Direction.

In this test, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to

understand conversations and talks in English. Answer all the questions on the basis of
what
is stated or implied by the speakers in the recording. You'll have 5 minutes to look
through all the questions in your test booklet. Your 5 minutes start now.
Now we are ready to start. Part 1. In this part, you will hear people talking in 5 different
situations. For each question, choose the correct answer, A, B or C according to what
you hear. You will hear each talk twice. Question 1.
Julia's decided she wants to work in TV journalism, but she's not sure what role she wants
to
have exactly. What? You mean she might be a news reporter interviewing people?
Possibly,
yes. She also mentioned working behind the camera though, as she's studying that too.
She thought she might like to be a camera operator. You know, I think she'd prefer
presenting
the news to working a camera. She'd make a great newsreader, I reckon.
Now listen again. Julia's decided she wants to work in TV journalism, but she's not sure
what role she wants to have exactly. What? You mean she might be a news reporter
interviewing
people? Possibly, yes. She also mentioned working behind the camera though, as she's
studying
that too. She thought she might like to be a camera operator. You know, I think she'd
prefer presenting the news to working a camera. She'd make a great newsreader, I reckon.
Question 2. What's happened to the sports news? It's usually on at 7pm after the financial
programme. Ah, they changed it last week. It's now one at 6 o'clock, just before the
financial
programme. And there's an art show at 7 now. Oh, that's really annoying. I used to listen
to the sports news when I got home. But as I don't get home until 645, I'm going to
miss it every day now. Now listen again. What's happened to the sports news? It's usually
on at 7pm after the financial programme. Ah, they changed it last week. It's now one
at 6 o'clock, just before the financial programme. And there's an art show at 7 now. Oh,
that's
really annoying. I used to listen to the sports news when I got home. But as I don't get
home
until 645, I'm going to miss it every day now. Question 3.
Suarez has taken the ball from the referee. He's placing it carefully. I think he's hoping
to strike it. He's having a word with his captain, Gerard. The captain is not in his
head. So Suarez will take the penalty. If he scores, Liverpool will lead 2 to 1, and
they desperately need a win after their shock defeat at Fulham last weekend to keep their
title hopes alive. Back now to Suarez. He kicks the ball and oh, he's missed. He's furious
and he's shouting. But what's this? The referee is showing him a yellow card for
unsportsman-like
behaviour. Oh, dear. Now listen again. Suarez has taken the ball from the referee. He's
placing it carefully. I think he's hoping to strike it. He's having a word with his
captain, Gerard. The captain is not in his head. So Suarez will take the penalty. If he
scores, Liverpool will lead 2 to 1, and they desperately need a win after their shock defeat
at Fulham last weekend to keep their title hopes alive.
Back now to Suarez. He kicks the ball and oh, he's missed. He's furious and he's shouting.
But what's this? The referee is showing him a yellow card for unsportsman-like
behaviour.
Oh, dear. Question 4. And in the studio today we have Jane Grey,
the extraordinary teenage girl who won 1 million euros but decided to give it all away to
charity.
Jane, didn't you want to keep any of it for yourself? Perhaps a quarter at least.
Well, I thought about it, of course. I had decided to keep half of myself and give the
other half to charity. But then I remembered how amazingly lucky I am compared with
some
people, and I thought, why should I keep half when other people need it so much more?
Now listen again.
And in the studio today we have Jane Grey, the extraordinary teenage girl who won 1
million
euros but decided to give it all away to charity. Jane, didn't you want to keep any
of it for yourself? Perhaps a quarter at least.
Well, I thought about it, of course. I had decided to keep half of myself and give the
other half to charity. But then I remembered how amazingly lucky I am compared with
some
people, and I thought, why should I keep half when other people need it so much more?
Question 5.
There's a very good reason why people say breakfast is the most important meal of the
day. After 6, 7 or if you're lucky, 8 hours of sleep, your body and brain need some fuel
to power up and prepare them for the day ahead. Like a car, you can't run on an empty
fuel
tank, you need some petrol. Plus, breakfast is good for you. According to researchers,
those who eat breakfast are less likely to have blood sugar problems. Also, some
breakfast
foods, such as grains, seeds and dried fruit, provide vitamins and minerals that are hard
to find in other foods.
