(0:00) Music (0:22) Listening Test (0:28) You will hear a number of different recordings, and

you will have to answer questions on what you hear. (0:35) There will be time for you to read
the instructions and questions. (0:39) And you'll have time to check your work.

(0:42) At the start of each recording you'll hear this sound. (0:47) You will hear each
recording twice. (0:50) The test is in four parts.

(0:52) At the end of the test, you'll be given two minutes to check your answers. (0:57) Part
1. (0:59) You're going to listen to the recording. (1:02) Before you listen, you'll have 20
seconds to read the instruction carefully.

(1:07) And you'll listen to the piece twice. (1:34) From the age of 13 I started stuffing myself
with potato chips, pastries and cookies. (1:41) I'd sit in front of the TV and just eat more and
more.

(1:44) The ads showed all this stuff that looked really tasty. (1:47) And I needed to try
everything. (1:50) At school I got picked on a lot about my weight.

(1:54) I was angry with myself. (1:55) Why am I gaining so much weight? Why am I so
ugly? (1:58) Why do people think I'm a monster? (2:01) Why do I get insulted in the street
by strangers? (2:04) Just because of how I look. (2:06) I was mad at myself for putting on so
much weight and not being able to lose it.

(2:11) In movies people seem to have no problem losing weight. (2:13) But reality is
different. (2:20) Carole is 34 years old and lives near the Swiss city of Lausanne.

(2:24) Since her teens, her diet has consisted primarily of sandwiches, snacks and sugary
drinks. (2:29) Junk food. (2:32) The more I ate, the worse I felt.

(2:36) Including my problems with how people looked at me. (2:39) And I ate more to feel
better. (2:40) It was a vicious circle that I couldn't escape from.

(2:43) And my doses continually increased. (2:45) Of things that were sweeter or saltier or
more flavorful. (2:50) I gradually lost control.

(2:54) Sugar, salt and fat. (2:56) Three ingredients that make food irresistible. (3:00)
Scientists working for manufacturers are constantly trying to find the perfect combination of
these tempting ingredients.
(3:06) We talk to a man who knows the industry inside and out. (3:10) And reveals the
strategies deployed by the food giants. (3:15) Now, listen to part 1 again.

(3:23) From the age of 13 I started stuffing myself with potato chips, pastries and cookies.
(3:27) I'd sit in front of the TV and just eat more and more. (3:30) The ads showed all this
stuff that looked really tasty.

(3:33) And I needed to try everything. (3:36) At school I got picked on a lot about my
weight. (3:40) I was angry with myself.

(3:41) Why am I gaining so much weight? Why am I so ugly? (3:44) Why do people think
I'm a monster? (3:47) Why do I get insulted in the street by strangers? (3:50) Just because of
how I look. (3:52) I was mad at myself for putting on so much weight and not being able to
lose it. (3:56) In movies people seem to have no problem losing weight.

(3:59) But reality is different. (4:06) Carole is 34 years old and lives near the Swiss city of
Lausanne. (4:10) Since her teens her diet has consisted primarily of sandwiches, snacks and
sugary drinks.

(4:15) Junk food. (4:19) The more I ate the worse I felt. (4:22) Including my problems with
how people looked at me.

(4:25) And I ate more to feel better. (4:27) It was a vicious circle that I couldn't escape from.
(4:29) And my doses continually increased.

(4:32) Of things that were sweeter or saltier or more flavourful. (4:36) I gradually lost
control. (4:40) Sugar, salt and fat.

(4:42) Three ingredients that make food irresistible. (4:45) Scientists working for
manufacturers are constantly trying to find the perfect combination of these tempting
ingredients. (4:52) We talked to a man who knows the industry inside and out.

(4:56) And reveals the strategies deployed by the food giants. (5:02) That's the end of part 1.
(5:04) You now have 20 seconds to check your answers. (5:29) Part 2. (5:31) You're going to
listen to another recording.

(5:33) Again, before you listen, you'll have 20 seconds to read the instruction carefully.
(5:40) And you'll listen to the piece twice. (6:14) And Democrats swept school board races in
Pennsylvania's central Bucks County.
(6:18) We're joined now by Julie Marsh. (6:20) A professor of education policy at the
University of Southern California. (6:24) Thank you for being with us.

(6:26) Thank you for having me. (6:27) And we should say that most states don't allow party
affiliation in school board races. (6:32) That's certainly the case in Virginia.

