Audioscripts IELTS Practice 6 Listening Test 02

Part 1

You will hear a father calling a science centre about children's holiday courses.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 5.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.

Staff: Good afternoon, Discovery Centre. Can I help you?

Father: Oh, yes. Good afternoon. I'm interested in the children's courses, and I'd like a little more information, please.

Staff: Do you mean the science and tech courses?

Father: Yes. A teacher at my son's school mentioned them. The children build robots and make rockets and so forth.

Staff: Yes, of course. Um, where to begin? First of all, as you probably know, they run every Wednesday.

Father: Fine. And what about age groups?

Staff: Well, all children from seven upwards are welcome, though we do insist that children below nine years of age are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Father: Fine. That wouldn't be a problem. What about the fee?

Staff: Well, I think you'll find them quite affordable. It's three pounds fifty a child, with seventy pence off for two or more children from the same family.

Father: Oh, yes, very affordable. And are they hosted in the main centre?

Staff: Not quite. They're in a separate building just behind the main centre.

Father: Could you give me the exact location? I don't know the area very well.

Staff: Yes, it's called the Innovation Hub.

Father: Right. And what street is that on? Could you spell that, please?

Staff: Yes, it's on Darwin Avenue. D-A-R-W-I-N Avenue.

Father: Perfect.

Staff: And I do need to mention that there's a security door, so you need to press the blue buzzer for a staff member to let you in. Don't press the yellow buzzer, please. But don't worry, it's all clearly marked.

Father: OK. And one last query. Is a car park available nearby? We're commuting from the suburbs.

Staff: Your best option is to leave your car in the multi-storey behind the town hall. On a Wednesday afternoon there are usually lots of bays there. It's just across the road from the centre.

Father: And can I ask about reserving places?

Staff: Yes, and I must stress, you really should reserve by phoning the outreach team here.

Father: Oh. I see. Should I have dialled them directly instead of the main centre number?

Staff: No, that's okay for now. Please don't worry. But for your records, I'll give you their extension number. It's 300 891.

Father: Great. I've noted that.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10.

[Pause]

Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.

Staff: I'm very happy to provide details about the next two courses. On Wednesday the 12th, there's a session on Building Rockets.

Father: Oh, sounds fun.

Staff: This session uses a lot of paint, so just ensure the children are in old shirts.

Father: I know, ones I don't mind getting stained.

Staff: Precisely. And if feasible, could you bring along plastic bottles, which the children might be able to use in their rockets, you know, as the main body?

Father: We'll certainly look for some for you.

Staff: Then the following week...

Father: That'll be the 19th, won't it?

Staff: Yes, that's correct. On that day, it's what we call Digital Worlds. This is where they create stories with coding, animated characters and so on.

Father: Is that likely to get very messy? Lots of pens and paper?

Staff: Not at all, so we don't suggest any protective clothing for that one. But if you could find some cardboard tubes to bring along to use in the sessions, you know, they're sturdy, they resemble telescopes, that'd be fantastic.

Father: Yes, of course. We'll see what we have. Well, thank you very much for all your assistance. The courses sound really engaging and I'll definitely reserve a spot for the next two.

Staff: Excellent. Thanks a lot for calling. Bye.

Father: Bye-bye.

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

Part 2

You will hear a tourist information officer giving a welcome talk to a group of international students about bus services in Manchester.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 17.

Welcome to Manchester, everyone! I understand you are all studying here for a few months and are eager to explore the city and the surrounding areas. My name is Alex, and I'm here to help you navigate our regional bus and coach services.

We have two main terminals in the city centre. The Arndale Centre focuses entirely on local urban routes and regional expresses. However, if you're planning to head down to London or elsewhere across the country, you'll need to go to Chorlton Street Coach Station. This hub handles all our long distance routes.

For those of you needing to visit the capital, there are frequent coaches to London. They depart every hour during the week, and every two hours on Sundays. The journey generally takes approximately four hours, though it can be slightly quicker at weekends depending on traffic. You have a choice between standard and luxury seating. Everyone has access to a refreshments trolley, but if you've purchased a luxury ticket, those snacks are completely free of charge.