Now listen again.
There's a very good reason why people say breakfast is the most important meal of the
day. After 6, 7 or if you're lucky, 8 hours of sleep, your body and brain need some fuel
to power up and prepare them for the day ahead. Like a car, you can't run on an empty
fuel
tank, you need some petrol. Plus, breakfast is good for you. According to researchers,
those who eat breakfast are less likely to have blood sugar problems. Also, some
breakfast
foods, such as grains, seeds and dried fruit, provide vitamins and minerals that are hard
to find in other foods.
That is the end of part 1. Now turn to part 2.
Part 2. In this part, you will hear two short presentations. There are four questions for
each presentation. For each question, choose the right answer A, B or C. You will hear
each presentation twice. Questions 6-9.
The modern answer to the office workers' sedentary lifestyle is to sign up at a gym, such
as
the demand that 18% of us are members of a gym. With me tonight is Mark Stanwick,
press
officer of the National Fitness Association. Mark, welcome to the program.
Thank you Kate.
Now you were saying before that if someone is considering joining a gym, they should
first do some serious research, rather than just choosing the one which is closest to
their home. What is the reason for that?
Well Kate, there are many different services gyms can offer. Do you want to pose as
paradise
in which to show off your muscles? Do you want a gym that hosts various classes such
as aerobics and yoga? Are you looking for one that has a vibrant social scene? Or do you
want to keep your head down and just get on with losing some weight in peace? Perhaps
you want staff to provide you with motivation and encouragement? All of these questions
must be answered by your initial research. If you end up in the wrong kind of gym, you
will lose motivation very quickly indeed and simply stop going and all your money and
effort
will go down the drain.
I see. So what are the things I should be looking out for?
Well, before calling in on a gym, ring to see if you can book a good time for a walk round
with one of the instructors. Gyms are normally busiest between 5pm and 7pm on
weekdays. Although
you do want to see the gym in action at a time when you might be attending, you will
want to first view all the facilities without sweaty people constantly pushing past you.
Also, have a quick look at the car park to see how busy it is before stepping through
the doors. Notice the general atmosphere of the gym. Do the instructors look extremely
busy? Is there loud music playing? Does it smell fresh or stale? In a nutshell, is it
the kind of place you want to visit regularly?
I see. So suppose I found my kind of gym. Now it's time to join?
Not just yet. There are a few things to talk about with them. You will probably already
know what the monthly cost of being a member is. But what does that include? Does it
include
everything or our services such as yoga classes and personal trainers going to cost more?
Do you get a fresh towel each time you go or will that cost extra? Are lockers in the
changing rooms free? Or are you going to have to remember to bring loose change every
time
you exercise?
Right. What if I have to sign a contract?
It is best to take home any contract that you may have to sign and go through it carefully,
looking for what happens if you leave or if the gym goes bust or moves. Be suspicious
of a gym that is reluctant to let you take away a contract to look over and distrust
it even more if it is determined to secure your signature on your first visit and avoid
life memberships. You might move town at some point or at least want to change your
gym.
Wow. All these things to think about. I think most people are a bit uncertain about joining
when they think it's simple. After today they may decide not to bother at all.
It's not that bad really. You know joining a gym is a lifestyle change. If you do it
right it can make a great difference. You'll be healthier and happier every day. So don't
let small difficulties discourage you. It's really worth it. Go for it. Just make sure
your gym is a place where you want to be and not a place you'll never want to see again
after a few visits.
The modern answer to the office workers' sedentary lifestyle is to sign up at a gym.
Which is the demand that 18% of us are members of a gym. With me tonight is Mark
Stanwick,
press officer of the National Fitness Association. Mark, welcome to the program.
Thank you Kate. Now you were saying before that if someone is considering joining a
gym
they should first do some serious research rather than just choosing the one which is
closest to their home. What is the reason for that? Well Kate, there are many different
services gyms can offer. Do you want to pose as paradise in which to show off your
muscles?
