Alex's Training

ANNOUNCER: Section 1. You will hear a phone conversation between Alex, an employee at a company called JPNW, and Martha, who wants to work as a trainee at the company. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 7. You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.

ANNOUNCER: On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.

MARTHA: Hi, Alex. It’s Martha Clines here. James White gave me your number. I hope you don’t mind me calling you.

ALEX: Of course not. How are you, Martha?

MARTHA: Good, thanks. I’m ringing because I need a bit of advice.

ALEX: Oh, yeah. What about?

MARTHA: The training you did at JPNW a few years ago. I’m applying for the same thing.

ALEX: Oh, right. Yes, I did mine in 2014. Best thing I ever did. I’m still working there.

ANNOUNCER: Alex did his training in 2014. So 2014 has been written in the space. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.

MARTHA: Hi, Alex. It’s Martha Clines here. James White gave me your number. I hope you don’t mind me calling you.

ALEX: Of course not. How are you, Martha?

MARTHA: Good, thanks. I’m ringing because I need a bit of advice.

ALEX: Oh, yeah. What about?

MARTHA: The training you did at JPNW a few years ago. I’m applying for the same thing.

ALEX: Oh, right. Yes, I did mine in 2014. Best thing I ever did. I’m still working there.

MARTHA: Really? What are you doing?

ALEX: Well, now I work in the customer services department. But I did my initial training in Finance. I stayed there for the first two years, and then moved to where I am now.

MARTHA: That’s the same department I’m applying for. Did you enjoy it?

ALEX: Uh. I was pretty nervous to begin with. I didn’t do well in my exams at school, and I was really worried because I failed maths. But it didn’t actually matter, because I did lots of courses on the job.

MARTHA: Did you get a diploma at the end of your trainee period? I’m hoping to do the one in business skills.

ALEX: Yes, that sounds good. I took the one on IT skills, but I wish I’d done that one instead.

MARTHA: OK, that’s good to know. Um. What about the other trainees? How did you get on with them?

ALEX: There were about 20 of us who started at the same time. And we were all around the same age. I was 18, and there was only one person younger than me, who was 17. The rest were between 18 and 20. I made some good friends.

MARTHA: I’ve heard lots of good things about the training at JPNW. It seems like there are a lot of opportunities there.

ALEX: Yeah, definitely. Because of its size, you can work in loads of different areas within the organization.

MARTHA: What about pay? I know you get a lower minimum wage than regular employees.

ALEX: That’s right, which isn’t great. But you get the same number of days’ holiday as everyone else, and the pay goes up massively if they offer you a job at the end of the training period.

MARTHA: Yeah, but I’m not doing it for the money. It’s the experience I think will be really useful. Everyone says by the end of the year you gain so much confidence.

ALEX: You’re right. That’s the most useful part about it. There’s a lot of variety too. You’re given lots of different things to do. I enjoyed it all. I didn’t even mind the studying.

MARTHA: Do you have to spend any time in college?

ALEX: Yes, one day each month. So you get lots of support from both your tutor and your manager.

MARTHA: Hmm, that’s good. And the company is easy to get to, isn’t it?

ALEX: Yes, it’s very close to the train statio , so the location’s a real advantage.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the phone conversation, you have some time to look at questions 8 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 8 to 10.

ALEX: Have you got a date for your interview yet?

MARTHA: Yes, it’s on the 23rd of this month.

ALEX: So long as you’re well prepared, there’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s very friendly.

MARTHA: I am not sure what I should wear. What do you think?

ALEX: Nothing too casual, like jeans for example. If you’ve got a nice jacket, wear that with a skirt or trousers.

MARTHA: OK, thanks. Any other tips?

ALEX: Um. Well, I know it’s really obvious, but arrive in plenty of time. They hate people who are late. So make sure you know exactly where you have to get to. And one other useful piece of advice my manager told me before I had the interview for this job is to smile. Even if you feel terrified, it makes people respond better to you.

MARTHA: Ha, I’ll have to practice doing that in the mirror.

ALEX: Yeah, well, good luck. Let me know if you need any more information.

MARTHA: Thanks very much.

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

The Snow Centre

ANNOUNCER: Section 2. You will hear a woman called Annie, who works at the Snow Centre in New Zealand, welcoming a group of visitors to the center. First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

ANNIE: Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Snow Centre. My name’s Annie. I hope you enjoyed the bus trip from the airport. We’ve certainly got plenty of snow today.

