Renting a Cottage: Details and Arrangements
ANNOUNCER: Part 1. You will hear a man phoning the owner of a holiday cottage. First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 6. Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 6.
SHIRLEY: Hello?
TOM: Oh hello. I was hoping to speak to Jack Fitzgerald about renting a cottage.
SHIRLEY: I'm his wife Shirley, and we own the cottages together, so I'm sure I can help you.
TOM: Great, my name's Tom. Some friends of ours rented Granary Cottage from you last year, and they thought it was great. So my wife and I are hoping to come in May for a week.
SHIRLEY: What date did you have in mind?
TOM: The week beginning the 14th, if possible.
SHIRLEY: I'll just check. I'm sorry, Tom. It's already booked that week. It's free the week beginning the 28th though, for seven nights. In fact, that's the only time you could have it in May.
TOM: Oh, well, we could manage that, I think. We'd just need to change a couple of things. How much would it cost?
SHIRLEY: That's the beginning of high season, so it'd be £550 for the week.
TOM: Ah, that's a bit more than we wanted to pay, I'm afraid. We've budgeted up to £500 for accommodation.
SHIRLEY: Well, we've just finished converting another building into a cottage, which we're calling Chervil Cottage.
TOM: Sorry? What was that again?
SHIRLEY: Chervil – C H E R V I L.
TOM: Oh, that's a herb, isn't it?
SHIRLEY: That's right. It grows fairly wild around here. You could have that for the week you want for £480.
TOM: OK, so could you tell me something about it, please?
SHIRLEY: Of course. The building was originally built as a garage. It's a little smaller than Granary Cottage.
TOM: So that must sleep two people as well.
SHIRLEY: That's right. There's a double bedroom.
TOM: Does it have a garden?
SHIRLEY: Yes. You reach it from the living room through French doors. We provide two deck chairs. We hope to build a patio soon, but I can't guarantee it'll be finished by May.
TOM: OK.
SHIRLEY: The front door opens onto the old farmyard, and there's plenty of parking space there, along with some trees and potted plants.
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.
TOM: What about facilities in the cottage? It has standard things like a cooker and fridge, I presume.
SHIRLEY: In the kitchen area there's a fridge freezer, and we've just installed an electric cooker.
TOM: Is there a washing machine?
SHIRLEY: Yes, and there's also a TV in the living room which plays DVDs. The bathroom is too small for a bath, so there's a shower instead.
TOM: It's more environmentally friendly, isn't it?
SHIRLEY: Exactly.
TOM: What about heating? It sometimes gets quite cool at that time of year.
SHIRLEY: There's central heating, and there's also a stove if you'd like to light a fire. We provide all the wood you need.
TOM: That sounds very pleasant.
SHIRLEY: From the living room you can see a famous stone bridge, one of the oldest in the region. From the bedroom you can see the hills and the monument at the top.
TOM: That all sounds perfect. I'd like to book it, please.
SHIRLEY: We ask for a 30% deposit to secure the booking. That will be £144.
TOM: And when would you like the rest of the money?
SHIRLEY: You're coming in May, so by the last day of March, please.
TOM: Fine.
SHIRLEY: Excellent. Could I just take your details so that I can…
ANNOUNCER: That is the end of part 1. You now have half a minute to check your answers to part 1.