Do you want a gym that hosts various classes such as aerobics and yoga? Are you looking
for one that has a vibrant social scene? Or do you want to keep your head down and just
get on with losing some weight in peace? Perhaps you want staff to provide you with
motivation and encouragement? All of these questions must be answered by your initial
research. If you end up in the wrong kind of gym you will lose motivation very quickly
indeed and simply stop going and all your money and effort will go down the drain.
I see. So what are the things I should be looking out for? Well, before calling in on
a gym ring to see if you can book a good time for a walk round with one of the
instructors.
Gyms are normally busiest between 5pm and 7pm on weekdays. Although you do want to
see
the gym in action at a time when you might be attending, you will want to first view
all the facilities without sweaty people constantly pushing past you. Also, have a quick
look
at the car park to see how busy it is before stepping through the doors. Notice the general
atmosphere of the gym. Do the instructors look extremely busy? Is there loud music
playing?
Does it smell fresh or stale? In a nutshell, is it the kind of place you want to visit
regularly? I see. So suppose I found my kind of gym. Now it's time to join? Not just yet.
There are a few things to talk about with them. You will probably already know what the
monthly
cost of being a member is. But what does that include? Does it include everything or our
services such as yoga classes and personal trainers going to cost more? Do you get a
fresh towel each time you go or will that cost extra? Are lockers in the changing rooms
free or are you going to have to remember to bring loose change every time you exercise?
Right. What if I have to sign a contract? It is best to take home any contract that
you may have to sign and go through it carefully looking for what happens if you leave or
if
the gym goes bust or moves. Be suspicious of a gym that is reluctant to let you take away
a contract to look over and distrust it even more if it is determined to secure your
signature
on your first visit and avoid life memberships. You might move town at some point or at
least
want to change your gym. Wow. All these things to think about. I think most people are a
bit
uncertain about joining when they think it's simple. After today they may decide not to
bother at all. It's not that bad really. You know, joining
a gym is a lifestyle change. If you do it right, it can make a great difference. You'll
be healthier and happier every day. So don't let small difficulties discourage you. It's
really worth it. Go for it. Just make sure your gym is a place where you want to be and
not a place you'll never want to see again after a few visits.
10 to 13. Hello. This is Lizzie Banks reporting for sports
life. Today I'm standing in the Atacama Desert in Chile, South America. That's A-T-A-C-
A-M-A.
It's not the sort of place most people want to come to, but one of the most challenging
races in the world starts right here. It's called the four deserts race. Competitors in
this incredible race have to run through four deserts in four different continents. That's
quite a challenge, isn't it? Let's take a look at some of the difficulties
the runners could have. Now, each part of the race is 250 kilometres long and takes seven
days. Runners have tents and medical care, but they have to carry all their own clothes
and food. Here in the Atacama Desert, the landscape is quite similar to the planet Mars
and the temperature is around 32 degrees Celsius. It's the driest place on Earth, so
obviously
it's not an easy place to run. Now, in the next part of the race, which is in June,
competitors go to the Gobi Desert in China. Remember I said that runners have to carry
their own clothes? This becomes difficult in this desert because it can be boiling hot
during the day but below freezing at night. And there can be very strong winds and
sometimes
snow in the mountains. You need lots of different kinds of clothes in those kinds of
temperatures.
What happens after Atacama and Gobi? The next part of the race is in the famous Sahara
Desert in Egypt. This is the hottest and biggest desert on Earth and one of the main
problems
for runners is the sand. It's everywhere. Strong winds can blow the sand into sand storms
and it can be difficult to breathe. Fortunately, the competitors in the race only have to run
across a very small part of it, but I don't think it will feel small to them. And now
to the final deserts that the runners have to cope with. It might be a bit of a surprise.
It's Antarctica. That's A-N-T-A-R-C-T-I-C-A. Many deserts are hot and sandy, but this
one
is covered in snow and ice. It's the coldest and windiest place on the planet. Imagine
running in that place for a week. Competitors have to complete two of the other desert
races
before they can try this final challenge. The conditions might be very difficult, but
they have the chance to see some amazing wildlife in Antarctica. They'll see penguins,
seals
and whales and the penguins might even join them on the race. The difference between
this
desert race and the others is that athletes sleep on a ship that travels with them and
they have food provided. They need plenty of healthy food, as during the day the
competitors
are running in very extreme conditions. Well, these deserts are all very hard
environments,
but I'm sure competitors in the four deserts race have an amazing experience.