ANNIE: Well, you’ve come to New Zealand’s premier snow and ski center, and we’ve a whole load of activities for you during your week here.

ANNIE: Most visitors come here for cross-country skiing, where you're on fairly flat ground for most of the time rather than going down steep mountainsides. There are marked trails, but you can also leave these and go off on your own, and that’s an experience not to be missed.

ANNIE: You can go at your own speed. It’s great aerobic exercise if you push yourself, or you can glide gently and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

ANNIE: This afternoon you’ll be going on a dog sled trip. You may have seen our dogs on TV recently racing in the Winter Sled Festival. If you want, you can have your own team and learn how to drive them, or simply ride as a passenger.

ANNIE: At the weekend we have a team relay event. Participation rather than winning is the main focus and there’s a medal for everyone. Teams have two to four members, and each team must complete four laps of the course.

ANNIE: For your final expedition, you’ll head off to Mount Frenner wearing special snowshoes that allow you to walk on top of the snow.

ANNIE: This area was once used by gold miners, although few traces remain now. In summer the slopes are covered with flowers and plants.

ANNIE: The ascent is long but not too steep. Walkers usually take about two days to reach the summit and return. You’ll spend the night in our hut halfway up the mountai .

ANNIE: The hut includes cooking facilities, firewood, and drinking water. For washing, you should use melted snow to conserve supplies.

ANNIE: We can transport your luggage by snowmobile for just $10 per perso . You must bring your own food to cook.

ANNIE: The weather on Mount Frenner can be very stormy. If that happens, stay in the hut. Storms usually don’t last long.

ANNIE: Don’t worry about missing the airport bus. If the weather is bad, the buses probably won’t be running anyway.

ANNIE: There is an emergency locator beaco in the hut, but use it only for serious emergencies such as illness or injury.

ANNOUNCER: Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

ANNIE: Let me tell you about the different ski trails you can follow.

ANNIE: Highland Trail starts directly from the center. It’s perfect for beginners, but also good for experts to practice their technique.

ANNIE: Pine Trail is only for experienced skiers. It follows a steep valley with views down to the river.

ANNIE: Stony Trail is suitable once you know the basics. It has a few tricky parts but nothing too difficult. There’s a shelter halfway where you can rest.

ANNIE: Finally, Loser’s Trail starts gently along a river valley, but the final section is exposed, so snow conditions may be difficult. If the weather is bad, check with the center before starting.

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

Food Packaging Labels

ANNOUNCER: Section 3. You will hear two students called Jack and Alice discussing food labels that give information on the nutritional value of foods. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.

JACK: I've still got loads to do for our report on nutritional food labels.

ALICE: Me too. What did you learn from doing the project about your own shopping habits?

JACK: Well, I've always had to check labels for traces of peanuts in everything I eat because of my allergy. But beyond that, I've never really been concerned enough to check how healthy a product is.

ALICE: This project has actually taught me to read the labels much more carefully. I tended to believe claims on packaging like “low in fat”. But I now realize that the yogurt I've bought for years is full of sugar, and that it's actually quite high in calories.

JACK: Hmm. Ready meals are the worst. Comparing the labels on supermarket pizzas was a real eye-opener. Did you have any idea how many calories they contain? I was amazed.

ALICE: Yes, because unless you read the label really carefully, you wouldn't know that the nutritional values given are for half a pizza.

JACK: When most people eat the whole pizza. Not exactly transparent, is it?

ALICE: Not at all, but I expect it won't stop you from buying pizza.

JACK: Probably not. I thought comparing the different labelling systems used by food manufacturers was interesting. I think the kind of labeling system used makes a big difference.

ALICE: Which one did you prefer?

JACK: I like the traditional daily value system best. The one which tells you what proportion of your required daily intake of each ingredient the product contains. I'm not sure it's the easiest for people to use, but at least you get the full story.

JACK: I like to know all the ingredients in a product, not just how much fat, salt and sugar they contain.

ALICE: But it's good that supermarkets have been making an effort to provide reliable informatio for customers.

JACK: Yes. There just needs to be more consistency between labeling systems used by different supermarkets, in terms of portion sizes, etc.

ALICE: Hmm. The labels on the different brands of chicken-flavour crisps were quite revealing too, weren't they?

JACK: Yeah, I don't understand how they can get away with calling them chicken flavour when they only contain artificial additives.

ALICE: I know. I'd at least have expected them to contain a small percentage of real chicke .

JACK: Absolutely.

ALICE: I think having nutritional food labelling has been a good idea, don't you? I think it will change people's behaviour and stop mothers, in particular, buying the wrong things.

