ANNOUNCER: Section 1. You will hear a student talking to a housing officer about living with a homestay family. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6. You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.

OFFICER: Yes, what can I do for you?

STUDENT: My friend is in homestay accommodatio and she really enjoys it. So I would like to join a homestay family too.

OFFICER: OK, let me get some details. What is your name?

STUDENT: My name is Keiko Yuichini.

OFFICER: Could you spell your family name?

STUDENT: It is YUICHINI.

ANNOUNCER: The student's surname is Yuichini, so Yuichini has been written on the form.

OFFICER: And your first name?

STUDENT: Keiko.

OFFICER: And your nationality?

STUDENT: I’m Japanese.

OFFICER: Could I see your passport please?

STUDENT: Here it is.

OFFICER: Your passport number is JO6337. And your age?

STUDENT: I am 28 years old.

OFFICER: Which college residence do you live in?

STUDENT: Willow College, room 21C.

OFFICER: How long do you plan to stay in homestay accommodatio ?

STUDENT: About four months, maybe longer if I enjoy it.

OFFICER: What course are you studying?

STUDENT: I enrolled in Advanced English Studies for 20 weeks. I need help with my writing skills.

OFFICER: Do you prefer a family with childre or without childre ?

STUDENT: I like young childre , but I would prefer to stay with adults around my own age.

OFFICER: What about pets?

STUDENT: That’s fine. I am a veterinaria , so I like animals.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 7 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 7 to 10.

OFFICER: Are you a vegetaria or do you have any special dietary requirements?

STUDENT: No, but I don’t eat a lot of meat. I really enjoy seafood.

OFFICER: What are your hobbies?

STUDENT: I like reading and watching movies.

OFFICER: Do you play any sports?

STUDENT: I used to play handball, but now I play tennis on weekends with friends.

OFFICER: Are you familiar with the public transport system?

STUDENT: Not really. I usually take the bus, but they are often late.

OFFICER: What about the trai ?

STUDENT: I prefer the trai . It is much faster.

OFFICER: I will check the homestay records and contact you later today with the details.

STUDENT: Thank you very much.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Section 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

ANNOUNCER: Section 2. You will hear a guide giving a tour of a park. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 14. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 14.

SALLY: Welcome everyone. Can everybody see and hear me? Good. I'm Sally, your guide for this tour of the Bicentennial Park. I hope you're all wearing comfortable shoes and ready to walk around this wonderful park.

SALLY: I'll start with some background informatio . Until the 1960s, this area had many factories. Creating the park required the demolitio of many derelict buildings. Most of the park space you see today used to be warehouses and storehouses.

SALLY: The idea for a park started when a property developer suggested building a high-rise housing development. However, the local community disagreed. They wanted the land used for recreatio and outdoor activities rather than housing or an indoor sports complex.

SALLY: The Bicentennial Park has two main areas: a nature reserve and a formal park with gardens and man-made features.

SALLY: The tall blue-and-white building in front of us is called The Tower. It is the center point for the formal gardens and stands about 12 meters high. Follow me up the stairs so we can enjoy the views.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the tour, you have some time to look at questions 15 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 15 to 20.

SALLY: From the top of The Tower, you can see many interesting places. To the east, the large buildings belong to the Olympic site. There is an indoor arena for gymnastics, a stadium for track and field events, and a swimming pool for races and diving.

SALLY: You can also see the train lines. The Olympic site even has its own statio to encourage public transport. There is also a car park, but it has limited space.

SALLY: The formal park includes several water features. To the south, there is a circular ornamental pond. To the west, there is a beautiful rose garde where visitors can sit and relax.

SALLY: To the north, you can see a lake with a small island in the middle. Visitors can hire rowing boats at the boat shed. Nearby, there is a cafe with a wonderful view across the water.

SALLY: Now we will visit the nature reserve. This area contains wetlands and mangroves. A boardwalk was built so visitors could easily walk through this environment.

SALLY: Although people expect to see unusual plant life, the path is often used for cycling and is popular with local cycling clubs.

SALLY: Over there you can see the Frog Pond, a natural feature that existed before the park was created. Next to it is the outdoor classroom, which is commonly used by primary school students for biology lessons.

SALLY: Finally, we pass the waterbird refuge. This sheltered estuary area attracts many bird watchers. Visitors often hope to see black swans here.

SALLY: And now we are back at the Visitor Center.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Preparing for the Presentation on the Islands' Education System

ANNOUNCER: Section 3. You will hear two students discussing a geography presentatio they are going to give. You have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.