Hello, this is Lizzie Banks reporting for Sports Life. Today I'm standing in the Atacama
Desert in Chile, South America. That's A-T-A-C-A-M-A. It's not the sort of place most
people
want to come to, but one of the most challenging races in the world starts right here. It's
called the Four Deserts Race. Competitors in this incredible race have to run through
four deserts in four different continents. That's quite a challenge, isn't it?
Let's take a look at some of the difficulties the runners could have. Now, each part of the
race is 250 kilometres long and takes seven days. Runners have tents and medical care,
but they have to carry all their own clothes and food. Here in the Atacama Desert, the
landscape is quite similar to the planet Mars, and the temperature is around 32 degrees
Celsius.
It's the driest place on Earth, so obviously it's not an easy place to run. Now, in the
next part of the race, which is in June, competitors go to the Gobi Desert in China.
Remember I
said that runners have to carry their own clothes? This becomes difficult in this desert
because
it can be boiling hot during the day, but below freezing at night. And there can be very
strong winds and sometimes snow in the mountains. You need lots of different kinds of
clothes
in those kinds of temperatures. What happens after Atacama and Gobi? The next part of
the
race is in the famous Sahara Desert in Egypt. This is the hottest and biggest desert on
Earth,
and one of the main problems for runners is the sand. It's everywhere. Strong winds can
blow the sand into sand storms, and it can be difficult to breathe. Fortunately, the
competitors
in the race only have to run across a very small part of it, but I don't think it will
feel small to them. And now to the final deserts that the runners have to cope with. It
might
be a bit of a surprise. It's Antarctica. That's A-N-T-A-R-C-T-I-C-A. Many deserts are hot
and sandy,
but this one is covered in snow and ice. It's the coldest and windiest place on the planet.
Imagine running in that place for a week. Competitors have to complete two of the other
desert races before they can try this final challenge. The conditions might be very
difficult,
but they have the chance to see some amazing wildlife in Antarctica. They'll see
penguins,
seals and whales, and the penguins might even join them on the race. The difference
between
this desert race and the others is that athletes sleep on a ship that travels with them and
they have food provided. They need plenty of healthy food, as during the day the
competitors
are running in very extreme conditions. Well, these deserts are all very hard
environments,
but I'm sure competitors in the four deserts race have an amazing experience.
It is the end of part two, now turn to part three. Part three. In this part, you will
hear two people talking. There are seven questions in this part. For each question, tick A
for
yes if the statement is correct and B for no if the statement is incorrect. You will
hear the conversation twice. You will hear a radio interview about a mystery on Mount
Everest.
Welcome to Discover History. I'm talking to Matt Stevens, who's an expert in the history
of mountaineering. Matt, which great explorer will you be telling us about today?
Hi Julie. Today I'm going to be talking about not only an amazing person, but a
fascinating
mystery too. It concerns the conquest of Mount Everest and who really did get there first.
But we know it was Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, don't we? They reached the
top in the early 50s, I thought. 1953, yes. Well, we think they were the first, but we
don't know for sure. There's a mystery around the result of a climb made 29 years earlier
in June 1924. British climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared near the
top
of Everest and we don't know whether they made it to the top or not. If they did, then
they hold the honour of being the first climbers to conquer the mountain, but sadly they
never
made it back down to tell their tale. That's very sad. So what do we know about their
climb? Well, the last time the pair were seen by other climbers was on June 8, 1924. They
were over 8,000 metres up the mountain, only a few hundred metres from the top. After
that,
clouds covered the mountain and the pair were never seen again. Nothing was known
about
what happened to Mallory and Irvine until, on the 1st of May 1999, a mountaineering
group
found Mallory's body 600 metres below the summit. Irvine's body has never been found.
So, do we have any evidence to tell us what happened to the men?
Well, one thing that suggests that they might have reached the top is that no photos were
found on Mallory's body. We know that he carried a photo of his wife with him and that
he planned
to leave it at the summit if he reached it. Perhaps he did in fact make it to the top and
left the photo there, but if so, it's never been found. However, there is also a theory
that they didn't make it. They were last seen near a 27 metre high wall of rock. Even
climbers
today with modern equipment find this section extremely difficult. Could Mallory and
Irvine
have managed it nearly 100 years ago? Although Mallory was known at the time as an
exceptionally
brilliant climber, many experts doubt he could have managed this section.
