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The document discusses proposed changes to traffic and parking regulations in Granford. It notes an increase in traffic volume that is concerning officials. A survey found residents most concerned with lack of visibility on roads due to parked cars, rather than expected complaints about school congestion. The chairman will take questions from the public on the new regulations.

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SECTION 2- SCRIPTS Cam 14- Test 1 Good morning everyone. My name’s Janet Parker and I’m the human resources manager. We’re very happy to welcome you to your new apprenticeship. I hope that the next six months will be a positive and enjoyable experience for you. I’d like to start with some general advice about being an apprentice. Most of you have very little or no experience of working for a big organisation and the first week or so may be quite challenging. There will be a lot of new information to take in but don’t worry too much about trying to remember everything. The important thing is to (Q11) check with someone if you’re not sure what to do – you’ll find your supervisor is very approachable and won’t mind explaining things or helping you out. You’re here to learn so make the most of that opportunity. You’ll be spending time in different departments during your first week so make an effort to (Q12) talk to as many people as possible about their work – you’ll make some new friends and find out lots of useful information. As well as having a supervisor, you’ll each be assigned a mentor. This person will be someone who’s recently completed an apprenticeship and you’ll meet with them on a weekly basis. Their role is to provide help and support throughout your apprenticeship. Of course, this doesn’t mean they’ll actually do any of your work for you – instead they’ll be asking you about (Q13) what goals you’ve achieved so far, as well as helping you to identify any areas for improvement. You can also (Q14) discuss your more long-term ambitions with them as well. ————————– Now I just want to run through a few company policies for our apprenticeship scheme with you… Most importantly, the internet. As part of your job you’ll be doing some research online so obviously you’ll have unlimited access for that but please (Q15) don’t use it for personal use – you’ll have your own phones for that. Some of you have already asked me about flexible working. After your probationary three-month period – some of you will be eligible for this – but (Q16) it will depend on which department you’re in and what your personal circumstances are. So please don’t assume you’ll automatically be permitted to do this. I want to make sure there’s no confusion about our holiday policy. Apart from any statutory public holidays (Q17) we ask that you don’t book any holidays until after your six-month apprenticeship has finished. Time off should only be taken if you are unwell. Please speak to your supervisor if this is going to be a problem. You’ll be expected to work a 40-hour week but there may be opportunities to do overtime during busy periods. Although you’re not required to do this, (Q18) it can be a valuable experience – so we advise you to take it up if possible. Obviously, we understand that people do have commitments outside work, so don’t worry if there are times when you are unavailable. As you know, we don’t have a formal dress code here – you may wear casual clothes as long as they’re practical – and the only restriction for shoes we have is on high heels for health and safety reasons. (Q19) Comfortable shoes like trainers are preferable. There’s a heavily subsidised canteen on site where you can get hot meals or salads cheaply. Snacks and drinks are also provided – so (Q20) we’ve decided to introduce a no packed lunch policy. This is partly to encourage healthy eating at work and partly to stop people from eating at their workstation, which is unhygienic. OK moving on to … Cam 14- Test 2 We’ll be arriving at Branley Castle in about five minutes, but before we get there I’ll give you a little information about the castle and what our visit will include. So in fact there’s been a castle on this site for over eleven hundred years. The first building was a fort constructed in 914 AD for defence against Danish invaders by King Alfred the Great’s daughter, who ruled England at the time. In the following century, after the Normans conquered England, the land was given to a nobleman called Richard de Vere, and he built a castle there that stayed in the de Vere family for over four hundred years. However, when Queen Elizabeth I announced that she was going to visit the castle in 1576 it was beginning to look a bit run down, and it was decided that rather than repair the guest rooms, (Q11) they’d make a new house for her out of wood next to the main hall. She stayed there for four nights and apparently it was very luxurious, but unfortunately it was destroyed a few years later by fire. In the seventeenth century the castle belonged to the wealthy Fenys family, who enlarged it and made it more comfortable. However, by 1982 the Fenys family could no longer afford to maintain the castle, even though they received government support, and they put it on the market. It was eventually taken over by (Q12) a company who owned a number of amusement parks, but when we get there I think you’ll see that they’ve managed to retain the original atmosphere of the castle. When you go inside, you’ll find that in the state rooms (Q13) there are life-like moving wax models dressed in costumes of different periods in the past, which even carry on conversations together. As well as that, in every room there are booklets giving information about what the room was used for and the history of the objects and furniture it contains. The castle park’s quite extensive. At one time sheep were kept there, and in the nineteenth century the owners had a little zoo with animals like rabbits and even a baby elephant. Nowadays the old zoo buildings are used for (Q14) public displays of painting and sculpture. The park also has some beautiful trees, though the oldest of all, which dated back 800 years, was sadly blown down in 1987.
Now, you’re free to wander around on your own until 4.30, but then at the end of our visit we’ll all meet together at the bottom of the Great Staircase. We’ll then go on to the long gallery, where there’s a wonderful collection of photographs showing the family who owned the castle a hundred years ago having tea and cakes in the conservatory – and we’ll then take you to (Q15) the same place, where afternoon tea will be served to you. ——————————- Now if you can take a look at your plans you’ll see Branley Castle has four towers, joined together by a high wall, with the river on two sides. Don’t miss seeing the Great Hall. That’s near the river in the main tower, the biggest one, which was extended and redesigned in the eighteenth century. If you want to get a good view of the whole castle, you can walk around the walls. (Q16) The starting point’s quite near the main entrance – walk straight down the path until you get to the south gate, and it’s just there. Don’t go on to the north gate – there’s no way up from there. There’ll shortly be a show in which you can see archers displaying their skill with a bow and arrow. The quickest way to get there is to (Q17) take the first left after the main entrance and follow the path past the bridge, then you’ll see it in front of you at the end. If you like animals there’s also a display of hunting birds – falcons and eagles and so on. If you (Q18) go from the main entrance in the direction of the south gate, but turn right before you get there instead of going through it, you’ll see it on your right past the first tower. At 3 pm there’s a short performance of traditional dancing on the (Q19) outdoor stage. That’s right at the other side of the castle from the entrance, and over the bridge. It’s about ten minutes’ walk or so. And finally the shop. It’s actually (Q20) inside one of the towers, but the way in is from the outside. Just take the first left after the main entrance, go down the path and take the first right. It’s got some lovely gifts and souvenirs. Right, so we’re just arriving … Cam 14- Test 3 Good morning. My name’s Lucy Crittenden, and I’m the Director of Operations for an organisation that arranges volunteering in this part of the country. I’m hoping I can persuade one or two of you to become volunteers yourselves. Let me start by briefly explaining what we mean by volunteering. Volunteers are teenagers and adults who choose to spend some time, unpaid, helping other people in some way. Most volunteers devote two or three hours to this every week, while a few do much more. The people they help may have physical or behavioural difficulties, for example. Volunteers can do all sorts of things, depending on their own abilities and interests. If they’re supporting a family that’s struggling, for example, they may be able to give them tips on cooking, or recommend how to plan their budget or how to shop sensibly on their income. They might even do (Q11) some painting or wallpapering, perhaps alongside any members of the family who are able to do it. Or even do (Q12) some babysitting so that parents can go out for a while. The benefit from volunteering isn’t only for the people being helped. Volunteers also gain from it: they’re using their skills to cope with somebody’s mental or physical ill health, and (Q13) volunteering may be a valuable element of their CV when they’re applying for jobs: employers usually look favourably on someone who’s given up time to help others. Significantly, most volunteers (Q14) feel that what they’re doing gives them a purpose in their lives. And in my opinion, they’re lucky in that respect, as many people don’t have that feeling. ——————– Now I’d like to tell you what some of our volunteers have said about what they do, to give you an idea of the range of ways in which they can help people. Habib supports an elderly lady who’s beginning to show signs of dementia. Once a week they, along with other elderly people, go to the local community centre, where a group of people come in and sing. The songs (Q15) take the listeners back to their youth, and for a little while they can forget the difficulties that they face now. Our volunteer Consuela is an amazing woman. (Q16) She has difficulty walking herself, but she doesn’t let that stop her. She helps a couple of people with similar difficulties, who had almost stopped walking altogether. By using herself as an example, Consuela encourages them to walk more and more. Minh visits a young man who lives alone and can’t leave his home on his own, so he hardly ever saw anyone. But together (Q17) they go out to the cinema, or to see friends the young man hadn’t been able to visit for a long time. Tanya visits an elderly woman once a week. When the woman found out that Tanya is a professional dressmaker, she got interested. Tanya showed her some soft toys she’d made, and (Q18) the woman decided to try it herself. And now she really enjoys it, and spends hours making toys. They’re not perhaps up to Tanya’s standard yet, but she gains a lot of pleasure from doing it. Alexei is a volunteer with a family that faces a number of difficulties. By calmly talking over possible solutions with family members, he’s helping them to realise that they aren’t helpless, and that (Q19) they can do something themselves to improve their situation. This has been great for their self-esteem.
And the last volunteer I’ll mention, though there are plenty more, is Juba. She volunteers with a teenage girl with learning difficulties, who wasn’t very good at talking to other people. Juba’s worked very patiently with her, (Q20) and now the girl is far better at expressing herself, and at understanding other people. OK, I hope that’s given you an idea of what volunteering is all about. Now I’d like … Cam 14- Test 4 Hello everyone. I’m Jake Stevens and I’m your rep here at the hotel. I’m sure you’ll all have a great time here. So let me tell you a bit about what’s on offer. I’ll start by telling you about some of the excursions that are available for guests. One thing you have to do while you’re here is go dolphin watching. On our boat trips, we pretty well guarantee you’ll see dolphins – if you don’t you can repeat the trip free of charge. We organise daily trips for just 35 euros. Unfortunately (Q11) there aren’t any places left for this afternoon’s trip, but come and see me to book for later in the week. If you’re energetic, I’d recommend our forest walk. It’s a guided walk of about seven kilometres. There’ll be a stop half way, and (Q11) you’ll be provided with a drink and sandwiches. There’s some fairly steep climbs up the hills, so you need to be reasonably fit for this one, with good shoes, and bring a waterproof in case it rains. It’s just 25 euros all inclusive, and it’s every Wednesday. Then on Thursdays we organise a cycle trip, which will give you all the fun of biking without the effort. We’ll take you and your bike up to the top of Mount Larna, and leave you to bike back – (Q13) it’s a 700-metre drop in just 20 kilometres so this isn’t really for inexperienced cyclists as you’ll be going pretty fast. And if it’s a clear day, you’ll have fantastic views. On our local craft tour you can find out about the traditional activities in the island. And the best thing about this trip is that (Q14) it’s completely free. You’ll be taken to a factory where jewellery is made, and also a ceramics centre. If you want, you can buy some of the products but that’s entirely up to you. The trip starts after lunch on Thursday, and you’ll return by 6 pm. If you’re interested in astronomy you may already know that the island’s one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky. We can offer trips to the observatory on Friday for those who are interested. They cost 90 euros per person and you’ll be shown the huge telescopes and have a talk from an expert, who’ll explain all about how they work. (Q15) Afterwards we’ll head down to Sunset Beach, where you can have a dip in the ocean if you want before we head off back to the hotel. Finally, there’s horse riding. This is organised by the Equestrian Centre over near Playa Cortino and it’s a great experience if you’re a keen horseback rider, (Q16) or even if you’ve never been on a horse before. They take you down to the beach, and you can canter along the sand and through the waves. It costs 35 euros and it’s available every day. ———————————- So there’s plenty to do in the daytime, but what about night life? Well, the number one attraction’s called ‘Musical Favourites’. Guests enjoy a three-course meal and unlimited free drinks, and watch a fantastic show, starting with musicals set in Paris and then crossing the Atlantic to Las Vegas and finally Copacabana. At the end the (Q17) cast members come down from the stage, still in their stunning costumes, and you’ll have a chance to chat with them. It’s hugely popular, so let me know now if you’re interested because (Q18) it’s no good leaving it until the last minute. It’s on Friday night. Tickets are just 50 euros each, but for an extra 10 euros you can have a table right by the stage. If you’d like to go back in time, there’s the Castle Feast on Saturday evening. It’s held in a twelfth-century castle, and you eat in the great courtyard, with ladies in long gowns serving your food. You’re given a whole chicken each, which you eat in the medieval way, (Q19) using your hands instead of cutlery, and you’re entertained by competitions where the horseback riders attempt to knock one another off their horses. Then you can watch the dancers in the ballroom and (Q20) join in as well if you want. OK, so now if anyone… Cam 13- Test 1 Good evening everyone. My name’s Phil Sutton, and I’m chairman of the Highways Committee. We’ve called this meeting to inform members of the public about the new regulations for traffic and parking we’re proposing for Granford. I’ll start by summarising these changes before we open the meeting to questions. So, why do we need to make these changes to traffic systems in Granford? Well, we’re very aware that traffic is becoming an increasing problem. It’s been especially noticeable with the increase in heavy traffic while they’ve been building the new hospital. But it’s the overall rise in the volume of traffic of all kinds that’s concerning us (Q11). To date there’s not been any increase in traffic accidents, but that’s not something we want to see happen, obviously. We recently carried out a survey of local residents, and their responses were interesting. People were very concerned about the lack of visibility on some roads due to cars parked along the sides of the roads (Q12). We’d expected complaints about the congestion near the school when parents are dropping off their children or picking them up, but this wasn’t top of the list, and nor were noise and fumes from trucks and lorries, though they were mentioned by some people. We think these new traffic regulations would make a lot of difference. But we still have a long way to go. We’ve managed to keep our proposals within budget, just, so they can be covered by the Council. But, of course, it’s no good introducing new regulations if we don’t have a way of making sure that everyone obeys them (Q13), and that’s an area we’re still working on with the help of representatives from the police force. —————–
OK, so this slide shows a map of the central area of Granford, with the High Street in the middle and School Road on the right. Now, we already have a set of traffic lights in the High Street at the junction with Station Road, but we’re planning to have another set at the other end, at the School Road junction (Q14), to regulate the flow or traffic along the High Street. We’re decided we definitely need a pedestrian crossing. We considered putting this on School Road, just outside the school, but in the end we decided that could lead to a lot of traffic congestion so we decided to locate it on the High Street, crossing the road in front of the supermarket (Q15). That’s a very busy area, so it should help things there. We’re proposing some changes to parking. At present, parking isn’t allowed on the High Street outside the library, but we’re going to change that, and allow parking there (Q16), but not at the other end of the High Street near School Road. There’ll be a new ‘No Parking’ sign on School Road, just by the entrance to the school (Q17), forbidding parking for 25 metres. This should improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians, especially on the bend just to the north of the school. As far as disabled drivers are concerned, at present they have parking outside the supermarket, but lorries also use those spaces, so we’ve got two new disabled parking spaces on the side road up towards the bank (Q18). It’s not ideal, but probably better than the present arrangement. We also plan to widen the pavement on School Road. We think we can manage to get an extra half-metre on the bend just before you get to the school, on the same side of the road (Q19). Finally, we’ve introduced new restrictions on loading and unloading for the supermarket, so lorries will only be allowed to stop there before 8 am. That’s the supermarket on School Road (Q20) – we kept to the existing arrangements with the High Street supermarket. OK. So that’s about it. Now, would anyone … Cam 13- Test 2 Thanks for coming everyone. OK, so this meeting is for new staff and staff who haven’t been involved with our volunteering projects yet. So basically, the idea is that we allow staff to give up some of their work time to help on various charity projects to benefit the local community. We’ve been doing this for the last five years and it’s been very successful. Participating doesn’t necessarily involve a huge time commitment. The company will pay for eight hours of your time. That can be used over one or two days all at once, or spread over several months throughout the year (Q11). There are some staff who enjoy volunteering so much they also give up their own free time for a couple of hours every week. It’s completely up to you. Obviously, many people will have family commitments and aren’t as available as other members of staff. Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Because they felt they were doing something really useful, nearly everyone agreed that volunteering made them feel more motivated at work (Q12). They also liked building relationships with the people in the local community and felt valued by them. One or two people also said it was a good thing to have on their CVs. One particularly successful project last year was the Get Working Project. This was aimed at helping unemployed people in the area get back to work. Our staff were able to help them improve their telephone skills, such as writing down messages and speaking with confidence to potential customers, which they had found quite difficult (Q13). This is something many employers look for in job applicants – and something we all do without even thinking about, every day at work. We’ve got an exciting new project starting this year. Up until now, we’re mainly focused on projects to do with education and training. And we’ll continue with out reading project in schools and our work with local charities. But we’re also agreed to help out on a conservation project in Redfern Park (Q14). So if any of you fancy being outside and getting your hands dirty, this is the project for you. I also want to mention the annual Digital Inclusion Day, which is coming up next month. The aim of this is to help older people keep up with technology. And this year, instead of hosting the event in our own training facility, we’re using the ICT suite at Hill College (Q15), as it can hold far more people. We’ve invited over 60 people from the Silver Age Community Centre to take part, so we’ll need a lot of volunteers to help with this event. If you’re interested in taking part, please go to the volunteering section of our website and complete the relevant form (Q16). We won’t be providing any training for this but you’ll be paired with an experienced volunteer if you’ve never done it before. By the way, don’t forget to tell your manager about any volunteering activities you decide to do. —————— The participants on the Digital Inclusion Day really benefited. The majority were in their seventies, though some where younger and a few were even in their nineties! Quite a few owned both a computer and a mobile phone, but these tended to be outdated model (Q17). They generally knew how to do simple things, like send texts, but weren’t aware of recent developments in mobile phone technology. A few were keen to learn but most were quite dismissive at first – they couldn’t see the point of updating their skills (Q18). But that soon changed. The feedback was very positive. The really encouraging thing was that participants all said they felt much more confident about using social media to keep in touch with their grandchildren (Q19), who prefer this form of communication to phoning or sending emails. A lot of them also said playing online games would help them make new friends and keep their brains active (Q20). They weren’t that impressed with being able to order their groceries online, as they liked going out to the shops, but some said it would come in handy if they were ill or the weather was really bad.
Camm 13- Test 3 So if you are one of those people who hasn’t found the perfect physical activity yet, here are some things to think about which might help you make the right decision for you. The first question to ask yourself is whether you would enjoy training in a gym. Many people are put off by the idea of having to fit a visit to the gym into their busy day. You often have to go very early or late as some gyms can get very crowded but with regular training you’ll see a big difference in a relatively short space of time. (Q11) Running has become incredibly popular in recent years. That’s probably got a lot to do with the fact that it’s a very accessible form of exercise that anyone can run even if you could only run a few meters to begin with (Q12). But make sure you get the right shoes. It’s worth investing in a high quality pair and they don’t come cheap. Another great thing about running is that you can do it at any time of day or night. The only thing that may stop you is snow and ice. Swimming is another really good way to build fitness. What attracts many people is that you can swim in an indoor pool at any time of year (Q13). On the other hand, it can be quite boring or solitary. It’s hard to chat to people while you’re swimming lengths. Cycling has become almost as popular as running in recent years. That’s probably because as well as improving their fitness many people say being out in the fresh air in a park or in the countryside can be fun (Q14), provided the conditions are right of course. Only fanatics go out in the wind and rain. Yoga is a good choice for those of you looking for exercise, which focuses on developing both a healthy mind and body. It’s a good way of building strength and with the right instructor there’s less chance of hurting yourself than with other more active sports. But don’t expect to find it easy. It can be surprisingly challenging, especially for people who aren’t very flexible. Getting a personal trainer is a good way to start your fitness program. Obviously there can be significant costs involved. But if you’ve got someone there to encourage you and help you achieve your goals, you’re less likely to give up. Make sure you get someone with a recognised qualification though. Or you could do yourself permanent damage. (Q15&Q16) —————– Whatever you do, don’t join a gym and you’re sure you’ll make good use of it. So many people waste lots of money by signing up for membership and then hardly ever go. What happens to their good intentions? I don’t think people suddenly stop caring about improving their fitness or decide they have more important things to do. I think people lose interest when they don’t think they’re making enough progress. That’s when they give up hope and stop believing they’ll ever achieve their goals. Also, what people sometimes don’t realize when they start is that it takes a lot of determination and hard work to keep training week after week, and lots of people don’t have that kind of commitment (Q17&Q18). One thing you can do to help yourself is to set manageable goals (Q19), be realistic and don’t push yourself too far. Some people advise writing goes down but I think it’s better to have a flexible approach. Give yourself a really nice treat every time you reach one of your goals (Q20) and don’t get too upset if you experience setbacks. It’s a journey. There are bound to be difficulties along the way. Cam 13- Test 4 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! Well, you’ve come to New Zealand’s premier snow and ski centre, and we’ve a whole load of activities for you during your week here. Most visitors come here for the 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 (Q11). You can go at your own speed – it’s great aerobic exercise if you really push yourself, or if you prefer you can just glide gently along and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 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 for the afternoon and learn how to drive them (Q12), following behind our leader on the trail. Or if you’d prefer, you can just sit back in the sled and enjoy the ride as a passenger. At the weekend, we have the team relay event, and you’re all welcome to join in. We have a local school coming along, and a lot of the teachers are taking part too. Participation rather than winning is the main focus, and there’s a medal for everyone who takes part (Q13). Participants are in teams of two to four, and each team must complete four laps of the course. For your final expedition, you’ll head off to Mount Frenner wearing a pair of special snow shoes which allow you to walk on top of the snow. This is an area where miners once searched for gold, though there are very few traces of their work left now. When the snow melts in summer, the mountain slopes are carpeted in flowers and plants. It’s a long ascent, though not too steep, and walkers generally take a couple of days to get to the summit (Q14) and return. You’ll spend the night in our hut half-way up the mountain. That’s included in your package for the stay. It’s got cooking facilities, firewood and water for drinking (Q15). For washing, we recommend you use melted snow, though, to conserve supplies. We can take your luggage up on our snowmobile for you for just ten dollars a person. The hut has cooking facilities so you can make a hot meal in the evening and morning, but you need to take your own food. The weather on Mount Frenner can be very stormy. In that case, stay in the hut – generally the storms don’t last long (Q16). Don’t stress about getting back here to the centre in time to catch the airport bus – they’ll probably not be running anyway. We do have an emergency locator beacon in the hut but only use that if it’s real emergency, like if someone’s ill or injured.
—————– Now, let me tell you something about the different ski trails you can follow during your stay here. Highland Trail’s directly accessible from where we are now. This trail’s been designed to give first-timers an experience they’ll enjoy regardless of their age or skill, but it’s also ideal for experts to practise their technique (Q17). Then there’s Pine Trail … if you’re nervous about skiing, leave this one to the experts! You follow a steep valley looking right down on the river below – scary! But if you’ve fully mastered the techniques needed for hills, it’s great fun (Q18). Stony Trail’s a good choice once you’ve got a general idea of the basics. There are one or two tricky sections, but nothing too challenging. There’s a shelter half-way where you can sit and take a break and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. (Q19) And finally, Loser’s Trail. This starts off following a gentle river valley but the last part is quite exposed so the snow conditions can be challenging – if it’s snowing or windy, check with us before you set out to make sure the trail’s open that day. (Q20) Right, so now if you’d like to follow me, we’ll get started Cam 12- Test 1 Good morning everyone. My name’s Joy Parkins and I’m the restaurant manager. And I understand that none of you’ve had any previous experience as kitchen assistants? Well, you might be feeling a bit nervous now, but most of our kitchen assistants say they enjoy the work. OK, they might get shouted at sometimes, but it’s nothing personal, and they’re pleased that they have so many different things to do, which means they never get bored (Q11). And I’ll tell you straightaway that if you do well, we might think about moving you up and giving you some more responsibility. Right, well, you’ve all shown up on time, which is an excellent start. Now I’m glad to see none of you have unsuitable footwear, so that’s good – you need to be careful as the floors can get very wet and slippery. Those of you with long hair have got it well out of the way, but some of you’ll need to remove your rings and bracelets – just put them somewhere safe for today, and remember to leave them at home tomorrow, as they can be a safety hazard. (Q12) Now it’s going to be a busy day for you all today – we don’t have any tables free for this evening, and only a few for lunch (Q13). Fortunately we’ve got our Head Chef back – he was away on holiday all last week which meant the other chefs had extra work. Now, I’ll tell you a bit more about the job in a minute but first, some general regulations. For all of you, whatever your age, there’s some equipment you mustn’t use until you’ve been properly trained, like the waste disposal system for example, for health and safety reasons. Then I think there are two of you here who are under 18 – that’s Emma and Jake, isn’t it? Right, so for you two, the meat slicer is out of bounds (Q14). And of course none of you are allowed to use the electric mixer until you’ve been shown how it works. Now you may have heard that this can be a stressful job, and I have to say that can be true. You’ll be working an eight-hour day for the first week, though you’ll have the chance to do overtime after that as well if you want to. But however long the hours are, you’ll get a break in the middle. What you will find is that you’re on your feet all day long, lifting and carrying, so if you’re not fit now you soon will be! You’ll find you don’t have much chance to take it easy – when someone tells you to do something you need to do it straightaway (Q15&Q16) – but at least we do have a very efficient air conditioning system compared with some kitchens. ——————- Now let me tell you about some of the people you need to know. So as I said, I’m Joy Parkins and I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for (Q17). I’ll be trying to get you to work with as many different people in the kitchen as possible, so that you learn while you’re on the job. One person whose name you must remember is David Field. If you injure yourself at all, even if it’s really minor, you must report to him and he’ll make sure the incident is recorded and you get the appropriate treatment (Q18). He’s trained to give basic treatment to staff himself, or he’ll send you off somewhere else if necessary. Then there’s Dexter Wills – he’s the person you need to see if you smash a plate or something like that (Q19). Don’t just leave it and hope no one will notice – it’s really important to get things noted and replaced or there could be problems late. And finally, there’s Mike Smith. He’s the member of staff who takes care of all the stores of perishables, so if you notice we’re getting low in flour or sugar or something, make sure you let him know so he can put in an order. (Q20) OK, now the next thing … Cam 12- Test 2 Right. I’ve now almost succeeded in finalising plans for our tour, so I’ll bring you up to date with what I know. As you know, we’re flying first to Munich, on Monday the 4th. The flight is at 11.30, so it’s too early to have lunch at the airport. I suggest we meet there for coffee at 10 (Q11), which should give us plenty of time for breakfast before we leave home. When we arrive in Munich, we’ll be met at the airport by Claus Bauer. Claus works for a tour operator (Q12), and he’ll look after us for the time we’ll be in Germany. He’s already liaised with the managers of the theatres we’re going to visit, and he’s also arranged for an officer of the National Theatre in Munich to show us round the theatre one afternoon during our stay. Now last time we discussed this trip, I didn’t have the precise cost for hotel rooms, but now I have. The normal rate at the hotel where we’re staying is 150 euros a night for a double room. I’d hoped to get that down to 120 euros, but in fact I’ve been able to negotiate a rate of 110 (Q13). That’ll be reflected in the final payment which you’ll need to make by the end of this week.
On Tuesday, the day after our arrival, I had hoped we could sit in on a rehearsal at one of the theatres, but unfortunately that’s proved very difficult to arrange, so instead we’ll have a coach trip to one of the amazing castles in the mountains south of Munich. On Tuesday evening, we’ll all have dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel. From talking to you all about your preferences, it was clear that a typical local restaurant would be too meat-oriented for some of you. Some of you suggested an Italian restaurant, but I must confess that I decided to book a Lebanese one (Q14), as we have plenty of opportunities to go to an Italian restaurant at home. On Wednesday afternoon, the director of the play we’re going to see that evening will talk to us at the theatre (Q15). She’ll describe the whole process of producing a play, including how she chose the actors, and, as the play we’re going to see is a modern one, how she worked with the playwright. —————— Right. Now I’d just like to make a few points about the plays we’re going to see, partly because it might influence your choice of clothes to take with you! The play we’re seeing on Wednesday evening is a modern one, and we’re going to the premiere (Q16), so it’ll be quite a dressy occasion, though of course you don’t have to dress formally. I gather it’s rather a multimedia production, with amazing lighting effects and a soundtrack of electronic music, though unfortunately the playwright is ill and is unlikely to be able to attend. On Thursday we’re seeing a play that was first performed last year, when it was commissioned to mark a hundred years since the birth in the town of a well-known scientist (Q17). We’re going to see a revival of that production, which aroused a lot of interest. Friday’s play will really make you think hard about what clothes to pack, as it’ll be in the garden of a palace (Q18). It’s a beautiful setting, but I’d better warn you, there won’t be much protection from the wind. On Saturday, we’re going by coach to a theatre in another town, not far from Munich. This will be the opening of a drama festival, and the mayor and all the other dignitaries of the town will be attending (Q19). After the performance, the mayor is hosting a reception for all the audience, and there’ll be a band playing traditional music of the region. And after having a day off on Sunday, our final play is on Monday, and it’s in the stunning setting of the old Town Hall, which dates back to the 14th century (Q20). The performance marks the fifty years that the lead actor has been on stage, and the play is the one where he made his first professional appearance, all those years ago. And the day after that, we’ll be flying back home. Now have you got any questions before I … Cam 12- Test 3 In this session in your training day we’re going to look at home of the more specialised holidays we offer at BC Travel. Now, the travel business is very competitive and it’s important to be aware of how the market’s changing and developing. In terms of age groups, the over-65s are an important market, and one that’s increasing steadily year on year (Q11&Q12). The fewest holidays are taken by the 31 to 42-year-olds, and that figure shows no sign of rising. The biggest market at present is still the youngest group, the 16 to 30s, but this group’s also seen the biggest drop over the last few years, whereas there’s a noticeable growth in the number of holidays taken by the 55 to 64-year-olds (Q11&12). As far as the 43 to 54-year-olds are concerned, bookings there are steady, but I have to say we haven’t seen the increase we expected. One trend we’re noticing with nearly all age groups is the growing popularity of holidays in which clients do some kind of specialised activity. I’m not talking here about adventure holidays, where clients take part in high-risk activities like white water rafting just for the thrill of it. Activity holidays usually involve rather less high-risk sports, or things like art and music. They’re not necessarily cheaper than ordinary holidays, often the opposite, in fact. But they do often take place outside the main tourist centres, which gives an opportunity for clients to find out more about the local people and customs (Q13&Q14), and many say this is one of the most positive features of these holidays. Of course, they offer the chance to develop a new skill or talent, but clients often say that more than this, it’s the chance to create lasting relationships with other like-minded people that’s the main draw. (Q13&Q14) Let me give you some examples of BC Travel activity holidays. Our painting holidays take place in four different centres in France and Italy and they’re very popular with clients of all abilities from beginners onwards. We’ve got an excellent team of artists to lead the classes – some of them have been with us from the start, and five additional ones will be joining us this year (Q15) so that we can offer a greater number of classes in each centre. As far as cooking holidays are concerned, I know a lot of agents offer holidays where clients cook recipes related to one particular country, usually the one they’re staying in, but we focus on dishes from a great many different ones (Q16). Apart from that you’ll find the usual emphasis on good quality, organic ingredients – that’s more or less a given nowadays – and there are generally some meat-free recipes included. Our photography holidays take place in a wide range of countries from Iceland to Vietnam, and clients have the opportunity to see some stunning scenery. Groups are small, no more than eight, so clients can have one-on-one tuition during the holiday (Q17), and excursions are arranged with fully-trained guides. At the end of each holiday an exhibition is held of the photographs taken so that clients can see one another’s work and receive valuable feedback from the tutor. ——————–
Finally, let me tell you about our fitness holidays. In Ireland and Italy we run one-week general fitness classes for all ages and levels of fitness. Clients start the course with a consultation with a trainer, and together they draw up an individual programme. As well as improving general fitness, clients find that they end up losing much of the stress they’ve built up in their daily lives. (Q18) In Greece, we have a two-week holiday for clients who want to do something about their weight (Q19). This has all the features you’d expect, like a personalised diet programme, but one of its most popular features is that the exercise classes are all held on the beach. People say it’s far preferable to being in a gym. Finally, we offer several holidays in Morocco. One very popular one is the mountain biking holiday. Bikes are provided and there are different routes according to people’s ability. We offer one which is tailored to the needs of families (Q20), which is particularly popular. OK, so that’s about all the time I have today, so thank you very much … Cam 12- Test 4 Welcome to this podcast about the Sheepmarket, which is one of the oldest parts of the city. As its name suggests, there was originally a market here where farmers brought their sheep, but now it’s been redeveloped into a buzzing, vibrant area of the city, which is also home to one of the city’s fastest-growing communities. The nearby university has always meant the area’s popular with students, who come in to enjoy the lively nightlife, but now graduates embarking on careers in the worlds of fashion and design are buying up the new apartments recently built here to replace the small houses where the market workers used to live. (Q11) The narrow old side streets are great places for finding original pictures, jewellery and ceramics (Q12) which won’t break the bank, as well as local produce like fruit and vegetables. There’s also lots of pavement cafes where you can have a coffee and watch tourists from all over the world go by. The oldest buildings in the area are on the main streets, including the city’s first department store, built in the 1880s, which is still open today. The Sheepmarket is a centre for fashion, and there’s a policy of encouraging new young designers. The Young Fashion competition is open to local young people who are passionate about fashion. This year they’ve been asked to design an outfit based on ideas from the music and technology that’s part of their everyday life (Q13), using both natural and man-made fibres. The garments will be judged by a panel of experts and fashion designers, and the winning entries will be modelled at a special gala evening. Parking at the Sheepmarket is easy. There are plenty of pay and display car parking spaces on the roadsides which are fine if you just want to stay for an hour or two, but if you want to spend the day there it’s better to park in one of the four underground car parks. It’s not expensive and if you can present a receipt from one of the local stores, you’ll not be charged at all (Q14). After six pm many of the car parks have a flat rate which varies but it is usually very reasonable. ————————- The Sheepmarket is one of the main centres for art and history in the whole of the country. If you look at our map, you’ll see some of the main attractions there. Most visitors start from Crawley Road, at the bottom of the map. The Reynolds House is one of the oldest houses in the city, and is open to the public. It’s on the north side of Crawley Road, next to the footpath that leads to the public gardens. (Q15) The area’s particularly interesting for its unusual sculptures. The Thumb’s is just what its name suggests, but it’s about 10 metres high. You’ll see it on Hill Road, across the road from the Bank. (Q16) The Museum’s got a particularly fine collection of New Zealand landscapes. It’s on the east side of the Sheepmarket, on City Road. It’s on the other side of the road from the public gardens, immediately facing the junction with Hill Road. (Q17) The Contemporary Art Gallery is on a little road that leads off Station Square, not far from the public gardens. The road ends at the gallery – it doesn’t go anywhere else (Q18). That’s open every day except Mondays. The Warner Gallery specialises in 19th-century art. It’s on City Road, near the junction with Crawley Road, on the same side of the road as the public gardens (Q19). It’s open on weekdays from 9 to 5, and entry is free. Finally, if you’re interested in purchasing high quality artwork, the place to go is Nucleus. You need to go from Crawley Road up through Station Square and east along Hill Road until you get to a small winding road turning off. Go up there and it’s on your right – if you get to City Road you’ve gone too far. (Q20) Cam 11- Test 1 Welcome to the Fiddy Working Heritage Farm. This open-air museum gives you the experience of agriculture and rural life in the English countryside at the end of the nineteenth century. So you’ll see a typical farm of that period, and like me, all the staff are dressed in clothes of that time. I must give you some advice and safety tips before we go any further. As it’s a working farm, please don’t frighten or injure the animals (Q11). We have a lot here, and many of them are breeds that are now quite rare. And do stay at a safe distance from the tools: some of them have sharp points which can be pretty dangerous, so please don’t touch them (Q12). We don’t want any accidents, do we? The ground is very uneven, and you might slip if you’re wearing sandals so I’m glad to see you’re all wearing shoes – we always advise people to do that. (Q13)
Now, children of all ages are very welcome here, and usually even very young children love the ducks and lambs, so do bring them along next time you come. I don’t think any of you have brought dogs with you, but in case you have, I’m afraid they’ll have to stay in the car park unless they’re guide dogs (Q14). I’m sure you’ll understand that they could cause a lot of problems on a farm. Now let me give you some idea of the layout of the farm. The building where you bought your tickets is the New Barn, immediately to your right, and we’re now at the beginning of the main path to the farmland – and of course the car park is on your left. The scarecrow you can see in the car park in the corner, beside the main path (Q15), is a traditional figure for keeping the birds away from crops, but our scarecrow is a permanent sculpture. It’s taller than a human being, so you can see it from quite a distance. If you look ahead of you, you’ll see a maze. It’s opposite the New Barn, beside the side path that branches off to the right just over there (Q16). The maze is made out of hedges which are too tall for young children to see over them, but it’s quite small, so you can’t get lost in it! Now, can you see the bridge crossing the fish pool further up the main path? If you want to go to the café, go towards the bridge and turn right just before it. Walk along the side path and the café’s on the first bend you come to (Q17). The building was originally the schoolhouse, and it’s well over a hundred years old. As you may know, we run skills workshops here, where you can learn traditional crafts like woodwork and basket-making. You can see examples of the work, and talk to someone about the courses, in the Black Barn. If you take the side path to the right, here, just by the New Barn, you’ll come to the Black Barn just where the path first bends. (Q18) Now I mustn’t forget to tell you about picnicking, as I can see some of you have brought your lunch with you. You can picnic in the field, though do clear up behind you, of course. Or if you’d prefer a covered picnic area, there’s one near the farmyard: just after you cross the bridge, there’s a covered picnic spot on the right. (Q19) And the last thing to mention is Fiddy House itself. From here you can cross the bridge then walk along the footpath through the field to the left of the farmyard. That goes to the house (Q20), and it’ll give you a lovely view of it. It’s certainly worth a few photographs, but as it’s a private home, I’m afraid you can’t go inside. Right. Well, if you’re all ready, we’ll set off on our tour of the farm. Cam 11- Test 2 Hi. Great to see you! I’m Jody, and I’ll be look after both of you for the first month you’re working here at the Amersham Theatre. I’ll tell you something about the theatre now, then take you to meet two of the other staff. It’s an old building, and it’s been modernised several times. In fact, as you can see, we’re carrying out a major refurbishment at the moment. The interior has just been repainted, and we’re about to start on the exterior of the building – that’ll be a big job. The work’s running over budget, so we’ve had to postpone installing an elevator. I hope you’re happy running up and down stairs! When the theatre was built, people were generally slimmer and shorter than now, and the seats were very close together. We’ve replaced them with larger seats, with more legroom. This means fewer seats in total, but we’ve taken the opportunity to install seats that can easily be moved (Q11&Q12), to create different acting spaces. We’ve also turned a few storerooms over to other purposes like using them for meetings. (Q11&Q12) We try hard to involve members of the public in the theatre. One way is by organising backstage tours so people can be shown round the building and learn how a theatre operates. These are proving very popular (Q13&14). What we’re finding is that people want to have lunch or a cup of coffee while they’re here, so we’re looking into the possibility of opening a café in due course. We have a bookshop, which specialises in books about drama and that attracts plenty of customers (Q13&Q14). Then there are two large rooms that will be decorated next month, and they’ll be available for hire, for conferences and private functions, such as parties. We’re also considering hiring out costumes to amateur drama clubs. Now I want to tell you about our workshops. We recently started a programme of workshops that anyone can join. Eventually we intend to run courses in acting, but we’re waiting until we’ve got the right people in place as trainers. That’s proving more difficult than we’d expected! There’s a big demand to learn about the technical side of putting on a production, and our lighting workshop has already started with great success (Q15&Q16). We’re going to start one on sound next month. A number of people have enquired about workshops on make-up, and that’s something we’re considering for the future. A surprise success is the workshop on making puppets – we happen to have someone working here who does it as a hobby, and she offered to run a workshop. It was so popular we’re now running them every month! (Q15&Q16) Now, a word about the layout of the building. The auditorium, stage and dressing rooms for the actors are all below ground level. Here on the ground floor we have most of the rooms that the public doesn’t see. The majority are internal, so they have windows in the roof to light them. Standing here in the foyer, you’re probably wondering why the box office isn’t here, where the public would expect to find it. Well, you might have noticed it on your way in – although it’s part of this building, it’s next door with a separate entrance from the road. (Q17) For the theatre manager’s office, you go across the foyer and through the double doors, turn right, and it’s the room at the end of the corridor, with the door on the left. (Q18)
The lighting box is where the computerised stage lighting is operated and it’s at the back of the building. When you’re through the double doors turn left, turn right at the water cooler, and right again at the end. It’s the second room along that corridor (Q19). The lighting box has a window into the auditorium, which of course is below us. The artistic director’s office is through the double doors, turn right and it’s the first room you come to on the right-hand side (Q20). And finally, for the moment, the room where I’ll take you next – the relaxation room. So if you’d like to come with me … Cam 11- Test 3 MAN: First of all, let me thank you all for coming to this public meeting, to discuss the future of our town. Our first speaker is Shona Ferguson, from Barford town council. Shone. SHONA: Thank you. First I’ll briefly give you some background information, then I’ll be asking you for your comments on developments in the town. Well, as you don’t need me to tell you, Barford has changed a great deal in the last 50 years. These are some of the main changes. Fifty years ago, buses linked virtually every part of the town and the neighbouring towns and villages. Most people used them frequently, but not now because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers. So parts of the town are no longer served by buses (Q11). Even replacing old uncomfortable buses with smart new ones has had little impact on passenger numbers. It’s sometimes said that bus fares are too high, but in relation to average incomes, fares are not much higher than they were 50 years ago. Changes in the road network are affecting the town. The centre was recently closed to traffic on a trial basis, making it much safer to pedestrians. The impact of this is being measured. The new cycle paths separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected reducing traffic and improving air quality (Q12). And although the council’s attempts to have a bypass constructed have failed, we haven’t given up hope of persuading the government to change its mind. Shopping in the town centre has changed over the years. Many of us can remember when the town was crowded with people going shopping. Numbers have been falling for several years, despite efforts to attract shoppers, for instance by opening new car parks. some people combine shopping with visits to the town’s restaurants and cafés. Most shops are small independent stores, which is good, but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns, as there are so few well-known chain stores here. (Q13) Turning how to medical facilities, the town is served by family doctors in several medical practices – fewer than 50 years ago, but each catering for far more patients. Our hospital closed 15 years ago (Q14), which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable. On the other hand, there are more dentists than there used to be. Employment patterns have changed, along with almost everything else. The number of schools and colleges has increased making that the main employment sector (Q15). Services, such as website design and accountancy, have grown in importance, and surprisingly, perhaps, manufacturing hasn’t seen the decline that has affected it in other parts of the country. —————- Now I’ll very quickly outline current plans for some of the town’s facilities, before asking for your comments. As you’ll know if you regularly use the car park at the railway station, it’s usually full. The railway company applied for permission to replace it with a multi-storey car park, but that was refused. Instead, the company has bought some adjoining land, and this will be used to increase the number of parking spaces. (Q16) The Grand, the old cinema in the high street will close at the end of the year, and reopen on a different site (Q17). You’ve probably seen the building under construction. The plan is to have three screens with fewer seats, rather than just the one large auditorium in the old cinema. I expect many of you shop in the indoor market. It’s become more and more shabby-looking, and because of fears about safety, it was threatened with demolition. The good news is that it will close for sex weeks to be made safe and redecorated, and the improved building will open in July. (Q18) Lots of people use the library, including school and college students who go there to study. The council has managed to secure funding to keep the library open later into the evening, twice a week (Q19). We would like to enlarge the building in the not-too-distant future, but this is by no means definite. There’s no limit on access to the nature reserve on the edge of town, and this will continue be the case. What will change, though, is that the council will no longer be in charge of the area. Instead it will become the responsibility of a national body that administers most nature reserves in the country. (Q20) OK, now let me ask you … Cam 11- Test 4 Good morning, and welcome to the museum – one with a remarkable range of exhibits, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. My name’s Greg, and I’ll tell you about the various collections as we go round. But before we go, let me just give you a taste of what we have here.