(6:33) But political parties and affiliated groups have obviously become more involved.
(6:38) Aggressively involved in these races. (6:40) What accounts for the strong performance
among Democratic-backed candidates in so many of these school board races yesterday?
(6:47) I think it's a number of things.

(6:49) I think you could argue it's been a bit of a backlash against some of the heated
campaigns and reflections at school board meetings. (6:58) I think a lot of voters have gotten
sort of weary, tired of talking about bathrooms, books, bans, flags, pronouns. (7:08) I think
perhaps the wedge issue of parents' rights may not be as powerful as some had hoped.

(7:18) I think moderate groups got a lot more organized a couple years ago when this was
starting. (7:23) I don't think that the moderate and liberal groups had really been very savvy,
very involved. (7:30) I think they've grown to be that way.

(7:32) In yesterday's election, voters across the country pushed back on the group called
Moms for Liberty. (7:37) They say they're a parental rights organization. (7:40) The Southern
Poverty Law Center says that they're an extremist group.

(7:44) And the organization endorsed dozens of candidates in Pennsylvania, Minnesota,

North Carolina, Iowa. (7:50) All of those candidates lost. What happened there? (7:55) Now
listen to Part 2 again.

(8:01) School board elections have become a new battleground in American politics, (8:05)
with typically nonpartisan races becoming increasingly polarized and garnering national
attention. (8:11) That was true in yesterday's election in a few closely watched counties.
(8:15) In Loudoun County, Virginia, Democratic-endorsed candidates won a majority of
seats on that county school board.

(8:22) And Democrats swept school board races in Pennsylvania's central Bucks County.
(8:26) We're joined now by Julie Marsh, a professor of education policy at the University of
Southern California. (8:32) Thank you for being with us.
(8:33) Thank you for having me. (8:35) And we should say that most states don't allow party
affiliation in school board races. (8:39) That's certainly the case in Virginia.

(8:41) But political parties and affiliated groups have obviously become more involved,
aggressively involved in these races. (8:48) What accounts for the strong performance among
Democratic-backed candidates in so many of these school board races yesterday? (8:55) I
think it's a number of things. (8:57) I think you could argue it's been a bit of a backlash
against some of the heated campaigns and reflections at school board meetings.

(9:06) I think a lot of voters have gotten sort of weary, tired of talking about bathrooms,
books, bans, flags, pronouns. (9:17) I think perhaps the wedge issue of parents' rights may
not be as powerful as some had hoped. (9:25) I think moderate groups got a lot more
organized a couple years ago when this was starting.

(9:31) I don't think that the moderate and liberal groups had really been very savvy, very
involved. (9:37) I think they've grown to be that way. (9:40) In yesterday's election, voters
across the country pushed back on the group called Moms for Liberty.

(9:45) They say they're a parental rights organization. (9:48) The Southern Poverty Law
Center says that they're an extremist group. (9:51) And the organization endorsed dozens of
candidates in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, North Carolina, Iowa.

(9:57) All of those candidates lost. What happened there? (10:00) That's the end of Part 2.
You now have 20 seconds to check your answers. (10:28) Part 3. You're going to listen to
another recording.

(10:32) Again, before you listen, you'll have 20 seconds to read the instruction carefully.
(10:38) And you'll listen to the piece twice. (10:55) In the studio tonight, I have the
sociologist John Farindale and philosopher Lois Granger, (11:00) and we're going to be
discussing attitudes towards work.

(11:03) Tonight's discussion was prompted by an email from a listener who, amongst other
things, (11:07) asks why people tend to become depressed if made redundant, as if work
were the be-all and end-all, (11:14) rather than seeing that situation as an opportunity to do
something else. (11:17) John? (11:19) Well, it can't be denied, I'm afraid, that unemployment
is one of those misfortunes, (11:24) like soured relationships and chronic pain, that most
affect long-term happiness. (11:29) Work is good because it gives people meaning, self-
respect, and the chance to make a contribution.

(11:35) Unemployment, conversely, robs them of all that, which can come as a blow. (11:39)
So while I don't doubt, as our listener suggests, that there are people out there who might
cope well with redundancy, (11:45) see it as a chance to change direction or whatever, for the
majority, the opposite is the case. (11:50) I mean, that's the reality, isn't it, Lois? (11:53) Well,
one rarely meets anyone embracing redundancy, John, (11:56) but I guess what our listener is
getting at is the fact that paid employment (12:00) isn't the sole provider of purpose, self-
worth and engagement, and I go along with that to an extent.