JACK: But didn't that study prove the opposite? People didn't necessarily stop buying unhealthy products.

ALICE: They only said that might be the case. Those findings weren't very conclusive, and it was quite a small-scale study. I think more research has to be done.

JACK: Yes, I think you're probably right.

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.

JACK: What do you think of the traffic-light system?

ALICE: I think supermarkets like the idea of having a colour-coded system: red, orange or gree for levels of fat, sugar and salt in a product.

JACK: But it hasn't been adopted universally. Why do you suppose that is?

ALICE: Pressure from food manufacturers. Hardly surprising that some are opposed to highlighting how unhealthy their products are.

JACK: I'd have thought it would be compulsory. It seems ridiculous that it isn't.

ALICE: I know. And what I couldn't believe is that it was introduced without enough consultatio . Many experts had serious reservations about it.

JACK: That is strange. Maybe it makes sense to do the research now when consumers are familiar with the system.

ALICE: Yeah, maybe.

JACK: The participants in the survey were quite positive about the traffic-light system.

ALICE: Hmm, but I don't think they targeted the right people. They should have focused on people with low literacy levels, because the labels are meant to be accessible to them.

JACK: True, but it's useful to get feedback from all socio-economic groups, and there wasn't much variation in responses.

ALICE: Maybe. But if they hadn't done the interviews face to face, they could have used a larger sample size. I wonder why they chose that method.

JACK: Dunno. How were they selected? Did they volunteer, or were they approached?

ALICE: I think they volunteered. The thing that wasn't stated was how often they bought packaged food. All we know is how frequently they use the supermarket.

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

The History of Coffee

ANNOUNCER: Section 4. You will hear part of a presentation by a history student about the history of coffee. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

SPEAKER: In my presentation, I'm going to talk about coffee, and its importance both in economic and social terms.

SPEAKER: We think it was first drunk in the Arab world. However, there is very little documentary evidence before the 1500s, although that doesn’t mean people didn’t know about it earlier.

SPEAKER: Evidence suggests that coffee was originally gathered from wild bushes in Ethiopia, in northeast Africa.

SPEAKER: In the early 16th century, traders were already buying coffee, and its use gradually spread across the Middle East.

SPEAKER: In 1522, in the Turkish city of Constantinople, the court physician approved coffee as a medicine.

SPEAKER: By the mid-1500s, coffee bushes were cultivated in Yeme , which produced most of the coffee consumed in Africa and the Arab world for the next 100 years.

SPEAKER: Coffee also had an important effect on social life. It was rarely drunk at home. Instead, people gathered in coffee houses to drink it.

SPEAKER: These places became centers where men met to discuss ideas and current issues. However, authorities sometimes saw them as dangerous.

SPEAKER: In 1623, the ruler of Constantinople ordered all coffee houses to be destroyed. After his death, many new ones reopened.

SPEAKER: In the 17th century, coffee drinking spread to Europe, where coffee houses again became places for exchanging ideas.

SPEAKER: Some people even said these places functioned like universities, because discussions there influenced social movements and political developments.

SPEAKER: In the late 1600s, Yemen’s monopoly on coffee production ended, and coffee cultivation spread globally through European colonizatio .

SPEAKER: Coffee plantations were established in places such as Indonesia and the Caribbea .

SPEAKER: Different coffee types were named after ports they were exported from, such as Mocha and Java.

SPEAKER: Labour systems differed across colonies. In Brazil and the Caribbea , coffee was produced on large plantations using slave labour.

SPEAKER: In contrast, in Java, local peasants grew coffee and paid part of it as tax to the Dutch.

SPEAKER: Coffee production expanded rapidly during the 18th century to meet Europe’s growing demand.

SPEAKER: Despite this growth, coffee was still expensive, so people mainly drank it in public coffee houses, and it remained a luxury item.

SPEAKER: In Britai , another drink from China became popular: tea.

SPEAKER: By the late 1700s, tea had become widely consumed in Britain.

SPEAKER: However, after the United States gained independence from Britain in 1776, Americans rejected tea and continued to prefer coffee.

SPEAKER: In the 19th century, coffee production increased dramatically and prices began to fall.

SPEAKER: This was partly due to improvements in transportatio , which made distribution cheaper and more efficient.

SPEAKER: As coffee became more affordable, working people began to drink it regularly.

SPEAKER: Coffee also became important as a stimulant, especially for workers in industries where work sometimes continued through the night.

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