Well, for one thing, we have a fine collection of twentieth and twenty-first century paintings, many by very well-known artists. I’m sure you’ll recognise several of the paintings. This is the gallery that attracts the largest number of visitors (Q11), so it’s best to go in early in the day, before the crowds arrive. The there are the nineteenth-century paintings. The museum was opened in the middle of that century, and several of the artists each donated one work (Q12) – to get the museum started, as it were. So they’re of special interest to us – we feel closer to them than to other works. The sculpture gallery has a number of fine exhibits, but I’m afraid it’s currently closed for refurbishment. You’ll need to come back next year to see it properly, but a number of the sculptures have been moved to other parts of the museum. (Q13) ‘Around the world’ is a temporary exhibition – you’ve probably seen something about it on TV or in the newspapers (Q14). It’s created a great deal of interest, because it presents objects from every continent and many countries, and provides information about their social context – why they were made, who for, and so on. Then there’s the collection of coins. This is what you might call a focused, specialist collection, because all the coins come from this country, and were produced between two thousand and a thousand years ago. And many of them were discovered by ordinary people digging their gardens and donated to the museum! (Q15) All our porcelain and glass we left to the museum by its founder (Q16), when he died in 1878. And in the terms of his will, we’re not allowed to add anything to that collection: he believed it was perfect in itself, and we don’t see any reason to disagree! ——————– OK, that was something about the collections, and now here’s some more practical information, in case you need it. Most of the museum facilities are downstairs, in the basement, so you go down the stairs here. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll find yourself in a sitting area, with comfortable chairs and sofas where you can have a rest before continuing your exploration of the museum. We have a very good restaurant, which serves excellent food all day, in a relaxing atmosphere. To reach it, when you get to the bottom of the stairs, go straight ahead to the far side of the sitting area, then turn right into the corridor. You’ll see the door on the restaurant facing you (Q17). If you just want a snack, or if you’d like to eat somewhere with facilities for children, we also have a café. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll need to go straight ahead, turn right into the corridor, and the café is immediately on the right. (Q18) And talking about children, there are baby-changing facilities downstairs: cross the sitting area, continue straight ahead along the corridor on the left and you and your body will find the facilities on the left-hand side. (Q19) The cloakroom where you should leave coats, umbrella and any large bags, is on the left hand side of the sitting area. It’s through the last door before you come to the corridor. (Q20) There are toilets on every floor, but in the basement they’re the first rooms on the left when you get down there. OK, now if you’ve got anything to leave in the cloakroom, please do that now, and then we’ll start our tour. Cam 10 -Test 1 On behalf of LP Clubs, I’d like to welcome you all here today. My name’s Sandy Fisher and I’m one of the fitness managers here. Before we start our tour of the club I’ll just run through some basic information about the facilities we have here, including recent improvements, and explain the types of membership available. Our greatest asset is probably our swimming pool which at 25 metres isn’t Olympic-sized, but now we’ve expanded it to eight lanes, it’s much wider (Q11&Q12). This means there are rarely more than a couple of people at a time in each lane. Unfortunately, there isn’t space for an outdoor pool here but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable, which means you can enjoy something of the open-air experience on warmer days. Our recently refurbished fitness suite (Q11&Q12) has all the latest exercise equipment including ten new running machines, and a wide range of weight-training machines. Each member is given full training in how to operate the equipment and there is always a trainer on duty to offer help and advice. Although we do have adult-only times after 6 and at certain times at weekends, children are well catered for. Older children continue to benefit from a wide range of tuition; anything from trampolining to yoga. ——————– One thing all our members appreciate about us is that we take very good care of them. This starts on day one with your personal assessment. You are asked to fill in a questionnaire giving details of any health problems (Q13). One of our personal trainers will then go through this with you. The trainer will then take you through the safety rules (Q14) for using the equipment in the fitness suite. During your next exercise session a personal trainer will work with you to make sure you understand these. It’s very important to do this because we really do want to avoid having any sports injuries. There’s a lot more to looking after yourself than simply lifting weights! At the end of the personal assessment, the trainer will draw up a plan, outlining what you should try to achieve within a six-week period (Q15). This will then be reviewed at the end of the six weeks. Now, I’ll just quickly run through the types of membership we have available. All members must pay a joining fee of £90 (Q16) in addition to the rates for the monthly membership fees. Gold membership entitles you to free entry at all LP
Clubs (Q17). There are now LP clubs in all major cities and towns so if you travel a lot will be a great advantage. Individual gold membership costs £50 a month and joint membership for you and your partner will cost £75. Premier membership is for professional people whose work commitments make it difficult for them to use the club during the day and so LP gives booking preferences to Premier members at peak times (Q18). This means you will find it easier to book the sessions at times that suit you. Reciprocal arrangements with other LP Clubs are available to Premier members. Premier membership is for individuals only, but you will be sent passes for guests every month (Q19). The monthly fee is £65. You don’t have to have any special clothes or equipment when you visit the club. We provide robes and hairdryers in the changing rooms, but it’s very important to remember your photo card (Q20) because you won’t be able to get in without it. For people who aren’t working during the day then … Cam 10-Test 2 Good morning. I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to say a little about two exciting new developments in the city: the Brackenside Open-Air Swimming Pool and the children’s Adventure Playground in Central Park. As many of you may know, the idea for these initiatives came from you, the public (Q11), in the extensive consultation exercise which the City Council conducted last year. And they have been realised using money from the SWRDC – the South West Regional Development Commission. First of all, Brackenside Pool. As many of the older members of the audience will remember, there used to be a wonderful open- air pool on the sea front 30 years ago but it had to close when it was judged to be unsafe. For the design of this new heated pool, we were very happy to secure the talents of internationally renowned architect Ellen Wendon, who has managed to combine a charming 1930s design, which fits is so well with many of the other buildings in the area, with up-to-the-minute features such as a recycling system – the only one of its kind in the world – which enables seawater to be used in the pool. (Q12) Now, there has been quite a bit of discussion in the local press about whether there would be enough room for the number of visitors we’re hoping to attract (Q13), but the design is deceptive and there have been rigorous checks about capacity. Also, just in case you were wondering, we’re on schedule for a June 15th opening date and well within budget: a testimony to the excellent work of local contractors Hickman’s. We hope that as many people as possible will be there on June 15th. We have engaged award-winning actress Coral White to declare the pool open and there’ll be drinks and snacks available at the pool side. There’ll also be a competition for the public to decide on the sculpture we plan to have at the entrance: you will decide which famous historical figure from the city we should have. (Q14) ———————— And now, moving on the Central Park Playground, which we’re pleased to announce has just won the Douglas Award for safety: the news came through only last week. The unique design is based on the concept of the Global Village, with the playground being divided into sex areas showing different parts of the world – each with a representative feature. For example, there is a section on Asia, and this is represented by rides and equipment in the shape of snakes, orang-utans, tigers and so on – fauna native to the forests of the region (Q15). Moving south to the Antarctic – we couldn’t run to an ice rink I’m afraid but opted instead for climbing blocks in the shape of mountains (Q16) – I thought they could have had slides for the glaciers but the designers did want to avoid being too literal! Then on to South America – and here the theme is El Dorado – games replicating the search for mines full of precious stones (Q17). And then moving up to North America, here there was considerable debate – I know the contribution of cinema and jazz was considered but the designers finally opted for rockets and the international Space Station (Q18). Eastwards to Europe then, and perhaps the most traditional choice of all the areas: medieval castles and other fortifications (Q19). Then last, but not least, moving south to Africa and a whole set of wonderful mosaics and trails to represent the great rivers of this fascinating and varied continent. (Q20) Now, the opening date for our Global Playground is 10th July. And again we’d love to see you there – so make a date and come and see this magnificent, original new amenity right in the heart of the city. Cam 10 -Test 3 INTERVIEWER: Today we’re pleased to have on the show Alice Bussell from the Dolphin Conservation Trust. Tell us about the Trust, Alice. ALICE: Well, obviously its purpose is to protect dolphins in seas all around the world. It tries to raise people’s awareness of the problems these marine creatures are suffering because of pollution and other threats. It started ten years ago and it’s one of the fastest growing animal charities in the country – although it’s still fairly small compared with the big players in animal protection. We are particularly proud of the work we do in education – last year we visited a huge number of schools in different parts of the country, going round to talk to children and young people aged from five to eighteen. In fact, about thirty-five per cent of our members are children. The charity uses its money to support campaigns – for example, for changes in fishing policy and so forth (Q11&Q12). It hopes soon to be able to employ its first full-time biologist – with dolphin expertise – to monitor populations. Of course, many people give their services on a voluntary basis and we now have volunteers working in observation, office work and other things. (Q11&Q12)
I should also tell you about the award we won from the Charity Commission last year – for our work in education. Although it’s not meant an enormous amount of money for us, it has made our activities even more widely publicised and understood (Q13). In the long term it may not bring in extra members but we’re hoping it’ll have this effect. INTERVIEWER: Is it possible to see dolphins in UK waters? ALICE: Yes. In several locations. And we have a big project in the east part of Scotland. This has long been a haven for dolphins because it has very little shipping. However, that may be about to change soon because oil companies want to increase exploration there. We’re campaigning against this because, although there’ll be little pollution from oil, exploration creates a lot of underwater noise (Q14). It means the dolphins can’t rest and socialise. This is how I became interested in dolphin conservation in the first place. I had never seen one and I hadn’t been particularly interested in them at school. Then I came across this story about a family of dolphins who had to leave their home in the Moray Firth because of the oil companies and about a child who campaigned to save them. I couldn’t put the book down – I was hooked. (Q15) ————————— INTERVIEWER: I’m sure our listeners will want to find out what they can do to help. You mentioned the ‘Adopt a Dolphin’ scheme. Can you tell us about that? ALICE: Of course! People can choose one of our dolphins to sponsor. They receive a picture of it and news updates. I’d like to tell you about four which are currently being adopted by our members: Moondancer, Echo, Kiwi and Samson. Unfortunately, Echo is being rather elusive this year and hasn’t yet been sighted by our observers (Q16) but we remain optimistic that he’ll be out there soon. All the others have been out in force – Samson and Moondancer are often photographed together but it is Kiwi who’s our real ‘character’ as she seems to love coming up close for the cameras and we’ve captured her on film hundreds of times (Q17). They all have their own personalities – Moondancer is very elegant and curves out and into the water very smoothly, whereas Samson has a lot of energy – he’s always leaping out of the water with great vigour (Q18). You’d probably expect him to be the youngest – he’s not quite – that’s Kiwi – but Samson’s the latest of our dolphins to be chosen for the scheme (Q19). Kiwi makes a lot of noise so we can often pick her out straightaway. Echo and Moondancer are noisy too, but Moondancer’s easy to find because she has a particularly large fin on her back, which makes her easy to identify (Q20). So, yes, they’re all very different … INTERVIEWER: Well, they sound a fascinating group … Cam 10- Test 4 Welcome to Manham Port, where a thousand years of history are brought to life. All the family can enjoy a day out at Manham: visit our copper mine, see models of the machinery it used, have your photo taken in nineteenth-century costume, experience at first hand how people lived at different stages throughout history, and especially how children studied, worked and played. The port of Manham is located in beautiful and peaceful countryside, on a bend in the great River Avon, and developed here because it’s the highest navigable point of the Avon – boats can go no higher up this river – and proved a handy place to load and unload cargo to and from the sea (Q11), which is over 23 miles away. A small port was already established here when, about 900 years ago, tin was discovered nearby, though it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution, when a tremendous need for metals of all kinds developed, that Manham expanded to become one of the busiest ports in the country (Q12). And because it was already so busy, prospectors began to look for other minerals, and by the end of the nineteenth century, lead, copper, manganese and arsenic were added to the cargos leaving Manham. In the early days, the ores had been smelted – or processed – in the same area they were mined. But, as demand grew, the smelting process required huge factory furnaces or fires to melt the metal from the rock and there was not enough coal in the local area, so the rocks containing minerals had to be shipped long distances. (Q3) Sadly, in the twentieth century, the great port of Manham declined, and thousands of workers were forced to emigrate out of the area (Q14). The building at the port fell into disrepair, and the place became almost forgotten. But then, the Manham Trust was formed to conserve the historical resources of the area. It organised scores of local volunteers to remove undergrowth to find the original outlines of the installations. It then brought in paid professionals to match installations with maps of the original port complex and to set about reconstructing it (Q15). Today you can see the results of this ambitious programme of restoration. The intention, and we believe this will be realised before the end of the year, is to return Manham Port to the condition it reached at its peak as ‘the greatest copper port in the country’. —————— But what can you do and see on your visit today? Here are just a few highlights. We suggest you start with the visit to the copper mine. Travel on converted mining trains and journey into the depths of the mountain along seams once worked by hundreds of miners (Q16). Watch out especially for the great pumping machines which rid the mine of water. But please be warned that, like all mines, ours is very dark and closed in and we do say that children under five and also dogs should NOT be taken into the mine. (Q17)
The next recommended visit is to the village school. While looking round the classrooms, take a special look at our display of games, which is one of the largest in the world (Q18). And it’s recommended that you time your visit to coincide with a guided tour (Q19). This will give you the opportunity to ask lots of questions. Near the school is the beautiful old sailing ketch called ‘The George’. You are welcome to board the boat and look round the cabins. Look out for the shop’s wheel which was missing until only five years ago when it was dredged out of the silt by a local fisherman. We have no idea how it got there but it’s been polished and proudly restored to its original place on the boat. Please take care going down the ladders if you wish to visit the lower deck – we don’t recommend you allow young children to use them. (Q20) So we hope you have a memorable visit to Manham Port and will tell your friends all about us. SECTION 3- SCRIPT Cam 16 - test 1 JESS: How are you getting on with your art project, Tom? TOM: OK. Like, they gave us the theme of birds to base our project on, and I’m not really all that interested in wildlife. But I’m starting to get into it. I’ve pretty well finished the introductory stage. JESS: So have I. When they gave us all those handouts with details of books and websites to look at (Q21/Q22), I was really put off, but the more I read, the more interested I got. TOM: Me too. I found I could research so many different aspects of birds in art – colour, movement, texture. So I was looking forward to the Bird Park visit. JESS: What a letdown! It poured with rain and we hardly saw a single bird. Much less use than the trip to the Natural History Museum (Q21/Q22). TOM: Yeah, I liked all the stuff about evolution there. The workshop sessions with Dr Fletcher were good too, especially the brainstorming sessions. JESS: I missed those because I was ill. I wish we could’ve seen the projects last year’s students did. TOM: Mm. I suppose they want us to do our own thing, not copy. JESS: Have you drafted your proposal yet? TOM: Yes, but I haven’t handed it in. I need to amend some parts. I’ve realised the notes from my research are almost all just descriptions, I haven’t actually evaluated anything. So I’ll have to fix that (Q23/Q24). JESS: Oh, I didn’t know we had to do that. I’ll have to look at that too. Did you do a timeline for the project? TOM: Yes, and a mind map. JESS: Yeah, so did I. I quite enjoyed that. But it was hard having to explain the basis for my decisions in my action plan. TOM: What? JESS: You know, give a rationale. TOM: I didn’t realise we had to do that. OK, I can add it now. And I’ve done the video diary presentation, and worked out what I want my outcome to be in the project. JESS: Someone told me it’s best not to be too precise about your actual outcome (Q23/Q24) at this stage, so you have more scope to explore your ideas later on. So I’m going to do back to my proposal to make it a bit more vague. TOM: Really? OK, I’ll change that too then. —————————— TOM: One part of the project, I’m unsure about is where we choose some paintings of birds and say what they mean to us. Like, I chose a painting of a falcon by Landseer. I like it because the bird’s standing there with his head turned to one side, but he seems to be staring straight at you. But I can’t just say it’s a bit scary, can I? JESS: You could talk about the possible danger suggested by the bird’s look (Q25). TOM: Oh, OK. JESS: There’s a picture of a fish hawk by Audubon I like. It’s swooping over the water with a fish in its talons, and with great black wings which take up most of the picture. TOM: So you could discuss it in relation to predators and food chains? JESS: Well actually I think I’ll concentrate on the impression of rapid motion it gives. (Q26) TOM: Right. JESS: Do you know that picture of a kingfisher by van Gosh – it’s perching on a reed growing near a stream.
TOM: Yes, it’s got these beautiful blue and red and black shades. JESS: Mm hm. I’ve actually chosen it because I saw a real kingfisher once when I was litter, I was out walking with my grandfather (Q27), and I’ve never forgotten it. TOM: So we can use a personal link? JESS: Sure. TOM: OK. There’s a portrait called William Wells. I can’t remember the artist but it’s a middle-aged man who’s just shot a bird. And his expression, and the way he’s holding the bird in his hand suggests he’s not sure about what he’s done. To me it’s about how ambiguous people are in the way they exploit the natural world. (Q28) JESS: Interesting. There’s Gauguin’s picture Vairumati. He did it in Tahiti. It’s a woman with a white bird behind her that is eating a lizard, and what I’m interested in is what idea this bird refers to. Apparently, it’s a reference to the never-ending cycle of existence. (Q29) TOM: Wow. I chose a portrait of a little boy, Giovanni de Medici. He’s holding a tiny bird in one fist (Q30). I like the way he’s holding it carefully so he doesn’t hurt it. JESS: Ah right. Cam 16 - test 2 SUSIE: So Luke, for our next psychology assignment we have to do something on sleep and dreams. LUKE: Right. I’ve just read an article suggesting why we tend to forget most of our dreams soon after we wake up. I mean, most of my dreams aren’t that interesting anyway, but what it said was that if we remembered everything, we might get mixed up about what actually happened and what we dreamed (Q21). So it’s a sort of protection. I hadn’t heard that idea before. I’d always assumed that it was just that we didn’t have room in our memories for all that stuff. SUSIE: Me too. What do you think about the idea that our dreams may predict the future? LUKE: It’s a belief that you get all over the world. SUSIE: Yeah, lots of people have a story of it happening to them, but the explanation I’ve read is that for each dream that comes true, we have thousands that don’t (Q22), but we don’t notice those, we don’t even remember them. We just remember the ones where something in the real world, like a view or an action, happens to trigger a dream memory. LUKE: Right. So it’s just a coincidence really. Something else I read about is what they call segmented sleeping. That’s a theory that hundreds of years ago, people used to get up in the middle of the night and have a chat or something to eat, then go back to bed. So I tried it myself. SUSIE: Why? LUKE: Well it’s meant to make you more creative. I don’t know why. But I gave it up after a week. It just didn’t fit in with my lifestyle. SUSIE: But most pre-school children have a short sleep in the day don’t they? There was an experiment some students did here last term to see at what age kids should stop having naps. But they didn’t really find an answer (Q23). They spent a lot of time working out the most appropriate methodology, but the results didn’t seem to show any obvious patterns. LUKE: Right. Anyway, let’s think about our assignment. Last time I had problems with the final stage, where we had to describe and justify how successful we thought we’d been (Q24). I struggled a bit with the action plan too. SUSIE: I was OK with the planning, but I got marked down for the self-assessment as well. And I had big problems with the statistical stuff, that’s where I really lost marks. LUKE: Right. ————————– SUSIE: So shall we plan what we have to do for this assignment? LUKE: OK. SUSIE: First, we have to decide on our research question. So how about ‘Is there a relationship between hours of sleep and number of dreams?’ LUKE: OK. Then we need to think about who we’ll do they study on. About 12 people? SUSIE: Right. And shall we use other psychology students?
LUKE: Let’s use people from a different department. What about history? (Q25) SUSIE: Yes, they might have interesting dreams! Or literature students? LUKE: I don’t really know any. SUSIE: OK, forget that idea. Then we have to think about our methodology. So we could use observation, but that doesn’t seem appropriate. LUKE: No. it needs to be self-reporting I think. And we could ask them to answer questions online. SUSIE: But in this case, paper might be better (Q26) as they’ll be doing it straight after they wake up … in fact while they’re still half-asleep. LUKE: Right. And we’ll have to check the ethical guidelines (Q27) for this sort of research. SUSIE: Mm, because our experiment involves humans, so there are special regulations. LUKE: Yes, I had a look at those for another assignment I did. There’s a whole section on risk assessment, and another section on making sure they aren’t put under any unnecessary stress. (Q28) SUSIE: Let’s hope they don’t have any bad dreams! LUKE: Yeah. SUSIE: Then when we’ve collected all our data we have to analyse it and calculate the correlation between our two variables, that’s time sleeping and number of dreams and then present our results visually in a graph. (Q29) LUKE: Right. And the final thing is to think about our research and evaluate it (Q30). So that seems quite straightforward. SUSIE: Yeah. So now let’s … Cam 16- test 3 ADAM: OK Rosie, shall we try to get some ideas together for our presentation on diet and obesity? ROSIE: Sure. ADAM: I can talk about the experiment I did to see if people can tell the difference between real sugar and artificial sweeteners. ROSIE: Where you have people drinks with either sugar or artificial sweeteners and they had to say which they thought it was? ADAM: Yeah. It took me ages to decide exactly how I’d organise it, especially how I could make sure that people didn’t know which drink I was giving them (Q21/Q22). It was hard to keep track of it all, especially as I had so many people doing it (Q21/Q22) – I had to make sure I kept a proper record of what each person had had. ROSIE: So could most people tell the difference? ADAM: Yeah – I hadn’t thought they would be able to, but most people could. ROSIE: Then there’s that experiment I did measuring the fat content of nuts, to see if the nutritional information given on the packet was accurate. ADAM: The one where you ground up the nuts and mixed them with a chemical to absorb the fat? ROSIE: Yes. My results were a bit problematic – the fat content for that type of nut seemed much lower than it said on the package. But I reckon the package information was right. I think I should probably have ground up the nuts more than I did. It’s possible that the scales for weighing the fat weren’t accurate enough (Q23/Q24), too. I’d really like to try the experiment again some time. ———————- ADAM: So what can we say about helping people to lose weight? There’s a lot we could say about what restaurants could do to reduce obesity. I read that the items at the start of a menu and the items at the end of a menu. They are much more likely to be chosen than the items in the middle. So, if you put the low-calorie items at the beginning and end of the menu, people will probably go for the food with fewer calories (Q25), without even realising what they’re doing. ROSIE: I think food manufacturers could do more to encourage healthy eating. ADAM: How? ROSIE: Well, when manufacturers put calorie counts of a food on the label, they’re sometimes really confusing and I suspect they do it on purpose (Q26). Because food that’s high in calories tastes better, and so they’ll sell more.
ADAM: Yeah, so if you look at the amount of calories in a pizza, they’ll give you the calories per quarter pizza and you think, oh that’s not too bad. But who’s going to eat a quarter pizza? ROSIE: Exactly. ADAM: I suppose another approach to this problem is to get people to exercise more. ROSIE: Right. In England, the current guidelines are for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week. Now when you ask them, about 40% of men and 30% of women say they do this, but when you objectively measure the amount of walking they do with motion sensors, you find that only 6% of men and 4% of women do the recommended amount of exercise. (Q27) ADAM: Mm, so you can see why obesity is growing. ROSIE: So how can people encourage to take more exercise? ADAM: Well, for example, think of the location of stairs station. if people reach the stairs before they reach the escalator when they’re leaving the station, they’re more likely to take the stairs. And if you increase the width of the stairs, you’ll get more people using them at the same time (Q28). It’s an unconscious process and influenced by minor modifications in their environment. ROSIE: Right. And it might not be a big change, but if it happens every day, it all adds up. ADAM: Yes. But actually, I’m not sure if we should be talking about exercise in our presentation. (Q29) ROSIE: Well, we’ve done quite a bit of reading about it. ADAM: I know, but it’s going to mean we have a very wide focus, and our tutor did say that we need to focus on causes and solutions in terms of nutrition. ROSIE: I suppose so. And we’ve got plenty of information about that. OK, well that will be simpler. ADAM: So what shall we do now? We’ve still got half an hour before our next lecture. ROSIE: Let’s think about what we’re going to include and what will go where (Q30). Then we can decide what slides we need. ADAM: OK, fine. Cam 16 - test 4 JAKE: Now that we’ve done all the research into bike-sharing schemes in cities around the world, we need to think about how we’re going to organise our report. AMY: Right. I think we should start by talking about the benefits. I mean it’s great that so many cities have introduced these schemes where anyone can pick up a bike from dozens of different locations and hire it for a few hours. It makes riding a bike very convenient for people. JAKE: Yes, but the costs can add up and that puts people on low incomes off in some places. AMY: I suppose so, but if it means more people in general are cycling rather than driving, then because they’re increasing the amount of physical activity they do, it’s good for their health JAKE: OK. But isn’t that of less importance? I mean, doesn’t the impact of reduced emissions on air pollution have a more significant effect on people’s health? (Q21/Q22) AMY: Certainly, in some cities bike-sharing had made a big contribution to that. And also helped to cut the number of cars on the road significantly. (Q21/Q22) JAKE: Which is the main point. AMY: Exactly. But I’d say it’s had less of an impact on noise pollution because there are still loads of buses and lorries around. JAKE: Right. AMY: Shall we quickly discuss the recommendations we’re going to make? JAKE: In order to ensure bike-sharing schemes are successful? AMY: Yes. JAKE: OK. Well, while I think it’s nice to have really state-of-the art bikes with things like GPS, I wouldn’t say they’re absolutely necessary. AMY: But some technical things are really important – like a fully functional app – so people can make payments and book bikes easily (Q23/Q24). Places which haven’t invested in that have really struggled. JAKE: Good point … Some people say there shouldn’t be competing companies offering separate bike- sharing schemes, but in some really big cities, competition’s beneficial and anyway one company might not be able to manage the whole thing.
AMY: Right. Deciding how much to invest is a big question. Cities which have opened loads of new bike lanes at the same time as introducing bike-sharing schemes have generally been more successful – but there are examples of successful schemes where this hasn’t happened … What does matter though – is having a big publicity campaign. (Q23/Q24) JAKE: Definitely. If people don’t know how to use the scheme or don’t understand its benefits, they won’t use it. People need a lot of persuasion to stop using their cars. —————————- AMY: Shall we look at some examples now? And say what we think is good or bad about them. JAKE: I suppose we should start with Amsterdam as this was one of the first cities to have a bike-sharing scheme. AMY: Yes. There was already a strong culture of cycling here. In a way it’s strange that there was such a demand for bike-sharing because you’d have thought most people would have used their own bikes. (Q25) JAKE: And yet it’s one of the best-used schemes … Dublin’s an interesting example of a success story. AMY: It must be because the public transport system’s quite limited. (Q26) JAKE: Not really – there’s no underground, but there are trams and a good bus network. I’d say price has a lot to do with it. It’s one of the cheapest schemes in Europe to join. AMY: But the buses are really slow – anyway the weather certainly can’t be a factor! JAKE: No – definitely not. The London scheme’s been quite successful AMY: Yes – it’s been a really good thing for the city. The bikes are popular and the whole system is well maintained but it isn’t expanding quickly enough. JAKE: Basically, not enough’s been spent on increasing the number of cycle lanes (Q27). Hopefully that’ll change. AMY: Yes. Now what about outside Europe? JAKE: Well bike-sharing schemes have taken off in places like Buenos Aires. AMY: Mmm. They built a huge network of cycle lanes to support the introduction of the scheme there, didn’t they? It attracted huge numbers of cyclists where previously there were hardly any. JAKE: An example of good planning. (Q28) AMY: Absolutely. New York is a good example of how not to introduce a scheme. When they launched it, it was more than ten times the price of most other schemes. JAKE: More than it costs to take a taxi, Crazy (Q29). I think the organisers lacked vision and ambition there. AMY: I think so too. Sydney would be a good example to use. I would have expected it to have grown pretty quickly here. (Q30) JAKE: Yes. I can’t quite work out why it hasn’t been an instant success like some of the others. It’s a shame really. AMY: I know. OK so now we’ve thought about … Cam 15. Test 1 RUTH: Ed, how are you getting on with the reading for our presentation next week? ED: Well, OK, Ruth – but there’s so much of it. RUTH: I know, I hadn’t realised birth order was such a popular area of research. ED: But the stuff on birth order and personality is mostly unreliable. From what I’ve been reading a lot of claims about how your position in the family determines certain personality traits are just stereotypes, with no robust evidence to support them. RUTH: OK, but that’s an interesting point – we could start by outlining what previous research has shown. There are studies going back over a hundred years. ED: Yeah – so we could just run through some of the typical traits. Like the consensus seems to be that oldest children are generally less well-adjusted. Because they never get over the arrival of a younger sibling. RUTH: Right, but on a positive note, some studies claimed that they were thought to be good a nurturing – certainly in the past when people had large families they would have been expected to look after the younger ones. (Q21) ED: There isn’t such a clear picture for middle children – but one trait that a lot of the studies mention is that they are easier to get on with than older or younger siblings.
RUTH: Generally eager to please and helpful (Q22) – although that’s certainly not accurate as far as my family goes – my middle brother was a nightmare – always causing fights and envious of whatever I had. ED: As I said – none of this seems to relate to my own experience. I’m the youngest in my family and I don’t recognise myself in any of the studies I’ve read about. I’m supposed to have been a sociable and confident child who made friends easily (Q23) – but I was actually terribly shy. RUTH: Really? That’s funny. There have been hundreds of studies on twins but mostly about nurture versus nature… ED: There was one on personality, which said that a twin is likely to be quite shy in social situations (Q24) because they always have their twin around to depend on for support. RUTH: My cousins were like that when they were small – they were only interested in each other and hard to engage with other kids. They’re fine now though. ED: Only children have had a really bad press – a lot of studies have branded them as loners who think the world revolves around them (Q25) because they’ve never had to fight for their parents’ attention. RUTH: That does seem a bit harsh. One category I hadn’t considered before was children with much older siblings – a couple of studies mentioned that these children grow up more quickly and are expected to do basic things for themselves – like getting dressed. (Q26) ED: I can see how that might be true – although I expect they’re sometimes the exact opposite – playing the baby role and clamouring for special treatment. ——————————– RUTH: What was the problem with most of these studies, do you think? ED: I think it was because in a lot of cases data was collected from only one sibling per family, who rated him or herself and his or her siblings at the same time. RUTH: Mmm. Some of the old research into the relationship between birth order and academic achievement has been proved to be accurate though. Performances in intelligence tests decline slightly from the eldest child to his or her younger siblings. This has been proved in lots of recent studies. ED: Yes. Although what many of them didn’t take into consideration was family size (Q27). The more siblings there are, the likelier the family is to have a low socioeconomic status. Which can also account for differences between siblings in academic performance. RUTH: The oldest boy might be given more opportunities than his younger sisters, for example. ED: Exactly. RUTH: But the main reason for the marginally higher academic performance of oldest children is quite surprising, I think. It’s not only that they benefit intellectually from extra attention at a young age – which is what I would have expected. It’s that they benefit from being teachers for their younger siblings, by verbalising processes. (Q28) ED: Right, and this gives them status and confidence, which again contribute, in a small way, to better performance. So would you say sibling rivalry has been a useful thing for you? RUTH: I think so – my younger brother was incredibly annoying and we found a lot but I think this has made me a stronger person. I know how to defend myself (Q29/Q30). We had some terrible arguments and I would have died rather than apologise to him – but we had to put up with each other (Q29/Q30) and most of the time we co-existed amicably enough. ED: Yes, my situation was pretty similar. But I don’t think having two older brothers made me any less selfish – I was never prepared to let me brothers use any of my stuff … RUTH: That’s perfectly normal, whereas … Cam 15. Test 2 CATHY: OK, Graham, so let’s check we both know what we’re supposed to be doing. GRAHAM: OK. CATHY: So, for the university’s open day, we have to plan a display on British life and literature in the mid-19th century. GRAHAM: That’s right. But we’ll have some people to help us find the materials and set it up, remember – for the moment, we just need to plan it.
CATHY: Good. So have you gathered who’s expected to come and see the display? Is it for the people studying English, or students from other departments? I’m not clear about it. GRAHAM: Nor me. That was how it used to be, but it didn’t attract many people, so this year it’s going to be part of an open day, to raise the university’s profile. It’ll be publicised in the city, to encourage people to come and find out something of what does on here (Q21/Q22). And it’s included in the information that’s sent to people who are considering applying to study here next year. (Q21/Q22) CATHY: Presumably some current students and lecturers will come? GRAHAM: I would imagine so, but we’ve been told to concentrate on the other categories of people. CATHY: Right. We don’t have to cover the whole range of 19th-century literature, do we? GRAHAM: No, it’s entirely up to us. I suggest just using Charles Dickens. CATHY: That’s a good idea. Most people have heard of him, and have probably read some of his novels, or seen films based on them (Q23/Q24), so that’s a good lead-in to life in his time. GRAHAM: Exactly. And his novels show the awful conditions that most people had to live in, don’t they: he wanted to shock people into doing something about it. (Q23/Q24) CATHY: Did he do any campaigning, other than writing? GRAHAM: Yes, he campaigned for education and other social reforms, and gave talks, but I’m inclined to ignore that and focus on the novels. CATHY: Yes, I agree. ————————– CATHY: OK, so now shall we think about a topic linked to each novel? GRAHAM: Yes. I’ve printed out a list of Dicken’s novels in the order they were published, in the hope you’d agree to focus on him! CATHY: You’re lucky I did agree! Let’s have a look. OK, the first was The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836. It was very successful when it came out, wasn’t it, and was adapted for the theatre straight away. GRAHAM: There’s an interesting point, though, that there’s a character who keeps falling asleep, and that medical condition was named after the book – Pickwickian Syndrome. (Q25) CATHY: Oh, so why don’t we use that as the topic, and include some quotations from the novel? GRAHAM: Right, Next is Oliver Twist. There’s a lot in the novel about poverty. But maybe something less obvious … CATHY: Well Oliver is taught how to steal, isn’t he? We could use that to illustrate the fact that very few children went to school, particularly not poor children, so they learnt in other ways. (Q26) GRAHAM: Good idea. What’s next? CATHY: Maybe Nicholas Nickleby. Actually he taught in a really cruel school, didn’t he? GRAHAM: That’s right. But there’s also the company of touring actors that Nicholas joins. We could do something on theatres and other amusements of the time. (Q27) We don’t want only the bad things, do we? CATHY: OK. GRAHAM: What about Martin Chuzzlewit? He goes to the USA, doesn’t he? CATHY: Yes, and Dickens himself had been there a year before, and drew on his experience there in the novel. (Q28) GRAHAM: I wonder, though … The main theme is selfishness, so we could do something on social justice? No, too general, let’s keep to your idea – I think it would work well. CATHY: He wrote Bleak House next – that’s my favourite of his novels. GRAHAM: Yes, mine too. His satire of the legal system is pretty powerful. CATHY: That’s true, but think about Esther, the heroine. As a child she lives with someone she doesn’t know is her aunt, who treats her very badly. Then she’s very happy living with her guardian, and he puts her in charge of the household. And at the end she gets married and her guardian gives her and her husband a house, where of course they’re very happy. (Q29) GRAHAM: Yes, I like that.
CATHY: What shall we take next? Little Dorrit? Old Mr Dorrit has been in a debtors’ prison for years … GRAHAM: So was Dicken’s father, wasn’t he? CATHY: That’s right. GRAHAM: What about focusing on the part when Mr Dorrit inherits a fortune, and he starts pretending he’s always been rich? (Q30) CATHY: Good idea. GRAHAM: OK, so next we need to think about what materials we want to illustrate each issue. That’s going to be quite hard. Cam 15- Test 3 HAZEL: Tom, could I ask you for some advice, please? TOM: Yes of course, if you think I can help. What’s it about? HAZEL: It’s my first media studies assignment, and I’m not sure how to go about it. You must have done it last year. TOM: Is that the one comparing the coverage of a particular story in a range of newspapers? HAZEL: That’s right. TOM: Oh yes, I really enjoyed writing it. HAZEL: So what sort of things do I need to compare? TOM: Well, there are several things. For example, there’s the question of which page (Q21) of the newspaper the item appears on. HAZEL: You mean, because there’s a big difference between having it on the front page and the bottom of page ten, for instance? TOM: Exactly. And that shows how important the editor thinks the story is. Then there’s the size (Q22) – how many column inches the story is given, how many columns it spreads over. HAZEL: And I suppose that includes the headline. TOM: It certainly does. It’s all part of attracting the reader’s attention. HAZEL: What about graphics (Q23) – whether there’s anything visual in addition to the text? TOM: Yes, you need to consider those, too, because they can have a big effect on the reader’s understanding of the story – sometimes a bigger effect than the text itself. Then you’ll need to look at how the item is put together: what structure (Q24) is it given? Bear in mind that not many people read beyond the first paragraph, so what has the journalist put at the beginning? And if, say, three are conflicting opinions about something, does one appear near the end, where people probably won’t read it? HAZEL: And newspapers sometimes give wrong or misleading information, don’t they? Either deliberately or by accident. Should I be looking at that, too? TOM: Yes, if you can. Compare what’s in different versions, and as far as possible, try and work out what’s true and what isn’t. And that relates to a very important point: what’s the writer’s purpose (Q25), or at least the most important one, if they have several. It may seem to be to inform the public, but often it’s that they want to create fear, or controversy, or to make somebody look ridiculous. HAZEL: Gosh, I see what you mean. And I suppose the writer may make assumptions (Q26) about the reader. TOM: That’s right – about their knowledge of the subject, their attitudes, and their level of education, which means writing so that the readers understand without feeling patronised. All of that will make a difference. ———————- HAZEL: Does it matter what type of story I write about? TOM: No – national or international politics, the arts … Anything, as long as it’s covered in two or three newspaper. Though of course it’ll be easier and more fun if it’s something you’re interested in and know something about. HAZEL: And on that basis a national news item would be worth analysing – I’m quite keen on politics, so I’ll try and find a suitable topic (Q27). What did you choose for your analysis, Tom? TOM: I was interested in how newspapers express their opinions explicitly, so I wanted to compare editorials in different papers, but when I started looking. I couldn’t find two on the same topic (Q28) that I felt like analysing.