(12:06) Indeed, a job can work against us if the experience is tedious and it feels irrelevant.
(12:11) Work is vital to your happiness if work is what you want and if it's fulfilling. (12:16)
But we mustn't forget that tying too close a knot between meaningful activity and paid
employment (12:21) can be perilous, as we know from people who lose all sense of meaning
when they retire.

(12:26) And this can affect those who love their jobs just as much as those who see them as a
means to an end. (12:32) And indeed, there are people like that who view work simply as
that, (12:35) a way of funding other things they want, as opposed to something that holds
intrinsic value. (12:40) Doing a well-paid job that lacks excitement, (12:43) but one which
allows you to do exciting things in your spare time, (12:46) might work perfectly well for
some, and I'd say good luck to them, (12:49) as long as they get on with the job whilst they're
there.

(12:52) Where's the harm in it? (12:53) But I'd say it's preferable to earn less doing
something you love, (12:57) because work actually takes up an awful lot of your waking life.
(13:01) But if you want the good things in life and haven't found the kind of meaningful
work (13:05) that can provide them directly, then you have some thinking to do. (13:09) The
trade-offs are treacherous, and some of what you value may have to be sacrificed along the
way.

(13:15) You mention attitudes to work, John. (13:17) We do tend to come down heavily on
slackers, people who don't pull their weight, don't we? (13:22) We do, and amongst the many
career options we have to choose from, one is almost taboo. (13:29) As the listener who
suggested this week's topic put it, (13:32) someone tempted to work as little as possible is
likely to be (13:35) afraid of being judged as a useless slacker.

(13:39) This taboo seems to have grown as our work options have multiplied. (13:43) Now,
work is no longer destiny, determined at birth by the social standing of your parents. (13:49)
How we earn a living reflects more of our individual qualities and choices, (13:54) and we're
judged accordingly.

(13:56) But perhaps these judgements are distorted by confusing sound reasons for thinking
work is important (14:02) with the false belief that honest labour is inherently virtuous.
(14:07) That's right. I mean, think of Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, (14:10) who's widely
attributed with the quote, (14:11) Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.

(14:15) Although it's actually a paraphrase by Erikson. (14:17) What Freud actually said is
that the compulsion to work was created by external necessity. (14:23) In other words, the
imperative to work springs from practical demands, not immutable psychic needs.

(14:29) There's nothing valuable in work per se. (14:32) Indeed, the philosopher Bertrand
Russell went so far as to claim that (14:35) immense harm is caused by the belief that work
is virtuous. (14:38) That if we work more than we need to, we deprive ourselves of the time
and opportunity (14:43) for learning, self-development, relationships, and many other things
that make for a better world.

(14:48) If we must work, or choose to do so, what matters is that it serves the goal of living
well, (14:54) rather than detracts from it. (14:56) At that point, I'd like to bring in our...
(15:00) Now you'll hear part three again. (15:07) In the studio tonight, I have the sociologist
John Farindale and philosopher Lois Granger, (15:13) and we're going to be discussing
attitudes towards work.

(15:16) Tonight's discussion was prompted by an email from a listener who, amongst other
things, (15:19) asks why people tend to become depressed if made redundant, (15:23) as if
work were the be-all and end-all, (15:26) rather than seeing that situation as an opportunity
to do something else. (15:30) John? (15:31) Well, it can't be denied, I'm afraid, that
unemployment is one of those misfortunes, (15:36) like soured relationships and chronic
pain, that most affect long-term happiness. (15:42) Work is good because it gives people
meaning, self-respect, and the chance to make a contribution.
(15:47) Unemployment, conversely, robs them of all that, which can come as a blow. (15:52)
So while I don't doubt, as our listener suggests, (15:54) that there are people out there who
might cope well with redundancy, (15:57) see it as a chance to change direction, or whatever,
(16:00) for the majority, the opposite is the case. (16:02) I mean, that's the reality, isn't it,
Lois? (16:05) Well, one rarely meets anyone embracing redundancy, John, (16:08) but I
guess what our listener is getting at is the fact that paid employment (16:12) isn't the sole
provider of purpose, self-worth, and engagement, (16:16) and I go along with that to an
extent.

