Audio Script

Exercise 5. Sound Discrimination

1. (Man) This corn doesn’t taste right.

(Woman) Corn on the cob should be served with butter.
(Narrator) What does the woman imply?
2. (Woman) So, what did your family decide to do during the break?
(Man) Bill’s idea of travelling to the shore resort won hands down.
(Narrator) What does the man say about Bill?
3. (Man) How much do I owe you?
(Woman) Let me pay for this drink, and you can pick up the tab for the next one.
(Narrator) What does the woman mean?
4. (Woman) What time does Andy need to get started?
(Man) He wound up the clock and set the alarm for three in the morning.
(Narrator) What does the man say about Andy?
5. (Man) John has left for the airport.
(Woman) How careless of him to leave his clothes and pills behind!
(Narrator) What does the woman mean?
6. (Man) Why is there such a long line?
(Woman) The bookstore is giving away free pencils to all those who purchase texts.
(Narrator) What does the woman mean?
7. (Man) This area is so crowded that there is no room to work.
(Woman) The files on the desk should be removed and put on the shelf.
(Narrator) What is the woman suggesting?
8. (Woman) I’ve heard that the director made an announcement. Do you know what the issue
was?
(Man) He said that Arnold lacks the funds to complete his research.
(Narrator) What was the announcement?
9. (Man) Marsha is tired of Rob’s practical jokes. I think next time, she’ll give him a piece of her
mind.
(Woman) Rob’s humor can be heard to take.
(Narrator) What will Marsha do?
10. (Woman) Can I help you with something?
(Man) I’ve been trying to catch a cab for the past fifteen minutes, and there isn’t one in
sight.
(Narrator) What does the man mean?

Exercise 6. Comparisons

1. (Woman) Among your sons, Phil seems to have a particular talent for languages.
(Man) Phil writes better essays than George, but he speaks German less fluently than Sam.
(Narrator) What does the man mean?
Student: Hello, er... is this the accommodation office?
Officer: Yes, how can I help you?
Student: Well, I’ve got a bit of a problem. I’m staying in the Godfrey White Dorm, and on Monday, the
warden came and told me that I have to move out this Thursday.
Officer: Really? How long have you been staying in the Godfrey White Dorm?
Student: For the last ten weeks.
Officer: Oh, have you been doing one of the summer courses here then?
Student: Yes, I’ve been doing the Academic Language course since the beginning of July.
Officer: And didn’t you realise that your accommodation was temporary?
Student: No, I thought I would be able to stay there for the whole year. I didn’t read the small print on
the document. The warden went through it with me, and now I see my mistake.
Officer: Oh dear. So, you’re looking for somewhere to stay then.
Student: Yes.
Officer: Well, I’m afraid all the places in the dorms are full. I mean, there may be some students who
don’t show up when term starts, but we won’t know that for the next couple of weeks. The
best thing you can do is look for a private house. You’ll have to share with three or four other
students. Meals aren’t included in the price of course, as they are in the university dorms, and
you’ll have to contribute to the electricity bills.
Student: Where can I find out about these houses?
Officer: I’ve got a list here, but it’s not up to date. Rooms are taken up every day, so it’s hard to
know whether a house has a free place or not. I can give you a photocopy of this list and you
can ring round.
Student: Can I use the phone here?
Officer: I’m afraid not! If we let everyone who asked do that, there’d be someone here all day!
Student: Do you have a map? It’d be useful to know where these places are.
Officer: Yes, I can give you a map. This one’s got the bus routes on it too, so you can find out how
easy it is to get from the house to the university.
Student: Great. And what if I can’t find a place before Thursday?
Officer: Well, the YMCA offers cheap beds. It’s located halfway between here and the city centre.
You can get a bed in a shared room there, and you can also buy cheap meals. But you should
phone up and book a bed in advance. It’s very busy this time of year. I’ll give you the
number. Do you need a pen?
Student: No, don’t worry, I’ve got one.
Officer: So, the number’s 482 5903.
Student: 482 5903.
Officer: That’s right. Anything else I can help you with?
Student: No, that’s everything thanks. Bye.
Kitty: Right, so shall we discuss what we have to do for this project then?
Li: Yes, it says we have to ‘Investigate some aspect of the university facilities’.
Paul: Yeah, we have to design a questionnaire don’t we?
Li: Yes. And we have to write an essay and do a presentation.
Kitty: Is it an essay? I thought it was a report.
Li: Let me check. Yes, you’re right, Kitty, it’s a report.
Paul: How long does it have to be? 1000 words, isn’t it?
Let me see. The report has to be between 1000 and 1500 words, and we have to do that on
Li:
our own, but we do the presentation and the investigation as a group.
Li: So, have you got any ideas about what we can investigate?
I know one of the other groups is looking at the university library and whether it’s adequate for
Kitty:
student needs.
Paul: Yes, and one group’s doing the sports centre.
Kitty: Does it matter if we do the same thing as another group?
Li: I don’t think so. But I was wondering about investigating transport.
Kitty: Transport?
Yes, we could look at whether people think the bus service is regular enough, and we could also
Li:
look at car parking facilities.
We could look at the cycling facilities too. There’s never enough space for all the bikes in the
Paul:
bike sheds. I’m sure the university could afford to build more, what with all the fees we pay.
Kitty: OK, I’m happy with that idea. So, how should we go about the investigation then?
Well, we could make some questionnaires. I can ask the people who travel on buses, and Paul,
Li:
you can ask cyclists, and Kitty, you do a questionnaire for car drivers.
Kitty: Shouldn’t we write the questions together, rather than individually?
Yes, that’s what I meant, we can write the questionnaires together, but each of us can be
Li:
responsible for carrying out the questionnaires individually. Does that sound okay?
Kitty: Sure
We should get some quantitative data too. You could count how many people get on and off
Paul: the buses at different times, and I can count how many bikes there are in the bike sheds, that
sort of thing.
And we should take some photos while we’re doing the questionnaires. They’ll be useful for
Kitty:
the presentation.
Li: It sounds good. Okay, well, let’s think about these questions then.

1. When is this conversation taking place?

A) July
B) before term starts
 C) at the beginning of term
D) midway through a term

2. Whose mistake was it that led to the problem?

A) The student’s
B) The warden’s
C) Godfrey White’s
D) The accommodation office

3. Where is the YMCA on the map?

A
B
C
D

4. Which of the following TWO things does the accommodation officer provide for the student?

a telephone
a map
information about bus routes
a pen

5. Match the information to the type of accommodation.

A) University Dormitories
B) Private Houses
C) YMCA
Score: 0/0

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