SECTION 1

1 classic
2 52
3 deposit
4 damage
5 city
6 lights
7 repair kit
8 reduction
9 6.15
10 28 CLIFFTON

SECTION 2
11 C
12 B
13 C
14 A
15 A
16 B
17 A
18 D
19 C
20 E

SECTION 3
21 A
22 A
23 C
24 B
25 C
26 B
27 A
28 B
29 F
30 E
 TRANSCRIPT

SECTION 1

Hello, Fast Cycle Rentals. This is Molly speaking. How can I assist you today?

Hi, Molly. I'm planning to explore the city over the weekend and thought renting a bike would be
convenient. Could you tell me what options you have?

Absolutely. For casual city rides, we usually recommend the classic bicycle. It's a basic model,
lightweight, and easy to pedal on flat surfaces. Unless you're tackling hills or rough terrain, you
won't need a mountain or hybrid bike.

No, I'll just be sticking to the main roads and paths. The classic one sounds fine.

Perfect. You're in luck. We currently have a promotional offer. The rental fee is 52 pounds for
the day, which is a reduction from our usual rate of 65.

That's reasonable. Do I need to leave a deposit or anything like that?

Yes, we do require a 40-pound deposit. It's fully refundable as long as the bike comes back
undamaged. So, you'd be paying 92 pounds upfront, but 40 of that comes back when you return
it.

Got it. And what's included in that price?

Well, several things. First of all, we offer insurance that covers damage, so you're protected if
the frame gets scratched or the gears get slightly bent. That won't apply to theft or major
accidents, though. Only minor wear and tear.

That's good to know. Is any safety equipment included?

A helmet isn't part of the standard package, but you can rent one for seven pounds if needed.
It's not mandatory, but we recommend it for your own safety. especially if you're riding in traffic.

Right, I'll probably get one just to be safe.

As part of the rental, we'll give you a city map, which marks all the cycle-friendly streets and
scenic routes. Also, the bike will come with lights at both the front and rear. Very important if
you're planning to ride in the evening.

That's very helpful. Do you have anything for repairs in case something goes wrong?

Yes, we do offer an optional repair kit. It's a small pouch with basic tools, a mini pump, tire
patches, and a spanner. And we rent it out for just three pounds. It's particularly useful if you're
riding outside the city center.

I'll take that too, just in case. Do you offer any kind of loyalty scheme or return customer benefit?

Actually, yes. If you rent from us again, we'll apply a reduction on your future hire. We really
value returning clients.
That's a great incentive. Also, what time do you close tomorrow?

Normally, we shut the shop at 5:30, but tomorrow we'll be extending our hours and closing at
6:15 instead. We're expecting more visitors due to the local weekend market.

Great, I'll try to come by before that. And what's your address?

Sure. We're at number 28 Clifton Street. That's spelled C-L-I-F-F-T-O-N. It's just off the main
square, right next to the post office. You can't miss it.

Perfect. Thanks so much for all the info, Molly.

No problem at all. We'll have everything ready when you arrive. See you soon.