HAZEL: In that case, I won’t even bother to look (Q28). TOM: So in the end I chose a human interest story – a terribly emotional story about a young girl who was very ill, and lots of other people – mostly strangers – raised money so she could go abroad for treatment. Actually, I was surprised – some papers just wrote about how wonderful everyone was, but others considered the broader picture, like why treatment wasn’t available here. HAZEL: Hmm, I usually find stories like that raise quite strong feelings in me! I’ll avoid that (Q29). Perhaps I’ll choose an arts topic (Q30), like different reviews of a film, or something about funding for the arts – I’ll think about that. TOM: Yes, that might be interesting. HAZEL: OK, well thanks a lot for your help, Tom. It’s been really useful. TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with the assignment, Hazel. Cam 15- test 4 ANNIE: OK, Jack. Before we plan our presentation about refrigeration, let’s discuss what we’ve discovered so far. JACK: Fine, Annie. Though I have to admit I haven’t done much research yet. ANNIE: Nor me. But I found an interesting article about icehouses. I’d been some 18th- and 19th-century ones here in the UK, so I knew they were often built in a shady area or underground, close to lakes that might freeze in the winter. But I didn’t realise that insulating the blocks with straw or sawdust meant they didn’t melt for months (Q21). The ancient Romans had refrigeration, too. JACK: I didn’t know that. ANNIE: Yes, pits were dug in the ground, and snow was imported from the mountains – even though they were at quite a distance. The snow was stored in the pits. Ice formed at the bottom of it. Both the ice and the snow were then sold (Q22). The ice cost more than the snow and my guess is that only the wealthy members of society could afford it. JACK: I wouldn’t be surprised. I also came across an article about modern domestic fridges. ANNIE: You have to wonder what happens when people get rid of old ones. JACK: You mean because the gases in them are harmful for the environment? ANNIE: Exactly. At least these are now plenty of organisations that will recycle most of the components safety, but of course some people just dump old fridges in the countryside. (Q23) JACK: It’s hard to see how they can be stopped unfortunately (Q23). In the UK we get rid of three million a year altogether! ANNIE: That sounds a lot, especially because fridges hardly ever break down. JACK: That’s right. In this country we keep domestic fridges for 11 years on average, and a lot last for 20 or more. So if you divide the cost by the number of years you can use a fridge, they’re not expensive, compared with some household appliances. (Q24) ANNIE: True. I suppose manufactures encourage people to spend more by making them different colours and designs. I’m sure when my parents bought their first fridge they had hardly any choice! JACK: Yes, there’s been quite a change. ———————– JACK: Right, let’s make a list of topics to cover in our presentation, and decide who’s going to do more research on them. Then later, we can get together and plan the next step. ANNIE: OK. How about starting with how useful refrigeration is, and the range of goods that are refrigerated (Q25) nowadays? Because of course it’s not just food and drinks. JACK: No, I suppose flowers and medicines are refrigerated, too. ANNIE: And computers. I could do that (Q26), unless you particularly want to. JACK: No, that’s fine by me. What about the effects of refrigeration on people’s health (Q26)? After all, some of the chemicals used in the 19th century were pretty harmful, but there have been lots of benefits too, like always have access to fresh food. Do you fancy dealing with that? ANNIE: I’m no terribly keen, to be honest. JACK: Nor me. My mind just goes blank when I read anything about chemicals. ANNIE: Oh, all right then, I’ll do you a favour (Q27). But you own me, Jack.
1. What about the effects on food producers, like farmers in poorer countries being able to export their produce to developed countries? Something for you, maybe? JACK: I don’t mind. It should be quite interesting. ANNIE: I think we should also look at how refrigeration has helped whole cities (Q28) – like Las Vegas, which couldn’t exist without refrigeration because it’s in the middle of a desert. JACK: Right. I had a quick look at an economics book in the library that’s got a chapter about this sort of thing. I could give you the title, if you want to do this section. ANNIE: Not particularly, to be honest. I find economics books pretty heavy going, as a rule. JACK: OK, leave it to me, then. ANNIE: Thanks. Then there’s transport, and the difference that refrigerated trucks (Q29) have made. I wouldn’t mind having a go at that. JACK: Don’t forget trains, too. I read something about milk and butter being transported in refrigerated railroad cars in the USA, right back in the 1840s. ANNIE: I hadn’t thought of trains. Thanks. JACK: Shall we have a separate section on domestic fridges (Q30)? After all, they’re something everyone’s familiar with. ANNIE: What about splitting it into two? You could investigate 19th- and 20th-century fridges, and I’ll concentrate on what’s available these days, and how manufacturers differentiate their products from those of their competitors. JACK: OK, that’d suit me. Cam 14- Test 1 TUTOR: OK, so what I’d like you to do now is to talk to your partner about your presentations on urban planning. You should have done most of the reading now, so I’d like you to share your ideas, and talk about the structure of your presentation and what you need to do next. CARLA: OK Rob. I’m glad we chose quite a specific topic – cities built next to the sea. It made it much easier to find relevant information. ROB: Yeah. And cities are growing so quickly – I mean, we know that more than half the world’s population lives in cities now. CARLA: Yeah, though that’s all cities, not just ones on the coast. But (Q21) most of the biggest cities are actually built by the sea. I’d not realised that before. ROB: Nor me. And what’s more, a lot of them are built at places where rivers come out into the sea. But apparently this can be a problem. CARLA: Why? ROB: Well, as the city expands, agriculture and industry tend to spread further inland along the rivers, and so agriculture moves even further inland up the river. That’s not necessarily a problem, except (Q22) it means more and more pollutants are discharged into the rivers. CARLA: So these are brought downstream to the cities? ROB: Right. Hmm. Did you read that article about Miami, on the east coast of the USA? CARLA: No. ROB: Well, apparently back in the 1950s they build channels to drain away the water in case of flooding. CARLA: Sounds sensible. ROB: Yeah, they spent quite a lot of money on them. (Q23) But what they didn’t take into account was global warming. So they built the drainage channels too close to sea level, and now sea levels are rising, they’re more or less useless. If there’s a lot of rain, the water can’t run away, there’s nowhere for it to go. The whole design was faulty. CARLA: So what are the authorities doing about it now? ROB: I don’t know. I did read that they’re aiming to stop disposing of waste into the ocean over the next ten years. CARLA: But that won’t help with flood prevention now, will it?
ROB: No. Really (Q24) they just need to find the money for something to replace the drainage channels, in order to protect against flooding now. But in the long term they need to consider the whole ecosystem. CARLA: Right. Really, though, coastal cities can’t deal with their problems on their own, can they? I mean, they’ve got to start acting together at an international level instead of just doing their own thing. ROB: Absolutely. The thing is, everyone knows what the problems are and environmentalists have a pretty good idea of what we should be doing about them, so (Q25) they should be able to work together to some extent. But it’s going to be a long time before countries come to a decision on what principles they’re prepared to abide by. CARLA: Yes, if they ever do. —————————— CARLA: So I think we’ve probably got enough for our presentation. It’s only fifteen minutes. ROB: OK. So I suppose we’ll begin with some general historical background about why coastal cities were established. But (Q26) we don’t want to spend too long on that, the other students will already know a bit about it. It’s all to do with communications and so on. CARLA: Yes. We should mention some geographical factors, things like wetlands and river estuaries and coastal erosion and so on. We could have some maps of different cities with these features marked. ROB: On a handout you mean? Or (Q27) some slides everyone can see? CARLA: Yeah, that’d be better. ROB: It’d be good to go into past mistakes in a bit more detail. Did you read that case study of the problems there were in New Orleans with flooding a few years ago? CARLA: Yes, (Q28) We could use that as the basis for that part of the talk. I don’t think the other students will have read it, but they’ll remember hearing about the flooding at the time. ROB: OK. So that’s probably enough background. CARLA: So then we’ll go on to talk about what action’s being taken to deal with the problems of coastal cities. ROB: OK. What else do we need to talk about? Maybe something on future risks, looking more at the long term, if populations continue to grow. CARLA: Yeah. We’ll need to do a bit of work there, I haven’t got much information, have you? ROB: No. (Q29) We’ll need to look at some websites. Shouldn’t take too long. CARLA: OK. And I think we should end by talking about international implications. Maybe (Q30) we could ask people in the audience. We’ve got people from quite a lot of different places. ROB: That’d be interesting, if we have time, yes. So now shall we … Cam 14- Test 2 TUTOR: So, Rosie and Martin, let’s look at what you’ve got for your presentation on woolly mammoths. ROSIE: OK, we’ve got a short outline here. TUTOR: Thanks. So it’s about a research project in North America? MARTIN: Yes. But we thought we needed something general about woolly mammoths in our introduction, to establish that they were related to our modern elephant, and they lived thousands of years ago in the last ice age. ROSIE: Maybe we could show a video clip of a cartoon about mammoths. But that’d be a bit childish. Or we could have a diagram, (Q21) it could be a timeline to show when they lived, with illustrations? MARTIN: Or we could just show a drawing of them walking in the ice? No, let’s go with your last suggestion. TUTOR: Good. Then you’re describing the discovery of the mammoth tooth on St Paul’s Island in Alaska, and why it was significant. ROSIE: Yes. The tooth was found by a man called Russell Graham. He picked it up from under a rock in a cave. He knew it was special – for a start it was in really good condition, as if it had been just extracted from the animal’s jawbone. Anyway, they found it was 6,500 years old. TUTOR: So why was that significant?
ROSIE: Well (Q22) the mammoth bones previously found on the North American mainland were much less recent than that. So this was really amazing. MARTIN: Then we’re making an animated diagram to show the geography of the area in prehistoric times. So originally, St Paul’s Island wasn’t an island, it was connected to the mainland, and mammoths and other animals like bears were able to roam around the whole area. ROSIE: Then the climate warmed up and the sea level began to rise, and the island got cut off from the mainland. So (Q23) those mammoths on the island couldn’t escape; they had to stay on the island. MARTIN: And in fact the species survived there for thousands of years after they’d become extinct on the mainland. TUTOR: So why do you think they died out on the mainland? ROSIE: No one’s sure. MARTIN: Anyway, next we’ll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island. They concluded that (Q24) the extinction happened 5,600 years ago, which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction. It’s based on samples they took from mud at the bottom of a lake on the island. They analysed it to find out what had fallen in over time – bits of plants, volcanic ash and even DNA from the mammoths themselves. It’s standard procedure, but it took nearly two years to do. ————————- TUTOR: So why don’t you quickly go through the main sections of your presentation and discuss what action’s needed for each part? MARTIN: OK. So for the introduction, we’re using a visual, so once we’ve prepared that we’re done. ROSIE: I’m not sure. I think (Q25) we need to write down all the ideas we want to include here, not just rely on memory. How we begin the presentation is so important … MARTIN: You’re right. ROSIE: The discovery of the mammoth tooth is probably the most dramatic part, but we don’t have that much information, only what we got from the online article. I thought maybe (Q26) we could get in touch with the researcher who led the team and ask him to tell us a bit more. MARTIN: Great idea. What about the section with the initial questions asked by the researchers? We’ve got a lot on that but we need to make it interesting. ROSIE: We could (Q27) ask the audience to suggest some questions about it and then see how many of them we can answer. I don’t think it would take too long. TUTOR: Yes that would add a bit of variety. MARTIN: Then the section on further research carried out on the island – analysing the mud in the lake. I wonder if we’ve actually got too much information here, should we cut some? ROSIE: I don’t think so, but it’s all a bit muddled at present. MARTIN: Yes, (Q28) maybe it would be better if it followed a chronological pattern. ROSIE: I think so. The findings and possible explanations section is just about ready, but we need to practice it (Q29) so we’re sure it won’t overrun. MARTIN: I think it should be OK, but yes, let’s make sure. TUTOR: In the last section, relevance to the present day, you’ve got some good ideas but this is where you need to move away from the ideas of others and (Q30) give your own viewpoint. MARTIN: OK, we’ll think about that. Now shall we … Cam 14- Test 3 LIZZIE: So how are you getting on with your teaching practice at the High School, Joe? JOE: Well I’ve been put in charge of the school marching band, and it’s quite a responsibility. I’d like to talk it over with you. LIZZIE: Go ahead. You’d better start by giving me a bit of background. JOE: OK. Well the band has students in it from all years, so they’re aged 11 to 18, and there are about (Q21) 50 of them altogether. It’s quite a popular activity within the school. I’ve never worked with a band of more than 20 before, and this is very different. LIZZIE: I can imagine.
JOE: They aren’t really good enough to enter national band competitions, but they’re in a (Q22) regional one later in the term. Even if they don’t win, and I don’t expect them to, hopefully it’ll be an incentive for them to try and improve. LIZZIE: Yes, hopefully. JOE: Well, now the town council’s organising a (Q23) carnival in the summer, and the band has been asked to perform. If you ask me, they aren’t really up to it yet, and I need to get them functioning better as a band, and in a very short time. LIZZIE: Have you been doing anything with them? Apart from practising the music, I mean. JOE: I played a recording I came across, of a (Q24) drummer talking about how playing in a band had changed his life. I think it was an after-dinner speech. I thought it was pretty inspiring, because being in the band had stopped him from getting involved in crime. The students seemed to find it interesting, too. LIZZIE: That’s good. JOE: I’m planning to show them that old (Q25) film from the 1940s ‘Strike Up the Band’, and talk about it with the students. What do you think? LIZZIE: Good idea. As it’s about a school band, it might make the students realise how much they can achieve if they work together. JOE: That’s what I’ve got in mind. I’m hoping I can take some of the band to a (Q26) parade that’s going to take place next month. A couple of marching bands will be performing, and the atmosphere should be quite exciting. It depends on whether I can persuade the school to hire a coach or two to take us there. LIZZIE: Mmm. They sound like good ideas to me. JOE: Thanks. ————————— JOE: Can I tell you about a few people in the band who I’m finding it quite difficult to cope with? I’m sure you’ll have some ideas about what I can do. LIZZIE: Go ahead. JOE: There’s a flautist who says she loves playing in the band. We rehearse twice a week after school, but (Q27) she’s hardly ever there. Then she looks for me the next day and gives me a very plausible reason – she says she had to help her mother, or she’s been ill, but to be honest, I don’t believe her. LIZZIE: Oh dear! Any more students with difficulties? JOE: Plenty! There’s a trumpeter who thinks she’s the best musician in the band, though she certainly isn’t. (Q28) She’s always saying what she thinks other people should do, which makes my job pretty difficult. LIZZIE: She sounds a bit of a nightmare! JOE: You can say that again. One of the trombonists has got an impressive sense of rhythm, and could be an excellent musician – except that (Q29) he has breathing difficulties, and he doesn’t really have enough breath for the trombone. He’d be much better of playing percussion, for instance, but he refuses to give up. So he ends up only playing half the notes. LIZZIE: I suppose you have to admire his determination. JOE: Maybe. One of the percussionists isn’t too bad, but (Q30) he never seems to interact with other people, and he always rushes off as soon as the rehearsal ends. I don’t know if there are family reasons, or what. But it isn’t good in a band, where people really need to feel they’re part of a group. LIZZIE: Hmm. JOE: There are others too, but at least that gives you an idea of what I’m up against. Do you have any thoughts about what I can do, Lizzie? Cam 14- Test 4 STEPHANIE: Hello, Trevor. TREVOR: Hello, Stephanie. You said you wanted to talk about the course I’m taking on literature for children. STEPHANIE: That’s right. I’m thinking of doing it next year, but I’d like to find out more about it first. TREVOR: OK, well, as you probably know, it’s a one-year course. It’s divided into six modules, and you have to take all of them. One of the most interesting ones, for me, at least, was about the purpose of children’s literature.
STEPHANIE: You mean, whether it should just entertain children or should be educational, as well. TREVOR: Right, and whether the teaching should be factual – giving them information about the world – or ethical, teaching them values. What’s fascinating is that (Q21) the writer isn’t necessarily conscious of the message they’re conveying. For instance, a story might show a child who has a problem as a result of not doing what an adult has told them to do, implying that children should always obey adults. STEPHANIE: I see what you mean. TREVOR: That module made me realise how important stories are – they can have a significant effect on children as they grow up. Actually, (Q22) it inspired me to have a go at it myself, just for my own interest. I know can’t compete with the really popular stories, like the Harry Potter books – they’re very good, and even young kids like my seven-year-old niece love reading them. STEPHANIE: Mm. I’m very interested in illustrations in stories. Is that covered in the course? TREVOR: Yes, there’s a module on pictures, and how they’re sometimes central to the story. STEPHANIE: That’s good. I remember some frightening ones I saw as a child and I can still see them vividly in my mind, years later! Pictures can be so powerful, just as powerful as words. I’ve always enjoyed drawing, so (Q23) that’s the field I want to go into when I finish the course. I bet that module will be really helpful. TREVOR: I’m sure it will. We also studied comics in that module, but I’m not convinced of their value, not compared with books. One of the great things about words is that you use your imagination, but with a comic you don’t have to. STEPHANIE: There are plenty of kids who wouldn’t even try to read a book, so I think (Q24) comics can serve a really useful purpose. TREVOR: You mean, it’s better to read a comic than not to read at all? Yes, I suppose you’re right. I just think its sad when children don’t read books. STEPHANIE: What about books for girls and books for boys? Does the course go into that? TREVOR: Yes, there’s a module on it. For years, lots of stories, in English, at least, assumed that boys went out and did adventurous things and girls stayed at home and played with dolls. I was amazed (Q25) how many books were targeted at just one sex or the other. Of course this reflects society as it is when the books are written. STEPHANIE: That’s true. So it sounds as though you think it’s a good course. TREVOR: Definitely. ———————————- TREVOR: Have you been reading lots of children’s stories, to help you decide whether to take the course? STEPHANIE: Yeah. I’ve gone as far back as the late seventeenth century, though I know there were earlier children’s stories. TREVOR: So does that mean you’ve read Perrault’s fairy tales? Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and so on. STEPHANIE: Yes. They must be important, (Q26) because no stories of that type had been written before, there were the first. Then there’s The Swiss Family Robinson. TREVOR: I haven’t read that. STEPHANIE: The English name makes it sound as though Robinson is the family’s surname, but a more accurate translation would be The Swiss Robinsons, because it’s about (Q27) a Swiss family who are shipwrecked, like Robinson Crusoe in the novel of a century earlier. TREVOR: Well I never knew that! STEPHANIE: Have you read Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King? TREVOR: Wasn’t that (Q28) the basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker? STEPHANIE: That’s right. It has some quite bizarre elements. TREVOR: I hope you’ve read Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. It’s probably my favourite children’s story of all time. STEPHANIE: Mine too! And it’s so surprising, because Wilde is best known for his plays, and most of them are very witty, but The Happy Prince is really moving. (Q29) I struggled with Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – there long books, and I gave up after one. TREVOR: It’s extremely popular, though.
STEPHANIE: Yeah, but whereas something like The Happy Prince just carried me along with it, The Lord of the Rings took more effort than I was prepared to give it. TREVOR: I didn’t find that – I love it. STEPHANIE: Another one I’ve read is War Horse. TREVOR: Oh yes. It’s about the First Word War, isn’t it? (Q30) Hardly what you’d expect for a children’s story. STEPHANIE: Exactly, but it’s been very successful. Have you read any … Cam 13- Test 1 EMMA: We’ve got to choose a topic for our experiment, haven’t we, Jack? Were you thinking of something to do with seeds? JACK: That’s right. I thought we could look at seed germination – how a seed begins to grow. EMMA: OK. Any particular reason? I know you’re hoping to work in plant science eventually … JACK: Yeah, but practically everything we do is going to feed into that. No, there’s an optional module on seed structure and function in the third year that I might do, so I thought it might be useful for that (Q21). If I choose that option, I don’t have to do a dissertation module. EMMA: Good idea. JACK: Well, I thought for this experiment we could look at the relationship between seed size and the way the seeds are planted. So, we could plant different sized seeds in different ways, and see which grow best. EMMA: OK. We’d need to allow time for the seeds to come up (Q22). JACK: That should be fine if we start now. A lot of the other possible experiments need quite a bit longer. EMMA: So that’d make it a good one to choose. And I don’t suppose it’d need much equipment; we’re not doing chemical analysis or anything. Though that’s not really an issue, we’ve got plenty of equipment in the laboratory. JACK: Yeah. We need to have a word with the tutor if we’re going to go ahead with it though. I’m sure our aim’s OK. It’s not very ambitious but the assignment’s only ten percent of our final mark, isn’t it? But we need to be sure we’re the only ones doing it (Q23). EMMA: Yeah, it’s only five percent actually, but it’d be a bit boring if everyone was doing it. JACK: Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list? EMMA: The one by Graves? I looked through it for my last experiment, though it wasn’t all that relevant there. It would be for this experiment, though. I found it quite hard to follow – lots about the theory, which I hadn’t expected (Q24) JACK: Yes, I’d been hoping for something more practical. It does include references to the recent findings on genetically-modified seeds, though. EMMA: Yes, that was interesting. JACK: I read an article about seed germination by Lee Hall. EMMA: About seeds that lie in the ground for ages and only germinate after a fire? JACK: That’s the one. I knew a bit about it already, but not about this research. His analysis of figures comparing the times of the fires and the proportion of seeds that germinated was done in a lot of detail – very impressive (Q25). EMMA: Was that the article with the illustrations of early stages of plant development? They were very clear. JACK: I think those diagrams were in another article. ———————– EMMA: Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment? We’ll need to get going with it quite soon. JACK: Right. So the first thing we have to do is find our seeds. I think vegetable seeds would be best. And obviously they mustn’t all be the same size. So, how many sorts do we need? About four different ones? (Q26) EMMA: I think that would be enough. There’ll be quite a large number of seeds for each one.
JACK: Then, for each seed we need to find out how much it weighs (Q27), and also measure its dimensions, and we need to keep a careful record of all that. EMMA: That’ll be quite time-consuming. And we also need to decide how deep we’re going to plant the seeds (Q28) – right on the surface, a few millimetres down, or several centimetres. JACK: OK. So then we get planting. Do you think we can plant several seeds together in the same plant pot? (Q29) EMMA: No, I think we need a different one for each seed. JACK: Right. And we’ll need to label them – we can use different coloured labels. Then we wait for the seeds to germinate – I reckon that’ll be about three weeks, depending on what the weather’s like. Then we see if our plants have come up, and write down how tall they’ve grown. (Q30) EMMA: Then all we have to do is look at our numbers, and see if there’s any relation between them. JACK: That’s right. So … Cam 13- Test 2 TUTOR: Ah … come in, Russ. RUSS: Thank you. TUTOR: Now you wanted to consult me about your class presentation on nanotechnology – you’re due to give it in next week, aren’t you? RUSS: That’s right. And I’m really struggling. Should I assume the other students don’t know much, and give them a kind of general introduction, or should I try and make them share my fascination with a particular aspect? (Q21) TUTOR: You could do either, but you’ll need to have it clear in your own mind. RUSS: Then I think I’ll give an overview. TUTOR: OK. Now, one way of approaching this is to work through developments in chronological order. RUSS: Uh-huh. TUTOR: On the other hand, you could talk about the numerous ways that nanotechnology is being applied. RUSS: You mean things like thin films on camera displays to make them water-repellent, and additives to make motorcycle helmets stronger and lighter. TUTOR: Exactly. Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area (Q22), say medicine, or space exploration. RUSS: That would make it easier to focus. Perhaps I should do that. TUTOR: I think that would be a good idea. RUSS: Right. How important is it to include slides in the presentation? TUTOR: They aren’t essential, by any means. And there’s a danger of tailoring what you say to fit whatever slides you can find. While it can be good to includes slides, you could end up spending too long looking for suitable ones. You might find it better to leave them out. (Q23) RUSS: I see. Another thing I was wondering about was how to start. I know presentations often begin with ‘First I’m going to talk about this, and then I’ll talk about that’, but I thought about asking the audience what they know about nanotechnology. TUTOR: That would be fine if you had an hour or two for the presentation, but you might find that you can’t do anything with the answers you get, and it simply eats into the short time that’s available. RUSS: So, maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used, to focus people’s attention. (Q24) TUTOR: That sounds sensible. RUSS: What do you think I should do next? I really have to plan the presentation today and tomorrow. TUTOR: Well, initially I think you should ignore all the notes you’ve made, take a small piece of paper, and write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation (Q25): it can be something as simple as ‘Nanotechnology is already improving our lives’. Then start planning the content around that. You can always modify that sentence later, if you need to.
RUSS: OK. ———————————— TUTOR: OK, now let’s think about actually giving the presentation. RUSS: That’s right. It was pretty rubbish! TUTOR: Let’s say it was better in some respects than in others. With regard to the structure. I felt that you ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off (Q26). Be careful not to do that in next week’s presentation. RUSS: OK. TUTOR: And you made very little eye contact with the audience, because you were looking down at your notes most of the time. You need to be looking at the audience and only occasionally glancing at your notes. (Q27) RUSS: Mmm. TUTOR: Your body language was a little odd. Every time you showed a slide, you turned your back on the audience so you could look at it – you should have been looking at your laptop. And you kept scratching your head, so I found myself wondering when you were next going to do that, instead of listening to what you were saying! (Q28) RUSS: Oh dear. What did you think of the language? I knew that not everyone was familiar with the subject, so I tried to make it as simple as I could. TUTOR: Yes, that came across. You used a few words that are specific to the field, but you always explained what they meant, so the audience wouldn’t have had any difficulty understanding. (Q29) RUSS: Uh-huh. TUTOR: I must say the handouts you prepared were well thought out. They were a good summary of your presentation, which people would be able to refer to later on (Q30). So well done on that. RUSS: Thank you. TUTOR: Well, I hope that helps you with next week’s presentation. RUSS: Yes, it will. Thanks a lot. TUTOR: I’ll look forward to seeing a big improvement, then. Camm 13- Test 3 TUTOR: OK, Jim. You wanted to see me about your textile design project. JIM: That’s right. I’ve been looking at how a range of natural dyes can be used to colour fabrics like cotton and wool. TUTOR: Why did you choose that topic? JIM: Well, I got a lot of useful ideas from the museum, you know, at that exhibition of textiles. But I’ve always been interested in anything to do with colour. Years ago, I went to a carpet shop with my parents when we were on holiday in Turkey, and I remember all the amazing colours. (Q21) TUTOR: They might not all have been natural dyes. JIM: Maybe not, but for the project I decided to follow it up. And I found a great book about a botanic garden in California that specialises in plants used for dyes. TUTOR: OK. So, in your project, you had to include a practical investigation. JIM: Yeah. At first I couldn’t decide on my variables. I was going to just look at one type of fibre for example, like cotton … TUTOR: … and see how different types of dyes affected it? JIM: Yes. Then I decided to include others as well, so I looked at cotton and wool and nylon. (Q22) TUTOR: With just one type of dye? JIM: Various types, including some that weren’t natural, for comparison. TUTOR: OK. JIM: So, I did the experiments last week. I used some ready-made natural dyes. I found a website which supplied them, they came in just a few days, but I also made some of my own. TUTOR: That must have taken quite a bit of time.
JIM: Yes, I’d thought it’d just be a matter of a teaspoon or so of dye, and actually that wasn’t the case at all. Like I was using one vegetable, beetroot, for a red dye, and I had to chop up a whole pile of it (Q23). So it all took longer than I’d expected. TUTOR: One possibility is to use food colourings. JIM: I did use one. That was a yellow dye, an artificial one. TUTOR: Tartrazine? JIM: Yeah. I used it on cotton first. It came out a great colour, but when I rinsed the material, the colour just washed away (Q24). I’d been going to try it out on nylon, but I abandoned that idea. TUTOR: Were you worried about health issues? JIM: I’d thought if it’s a legal food colouring, it must be safe. TUTOR: Well, it can occasionally cause allergic reactions, I believe. ———————– TUTOR: So what natural dyes did you look at? JIM: Well, one was turmeric. The colour’s great, it’s a really strong yellow. It’s generally used in dishes like curry. TUTOR: It’s meant to be quite good for your health when eaten, but you might find it’s not permanent when it’s used as a dye – a few washes, and it’s gone. (Q25) JIM: Right. I used beetroot as a dye for wool. When I chop up beetroot to eat I always end up with bright red hands, but the wool ended up just a sort of watery cream shade (Q26). Disappointing. TUTOR: There’s a natural dye called Tyrian purple. Have you heard of that? JIM: Yes. It comes from a shellfish, and it was worn in ancient times but only by important people as it was so rare. I didn’t use it. (Q27) TUTOR: It fell out of use centuries ago, though one researcher managed to get hold of some recently. But that shade of purple can be produced by chemical dyes nowadays. Did you use any black dyes? JIM: Logwood. That was quite complicated. I had to prepare the fabric so the dye would take. TUTOR: I hope you were careful to wear gloves. JIM: Yes. I know the danger with that dye. TUTOR: Good. It can be extremely dangerous if it’s ingested (Q28). Now, presumably you had a look at an insect-based dye? Like cochineal, for example? JIM: Yes. I didn’t actually make that, I didn’t have time to start crushing up insects to get the red colour and anyway they’re not available here, but I managed to get the dye quite easily from a website. But it cost a fortune (Q29). I can see why it’s generally just used in cooking, and in small quantities. TUTOR: Yes, it’s very effective, but that’s precisely why it’s not used as a dye. JIM: I also read about using metal oxide. Apparently you can allow iron to rust while it’s in contact with the fabric, and that colours it. TUTOR: Yes, that works well for dying cotton. But you have to be careful as the metal can actually affect the fabric (Q30) and so you can’t expect to get a lot of wear out of fabrics treated in this way. And the colours are quite subtle, not everyone likes them. Anyway, it looks as if you’ve done a lot of work … Cam 13- Test 4 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. (Q21) 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 realise that the ‘healthy’ yoghurt I’ve bought for years is full of sugar and that it’s actually quite high in calories. (Q22) JACK: 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. (Q23) 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, no! I thought comparing the different labelling systems used by food manufactures was interesting. I think the kind of labelling system used makes a big difference. ALICE: Which one did you prefer? JACK: I liked 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 (Q24). 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 supermarkets have been making an effort to provide reliable information for customers. JACK: Yes. There just needs to be more consistency between labelling systems used by different supermarkets, in terms of portion sizes, etc. ALICE: Mmm. 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. (Q25) ALICE: I know. I’d at least have expected them to contain a small percentage of real chicken. JACK: Absolutely. ALICE: I think having nutritional food labeling 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 kind of prove the opposite? People didn’t necessarily stop buying unhealthy products. ALICE: They only said that might be the case. Those findings weren’t that conclusive (Q26) and it was quite a small-scale study. I think more research has to be done. JACK: Yes, I think you’re probably right. ——————– 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 green – for levels of fat, sugar and salt in a product. JACK: Buy it’s not been adopted universally (Q27&28). And not on all products. Why do you suppose that is? ALICE: Pressure from the food manufacturers. Hardly surprising that some of them are opposed to flagging up how unhealthy their products are. JACK: I’d have thought it would have been compulsory. It seems ridiculous it isn’t. ALICE: I know. And what I couldn’t get over is the fact that it was brought in without enough consultation – a lot of experts had deep reservations about it. JACK: That is a bit weird. I suppose there’s an argument for doing the research now when consumers are familiar with this system. ALICE: Yeah, maybe. JACK: The participants in the survey were quite positive about the traffic-light system. ALICE: Mmm. But I don’t think they targeted the right people. They should have focused on people with low literacy levels because these labels are designed to be accessible to them. JACK: Yeah. But it’s good to get feedback from all socio-economic groups (Q29&30). And there wasn’t much variation in their responses. ALICE: No. But if they hadn’t interviewed participants face-to-face, they could have used a much bigger 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 used the supermarket. Cam 12- Test 1 TRUDIE: OK, Stewart. We need to start planning our paper on public libraries. Have you thought of an angle yet?
STEWART: Well, there’s so much we could look into. How libraries have changed over the centuries, for instance, or how different countries organise them. What do you think, Trudie? TRUDIE: Maybe we should concentrate on this country, and try relate the changes in libraries to external developments, like the fact that far more people can read than a century ago, and that the local population may speak lots of different languages. (Q21) STEWART: We could include something about changes in the source of funding, too. TRUDIE: Yes, but remember we’re only supposed to write a short paper, so it’s probably best if we don’t go into funding in any detail. STEWART: Right. Well, shall we just brainstorm a few ideas, to get started? TRUDIE: OK. We obviously need to look at the impact of new technology, particularly the internet. Now that lots of books have been digitalised, people can access them from their own computers at home. STEWART: And if everyone did that, libraries would be obsolete. TRUDIE: Yes. STEWART: But the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of copyright, aren’t they? And copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the author dies. So you won’t find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information. (Q22) TRUDIE: That’s an important point. Anyway, I find it hard to concentrate when I’m reading a long text on a green. I’d much rather read a physical book. And it takes longer to read on a screen. STEWART: Oh, I prefer it. I suppose it’s just a personal preference. TRUDIE: Mm. I expect that libraries will go on evolving in the next few years. Some have already become centres where community activities take place, like local clubs meeting there. I think that’ll become even more common. STEWART: I’d like to think so, and that they’ll still be serving their traditional function, but I’m not so sure. There are financial implications, after all. What I’m afraid will happen is that books and magazines will all disappear, and there’ll just be rows and rows of computers (Q23). They won’t look anything like the libraries we’re used to. TRUDIE: Well, we’ll see. ———————– TRUDIE: I’ve just had an idea. Why don’t we make an in-depth study of our local public library as background to our paper? STEWART: Yes, that’d be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues. Let’s make a list of possible things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure. For instance, um, we could interview some of the staff, and find out whether the library has its own budget, or if that’s controlled by the local council. (Q24) TRUDIE: And what their policies are. I know they don’t allow food, but I’d love to find out what types of noise they ban – there always seems to be a lot of talking, but never music. I don’t know if that’s a policy or it just happens. STEWART: Ah, I’ve often wondered. Then there are things like how the library is affected by employment laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff, and so on. (Q25) TRUDIE: Right. Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety? (Q26) They’d need floor coverings that aren’t slippery, and emergency exits, for instance. Oh, and another thing – there’s the question of the kind of insurance the library needs to have, in case anyone gets injured. (Q27) STEWART: Yes, that’s something else to find out. You know something I’ve often wondered? TRUDIE: What’s that? STEWART: Well, you know they’ve got an archive of local newspapers going back years? Well, next to it they’ve got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century (Q28). I wonder why it’s there. Do you know what his connection was with this area? TRUDIE: No idea. Let’s add it to our list of things to find out. Oh, I’ve just thought – you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? Well, I wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online. (Q29)
STEWART: Right. I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that’s open to the public and one that’s part of a museum, for example (Q30) – they must be very different. TRUDIE: Mmm. Then something else I’d like to know is … Cam 12- Test 2 BETH: Oh good morning. You must be James. I’m Beth Cartwright – please call be Beth. JAMES: Thank you. BETH: Now as this is your first tutorial since you started on the Scandinavian Studies course, I’d like to find out something about you. Why did you decide to take this course? JAMES: Well, my mother is Danish, and although we always lived in England, she used to talk about her home a lot, and that made me want to visit Denmark. We hardly ever did, though – my mother usually went on her own. But whenever her relations or friends were in England they always came to see us. (Q21) BETH: I see. So I assume you already speak Danish, one of the languages you’ll be studying. JAMES: I can get by when I talk to people, though I’m not terribly accurate. BETH: Now you probably know that you’ll spend the third year of the course abroad. Have you had any thoughts about that? JAMES: I’m really looking forward to it. And although Denmark seems the obvious place to go, because of my family connections, I’d love to spend the time in Iceland. BETH: Oh, I’m sure it can be arranged. Do you have any plans for when you graduate? A lot of students go on to take a master’s degree. JAMES: I think the four years of the undergraduate course will be enough for me. I’m interested in journalism, and I quite like the idea of moving to Scandinavia and writing for magazines (Q22). I’d find that more creative than translating, which I suppose most graduates do. BETH: OK. Now how are you finding the courses you’re taking this term, James? JAMES: Well, I’m really enjoying the one on Swedish cinema. BETH: That’ll continue next term, but the one on Scandinavian literature that’s running at the moment will be replaced by more specialised courses (Q23). Oh, and by the way, if you’re interested in watching Danish television programmes – there’s going to be a course on that the term after next. JAMES: That sounds good. BETH: Have you started thinking about the literature paper that you have to write in the next few weeks? JAMES: Yes, my first choice would be to do something on the Icelandic sagas. BETH: Hmm. The trouble with that is that a lot of people choose that topic, and it can be difficult to get hold of the books you’ll need. Why not leave that for another time? JAMES: Right. BETH: You might find modern novels or 19th century playwrights interesting. (Q24) JAMES: I’ve read or seen several plays in translation, so that would be a good idea. BETH: Fine. I’ll put you down for that topic. JAMES: Right. So what would you advise me to aim at in the paper? BETH: First I suggest you avoid taking one writer and going into a great deal of detail. That approach certainly has its place, but I think you first need to get an understanding of the literature in the context of the society in which it was produced – who it was written for, how it was published, and so on (Q25). I also think that’s more fruitful than placing it within the history of the genre. JAMES: OK, that sounds reasonable. ———————— JAMES: Could I ask for some advice about writing the paper I’m working on about the Vikings? I have to do that this week, and I’m a bit stuck. BETH: Of course. Have you decided yet what to write about? JAMES: No, I haven’t. There’s so much that seems interesting – Viking settlement in other countries, trade, mythology …
BETH: Well, what I suggest is that you read an assignment a student wrote last year (Q26), which is kept in the library. It’s short and well focused, and I’m sure you’ll find it helpful. I’ll give you the details in a moment. Textbooks usually cover so many topics, it can be very difficult to choose just one. JAMES: OK. I’ve got a DVD of the film about the Vikings that came out earlier this year. Should I watch that again? BETH: If it’s the one I am thinking of, hmm, I’d ignore it – it’s more fantasy than reality. But I’ve got a recording of a documentary that you should watch (Q27). It makes some interesting and provocative points, which I think will help you to focus your topic. JAMES: Right. BETH: So then should I work out an outline? (Q28) JAMES: Yes. Just headings for different sections, at this stage. And then you should start looking for suitable articles and books to draw on, and take notes (Q29) which you organise according to those headings. BETH: I see. JAMES: Then put short phrases and sentences as bullet points under each heading (Q30). Make sure that this skeleton makes sense and flows properly, before writing up the paper in full. BETH: OK. Thanks, that’s very helpful. Cam 12- Test 3 NATALIE: Dave, I’m worried about our case study. I’ve done a bit of reading, but I’m not sure what’s involved in actually writing a case study – I missed the lecture where Dr Baker talked us through it. DAVE: OK, well it’s quite straightforward. We’ve got our focus – that’s tourism at the Horton Castle site. And you said you’d done some reading about it. NATALIE: Yes, I found some articles and made notes of the main points. DAVE: Did you remember to keep a record of where you got the information from? (Q21) NATALIE: Sure. I know what a pain it is when you forget that. DAVE: OK, so we can compare what we’ve read. Then we have to decide on a particular problem or need at our site. And then think about who we’re going to interview to get more information. NATALIE: OK. So who’d that be? The people who work there (Q22)? And presumable some of the tourists too? DAVE: Yes, both those groups. So we’ll have to go to the site to do that, I suppose. But we might also do some of our interviewing away from the site – we could even contact some people here in the city, like administrators involved in overseeing tourism. (Q23) NATALIE: OK. So we’ll need to think about our interview questions and fix times and places for the meetings. It’s all going to take a lot of time. DAVE: Mmm. And if we can, we should ask our interviewees if they can bring along some numerical data that we can add to support our findings. NATALIE: And photographs? DAVE: I think we have plenty of those already. But Dr Baker also said we have to establish with our interviewees whether we can identify them in our case study, or whether they want to be anonymous. (Q24) NATALIE: Oh, I wouldn’t have thought of that. OK, once we’ve got all this information, I suppose we have to analyse it. DAVE: Yes, put it all together and choose what’s relevant to the problem we’re focusing on, and analyse that carefully to find out if we can identify any trends or regularities (Q25) there. That’s the main thing at this stage, rather can concentrating on details or lots of facts. NATALIE: OK. And then once we’ve analysed that, what next? DAVE: Well, then we need to think about what we do with the data we’ve selected to make it as clear as possible to our readers. Things like graphs, or tables, or charts. NATALIE: Right. DAVE: Then the case study itself is mostly quite standard; we begin by presenting the problem, and giving some background, then go through the main sections, but the thing that surprised me is that in a normal
report we’d end with some suggestions to deal with the problem or need we identified, but in a case study we end up with a question or a series of questions to our readers, and they decide what ought to be done. (Q26) NATALIE: Oh, I hadn’t realised that. ————————– NATALIE: So basically, the problem we’re addressing in our case study of the Horton Castle site is why so few tourists are visiting it. And we’ll find out more from our interviews, but I did find one report on the internet that suggested that one reason might be because as far as transport goes, access is difficult. DAVE: I read that too, but that report was actually written ten years ago, when the road there was really bad, but that’s been improved now. And I think there’s plenty of fascinating stuff there for a really good day out, but you’d never realise it from the castle website – maybe that’s the problem. (Q27) NATALIE: Yes, it’s really dry and boring. DAVE: I read somewhere a suggestion that what the castle needs is a visitor centre. So we could have a look for some information about that on the internet. What would we need to know? NATALIE: Well, who’d use it for a start. It’s be good to know what categories the visitors fell into too, like school parties or retired people, but I think we’d have to talk to staff to get that information. DAVE: OK. And as we’re thinking of suggesting a visitor centre we’d also have to look at potential problems. I mean, obviously it wouldn’t be cheap to set up. NATALIE: No, but it could be a really good investment. And as it’s on a historical site it’d need to get special planning permission, I expect. That might be hard. (Q28) DAVE: Right, especially as the only possible place for it would be at the entrance, and that’s right in front of the castle. NATALIE: Mmm. DAVE: But it could be a good thing for the town of Horton. At present it’s a bit of a ghost town. Once they’ve left school and got any skills or qualifications, the young people all get out as fast as they can to get jobs in the city, and the only people left are children and those who’ve retired. (Q29) NATALIE: Right. Something else we could investigate would be the potential damage that tourists might cause to the castle site, I mean their environmental impact. At present the tourists can just wander round wherever they want, but if numbers increase, there might have to be some restrictions, like sticking to marked ways. And there’d need to be guides and wardens around to make sure these were enforced. (Q30) DAVE: Yes, we could look at that too. OK, well … Cam 12- Test 4 KATIE: Joe, you know I’m giving a presentation in our film studies class next week? JOE: Yes. KATIE: Well, could we discuss it? I could do with getting someone else’s opinion. JOE: Of course, Katie. What are you going to talk about? KATIE: It’s about film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve got very interested in all the different approaches that film directors take. JOE: Uhuh. KATIE: So I thought I’d start with Giannetti, who’s professor of film and literature, and in one of his books he came up with a straightforward classification of film adaptations based on how faithful they are to the original plays and novels. (Q21) JOE: Right. KATIE: I’ve already made some notes on that, so I just need to sort those out before the presentation. I thought that next I’d ask the class to come up with the worst examples of Shakespeare adaptations that they’ve seen, and to say why (Q22). That should be more fun than having their favourite versions. JOE: Yes, I can certainly think of a couple! KATIE: Right. Next I want to talk about Rachel Malchow. I came across something on the internet about her work on film adaptations, and I was thinking of showing some film clips to illustrate her ideas. JOE: Will you have enough time, though? Both to prepare and during the presentation? After all, I doubt if you’ll be able to find all the clips you want.
