Audioscripts IELTS Practice 9 Listening Test 03

Part 1

You will hear a telephone conversation between a travel consultant and a client booking a holiday rental.

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

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.

Employee: Seaside Escapes, how can I assist you?

Customer: Hello, yes. My colleague has just returned from Cornwall and she recommended some cottages in St Ives. She thought they might be on your website.

Employee: St Ives, let me check. Can you tell me which ones?

Customer: Yes, the Harbour View Cottages. I'd like to book for myself and my husband in the first week of September.

Employee: Well, we've got a charming one-bedroom cottage free then. I'm sure you'd appreciate the welcome hamper provided there too, with local produce in the kitchen.

Customer: And the price for the week?

Employee: Usually it's £500, but for the first week of September, it drops to £450.

Customer: That seems quite fair. I'm just making a note. Now, the other one she mentioned was called Ocean Point.

Employee: Ocean Point. Yes, actually, that's extremely popular.

Customer: Really? What makes it so special?

Employee: Well, the key feature is the private garden with a hot tub.

Customer: Very relaxing, I imagine.

Employee: That's correct. And it isn't far from the town centre either, only 400 metres, and around a mile to the harbour, so you don't need to walk far for shopping.

Customer: Is it much pricier than the first option?

Employee: Let me verify. I think for your dates... yes, it's £525 to be precise.

Customer: Right, noted. Now, there is just one more property to ask about. Um, I can't decipher my handwriting. Something to do with cliffs, cliffside, is it?

Employee: I suspect you mean the Cliffhanger apartments. They're on the headland.

Customer: Any specific benefits?

Employee: Yes, each apartment has its own parking space. It also offers bike storage and it has direct access to the coastal path.

Customer: Oh, sounds practical. Any surfboards? My husband surfs.

Employee: Not at the apartment, but you'll find rental shops in town.

Customer: And what is the rate for that one?

Employee: £600 for a couple.

Customer: You mean £300 each?

Employee: No, that is the total cost for the unit, regardless of occupancy.

Customer: Oh, I think that might be stretching our budget slightly.

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.

Customer: Since I have you on the line, could I clarify a few details about the booking terms? I read one document online, but I'd like to see if yours are different.

Employee: Sure. What do you need to know?

Customer: Well, the main thing is cancellation. If we cancel the booking, on the standard terms, we lose 50%.

Employee: We can do better than that, Mrs Wright. For our premium properties, the penalty is only 25%.

Customer: That's a relief. Of course we hope we won't need to cancel.

Employee: It's always wise to be covered. Now, if you arrive late, my previous company charged £30. We only charge £20.

Customer: Yes, I expected a fee. And what happens if you lose the keys?

Employee: We charge up to £50 for that, depending on the lock type. And we're particularly strict about damage to furnishings, up to £200 for breakages.

Customer: Then we'd better be careful with the crockery.

Employee: Indeed.

Customer: OK. Thanks very much for your help. You've been very informative. Can I contact you directly? Your name is...?

Employee: Tom Barker. That's B-A-R-K-E-R. I'm the reservations clerk here. I'll give you my extension. It's 4456.

Customer: But didn't I dial 01632 960 555? That's what I found on the web.

Employee: That's the general number. I've given you my direct internal code.

Customer: Right. Thank you very much for your time.

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

Part 2

You will hear the founder of a family-owned adventure centre giving a talk on a local business podcast.

First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 13.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 13.

David: Hello, I'm David Miller, founder of Miller's Adventure Farm, and I'm delighted to be on the podcast today to share our story.

Well, back in the 1980s, my partner Anne and I had just bought 50 hectares of woodland and we decided to build a home and raise a family. Very quickly we had a son, Tom, and a daughter, Lucy. The location was perfect for the children. They especially enjoyed climbing and slowly constructed a massive system of treehouses. I started to build more complex structures, but we didn't consider opening to the public until I visited an outdoor centre near Manchester and realised we could create something superior.