SECTION 2

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Pennyfield Horse Riding Centre. My name's Maxine,
and I'm really pleased that you're interested in having horse riding lessons with us. I'd like to tell
you a little about our operation, what we have to offer, and where everything's located, so later
you can find your way around. Now, we've been in business since 1979, and since then we've
trained hundreds of children and adults to be confident horse riders. We're not the biggest riding
center in the area, but we do offer a very wide range of services to suit most people's needs.
Because we have a large indoor arena, the center is open in any weather. Our busiest time is
the weekend, but we also run sessions every weekday afternoon. We offer lessons for all
abilities, from absolute beginners to advanced riders, though prices vary and jumping lessons,
for example, cost a little more than beginners' classes. We don't offer one-to-one lessons, but
we have so many groups running every day that we're sure to find a level that's right for you.
Now, if you do decide to take lessons here, you have to register first. To do this, you'll need to fill
out a form which has questions about your contact details, your general health, and any
previous riding experience you have. There's no need to show certificates or anything like that
because we like to assess your ability ourselves. We'll just assign you provisionally to one of our
groups until we get the chance to do that. For registration purposes, you also need to make a
one-off payment to use our riding gear. This is refundable. We don't actually charge you. It's
only to cover us in case anything gets lost or damaged. You can book lessons over the phone or
in person. Though we can't make promises, we'll offer you a choice of horses to ride, and if you
have a particular animal you like, we'll do our best to accommodate you. Regarding payment,
we can't take credit cards, but we do accept checks with a bank card. If you have to cancel your
booking, please do it at least a couple of days ahead of time, otherwise a 50% cancellation fee
will apply. Also, you may want to consider booking lessons in blocks of 10, since it's cheaper.
Now, many of you are first-time riders, and we know that you may be feeling a little nervous.
Don't worry. All our teachers are specially trained to help you build your confidence. We suggest
that you observe one lesson to see what's going on. There are plenty of other riders who feel the
same as you. You'll soon start to relax. We're very happy for people to look on while you're
having your lessons, but we do ask that you keep talking to a minimum. Spectators can take
photos, of course, as long as there's no flash. And please, we ask riders not to carry cell
phones, even in your pocket. We've had quite a few going off, and it frightens the horses. Now,
you probably want to know what to wear. Most important is what you wear on your feet and legs,
and we have a wide selection of boots for sale in our shop. It's well worth a visit. Younger riders
especially love our range of stationery with the Pennyfield logo on it. Sadly, we no longer sell
clothing like sweatshirts and coats, but don't worry, just wear any warm waterproof jacket. And
then I do just want to tell you about a new group we're starting on Thursday evenings called the
Equus Club. This is for riders who are visually impaired, or who have another type of handicap.
We offer high levels of care and aim to take riders through all the levels, right up to competition
standard where appropriate.
___

Now, before I finish, the riding center is pretty large, so I'll just explain where all the key areas
are. Looking at this plan, you can see that we're standing here in the stable block. Just in front of
us, over the way, you can see the shop. Between that and the storeroom is the cafe. Then, as
we look to the left of the storeroom next to the parking lot, there's the office where you make
your bookings. Obviously, that's where you'll go to make arrangements for particular classes, to
fill in forms, etc. Nobody can go on a ride without going in there first. And looking at the other
side of the shop, to the right of it, is the place where you wait to ride. It runs alongside the whole
length of the field. Finally, you'll need to know where the bathrooms are. As you go out of this
stable block there on the left, next to the indoor arena. I hope that's clear.

SECTION 3

Thank you all for coming here today to hear about the moa, a kind of animal which has been
extinct for a long time. Well, first of all, we look at what the moa. The moa are nine species of
flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand's
forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years. But around 500 years ago,
they all went extinct. When I mention extinct animals during ancient times, you may immediately
think of dinosaurs, which disappeared around 66 million years ago. Fossils of dinosaurs, which
we use to study, are large in number, but not many of those of Moa remain, though both animals
appeal to people today.

So, the moas sound more mysterious now. But, sir, I've got a question about these flightless
birds. How can we distinguish them from other birds?

That's a good question. Birds are commonly characterized by being warm-blooded, having
feathers and wings, usually capable of flight, and laying eggs while the flightless moa, until their
extinction, were the largest birds in the world. Their heads are relatively small in relation to their
bodies, and they are the only wingless birds lacking even the vestigial wings and substantial
tailbones in their family.

That's impressive. But were they born to be like that? I mean, when they were chicks.

Yes, absolutely. So let's move on to the chicks. The eggs of Moa were laid in nests and
incubated for about two months. The chicks would be well developed upon hatching. and
probably would be able to leave the nests to feed on their own almost immediately.

I've heard that the male moa are thought to have incubated the eggs. Is that true?

I think there is a possibility for that. I've read somewhere that the sex-specific DNA recovered
from the outer surfaces of eggshells suggested that these eggs were likely to have been
hatched by the male, but we still need to consult more. But I have a question. There has been
some occasional speculation that the moa was still alive. because someone said they had
caught sight of them in New Zealand in the late 19th century or even the 20th. Do you think it's
possible?

I'm not amazed by that, since that kind of thing has been claimed several times. But I find it
funny because no reliable evidence of moa tracks has ever been found, and experts still
contend that moa survival is extremely unlikely.

So what was the reason for the moa’s extinction? I wonder if it was global warming or some
other factors related to their living environment.
Well, before the arrival of human settlers in New Zealand, the moa's only predator was the
massive harsse eagle. Then the Maori arrived sometime before CE 1300 and all moa genera
were soon driven to extinction by hunting. What a horrible thing.