KATIE: Hmm. Perhaps you’re right. OK, well, I’d better do some slides instead, saying how various films relate to what she says (Q23). That should encourage discussion. JOE: Mmm. KATIE: Next I want to say something about how plays may be chosen for adaptation because they’re concerned with issues of the time when the film is made. (Q24) JOE: You mean things like patriotism, or the role of governments? KATIE: Exactly. It’s quite tricky, but I’ve got a few ideas I’d like to discuss. ———————– KATIE: And finally I want to talk about a few adaptations that I think illustrate a range of approaches, and make some comments on them. Do you know the Japanese film Ran? JOE: I haven’t seen it. It was based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, wasn’t it? KATIE: That’s right. It was a very loose adaptation, using the same situation and story, but moving it to 16th century Japan instead of 16th century Britain (Q25). So for example the king’s daughters become sons, because in Japanese culture at that time, women couldn’t succeed to the throne. JOE: OK. I hope you’re going to talk about the 1993 film of Much Ado About Nothing. I think that’s one of the best Shakespeare films. It really brings the play to life, doesn’t it? KATIE: Yes, I agree. And I think filming it in Italy, where the play is set, makes you see what life was like at the time of the play. (Q26) JOE: Absolutely. Right, what’s next? KATIE: Er, next, I thought Romeo & Juliet, the 1996 film, which moves the action into the present day. (Q27) JOE: Yes, it worked really well, I thought – changing the two feuding families in the original to two competing business empires, even though they’re speaking in the English of the original play. KATIE: You’d expect it would sound really bizarre, but I found I soon got used to it. JOE: Me too. KATIE: Then I thought I’d include a real Hollywood film, one that’s intended to appeal to a mass commercial audience. JOE: There must be quite a number of those. KATIE: Yes, but I’ve picked the 1996 film of Hamlet. It included every line of the text, but it’s more like a typical action hero movie (Q28) – there are loads of special effects, but no unifying interpretation of the play. JOE: All show and no substance. KATIE: Exactly. Then there’s Prospero’s Books, based on The Tempest. That was really innovative, from a stylistic point of view. (Q29) JOE: Didn’t it include dance and singing and animation, as well as live actors? KATIE: Yes, it did. I also want to mention Looking for Richard. Did you ever see it? (Q30) JOE: No, but I’ve read about it. It was a blend of a documentary with a few scenes from Richard III, wasn’t it? KATIE: That’s right. It’s more a way of looking into how people nowadays connect with the playwright – the play is really just the starting point. And that’ll be where I finish. JOE: Well, it sounds as though it’ll be very interesting. Cam 11- Test 1 LISA: OK, Greg, so I finally managed to read the article you mentioned – the one about the study on gender in physics. GREG: About the study of college students done by Akira Miyake and his team? Yeah. I was interested that the researchers were actually a mix of psychologists and physicists. That’s an unusual combination. LISA: Yeah. I got a little confused at first about which students the study was based on. They weren’t actually majoring in physics – they were majoring in what’s known as the STEM disciplines. That’s science, technology, engineering and … (Q21) GREG: … and math. Yes, but they were all doing physics courses as part of their studies.
LISA: That’s correct. So as I understood it, Miyake and co started from the fact that women are underrepresented in introductory physics courses at college, and also that on average, the women who do enrol on these courses perform more poorly than the men. No one really knows why this is the case. GREG: Yeah. But what the researchers wanted to find out was basically what they could do about the relatively low level of the women’s results (Q22). But in order to find a solution they needed to find out more about the nature of the problem. LISA: Right – now let’s see if I can remember … it was that in the physics class, the female students thought the male students all assumed that women weren’t any good at physics … was that it? And they thought that the men expected them to get poor results in their tests. GREG: That’s what the women thought, and that made them nervous, so they did get poor results. But actually they were wrong … No one was making any assumption about the female students at all. (Q23) LISA: Anyway, what Miyake’s team did was quite simple – getting the students to do some writing before they went into the physics class. What did they call it? GREG: Values-affirmation – they had to write an essay focusing on things that were significant to them, not particularly to do with the subject they were studying, but more general things like music or people who mattered to them. (Q24) LISA: Right. So the idea of doing the writing is that this gets the students thinking in a positive way. GREG: And putting these thoughts into words can relax them and help them overcome the psychological factors that lead to poor performance (Q25). Yeah. But what the researchers in the study hadn’t expected was that this one activity raised the women’s physics grades from the C to the B range. (Q26) LISA: A huge change. Pity it wasn’t to an A, but still! No, but it does suggest that the women were seriously underperforming beforehand, in comparison with the men. GREG: Yes. Mind you, Miyake’s article left out a lot of details. Like, did the students to the writing just once, or several times? And had they been told why they were doing the writing? That might have affected the results. (Q27) LISA: You mean, if they know the researchers thought it might help them to improve, then they’d just try to fulfil that expectation? GREG: Exactly. ——————- GREG: So anyway, I thought for our project we could do a similar study, but investigate whether it really was the writing activity that had that result. LISA: OK. So we could ask them to do a writing task about something completely different … something more factual? Like a general knowledge topic. GREG: Maybe … or we could have half the students doing a writing task and half doing something else, like an oral task. LISA: Or even, half do the same writing task as in the original research and half do a factual writing task (Q28). Then we’d see if it really is the topic that made the difference, or something else. GREG: That’s it. Good. So at our meeting with the supervisor on Monday we can tell him we’ve decided on our project. We should have our aims ready by then. I suppose we need to read the original study – the article’s just a summary. LISA: And these was another article I read, by Smolinsky. It was about her research on how women and men perform in mixed teams in class, compared with single-sex teams and on their own. GREG: Let me guess … the women were better at teamwork. LISA: That’s what I expected, but actually the men and the women got the same results whether they were working in teams or on their own (Q29). But I guess it’s not that relevant to us. GREG: What worries me anyway is how we’re going to get everything done in the time. LISA: We’ll be OK now we know what we’re doing. Though I’m not clear how we assess whether the students in our experiment actually make any progress or not … GREG: No. We may need some advice on that. The main thing’s to make sure we have the right size sample, not too big or too small.
LISA: That shouldn’t be difficult. Right, what do we need to do next? We could have a look at the timetable for the science classes … or perhaps we should just make an appointment to see one of the science professors. That’d be better. (Q30) GREG: Great. And we could even get to observe one of the classes. LISA: What for? GREG: Well … OK maybe let’s just go with your idea. Right, well … Cam 11- Test 2 HELEN: I’ve brought my notes on our Biology Field Trip to Rocky Bay, Colin, so we can work on our report on the research we did together. COLIN: OK. I’ve got mine too. Let’s look at the aims of the trip first. HELEN: Right. What did you have? COLIN: I just put something about getting experience of the different sorts of procedures used on a field trip. But we need something about what causes different organisms to choose particular habitats. (Q21) HELEN: I agree. And something about finding out how to protect organisms in danger of dying out? COLIN: In our aims? But we weren’t really looking at that. HELEN: I suppose not. OK, now there’s the list of equipment we all had to bring on the field trip. What did they tell us to bring a ruler for? COLIN: It was something about measuring the slope of the shore, but of course we didn’t need it because we were measuring wind direction, and we’d brought the compass for that … HELEN: But not the piece of string to hold up in the air! Didn’t Mr Blake make a fuss about us leaving that behind. (Q22) COLIN: Yeah. He does go on. Anyway it was easy to get one from another of the students. HELEN: Now, the next section’s the procedure. I sent you the draft of that. COLIN: Yeah. It was clear, but I don’t think we need all these details of what time we left and what time we got back and how we divided up the different research tasks. (Q23) HELEN: OK. I’ll look at that again. COLIN: Then we have to describe our method of investigation in detail. So let’s begin with how we measured wave speed. I was surprised how straightforward that was. (Q24) HELEN: I’d expected us to have some sort of high-tech device, not just stand there and count the number of waves per minute. Not very precise, but I suppose it was good enough. But the way we measured the amount of salt was interesting. COLIN: In the water from the rock pools? HELEN: Yeah, oh, I wanted to check the chemicals we used in the lab when we analysed those samples – was it potassium chromate and silver nitrate? COLIN: That’s right. HELEN: OK. And we need the map of the seashore. You just left that to me. And I had to do in while the tide was low, well that was OK, but the place I started it from was down on the beach, then I realised I should have gone up higher to get better visibility (Q25), so I had to start all over again. But at least I’d go the squared paper or I’d have had problems drawing it all to scale. COLIN: Yes. It looks good. We could get a map of the region off the internet and see if we need to make any changes. HELEN: I had a look but I couldn’t find anything. But you took some pictures, didn’t you? COLIN: Yeah. I’ll email you them if you want. HELEN: OK. I’ll make my amendments using those, then I can scan it into our report (Q26). Great. HELEN: Now when we get to our findings I thought we could divide them up into the different zones we identified on the shore and the problems organisms face in each zone. So for the highest area … COLIN: … the splash zone? HELEN: Yeah, we found mostly those tiny shellfish that have strong hard shells that act as protection. COLIN: But not from other organisms that might eat them, predators?
HELEN: No, that’s not the main danger for them. But the shells prevent them from drying out because they’re in the open air for most of the time. (Q27&Q28) COLIN: Right. And since they’ve exposed, they need to be able to find some sort of shelter, or cover themselves up, so they don’t get too hot (Q27&Q28). Then in the middle and lower zones, nearer the sea, we need to discuss the effects of wave action … HELEN: Yes, and how organisms develop structures to prevent themselves from being swept away, or even destroyed by being smashed against the rocks. COLIN: I haven’t done anything on the geological changes. I don’t know what to put for that. HELEN: No, we weren’t concentrating on that. Maybe we need to find some websites. COLIN: Good idea. I’ve got the lecture notes from Mr Blake’s geology course, but they’re too general. But we could ask him which books on our Reading List might be most helpful. HELEN: Right. OK, now I did a draft of the section of sources of possible error in our research, but I don’t know if you agree. For example, the size of the sample, and whether it’s big enough to make any general conclusions from. But I thought actually we did have quite a big sample. COLIN: We did. And our general method of observation seemed quite reliable. But we might not be all that accurate as far as the actual numbers go. HELEN: Yeah, we might have missed some organisms – if they were hiding under a rock, for example (Q29&Q30). I wasn’t sure about the way we described their habitats. I decided it was probably OK. COLIN: Yeah, and the descriptions we gave of the smaller organisms, they weren’t very detailed, but they were adequate in this context. I’m not sure we identified all the species correctly thought. (Q29&Q30) HELEN: OK, we’d better mention that. Now, how … Cam 11- Test 3 JEREMY: Hello, Helen. Sorry I’m late. HELEN: Hi, Jeremy, no problem. Well we’d better work out where we are on our project, I suppose. JEREMY: Yeah. I’ve looked at the drawings you’ve done for my story, ‘The Forest’, and I think they’re brilliant – they really create the atmosphere I had in mind when I was writing it. HELEN: I’m glad you like them. JEREMY: There are just a few suggestions I’d like to make. HELEN: Go ahead. JEREMY: Now, I’m not sure about the drawing of the cave – it’s got trees all around it (Q21), which is great, but the drawing’s a bit too static, isn’t it? I think it needs some action. HELEN: Yes, there’s nothing happening. Perhaps I should add the boy – Malcolm, isn’t it? He would be walking up to it. JEREMY: Yes, let’s have Malcolm in the drawing. And what about putting in a tiger (Q22) – the one that he makes friends with a bit later? Maybe it could be sitting under a tree washing itself. HELEN: And the tiger stops in the middle of what it’s doing when it sees Malcolm walking past. JEREMY: That’s a good idea. HELEN: OK, I’ll have a go at that. JEREMY: Then there’s the drawing of the crowd of men and women dancing. They’re just outside the forest (Q23), and there’s a lot going on. HELEN: That’s right, you wanted them to be watching a carnival procession, but I thought it would be too crowded. Do you think it works like this? JEREMY: Yes, I like what you’ve done. The only thing is, could you add Malcolm to it, without changing what’s already there. HELEN: What about having him sitting on the tree trunk on the right of the picture? JEREMY: Yes, that would be fine. HELEN: And do you want him watching the other people? JEREMY: No, he’s been left out of all the fun, so I’d like him to be crying (Q24) – that’ll contrast nicely with the next picture, where he’s laughing at the clowns in the carnival. HELEN: Right, I’ll do that. JEREMY: And then the drawing of the people ice skating in the forest.
HELEN: I wasn’t too happy with that one. Because they’re supposed to be skating on grass aren’t they? (Q25) JEREMY: That’s right, and it’s frozen over. At the moment it doesn’t look quite right. HELEN: Mm, I see what you mean. I’ll have another go at that. JEREMY: And I like the wool hats they’re wearing. Maybe you could give each of them a scarf as well. (Q26) HELEN: Yeah, that’s easy enough. They can be streaming out behind the people to suggest they’re skating really fast. JEREMY: Mm, great. Well that’s all on the drawings. HELEN: Right. So you’ve finished writing your story and I just need to finish illustrating it, and my story and your drawings are done. ———————– HELEN: So the next thing is to decide what exactly we need to write about in the report that goes with the stories, and how we’re going to divide the work. JEREMY: Right, Helen. HELEN: What do you think about including a section on how we planned the project as a whole, Jeremy? That’s probably quite important. JEREMY: Yeah. Well, you’ve had most of the good ideas so far. How do you feel about drafting something (Q27), then we can go through it together and discuss it? HELEN: OK, that seems reasonable. And I could include something on how we came up with the ideas for our two stories, couldn’t I? JEREMY: Well, I’ve started writing something about that, so why don’t you do the same and we can include the two things. (Q28) HELEN: Right. So what about our interpretation of the stories? Do we need to write about what we think they show, like the value of helping other people, all that sort of thing? JEREMY: That’s going to come up later isn’t it? I think everyone in the class is going to read each other’s stories and come up with their own interpretations which we’re going to discuss. (Q29) HELEN: Oh, I missed that. So it isn’t going to be part of the report at all? JEREMY: No. But we need to write about the illustrations, because they’re an essential element of children’s experience of reading the stories. It’s probably easiest for you to write that section, as you know more about drawing than I do. HELEN: Maybe, but I find it quite hard to write about. I’d be happier if you did it. (Q30) JEREMY: OK. So when do you think … Cam 11- Test 4 SUPERVISOR: Hi, Joanna, good to meet you. Now, before we discuss your new research project. I’d like to hear something about the psychology study you did last year for your Master’s degree. So how did you choose your subjects for that? JOANNA: Well, I had six subjects, all professional musicians, and all female. There were violinists and there was also a cello player and a pianist and a flute player. They were all very highly regarded in the music world and they’d done quite extensive tours in different continents (Q21&Q22), and quite a few had won prizes and competitions as well. SUPERVISOR: And they were quite young, weren’t they? JOANNA: Yes, between 25 and 29 – the mean was 27.8. I wasn’t specifically look for artists who’d produced recordings, but this is something that’s just taken for granted these days, and they all had. (Q21&Q22) SUPERVISOR: Right. Now you collected your data through telephone interviews, didn’t you? JOANNA: Yes. I realised if I was going to interview leading musicians it’s only be possible over the phone because they’re so busy (Q23&Q24). I recorded them using a telephone recording adaptor. I’d been worried about the quality, but it worked out all right. I managed at least a 30-minute interview with each subject, sometimes longer. SUPERVISOR: Did doing it on the phone make it more stressful?
JOANNA: I’d thought it might … it was all quite informal though and in fact they seemed very keen to talk. And I don’t think using the phone meant I got less rich data rather the opposite in fact. (Q23&Q24) SUPERVISOR: Interesting. And you were looking at how performers dress for concert performances? JOANNA: That’s right. My research investigated the way players see their role as a musician and how this is linked to the type of clothing they decide to wear. But that focus didn’t emerge immediately. When I started I was more interested in trying to investigate the impact of what was worn on those listening (Q25&Q26), and also whether someone like a violinist might adopt a different style of clothing from, say, someone playing the flute or the trumpet (Q25&Q26). SUPERVISOR: It’s interesting that the choice of dress is up to the individual, isn’t it? JOANNA: Yes, you’d expect there to be rules about it in orchestras, but that’s quite rare. —————————— SUPERVISOR: You only had women performers in your study. Was that because male musicians are less worried about fashion? JOANNA: I think a lot of the men are very much influenced by fashion, but in social terms the choices they have are more limited … they’d really upset audiences if they strayed away from quite narrow boundaries. (Q27) SUPERVISOR: Hmm. Now, popular music has quite different expectations. Did you read Mike Frost’s article about the dress of women performers in popular music? JOANNA: No. SUPERVISOR: He points out that a lot of female singers and musicians in popular music tend to dress down in performances, and wear less feminine clothes, like jeans instead of skirts, and he suggests this is because otherwise they’d just be discounted as trivial. (Q28) JOANNA: But you could argue they’re just wearing what’s practical … I mean, a pop-music concert is usually a pretty energetic affair. SUPERVISOR: Yes, he doesn’t make that point, but I think you’re probably right. I was interested by the effect of the audience at a musical performance when it came to the choice of dress. JOANNA: The subjects I interviewed felt this was really important. It’s all to do with what we understand by performance as a public event. They believed the audience had certain expectations and it was up to them as performers to fulfil these expectations to show a kind of esteem … (Q29) SUPERVISOR: … they weren’t afraid of looking as if they’d made an effort to look good. JOANNA: Mmm. I think in the past the audience would have had those expectation of one another too, but that’s not really the case now, not in the UK anyway. SUPERVISOR: No. JOANNA: And I also got interested in what sports scientists are doing too, with regard to clothing. SUPERVISOR: Musicians are quite vulnerable physically, aren’t they, because the movements they carry out are very intensive and repetitive, so I’d imagine some features of sports clothing could safeguard the players from the potentially dangerous effects of this sort of thing. (Q30) JOANNA: Yes, but musicians don’t really consider it. They avoid clothing that obviously restricts their movements, but that’s as far as they go. SUPERVISOR: Anyway, coming back to your own research, do you have any idea where you’re going from here? JOANNA: I was thinking of doing a study using an audience, including .. Cam 10 -Test 1 JOHN: Erm … hello Professor, I’m John Wishart. I’m working on my entry for the Global Design Competition. My tutor said you might be able to help me with it. PROFESSOR: Ah, yes, I got a copy of your drawings. Come in and tell me about it. What sort of competition is it? JOHN: Well, it’s an international design competition and we have to come up with a new design for a typical domestic kitchen appliance. (Q21) PROFESSOR: I see, and are there any special conditions? Does it have to save energy for example?
JOHN: Actually that was the focus in last year’s competition. This year’s different. We have to adopt an innovative approach to existing technology, using it in a way that hasn’t been thought of before. PROFESSOR: I see, that sounds tricky. And what kitchen appliance have you chosen? JOHN: Well, they’re an everyday kitchen appliance in most Australian houses but they’re all pretty boring and almost identical to each other. I think some people will be prepared to pay a little extra for something that looks different. (Q22) PROFESSOR: That’s a nice idea. I see you’ve called your design ‘the Rockpool’; why is that? JOHN: Basically because it looks like the rock pools you find on a beach. The top is made of glass so that you can look down into it. PROFESSOR: And there’s a stone at the bottom. Is that just for decoration? JOHN: Actually it does have a function. Instead of pushing a button, you turn the stone. (Q23) PROFESSOR: So it’s really just a novel way of starting the dishwasher. JOHN: That’s right. PROFESSOR: It’s a really nice design, but what makes it innovative? JOHN: Well, I decided to make a dishwasher that uses carbon dioxide. PROFESSOR: In place of water and detergent? How will you manage that? JOHN: The idea is to pressurize the carbon dioxide so that it becomes a liquid. The fluid is then released into the dishwasher where it cleans the dishes all by itself. PROFESSOR: Sounds like a brilliant idea! Your system will totally do away with the need for strong detergents. So what happens once the dishes are clean? JOHN: Well, to allow them to dry, the liquid carbon dioxide and the waste materials all go to an area called the holding chamber. That’s where the liquid is depressurised and so it reverts to a gas (Q24). Then the oil and grease are separated out and sent to the waste system. PROFESSOR: It sounds like you’ve thought it all out very thoroughly. So, what happens to the carbon dioxide once the process is complete? Not wasted I hope. JOHN: Actually, that’s where the real savings are made. The carbon dioxide is sent back to the cylinder and can be used again and again. (Q25) PROFESSOR: What a terrific idea. Do you think it will ever be built? JOHN: Probably not, but that’s OK. PROFESSOR: Well, I’m sure a lot of positive things will come out of your design. ——————————- PROFESSOR: Now, you seem to have thought about everything so what exactly did you need me to help you with? JOHN: Well, my design has made it to the final stage of the competition and, in a few months’ time. I have to give a presentation, and that’s the part I was hoping you could help me with. (Q26) PROFESSOR: Right, well that should be easy enough. What have you managed to do so far? JOHN: Well, I’ve got detailed drawings to show how it will work and I’ve also written a 500-word paper on it. PROFESSOR: I see. Well, if you want to stand a good chance of winning you really need a model of the machine. (Q27) JOHN: Yes, I thought I might but I’m having a few problems. PROFESSOR: What is the main difficulty so far? Let me guess – is it the materials? JOHN: Yes. I want it to look professional but everything that’s top quality is also very expensive. (Q28) PROFESSOR: Look, projects like this are very important to us. They really help lift our profile. So why don’t you talk to the university about a grant? (Q29) I can help you fill out the application forms if you like. JOHN: That would be a great. PROFESSOR: You’d better show me this paper you’ve written as well. For a global competition such as this you need to make sure the technical details you’ve given are accurate and thorough. (Q30) JOHN: That would be a great help. PROFESSOR: Is there anything else I can do?
JOHN: Well, I’m really … Cam 10-Test 2 VICTOR: Right, well, for our presentation shall I start with the early life of Thor Heyerdahl? OLIVIA: Sure. Why don’t you begin with describing the type of boy he was, especially his passion for collecting things. (Q21&Q22) VICTOR: That’s right, he had his own the little museum. And I think it’s unusual for children to develop their own values and not join in their parents’ hobbies; I’m thinking of how Heyerdahl wouldn’t go hunting with his dad, for example. OLIVIA: Yeah, he preferred to learn about nature by listening to his mother read to him. And quite early on he knew he wanted to become an explorer when he grew up. That came from his camping trips he went on in Norway I think … VICTOR: No, it was climbing that he spent his time on as a young man. (Q21&Q22) OLIVIA: Oh, right … After university he married a classmate and together, they decided to experience living on a small island, to find out how harsh weather conditions shaped people’s lifestyles. (Q23&Q24) VICTOR: As part of their preparation before they left home, they learnt basic survival skills like building a shelter. I guess they needed that knowledge in order to live wild in a remote location with few inhabitants, cut of by the sea, which is what they were aiming to do. OLIVIA: An important part of your talk should be the radical theory Heyerdahl formed from examining mysterious ancient carvings that he happened to find on the island. I think you should finish with that. VICTOR: OK. ————————- OLIVIA: All right, Victor, so after your part I’ll talk about Thor Heyerdahl’s adult life, continuing from the theory he had about Polynesian migration: Up until that time of course, academics had believed that humans first migrated to the islands in Polynesia from Asia, in the west. VICTOR: Yes, they thought that travel from the east was impossible, because of the huge, empty stretch of ocean that lies between the islands and the nearest inhabited land. (Q25) OLIVIA: Yes, but Heyerdahl spent ages studying the cloud movements, ocean currents and wind patterns to find if it was actually possible. And another argument was that there was no tradition of large ship- building in the communities lying to the east of Polynesia. But Heyerdahl knew they made lots of coastal voyages in locally built canoes. VICTOR: Yes, or sailing on rafts, as was shown by the long voyage that Heyerdahl did next. It was an incredibly risky journey to undertake – sometimes I wonder if he did that trip for private reasons, you know? To show others that he could have spectacular adventures. What do you think, Olivia? OLIVIA: Well, I think it was more a matter of simply trying out his idea, to see if migration from the east was possible. (Q26) VICTOR: Yes, that’s probably it. And the poor guy suffered a bit at that time because the war forced him to stop his work for some years … OLIVIA: Yes. When he got started again and planned his epic voyage, do you think it was important to him that he achieve it before anyone else did? VICTOR: Um, I haven’t read anywhere that that was his motivation. The most important factor seems to have been that he use only ancient techniques and local materials to build his raft. (Q27) OLIVIA: Yes. I wonder how fast it went. VICTOR: Well, it took them 97 days from South America to the Pacific Island. OLIVIA: Mm. And after that, Heyerdahl went to Easter Island, didn’t he? We should mention the purpose of that trip. I think he sailed there in a boat made out of reeds. VICTOR: No, that was later on in Egypt, Olivia. OLIVIA: Oh, yes, that’s right. VICTOR: But what he wanted to do was talk to the local people about their old stone carvings and then make one himself to learn more about the process. (Q28)
OLIVIA: I see. Well, what a great life. Even though many of his theories have been disproven, he certainly left a lasting impression on many disciplines, didn’t he? To my mind, he was first person to establish what modern academics call practical archaeology. I mean, that they try to recreate something from the past today (Q29), like he did with his raft trip. It’s unfortunate that his ideas about where Polynesians originated from have been completely discredited. VICTOR: Yes. Right, well, I’ll prepare a PowerPoint slide at the end that acknowledges our sources. I mainly used The Life and Work of Thor Heyerdahl by William Oliver. The research methods he used were very sound, although I must say I found the overall tone somewhat old-fashioned. I think they need to do a new, revised edition. (Q30) OLIVIA: Yeah, I agree. What about the subject matter – I found it really challenging! VICTOR: Well, it’s a complex issue … OLIVIA: I thought the book had lots of good points. What did you think of … Cam 10 -Test 3 MIA: Hi, Rob. How’s the course going? ROB: Oh, hi, Mia. Yeah, great. I can’t believe the first term’s nearly over. MIA: I saw your group’s performance last night at the student theatre. It was good. ROB: Really? Yeah … but now we have to write a report on the whole thing, an in-depth analysis. I don’t know where to start. Like, I have to write about the role I played, the doctor, how I developed the character. MIA: Well, what was your starting point? ROB: Er … my grandfather was a doctor before he retired, and I just based it on him. MIA: OK, but how? Did you talk to him about it? ROB: He must have all sorts of stories, but he never says much about his work, even now. He has a sort of authority though. MIA: So how did you manage to capture that? ROB: I’d … I’d visualise what he must have been like in the past, when he was sitting in his consulting room listening to his patients. (Q21) MIA: OK, so that’s what you explain in your report. ROB: Right. MIA: Then there’s the issue of atmosphere – so in the first scene we needed to know how boring life was in the doctor’s village in the 1950s, so when the curtain went up on the first scene in the waiting room, there was that long silence before anyone spoke. And then people kept saying the same thing over and over, like ‘Cold, isn’t it?’ (Q22) ROB: Yes, and everyone wore grey and brown, and just sat in a row. MIA: Yes, all those details of the production. ROB: And I have to analyse how I functioned in the group – what I found out about myself. I know I was so frustrated at times, when we couldn’t agree. MIA: Yes. So did one person emerge as the leader? ROB: Sophia did. That was OK – she helped us work out exactly what to do, for the production. And that made me feel better, I suppose. (Q23) MIA: When you understood what needed doing? ROB: Yes. And Sophia did some research, too. That was useful in developing our approach. MIA: Like what? ROB: Well, she found these articles from the 1950s about how relationships between children and their parents, or between the public and people like bank managers or the police were shifting. (Q24) MIA: Interesting. And did you have any practical problems to overcome? ROB: Well, in the final rehearsal everything was going fine until the last scene – what’s where the doctor’s first patient appears on stage on his own. MIA: The one in the wheelchair?
ROB: Yes, and he had this really long speech, with the stage all dark except for one spotlight – and then that stuck somehow so it was shining on the wrong side of the stage (Q25) … but anyway we got that fixed, thank goodness. MIA: Yes, it was fine on the night. ———————– ROB: But while you’re here, Mia. I wanted to ask you about the year abroad option. Would you recommend doing that? MIA: Yes, definitely. It’s a fantastic chance to study in another country for a year. ROB: I think I’d like to do it, but it looks very competitive – there’s only a limited number of places. MIA: Yes, so next year when you are in the second year of the course, you need to work really hard in all your theatre studies modules. Only students with good marks get places – you have to prove that you know your subject really well. (Q26) ROB: Right. So how did you choose where to go? MIA: Well, I decided I wanted a programme that would fit in with what I wanted to do after I graduate, so I looked for a university with emphasis on acting rather than directing for example. It depends on you (Q27). Then about six months before you go, you have to email the scheme coordinator with your top three choices. I had a friend who missed the deadline and didn’t get her first choice, so you do need to get a move on at that stage (Q28). You’ll find that certain places are very popular with everyone. ROB: And don’t you have to write a personal statement at that stage? MIA: Yes. ROB: Right. I’ll get some of the final year students to give me some tips (Q29) … maybe see if I can read what they wrote. MIA: I think that’s a very good idea. I don’t mind showing you what I did. And while you’re abroad don’t make the mistake I made. I got so involved I forgot all about making arrangements for when I came back here for the final year. Make sure you stay in touch so they know your choices for the optional modules (Q30). You don’t want to miss out doing your preferred specialisms. ROB: Right. Cam 10- Test 4 TIM: Hi, Laura – could you spare a few minutes to talk about the work placement you did last summer? I’m thinking of doing one myself … LAURA: Hi, Tim. Sure. TIM: Didn’t you do yours at an environmental services company? LAURA: That’s right … It’s only a very small company and they needed someone to produce a company brochure, and I wanted to get some business experience because I’m interested in a career in occupational psychology in a business environment. It was good because I had overall responsibility for the project. TIM: What kind of skills do you think you developed on the placement? I mean, apart from the ones you already had … Did you have to do all the artwork for the brochure, the layout and everything? LAURA: We hired the services of a professional photographer for that. I did have to use my IT skills to a certain extent because I cut and pasted text from marketing leaflets, but that didn’t involve anything I hadn’t done before. TIM: Do you think you got any better at managing your time and prioritizing things? You always used to say you had trouble with that … (Q21&Q22) LAURA: Oh, definitely. There was so much pressure to meet the project deadline. And I also got better at explaining things and asserting my opinions (Q21&Q22), because I had to have weekly consultations with the marketing manager and give him a progress report. TIM: It sounds as if you got a lot out of it then. LAURA: Absolutely. It was really worthwhile … But you know, the company benefited too … TIM: Yes, they must have done. After all, if they’d used a professional advertising agency to produce their brochure instead of doing it in-house, presumably they’d have paid a lot more?
LAURA: Oh, yes. I worked it out – it would have been 250 per cent more (Q23&Q24). And I thought the end result was good, even though we did everything on site. The company has quite a powerful computer and I managed to borrow some scanning software from the university. The new brochure looks really professional; it enhances the image of the company straight away (Q23&Q24). TIM: So in the long run it should help them to attract clients, and improve their sales figures? LAURA: That’s the idea. Yeah. ———————– TIM: Well, all in all it sounds very positive – I think I will go ahead and apply for a placement myself. How do I go about it? LAURA: It’s easy enough to do, because there’s a government agency called STEP – S-T-E-P – that organises placements for students. You should start by getting their booklet with all the details – I expect you can download one from their website. TIM: Actually, they’ve got copies in the psychology department – I’ve seen them there. I’ll just go to the office and pick one up. (Q25) LAURA: Right. And then if I were you, after I’d looked at it I’d go over all the options with someone … TIM: I suppose I should ask my tutor’s advice. He knows more about me than anyone. LAURA: One of the career officers would be better (Q26), they’ve got more knowledge about the jobs market than your personal tutor would have. TIM: OK … LAURA: And then when you know what you want you can register with STEP – you’ll find their address in the booklet. And once you’ve registered they assign you to a mentor who looks after your application. TIM: And then I suppose you just sit back and wait till you hear something? LAURA: They told me at the careers office that it’s best to be proactive, and get updates yourself by checking the website for new placement alerts (Q27). Your mentor is supposed to keep you informed, but you can’t rely on that. TIM: I don’t suppose it’s a good idea to get in touch with companies directly, is it? LAURA: Not really … But it is the company who notifies you if they want you to go for an interview. You get a letter of invitation or an email from personnel departments. (Q28) TIM: And do I reply directly to them? LAURA: Yes, you do. STEP only gets involved again once you’ve been made a job offer. TIM: Right … So, once you’ve had an interview you should let your mentor know what the outcome is? I mean whether you’re offered a job, and whether you’ve decided to accept it? (Q29) LAURA: That’s right. They’ll inform the careers office once a placement has been agreed, so you don’t have to do that. TIM: Is that all then? LAURA: More or less. Only once you’ve accepted an offer you’ll probably have to supply a reference, because the placement will be conditional on that. And that’s something you should ask your own tutor to provide (Q3). He knows about your academic ability and also about your qualities, like reliability. TIM: Well, thanks very much for the information – I’m starting to look forward … SECTION 4- SCRIPTS Cam 16 - test 1 Ancient philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing, or even reading long, dense books. In fact, it is something people have used throughout history – to solve their problems and to achieve their greatest triumphs. Specifically, I am referring to Stoicism, which, in my opinion, is the most practical of all philosophies (Q31) and therefore the most appealing. Stoicism was founded in Ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC, but was practised by the likes of Epictetus, Cato. Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Amazingly, we still have access to these ideas, despite the fact that the most famous Stoics never wrote anything down for publication (Q32). Cato definitely didn’t.
Marcus Aurelius never intended his Meditations to be anything but personal. Seneca’s letters were, well, letters and Epictetus’ thoughts come to us by way of a note-taking student. Stoic principles were based on the idea that its followers could have an unshakable happiness in this life and the key to achieving this was virtue. The road to virtue, in turn, lay in understanding that destructive emotions, like anger and jealousy, are under our conscious control – they don’t have to control us, because we can learn to control them. In the words of Epictetus: “external events I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them, I do control”. (Q33) The modern day philosopher and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines a Stoic as someone who has a different perspective on experience which most of us would see as wholly negative (Q34); a Stoic “transforms fear into caution, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking”. Using this definition as a model, we can see that throughout the centuries Stoicism has been practised in more recent history by kings, presidents, artists, writers and entrepreneurs. The founding fathers of the United States were inspired by the philosophy. George Washington was introduced to Stoicism by his neighbours at age seventeen, and later, put on a play based on the life of Cato to inspire his men (Q35). Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca beside his bed. Writers and artists have also been inspired by the stoics. Eugène Delacroix, the renowned French Romantic artist (known best for his painting Liberty Leading the People) was an ardent Stoic, referring to it as his “consoling religion”. The economist Adam Smith’s theories on capitalism were significantly influenced by the Stoicism (Q36) that he studied as a schoolboy, under a teacher who had translated Marcus Aurelius’ works. Today’s political leaders are no different, with many finding their inspiration from the ancient texts. Former US president Bill Clinton rereads Marcus Aurelius every single year, and many have compared former President Obama’s calm leadership style to that of Cato. Wen Jiabao, the former prime minister of China, claims that Meditations is one of two books he travels with and that he has read it more than one hundred times over the course of his life. Stoicism had a profound influence on Albert Ellis, who invented Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Q37), which is used to help people manage their problems by changing the way that they think and behave. It’s most commonly used to treat depression. The idea is that we can take control of our lives by challenging the irrational belief that create our faulty thinking, symptoms and behaviours by using logic instead. (Q38) Stoicism has also become popular in the world of business. Stoic principles can build the resilience and state of mind required to overcome setbacks because Stoics teach turning obstacles into opportunity (Q39). A lesson every business entrepreneur needs to learn. I would argue that study Stoicism is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago, thanks to its brilliant insights into how to lead a good life (Q40). At the very root of the thinking, there is a very simple way of living – control what you can and accept what you can’t. This is not as easy as it sounds and will require considerable practice – it can take a lifetime to master. The Stoics also believed the most important foundation for a good and happy life is not money, fame, power or pleasure, but having a disciplined and principled character – something which seems to resonate with many people today. ——————— Cam 16 - test 2 Dancing is something that humans do when they want to have a good time. It’s a universal response to music, found in all cultures. But what’s only been discovered recently is that dancing not only makes us feel good, it’s also extremely good for our health. Dancing, like other forms of exercise, releases hormones, such as dopamine, which make us feel relaxed and happy. And it also reduces feelings of stress or anxiety. Dancing is also a sociable activity, which is another reason it makes us feel good. One study compared people’s enjoyment of dancing at home in front of a video with dancing in a group in a studio. The people dancing in a group reported feeling happier, whereas those dancing alone did not.
In another experiment, university researchers at York and Sheffield took a group of students and sent each of them into a lab where music was played for five minutes. Each had to choose from three options: to sit and listen quietly to the music, to cycle on an exercise bike while they listened, or to get up and dance. All were given cognitive tasks to perform before and after. The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity (Q31) when doing problem-solving tasks. Doctor Lovatt at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems. He thinks dance should be prescribed ad therapy (Q32) to help people overcome issues such as depression. ———————— It’s well established that dance is a good way of encouraging adolescent girls to take exercise but what about older people? Studies have shown that there are enormous benefits for people in their sixties and beyond. One of the great things about dance is that there are no barriers to participation. Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard of fitness is quite low. (Q33) Dance can be especially beneficial for older adults who can’t run or do more intense workouts, or for those who don’t want to. One 2015 study found that even a gently dance workout helps to promote a healthy heart. And there’s plenty of evidence which suggests that dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance. (Q34) There are some less obvious benefits of dance for older people too. One thing I hadn’t realised before researching this topic was that dance isn’t just a physical challenge. It also requires a lot of concentration because you need to remember different steps and routines. For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to process things more quickly (Q35) and to retain more information. Current research also shows that dance promotes a general sense of well-being in older participants, which can last up to a week after a class. Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active (Q36) and do daily activities such as gardening or walking to the shops or a park. Ballroom or country dancing, both popular with older people. They require collaboration and often involve touching a dance partner, all of which encourages interaction on the dance floor. This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people’s sense of isolation (Q37), which is a huge problem in many countries. I also looked at the benefits of Zumba. Fifteen million people in 180 countries now regularly take a Zumba class, an aerobic workout based on Latin American dance moves. John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories. This is similar to moderately intense exercises (Q38) like step aerobics or kickboxing. A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with obesity (Q39) did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit (Q40) and continued to attend classes at least once a week – very unusual for an aerobic exercise programme. Dance is never going to compete with high-intensity workouts when it comes to physical fitness gains, but its popularity is likely to keep on rising because it’s such a fun way to keep fit. Cam 16- test 3 Good morning everyone. So today we’re going to look at an important creative activity and that’s hand knitting. Ancient knitted garments have been found in many different countries. Showing that knitting is a global activity with a long history. When someone says the word ‘knitting’ we might well picture an elderly person – a grandmother perhaps – sitting by the fire knitting (Q31) garments for themselves or other members of the family. It’s a homely image, but one that may lead you to feel that knitting is an activity of the past – and, indeed, during the previous decade, it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish (Q32) from everyday life. For although humans have sewn and knitted their own clothing for a very long time, many of these craft-based skills went into decline when industrial machines took over – mainly because they were no longer passed down from one generation to another.
However, that’s all changing and interest in knitting classes in many countries is actually rising, as more and more people are seeking formal instruction in the skill. With that trend, we’re also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment. (Q34) So why do people want to be taught to knit at a time when a machine can readily do the job for them? The answer is that knitting, as a handicraft, has numerous benefits for those doing it. Let’s consider what some of these might be. While many people knitted garments in the past because they couldn’t afford to buy clothes, it’s still true today that knitting can be helpful if you’re experiencing economic hardship (Q34). If you have several children who all need warm winter clothes, knitting may save you a lot of money. And the results of knitting your own clothes can be very rewarding, even though the skills you need to get going are really quite basic (Q35) and the financial outlay is minimal. But the more significant benefits in today’s world are to do with well-being. In a world where it’s estimated that we spend up to nine hours a day online, doing something with our hands that is craft-based makes us feel good. It releases us from the stress of a technological, fast-paced life. ——————— Now, let’s look back a bit too early knitting activities. In fact, no one really knows when knitting first began. But archaeological remains have disclosed plenty of information for us to think about. One of the interesting things about knitting is that the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found suggest that most of the items produced were round (Q36) rather than flat. Discoveries from the 3rd and 4th centuries in Egypt show that things like socks and gloves, that were needed to keep hands and feet warm, were knitted in one piece using four or five needles. That’s very different from most knitting patterns today, which only require two. What’s more, the very first needles people used were hand carved out of wood and other natural materials, like bone (Q37), whereas today’s needles are largely made of steel or plastic and make that characteristic clicking sound when someone’s using them. Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, hemp, cotton and wool, and these were often very rough on the skin (Q38). The spinning wheel, which allowed people to make finer yarns and produce much greater quantities of them, led to the dominance of wool in the knitting industry – often favoured for its warmth. Another interesting fact about knitting is that because it was practised in so many parts of the world for so many purposes, regional differences in style developed (Q39). This visual identity has allowed researchers to match bits of knitted clothing that have been unearthed over time to the region from which the wearer came or the job that he or she did. As I’ve mentioned, knitting offered people from poor communities a way of making extra money while doing other tasks. For many centuries, it seems, men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over sheep (Q40), walking to market or riding in boats. So, let’s move on to take a … ——————— I hope you find this Cambridge 16 Listening Test 3 Transcript useful in your IELTS preparation. If you want complete Cambridge Listening transcripts from all booklets released till date, then simply click on the button below: Cam 16 - test 4 One of the most famous cases of extinction is that of a bird known as the dodo. In fact there’s even a saying in English, ‘as dead as the dodo’, used to refer to something which no longer exists. But for many centuries the dodo was alive and well, although it could only be found in one place, the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was a very large bird, about one metre tall, and over the centuries it had lost the ability to fly, but it survived happily under the trees that covered the island. Then in the year 1507 the first Portuguese ships stopped at the island. The sailors were carrying spices (Q31) back to Europe, and found the island a convenient stopping place where they could stock up with food and water for the rest of the voyage, but they didn’t settle on Mauritius. However, in 1683 the Dutch arrived and set up a colony (Q32) there. These first human inhabitants of the island found the dodo birds a convenient source of meat, although not everyone liked the taste.