Do we have any other evidence? Well, yes, but it doesn't solve the mystery.
Mallory's mountaineering goggles, which are like sunglasses, were in his pocket. As he
wasn't wearing them when he died, this means that it was either dark or cloudy at the
time.
If it was dark, it could help us to piece together how far he'd got when he fell and
whether he was going up or down, but perhaps it was just cloudy. We don't know, so it's
difficult to draw any conclusions from that.
So, Matt, what do you think happened to the pair?
Well, I'd love to think that they made it, but sadly because of their very basic clothing
and equipment, I think it's unlikely that they succeeded. Mallory's body had a rope
attached to it, which suggests that he was climbing at the time, so it's likely that
he fell to his death or was hit by a large amount of falling snow. Unfortunately, his
camera has never been found. If we could find that, we might have our answer. Who
knows?
Also of course, if Irvine's body is found, that might give us a lot more clues.
Well, it's a fascinating story. Let's hope that one day we'll find out what really happened.
Thanks, Matt, for coming on.
Now listen again.
Welcome to Discover History. I'm talking to Matt Stevens, who's an expert in the history
of mountaineering. Matt, which great explorer will you be telling us about today?
Hi, Julie. Today I'm going to be talking about not only an amazing person, but a
fascinating
mystery too. It concerns the conquest of Mount Everest, and who really did get there first.
But we know it was Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, don't we? They reached the
top in the early 50s, I thought.
1953, yes. Well, we think they were the first, but we don't know for sure. There's a
mystery
around the result of a climb made 29 years earlier in June 1924. British climbers George
Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared near the top of Everest, and we don't know
whether
they made it to the top or not. If they did, then they hold the honour of being the first
climbers to conquer the mountain, but sadly, they never made it back down to tell their
tale. That's very sad. So what do we know about their climb?
Well, the last time the pair were seen by other climbers was on June 8, 1924. They were
over
8,000 metres up the mountain, only a few hundred metres from the top. After that, clouds
covered the mountain, and the pair were never seen again. Nothing was known about
what happened
to Mallory and Irvine until, on the 1st of May 1999, a mountaineering group found
Mallory's
body 600 metres below the summit. Irvine's body has never been found.
So do we have any evidence to tell us what happened to the men?
Well one thing that suggests that they might have reached the top is that no photos were
found on Mallory's body. We know that he carried a photo of his wife with him, and that
he
planned to leave it at the summit if he reached it. Perhaps he did in fact make it to the top
and left the photo there, but if so, it's never been found. However, there is also a
theory that they didn't make it. They were last seen near a 27-metre high wall of rock.
Even climbers today with modern equipment find this section extremely difficult. Could
Mallory and Irvine have managed it nearly 100 years ago? Although Mallory was known
at
the time as an exceptionally brilliant climber, many experts doubt he could have managed
this
section. Do we have any other evidence? Well yes, but it doesn't solve the mystery.
Mallory's mountaineering goggles, which are like sunglasses, were in his pocket. As he
wasn't wearing them when he died, this means that it was either dark or cloudy at the
time.
If it was dark, it could help us to piece together how far he'd got when he fell, and
whether he was going up or down, but perhaps it was just cloudy. We don't know, so it's
difficult to draw any conclusions from that.
So, Matt, what do you think happened to the pair?
Well, I'd love to think that they made it, but sadly because of their very basic clothing
and equipment, I think it's unlikely that they succeeded. Mallory's body had a rope
attached to it, which suggests that he was climbing at the time, so it's likely that
he fell to his death or was hit by a large amount of falling snow. Unfortunately, his
camera has never been found. If we could find that, we might have our answer. Who
knows?
Also of course, if Irvine's body is found, that might give us a lot more clues.
Well, it's a fascinating story. Let's hope that one day we'll find out what really
happened. Thanks, Matt, for coming on.
That is the end of part three. You now have five minutes to copy your answers to the
answer sheet.
That is the end of the test. Please stop now.