So we established a small course ourselves, based on the treehouses, and we welcomed the public for just a few weeks that summer, 1990, in August, our warmest month, because our kids insisted they didn't want our visitors to be cold and wet. I managed the bookings and Anne continued with her gardening job. It quickly became obvious that we had a success on our hands.

We started to lengthen the zip lines and route them through more scenic terrain by clearing brush, which consequently brought in more birds, and by building bridges over the streams. These days, we're open every weekend and we're proud to report that Miller's is one of the top tourist destinations in the county. Two million individuals have passed through our gates since we launched.

Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 14 to 20.

[Pause]

Now listen and answer questions 14 to 20.

David: All these guests mean we have had to grow our business, and it's now a genuinely family affair. I'm approaching pension age, so I only focus on managing the maintenance aspect, ensuring the equipment is safe. Anne now dedicates all her time to hiring and managing the staff training for the large team of instructors, who keep the site operating efficiently. We're delighted that, after a period working in finance, Tom has now come back to the farm and ensures the guests are provided with great food, which keeps him very occupied, as you can guess. Our daughter Lucy has been a pillar of the centre for the past five years, succeeding me in the department of marketing, and I'll mention a bit more about that shortly. And her husband, Mark, has also been recruited to lead the accounts. That's turning into a significant responsibility for us.

You might wonder if we have completed our expansion of the park for now. Far from it. We're continuously seeking methods to provide more to our customers. The high ropes remain the core attraction, and there's currently 2 kilometres of cable installed, but we plan to install more. Due to the density of the forest, our biggest challenge is clearing pathways, but we're steadily solving that.

We're also thrilled with a recent addition of the paintball zone. Once more, the issue was the terrain. We had to flatten the slopes on the field for accessibility reasons. The key feature here is the fortress. We've actually seen arguments erupt over who gets to defend it!

And then, lastly... to our newest project, which is the water...

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

Part 3

You will hear a biology student called Mark discussing his thesis with his supervisor.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 23.

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 23.

Supervisor: Ah, Mark. Come on in, take a seat.

Mark: Thanks.

Supervisor: So how's the thesis structuring going?

Mark: Well, Professor Green, I'm still having a lot of difficulty selecting a focus.

Supervisor: Well, that's completely standard at this phase. And this is what your sessions will help you to resolve.

Mark: Right.

Supervisor: What we'll do is list some factors that might assist you in your choice. First of all, you have picked your broad subject area, haven't you?

Mark: Yes, it's marine conservation.

Supervisor: Oh yes, that was one of the fields you suggested. Now, what components of the module are you strong at?

Mark: Well, I enjoy data analysis, but to be honest, it always makes me so tired. However, I found ecological mapping really engaging. I have no trouble understanding what's being demonstrated, whereas quite a few of my peers find it challenging.

Supervisor: Well, that's very positive. Do you think these might be skills you could incorporate into your thesis?

Mark: Oh yes, if feasible. It's just that I'm having trouble imagining how I can achieve that. You see, my main issue right now is that I don't possess adequate source material to work with.

Supervisor: I understand. Well, do you record lectures so you can review them?

Mark: I'm very poor at recording, actually. My tutors always used to mention that I need to be more organised.

Supervisor: Well, I think you really need to address these gaps before you proceed any further.

Before you hear the rest of the tutorial, you have some time to look at questions 24 to 30.

[Pause]

Now listen and answer questions 24 to 30.

Supervisor: Well, I can outline some potential study methods with you and let you choose where to proceed from there.

Mark: OK, thanks.

Supervisor: Well, some students find it useful to arrange study group sessions. You know, each month a different member investigates a different theme and presents it to the team.

Mark: Oh! I see.

Supervisor: It really helps develop confidence. The disadvantage, though, is that everyone in the team tends to adopt the same perspectives. The same ideas just keep being duplicated in all their projects.

Mark: OK, maybe not that then.

Supervisor: You could also attempt a workshop called Academic Support. It's tailored to offer you a rigorous course over a couple of months to enhance your abilities.

Mark: Sounds promising.

Supervisor: Yes, regrettably there are only a limited number of slots, so you have to book early, but it's worth checking out.