It’s hard to get an accurate description of what the dodo actually looked like. We do have some written records from sailors, and a few pictures, but we don’t know how reliable these are. The best-known picture is a Dutch painting in which the bird appears to be extremely fat (Q33), but this may not be accurate – an Indian painting done at the same time shows a much thinner bird. Although attempts were made to preserve the bodies of some of the birds, no complete specimen survives. In the early 17th century four dried parts of a bird were known to exist – of these, three have disappeared, so only one example of soft tissue from the dodo survives, a dodo head (Q34). Bones have also found, but there’s only one complete skeleton in existence. This single dodo skeleton has recently been the subject of scientific research which suggests that many of the earlier beliefs about dodos may have been incorrect. For example, early accounts of the birds mention how slow and clumsy it was, but scientists now believe the bird’s strong knee joints would have made it capable of movement (Q35) which was not slow, but actually quite fast. In fact, one 17th century sailor wrote that he found the birds hard to catch. It’s true that the dodo’s small wings wouldn’t have allowed it to leave the ground, but the scientists suggest that these were probably employed for balance (Q36) while going over uneven ground. Another group of scientists carried out analysis of the dodo’s skull. They found that the reports of the lack of intelligence of the dodo were not borne out by their research, which suggested the bird’s brain (Q37) was not small, but average in size. In fact, in relation to its body size, it was similar to that of the pigeon, which is known to be a highly intelligent bird. The researchers also found that the structure of the bird’s skull suggested that one sense which was particularly well-developed was that of smell (Q38). So the dodo may also have been particularly good at locating ripe fruit and other food in the island’s thick vegetation. ————————————– So it looks as if the dodo was better able to survive and defend itself than was originally believed. Yet less than 200 years after Europeans first arrived on the island, they had become extinct. So what was the reason for this? For a long time, it was believed that the dodos were hunted to extinction, but scientists now believe the situation was more complicated than this. Another factor may have been the new species brought to the island by the sailors. These included dogs, which would have been a threat to the dodos, and also monkeys, which ate the fruit that was the main part of the dodos’ diet. These were brought to the island deliberately, but the ships also brought another type of creature – rats (Q39), which came to land from the ships and rapidly overran the island. These upset the ecology of the island, not just the dodos but other species too. However, they were a particular danger to the dodos because they consumed their eggs, and since each dodo only laid one at a time, this probably had a devastating effect on populations. However, we now think that probably the main cause of the birds’ extinction was not the introduction of non- native species, but the introduction of agriculture. This meant that the forest (Q40) that has once covered all the island, and that had provided a perfect home for the dodo, was cut down so that crops such as sugar could be grown. So although the dodo had survived for thousands of years, suddenly it was gone. Cam 15. Test 1 Today I’m going to talk about the eucalyptus tree. This is a very common tree here in Australia, where it’s also sometimes called the gum tree. First I’m going to talk about why it’s important, then I’m going to describe some problems it faces at present. Right, well the eucalyptus tree is an important tree for lots of reasons. For example, it gives shelter (Q31) to creatures like birds and bats, and these and other species also depend on it for food, particularly the nectar from its flowers. So it supports biodiversity. It’s useful to us humans too, because we can kill germs with a disinfectant made from oil (Q32) extracted from eucalyptus leaves. The eucalyptus grows all over Australia and the trees can live for up to four hundred years. So it’s alarming that all across the country, numbers of eucalyptus are falling because the trees are dying off prematurely. So what are the reasons for this?
One possible reason is disease. As far back as the 1970s the trees started getting a disease called Mundulla Yellows. The trees’ leaves would gradually turn yellow, then the tree would die. It wasn’t until 2004 that they found the cause of the problem was lime, or calcium hydroxide to give it its proper chemical name, used in the construction of roads (Q33). The lime was being washed away into the ground and affecting the roots of the eucalyptus trees nearby. What is was doing was preventing the trees from sucking up the iron they needed for healthy growth. When this was injected back into the affected trees, they immediately recovered. But this problem only affected a relatively small number of trees. By 2000, huge numbers of eucalyptus were dying along Australia’s East Coast, of a disease known as Bell-miner Associated Die-back. The bell-miner is a bird, and the disease seems to be common where there are high populations of bell-miners. Again it’s the leaves of the trees that are affected. What happens is that insects (Q34) settle on the leaves and eat their way round them, destroying them as they go, and at the same time they secrete a solution which has sugar in it. The bell-miner birds really like this solution, and in order to get as much as possible. They keep away other creatures that might try to get it. So these birds and insects flourish at the expense of other species. And eventually so much damage is done to the leaves that the tree dies. ————————– But experts say that trees can start looking sick before any sign of Bell-miner Associated Die-back. So it looks as if the problem might have another explanation. One possibility is that it’s to do with the huge bushfires that we have in Australia. A theory proposed over 40 years ago be ecologist William Jackson is that the frequency of bushfires in a particular region affects the type of vegetation that grows there. If there are very frequent bushfires in a region, this encourages grass (Q35) to grow afterwards, while if the bushfires are rather less frequent, this results in the growth of eucalyptus forests. So why is this? Why do fairly frequent bushfires actually support the growth of eucalyptus? Well, one reason is that the fire stops the growth of other species which would consume water (Q36) needed by eucalyptus trees. And there’s another reason. If these other quick-growing species of bushes and plants are allowed to proliferate, they harm the eucalyptus in another way, by affecting the composition of the soil (Q37), and removing nutrients from it. So some bushfires are actually essential for the eucalyptus to survive as long as they are not too frequent. In fact there’s evidence that Australia’s indigenous people practised regular burning of bush land for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans. But since Europeans arrived on the continent, the number of bushfires has been strictly controlled. Now scientists believe that this reduced frequency of bushfires to low levels had led to what’s known as ‘dry (Q38) rainforest’, which seems an odd name as usually we associate tropical rainforest with wet conditions. And what’s special about this type of rainforest? Well, unlike tropical rainforest which is a rich ecosystem, this type of ecosystem is usually a simple (Q39) one. It has very thick, dense vegetation, but not much variety of species. The vegetation provides lots of shade, so one species that does find it ideal is the bell-miner bird, which builds its nests (Q40) in the undergrowth there. But again that’s not helpful for the eucalyptus tree. Cam 15. Test 2 I’m going to report on a case study of a programme which has been set up to help rural populations in Mozambique, a largely agricultural country in South-East Africa. The programme worked with three communities in Chicualacuala district, near the Limpopo River. This is a dry and arid region, with unpredictable rainfall. Because of this, people in the area were unable to support themselves through agriculture and instead they used the forest as a means of providing themselves with an income, mainly by selling charcoal. However, this was not a sustainable way of living in the long term, as they were rapidly using up this resource. To support agriculture in this dry region, the programme focused primarily on making use of existing water resources from the Limpopo River by setting up systems of irrigation (Q31), which would provide a dependable water supply for crops and animals. The programme worked closely with the district government in order to find the best way of implementing this. The region already had one farmers’ association, and it was decided to set up two more of these. These associations planned and carried out activities including water
management, livestock breeding and agriculture, and it was notable that in general, women (Q32) formed the majority of the workforce. It was decided that in order to keep the crops safe from animals, both wild and domestic, special areas should be fenced off where the crops could be grown. The community was responsible for creating these fences, but the programme provided the necessary wire (Q33) for making them. Once the area had been fenced off, it could be cultivated. The land was dug, so that vegetables and cereals appropriate to the climate could be grown, and the programme provided the necessary seeds (Q34) for this. The programme also provided pumps so that water could be brought from the river in pipes to the fields. However, the labour was all provided by local people, and they also provided and put up the posts (Q35) that supported the fences around the fields. ———————- Once the programme had been set up, its development was monitored carefully. The farmers were able to grow enough produce not just for their own needs, but also to sell. However, getting the produce to places where it could be marketed was sometimes a problem, as the farmers did not have access to transport (Q36), and this resulted in large amounts of produce, especially vegetables, being spoiled. This problem was discussed with the farmers’ associations and it was decided that in order to prevent food from being spoiled, the farmers needed to learn techniques for its preservation. (Q37) There was also an additional initiative that had not been originally planned, but which became a central feature of the programme. This was when farmers started to dig holes for tanks in the fenced-off areas and to fill these with water and use them for breeding fish (Q38) – an important source of protein. After a time, another suggestion was made by local people which hadn’t been part of the programme’s original proposal, but which was also adopted later on. They decided to try setting up colonies of bees (Q39), which would provide honey both for their own consumption and to sell. So what lessons can be learned from this programme? First of all, it tells us that in dry, arid regions, if there is access to a reliable source of water, there is great potential for the development of agriculture. In Chicualacuala, there was a marked improvement in agricultural production, which improved food security and benefited local people by providing them with both food and income. However, it’s important to set realistic timelines for each phase of the programme, especially for its design (Q40), as mistakes made at this stage may be hard to correct later on. The programme demonstrates that sustainable development is possible in areas where … Cam 15- Test 3 Nowadays, we use different products for personal cleanliness, laundry, dishwashing and household cleaning, but this is very much a 20th-century development. The origins of cleanliness date back to prehistoric times. Since water is essential for life, the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties – at least that it rinsed mud off (Q31) their hands. During the excavation of ancient Babylon, evidence was found that soapmaking was known as early as 2800 BC. Archaeologists discovered cylinders made of clay (Q32), with inscriptions on them saying that fats were boiled with askes. This is a method of making soap, though there’s no reference to the purpose of this material. The early Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and apparently didn’t use soap. Instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of sand, pumice and ashes, then anointed themselves with oil, and scraped off the oil and dirt with a metal instrument known as a strigil (Q33). They also used oil mixed with ashes. Clothes were washed without soap in streams. The ancient Germans and Gauls are also credited with discovering how to make a substance called ‘soap’, made of melted animal fat and ashes. They used this mixture to tint their hair red (Q34). Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, from Mount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed, leaving deposits of animal fat. Rain washed these deposits, along with wood ashes, down into the clay soil along the River Tiber. Women found that this mixture greatly reduced the effort required to wash their clothes. As Roman civilisation advance, so did bathing. The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts (Q35). It was built around 312 BC. The baths were luxurious, and bathing became very
popular. And by the second century AD, the Greek physician Galen recommended soap for both medicinal and cleaning purposes. ————————– After the fall of Rome in 467 AD and the resulting decline in bathing habits, much of Europe felt the impact of filth on public health. This lack of personal cleanliness and related unsanitary living conditions were major factors in the outbreaks of disease (Q36) in the Middle Ages, and especially the Black Death of the 14th century. Nevertheless, soapmaking became an established craft in Europe, and associations of soapmakers guarded their trade secrets closely. Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with perfume, apparently for the first time (Q37). Gradually more varieties of soap became available for shaving and shampooing, as well as bathing and laundering. A major step toward large-scale commercial soapmaking occurred in 1791, when a French chemist, Nicholas Leblanc, patented a process for turning salt into soda ash (Q38), or sodium carbonate. Soda ash is the alkali obtained from ashes. That combines with fat to form soap. The Leblanc process yielded quantities of good- quality, inexpensive soda ash. Modern soapmaking was born some 20 years later, in the early 19th century, with the discovery by Michel Eugène Chevreul, another French chemist, of the chemical nature and relationship of fats, glycerine and fatty acids. His studies established the basis for both fat and soap chemistry, and soapmaking became a science (Q39). Further developments during the 19th century made it easier and cheaper to manufacture soap. Until the 19th century, soap was regarded as a luxury item, and was heavily taxed in several countries. As it became more readily available, it became an everyday necessity, a development that was reinforced when the high tax was removed (Q40). Soap was then something ordinary people could afford, and cleanliness standards improved. With this widespread use came the development of milder soaps for bathing and soaps for use in the washing machines that were available to consumers by the turn of the 20th century. Cam 15- test 4 Hi everyone, in this session I’ll be presenting my research about the social history of Britain during the Industrial Revolution. This was a time that saw the beginning of a new phenomenon; consumerism – where buying and selling goods became a major part of ordinary people’s lives. In fact, it was in the 19th century that the quantity and quality of people’s possessions was used as an indication of the wealth (Q31) of the country. Before this, the vast majority of people had very few possessions, but all that was changed by the Industrial Revolution. This was the era from the mid-18th to the late 19th century, when improvements in how goods were made as well as in technology (Q32) triggered massive social changes that transformed life for just about everybody in several key areas. First let’s look at manufacturing. When it comes to manufacturing, we tend to think of the Industrial Revolution in images of steam engines and coal. And it’s true that the Industrial Revolution couldn’t have taken place at all if it weren’t for these new sources of power (Q33). They marked an important shift away from the traditional watermills and windmills that had dominated before this. The most advanced industry for much of the 19th century was textiles (Q34). Before the Industrial Revolution, most people made goods to sell in small workshops, often in their own homes. But enormous new machines (Q35) were now being created that could produce the goods faster and on a larger scale, and these required a lot more space. So large factories were built, replacing the workshops, and forcing workers to travel to work. In fact, large numbers of people migrated from villages into towns as a result. ———————– As well as manufacturing, there were new technologies in transport, contributing to the growth of consumerism. The horse-drawn stagecoaches and carts of the 18th century, which carried very few people and good, and travelled slowly along poorly surfaced roads, were gradually replaced by the numerous canals that were constructed. These were particularly important for the transportation of goods. The canals gradually fell out of use, though, as railways were developed, becoming the main way of moving goods and people from one end of the country to the other. And the goods they moved weren’t just coal, iron, clothes, and so on – significantly, they included newspapers (Q36), which meant that thousands of people were
not only more knowledgeable about what was going on in the country, but could also read about what was available in the shops. And that encouraged them to buy more. so faster forms of transport resulted in distribution becoming far more efficient – goods could now be sold all over the country, instead of just in the local (Q37) market. The third main area that saw changes that contributed to consumerism was retailing. The number and quality of shops grew rapidly, and in particular, small shops suffered as customers flocked to the growing number of department stores – a form of retailing that was new in the 19th century. The entrepreneurs who opened these found new ways to stock them with goods, and to attract customers: for instance, improved lighting (Q38) inside greatly increased the visibility of the goods for sale. Another development that made goods more visible from outside resulted from the use of plate glass, which made it possible for windows (Q39) to be much larger than previously. New ways of promoting goods were introduced, too. Previously, the focus had been on informing potential customers about the availability of goods; now there was an explosion in advertising (Q40) trying to persuade people to go shopping. Flanders claims that one of the great effects of the Industrial Revolution was that it created choice. All sorts of things that had previously been luxuries – from sugar to cutlery – became conveniences, and before long they’d turned into necessities: life without sugar or cutlery was unimaginable. Rather like mobile phones these days! Cam 14- Test 1 Producing enough energy to meet our needs has become a serious problem. Demand is rising rapidly, because of the world’s increasing population and expanding (Q31) industry. Burning fossil fuels, like gas, coal and oil, seriously damages the environment and they’ll eventually run out. For a number of years now, scientists have been working out how we can derive energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, without causing pollution. Today I’ll outline marine renewable energy – also called ocean energy – which harnesses the movement of the oceans. Marine renewable energy can be divided into three main categories: wave energy, tidal energy and ocean thermal energy conversion, and I’ll say a few words about each one. First, wave energy. Numerous devices have been invented to harvest wave energy, with names such as Wave Dragon, the Penguin and Mighty Whale, and research is going on to try and come up with a really efficient method. This form of energy has plenty of potential, as the source is (Q32) constant, and there’s no danger of waves coming to a standstill. But the problem with ocean waves is that they’re erratic, with the wind making them travel in every (Q33) direction. This adds to the difficulty of creating efficient technology: ideally all the waves would travel smoothly and regularly along the same straight line. Another drawback is that sand and other sediment on the ocean (Q34) floor might be stopped from flowing normally, which can lead to environmental problems. ——————————– The second category of marine energy that I’ll mention is tidal energy. One major advantage of using the tide, rather than waves, as a source of energy is that it’s (Q35) predictable: we know the exact time of high and low tides for years to come. For tidal energy to be effective, the difference between high and low tides needs to be at least five metres, and this occurs naturally in only about forty places on Earth. One current plan is to create a tidal lagoon on the coast of Wales. This will be an area of water within a (Q36) bay at Swansea, sheltered by a U-shaped breakwater, or dam, built out from the coast. The breakwater will contain sixteen hydro turbines, and as the tide rises, water rushes through the breakwater, activating the turbines, which turn a generator to produce electricity. Then, for three hours as the tide goes out, the water is held back within the breakwater, increasing the difference in water level, until it’s several metres higher within the lagoon than in the open sea. Then, in order to release the stored water, (Q37) gates in the breakwater are opened. It pours powerfully out of the lagoon, driving the turbines in the breakwater in the opposite direction and again generating thousands of megawatts of electricity. As there are two high tides a day, this lagoon scheme would generate electricity four times a day, every day, for a total of around 14 hours in every 24 – and enough electricity for over 150,000 homes.
This system has quite a lot in its favour: unlike solar and wind energy it doesn’t depend on the weather; the turbines are operated without the need for (Q38) fuel, so it doesn’t create any greenhouse gas emissions; and very little maintenance is needed. It’s estimated that electricity generated in this way will be relatively cheap, and that manufacturing the components would create than 2,000 (Q39) jobs, a big boost to the local economy. On the other hand, there are fears that lagoons might harm both fish and birds, for example by disturbing (Q40) migration patterns, and causing a build-up of silt, affecting local ecosystems. There are other forms of tidal energy, but I’ll go on to the third category of marine energy: ocean thermal energy conversion. This depends on there being a big difference in temperature between surface water and the water a couple of kilometres below the surface, and this occurs in tropical coastal areas. The idea is to bring cold water up to the surface using a submerged pipe. The concept dates back to 1881, when … Cam 14- Test 2 In this series of lectures about the history of weather forecasting, I’ll start by examining its early history – that’ll be the subject of today’s talk. Ok, so we’ll start by going back thousands of years. Most ancient cultures had weather gods, and weather catastrophes, such as floods, played an important role in many creation myths. For instance, there’s the Egyptian sun god Ra, and Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning. Many ancient civilisations developed rites such as (Q31) dances in order to make the weather gods look kindly on them. But the weather was of daily importance: observing the skies and drawing the correct conclusions from these observations was really important, in fact their (Q32) survival depended on it. It isn’t known when people first started to observe the skies, but at around 650 BC, the Babylonians produced the first short-range weather forecasts, based on their observations of (Q33) clouds and other phenomena. The Chinese also recognised weather patterns, and by 300 BC, astronomers had developed a calendar which divided the year into 24 (Q34) festivals, each associated with a different weather phenomenon. The ancient Greeks were the first to develop a more scientific approach to explaining the weather. The work of the philosopher and scientist Aristotle, in the fourth century BC, is especially noteworthy, as his ideas held sway for nearly 2,000 years. In 340 BC, he wrote a book in which he attempted to account for the formation of rain, clouds, wind and storms. He also described celestial phenomena such as haloes – that is, bright circles of light around the sun, the moon and bright stars – and (Q35) comets. Many of his observations were surprisingly accurate. For example, he believed that heat could cause water to evaporate. Errors like this were rectified from the Renaissance onwards. ———————– For nearly 2,000 years, Aristotle’s work was accepted as the chief authority on weather theory. Alongside this, though, in the Middle Ages weather observations were passed on in the form of proverbs, such as ‘Red (Q36) sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning’. Many of these are based on very good observations and are accurate, as contemporary meteorologists have discovered. For centuries, any attempt to forecast the weather could only be based on personal observation, but in the fifteenth century scientists began to see the need for (Q37) instruments. Until then, the only ones available were weather vanes – to determine the wind direction – and early versions of rain gauges. One of the first, invented in the fifteenth century, was a hygrometer, which measured humidity. This was one of many inventions that contributed to the development of weather forecasting. In 1592, the Italian scientist and inventor Galileo developed the world’s first (Q38) thermometer. His student Torricelli later invented the barometer, which allowed people to measure atmospheric pressure. In 1648, the French philosopher Pascal proved that pressure decreases with altitude. This discovery was verified by English astronomer Halley in 1686, and Halley was also the first person to map trade winds. This increasing ability to measure factors related to weather helped scientists to understand the atmosphere and its processes better, and they started collecting weather observation data systematically. In the eighteenth century, the scientist and politician Benjamin Franklin carried out work on electricity and lightning in particular, but he was also very interested in weather and studied it throughout most of his life. It was Franklin who discovered that (Q39) storms generally travel from west to east. In addition to new meteorological instruments, other developments contributed to our understanding of the atmosphere. People in different locations began to keep records, and in the mid-nineteenth century, the
invention of the (Q40) telegraph made it possible for these records to be collated. This led, by the end of the nineteenth century, to the first weather services. It was not until the early twentieth century that mathematics and physics became part of meteorology, and we’ll continue from that point next week. Cam 14- Test 3 As you all know, the university is planning an arts festival for later this year, and here in the music department we’ve planned three concerts. These will be public performances, and the programme has just been finalised. The theme of the festival is links between the UK and Australia, and this is reflected in the music: each concert will feature both British and Australian composers. I’ll tell you briefly about the Australian music, as you probably won’t be familiar with that. The first concert will include music by Liza Lim, who was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1966. As a child, Lim originally learned to play the piano – like so many children – and also the (Q31) violin. She found this was her real strength, and she studied and later taught composition, both in Australia and in other countries. As a composer, she has received commissions from numerous orchestras, other performers and festivals in several countries. Liza Lim’s compositions are vibrant and full of (Q32) energy, and she often explores Asian and Australian Aboriginal cultural sources, including the native instrument, the didgeridoo: this is featured in a work called The Compass. Her music is very expressive, so although it is (Q33) complex, it has the power of connecting with audiences and performers alike. In the festival we’re going to give a semi-staged performance of The Oresteia. This is an (Q34) opera in seven parts, based on the trilogy of ancient Greek tragedies by Aeschylus. Lim composed this when she was in her mid-20s, and she also wrote the text, along with Barrie Kosky. It’s performed by six singers, a dancer, and an orchestra that, as well as standard orchestral instruments, includes electric guitar, and a traditional Turkish stringed instrument. Lim wrote that because the stories in the tragedies are not easy to tell, the sounds she creates are also (Q35) disturbing, and they include breathing, sobbing, laughing and whistling. The work lasts around 75 minutes, and the rest of the concert will consist of orchestral works by the British composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Frederick Delius. ——————————- Moving on now to our second concert, this will begin with instrumental music by British composers – Benjamin Britten and Judith Weir. After the interval we’ll go to Australia for a piece by Ross Edwards: The Tower of Remoteness. According to Edwards, the inspiration for this piece came from nature, when he was sitting alone in the dry bed of a creek, overshadowed by the leaves of palm trees, listening to the birds and insects. The Tower of Remoteness is scored for piano and (Q36) clarinet. Edwards says he realised years after writing the piece that he had subconsciously modelled its opening phrase on a bird call. Ross Edwards was born in 1943 in Sydney, Australia, and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the universities of Adelaide and Sydney. He’s well known in Australia, and in fact he’s one of the country’s most performed composers. He’s written a wide range of music, from symphonies and concertos to some composed specifically for children. Edward’s music has been described as being ‘deeply connected to Australia’, and it can be regarded as a celebration of the (Q37) diversity of cultures that Australia can be proud of. The last of the three Australian composers to be represented in our festival is Carl Vine. Born in 1954, Vine, like Liza Lim, comes from Perth, Western Australia. He took up the cornet at the age of five, switching to the piano five years later. However, he went to university to study (Q38) physics, before changing to composition. After graduating he moved to Sydney and worked as a freelance pianist and composer. Before long he had become prominent in Australia as a composer for (Q39) dance, and in fact has written 25 scores of that type. In our third concert, Vine will be represented by his music for the flag hand-over ceremony of the (Q40) Olympics held in 1996. Cam 14- Test 4 In today’s class I’m going to talk about marine archaeology, the branch of archaeology focusing on human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers. It’s the study of ships, cargoes, shipping facilities, and other physical remains. I’ll give you an example, then go on to show how this type of research is being transformed by the use of the latest technology.
Atlit-Yam was a village on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, which seems to have been thriving until around 7,000 BC. The residents kept cattle, caught fish and stored grain. They had wells for fresh water, many of their houses were built around a courtyard and were constructed of stone. The village contained an impressive monument: seven half-tonne stones standing in a semicircle around a (Q31) spring, that might have been used for ceremonial purposes. Atlit-Yam may have been destroyed swiftly by a tsunami, or climate change may have caused glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise, flooding the village gradually. Whatever the cause, it now lies ten metres below the surface of the Mediterranean, buried under sand at the bottom of the sea. For marine archaeologists, Atlit-Yam is a treasure trove. Research on the buildings, (Q32) tools and the human remains has revealed how the bustling village once functioned, and even what diseases some of its residents suffered from. But of course this is only one small village, one window into a lost world. For a fuller picture, researchers need more sunken settlements, but the hard part is finding them. Autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, are used in the oil industry, for instance, to create (Q33) maps of the seabed before rigs and pipelines are installed. To navigate they use sensors, such as compasses and sonar. Until relatively recently they were very expensive, and so (Q34) heavy that they had to be launched from a large vessel with a winch. ———————— But the latest AUVs are much easier to manoeuvre – they can be launched from the shore or a small ship. And they’re much cheaper, which makes them more accessible to research teams. They can communicate with each other and, for example, work out the most efficient way to survey a site, or to find particular objects on the seabed. Field tests show the approach can work. For example, in a trial in 2015, three AUVs searched for wrecks at Marzamemi, off the coast of Sicily. The site is the final resting place of an ancient Roman ship, which sank in the sixth century AD while ferrying prefabricated (Q35) marble elements for the construction of an early church. The AUVs mapped the area in detail, finding other ships carrying columns of the same material. Creating an internet in the sea for AUVs to communicate is no easy matter. Wifi networks on land use electromagnetic waves, but in water these will only travel a few centimetres. Instead, a more complex mix of technologies is required. For short distances, AUVs can share date using (Q36) light, while acoustic waves are used to communicate over long distances. There’s also a system that enables AUVs to share information from seabed scans, and other data. So if an AUV surveying the seabed finds an intriguing object, it can share the coordinates of the object – that is, its position – with a nearby AUV that carries superior (Q37) cameras, and arrange for that AUV to make a closer inspection of the object. Marine archaeologists are excited about the huge potential of these AUVs for their discipline. One site where they’re going to be deployed is the Gulf of Baratti, off the Italian coast. In 1974, a 2,000-year-old Roman vessel was discovered here, in 18 metres of water. When it sank, it was carrying (Q38) medical goods, in wooden or tin receptacles. Its cargo gives us insight into the treatments available all those years ago, including tablets that are thought to have been dissolved to form a cleansing liquid for the (Q39) eyes. Other Roman ships went down nearby, taking their cargoes with them. Some held huge pots made of terracotta. Some were used for transporting cargoes of olive oil, and others held (Q40) wine. In many cases it’s only these containers that remain, while the wooden ships have been buried under silt on the seabed. Another project that’s about to … Cam 13- Test 1 Hi. Today we’re going to be looking at animals in urban environments and I’m going to be telling you about some research on how they’re affected by these environments. Now, in evolutionary terms, urban environments represent huge upheavals, the sorts of massive changes that usually happen over millions of years. And we used to think that only a few species could adapt to this new environment. One species which is well known as being highly adaptable is the crow, and there’ve been various studies about how they manage to learn new skills (Q31). Another successful species is the pigeon, because they’re able to perch on ledges on the walls of city buildings, just like they once perched on cliffs by the sea. (Q32).
But in fact, we’re now finding that these early immigrants were just the start of a more general movement of animals into cities, and of adaptation by these animals to city life. And one thing that researchers are finding especially interesting is the speed with which they’re doing this – we’re not talking about gradual evolution here – these animals are changing fast. (Q33) Let me tell you about some of the studies that have been carried out in this area. So, in the University of Minnesota, a biologist called Emilie Snell-Rood and her colleagues looked at specimens of urbanised small mammals such as mice and gophers that had been collected in Minnesota, and that are now kept in museums there. And she found that during that time, these small mammals had experienced a jump in brain size when compared to rural mammals (Q34). Now, we can’t be sure this means they’re more intelligent, but since the sizes of other parts of the body didn’t change, it does suggest that something cognitive was going on. And Snell- Rood thinks that this change might reflect the cognitive demands of adjusting to city life – having to look in different places to find food, for example, and coping with a whole new set of dangers. (Q35) Then over in Germany at the Max Planck Institute, there’s another biologist called Catarina Miranda who’s done some experiments with blackbirds living in urban and rural areas. And she’s been looking not at their anatomy but at their behaviour (Q36). So as you might expect, she’s found that the urban blackbirds tend to be quite bold – they’re prepared to face up to a lot of threats that would frighten away their country counterparts. But there’s one type of situation that does seem to frighten the urban blackbirds, and that’s anything new – anything they haven’t experienced before (Q37). And if you think about it, that’s quite sensible for a bird living in the city. —————— Jonathan Atwell, in Indiana University, is looking at how a range of animals respond to urban environments. He’s found that when they’re under stress, their endocrine systems react by reducing the amount of hormones such as corticosterone into their blood (Q38). It’s a sensible-seeming adaptation. A rat that gets scared every time a subway train rolls past won’t be very successful. There’s just one more study I’d like to mention which is by Sarah Partan and her team, and they’ve been looking at how squirrels communicate in an urban environment, and they’ve found that a routine part of their communication is carried out by waving their tails (Q39). You do also see this in the country, but it’s much more prevalent in cities, possibly because it’s effective in a noisy environment. So what are the long-term implications of this? One possibility is that we may see completely new species developing in cities. But on the other hand, it’s possible that not all of these adaptations will be permanent (Q40). So, now we’ve had a look… Cam 13- Test 2 Today, we’ll be continuing the series of lectures on memory by focusing on what is called episodic memory and what can happen if this is not working properly. Episodic memory refers to the memory of an event or ‘episode’. They allow us to mentally travel back in time to an event from the past. These include various details about these events, for example, when an event happened and other information such as the location (Q31). To help understand this concept, try to remember the last time you ate dinner at a restaurant. The ability to remember where you ate, who you were with and the items you ordered are all features of an episodic memory. Episodic memory is distinct from another type of memory called semantic memory. This is the type of factual memory that we have in common with everyone else – that is your general knowledge of the world (Q32). To build upon a previous example, remembering where you parked your car is an example of episodic memory, but your understanding of what a car is and how an engine works are examples of sematic memory. Unlike episodic memory, semantic memory isn’t dependent on recalling personal experiences. (Q33) Episodic memory can be thought of as a process with several different steps of memory processing: encoding, consolidation and retrieval. The initial step is called encoding. This involves the process of receiving and registering information, which is necessary for creating memories of information or events that you experience. The degree to which you can successfully encode information depends on the level of attention you give to an event while it’s actually
happening (Q34). Being distracted can make effective encoding very difficult. Encoding of episodic memories is also influenced by how you process the event. For example, if you were introduced to someone called Charlie, you might make the connection that your uncle has the same name. Future recollection of Charlie’s name is much easier if you have a strategy to help you encode it. (Q35) Memory consolidation, the next step in forming an episodic memory, is the process by which memories of encoded information are strengthened, stabilised and stored to facilitate later retrieval. Consolidation is most effective when the information being stored can be linked to an existing network of information (Q36). Consolidation makes it possible for you to store memories for later retrieval indefinitely. Forming strong memories depends on the frequency with which you try to retrieve them (Q37). The last step in forming episodic memories is called retrieval, which is the conscious recollection of encoded information. Retrieving information from episodic memory depends upon semantic, olfactory, auditory and visual factors. These help episodic memory retrieval by acting as a prompt. For example, when recalling where you parked your car you may use the colour of a sign close to where you parked (Q38). You actually have to mentally travel back to the moment you parked. —————— There are a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions that can affect episodic memory. These range from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia to autism. An impairment of episodic memory can have a profound effect on individuals’ lives. For example, the symptoms of schizophrenia can be reasonably well controlled by medication; however, patients’ episodic memory may still be impaired and so they are often unable to return to university or work. Recent studies have shown that computer- assisted games designed to keep the brain active can help improve their episodic memory. (Q39) Episodic memories can help people connect with others, for instance by sharing intimate details about their past; something individuals with autism often have problems with. This may be caused by an absence of a sense of self (Q40). This is essential for the storage of episodic memory, and has been found to be impaired in children with autism. Research has shown that treatments that improve memory may also have a positive impact on children’s social development. One study looked at a … Camm 13- Test 3 Last week, we started looking at reptiles, including crocodiles and snakes. Today, I’d like us to have a look at another reptile – the lizard – and in particular, at some studies that have been done on a particular type of lizard whose Latin name is tiliqua rugosa. This is commonly known as the sleepy lizard, because it’s quite slow in its movements and spends quite a lot of its time dozing under rocks or lying in the sun. I’ll start with a general description. Sleepy lizards live in Western and South Australia, where they’re quite common. Unlike European lizards, which are mostly small, green and fast-moving, sleepy lizards are brown, but what’s particularly distinctive about them is the colour of their tongue, which is dark blue (Q31), in contrast with the lining of their mouth which is bright pink. And they’re much bigger than most European lizards. They have quite a varied diet, including insects and even small animals, but they mostly eat plants of varying kinds. (Q32) Even though they’re quite large and powerful, with strong jaws that can crush beetles and snail shells, they still have quite a few predators. Large birds like cassowaries were one of the main ones in the past, but nowadays they’re more likely to be caught and killed by snakes (Q33). Actually, another threat to their survival isn’t a predator at all, but is man-made – quite a large number of sleepy lizards are killed by cars when they’re trying to cross highways. One study carried out by Michael Freake at Flinders University investigated the methods of navigation of these lizards. Though they move slowly, they can travel quite long distances. And he found that even if they were taken some distance away from their home territory, they could usually find their way back home as long as they could see the sky – they didn’t need any other landmarks on the ground. (Q34) ——————— Observations of these lizards in the wild have also revealed that their mating habits are quite unusual. Unlike most animals, it seems that they’re relatively monogamous, returning to the same partner year after
year (Q35). And the male and female also stay together for a long time, both before and after the birth of their young. It’s quite interesting to think about the possible reasons for this. It could be that it’s to do with protecting their young – you’d expect them to have a much better chance of survival if they have both parents around. But in fact observers have noted that once the babies have hatched out of their eggs, they have hardly any contact with their parents (Q36). So, there’s not really any evidence to support that idea. Another suggestion’s based on the observation that male lizards in monogamous relationships tend to be bigger and stronger than other males. So maybe the male lizards stay around so they can give the female lizards protection from other males (Q37). But again, we’re not really sure. Finally, I’d like to mention another study that involved collecting data by tracking the lizards. I was actually involved in this myself. So we caught some lizards in the wild and we developed a tiny GPS system that would allow us to track them, and we fixed this onto their tails (Q38). Then we set the lizards free again, and we were able to track them for twelve days and gather data, not just about their location, but even about how many steps they took during this period. (Q39) One surprising thing we discovered from this is that there were far fewer meetings between lizards than we expected – it seems that they were actually trying to avoid one another. So why would that be? Well, again we have no clear evidence, but one hypothesis is that male lizards can cause quite serious injuries to one another, so maybe this avoidance is a way of preventing this (Q40) – of self-preservation, if you like. But we need to collect a lot more data before we can be sure of any of this. Cam 13- Test 4 In my presentation, I’m going to talk about coffee, and its importance both in economic and social terms. We think it was first drunk in the Arab world, but there’s hardly any documentary evidence of it before the 1500s, although of course that doesn’t mean that people didn’t know about it before then. However, there is evidence that coffee was originally gathered from bushes growing wild in Ethiopia, in the northeast of Africa. In the early sixteenth century, it was being bought by traders, and gradually its use as a drink spread throughout the Middle East. It’s also known that in 1522, in the Turkish city of Constantinople, which was the centre of the Ottoman Empire, the court physician approved its use as a medicine. By the mid-1500s, coffee bushes were being cultivated in the Yemen and for the next hundred years this region produced most of the coffee drunk in Africa and the Arab world. What’s particularly interesting about coffee is its effect on social life. It was rarely drunk at home, but instead people went to coffee houses to drink it. These people, usually men, would meet to drink coffee and chat about issues of the day. But at the time, this chance to share ideas and opinions was seen as something that was potentially dangerous, and in 1623 the ruler of Constantinople demanded the destruction of all the coffee houses in the city (Q31), although after his death many new ones opened, and coffee consumption continued. In the seventeenth century, coffee drinking spread to Europe, and here too coffee shops became places where ordinary people, nearly always men, could meet to exchange ideas. Because of this, some people said that these places performed a similar function to universities (Q32). The opportunity they provided for people to meet together outside their own homes and to discuss the topics of the day had an enormous impact on social life, and many social movements and political developments had their origins in coffee house discussions. (Q33) ——————– In the late 1600s, the Yemeni monopoly on coffee production broke down and coffee production started to spread around the world, helped by European colonization. Europeans set up coffee plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean and production of coffee in the colonies skyrocketed. Different types of coffee were produced in different areas, and it’s interesting that the names given to these different types, like Mocha or Java coffee, were often taken from the port they were shipped to Europe from (Q34). But if you look at the labour system in the different colonies, there were some significant differences. In Brazil and the various Caribbean colonies, coffee was grown in huge plantations and the workers there were almost all slaves (Q35). But this wasn’t the same in all colonies; for example in Java, which had been colonized by the Dutch, the peasants grew coffee and passed a proportion of this on to the Dutch, so it was used as a means of taxation (Q36).