(16:19) Indeed, a job can work against us if the experience is tedious and it feels irrelevant.
(16:24) Work is vital to your happiness if work is what you want, and if it's fulfilling. (16:28)
But we mustn't forget that tying too close a knot between meaningful activity and paid
employment (16:34) can be perilous, as we know from people who lose all sense of meaning
when they retire.

(16:39) And this can affect those who love their jobs just as much as those who see them as a
means to an end. (16:43) And indeed, there are people like that who view work simply as
that, (16:47) a way of funding other things they want, as opposed to something that holds
intrinsic value. (16:52) Doing a well-paid job that lacks excitement, (16:55) but one which
allows you to do exciting things in your spare time, (16:58) might work perfectly well for
some, and I'd say good luck to them, (17:01) as long as they get on with the job whilst they're
there.

(17:04) Where's the harm in it? (17:05) But I'd say it's preferable to earn less doing
something you love, (17:09) because work actually takes up an awful lot of your waking life.
(17:12) But if you want the good things in life, (17:15) and haven't found the kind of
meaningful work that can provide them directly, (17:19) then you have some thinking to do.
(17:22) The trade-offs are treacherous, (17:24) and some of what you value may have to be
sacrificed along the way.

(17:28) You mention attitudes to work, John. (17:30) We do tend to come down heavily on
slackers, people who don't pull their weight, don't we? (17:34) We do, and amongst the many
career options we have to choose from, (17:39) one is almost taboo. (17:41) As the listener
who suggested this week's topic put it, (17:44) someone tempted to work as little as possible
is likely to be (17:48) afraid of being judged as a useless slacker.
(17:51) This taboo seems to have grown as our work options have multiplied. (17:56) Now,
work is no longer destiny, (17:58) determined at birth by the social standing of your parents.
(18:01) How we earn a living reflects more of our individual qualities and choices, (18:06)
and we're judged accordingly.

(18:08) But perhaps these judgments are distorted by confusing sound reasons (18:12) for
thinking work is important (18:14) with the false belief that honest labour is inherently
virtuous. (18:19) That's right. (18:20) I mean, think of Freud, the famous psychoanalyst,
(18:22) who's widely attributed with the quote, (18:24) Love and work are the cornerstones
of our humanness.

(18:27) Although it's actually a paraphrase by Erikson. (18:29) What Freud actually said is
that (18:31) the compulsion to work was created by external necessity. (18:35) In other
words, the imperative to work springs from practical demands, (18:39) not immutable
psychic needs.

(18:41) There's nothing valuable in work per se. (18:44) Indeed, the philosopher Bertrand
Russell went so far as to claim (18:47) that immense harm is caused by the belief that work
is virtuous. (18:51) That if we work more than we need to, (18:53) we deprive ourselves of
the time and opportunity for learning, (18:56) self-development, relationships, (18:58) and
many other things that make for a better world.

(19:01) If we must work, or choose to do so, (19:03) what matters is that it serves the goal of
living well, (19:06) rather than detracts from it. (19:09) At that point I'd like to bring in our...
(19:12) That's the end of Part 3. (19:15) You now have 20 seconds to check your answers.
(19:39) Part 4 (19:40) You're going to... (19:42) That's the end of Part 3. (19:45) You now
have 20 seconds to check your answers.

(20:09) Part 4 (20:10) You're going to listen to the final recording. (20:14) Again, before you
listen, (20:16) you'll have 20 seconds to read the instruction carefully. (20:20) And you'll
listen to the piece twice.

(20:42) The Earth is a gigantic ball of semi-molten rock, (20:46) with a heart of iron as hot as
the surface of the Sun. (20:49) Titanic amounts of heat left over from its birth, (20:52) and
the radioactive decay of trillions of tons of radioactive elements, (20:56) find no escape but
up. (20:57) Currents of rock spanning thousands of kilometers (21:00) carry this energy to
the surface.

(21:03) Earth's crust is the only thing in their way. (21:07) It feels solid to us, (21:08) but it's
only a fragile barrier, (21:10) an appleskin around a flaming behemoth. (21:14) True
apocalypses can break through, (21:16) and unleash eruptions tens of times more powerful
(21:19) than all of our nuclear weapons combined, (21:21) subjecting the climate to centuries
worth of change in a single year, (21:25) while drowning continents in toxic ash and gases.

