, so just turn up. The lecture hall is in building two,
floor three, room fourteen.
James
Let me just make a note of that. Building three, second floor and room fourteen?
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Dr. Smith
No. Youve got the room number right, but its building two, third floor.
James
OK. Ive got that. Well, thank you very much Dr. Smith. Youve certainly been very
informative.
Dr. Smith
James
Yes. Goodbye.
Dr. Smith
Goodbye.
That is the end of section 3. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
(30 second gap)
Now turn to section 4.
Section 4. You will hear part of an environmental science lecture. First you have some time to
look at questions 31 to 40.
(50 second gap)
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
Good morning and welcome to this environmental sciences lecture. Today, we will be discussing
solar flares. It has been said that the cycles of solar flares affect the weather of the planet, the
moods of its people, and even business cycles. When the sun was young, it was far more violent
and active than it is today. It had a much faster rate of rotation, its magnetic fields were stronger
and less stable, and it produced even more powerful flares than those it produces today. But it was
only seventy percent as bright as it is now.
The sun became a mature star when it was about five to ten solar years old, or one to two billion
Earth years. Scientists believe that the sun will shine as it does today for billions of years. But in
about seven billion years it will expand to one hundred times its current size and become
what is known as a red giant. Its color will be deep red and its luminosity will be about five
hundred times greater than at present. After about two hundred and fifty million years in the
red giant phase, scientists expect that the sun will go through a helium flash, which means
it will explode and eject about one third of its mass into space. Thereafter, our suns evolution
is uncertain. It will probably go through a period of degeneration. When it is about fifteen billion
years old, or seventy-five solar years, it will probably become a white dwarf star with a
diameter similar to the one of the Earths. It could finally become a black dwarf, which is essentially
a small, cold, burnt out shell. But we have a long way to go before the sun becomes a red giant or a
white or black dwarf. Right now, the sun is in a long, quiet, relatively stable phase.
So, how do solar flares affect us on Earth? Solar flares are huge gaseous outbursts from the sun.
An average sized flare may be more than six thousand miles long. A flare can release the energy
equivalent of one hundred billion one megaton bombs. At the solar maximum, there may be as
many as three to four small flares per hour and one enormous flare each month. But during the
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minimum, weeks or months may pass without a flare of any significance. Solar flares strengthen
the intensity of the solar wind, which is a steady stream of ionized helium and hydrogen particles
radiating outward from the sun at around four hundred and fifty miles per second under great
pressure, carrying about one million tons of gas per second. The solar wind, which reaches the
Earth in about four and a half days, impacts the magnetosphere, a magnetic field surrounding the
Earth, causing such phenomena as the aurora borealis and geo-magnetic storms. The solar wind
can generate radio waves on Earth with a very long wavelength, known as extremely low frequency
waves.
The radiation generated by solar flares has a number of effects, the most clearly discerned of
which is the disruption of radio communications. But some scientists also claim that everything
from climatic changes to wars, earthquakes and flu epidemics are associated with increased solar
activity. Other scientists dispute these claims, and sunspots and solar flares are certainly not the
only cause of such disturbances. However, there is a correlation between solar activity and certain
kinds of social, behavioral and geophysical effects.
Let us examine the kinds of events that correlate with solar flares, starting with those that occur
within days or weeks of intense solar activity. Riots, battles, arson attacks, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions have been charted within days or weeks of intense solar activity. For example, in 1980,
solar flares in May coincided with riots in Miami and South Korea and the eruption of Mount St.
Helens in May and June. Solar flares also preceded the April 1982 conflict between Great Britain
and Argentina over the Falkland Islands and the U.S. attack on Tripoli, Libya, on April fourteen,
1986. By tracking solar flares, biologist Marsha Adams was able to assist the San Francisco
fire department by predicting arson attacks seventy-two hours in advance. She believes that
flares affect people within the first few days after they happen.
Lets look at a specific example. Recently, a slightly less powerful flare erupted while aimed
almost directly at the Earth. Eight minutes later, traveling at the speed of light, a wave of
ultraviolet radiation seared the Earths upper atmosphere. Low orbiting satellites, encountering
that fringe and running into increased drag, slowed and dropped into lower orbits. A secret Defense
Department satellite began a premature and fatal tumble, and the tracking system that keeps exact
tabs on some nineteen thousand objects in Earth orbit briefly lost track of eleven thousand of them.
Solar Max, which is a NASA satellite designed to study flares and other solar activity, descended by
as much as half a mile in a single day, almost certainly hastening its demise.
On the Earth, the flares effects were equally disruptive. Short-wave transmissions were interrupted,
some for as long as twenty-four hours, and satellite communication and a Coast Guard Loran
navigation system were temporarily overwhelmed. Powerful transient magnetic fields, generated
in the upper atmosphere by the flare, induced problems in transmission lines and wiring, and
mystified homeowners reported automatic garage doors opening and closing on their own.
Power surges in transmission lines and transformers in Quebec knocked out power throughout the
entire province.
That is the end of section 4. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.
(30 second gap)
That is the end of listening test 11. In the IELTS test you would now have 10 minutes to
transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.
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