But whatever system was used, under the European powers of the eighteenth century, coffee production was very closely linked to colonisation. Coffee was grown in ever-increasing quantities to satisfy the growing demand from Europe, and it became nearly as important as sugar production (Q37), which was grown under very similar conditions. However, coffee prices were not yet low enough for people to drink it regularly at home, so most coffee consumption still took place in public coffee houses and it still remained something of a luxury item. In Britain, however, a new drink was introduced from China, and started to become popular, gradually taking over from coffee, although at first it was so expensive that only the upper classes could afford it. This was tea, and by the late 1700s it was being widely drunk. However, when the USA gained independence from Britain in 1766, they identified this drink with Britain, and coffee remained the preferred drink in the USA (Q38), as it still is today. So, by the early nineteenth century, coffee was already being widely produced and consumed. But during this century, production boomed and coffee prices started to fall. This was partly because new types of transportation had been developed which were cheaper and more efficient (Q39). So now, working people could afford to buy coffee – it wasn’t just a drink for the middle classes. And this was at a time when large parts of Europe were starting to work in industries. And sometimes this meant their work didn’t stop when it got dark; they might have to continue throughout the night (Q40). So, the use of coffee as a stimulant became important – it wasn’t just a drink people drank in the morning, for breakfast. There were also changes in cultivation … Cam 12- Test 1 In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted. Today I’m going to talk about four of them: collaboration, hard work, creativity and excellence. Most people would say they’re all ‘good things’. I’m going to suggest that’s an over-simple view. The trouble with these values is that they’re theoretical concepts, removed from the reality of day-to-day business. Pursue values by all means, but be prepared for what may happen as a result. They can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention. (Q31) Business leaders generally try to do the right thing. But all too often the right thing backfires, if those leaders adopt values without understanding and managing the side effects that arise (Q32). The values can easily get in the way of what’s actually intended. OK. So the first value I’m going to discuss is collaboration. Er, let me give you an example. On a management training course I once attended, we were put into groups and had to construct a bridge across a stream (Q33), using building blocks that we were given. The rule was that everyone in the team had to move at least one building block during the construction. This was intended to encourage teamwork. But it was really a job best done by one person. The other teams tried to collaborate on building the structure, and descended into confusion (Q34), with everyone getting in each other’s way. Our team leader solved the challenge brilliantly. She simply asked everyone in the team to move a piece a few centimetres, to comply with the rule, and then let the person in the team with an aptitude for puzzles like this build it alone. We finished before any other team. My point is that the task wasn’t really suited to teamworking, so why make it one? Teamwork can also lead to inconsistency – a common cause of poor sales. In the case of a smartphone that a certain company launched, one director wanted to target the business market, and another demanded it was aimed at consumers. The company wanted both directors to be involved, so gave the product a consumer-friendly name, but marketed it to companies. The result was that it met the needs of neither group. It would have been better to let one director or the other have his way, not both. (Q35) Now industriousness, or hard work. It’s easy to mock people who say they work hard: after all, a hamster running around in a wheel is working hard – and getting nowhere. Of course hard work is valuable, but only when properly targeted. Otherwise it wastes the resources that companies value most – time and energy. And that’s bad for the organisation. (Q36) There’s a management model that groups people according to four criteria: clever, hard-working, stupid and lazy. Here ‘lazy’ means having a rational determination not to carry out unnecessary tasks (Q37). It doesn’t mean trying to avoid work altogether. Most people display two of these characteristics, and the most
valuable people are those who are both clever and lazy: they possess intellectual clarity, and they don’t rush into making decisions. They come up with solutions to save the time and energy spent by the stupid and hard-working group. Instead of throwing more man-hours at a problem, the clever and lazy group looks for a more effective solution. Next we come to creativity. This often works well – creating an attention-grabbing TV commercial, for example, might lead to increased sales. But it isn’t always a good thing. Some advertising campaigns are remembered for their creativity, without having any effect on sales. This happened a few years ago with the launch of a chocolate bar: subsequent research showed that plenty of consumers remembered the adverts, but had no idea what was being advertised (Q38). The trouble is that the creator derives pleasure from coming up with the idea, and wrongly assumes the audience for the campaign will share that feeling. A company that brings out thousands of new products may seem more creative than a company that only has a few, but it may be too creative, and make smaller profits. Creativity needs to be targeted, to solve a problem that the company has identified (Q39). Just coming up with more and more novel products isn’t necessarily a good thing. And finally, excellence. We all know companies that claim they ‘strive for excellence’, but it takes a long time to achieve excellence. In business, being first with a product is more profitable than having the best product. A major study of company performance compared pioneers – that is, companies bringing out the first version of a particular product – with followers, the companies that copied and improved on that product. The study found that the pioneers commanded an average market share of 29 percent, while the followers achieved less than half that, only 13 percent (Q40) – even though their product might have been better. Insisting on excellence in everything we do is time-consuming, wastes energy and leads to losing out on opportunities. Sometimes, second-rate work is more worthwhile than excellence. ‘Make sure it’s excellent’ sounds like a good approach to business, but the ‘just-get-started’ approach is likely to be more successful. Cam 12- Test 2 Over the years, attitudes towards workers have changed considerably. After all, there was a time when workers had no rights at all, and laboured in appalling conditions. Conditions have improved a lot, but conflict in the workplace is still common. And human resources managers nowadays need to be able to deal with it when necessary. What is conflict in the workplace? Definitions vary, but I’m taking it to refer to a whole range of behaviours that the victim finds unacceptable, from minor, harmless arguments to – at the opposite extreme – physical violence. Much of this is covered by the term bullying (Q31), by which I mean one or more people behaving abusively or aggressively against another who is in a weaker position. Although all behaviour like this is a form of conflict, not all conflict can be described in these terms. As with all human behaviour, there are numerous reasons for it. But often it’s caused by someone who feels the need to show their superiority over someone else (Q32), in order to feel that they aren’t at the lowest level in a hierarchy or a group of people. In some cases one person simply dislikes the other, on the basis that the personality of one is in some way incompatible with that of the other person (Q33). A general habit of optimism in one person could make them intolerant of a colleague who’s constantly pessimistic – not that that justifies treating them badly, of course. Some conflicts arise when people are more interested in promoting themselves and their team than in the company as a whole. These conflicts are called ‘structural’ (Q34), and could come about, for example, when a sales team believe they are the only people in the business who do any useful work, and look down on behind- the-scenes administrators. Conflict obviously affects the individuals concerned – the situation is likely to be very stressful for victims, resulting in their absence from work, possibly for months (Q35). For the company, if no effort is made to deal with conflict, it can spiral out of control, and even lead to the breakdown of the business. Some interesting work with chief executives – CEOs – has uncovered some of the reasons why they may treat colleagues badly. Many CEOs combine two opposing characteristics: confidence – that is, the belief that they’re capable of great achievements – with a high level of anxiety (Q36), a fear of missing targets, whether
set by themselves or by the directors of the company. This combination can make them respond badly to anyone who questions their decisions. In a high pressure work environment, such characteristics become problematic. And it’s particularly difficult to tackle the situation where colleagues, managers and board members are all trying to achieve their own visions. When they can’t agree on strategic issues and on where they see the business going, there are real problems. (Q37) For managers at lower levels within the organisation, it might seem that an autocratic form of management – where the chief executive gives orders and everyone else has to obey – would see more conflict than others. Interestingly, though, a company with a more democratic business model, can suffer more, when uncertainly about who to report to leads to conflicting demands. (Q38) Now I’ll say a little about dealing with the type of conflict that has harmful effects. Of course the ideal is to prevent it arising in the first place. A good manager, at any level, will make efforts to earn the respect of the people they work with (Q39), particularly those who report to them. That will involve politeness in all communications, and treating them as equals who happen to have a different role within the organisation. Sometimes, of course, conflict does occur, and can get out of hand. In such cases the human resources department often gets involved. However, if one of the parties in a conflict sees human resources as simply a mouthpiece for the chief executive, then an external mediator might be able to help (Q40). By talking to both sides, and trying to find the truth of what’s been happening, they can build a clear picture of the situation, and give feedback that both sides will accept, precisely because they’re independent. Cam 12- Test 3 OK, so we’ve been looking at how man-made changes in our environment can affect wildlife. Now I’ll discuss a particular example. Let’s take a look at mercury. Mercury’s one of the 120 or so elements that make up all matter, and it has the symbol Hg. It’s a shiny, silvery substance. You may have seen it in old-fashioned thermometers, but it’s not used much for domestic purposes now because it’s highly toxic. But the problem is that the amount of mercury in the environment’s increasing. The main reason for this is the power plants used to produce electricity. The main source of energy that most of them use is still coal, and when it’s burned it releases mercury into the atmosphere. Some of this gets deposited into lakes and rivers, and if it’s ingested by a fish it’s not excreted, it stays in the fish’s body and it enters the food chain. So it’s been known for some time that birds which eat fish may be affected, but what wasn’t known until quite recently is that those that eat insects can also be affected. (Q31) So a woman called Claire Varian-Ramos is doing some research on how this is affecting birds. And rather than looking at how many birds are actually killed by mercury poisoning, she’s looking for more subtle sub-effects. These may be to do with the behaviour of the birds, or with the effect of mercury on the way their brain works, so whether it leads to problems with memory, for example (Q32). And she’s particularly focusing on the effects of mercury on bird song. Now, the process of song learning happens at a particular stage in the birds’ development, and what you may not know is that a young bird seems to acquire this skill by listening to the songs produced by its father (Q33), rather than by any other bird. And Varian-Ramos has already found in her research that if young male birds are exposed to mercury, if they eat food contaminated with mercury, then the songs they produce aren’t as complex as those produced by other birds (Q34). So quite low-level exposure to mercury is likely to have an impact on male birds in a natural situation, because it can mean that they’re less attractive to female birds, and so it can affect their chances of reproduction. (Q35) Now the way she’s carrying out this research is worth thinking about. She’s using a mixture of studies using birds kept in laboratories, and studies carried out outdoors in the wild. The lab-based studies have the advantage that you don’t get all the variables you would in a natural setting, so the experimenter has a much higher level of control (Q36), and that means they can be more confident about their results in some ways. And of course they don’t have to worry about going out and finding the birds in order to observe them. So what are the implications here for humans? Well, because many birds are migratory, they may be transporting mercury far from contaminated sites. For example, it’s been found that ducks who’d been feeding at a contaminated site were later shot by hunters over a thousand kilometres away, and
presumably eaten (Q37). But these birds likely had mercury levels high enough to warrant concern for human consumption. In addition, going back to song learning by birds, we saw that this may be affected by mercury contamination. Well, we also know that in humans, mercury causes developmental delays in the acquisition of language (Q38), and in fact this process is very similar in the brain regions it involves and even the genes that are involved. But mercury contamination has other important implication for humans as well. It’s now known that an unborn child can be affected if the food eaten by its mother contains high levels of mercury (Q39), and these effects can be quite substantial. In the end, it comes down to whether more value is placed on human economic wellbeing or environmental wellbeing. It’s true there are new regulations for mercury emissions from power plants, but these will need billions of dollars to implement, and increase costs for everyone (Q40). Some argue that’s too much to pay to protect wildlife. But as we’ve seen, the issues go beyond that, and I think it’s an issue we need to consider very carefully. Cam 12- Test 4 This lecture will be about the science of acoustics, the study of sound, in relation to urban environments such as cities. As an acoustic engineer myself, I think this is an area where we’re likely to see great changes. In the past, researching urban soundscapes was simple. We measured levels of sound in decibels, so I used to take my sound meter and I measured the noise somewhere, and then I might ask a sample of people to say at what level the sound became annoying. With data like this, acoustic engineers have been able to build up what we call noise maps, maps of the sound environment. But actually these aren’t a lot of use. What they do show is that the highest noise levels are generally on roads – well, that’s not really very surprising. But there’s quite a lot going on that these maps don’t show, because they can’t capture the complex way that sound varies over time. So they ignore important issues such as the noise someone might hear from the open windows or gardens of their neighbours (Q31), and this sort of noise can be quite significant in summer. We don’t have any databases on this sort of information. As well as that, these records of sound levels take no account of the fact that people vary in their perceptions of noise – so someone like me with years of working in acoustics might be very different from you in that regard. But anyway, even though these noise maps are fairly crude, they’ve been useful in providing information and raising awareness that noise matters, we need to deal with it and so it’s a political matter (Q32). And that’s important – we need rules and regulation because noise can cause all sorts of problems. Those of you who are city-dwellers know that things go on 24 hours a day, so city-dwellers often suffer from interrupted sleep. It’s also known that noise can lead to a rise in levels of stress, due to physical changes in the body affecting the composition of the blood. And there are other problems as well, for instance if schoolchildren don’t have a quiet place to study, their work will suffer. (Q33) Now, one problem with decibel measurement is that it doesn’t differentiate between different types of noise. Some types of sounds that most people would probably think of as nice and relaxing might well score quite highly in decibel levels – think of the sound made by a fountain in a town square, for example (Q34). That’s not necessarily something that we’d want to control or reduce. So maybe researchers should consider these sorts of sounds in urban design. This is going to be tricky because just measuring decibel levels isn’t going to help us here. Instead, many researchers are using social science techniques, studying people’s emotional response to sound by using questionnaires and so on. (Q35) So what exactly do people want to hear in an urban environment? Some recent interdisciplinary research has come out with results that at first sight seem contradictory – a city needs to have a sense of activity, so it needs to be lively, with sounds like the clack of high heels on a pavement or the hiss of a coffee machine, but these mustn’t be too intrusive, because at the same time we need to be able to relax. (Q36) One of the major problems in achieving this will be getting architects and town planners to use the research. Apart from studying the basics of acoustics, these people receive very little training in this area (Q37). But in fact they should be regarding sound as an opportunity to add to the experience of urban living, whereas at present they tend to see it as something to be avoided or reduced as far as possible, or something that’s just a job for engineers like the street drainage system.
What’s needed is for noise in cities to be regarded as an aesthetic quality, as something that has the qualities of an art form. If we acknowledge this, then we urgently need to know what governs it and how designers can work with it. We need to develop a complex understanding of many factors. What is the relationship between sound and culture? (Q38) What can we learn from disciplines such as psychology about the way that sound interacts with human development and social relationships, and the way that sound affects our thought and feelings? Can we learn anything from physics about the nature of sound itself? (Q39) Today’s powerful technologies can also help us. To show us their ideas and help us to imagine the effect their buildings will have, architects and town planners already use virtual reality – but these programs are silent (Q40). In the future such programs could use realistic sounds, meaning that soundscapes could be explored before being built. So hopefully, using the best technology we can lay our hands on, the city of the future will be a pleasure to the ears as well as the eyes. Cam 11Cam 11- Test 1 I’ve been looking at ocean biodiversity, that’s the diversity of species that live in the world’s oceans. About 20 years ago biologists developed the idea of what they called ‘biodiversity hotspots’. These are the areas which have the greatest mixture of species, so one example is Madagascar. These hotspots are significant because they allow us to locate key areas for focusing efforts at conservation (Q31). Biologists can identify hotspots on land, fairly easily, but until recently, very little was known about species distribution and diversity in the oceans, and no one even knew if hotspots existed there. Then a Canadian biologist called Boris Worm did some research in 2005 on data on ocean species that he got from the fishing industry. Worm located five hotspots for large ocean predators like sharks, and looked at what they had in common. The main thing he’d expected to find was that they had very high concentrations of food, but to his surprise that was only true for four of the hotspots – the remaining hotspots was quite badly off in that regard (Q32). But what he did find was that in all cases, the water at the surface of the ocean had relatively high temperatures, even when it was cool at greater depths (Q33), so this seemed to be a factor in supporting a diverse range of these large predators. However, this wasn’t enough on its own, because he also found that the water needed to have enough oxygen in it (Q34) – so these two factors seemed necessary to support the high metabolic rate of these large fish. A couple of years later, in 2007, a researcher called Lisa Balance, who was working in California, also started looking for ocean hotspots, but not for fish – what she was interested in was marine mammals, things like seals (Q35). And she found three places in the oceans which were hotspots, and what these had in common was that these hotspots were all located at boundaries between ocean currents, and this seems to be the sort of place that has lots of the plankton that some of these species feed on. So now people who want to protect the species that are endangered need to get as much information as possible. For example, there’s an international project called the Census of Marine Life. They’ve been surveying oceans all over the world, including the Arctic. One thing they found there which stunned other researchers was that there were large numbers of species which live below the ice (Q36) – sometimes under a layer up to 20 metres thick. Some of these species had never been seen before. They’ve even found species of octopus living in these conditions. And other scientists working on the same project, but researching very different habitats on the ocean floor, have found large numbers of species congregating around volcanoes, attracted to them by the warmth and nutrients there. ——————– However, biologists still don’t know how serious the threat to their survival is for each individual species. So a body called the Global Marine Species Assessment is now creating a list of endangered species on land, so they consider things like the size of the population – how many members of one species there are in a particular place – and then they look at their distribution in geographical terms, although this is quite difficult when you’re looking at fish, because they’re so mobile, and then thirdly they calculate the rate at which the decline of the species is happening. (Q37) So far only 1,500 species have been assessed, but they want to increase this figure to 20,000. For each one they assess, they use the data they collect on that species to produce a map showing its distribution (Q38).
Ultimately they will be able to use these to figure out not only where most species are located but also where they are most threatened. So finally, what can be done to retain the diversity of species in the world’s oceans? Firstly, we need to set up more reserves in our oceans, places where marine species are protected. We have some, but not enough. In addition, to preserve species such as leatherback turtles, which live out in the high seas but have their nesting sites on the American coast, we need to create corridors for migration, so they can get from one area to another safely. As well as this, action needs to be taken to lower the levels of fishing quotas to prevent overfishing of endangered species. And finally, there’s the problem of ‘by-catch’. This prefers to the catching of unwanted fish by fishing boats – they’re returned to the sea, but they’re often dead or dying. If these commercial fishing boats used equipment which was more selective, so that only the fish wanted for consumption were caught, this problem could be overcome. OK. So does anyone have any … Cam 11- Test 2 We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. I’m going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, and I’ll illustrate this by referring to the new Taylor Concert Hall that’s recently been completed here in the city. So, as with a domestic building, when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the function of the building – for example, is it to be used primarily for entertainment, or for education, or for administration? The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, this includes its physical location obviously, but it also includes the social meaning of the building how it relates to the people it’s built for (Q31). And finally, for important public buildings, the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on which to base the design, a sort of metaphor for the building and the way in which it is used. Let’s look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a run- down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years (Q32). The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping centre, but it was only one kilometre from the ring road. The side itself was bordered to the north by a canal (Q33) which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing. The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design challenge was the location of the site in an area that had no neighbouring buildings of any importance. To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet unknown, he decided to create a building centred around the idea of a mystery – something whose meaning still has to be discovered. So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people approach the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge (Q34). He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-up, and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box (Q35). The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall uninterrupted by any windows. This might sound off-putting, but it supports Harrison’s concept of the building – that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside. And this flat wall also has another purpose. At night-time, projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen, onto which images are projected. (Q36) The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by ten massive pads. These are constructed from rubber (Q37), and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them from affecting the auditorium. The walls are made of several layers of hony-coloured wood, all sourced from local beech trees. In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, they are not straight, they are curved (Q38). The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and the type of music being played. In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all individually motorized, and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics. (Q39)
The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. However, the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local (Q40), and say it doesn’t reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built. Cam 11- Test 3 So what I’m going to talk about to you today is something called Ethnography. This is a type of research aimed at exploring the way human cultures work. It was first developed for use in anthropology, and it’s also been used in sociology and communication studies. So what’s it got to do with business, you may ask. Well, businesses are finding that ethnography can offer them deeper insight into the possible needs of customers, either present or future, as well as providing valuable information about their attitudes towards existing products (Q31). And ethnography can also help companies to design new products or services that customers really want. Let’s look at some examples of how ethnographic research works in business. One team of researchers did a project for a company manufacturing kitchen equipment. They watched how cooks used measuring cups to measure out things like sugar and flour. They saw that the cooks had to check and recheck the contents, because although the measuring cups had numbers inside them, the cooks couldn’t see these easily (Q32). So a new design of cup was developed to overcome this problem, and it was a top seller. Another team of ethnographic researchers looked at how cell phones were used in Uganda, in Africa. They found that people who didn’t have their own phones could pay to use the phones of local entrepreneurs. Because these customers paid in advance for their calls, they were eager to know how much time they’d spent on the call so far (Q33). So the phone company designed phones for use globally with this added feature. Ethnographic research has also been carried out in computer companies. In one company, IT systems administrators were observed for several weeks. It was found that a large amount of their work involved communicating with colleagues in order to solve problems, but that they didn’t have a standard way of exchanging information from spreadsheets and so on. So the team came up with an idea for software that would help them to do this. (Q34) In another piece of research, a team observed and talked to nurses working in hospitals. This led to the recognition that the nurses needed to access the computer records of their patients, no matter where they were (Q35). This led to the development of a portable computer tablet that allowed the nurses to check records in locations throughout the hospital. Occasionally, research can be done even in environments where the researchers can’t be present. For example, in one project done for an airline, respondents used their smartphones to record information during airline trips, in a study aiming at tracking the emotions of passengers during a flight. (Q36) ——————— So what makes studies like these different from ordinary research? Let’s look at some of the general principles behind ethnographic research in business. First of all, the researcher has to be completely open-minded – he or she hasn’t thought up a hypothesis to be tested, as is the case in other types of research. Instead they wait for the participants in the research to inform them. As far as choosing the participants themselves is concerned, that’s not really all that different from ordinary research – the criteria according to which the participants are chosen may be something as simple as the age bracket they fall into, or the researchers may select them according to their income (Q37), or they might try to find a set of people who all use a particular product, for example. But it’s absolutely crucial to recruit the right people as participants. As well as the criteria I’ve mentioned, they have to be comfortable talking about themselves and being watched as they go about their activities (Q38). Actually, most researchers say that people open up pretty easily, maybe because they’re often in their own home of workplace. So what makes this type of research special is that it’s not just a matter of sending a questionnaire to the participants, instead the research is usually based on first-hand observation of what they are doing at the time (Q39). But that doesn’t mean that the researcher never talks to the participants. However, unlike in traditional research, in this case it’s the participant rather than the researchers who decides what direction the
interview will follow. This means that there’s less likelihood of the researcher imposing his or her own ideas on the participant. But after they’ve said goodbye to their participants and got back to their office, the researchers’ work isn’t finished. Most researchers estimate that 70 to 80 per cent of their time is spent not on the collecting of data but on its analysis – looking at photos listening to recording and transcribing them and so on (Q40). The researchers may end up with hundreds of pages of notes. And to determine what’s significant, they don’t focus on the sensational things or the unusual things, instead they try to identify a pattern of some sort in all this data, and to discern the meaning behind it. This can result in some compelling insights that can in turn feed back to the whole design process. Cam 11- Test 4 As we saw in the last lecture, a major cause of climate change is the rapid rise in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last century. If we could reduce the amount of CO2, perhaps the rate of climate change could also be slowed down. One potential method involves enhancing the role of the soil that plants grow in, with regard to absorbing CO2. Rattan Lal, a soil scientist from Ohio Stage University, in the USA, claims that the world’s agricultural soils could potentially absorb 13 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – the equivalent of the amount released in the last 3o years. And research is going on into how this might be achieved. Lal first came to the idea that soil might be valuable in this way not through an interest in climate change, but rather out of concern for the land itself and the people dependent on it. Carbon-rich soil is dark, crumbly and fertile, and retains some water. But erosion can occur if soil is dry (Q31), which is a likely effect if it contains inadequate amounts of carbon. Erosion is of course bad for people trying to grow crops or breed animals on that terrain. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Lal was studying soils in Africa so devoid of organic matter that the ground had become extremely hard (Q32), like cement. There he met a pioneer in the study of global warming, who suggested that carbon from the soil had moved into the atmosphere. This is now looking increasingly likely. Let me explain. For millions of years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been regulated, in part, by a natural partnership between plants and microbes – tiny organisms in the soil. Plants absorb CO2 from the air and transform it into sugars and other carbon-based substance (Q33). While a proportion of these carbon products remain in the plant, some transfer from the roots to fungi and soil microbes (Q34), which store the carbon in the soil. The invention of agriculture some 10,000 years ago disrupted these ancient soil-building processes and led to the loss of carbon from the soil. When humans started draining the natural topsoil, and ploughing it up for planting, they exposed the buried carbon to oxygen. This created carbon dioxide and released it into the air. And in some places, grazing by domesticated animals has removed all vegetation, releasing carbon into the air. Tons of carbon have been stripped from the world’s soils – where it’s needed – and pumped into the atmosphere. So what can be done? Researchers are now coming up with evidence that even modest changes to farming can significantly help to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Some growers have already started using an approach known as regenerative agriculture. This aims to boost the fertility of soil and keep it moist through established practices (Q35). These include keeping fields planted all year round, and increasing the variety of plants being grown (Q36). Strategies like these can significantly increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, so agricultural researchers are now building a case for their use in combating climate change. One American investigation into the potential for storing CO2 on agricultural lands is taking place in California. Soil scientist Whendee Silver of the University of California, Berkeley, is conducting a first-of-its-kind study on a large cattle farm in the state (Q37). She and her students are testing the effects on carbon storage of the compost that is created from waste – both agricultural, including manure and cornstalks, and waste produced in gardens (Q38), such as leaves, branches, and lawn trimmings. In Australia, soil ecologist Christine Jones is testing another promising soil-enrichment strategy. Jones and 12 farmers are working to build up soil carbon by cultivating grasses that stay green all year round (Q39). Like composting, the approach has already been proved experimentally; Jones now hopes to show that it can be applied on working farms and that the resulting carbon capture can be accurately measured. It’s hoped in the future that projects such as these will demonstrate the role that farmers and other land managers can play in reducing the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. For example, in countries like the
United States, where most farming operations use large applications of fertiliser, changing such long-standing habits will require a change of system. Rattan Lal argues that farmers should receive payment not just for the corn or beef they produce but also for the carbon they can store in their soil. (Q40) Another study being carried out … Cam 10 -Test 1 Today we continue our series on ecology and conservation with a look at a particularly endangered member of the black bear family. One in ten black bears is actually born with a white coat, which is the result of a special gene that surfaces in a few (Q31). Local people have named it ‘the spirit bear’. And according to the legends of these communities, its snowy fur brings with it a special power (Q32). Because of this, it has always been highly regarded by them – so much that they do not speak of seeing it to anyone else. It is their way of protecting it when strangers visit the area. (Q33) The white bear’s habitat is quite interesting. The bear’s strong relationship with the old-growth rainforest is a complex one. The white bear relies on the huge centuries-old trees in the forest in many ways. For example, the old-growth trees have extremely long roots that help prevent erosion of the soil along the banks of the many fish streams (Q34). Keeping these banks intact is important because these streams are home to salmon, which are the bear’s main food source. In return, the bear’s feeding habits nurture the forest. As the bears eat the salmon, they discard the skin and bones in great amounts on the forest floor, which provide vital nutrients. These produce lush vegetation that sustains thousands of other types of life forms, from birds to insects and more. Today, the spirit bear lives off the coast of the province of British Columbia on a few islands (Q35). There is great concern for their survival since it is estimated that less than two hundred of these white bears remain. The best way to protect them is to make every effort to preserve the delicate balance of their forest environment – in other words, their ecosystem. ———————– The greatest threat to the bear’s existence is the loss of its habitat. Over many years, logging companies have stripped the land by cutting down a large number of trees. In addition, they have built roads which have fractured the areas where the bear usually feeds, and many hibernation sites have also been lost (Q36). The logging of the trees along the streams has damaged the places where the bears fish. To make matters worse, the number of salmon in those streams is declining because there is no legal limit on fishing at the moment. (Q37) all these influences have a negative impact on the spirit bear’s very existence, which is made all the more fragile by the fact that reproduction among these bears has always been disappointingly low. (Q38) And so, what’s the situation going forward? Community organizations, environmental groups and the British Columbia government are now working together on the problem. The government is now requiring logging companies to adopt a better logging method (Q39), which is a positive step. However, these measures alone may not be sufficient to ensure a healthy population of the spirit bear in the future. Other steps also need to be taken. While it is important to maintain the spirit bear’s habitat, there also needs to be more emphasis on its expansion (Q40). The move is justified as it will also create space for other bears that are losing their homes … Cam 10-Test 2 Well, I’ve been talking to managers in a number of businesses, and reading surveys about the future of management. And what I’m going to present in this seminar is a few ideas about how the activity is likely to change in the next ten years. It isn’t a scientific, statistical analysis – just some ideas for us to discuss. One area I want to mention is business markets, and I’m sure a really significant development will be a major increase in competition, with companies from all round the world trying to sell similar products (Q31). Consumers will have much more choice – for instance, food products sold in Australia might be manufactured in the USA, China, Finland and dozens of other countries. At the same time, mergers and takeovers mean that governments are actually losing power to major global corporations (Q32). We can probably all think of companies that exert a great deal of influence, which may be good for consumers. A third point I want to make about markets is that in the rapidly expanding economies, such as India, China,
Brazil and Russia, demand is growing very fast (Q33). This is putting pressure on resources all over the world. I think businesses are becoming more open to external influences. In particular, companies are consulting customers more and more before making their business decisions (Q34). Companies are finding out what they want and providing it, instead of making products and then trying to sell them, which is the model of years ago. Another influence is that concerns about the environment will force manufacturers to extend product lifecycles, to reduce the amount of pollution and waste. And in some cases, regulation will need to be strengthened. (Q35) Many societies are much more fluid and democratic, and the structure of companies is changing to reflect that. I think we’re going to see a greater emphasis within companies on teams created with a specific project in mind (Q36). And when they’re completed, the teams will be disbanded and new ones formed. More and more people see work as simply one part of their lifestyle, and not the most important one, and as the workforce is shrinking in some countries, businesses are having to compete for staff instead of being about to choose among a lot of applicants. Typical examples that will attract and retain staff are traditional ones like flexible hours (Q37) and – something that has been made possible by advances in technology – remote working, with people based at their home, abroad, or almost anywhere they choose. ——————- Management styles will almost certainly continue to change. Senior managers will require a lot more than the efficiency that they’ve always needed. Above all they’ll need great skills in leadership (Q38), so that their organisation can initiate and respond to change in a fast-moving world, where they face lots of competing requirements and potential conflicts. In most of the world, the senior managers of large businesses are mainly men in their fifties and sixties. The predominant style of management will almost certainly become more consultative and collaborative, caused above all, by more women moving into senior management positions. (Q39) Many of the changes are influenced by developments in the wider economy. The traditional emphasis of business was manufacturing, and of course the service sector is very important. But we shouldn’t overlook the growing financial contribution of IP, that is, intellectual property. Some books and films generate enormous sums from the sale of related DVDs, music, games, clothes, and so on. Another point I’d like to make is that although I’ve been talking about companies, one trend that they have to face is the move away from people working for the same employer for years. Instead, more and more people are becoming self-employed (Q40), to gain the freedom and control over their lives that they’re unlikely to get from being employed. OK, well that’s all I want to say, so let’s open it up for discussion. Cam 10 -Test 3 Today, I want to talk about self-regulatory focus theory and how the actions of leaders can affect the way followers approach different situations. Self-regulatory focus theory is a theory developed by Tori Higgins. He says that a person’ focus at any given time is to either approach pleasure or avoid pain. These are two basic motivations that each and every one of us has, and they cause us to have different kinds of goals. Promotion goals in different life situations emphasise achievement (Q31). Prevention goals are oriented towards the avoidance of punishment. In a specific situation, our thoughts might focus more on promotion goals or more on prevention goals. The theory suggests that two factors affect which goals we are focusing on. First, there is a chronic factor. This factor is connected to a person’s personality (Q32) and says that each person has a basic tendency to either focus more on promotion goals or focus more on prevention goals as part of his or her personality. Second, there is a situational factor which means that the context we are in can make us more likely to focus on one set of goals or the other (Q33). For example, we are more likely to be thinking about pleasure and to have promotion goals when we are spending time with a friend (Q34). In contrast, if we are working on an important project for our boss, we are more likely to try to avoid making mistakes and therefore have more prevention goals in our mind.
Research has shown that the goals we are focusing on at a given time affect the way we think. For example, when focusing on promotion goals, people consider their ideal self, their aspirations and gains (Q35). They don’t think about what they can lose, so they think in a happier mode. They feel more inspired to change. When people are focusing on prevention goals, they think about their “ought” self. What are they supposed to be? What are people expecting from them? They consider their obligations to others. As a result, they experience more anxiety and try to avoid situations where they could lose. ———————– Now that I have talked about the two focuses and how they affect people, I want to look at the idea that the way leaders behave, or their style of leading, can affect the focus that followers adopt in a specific situation (Q36). In talking about leadership, we often mention transformational leaders and transactional leaders. Transformational leaders, when interacting with their followers, focus on their development (Q37). In their words and actions transformational leaders highlight change. Their speech is passionate and conveys a definitive vision (Q38). All of these things can encourage followers to think about what could be. In other words, they inspire a promotion focus in their followers. In contrast, transactional leaders focus on developing clear structures that tell their followers exactly what is expected of them (Q39). While they do explain the rewards people will get for following orders, they emphasise more how a follower will be punished or that a follower won’t get rewarded if his or her behaviour doesn’t change. In short, they emphasise the consequences of making a mistake. This emphasis will clearly lead followers to focus on avoiding punishment and problems. This is clearly a prevention focus. In conclusion, it is important to understand that one focus is not necessarily better than the other one. For a designer who works in a field where a lot of innovation (Q40) is needed, a promotion focus is probably better. In contrast, a prevention focus which causes people to work more cautiously and produce higher quality work might be very appropriate for a job like a surgeon, for example. The main point of the research, though, is that the actions of leaders can greatly influence whether people approach a situation with more of a promotion focus or more of a prevention focus. Cam 10- Test 4 Today we’re going to look at an important area of science, namely nanotechnology. So what is it? Nano means tiny, so it’s science and engineering on the scale of atoms and molecules. The idea is that by controlling and rearranging atoms, you can literally create anything. However, as we’ll see, the science of the small has some big implications affecting us in many ways. There’s no doubt that nanotechnology promises so much for civilisation. However, all new technologies have their teething problems. And with nanotechnology, society often gets the wrong idea about its capabilities (Q31). Numerous science-fiction books and movies have raised people’s fears about nanotechnology – with scenarios such as inserting little nano-robots into your body that monitor everything you do without you realising it, or self-replicating nano-robots that eventually take over the world. So how do we safeguard such a potentially powerful technology? Some scientists recommend that nano- particles be treated as new chemicals with separate safety tests and clear labelling (Q32). They believe that greater care should also be taken with nano-particles in laboratories and factories. Others have called for a withdrawal of new nano products such as cosmetics and a temporary halt to many kinds of nanotech research. But as far as I’m concerned there’s a need to plough ahead with the discoveries and applications of nanotechnology (Q33). I really believe that most scientists would welcome a way to guard against unethical uses of such technology. We can’t go around thinking that all innovation is bad, all advancement is bad. As with the debate about any new technology, it is how you use it that’s important. So let’s look at some of its possible uses. ————————– Thanks to nanotechnology, there could be a major breakthrough in the field of transportation with the production of more durable metals (Q34). These could be virtually unbreakable, lighter and much more pliable leading to planes that are 50 times lighter than at present.
Those same improved capabilities will dramatically reduce the cost of travelling into space making it more accessible to ordinary people (Q35) and opening up to totally new holiday destination. In terms of technology, the computer industry will be able to shrink computer parts down to minute sizes. We need nanotechnology in order to create a new generation of computers that will work even faster and will have a million times more memory but will be about the size of a sugar cube (Q36). Nanotechnology could also revolutionise the way that we generate power. The cost of solar cells will be drastically reduced so harnessing this energy will be far more economical than at present. (Q37) But nanotechnology has much wider applications than this and could have an enormous impact on our environment. For instance, tiny airborne nano-robots could be programmed to actually rebuild the ozone layer, which could lessen the impact of global warming on our planet. That’s a pretty amazing thought, isn’t it? On a more local scale, this new technology could help with the clean- up of environmental disasters as nanotechnology will allow us to remove oil and other contaminants from the water far more effectively (Q38). And, if nanotechnology progresses as expected – as a sort of building block set of about 90 atoms – then you could build anything you wanted from the bottom up. In terms of production, this means that you only use what you need and so there wouldn’t be any waste. (Q39) The notion that you could create anything at all has major implications for our health. It means that we’ll eventually be able to replicate anything. This would have a phenomenal effect on our society. In time it could even lead to the eradication of famine through the introduction of machines that produce food to feed the hungry. But it’s in the area of medicine that nanotechnology may have its biggest impact. How we detect disease will change as tiny biosensors are developed to analyse tests in minutes rather than days (Q40). There’s even speculation nano-robots could be used to slow the ageing process, lengthening life expectancy. As you can see, I’m very excited by the implications that could be available to us in the next few decades. Just how long it’ll take, I honestly don’t know.

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Section 2- scripts.docx

  • 1. SECTION 2- SCRIPTS Cam 14- Test 1 Good morning everyone. My name’s Janet Parker and I’m the human resources manager. We’re very happy to welcome you to your new apprenticeship. I hope that the next six months will be a positive and enjoyable experience for you. I’d like to start with some general advice about being an apprentice. Most of you have very little or no experience of working for a big organisation and the first week or so may be quite challenging. There will be a lot of new information to take in but don’t worry too much about trying to remember everything. The important thing is to (Q11) check with someone if you’re not sure what to do – you’ll find your supervisor is very approachable and won’t mind explaining things or helping you out. You’re here to learn so make the most of that opportunity. You’ll be spending time in different departments during your first week so make an effort to (Q12) talk to as many people as possible about their work – you’ll make some new friends and find out lots of useful information. As well as having a supervisor, you’ll each be assigned a mentor. This person will be someone who’s recently completed an apprenticeship and you’ll meet with them on a weekly basis. Their role is to provide help and support throughout your apprenticeship. Of course, this doesn’t mean they’ll actually do any of your work for you – instead they’ll be asking you about (Q13) what goals you’ve achieved so far, as well as helping you to identify any areas for improvement. You can also (Q14) discuss your more long-term ambitions with them as well. ————————– Now I just want to run through a few company policies for our apprenticeship scheme with you… Most importantly, the internet. As part of your job you’ll be doing some research online so obviously you’ll have unlimited access for that but please (Q15) don’t use it for personal use – you’ll have your own phones for that. Some of you have already asked me about flexible working. After your probationary three-month period – some of you will be eligible for this – but (Q16) it will depend on which department you’re in and what your personal circumstances are. So please don’t assume you’ll automatically be permitted to do this. I want to make sure there’s no confusion about our holiday policy. Apart from any statutory public holidays (Q17) we ask that you don’t book any holidays until after your six-month apprenticeship has finished. Time off should only be taken if you are unwell. Please speak to your supervisor if this is going to be a problem. You’ll be expected to work a 40-hour week but there may be opportunities to do overtime during busy periods. Although you’re not required to do this, (Q18) it can be a valuable experience – so we advise you to take it up if possible. Obviously, we understand that people do have commitments outside work, so don’t worry if there are times when you are unavailable. As you know, we don’t have a formal dress code here – you may wear casual clothes as long as they’re practical – and the only restriction for shoes we have is on high heels for health and safety reasons. (Q19) Comfortable shoes like trainers are preferable. There’s a heavily subsidised canteen on site where you can get hot meals or salads cheaply. Snacks and drinks are also provided – so (Q20) we’ve decided to introduce a no packed lunch policy. This is partly to encourage healthy eating at work and partly to stop people from eating at their workstation, which is unhygienic. OK moving on to … Cam 14- Test 2 We’ll be arriving at Branley Castle in about five minutes, but before we get there I’ll give you a little information about the castle and what our visit will include. So in fact there’s been a castle on this site for over eleven hundred years. The first building was a fort constructed in 914 AD for defence against Danish invaders by King Alfred the Great’s daughter, who ruled England at the time. In the following century, after the Normans conquered England, the land was given to a nobleman called Richard de Vere, and he built a castle there that stayed in the de Vere family for over four hundred years. However, when Queen Elizabeth I announced that she was going to visit the castle in 1576 it was beginning to look a bit run down, and it was decided that rather than repair the guest rooms, (Q11) they’d make a new house for her out of wood next to the main hall. She stayed there for four nights and apparently it was very luxurious, but unfortunately it was destroyed a few years later by fire. In the seventeenth century the castle belonged to the wealthy Fenys family, who enlarged it and made it more comfortable. However, by 1982 the Fenys family could no longer afford to maintain the castle, even though they received government support, and they put it on the market. It was eventually taken over by (Q12) a company who owned a number of amusement parks, but when we get there I think you’ll see that they’ve managed to retain the original atmosphere of the castle. When you go inside, you’ll find that in the state rooms (Q13) there are life-like moving wax models dressed in costumes of different periods in the past, which even carry on conversations together. As well as that, in every room there are booklets giving information about what the room was used for and the history of the objects and furniture it contains. The castle park’s quite extensive. At one time sheep were kept there, and in the nineteenth century the owners had a little zoo with animals like rabbits and even a baby elephant. Nowadays the old zoo buildings are used for (Q14) public displays of painting and sculpture. The park also has some beautiful trees, though the oldest of all, which dated back 800 years, was sadly blown down in 1987.
  • 2. Now, you’re free to wander around on your own until 4.30, but then at the end of our visit we’ll all meet together at the bottom of the Great Staircase. We’ll then go on to the long gallery, where there’s a wonderful collection of photographs showing the family who owned the castle a hundred years ago having tea and cakes in the conservatory – and we’ll then take you to (Q15) the same place, where afternoon tea will be served to you. ——————————- Now if you can take a look at your plans you’ll see Branley Castle has four towers, joined together by a high wall, with the river on two sides. Don’t miss seeing the Great Hall. That’s near the river in the main tower, the biggest one, which was extended and redesigned in the eighteenth century. If you want to get a good view of the whole castle, you can walk around the walls. (Q16) The starting point’s quite near the main entrance – walk straight down the path until you get to the south gate, and it’s just there. Don’t go on to the north gate – there’s no way up from there. There’ll shortly be a show in which you can see archers displaying their skill with a bow and arrow. The quickest way to get there is to (Q17) take the first left after the main entrance and follow the path past the bridge, then you’ll see it in front of you at the end. If you like animals there’s also a display of hunting birds – falcons and eagles and so on. If you (Q18) go from the main entrance in the direction of the south gate, but turn right before you get there instead of going through it, you’ll see it on your right past the first tower. At 3 pm there’s a short performance of traditional dancing on the (Q19) outdoor stage. That’s right at the other side of the castle from the entrance, and over the bridge. It’s about ten minutes’ walk or so. And finally the shop. It’s actually (Q20) inside one of the towers, but the way in is from the outside. Just take the first left after the main entrance, go down the path and take the first right. It’s got some lovely gifts and souvenirs. Right, so we’re just arriving … Cam 14- Test 3 Good morning. My name’s Lucy Crittenden, and I’m the Director of Operations for an organisation that arranges volunteering in this part of the country. I’m hoping I can persuade one or two of you to become volunteers yourselves. Let me start by briefly explaining what we mean by volunteering. Volunteers are teenagers and adults who choose to spend some time, unpaid, helping other people in some way. Most volunteers devote two or three hours to this every week, while a few do much more. The people they help may have physical or behavioural difficulties, for example. Volunteers can do all sorts of things, depending on their own abilities and interests. If they’re supporting a family that’s struggling, for example, they may be able to give them tips on cooking, or recommend how to plan their budget or how to shop sensibly on their income. They might even do (Q11) some painting or wallpapering, perhaps alongside any members of the family who are able to do it. Or even do (Q12) some babysitting so that parents can go out for a while. The benefit from volunteering isn’t only for the people being helped. Volunteers also gain from it: they’re using their skills to cope with somebody’s mental or physical ill health, and (Q13) volunteering may be a valuable element of their CV when they’re applying for jobs: employers usually look favourably on someone who’s given up time to help others. Significantly, most volunteers (Q14) feel that what they’re doing gives them a purpose in their lives. And in my opinion, they’re lucky in that respect, as many people don’t have that feeling. ——————– Now I’d like to tell you what some of our volunteers have said about what they do, to give you an idea of the range of ways in which they can help people. Habib supports an elderly lady who’s beginning to show signs of dementia. Once a week they, along with other elderly people, go to the local community centre, where a group of people come in and sing. The songs (Q15) take the listeners back to their youth, and for a little while they can forget the difficulties that they face now. Our volunteer Consuela is an amazing woman. (Q16) She has difficulty walking herself, but she doesn’t let that stop her. She helps a couple of people with similar difficulties, who had almost stopped walking altogether. By using herself as an example, Consuela encourages them to walk more and more. Minh visits a young man who lives alone and can’t leave his home on his own, so he hardly ever saw anyone. But together (Q17) they go out to the cinema, or to see friends the young man hadn’t been able to visit for a long time. Tanya visits an elderly woman once a week. When the woman found out that Tanya is a professional dressmaker, she got interested. Tanya showed her some soft toys she’d made, and (Q18) the woman decided to try it herself. And now she really enjoys it, and spends hours making toys. They’re not perhaps up to Tanya’s standard yet, but she gains a lot of pleasure from doing it. Alexei is a volunteer with a family that faces a number of difficulties. By calmly talking over possible solutions with family members, he’s helping them to realise that they aren’t helpless, and that (Q19) they can do something themselves to improve their situation. This has been great for their self-esteem.