(21:30) Supervolcanoes. (21:31) How big can they get? (21:33) And will they put an end to
humanity? (21:45) Volcanoes. (21:46) There are many types of volcanoes, (21:48) from
towering mountains to lava domes, (21:50) but they have two main sources.

(21:53) The first is at the boundaries between tectonic plates, (21:56) the pieces of the crust
that cover the Earth like a giant jigsaw puzzle. (22:00) There are seven major tectonic plates,
(22:02) and dozens of smaller ones, (22:04) drifting against each other at up to 15
centimeters per year. (22:08) This sounds slow, but on geological timescales, (22:11) it is a
titanic struggle over who gets to stay on the surface.

(22:15) The winning plate crumples into a new mountain range, (22:18) while the loser is
shoved underneath (22:19) into an ocean of hot rock at 1,300 degrees Celsius. (22:24) The
asthenosphere. (22:25) The temperature here is enough to melt rock into a liquid, (22:29) but
the insane pressures of all that mass (22:31) keep it a superheated solid.

(22:34) Tectonic plates are usually in contact with water for thousands of years (22:37) and
absorb some of it. (22:39) When they're submerged into the hot underworld, (22:41) this
water triggers chemical transformations (22:44) that allow tiny portions to melt into magma.
(22:47) Liquid magma is less dense than solid rock, (22:49) so it rises to the surface in
furious bubbles (22:52) that accumulate in sponge-like reservoirs right under the crust.

(22:56) If enough magma accumulates, (22:58) it becomes powerful enough to pierce

through the crust, (23:01) which we experience as volcanoes. (23:04) This happens under the
winning plate (23:06) like a revenge attack by the loser (23:08) before it's erased forever.
(23:16) The Earth is a gigantic ball of semi-molten rock (23:19) with a heart of iron as hot as
the surface of the Sun.
(23:23) Titanic amounts of heat left over from its birth (23:25) and the radioactive decay of
trillions of tons of radioactive elements (23:29) find no escape but up. (23:32) Currents of
rock spanning thousands of kilometers (23:34) carry this energy to the surface. (23:37)
Earth's crust is the only thing in their way.

(23:40) It feels solid to us, (23:42) but it's only a fragile barrier, (23:44) an appleskin around
a flaming behemoth. (23:47) True apocalypses can break through (23:49) and unleash
eruptions tens of times more powerful (23:52) than all of our nuclear weapons combined,
(23:54) subjecting the climate to centuries worth of change in a single year (23:58) while
drowning continents in toxic ash and gases. (24:03) Supervolcanoes.

(24:05) How big can they get? (24:06) And will they put an end to humanity? (24:18)
Volcanoes. (24:20) There are many types of volcanoes (24:21) from towering mountains to
lava domes, (24:24) but they have two main sources. (24:26) The first is at the boundaries
between tectonic plates, (24:30) the pieces of the crust (24:31) that cover the Earth like a
giant jigsaw puzzle.

(24:34) There are seven major tectonic plates (24:35) and dozens of smaller ones (24:37)
drifting against each other at up to 15 centimeters per year. (24:41) This sounds slow, but on
geological timescales, (24:44) it is a titanic struggle over who gets to stay on the surface.
(24:48) The winning plate crumples into a new mountain range (24:51) while the loser is
shoved underneath (24:53) into an ocean of hot rock at 1,300 degrees Celsius.

(24:57) The asthenosphere. (24:59) The temperature here is enough to melt rock into a liquid,
(25:02) but the insane pressures of all that mass (25:04) keep it a superheated solid. (25:07)
Tectonic plates are usually in contact with water (25:09) for thousands of years and absorb
some of it.

(25:13) When they're submerged into the hot underworld, (25:15) this water triggers
chemical transformations (25:17) that allow tiny portions to melt into magma. (25:21) Liquid
magma is less dense than solid rock, (25:23) so it rises to the surface in furious bubbles
(25:26) that accumulate in sponge-like reservoirs right under the crust. (25:30) If enough
magma accumulates, (25:32) it becomes powerful enough to pierce through the crust, (25:34)
which we experience as volcanoes.
(25:37) This happens under the winning plate, (25:40) like a revenge attack by the loser
(25:41) before it's erased forever. (25:44) That's the end of part four. (25:47) You now have
20 seconds to check your answers.

(26:10) That's the end of the listening section. (26:12) You now have two minutes to check
all your answers. (28:16) Time's up.

(28:18) Thank you. (28:42) .