Now, let's talk about saving money, as I know you are all on a student budget. There is a variety of fare prices depending on what time you travel and how far in advance you book. We offer a fully flexible ticket, which has no restrictions at all and can be bought online or at the station. For those who don't mind an early start, a popular concession is the Early Bird fare; just remember that your travel is restricted to before 7.15 in the morning.

Then there is the saver fare, which is accepted for travel before 9.30. And surprisingly, even during national bank holidays, the saver option remains fully valid. The absolute cheapest option is the 'super advance', but you must purchase these at least 14 days ahead. We only issue a restricted number of these tickets, and unlike the fully flexible options, you are locked into a specific departure time when you book.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20.

[Pause]

Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20.

Moving on to regional attractions, there are numerous fantastic days out you can enjoy around here. For instance, the Salford Quays complex is only twenty minutes from Manchester by tram. Aside from the shopping centre, you can experience riding in the original historical dock cranes, as well as taking a trip on the industrial railways. We offer special group tickets which include museum entry.

Metrolink trams also offer direct connections to Bury. It's a fantastic day out; you can visit the famous market and explore the Transport Museum, which is beautifully situated inside a park where a historic castle once stood. Special student discount fares are available for this service during the university holidays.

Alternatively, you can be in Liverpool in only forty-five minutes, where there is lots to see and do. Among the many sights, they are currently constructing a brand new Beatles Story right on the grounds of the old Albert Dock.

We will also be running a dedicated shuttle to Chester when the new Roman museum opens next summer, as we expect huge crowds in the initial months. I'd recommend you book early to secure your places. Right, are there any questions so far?

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

Part 3

You will hear a discussion between a tutor and a business student called David about the student's dissertation proposal.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

Tutor: Hello, David. How have you been progressing with your dissertation proposal?

David: Fine. I've been working hard on the various action points we discussed in our last meeting. We set three main goals for me to work towards. The first one was to find out about suitable survey platforms.

Tutor: Yes, that's right. What did you discover?

David: Well, initially, I looked through academic journals to see what researchers were using, but the software mentioned was often outdated. Then I checked some IT catalogues, but they were too broad. Finally, I focused on websites specialising in market research, which was a much more sensible approach, and I found the names of two promising platforms.

Tutor: Excellent. But I also recall I suggested it would be beneficial to chat to a specific member of staff about this.

David: Yes, you did. I wasn't sure if I should ask my personal tutor or maybe another student, but I followed your advice and approached Dr. Sarah Jones. She's the new Head of Research, isn't she? She was extremely supportive.

Tutor: I'm glad to hear it. Did she recommend anything specific?

David: Yes. She explicitly advised me to use a platform called SurveyPro and said I should attend a couple of their online tutorials.

Tutor: Great. I'm sure you'll find them invaluable. Now, your second goal was to design a draft questionnaire.

David: Yes, I sent it to you yesterday. Have you had a moment to review it?

Tutor: Indeed I have. Overall, I think it's strong. I know you were worried that the first four questions were not clear enough, but I think they are spot on. And the final section isn't too long, either. However, you've completely omitted any inquiries regarding consumer buying patterns. You absolutely must include questions on purchasing habits there.

David: Ah, I see. I'll add a subsection on that. And my third goal was to do more reading on consumer behaviour. You suggested a couple of authors, didn't you?

Tutor: Yes. How did you get on with that?

David: Well, I managed to read the book by Evans, which was superb. But I couldn't get hold of the papers about brand loyalty by Michael Carter. I didn't find the concepts difficult to understand from the abstracts, but our university library simply doesn't hold a subscription to that specific database.

Tutor: Oh, right. And unfortunately, I've loaned my own physical copy to a colleague, so I can't lend it to you. Please don't waste money buying them from the university bookshop, and there's no point asking another student for them as it's a very rare text. Instead, you should request them through our Inter-Library Loan service. They can source them from another institution for you.

David: Oh, perfect. I'll do that today.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.

[Pause]

Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

Tutor: So, let's look at some fresh goals. We'll begin by discussing your literature review. Your academic style is very fluent, and you've included plenty of interesting case studies, but I've got a few recommendations for some minor adjustments.

David: Of course. First, what do you think of the title?

Tutor: Currently, it's a bit too wordy. I'd suggest making it more concise. Something punchy like 'Brand Perception' would be much better.