  • 3. And the last volunteer I’ll mention, though there are plenty more, is Juba. She volunteers with a teenage girl with learning difficulties, who wasn’t very good at talking to other people. Juba’s worked very patiently with her, (Q20) and now the girl is far better at expressing herself, and at understanding other people. OK, I hope that’s given you an idea of what volunteering is all about. Now I’d like … Cam 14- Test 4 Hello everyone. I’m Jake Stevens and I’m your rep here at the hotel. I’m sure you’ll all have a great time here. So let me tell you a bit about what’s on offer. I’ll start by telling you about some of the excursions that are available for guests. One thing you have to do while you’re here is go dolphin watching. On our boat trips, we pretty well guarantee you’ll see dolphins – if you don’t you can repeat the trip free of charge. We organise daily trips for just 35 euros. Unfortunately (Q11) there aren’t any places left for this afternoon’s trip, but come and see me to book for later in the week. If you’re energetic, I’d recommend our forest walk. It’s a guided walk of about seven kilometres. There’ll be a stop half way, and (Q11) you’ll be provided with a drink and sandwiches. There’s some fairly steep climbs up the hills, so you need to be reasonably fit for this one, with good shoes, and bring a waterproof in case it rains. It’s just 25 euros all inclusive, and it’s every Wednesday. Then on Thursdays we organise a cycle trip, which will give you all the fun of biking without the effort. We’ll take you and your bike up to the top of Mount Larna, and leave you to bike back – (Q13) it’s a 700-metre drop in just 20 kilometres so this isn’t really for inexperienced cyclists as you’ll be going pretty fast. And if it’s a clear day, you’ll have fantastic views. On our local craft tour you can find out about the traditional activities in the island. And the best thing about this trip is that (Q14) it’s completely free. You’ll be taken to a factory where jewellery is made, and also a ceramics centre. If you want, you can buy some of the products but that’s entirely up to you. The trip starts after lunch on Thursday, and you’ll return by 6 pm. If you’re interested in astronomy you may already know that the island’s one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky. We can offer trips to the observatory on Friday for those who are interested. They cost 90 euros per person and you’ll be shown the huge telescopes and have a talk from an expert, who’ll explain all about how they work. (Q15) Afterwards we’ll head down to Sunset Beach, where you can have a dip in the ocean if you want before we head off back to the hotel. Finally, there’s horse riding. This is organised by the Equestrian Centre over near Playa Cortino and it’s a great experience if you’re a keen horseback rider, (Q16) or even if you’ve never been on a horse before. They take you down to the beach, and you can canter along the sand and through the waves. It costs 35 euros and it’s available every day. ———————————- So there’s plenty to do in the daytime, but what about night life? Well, the number one attraction’s called ‘Musical Favourites’. Guests enjoy a three-course meal and unlimited free drinks, and watch a fantastic show, starting with musicals set in Paris and then crossing the Atlantic to Las Vegas and finally Copacabana. At the end the (Q17) cast members come down from the stage, still in their stunning costumes, and you’ll have a chance to chat with them. It’s hugely popular, so let me know now if you’re interested because (Q18) it’s no good leaving it until the last minute. It’s on Friday night. Tickets are just 50 euros each, but for an extra 10 euros you can have a table right by the stage. If you’d like to go back in time, there’s the Castle Feast on Saturday evening. It’s held in a twelfth-century castle, and you eat in the great courtyard, with ladies in long gowns serving your food. You’re given a whole chicken each, which you eat in the medieval way, (Q19) using your hands instead of cutlery, and you’re entertained by competitions where the horseback riders attempt to knock one another off their horses. Then you can watch the dancers in the ballroom and (Q20) join in as well if you want. OK, so now if anyone… Cam 13- Test 1 Good evening everyone. My name’s Phil Sutton, and I’m chairman of the Highways Committee. We’ve called this meeting to inform members of the public about the new regulations for traffic and parking we’re proposing for Granford. I’ll start by summarising these changes before we open the meeting to questions. So, why do we need to make these changes to traffic systems in Granford? Well, we’re very aware that traffic is becoming an increasing problem. It’s been especially noticeable with the increase in heavy traffic while they’ve been building the new hospital. But it’s the overall rise in the volume of traffic of all kinds that’s concerning us (Q11). To date there’s not been any increase in traffic accidents, but that’s not something we want to see happen, obviously. We recently carried out a survey of local residents, and their responses were interesting. People were very concerned about the lack of visibility on some roads due to cars parked along the sides of the roads (Q12). We’d expected complaints about the congestion near the school when parents are dropping off their children or picking them up, but this wasn’t top of the list, and nor were noise and fumes from trucks and lorries, though they were mentioned by some people. We think these new traffic regulations would make a lot of difference. But we still have a long way to go. We’ve managed to keep our proposals within budget, just, so they can be covered by the Council. But, of course, it’s no good introducing new regulations if we don’t have a way of making sure that everyone obeys them (Q13), and that’s an area we’re still working on with the help of representatives from the police force. —————–
  • 4. OK, so this slide shows a map of the central area of Granford, with the High Street in the middle and School Road on the right. Now, we already have a set of traffic lights in the High Street at the junction with Station Road, but we’re planning to have another set at the other end, at the School Road junction (Q14), to regulate the flow or traffic along the High Street. We’re decided we definitely need a pedestrian crossing. We considered putting this on School Road, just outside the school, but in the end we decided that could lead to a lot of traffic congestion so we decided to locate it on the High Street, crossing the road in front of the supermarket (Q15). That’s a very busy area, so it should help things there. We’re proposing some changes to parking. At present, parking isn’t allowed on the High Street outside the library, but we’re going to change that, and allow parking there (Q16), but not at the other end of the High Street near School Road. There’ll be a new ‘No Parking’ sign on School Road, just by the entrance to the school (Q17), forbidding parking for 25 metres. This should improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians, especially on the bend just to the north of the school. As far as disabled drivers are concerned, at present they have parking outside the supermarket, but lorries also use those spaces, so we’ve got two new disabled parking spaces on the side road up towards the bank (Q18). It’s not ideal, but probably better than the present arrangement. We also plan to widen the pavement on School Road. We think we can manage to get an extra half-metre on the bend just before you get to the school, on the same side of the road (Q19). Finally, we’ve introduced new restrictions on loading and unloading for the supermarket, so lorries will only be allowed to stop there before 8 am. That’s the supermarket on School Road (Q20) – we kept to the existing arrangements with the High Street supermarket. OK. So that’s about it. Now, would anyone … Cam 13- Test 2 Thanks for coming everyone. OK, so this meeting is for new staff and staff who haven’t been involved with our volunteering projects yet. So basically, the idea is that we allow staff to give up some of their work time to help on various charity projects to benefit the local community. We’ve been doing this for the last five years and it’s been very successful. Participating doesn’t necessarily involve a huge time commitment. The company will pay for eight hours of your time. That can be used over one or two days all at once, or spread over several months throughout the year (Q11). There are some staff who enjoy volunteering so much they also give up their own free time for a couple of hours every week. It’s completely up to you. Obviously, many people will have family commitments and aren’t as available as other members of staff. Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Because they felt they were doing something really useful, nearly everyone agreed that volunteering made them feel more motivated at work (Q12). They also liked building relationships with the people in the local community and felt valued by them. One or two people also said it was a good thing to have on their CVs. One particularly successful project last year was the Get Working Project. This was aimed at helping unemployed people in the area get back to work. Our staff were able to help them improve their telephone skills, such as writing down messages and speaking with confidence to potential customers, which they had found quite difficult (Q13). This is something many employers look for in job applicants – and something we all do without even thinking about, every day at work. We’ve got an exciting new project starting this year. Up until now, we’re mainly focused on projects to do with education and training. And we’ll continue with out reading project in schools and our work with local charities. But we’re also agreed to help out on a conservation project in Redfern Park (Q14). So if any of you fancy being outside and getting your hands dirty, this is the project for you. I also want to mention the annual Digital Inclusion Day, which is coming up next month. The aim of this is to help older people keep up with technology. And this year, instead of hosting the event in our own training facility, we’re using the ICT suite at Hill College (Q15), as it can hold far more people. We’ve invited over 60 people from the Silver Age Community Centre to take part, so we’ll need a lot of volunteers to help with this event. If you’re interested in taking part, please go to the volunteering section of our website and complete the relevant form (Q16). We won’t be providing any training for this but you’ll be paired with an experienced volunteer if you’ve never done it before. By the way, don’t forget to tell your manager about any volunteering activities you decide to do. —————— The participants on the Digital Inclusion Day really benefited. The majority were in their seventies, though some where younger and a few were even in their nineties! Quite a few owned both a computer and a mobile phone, but these tended to be outdated model (Q17). They generally knew how to do simple things, like send texts, but weren’t aware of recent developments in mobile phone technology. A few were keen to learn but most were quite dismissive at first – they couldn’t see the point of updating their skills (Q18). But that soon changed. The feedback was very positive. The really encouraging thing was that participants all said they felt much more confident about using social media to keep in touch with their grandchildren (Q19), who prefer this form of communication to phoning or sending emails. A lot of them also said playing online games would help them make new friends and keep their brains active (Q20). They weren’t that impressed with being able to order their groceries online, as they liked going out to the shops, but some said it would come in handy if they were ill or the weather was really bad.
  • 5. Camm 13- Test 3 So if you are one of those people who hasn’t found the perfect physical activity yet, here are some things to think about which might help you make the right decision for you. The first question to ask yourself is whether you would enjoy training in a gym. Many people are put off by the idea of having to fit a visit to the gym into their busy day. You often have to go very early or late as some gyms can get very crowded but with regular training you’ll see a big difference in a relatively short space of time. (Q11) Running has become incredibly popular in recent years. That’s probably got a lot to do with the fact that it’s a very accessible form of exercise that anyone can run even if you could only run a few meters to begin with (Q12). But make sure you get the right shoes. It’s worth investing in a high quality pair and they don’t come cheap. Another great thing about running is that you can do it at any time of day or night. The only thing that may stop you is snow and ice. Swimming is another really good way to build fitness. What attracts many people is that you can swim in an indoor pool at any time of year (Q13). On the other hand, it can be quite boring or solitary. It’s hard to chat to people while you’re swimming lengths. Cycling has become almost as popular as running in recent years. That’s probably because as well as improving their fitness many people say being out in the fresh air in a park or in the countryside can be fun (Q14), provided the conditions are right of course. Only fanatics go out in the wind and rain. Yoga is a good choice for those of you looking for exercise, which focuses on developing both a healthy mind and body. It’s a good way of building strength and with the right instructor there’s less chance of hurting yourself than with other more active sports. But don’t expect to find it easy. It can be surprisingly challenging, especially for people who aren’t very flexible. Getting a personal trainer is a good way to start your fitness program. Obviously there can be significant costs involved. But if you’ve got someone there to encourage you and help you achieve your goals, you’re less likely to give up. Make sure you get someone with a recognised qualification though. Or you could do yourself permanent damage. (Q15&Q16) —————– Whatever you do, don’t join a gym and you’re sure you’ll make good use of it. So many people waste lots of money by signing up for membership and then hardly ever go. What happens to their good intentions? I don’t think people suddenly stop caring about improving their fitness or decide they have more important things to do. I think people lose interest when they don’t think they’re making enough progress. That’s when they give up hope and stop believing they’ll ever achieve their goals. Also, what people sometimes don’t realize when they start is that it takes a lot of determination and hard work to keep training week after week, and lots of people don’t have that kind of commitment (Q17&Q18). One thing you can do to help yourself is to set manageable goals (Q19), be realistic and don’t push yourself too far. Some people advise writing goes down but I think it’s better to have a flexible approach. Give yourself a really nice treat every time you reach one of your goals (Q20) and don’t get too upset if you experience setbacks. It’s a journey. There are bound to be difficulties along the way. Cam 13- Test 4 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! Well, you’ve come to New Zealand’s premier snow and ski centre, and we’ve a whole load of activities for you during your week here. Most visitors come here for the 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 (Q11). You can go at your own speed – it’s great aerobic exercise if you really push yourself, or if you prefer you can just glide gently along and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 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 for the afternoon and learn how to drive them (Q12), following behind our leader on the trail. Or if you’d prefer, you can just sit back in the sled and enjoy the ride as a passenger. At the weekend, we have the team relay event, and you’re all welcome to join in. We have a local school coming along, and a lot of the teachers are taking part too. Participation rather than winning is the main focus, and there’s a medal for everyone who takes part (Q13). Participants are in teams of two to four, and each team must complete four laps of the course. For your final expedition, you’ll head off to Mount Frenner wearing a pair of special snow shoes which allow you to walk on top of the snow. This is an area where miners once searched for gold, though there are very few traces of their work left now. When the snow melts in summer, the mountain slopes are carpeted in flowers and plants. It’s a long ascent, though not too steep, and walkers generally take a couple of days to get to the summit (Q14) and return. You’ll spend the night in our hut half-way up the mountain. That’s included in your package for the stay. It’s got cooking facilities, firewood and water for drinking (Q15). For washing, we recommend you use melted snow, though, to conserve supplies. We can take your luggage up on our snowmobile for you for just ten dollars a person. The hut has cooking facilities so you can make a hot meal in the evening and morning, but you need to take your own food. The weather on Mount Frenner can be very stormy. In that case, stay in the hut – generally the storms don’t last long (Q16). Don’t stress about getting back here to the centre in time to catch the airport bus – they’ll probably not be running anyway. We do have an emergency locator beacon in the hut but only use that if it’s real emergency, like if someone’s ill or injured.
  • 6. —————– Now, let me tell you something about the different ski trails you can follow during your stay here. Highland Trail’s directly accessible from where we are now. This trail’s been designed to give first-timers an experience they’ll enjoy regardless of their age or skill, but it’s also ideal for experts to practise their technique (Q17). Then there’s Pine Trail … if you’re nervous about skiing, leave this one to the experts! You follow a steep valley looking right down on the river below – scary! But if you’ve fully mastered the techniques needed for hills, it’s great fun (Q18). Stony Trail’s a good choice once you’ve got a general idea of the basics. There are one or two tricky sections, but nothing too challenging. There’s a shelter half-way where you can sit and take a break and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. (Q19) And finally, Loser’s Trail. This starts off following a gentle river valley but the last part is quite exposed so the snow conditions can be challenging – if it’s snowing or windy, check with us before you set out to make sure the trail’s open that day. (Q20) Right, so now if you’d like to follow me, we’ll get started Cam 12- Test 1 Good morning everyone. My name’s Joy Parkins and I’m the restaurant manager. And I understand that none of you’ve had any previous experience as kitchen assistants? Well, you might be feeling a bit nervous now, but most of our kitchen assistants say they enjoy the work. OK, they might get shouted at sometimes, but it’s nothing personal, and they’re pleased that they have so many different things to do, which means they never get bored (Q11). And I’ll tell you straightaway that if you do well, we might think about moving you up and giving you some more responsibility. Right, well, you’ve all shown up on time, which is an excellent start. Now I’m glad to see none of you have unsuitable footwear, so that’s good – you need to be careful as the floors can get very wet and slippery. Those of you with long hair have got it well out of the way, but some of you’ll need to remove your rings and bracelets – just put them somewhere safe for today, and remember to leave them at home tomorrow, as they can be a safety hazard. (Q12) Now it’s going to be a busy day for you all today – we don’t have any tables free for this evening, and only a few for lunch (Q13). Fortunately we’ve got our Head Chef back – he was away on holiday all last week which meant the other chefs had extra work. Now, I’ll tell you a bit more about the job in a minute but first, some general regulations. For all of you, whatever your age, there’s some equipment you mustn’t use until you’ve been properly trained, like the waste disposal system for example, for health and safety reasons. Then I think there are two of you here who are under 18 – that’s Emma and Jake, isn’t it? Right, so for you two, the meat slicer is out of bounds (Q14). And of course none of you are allowed to use the electric mixer until you’ve been shown how it works. Now you may have heard that this can be a stressful job, and I have to say that can be true. You’ll be working an eight-hour day for the first week, though you’ll have the chance to do overtime after that as well if you want to. But however long the hours are, you’ll get a break in the middle. What you will find is that you’re on your feet all day long, lifting and carrying, so if you’re not fit now you soon will be! You’ll find you don’t have much chance to take it easy – when someone tells you to do something you need to do it straightaway (Q15&Q16) – but at least we do have a very efficient air conditioning system compared with some kitchens. ——————- Now let me tell you about some of the people you need to know. So as I said, I’m Joy Parkins and I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for (Q17). I’ll be trying to get you to work with as many different people in the kitchen as possible, so that you learn while you’re on the job. One person whose name you must remember is David Field. If you injure yourself at all, even if it’s really minor, you must report to him and he’ll make sure the incident is recorded and you get the appropriate treatment (Q18). He’s trained to give basic treatment to staff himself, or he’ll send you off somewhere else if necessary. Then there’s Dexter Wills – he’s the person you need to see if you smash a plate or something like that (Q19). Don’t just leave it and hope no one will notice – it’s really important to get things noted and replaced or there could be problems late. And finally, there’s Mike Smith. He’s the member of staff who takes care of all the stores of perishables, so if you notice we’re getting low in flour or sugar or something, make sure you let him know so he can put in an order. (Q20) OK, now the next thing … Cam 12- Test 2 Right. I’ve now almost succeeded in finalising plans for our tour, so I’ll bring you up to date with what I know. As you know, we’re flying first to Munich, on Monday the 4th. The flight is at 11.30, so it’s too early to have lunch at the airport. I suggest we meet there for coffee at 10 (Q11), which should give us plenty of time for breakfast before we leave home. When we arrive in Munich, we’ll be met at the airport by Claus Bauer. Claus works for a tour operator (Q12), and he’ll look after us for the time we’ll be in Germany. He’s already liaised with the managers of the theatres we’re going to visit, and he’s also arranged for an officer of the National Theatre in Munich to show us round the theatre one afternoon during our stay. Now last time we discussed this trip, I didn’t have the precise cost for hotel rooms, but now I have. The normal rate at the hotel where we’re staying is 150 euros a night for a double room. I’d hoped to get that down to 120 euros, but in fact I’ve been able to negotiate a rate of 110 (Q13). That’ll be reflected in the final payment which you’ll need to make by the end of this week.
  • 7. On Tuesday, the day after our arrival, I had hoped we could sit in on a rehearsal at one of the theatres, but unfortunately that’s proved very difficult to arrange, so instead we’ll have a coach trip to one of the amazing castles in the mountains south of Munich. On Tuesday evening, we’ll all have dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel. From talking to you all about your preferences, it was clear that a typical local restaurant would be too meat-oriented for some of you. Some of you suggested an Italian restaurant, but I must confess that I decided to book a Lebanese one (Q14), as we have plenty of opportunities to go to an Italian restaurant at home. On Wednesday afternoon, the director of the play we’re going to see that evening will talk to us at the theatre (Q15). She’ll describe the whole process of producing a play, including how she chose the actors, and, as the play we’re going to see is a modern one, how she worked with the playwright. —————— Right. Now I’d just like to make a few points about the plays we’re going to see, partly because it might influence your choice of clothes to take with you! The play we’re seeing on Wednesday evening is a modern one, and we’re going to the premiere (Q16), so it’ll be quite a dressy occasion, though of course you don’t have to dress formally. I gather it’s rather a multimedia production, with amazing lighting effects and a soundtrack of electronic music, though unfortunately the playwright is ill and is unlikely to be able to attend. On Thursday we’re seeing a play that was first performed last year, when it was commissioned to mark a hundred years since the birth in the town of a well-known scientist (Q17). We’re going to see a revival of that production, which aroused a lot of interest. Friday’s play will really make you think hard about what clothes to pack, as it’ll be in the garden of a palace (Q18). It’s a beautiful setting, but I’d better warn you, there won’t be much protection from the wind. On Saturday, we’re going by coach to a theatre in another town, not far from Munich. This will be the opening of a drama festival, and the mayor and all the other dignitaries of the town will be attending (Q19). After the performance, the mayor is hosting a reception for all the audience, and there’ll be a band playing traditional music of the region. And after having a day off on Sunday, our final play is on Monday, and it’s in the stunning setting of the old Town Hall, which dates back to the 14th century (Q20). The performance marks the fifty years that the lead actor has been on stage, and the play is the one where he made his first professional appearance, all those years ago. And the day after that, we’ll be flying back home. Now have you got any questions before I … Cam 12- Test 3 In this session in your training day we’re going to look at home of the more specialised holidays we offer at BC Travel. Now, the travel business is very competitive and it’s important to be aware of how the market’s changing and developing. In terms of age groups, the over-65s are an important market, and one that’s increasing steadily year on year (Q11&Q12). The fewest holidays are taken by the 31 to 42-year-olds, and that figure shows no sign of rising. The biggest market at present is still the youngest group, the 16 to 30s, but this group’s also seen the biggest drop over the last few years, whereas there’s a noticeable growth in the number of holidays taken by the 55 to 64-year-olds (Q11&12). As far as the 43 to 54-year-olds are concerned, bookings there are steady, but I have to say we haven’t seen the increase we expected. One trend we’re noticing with nearly all age groups is the growing popularity of holidays in which clients do some kind of specialised activity. I’m not talking here about adventure holidays, where clients take part in high-risk activities like white water rafting just for the thrill of it. Activity holidays usually involve rather less high-risk sports, or things like art and music. They’re not necessarily cheaper than ordinary holidays, often the opposite, in fact. But they do often take place outside the main tourist centres, which gives an opportunity for clients to find out more about the local people and customs (Q13&Q14), and many say this is one of the most positive features of these holidays. Of course, they offer the chance to develop a new skill or talent, but clients often say that more than this, it’s the chance to create lasting relationships with other like-minded people that’s the main draw. (Q13&Q14) Let me give you some examples of BC Travel activity holidays. Our painting holidays take place in four different centres in France and Italy and they’re very popular with clients of all abilities from beginners onwards. We’ve got an excellent team of artists to lead the classes – some of them have been with us from the start, and five additional ones will be joining us this year (Q15) so that we can offer a greater number of classes in each centre. As far as cooking holidays are concerned, I know a lot of agents offer holidays where clients cook recipes related to one particular country, usually the one they’re staying in, but we focus on dishes from a great many different ones (Q16). Apart from that you’ll find the usual emphasis on good quality, organic ingredients – that’s more or less a given nowadays – and there are generally some meat-free recipes included. Our photography holidays take place in a wide range of countries from Iceland to Vietnam, and clients have the opportunity to see some stunning scenery. Groups are small, no more than eight, so clients can have one-on-one tuition during the holiday (Q17), and excursions are arranged with fully-trained guides. At the end of each holiday an exhibition is held of the photographs taken so that clients can see one another’s work and receive valuable feedback from the tutor. ——————–
  • 8. Finally, let me tell you about our fitness holidays. In Ireland and Italy we run one-week general fitness classes for all ages and levels of fitness. Clients start the course with a consultation with a trainer, and together they draw up an individual programme. As well as improving general fitness, clients find that they end up losing much of the stress they’ve built up in their daily lives. (Q18) In Greece, we have a two-week holiday for clients who want to do something about their weight (Q19). This has all the features you’d expect, like a personalised diet programme, but one of its most popular features is that the exercise classes are all held on the beach. People say it’s far preferable to being in a gym. Finally, we offer several holidays in Morocco. One very popular one is the mountain biking holiday. Bikes are provided and there are different routes according to people’s ability. We offer one which is tailored to the needs of families (Q20), which is particularly popular. OK, so that’s about all the time I have today, so thank you very much … Cam 12- Test 4 Welcome to this podcast about the Sheepmarket, which is one of the oldest parts of the city. As its name suggests, there was originally a market here where farmers brought their sheep, but now it’s been redeveloped into a buzzing, vibrant area of the city, which is also home to one of the city’s fastest-growing communities. The nearby university has always meant the area’s popular with students, who come in to enjoy the lively nightlife, but now graduates embarking on careers in the worlds of fashion and design are buying up the new apartments recently built here to replace the small houses where the market workers used to live. (Q11) The narrow old side streets are great places for finding original pictures, jewellery and ceramics (Q12) which won’t break the bank, as well as local produce like fruit and vegetables. There’s also lots of pavement cafes where you can have a coffee and watch tourists from all over the world go by. The oldest buildings in the area are on the main streets, including the city’s first department store, built in the 1880s, which is still open today. The Sheepmarket is a centre for fashion, and there’s a policy of encouraging new young designers. The Young Fashion competition is open to local young people who are passionate about fashion. This year they’ve been asked to design an outfit based on ideas from the music and technology that’s part of their everyday life (Q13), using both natural and man-made fibres. The garments will be judged by a panel of experts and fashion designers, and the winning entries will be modelled at a special gala evening. Parking at the Sheepmarket is easy. There are plenty of pay and display car parking spaces on the roadsides which are fine if you just want to stay for an hour or two, but if you want to spend the day there it’s better to park in one of the four underground car parks. It’s not expensive and if you can present a receipt from one of the local stores, you’ll not be charged at all (Q14). After six pm many of the car parks have a flat rate which varies but it is usually very reasonable. ————————- The Sheepmarket is one of the main centres for art and history in the whole of the country. If you look at our map, you’ll see some of the main attractions there. Most visitors start from Crawley Road, at the bottom of the map. The Reynolds House is one of the oldest houses in the city, and is open to the public. It’s on the north side of Crawley Road, next to the footpath that leads to the public gardens. (Q15) The area’s particularly interesting for its unusual sculptures. The Thumb’s is just what its name suggests, but it’s about 10 metres high. You’ll see it on Hill Road, across the road from the Bank. (Q16) The Museum’s got a particularly fine collection of New Zealand landscapes. It’s on the east side of the Sheepmarket, on City Road. It’s on the other side of the road from the public gardens, immediately facing the junction with Hill Road. (Q17) The Contemporary Art Gallery is on a little road that leads off Station Square, not far from the public gardens. The road ends at the gallery – it doesn’t go anywhere else (Q18). That’s open every day except Mondays. The Warner Gallery specialises in 19th-century art. It’s on City Road, near the junction with Crawley Road, on the same side of the road as the public gardens (Q19). It’s open on weekdays from 9 to 5, and entry is free. Finally, if you’re interested in purchasing high quality artwork, the place to go is Nucleus. You need to go from Crawley Road up through Station Square and east along Hill Road until you get to a small winding road turning off. Go up there and it’s on your right – if you get to City Road you’ve gone too far. (Q20) Cam 11- Test 1 Welcome to the Fiddy Working Heritage Farm. This open-air museum gives you the experience of agriculture and rural life in the English countryside at the end of the nineteenth century. So you’ll see a typical farm of that period, and like me, all the staff are dressed in clothes of that time. I must give you some advice and safety tips before we go any further. As it’s a working farm, please don’t frighten or injure the animals (Q11). We have a lot here, and many of them are breeds that are now quite rare. And do stay at a safe distance from the tools: some of them have sharp points which can be pretty dangerous, so please don’t touch them (Q12). We don’t want any accidents, do we? The ground is very uneven, and you might slip if you’re wearing sandals so I’m glad to see you’re all wearing shoes – we always advise people to do that. (Q13)
  • 9. Now, children of all ages are very welcome here, and usually even very young children love the ducks and lambs, so do bring them along next time you come. I don’t think any of you have brought dogs with you, but in case you have, I’m afraid they’ll have to stay in the car park unless they’re guide dogs (Q14). I’m sure you’ll understand that they could cause a lot of problems on a farm. Now let me give you some idea of the layout of the farm. The building where you bought your tickets is the New Barn, immediately to your right, and we’re now at the beginning of the main path to the farmland – and of course the car park is on your left. The scarecrow you can see in the car park in the corner, beside the main path (Q15), is a traditional figure for keeping the birds away from crops, but our scarecrow is a permanent sculpture. It’s taller than a human being, so you can see it from quite a distance. If you look ahead of you, you’ll see a maze. It’s opposite the New Barn, beside the side path that branches off to the right just over there (Q16). The maze is made out of hedges which are too tall for young children to see over them, but it’s quite small, so you can’t get lost in it! Now, can you see the bridge crossing the fish pool further up the main path? If you want to go to the café, go towards the bridge and turn right just before it. Walk along the side path and the café’s on the first bend you come to (Q17). The building was originally the schoolhouse, and it’s well over a hundred years old. As you may know, we run skills workshops here, where you can learn traditional crafts like woodwork and basket-making. You can see examples of the work, and talk to someone about the courses, in the Black Barn. If you take the side path to the right, here, just by the New Barn, you’ll come to the Black Barn just where the path first bends. (Q18) Now I mustn’t forget to tell you about picnicking, as I can see some of you have brought your lunch with you. You can picnic in the field, though do clear up behind you, of course. Or if you’d prefer a covered picnic area, there’s one near the farmyard: just after you cross the bridge, there’s a covered picnic spot on the right. (Q19) And the last thing to mention is Fiddy House itself. From here you can cross the bridge then walk along the footpath through the field to the left of the farmyard. That goes to the house (Q20), and it’ll give you a lovely view of it. It’s certainly worth a few photographs, but as it’s a private home, I’m afraid you can’t go inside. Right. Well, if you’re all ready, we’ll set off on our tour of the farm. Cam 11- Test 2 Hi. Great to see you! I’m Jody, and I’ll be look after both of you for the first month you’re working here at the Amersham Theatre. I’ll tell you something about the theatre now, then take you to meet two of the other staff. It’s an old building, and it’s been modernised several times. In fact, as you can see, we’re carrying out a major refurbishment at the moment. The interior has just been repainted, and we’re about to start on the exterior of the building – that’ll be a big job. The work’s running over budget, so we’ve had to postpone installing an elevator. I hope you’re happy running up and down stairs! When the theatre was built, people were generally slimmer and shorter than now, and the seats were very close together. We’ve replaced them with larger seats, with more legroom. This means fewer seats in total, but we’ve taken the opportunity to install seats that can easily be moved (Q11&Q12), to create different acting spaces. We’ve also turned a few storerooms over to other purposes like using them for meetings. (Q11&Q12) We try hard to involve members of the public in the theatre. One way is by organising backstage tours so people can be shown round the building and learn how a theatre operates. These are proving very popular (Q13&14). What we’re finding is that people want to have lunch or a cup of coffee while they’re here, so we’re looking into the possibility of opening a café in due course. We have a bookshop, which specialises in books about drama and that attracts plenty of customers (Q13&Q14). Then there are two large rooms that will be decorated next month, and they’ll be available for hire, for conferences and private functions, such as parties. We’re also considering hiring out costumes to amateur drama clubs. Now I want to tell you about our workshops. We recently started a programme of workshops that anyone can join. Eventually we intend to run courses in acting, but we’re waiting until we’ve got the right people in place as trainers. That’s proving more difficult than we’d expected! There’s a big demand to learn about the technical side of putting on a production, and our lighting workshop has already started with great success (Q15&Q16). We’re going to start one on sound next month. A number of people have enquired about workshops on make-up, and that’s something we’re considering for the future. A surprise success is the workshop on making puppets – we happen to have someone working here who does it as a hobby, and she offered to run a workshop. It was so popular we’re now running them every month! (Q15&Q16) Now, a word about the layout of the building. The auditorium, stage and dressing rooms for the actors are all below ground level. Here on the ground floor we have most of the rooms that the public doesn’t see. The majority are internal, so they have windows in the roof to light them. Standing here in the foyer, you’re probably wondering why the box office isn’t here, where the public would expect to find it. Well, you might have noticed it on your way in – although it’s part of this building, it’s next door with a separate entrance from the road. (Q17) For the theatre manager’s office, you go across the foyer and through the double doors, turn right, and it’s the room at the end of the corridor, with the door on the left. (Q18)
  • 10. The lighting box is where the computerised stage lighting is operated and it’s at the back of the building. When you’re through the double doors turn left, turn right at the water cooler, and right again at the end. It’s the second room along that corridor (Q19). The lighting box has a window into the auditorium, which of course is below us. The artistic director’s office is through the double doors, turn right and it’s the first room you come to on the right-hand side (Q20). And finally, for the moment, the room where I’ll take you next – the relaxation room. So if you’d like to come with me … Cam 11- Test 3 MAN: First of all, let me thank you all for coming to this public meeting, to discuss the future of our town. Our first speaker is Shona Ferguson, from Barford town council. Shone. SHONA: Thank you. First I’ll briefly give you some background information, then I’ll be asking you for your comments on developments in the town. Well, as you don’t need me to tell you, Barford has changed a great deal in the last 50 years. These are some of the main changes. Fifty years ago, buses linked virtually every part of the town and the neighbouring towns and villages. Most people used them frequently, but not now because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers. So parts of the town are no longer served by buses (Q11). Even replacing old uncomfortable buses with smart new ones has had little impact on passenger numbers. It’s sometimes said that bus fares are too high, but in relation to average incomes, fares are not much higher than they were 50 years ago. Changes in the road network are affecting the town. The centre was recently closed to traffic on a trial basis, making it much safer to pedestrians. The impact of this is being measured. The new cycle paths separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected reducing traffic and improving air quality (Q12). And although the council’s attempts to have a bypass constructed have failed, we haven’t given up hope of persuading the government to change its mind. Shopping in the town centre has changed over the years. Many of us can remember when the town was crowded with people going shopping. Numbers have been falling for several years, despite efforts to attract shoppers, for instance by opening new car parks. some people combine shopping with visits to the town’s restaurants and cafés. Most shops are small independent stores, which is good, but many people prefer to use supermarkets and department stores in nearby large towns, as there are so few well-known chain stores here. (Q13) Turning how to medical facilities, the town is served by family doctors in several medical practices – fewer than 50 years ago, but each catering for far more patients. Our hospital closed 15 years ago (Q14), which means journeys to other towns are unavoidable. On the other hand, there are more dentists than there used to be. Employment patterns have changed, along with almost everything else. The number of schools and colleges has increased making that the main employment sector (Q15). Services, such as website design and accountancy, have grown in importance, and surprisingly, perhaps, manufacturing hasn’t seen the decline that has affected it in other parts of the country. —————- Now I’ll very quickly outline current plans for some of the town’s facilities, before asking for your comments. As you’ll know if you regularly use the car park at the railway station, it’s usually full. The railway company applied for permission to replace it with a multi-storey car park, but that was refused. Instead, the company has bought some adjoining land, and this will be used to increase the number of parking spaces. (Q16) The Grand, the old cinema in the high street will close at the end of the year, and reopen on a different site (Q17). You’ve probably seen the building under construction. The plan is to have three screens with fewer seats, rather than just the one large auditorium in the old cinema. I expect many of you shop in the indoor market. It’s become more and more shabby-looking, and because of fears about safety, it was threatened with demolition. The good news is that it will close for sex weeks to be made safe and redecorated, and the improved building will open in July. (Q18) Lots of people use the library, including school and college students who go there to study. The council has managed to secure funding to keep the library open later into the evening, twice a week (Q19). We would like to enlarge the building in the not-too-distant future, but this is by no means definite. There’s no limit on access to the nature reserve on the edge of town, and this will continue be the case. What will change, though, is that the council will no longer be in charge of the area. Instead it will become the responsibility of a national body that administers most nature reserves in the country. (Q20) OK, now let me ask you … Cam 11- Test 4 Good morning, and welcome to the museum – one with a remarkable range of exhibits, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. My name’s Greg, and I’ll tell you about the various collections as we go round. But before we go, let me just give you a taste of what we have here.