Mark: Yes, certainly. I know I've got to improve on my research habits. What about research guides? There are numerous ones in the library.

Supervisor: They can be a useful source of information, but the issue is they are occasionally too broad to be helpful for a specific thesis.

Mark: Yes, that's what I've discovered.

Supervisor: Apart from that, I would heavily recommend quite basic techniques. Like using a spreadsheet.

Mark: Well, yes, I've never tried that before.

Supervisor: It's basic, but it truly works because you have to condense facts into a tiny cell. It forces you to be concise. Another tip I always give is to practice summarising and reviewing notes. Don't just write your summaries and ignore them. Review everything three times. That'll really cement them in your memory.

Mark: Yes. I can see it'd require a lot of willpower to keep doing that, but I'll try.

Supervisor: If you build solid research habits at this point, they'll remain with you all your career.

Mark: Oh yes, I totally agree.

Supervisor: Well, we'll be maintaining these meetings, naturally. Let's schedule next week's now. Let's see... I can meet you practically anytime during the week commencing the 14th of March.

Mark: What about the 16th? I'm free in the morning.

Supervisor: Sorry, I'm occupied then. What about the next day?

Mark: The first slot? Yes, I can do the morning.

Supervisor: Fine. We'll settle for the 17th then.

Mark: That's perfect. Thanks.

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 an experimental design for a floating research station.

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

[Pause]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

Good morning. In the last few lectures, I've been examining the history of marine architecture. But today, I want to begin looking at some contemporary experimental designs for floating habitats.

So, I'm going to start with a research station which is constructed entirely on the water. And one of the interesting things about this project is that the founders, both marine biologists but not engineers, wanted to be heavily involved, so they decided to manage the project themselves.

Their chief aim was to create somewhere that was as self-sufficient as possible. But at the same time, they wanted to work somewhere isolated. They'd both grown up in a busy port and disliked the constant noise.

So the first thing they did was to look for a site, and they found an abandoned dock in a sheltered bay. The price was surprisingly low, and they liked the idea of reclaiming the waterway, as it were. As it was, the dock was a rusty eyesore on the coastline, and it wasn't safe for boats any longer either.

They consulted various shipbuilders and looked at a number of concepts before finally deciding on one. As I've said, it was a design for a sort of floating station, and it was anchored to the seabed itself, with three levels. The lower decks were submerged, and only the slanted, south-facing roof was exposed to the wind. That was made of a double layer of reinforced glass. There were also kinetic turbines fixed to the edges of this sloping roof. These are devices that are designed to store energy from the breeze, and the exterior walls had a layer of cork inside them too to increase the insulation.

Now, what is of interest to us about this project is the features which make the structure energy efficient. Heat builds up through the glass roof, and to maximize it, there are lots of vents and fans inside the station. That helps to circulate the warmth around. So that's the first thing. Heat is utilized as fully as possible.

In addition, the kinetic turbines on the outside convert energy from the wind and generate some of the station's electricity. In fact, and it is highly likely, that in future the station may even generate an electricity surplus and that the founders will be able to sell some to the local grid.

As well as that, wherever possible, repurposed materials have been used. For example, the floors are made of recycled rubber, and the founders haven't bought a single item of new laboratory equipment. They just kept what they already owned.

And then there's the system for dealing with the waste produced on board. This is dealt with biologically. It's purified by being filtered through algae tanks, which have been installed for that purpose in the lower deck. So the occupants of the station won't pollute the bay or discharge any toxic chemicals.

It's true that the actual assembly of the station was harmful to the atmosphere, mainly because they had to use massive amounts of plastic, one of the biggest sources of toxic emissions in manufacturing. And, as you know, this is very damaging to the environment. In total, the station's construction has released 50 tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Now that's a worrying statistic.

However, once the initial carbon debt has been cleared, and it's been calculated that this will only take 12 years, this floating station won't cost anything, ecologically speaking, because unlike conventional research vessels, it is run in a way that is completely carbon neutral. So, aquatic architecture like this is likely to become much more...

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