JULIE: Remind me, Trevor, how long is the presentatio ?

TREVOR: Dr White said three per hour.

JULIE: So about 20 minutes.

TREVOR: Well, it will actually be 15 minutes per presentatio .

JULIE: And five minutes for questions?

TREVOR: Yes. And is this one going to be assessed?

JULIE: No, not this time, because it’s the first presentatio .

TREVOR: Oh, that’s good news.

JULIE: Well, Trevor, what are we going to include?

TREVOR: Do you think we should give some historical background?

JULIE: No, definitely not. We won’t have enough time.

TREVOR: OK, but we should say something about the geographical locatio , because many people don’t know where the islands are.

JULIE: Yes, OK. I’ll take notes.

TREVOR: Good idea. So first geographical locatio , then we should give an overview of the education system.

JULIE: Shouldn’t we also talk about the economy? Things like agriculture and minerals?

TREVOR: Dr White said we shouldn’t go into that much detail.

JULIE: But it’s important because it can influence the education system.

TREVOR: Let’s decide about that later and see how we are doing for time.

JULIE: OK. So first general overview of educatio .

TREVOR: Yes. And then maybe the role of the English language.

JULIE: No, that topic belongs to the language policy seminar.

TREVOR: Are you sure?

JULIE: Absolutely.

TREVOR: OK, so those are the topics we will cover.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

JULIE: We also need to think about the materials we will prepare. Dr White wants us to use visual aids.

TREVOR: The most important thing is the overhead projector.

JULIE: No problem. We can borrow it from the media room, but we must remember to book it.

TREVOR: We will also need a map.

JULIE: Probably two maps – one of the islands and one of West Africa. The West Africa map is in the resources room.

TREVOR: Right. But getting a map of the islands may be difficult.

JULIE: There is a clear map of Santiago in the tourist brochure I showed you.

TREVOR: Yes, I remember. We can use that brochure.

JULIE: We also need some statistics, like literacy rates and school places.

TREVOR: Maybe we can check the encyclopedia.

JULIE: No, it’s probably not up to date.

TREVOR: Then maybe we should call the embassy.

JULIE: That sounds like a good idea.

TREVOR: They may provide the latest statistics.

JULIE: OK. Let’s meet again on Monday after preparing some materials.

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Monosodium Glutamate: A Flavour Enhancer Explored

ANNOUNCER: Section 4. You will hear part of a lecture about a chemical substance called monosodium glutamate (MSG). First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

SPEAKER: In today's lecture, I'm going to talk about monosodium glutamate, or MSG as it is more commonly known. MSG is a flavour enhancer used especially in Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

SPEAKER: Today I will explain why MSG is so popular in these cuisines and how it actually enhances the flavour of food.

SPEAKER: One reason MSG is widely used in Japanese cooking is traditio . For thousands of years, the Japanese have used a type of seaweed called kombu. They discovered that kombu makes food taste better.

SPEAKER: However, it was not until 1908 that scientists discovered the ingredient responsible for this improvement in flavour. The substance was identified as glutamate.

SPEAKER: Between 1908 and 1956, glutamate was produced commercially using a very slow and expensive extraction process. In 1956, a faster industrial process was developed, which dramatically increased MSG productio .

SPEAKER: Today, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of MSG are produced around the world.

SPEAKER: So what exactly is MSG? Monosodium glutamate contains approximately 78.2% glutamate, 12.2% sodium, and 9.6% water.

SPEAKER: Glutamate itself is an amino acid found naturally in foods containing protei . Examples include meat and cheese.

SPEAKER: Although MSG is strongly associated with Asian cuisine, it is also widely used in many other foods. For instance, it appears in commercial Italian pizzas, American fast food, and even British potato crisps.

SPEAKER: Now let us look at how MSG actually works. In the Western world, we commonly recognize four basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

SPEAKER: In 1908, the scientist Kikunae Ikeda proposed the existence of a fifth taste. This taste is often associated with foods containing glutamate.

SPEAKER: It makes evolutionary sense that humans can detect glutamate because it is the most common amino acid in many natural foods.

SPEAKER: According to John Prescott, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, this fifth taste signals the presence of protei in food.

SPEAKER: Just as sweetness indicates energy-rich carbohydrates, bitterness warns us about toxins, sourness warns of spoilage, and saltiness signals minerals.

SPEAKER: So what else do we know about this fifth taste?

ANNOUNCER: That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.