David: Make it more concise. OK, noted.

Tutor: Regarding specific sections to develop, I'd be particularly keen to see a few more diagrams illustrating the market share across different demographics. Instead of creating them from scratch, you should extract them directly from the latest commercial industry reports.

David: Good idea. I have access to a few of those.

Tutor: Excellent. Now, looking at your bibliography, you did cite quite a large number of different journals. However, to ensure your research is truly current, you need to use more recent articles, ideally prioritizing publications from the last three years.

David: OK, that's more challenging, but I can update my references. When do you need this draft submitted by?

Tutor: It's not pressing. Aim to complete it by the end of the month. But in the meantime, I want you to start thinking about your methodology chapter.

David: Should I be writing the full draft for that already?

Tutor: No, not yet. But you do need to draft the key components so we have a structural framework to look at.

David: Actually, figuring out the chapter outline is always the most daunting part for me. Sometimes I get feedback from other students, but I still get stuck.

Tutor: A highly effective technique is to write your main points on post-it notes. By doing that, you can arrange your ideas visually on a whiteboard and move them around until the logical flow makes sense.

David: Use post-it notes? I'll certainly give that a try. When would the submission date be for that?

Tutor: My suggestion would be to have it ready before you start the data collection. You can always amend it later if necessary.

David: OK. I'll get started on that then.

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

Part 4

You will hear part of a lecture about the history of the internet.

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

Many believe that the story truly began in America in 1969, when two university computers were connected to see whether data could be transmitted between them. To resolve the test, an engineer was asked to log in to the remote machine, and the test was a success because he could see that the first two letters of his command were received. What was even more significant, was that if the connections were scaled up, the computers could communicate instantly. In other words, a network.

The organization that became interested in taking this network to its next phase was the American research agency ARPA, later known as DARPA. The crucial step was the development of a standardized method for communication between different networks. Researchers working on these projects studied earlier systems and combined existing concepts to create a robust data transfer protocol. In other words, they designed a system, a set of rules, and the supporting software.

The system was demonstrated successfully during this period, and researchers were increasingly excited by the new technology. There were, however, a couple of limitations with the design. The software required over 500 lines of code, and users were restricted to moving just a single file at any given moment.

Well, now, reports of the new technology in America spread quickly, and a number of competing European networks started to emerge once scientists had heard about it. The common limitation with all the early systems was they couldn't really transmit data across different networks, you know, so more than one computer could connect. Then, from the end of the 1980s into the early 1990s, systems began to appear that made online information easier to link, search and retrieve. The most influential of these was created by Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist working at CERN in Switzerland, and he named his system the World Wide Web, which of course is where the abbreviation WWW comes from. Around the same period, a research group at the University of Minnesota developed a rival document search and retrieval system, and they named it Gopher.

Well, now once the problem of interconnectivity had been resolved, the next hurdle for the developers was to make the information longer and more engaging. A recurring issue at the time was that the pages had a tendency to crash when they were being loaded, a problem which was caused by the slow speed of the two modems, or computers, as they are called, which host the data. Now, this issue was addressed by Tim Berners-Lee and the early web team at CERN. By the end of 1990, the first web browser was up and running. It added a graphical interface on top of complex code, which made pages much easier for users to open and navigate.

So now there was a genuine opportunity of having web pages of more than a few lines of text. This was the setting in which Yahoo became important as an early web directory. At an early stage, its directory only contained a few hundred websites, but it was an absolute revelation, and there were instances of people exploring the web and actually being amazed when the results appeared on the screen. Almost overnight, the web became a sensation, and by 1995, people in America were dialling up to browse pages on home computers, as they were called then.

I guess the next major shift in terms of the evolution of the web was to have pages actually selling things. And one important step towards this was in 1994, when online payments were successfully processed for the first time. The following year, an early online marketplace was launched. This platform initially focused on selling books online and was, of course, the giant we now know as Amazon. And in 1998, an online payment service was founded which later became known as PayPal.

Unfortunately, safety measures on many early sites were not very strong, and they relied on basic encryption. That is, they scrambled transaction data to compensate for generally weak security. Now, with the addition of e-commerce, the web became far more complex to build.

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