___

All right, now let's look at the features of some species of moa. The South Island giant moa may
have been the tallest birds ever known, and the second tallest of the nine moa species is the
North Island giant moa, with the females being markedly larger than males. both in weight and
height.

And I've heard that the smallest of the moa birds are the coastal moa. Is that right?

Yes, you were right. And have you heard about any other kind of moa before?

I know the crested moa. The eggs they laid may be larger than others.

As they mainly lived in the remote interior of the southern island, their fossils are rare or absent
in archaeological sites, and no egg remains have yet been identified.

Are there any species of moa that have got more fossils?

Yes, of course. A considerable amount of remains of the stout-legged moa exist, due to the well-
preserved properties of their habitat. Their skulls reveal relatively bad vision, a good sense of
smell and a very short bill. Then there is the eastern moa. They were remarkable in having very
long and narrow windpipes, which probably enabled them to make louder, more resonant calls
than those of other moa, and had the greatest vocal abilities, so they could communicate when
they could not see each other in the forest or at night. They used a range of senses, apart from
sound in their search for food, such as their sense of smell and vision.

Section 4
(21:08 - 23:05)

Now turn to section 4 on page 8. Section 4. You'll hear part of a student presentation about a
type of frog called the African Clawed Frog. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to
40 on page 7. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. The aim of our study was to
look at how naturally occurring substances can be used to treat infections.

And we carried out a laboratory study using a frog called the African Clawed Frog, which has the
scientific name Xenopus laevis. So, before I describe our study in detail, let me give you a
general description about this frog. Like most other frogs, the African Clawed Frogs have a
smooth skin.

(23:06 - 24:13)

This is one way you can distinguish them from toads, whose skin is rough. And they can change
the color of their skin to blend in with their surroundings. The surface of their skin also has
another feature.

It's covered with a layer of mucus. This makes it hard for other creatures to pick them up, and so
it provides protection against predators. How big are they? Well, it depends on whether they're
male or female, because the females, in this case, are a whole lot bigger than the males.
A large-sized female may be 8 inches long, while the males are about half that size. So they're
pretty small in comparison. What about their natural habitat? As their name suggests, these
frogs are native to Africa, and they're found in most parts of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.

(24:13 - 26:14)

They make their houses in fresh water, but they're rarely found in running streams. They like still
water. As far as the temperature of the water goes, they're not too fussy.

It can be warm or cool. They don't need to be in water where there are plants growing, and they
can live in water that has quite a lot of salt in it. So they can live in brackish areas, such as
marshes and estuaries.

However, although they can live in a wide range of conditions, one thing that they are unable to
tolerate is even very small traces of metal. That's immediately fatal to them. And that's important
to remember when they're being kept in captivity.

You've got to be careful what kind of tank you use and what you put into the water. In their
natural habitat, the frogs normally live in water the whole time. But in unfavorable conditions,
such as drought, they can burrow into the mud and survive there for up to a year until conditions
improve.

As far as their diet is concerned, they're carnivorous. They eat other creatures they find in the
water. And they're scavengers, which means they'll eat almost anything, living or dead.

They've got huge appetites. Because the water they live in is often quite dirty and visibility is
limited, they can't locate their food using their sense of sight. Instead, they use smell and also
the sensitive fingers on their front legs.

(26:15 - 26:42)

And they also have what's called a lateral line system on the sides of their bodies, which is
sensitive to vibrations in the water. They use their front legs to get the food into their mouths,
together with a type of pump arrangement that sucks the food into the mouth and down into their
stomach. They don't have any teeth, so everything just goes straight down.

(26:44 - 27:32)

Okay, well, although Xenopus started off in Africa, they're now quite widespread. One of the
reasons for this is that a lot of people in the U.S. like keeping them at home as a pet. They're
quite easy to look after and they can live for up to 20 years.

But in some states of the U.S., such as California and Virginia, they have escaped from captivity
and are reproducing in the wild and threatening native species there. So, they've been classified
as a pest in these areas. But another very important use for the frogs is for research in
laboratories.

(27:32 - 28:04)

Because the females lay large numbers of eggs and the embryos are transparent, it's easy to
see how they are developing, and so they're used for research into genetics and development.
But also, the slippery mucus that covers their skin acts as an antibiotic, killing parasites and
bacteria. And this is why we chose this frog for our research.
(28:04 - 28:58)

So, let me describe the aim of our study. That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a
minute to check your answers. That is the end of the listening test.

You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.