  • 11. Well, for one thing, we have a fine collection of twentieth and twenty-first century paintings, many by very well-known artists. I’m sure you’ll recognise several of the paintings. This is the gallery that attracts the largest number of visitors (Q11), so it’s best to go in early in the day, before the crowds arrive. The there are the nineteenth-century paintings. The museum was opened in the middle of that century, and several of the artists each donated one work (Q12) – to get the museum started, as it were. So they’re of special interest to us – we feel closer to them than to other works. The sculpture gallery has a number of fine exhibits, but I’m afraid it’s currently closed for refurbishment. You’ll need to come back next year to see it properly, but a number of the sculptures have been moved to other parts of the museum. (Q13) ‘Around the world’ is a temporary exhibition – you’ve probably seen something about it on TV or in the newspapers (Q14). It’s created a great deal of interest, because it presents objects from every continent and many countries, and provides information about their social context – why they were made, who for, and so on. Then there’s the collection of coins. This is what you might call a focused, specialist collection, because all the coins come from this country, and were produced between two thousand and a thousand years ago. And many of them were discovered by ordinary people digging their gardens and donated to the museum! (Q15) All our porcelain and glass we left to the museum by its founder (Q16), when he died in 1878. And in the terms of his will, we’re not allowed to add anything to that collection: he believed it was perfect in itself, and we don’t see any reason to disagree! ——————– OK, that was something about the collections, and now here’s some more practical information, in case you need it. Most of the museum facilities are downstairs, in the basement, so you go down the stairs here. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll find yourself in a sitting area, with comfortable chairs and sofas where you can have a rest before continuing your exploration of the museum. We have a very good restaurant, which serves excellent food all day, in a relaxing atmosphere. To reach it, when you get to the bottom of the stairs, go straight ahead to the far side of the sitting area, then turn right into the corridor. You’ll see the door on the restaurant facing you (Q17). If you just want a snack, or if you’d like to eat somewhere with facilities for children, we also have a café. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you’ll need to go straight ahead, turn right into the corridor, and the café is immediately on the right. (Q18) And talking about children, there are baby-changing facilities downstairs: cross the sitting area, continue straight ahead along the corridor on the left and you and your body will find the facilities on the left-hand side. (Q19) The cloakroom where you should leave coats, umbrella and any large bags, is on the left hand side of the sitting area. It’s through the last door before you come to the corridor. (Q20) There are toilets on every floor, but in the basement they’re the first rooms on the left when you get down there. OK, now if you’ve got anything to leave in the cloakroom, please do that now, and then we’ll start our tour. Cam 10 -Test 1 On behalf of LP Clubs, I’d like to welcome you all here today. My name’s Sandy Fisher and I’m one of the fitness managers here. Before we start our tour of the club I’ll just run through some basic information about the facilities we have here, including recent improvements, and explain the types of membership available. Our greatest asset is probably our swimming pool which at 25 metres isn’t Olympic-sized, but now we’ve expanded it to eight lanes, it’s much wider (Q11&Q12). This means there are rarely more than a couple of people at a time in each lane. Unfortunately, there isn’t space for an outdoor pool here but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable, which means you can enjoy something of the open-air experience on warmer days. Our recently refurbished fitness suite (Q11&Q12) has all the latest exercise equipment including ten new running machines, and a wide range of weight-training machines. Each member is given full training in how to operate the equipment and there is always a trainer on duty to offer help and advice. Although we do have adult-only times after 6 and at certain times at weekends, children are well catered for. Older children continue to benefit from a wide range of tuition; anything from trampolining to yoga. ——————– One thing all our members appreciate about us is that we take very good care of them. This starts on day one with your personal assessment. You are asked to fill in a questionnaire giving details of any health problems (Q13). One of our personal trainers will then go through this with you. The trainer will then take you through the safety rules (Q14) for using the equipment in the fitness suite. During your next exercise session a personal trainer will work with you to make sure you understand these. It’s very important to do this because we really do want to avoid having any sports injuries. There’s a lot more to looking after yourself than simply lifting weights! At the end of the personal assessment, the trainer will draw up a plan, outlining what you should try to achieve within a six-week period (Q15). This will then be reviewed at the end of the six weeks. Now, I’ll just quickly run through the types of membership we have available. All members must pay a joining fee of £90 (Q16) in addition to the rates for the monthly membership fees. Gold membership entitles you to free entry at all LP
  • 12. Clubs (Q17). There are now LP clubs in all major cities and towns so if you travel a lot will be a great advantage. Individual gold membership costs £50 a month and joint membership for you and your partner will cost £75. Premier membership is for professional people whose work commitments make it difficult for them to use the club during the day and so LP gives booking preferences to Premier members at peak times (Q18). This means you will find it easier to book the sessions at times that suit you. Reciprocal arrangements with other LP Clubs are available to Premier members. Premier membership is for individuals only, but you will be sent passes for guests every month (Q19). The monthly fee is £65. You don’t have to have any special clothes or equipment when you visit the club. We provide robes and hairdryers in the changing rooms, but it’s very important to remember your photo card (Q20) because you won’t be able to get in without it. For people who aren’t working during the day then … Cam 10-Test 2 Good morning. I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to say a little about two exciting new developments in the city: the Brackenside Open-Air Swimming Pool and the children’s Adventure Playground in Central Park. As many of you may know, the idea for these initiatives came from you, the public (Q11), in the extensive consultation exercise which the City Council conducted last year. And they have been realised using money from the SWRDC – the South West Regional Development Commission. First of all, Brackenside Pool. As many of the older members of the audience will remember, there used to be a wonderful open- air pool on the sea front 30 years ago but it had to close when it was judged to be unsafe. For the design of this new heated pool, we were very happy to secure the talents of internationally renowned architect Ellen Wendon, who has managed to combine a charming 1930s design, which fits is so well with many of the other buildings in the area, with up-to-the-minute features such as a recycling system – the only one of its kind in the world – which enables seawater to be used in the pool. (Q12) Now, there has been quite a bit of discussion in the local press about whether there would be enough room for the number of visitors we’re hoping to attract (Q13), but the design is deceptive and there have been rigorous checks about capacity. Also, just in case you were wondering, we’re on schedule for a June 15th opening date and well within budget: a testimony to the excellent work of local contractors Hickman’s. We hope that as many people as possible will be there on June 15th. We have engaged award-winning actress Coral White to declare the pool open and there’ll be drinks and snacks available at the pool side. There’ll also be a competition for the public to decide on the sculpture we plan to have at the entrance: you will decide which famous historical figure from the city we should have. (Q14) ———————— And now, moving on the Central Park Playground, which we’re pleased to announce has just won the Douglas Award for safety: the news came through only last week. The unique design is based on the concept of the Global Village, with the playground being divided into sex areas showing different parts of the world – each with a representative feature. For example, there is a section on Asia, and this is represented by rides and equipment in the shape of snakes, orang-utans, tigers and so on – fauna native to the forests of the region (Q15). Moving south to the Antarctic – we couldn’t run to an ice rink I’m afraid but opted instead for climbing blocks in the shape of mountains (Q16) – I thought they could have had slides for the glaciers but the designers did want to avoid being too literal! Then on to South America – and here the theme is El Dorado – games replicating the search for mines full of precious stones (Q17). And then moving up to North America, here there was considerable debate – I know the contribution of cinema and jazz was considered but the designers finally opted for rockets and the international Space Station (Q18). Eastwards to Europe then, and perhaps the most traditional choice of all the areas: medieval castles and other fortifications (Q19). Then last, but not least, moving south to Africa and a whole set of wonderful mosaics and trails to represent the great rivers of this fascinating and varied continent. (Q20) Now, the opening date for our Global Playground is 10th July. And again we’d love to see you there – so make a date and come and see this magnificent, original new amenity right in the heart of the city. Cam 10 -Test 3 INTERVIEWER: Today we’re pleased to have on the show Alice Bussell from the Dolphin Conservation Trust. Tell us about the Trust, Alice. ALICE: Well, obviously its purpose is to protect dolphins in seas all around the world. It tries to raise people’s awareness of the problems these marine creatures are suffering because of pollution and other threats. It started ten years ago and it’s one of the fastest growing animal charities in the country – although it’s still fairly small compared with the big players in animal protection. We are particularly proud of the work we do in education – last year we visited a huge number of schools in different parts of the country, going round to talk to children and young people aged from five to eighteen. In fact, about thirty-five per cent of our members are children. The charity uses its money to support campaigns – for example, for changes in fishing policy and so forth (Q11&Q12). It hopes soon to be able to employ its first full-time biologist – with dolphin expertise – to monitor populations. Of course, many people give their services on a voluntary basis and we now have volunteers working in observation, office work and other things. (Q11&Q12)
  • 13. I should also tell you about the award we won from the Charity Commission last year – for our work in education. Although it’s not meant an enormous amount of money for us, it has made our activities even more widely publicised and understood (Q13). In the long term it may not bring in extra members but we’re hoping it’ll have this effect. INTERVIEWER: Is it possible to see dolphins in UK waters? ALICE: Yes. In several locations. And we have a big project in the east part of Scotland. This has long been a haven for dolphins because it has very little shipping. However, that may be about to change soon because oil companies want to increase exploration there. We’re campaigning against this because, although there’ll be little pollution from oil, exploration creates a lot of underwater noise (Q14). It means the dolphins can’t rest and socialise. This is how I became interested in dolphin conservation in the first place. I had never seen one and I hadn’t been particularly interested in them at school. Then I came across this story about a family of dolphins who had to leave their home in the Moray Firth because of the oil companies and about a child who campaigned to save them. I couldn’t put the book down – I was hooked. (Q15) ————————— INTERVIEWER: I’m sure our listeners will want to find out what they can do to help. You mentioned the ‘Adopt a Dolphin’ scheme. Can you tell us about that? ALICE: Of course! People can choose one of our dolphins to sponsor. They receive a picture of it and news updates. I’d like to tell you about four which are currently being adopted by our members: Moondancer, Echo, Kiwi and Samson. Unfortunately, Echo is being rather elusive this year and hasn’t yet been sighted by our observers (Q16) but we remain optimistic that he’ll be out there soon. All the others have been out in force – Samson and Moondancer are often photographed together but it is Kiwi who’s our real ‘character’ as she seems to love coming up close for the cameras and we’ve captured her on film hundreds of times (Q17). They all have their own personalities – Moondancer is very elegant and curves out and into the water very smoothly, whereas Samson has a lot of energy – he’s always leaping out of the water with great vigour (Q18). You’d probably expect him to be the youngest – he’s not quite – that’s Kiwi – but Samson’s the latest of our dolphins to be chosen for the scheme (Q19). Kiwi makes a lot of noise so we can often pick her out straightaway. Echo and Moondancer are noisy too, but Moondancer’s easy to find because she has a particularly large fin on her back, which makes her easy to identify (Q20). So, yes, they’re all very different … INTERVIEWER: Well, they sound a fascinating group … Cam 10- Test 4 Welcome to Manham Port, where a thousand years of history are brought to life. All the family can enjoy a day out at Manham: visit our copper mine, see models of the machinery it used, have your photo taken in nineteenth-century costume, experience at first hand how people lived at different stages throughout history, and especially how children studied, worked and played. The port of Manham is located in beautiful and peaceful countryside, on a bend in the great River Avon, and developed here because it’s the highest navigable point of the Avon – boats can go no higher up this river – and proved a handy place to load and unload cargo to and from the sea (Q11), which is over 23 miles away. A small port was already established here when, about 900 years ago, tin was discovered nearby, though it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution, when a tremendous need for metals of all kinds developed, that Manham expanded to become one of the busiest ports in the country (Q12). And because it was already so busy, prospectors began to look for other minerals, and by the end of the nineteenth century, lead, copper, manganese and arsenic were added to the cargos leaving Manham. In the early days, the ores had been smelted – or processed – in the same area they were mined. But, as demand grew, the smelting process required huge factory furnaces or fires to melt the metal from the rock and there was not enough coal in the local area, so the rocks containing minerals had to be shipped long distances. (Q3) Sadly, in the twentieth century, the great port of Manham declined, and thousands of workers were forced to emigrate out of the area (Q14). The building at the port fell into disrepair, and the place became almost forgotten. But then, the Manham Trust was formed to conserve the historical resources of the area. It organised scores of local volunteers to remove undergrowth to find the original outlines of the installations. It then brought in paid professionals to match installations with maps of the original port complex and to set about reconstructing it (Q15). Today you can see the results of this ambitious programme of restoration. The intention, and we believe this will be realised before the end of the year, is to return Manham Port to the condition it reached at its peak as ‘the greatest copper port in the country’. —————— But what can you do and see on your visit today? Here are just a few highlights. We suggest you start with the visit to the copper mine. Travel on converted mining trains and journey into the depths of the mountain along seams once worked by hundreds of miners (Q16). Watch out especially for the great pumping machines which rid the mine of water. But please be warned that, like all mines, ours is very dark and closed in and we do say that children under five and also dogs should NOT be taken into the mine. (Q17)
  • 14. The next recommended visit is to the village school. While looking round the classrooms, take a special look at our display of games, which is one of the largest in the world (Q18). And it’s recommended that you time your visit to coincide with a guided tour (Q19). This will give you the opportunity to ask lots of questions. Near the school is the beautiful old sailing ketch called ‘The George’. You are welcome to board the boat and look round the cabins. Look out for the shop’s wheel which was missing until only five years ago when it was dredged out of the silt by a local fisherman. We have no idea how it got there but it’s been polished and proudly restored to its original place on the boat. Please take care going down the ladders if you wish to visit the lower deck – we don’t recommend you allow young children to use them. (Q20) So we hope you have a memorable visit to Manham Port and will tell your friends all about us. SECTION 3- SCRIPT Cam 16 - test 1 JESS: How are you getting on with your art project, Tom? TOM: OK. Like, they gave us the theme of birds to base our project on, and I’m not really all that interested in wildlife. But I’m starting to get into it. I’ve pretty well finished the introductory stage. JESS: So have I. When they gave us all those handouts with details of books and websites to look at (Q21/Q22), I was really put off, but the more I read, the more interested I got. TOM: Me too. I found I could research so many different aspects of birds in art – colour, movement, texture. So I was looking forward to the Bird Park visit. JESS: What a letdown! It poured with rain and we hardly saw a single bird. Much less use than the trip to the Natural History Museum (Q21/Q22). TOM: Yeah, I liked all the stuff about evolution there. The workshop sessions with Dr Fletcher were good too, especially the brainstorming sessions. JESS: I missed those because I was ill. I wish we could’ve seen the projects last year’s students did. TOM: Mm. I suppose they want us to do our own thing, not copy. JESS: Have you drafted your proposal yet? TOM: Yes, but I haven’t handed it in. I need to amend some parts. I’ve realised the notes from my research are almost all just descriptions, I haven’t actually evaluated anything. So I’ll have to fix that (Q23/Q24). JESS: Oh, I didn’t know we had to do that. I’ll have to look at that too. Did you do a timeline for the project? TOM: Yes, and a mind map. JESS: Yeah, so did I. I quite enjoyed that. But it was hard having to explain the basis for my decisions in my action plan. TOM: What? JESS: You know, give a rationale. TOM: I didn’t realise we had to do that. OK, I can add it now. And I’ve done the video diary presentation, and worked out what I want my outcome to be in the project. JESS: Someone told me it’s best not to be too precise about your actual outcome (Q23/Q24) at this stage, so you have more scope to explore your ideas later on. So I’m going to do back to my proposal to make it a bit more vague. TOM: Really? OK, I’ll change that too then. —————————— TOM: One part of the project, I’m unsure about is where we choose some paintings of birds and say what they mean to us. Like, I chose a painting of a falcon by Landseer. I like it because the bird’s standing there with his head turned to one side, but he seems to be staring straight at you. But I can’t just say it’s a bit scary, can I? JESS: You could talk about the possible danger suggested by the bird’s look (Q25). TOM: Oh, OK. JESS: There’s a picture of a fish hawk by Audubon I like. It’s swooping over the water with a fish in its talons, and with great black wings which take up most of the picture. TOM: So you could discuss it in relation to predators and food chains? JESS: Well actually I think I’ll concentrate on the impression of rapid motion it gives. (Q26) TOM: Right. JESS: Do you know that picture of a kingfisher by van Gosh – it’s perching on a reed growing near a stream.
  • 15. TOM: Yes, it’s got these beautiful blue and red and black shades. JESS: Mm hm. I’ve actually chosen it because I saw a real kingfisher once when I was litter, I was out walking with my grandfather (Q27), and I’ve never forgotten it. TOM: So we can use a personal link? JESS: Sure. TOM: OK. There’s a portrait called William Wells. I can’t remember the artist but it’s a middle-aged man who’s just shot a bird. And his expression, and the way he’s holding the bird in his hand suggests he’s not sure about what he’s done. To me it’s about how ambiguous people are in the way they exploit the natural world. (Q28) JESS: Interesting. There’s Gauguin’s picture Vairumati. He did it in Tahiti. It’s a woman with a white bird behind her that is eating a lizard, and what I’m interested in is what idea this bird refers to. Apparently, it’s a reference to the never-ending cycle of existence. (Q29) TOM: Wow. I chose a portrait of a little boy, Giovanni de Medici. He’s holding a tiny bird in one fist (Q30). I like the way he’s holding it carefully so he doesn’t hurt it. JESS: Ah right. Cam 16 - test 2 SUSIE: So Luke, for our next psychology assignment we have to do something on sleep and dreams. LUKE: Right. I’ve just read an article suggesting why we tend to forget most of our dreams soon after we wake up. I mean, most of my dreams aren’t that interesting anyway, but what it said was that if we remembered everything, we might get mixed up about what actually happened and what we dreamed (Q21). So it’s a sort of protection. I hadn’t heard that idea before. I’d always assumed that it was just that we didn’t have room in our memories for all that stuff. SUSIE: Me too. What do you think about the idea that our dreams may predict the future? LUKE: It’s a belief that you get all over the world. SUSIE: Yeah, lots of people have a story of it happening to them, but the explanation I’ve read is that for each dream that comes true, we have thousands that don’t (Q22), but we don’t notice those, we don’t even remember them. We just remember the ones where something in the real world, like a view or an action, happens to trigger a dream memory. LUKE: Right. So it’s just a coincidence really. Something else I read about is what they call segmented sleeping. That’s a theory that hundreds of years ago, people used to get up in the middle of the night and have a chat or something to eat, then go back to bed. So I tried it myself. SUSIE: Why? LUKE: Well it’s meant to make you more creative. I don’t know why. But I gave it up after a week. It just didn’t fit in with my lifestyle. SUSIE: But most pre-school children have a short sleep in the day don’t they? There was an experiment some students did here last term to see at what age kids should stop having naps. But they didn’t really find an answer (Q23). They spent a lot of time working out the most appropriate methodology, but the results didn’t seem to show any obvious patterns. LUKE: Right. Anyway, let’s think about our assignment. Last time I had problems with the final stage, where we had to describe and justify how successful we thought we’d been (Q24). I struggled a bit with the action plan too. SUSIE: I was OK with the planning, but I got marked down for the self-assessment as well. And I had big problems with the statistical stuff, that’s where I really lost marks. LUKE: Right. ————————– SUSIE: So shall we plan what we have to do for this assignment? LUKE: OK. SUSIE: First, we have to decide on our research question. So how about ‘Is there a relationship between hours of sleep and number of dreams?’ LUKE: OK. Then we need to think about who we’ll do they study on. About 12 people? SUSIE: Right. And shall we use other psychology students?
  • 16. LUKE: Let’s use people from a different department. What about history? (Q25) SUSIE: Yes, they might have interesting dreams! Or literature students? LUKE: I don’t really know any. SUSIE: OK, forget that idea. Then we have to think about our methodology. So we could use observation, but that doesn’t seem appropriate. LUKE: No. it needs to be self-reporting I think. And we could ask them to answer questions online. SUSIE: But in this case, paper might be better (Q26) as they’ll be doing it straight after they wake up … in fact while they’re still half-asleep. LUKE: Right. And we’ll have to check the ethical guidelines (Q27) for this sort of research. SUSIE: Mm, because our experiment involves humans, so there are special regulations. LUKE: Yes, I had a look at those for another assignment I did. There’s a whole section on risk assessment, and another section on making sure they aren’t put under any unnecessary stress. (Q28) SUSIE: Let’s hope they don’t have any bad dreams! LUKE: Yeah. SUSIE: Then when we’ve collected all our data we have to analyse it and calculate the correlation between our two variables, that’s time sleeping and number of dreams and then present our results visually in a graph. (Q29) LUKE: Right. And the final thing is to think about our research and evaluate it (Q30). So that seems quite straightforward. SUSIE: Yeah. So now let’s … Cam 16- test 3 ADAM: OK Rosie, shall we try to get some ideas together for our presentation on diet and obesity? ROSIE: Sure. ADAM: I can talk about the experiment I did to see if people can tell the difference between real sugar and artificial sweeteners. ROSIE: Where you have people drinks with either sugar or artificial sweeteners and they had to say which they thought it was? ADAM: Yeah. It took me ages to decide exactly how I’d organise it, especially how I could make sure that people didn’t know which drink I was giving them (Q21/Q22). It was hard to keep track of it all, especially as I had so many people doing it (Q21/Q22) – I had to make sure I kept a proper record of what each person had had. ROSIE: So could most people tell the difference? ADAM: Yeah – I hadn’t thought they would be able to, but most people could. ROSIE: Then there’s that experiment I did measuring the fat content of nuts, to see if the nutritional information given on the packet was accurate. ADAM: The one where you ground up the nuts and mixed them with a chemical to absorb the fat? ROSIE: Yes. My results were a bit problematic – the fat content for that type of nut seemed much lower than it said on the package. But I reckon the package information was right. I think I should probably have ground up the nuts more than I did. It’s possible that the scales for weighing the fat weren’t accurate enough (Q23/Q24), too. I’d really like to try the experiment again some time. ———————- ADAM: So what can we say about helping people to lose weight? There’s a lot we could say about what restaurants could do to reduce obesity. I read that the items at the start of a menu and the items at the end of a menu. They are much more likely to be chosen than the items in the middle. So, if you put the low-calorie items at the beginning and end of the menu, people will probably go for the food with fewer calories (Q25), without even realising what they’re doing. ROSIE: I think food manufacturers could do more to encourage healthy eating. ADAM: How? ROSIE: Well, when manufacturers put calorie counts of a food on the label, they’re sometimes really confusing and I suspect they do it on purpose (Q26). Because food that’s high in calories tastes better, and so they’ll sell more.
  • 17. ADAM: Yeah, so if you look at the amount of calories in a pizza, they’ll give you the calories per quarter pizza and you think, oh that’s not too bad. But who’s going to eat a quarter pizza? ROSIE: Exactly. ADAM: I suppose another approach to this problem is to get people to exercise more. ROSIE: Right. In England, the current guidelines are for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week. Now when you ask them, about 40% of men and 30% of women say they do this, but when you objectively measure the amount of walking they do with motion sensors, you find that only 6% of men and 4% of women do the recommended amount of exercise. (Q27) ADAM: Mm, so you can see why obesity is growing. ROSIE: So how can people encourage to take more exercise? ADAM: Well, for example, think of the location of stairs station. if people reach the stairs before they reach the escalator when they’re leaving the station, they’re more likely to take the stairs. And if you increase the width of the stairs, you’ll get more people using them at the same time (Q28). It’s an unconscious process and influenced by minor modifications in their environment. ROSIE: Right. And it might not be a big change, but if it happens every day, it all adds up. ADAM: Yes. But actually, I’m not sure if we should be talking about exercise in our presentation. (Q29) ROSIE: Well, we’ve done quite a bit of reading about it. ADAM: I know, but it’s going to mean we have a very wide focus, and our tutor did say that we need to focus on causes and solutions in terms of nutrition. ROSIE: I suppose so. And we’ve got plenty of information about that. OK, well that will be simpler. ADAM: So what shall we do now? We’ve still got half an hour before our next lecture. ROSIE: Let’s think about what we’re going to include and what will go where (Q30). Then we can decide what slides we need. ADAM: OK, fine. Cam 16 - test 4 JAKE: Now that we’ve done all the research into bike-sharing schemes in cities around the world, we need to think about how we’re going to organise our report. AMY: Right. I think we should start by talking about the benefits. I mean it’s great that so many cities have introduced these schemes where anyone can pick up a bike from dozens of different locations and hire it for a few hours. It makes riding a bike very convenient for people. JAKE: Yes, but the costs can add up and that puts people on low incomes off in some places. AMY: I suppose so, but if it means more people in general are cycling rather than driving, then because they’re increasing the amount of physical activity they do, it’s good for their health JAKE: OK. But isn’t that of less importance? I mean, doesn’t the impact of reduced emissions on air pollution have a more significant effect on people’s health? (Q21/Q22) AMY: Certainly, in some cities bike-sharing had made a big contribution to that. And also helped to cut the number of cars on the road significantly. (Q21/Q22) JAKE: Which is the main point. AMY: Exactly. But I’d say it’s had less of an impact on noise pollution because there are still loads of buses and lorries around. JAKE: Right. AMY: Shall we quickly discuss the recommendations we’re going to make? JAKE: In order to ensure bike-sharing schemes are successful? AMY: Yes. JAKE: OK. Well, while I think it’s nice to have really state-of-the art bikes with things like GPS, I wouldn’t say they’re absolutely necessary. AMY: But some technical things are really important – like a fully functional app – so people can make payments and book bikes easily (Q23/Q24). Places which haven’t invested in that have really struggled. JAKE: Good point … Some people say there shouldn’t be competing companies offering separate bike- sharing schemes, but in some really big cities, competition’s beneficial and anyway one company might not be able to manage the whole thing.
  • 18. AMY: Right. Deciding how much to invest is a big question. Cities which have opened loads of new bike lanes at the same time as introducing bike-sharing schemes have generally been more successful – but there are examples of successful schemes where this hasn’t happened … What does matter though – is having a big publicity campaign. (Q23/Q24) JAKE: Definitely. If people don’t know how to use the scheme or don’t understand its benefits, they won’t use it. People need a lot of persuasion to stop using their cars. —————————- AMY: Shall we look at some examples now? And say what we think is good or bad about them. JAKE: I suppose we should start with Amsterdam as this was one of the first cities to have a bike-sharing scheme. AMY: Yes. There was already a strong culture of cycling here. In a way it’s strange that there was such a demand for bike-sharing because you’d have thought most people would have used their own bikes. (Q25) JAKE: And yet it’s one of the best-used schemes … Dublin’s an interesting example of a success story. AMY: It must be because the public transport system’s quite limited. (Q26) JAKE: Not really – there’s no underground, but there are trams and a good bus network. I’d say price has a lot to do with it. It’s one of the cheapest schemes in Europe to join. AMY: But the buses are really slow – anyway the weather certainly can’t be a factor! JAKE: No – definitely not. The London scheme’s been quite successful AMY: Yes – it’s been a really good thing for the city. The bikes are popular and the whole system is well maintained but it isn’t expanding quickly enough. JAKE: Basically, not enough’s been spent on increasing the number of cycle lanes (Q27). Hopefully that’ll change. AMY: Yes. Now what about outside Europe? JAKE: Well bike-sharing schemes have taken off in places like Buenos Aires. AMY: Mmm. They built a huge network of cycle lanes to support the introduction of the scheme there, didn’t they? It attracted huge numbers of cyclists where previously there were hardly any. JAKE: An example of good planning. (Q28) AMY: Absolutely. New York is a good example of how not to introduce a scheme. When they launched it, it was more than ten times the price of most other schemes. JAKE: More than it costs to take a taxi, Crazy (Q29). I think the organisers lacked vision and ambition there. AMY: I think so too. Sydney would be a good example to use. I would have expected it to have grown pretty quickly here. (Q30) JAKE: Yes. I can’t quite work out why it hasn’t been an instant success like some of the others. It’s a shame really. AMY: I know. OK so now we’ve thought about … Cam 15. Test 1 RUTH: Ed, how are you getting on with the reading for our presentation next week? ED: Well, OK, Ruth – but there’s so much of it. RUTH: I know, I hadn’t realised birth order was such a popular area of research. ED: But the stuff on birth order and personality is mostly unreliable. From what I’ve been reading a lot of claims about how your position in the family determines certain personality traits are just stereotypes, with no robust evidence to support them. RUTH: OK, but that’s an interesting point – we could start by outlining what previous research has shown. There are studies going back over a hundred years. ED: Yeah – so we could just run through some of the typical traits. Like the consensus seems to be that oldest children are generally less well-adjusted. Because they never get over the arrival of a younger sibling. RUTH: Right, but on a positive note, some studies claimed that they were thought to be good a nurturing – certainly in the past when people had large families they would have been expected to look after the younger ones. (Q21) ED: There isn’t such a clear picture for middle children – but one trait that a lot of the studies mention is that they are easier to get on with than older or younger siblings.
  • 19. RUTH: Generally eager to please and helpful (Q22) – although that’s certainly not accurate as far as my family goes – my middle brother was a nightmare – always causing fights and envious of whatever I had. ED: As I said – none of this seems to relate to my own experience. I’m the youngest in my family and I don’t recognise myself in any of the studies I’ve read about. I’m supposed to have been a sociable and confident child who made friends easily (Q23) – but I was actually terribly shy. RUTH: Really? That’s funny. There have been hundreds of studies on twins but mostly about nurture versus nature… ED: There was one on personality, which said that a twin is likely to be quite shy in social situations (Q24) because they always have their twin around to depend on for support. RUTH: My cousins were like that when they were small – they were only interested in each other and hard to engage with other kids. They’re fine now though. ED: Only children have had a really bad press – a lot of studies have branded them as loners who think the world revolves around them (Q25) because they’ve never had to fight for their parents’ attention. RUTH: That does seem a bit harsh. One category I hadn’t considered before was children with much older siblings – a couple of studies mentioned that these children grow up more quickly and are expected to do basic things for themselves – like getting dressed. (Q26) ED: I can see how that might be true – although I expect they’re sometimes the exact opposite – playing the baby role and clamouring for special treatment. ——————————– RUTH: What was the problem with most of these studies, do you think? ED: I think it was because in a lot of cases data was collected from only one sibling per family, who rated him or herself and his or her siblings at the same time. RUTH: Mmm. Some of the old research into the relationship between birth order and academic achievement has been proved to be accurate though. Performances in intelligence tests decline slightly from the eldest child to his or her younger siblings. This has been proved in lots of recent studies. ED: Yes. Although what many of them didn’t take into consideration was family size (Q27). The more siblings there are, the likelier the family is to have a low socioeconomic status. Which can also account for differences between siblings in academic performance. RUTH: The oldest boy might be given more opportunities than his younger sisters, for example. ED: Exactly. RUTH: But the main reason for the marginally higher academic performance of oldest children is quite surprising, I think. It’s not only that they benefit intellectually from extra attention at a young age – which is what I would have expected. It’s that they benefit from being teachers for their younger siblings, by verbalising processes. (Q28) ED: Right, and this gives them status and confidence, which again contribute, in a small way, to better performance. So would you say sibling rivalry has been a useful thing for you? RUTH: I think so – my younger brother was incredibly annoying and we found a lot but I think this has made me a stronger person. I know how to defend myself (Q29/Q30). We had some terrible arguments and I would have died rather than apologise to him – but we had to put up with each other (Q29/Q30) and most of the time we co-existed amicably enough. ED: Yes, my situation was pretty similar. But I don’t think having two older brothers made me any less selfish – I was never prepared to let me brothers use any of my stuff … RUTH: That’s perfectly normal, whereas … Cam 15. Test 2 CATHY: OK, Graham, so let’s check we both know what we’re supposed to be doing. GRAHAM: OK. CATHY: So, for the university’s open day, we have to plan a display on British life and literature in the mid-19th century. GRAHAM: That’s right. But we’ll have some people to help us find the materials and set it up, remember – for the moment, we just need to plan it.
  • 20. CATHY: Good. So have you gathered who’s expected to come and see the display? Is it for the people studying English, or students from other departments? I’m not clear about it. GRAHAM: Nor me. That was how it used to be, but it didn’t attract many people, so this year it’s going to be part of an open day, to raise the university’s profile. It’ll be publicised in the city, to encourage people to come and find out something of what does on here (Q21/Q22). And it’s included in the information that’s sent to people who are considering applying to study here next year. (Q21/Q22) CATHY: Presumably some current students and lecturers will come? GRAHAM: I would imagine so, but we’ve been told to concentrate on the other categories of people. CATHY: Right. We don’t have to cover the whole range of 19th-century literature, do we? GRAHAM: No, it’s entirely up to us. I suggest just using Charles Dickens. CATHY: That’s a good idea. Most people have heard of him, and have probably read some of his novels, or seen films based on them (Q23/Q24), so that’s a good lead-in to life in his time. GRAHAM: Exactly. And his novels show the awful conditions that most people had to live in, don’t they: he wanted to shock people into doing something about it. (Q23/Q24) CATHY: Did he do any campaigning, other than writing? GRAHAM: Yes, he campaigned for education and other social reforms, and gave talks, but I’m inclined to ignore that and focus on the novels. CATHY: Yes, I agree. ————————– CATHY: OK, so now shall we think about a topic linked to each novel? GRAHAM: Yes. I’ve printed out a list of Dicken’s novels in the order they were published, in the hope you’d agree to focus on him! CATHY: You’re lucky I did agree! Let’s have a look. OK, the first was The Pickwick Papers, published in 1836. It was very successful when it came out, wasn’t it, and was adapted for the theatre straight away. GRAHAM: There’s an interesting point, though, that there’s a character who keeps falling asleep, and that medical condition was named after the book – Pickwickian Syndrome. (Q25) CATHY: Oh, so why don’t we use that as the topic, and include some quotations from the novel? GRAHAM: Right, Next is Oliver Twist. There’s a lot in the novel about poverty. But maybe something less obvious … CATHY: Well Oliver is taught how to steal, isn’t he? We could use that to illustrate the fact that very few children went to school, particularly not poor children, so they learnt in other ways. (Q26) GRAHAM: Good idea. What’s next? CATHY: Maybe Nicholas Nickleby. Actually he taught in a really cruel school, didn’t he? GRAHAM: That’s right. But there’s also the company of touring actors that Nicholas joins. We could do something on theatres and other amusements of the time. (Q27) We don’t want only the bad things, do we? CATHY: OK. GRAHAM: What about Martin Chuzzlewit? He goes to the USA, doesn’t he? CATHY: Yes, and Dickens himself had been there a year before, and drew on his experience there in the novel. (Q28) GRAHAM: I wonder, though … The main theme is selfishness, so we could do something on social justice? No, too general, let’s keep to your idea – I think it would work well. CATHY: He wrote Bleak House next – that’s my favourite of his novels. GRAHAM: Yes, mine too. His satire of the legal system is pretty powerful. CATHY: That’s true, but think about Esther, the heroine. As a child she lives with someone she doesn’t know is her aunt, who treats her very badly. Then she’s very happy living with her guardian, and he puts her in charge of the household. And at the end she gets married and her guardian gives her and her husband a house, where of course they’re very happy. (Q29) GRAHAM: Yes, I like that.
  • 21. CATHY: What shall we take next? Little Dorrit? Old Mr Dorrit has been in a debtors’ prison for years … GRAHAM: So was Dicken’s father, wasn’t he? CATHY: That’s right. GRAHAM: What about focusing on the part when Mr Dorrit inherits a fortune, and he starts pretending he’s always been rich? (Q30) CATHY: Good idea. GRAHAM: OK, so next we need to think about what materials we want to illustrate each issue. That’s going to be quite hard. Cam 15- Test 3 HAZEL: Tom, could I ask you for some advice, please? TOM: Yes of course, if you think I can help. What’s it about? HAZEL: It’s my first media studies assignment, and I’m not sure how to go about it. You must have done it last year. TOM: Is that the one comparing the coverage of a particular story in a range of newspapers? HAZEL: That’s right. TOM: Oh yes, I really enjoyed writing it. HAZEL: So what sort of things do I need to compare? TOM: Well, there are several things. For example, there’s the question of which page (Q21) of the newspaper the item appears on. HAZEL: You mean, because there’s a big difference between having it on the front page and the bottom of page ten, for instance? TOM: Exactly. And that shows how important the editor thinks the story is. Then there’s the size (Q22) – how many column inches the story is given, how many columns it spreads over. HAZEL: And I suppose that includes the headline. TOM: It certainly does. It’s all part of attracting the reader’s attention. HAZEL: What about graphics (Q23) – whether there’s anything visual in addition to the text? TOM: Yes, you need to consider those, too, because they can have a big effect on the reader’s understanding of the story – sometimes a bigger effect than the text itself. Then you’ll need to look at how the item is put together: what structure (Q24) is it given? Bear in mind that not many people read beyond the first paragraph, so what has the journalist put at the beginning? And if, say, three are conflicting opinions about something, does one appear near the end, where people probably won’t read it? HAZEL: And newspapers sometimes give wrong or misleading information, don’t they? Either deliberately or by accident. Should I be looking at that, too? TOM: Yes, if you can. Compare what’s in different versions, and as far as possible, try and work out what’s true and what isn’t. And that relates to a very important point: what’s the writer’s purpose (Q25), or at least the most important one, if they have several. It may seem to be to inform the public, but often it’s that they want to create fear, or controversy, or to make somebody look ridiculous. HAZEL: Gosh, I see what you mean. And I suppose the writer may make assumptions (Q26) about the reader. TOM: That’s right – about their knowledge of the subject, their attitudes, and their level of education, which means writing so that the readers understand without feeling patronised. All of that will make a difference. ———————- HAZEL: Does it matter what type of story I write about? TOM: No – national or international politics, the arts … Anything, as long as it’s covered in two or three newspaper. Though of course it’ll be easier and more fun if it’s something you’re interested in and know something about. HAZEL: And on that basis a national news item would be worth analysing – I’m quite keen on politics, so I’ll try and find a suitable topic (Q27). What did you choose for your analysis, Tom? TOM: I was interested in how newspapers express their opinions explicitly, so I wanted to compare editorials in different papers, but when I started looking. I couldn’t find two on the same topic (Q28) that I felt like analysing.
  • 22. HAZEL: In that case, I won’t even bother to look (Q28). TOM: So in the end I chose a human interest story – a terribly emotional story about a young girl who was very ill, and lots of other people – mostly strangers – raised money so she could go abroad for treatment. Actually, I was surprised – some papers just wrote about how wonderful everyone was, but others considered the broader picture, like why treatment wasn’t available here. HAZEL: Hmm, I usually find stories like that raise quite strong feelings in me! I’ll avoid that (Q29). Perhaps I’ll choose an arts topic (Q30), like different reviews of a film, or something about funding for the arts – I’ll think about that. TOM: Yes, that might be interesting. HAZEL: OK, well thanks a lot for your help, Tom. It’s been really useful. TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with the assignment, Hazel. Cam 15- test 4 ANNIE: OK, Jack. Before we plan our presentation about refrigeration, let’s discuss what we’ve discovered so far. JACK: Fine, Annie. Though I have to admit I haven’t done much research yet. ANNIE: Nor me. But I found an interesting article about icehouses. I’d been some 18th- and 19th-century ones here in the UK, so I knew they were often built in a shady area or underground, close to lakes that might freeze in the winter. But I didn’t realise that insulating the blocks with straw or sawdust meant they didn’t melt for months (Q21). The ancient Romans had refrigeration, too. JACK: I didn’t know that. ANNIE: Yes, pits were dug in the ground, and snow was imported from the mountains – even though they were at quite a distance. The snow was stored in the pits. Ice formed at the bottom of it. Both the ice and the snow were then sold (Q22). The ice cost more than the snow and my guess is that only the wealthy members of society could afford it. JACK: I wouldn’t be surprised. I also came across an article about modern domestic fridges. ANNIE: You have to wonder what happens when people get rid of old ones. JACK: You mean because the gases in them are harmful for the environment? ANNIE: Exactly. At least these are now plenty of organisations that will recycle most of the components safety, but of course some people just dump old fridges in the countryside. (Q23) JACK: It’s hard to see how they can be stopped unfortunately (Q23). In the UK we get rid of three million a year altogether! ANNIE: That sounds a lot, especially because fridges hardly ever break down. JACK: That’s right. In this country we keep domestic fridges for 11 years on average, and a lot last for 20 or more. So if you divide the cost by the number of years you can use a fridge, they’re not expensive, compared with some household appliances. (Q24) ANNIE: True. I suppose manufactures encourage people to spend more by making them different colours and designs. I’m sure when my parents bought their first fridge they had hardly any choice! JACK: Yes, there’s been quite a change. ———————– JACK: Right, let’s make a list of topics to cover in our presentation, and decide who’s going to do more research on them. Then later, we can get together and plan the next step. ANNIE: OK. How about starting with how useful refrigeration is, and the range of goods that are refrigerated (Q25) nowadays? Because of course it’s not just food and drinks. JACK: No, I suppose flowers and medicines are refrigerated, too. ANNIE: And computers. I could do that (Q26), unless you particularly want to. JACK: No, that’s fine by me. What about the effects of refrigeration on people’s health (Q26)? After all, some of the chemicals used in the 19th century were pretty harmful, but there have been lots of benefits too, like always have access to fresh food. Do you fancy dealing with that? ANNIE: I’m no terribly keen, to be honest. JACK: Nor me. My mind just goes blank when I read anything about chemicals. ANNIE: Oh, all right then, I’ll do you a favour (Q27). But you own me, Jack.
  • 23. 1. What about the effects on food producers, like farmers in poorer countries being able to export their produce to developed countries? Something for you, maybe? JACK: I don’t mind. It should be quite interesting. ANNIE: I think we should also look at how refrigeration has helped whole cities (Q28) – like Las Vegas, which couldn’t exist without refrigeration because it’s in the middle of a desert. JACK: Right. I had a quick look at an economics book in the library that’s got a chapter about this sort of thing. I could give you the title, if you want to do this section. ANNIE: Not particularly, to be honest. I find economics books pretty heavy going, as a rule. JACK: OK, leave it to me, then. ANNIE: Thanks. Then there’s transport, and the difference that refrigerated trucks (Q29) have made. I wouldn’t mind having a go at that. JACK: Don’t forget trains, too. I read something about milk and butter being transported in refrigerated railroad cars in the USA, right back in the 1840s. ANNIE: I hadn’t thought of trains. Thanks. JACK: Shall we have a separate section on domestic fridges (Q30)? After all, they’re something everyone’s familiar with. ANNIE: What about splitting it into two? You could investigate 19th- and 20th-century fridges, and I’ll concentrate on what’s available these days, and how manufacturers differentiate their products from those of their competitors. JACK: OK, that’d suit me. Cam 14- Test 1 TUTOR: OK, so what I’d like you to do now is to talk to your partner about your presentations on urban planning. You should have done most of the reading now, so I’d like you to share your ideas, and talk about the structure of your presentation and what you need to do next. CARLA: OK Rob. I’m glad we chose quite a specific topic – cities built next to the sea. It made it much easier to find relevant information. ROB: Yeah. And cities are growing so quickly – I mean, we know that more than half the world’s population lives in cities now. CARLA: Yeah, though that’s all cities, not just ones on the coast. But (Q21) most of the biggest cities are actually built by the sea. I’d not realised that before. ROB: Nor me. And what’s more, a lot of them are built at places where rivers come out into the sea. But apparently this can be a problem. CARLA: Why? ROB: Well, as the city expands, agriculture and industry tend to spread further inland along the rivers, and so agriculture moves even further inland up the river. That’s not necessarily a problem, except (Q22) it means more and more pollutants are discharged into the rivers. CARLA: So these are brought downstream to the cities? ROB: Right. Hmm. Did you read that article about Miami, on the east coast of the USA? CARLA: No. ROB: Well, apparently back in the 1950s they build channels to drain away the water in case of flooding. CARLA: Sounds sensible. ROB: Yeah, they spent quite a lot of money on them. (Q23) But what they didn’t take into account was global warming. So they built the drainage channels too close to sea level, and now sea levels are rising, they’re more or less useless. If there’s a lot of rain, the water can’t run away, there’s nowhere for it to go. The whole design was faulty. CARLA: So what are the authorities doing about it now? ROB: I don’t know. I did read that they’re aiming to stop disposing of waste into the ocean over the next ten years. CARLA: But that won’t help with flood prevention now, will it?
  • 24. ROB: No. Really (Q24) they just need to find the money for something to replace the drainage channels, in order to protect against flooding now. But in the long term they need to consider the whole ecosystem. CARLA: Right. Really, though, coastal cities can’t deal with their problems on their own, can they? I mean, they’ve got to start acting together at an international level instead of just doing their own thing. ROB: Absolutely. The thing is, everyone knows what the problems are and environmentalists have a pretty good idea of what we should be doing about them, so (Q25) they should be able to work together to some extent. But it’s going to be a long time before countries come to a decision on what principles they’re prepared to abide by. CARLA: Yes, if they ever do. —————————— CARLA: So I think we’ve probably got enough for our presentation. It’s only fifteen minutes. ROB: OK. So I suppose we’ll begin with some general historical background about why coastal cities were established. But (Q26) we don’t want to spend too long on that, the other students will already know a bit about it. It’s all to do with communications and so on. CARLA: Yes. We should mention some geographical factors, things like wetlands and river estuaries and coastal erosion and so on. We could have some maps of different cities with these features marked. ROB: On a handout you mean? Or (Q27) some slides everyone can see? CARLA: Yeah, that’d be better. ROB: It’d be good to go into past mistakes in a bit more detail. Did you read that case study of the problems there were in New Orleans with flooding a few years ago? CARLA: Yes, (Q28) We could use that as the basis for that part of the talk. I don’t think the other students will have read it, but they’ll remember hearing about the flooding at the time. ROB: OK. So that’s probably enough background. CARLA: So then we’ll go on to talk about what action’s being taken to deal with the problems of coastal cities. ROB: OK. What else do we need to talk about? Maybe something on future risks, looking more at the long term, if populations continue to grow. CARLA: Yeah. We’ll need to do a bit of work there, I haven’t got much information, have you? ROB: No. (Q29) We’ll need to look at some websites. Shouldn’t take too long. CARLA: OK. And I think we should end by talking about international implications. Maybe (Q30) we could ask people in the audience. We’ve got people from quite a lot of different places. ROB: That’d be interesting, if we have time, yes. So now shall we … Cam 14- Test 2 TUTOR: So, Rosie and Martin, let’s look at what you’ve got for your presentation on woolly mammoths. ROSIE: OK, we’ve got a short outline here. TUTOR: Thanks. So it’s about a research project in North America? MARTIN: Yes. But we thought we needed something general about woolly mammoths in our introduction, to establish that they were related to our modern elephant, and they lived thousands of years ago in the last ice age. ROSIE: Maybe we could show a video clip of a cartoon about mammoths. But that’d be a bit childish. Or we could have a diagram, (Q21) it could be a timeline to show when they lived, with illustrations? MARTIN: Or we could just show a drawing of them walking in the ice? No, let’s go with your last suggestion. TUTOR: Good. Then you’re describing the discovery of the mammoth tooth on St Paul’s Island in Alaska, and why it was significant. ROSIE: Yes. The tooth was found by a man called Russell Graham. He picked it up from under a rock in a cave. He knew it was special – for a start it was in really good condition, as if it had been just extracted from the animal’s jawbone. Anyway, they found it was 6,500 years old. TUTOR: So why was that significant?
  • 25. ROSIE: Well (Q22) the mammoth bones previously found on the North American mainland were much less recent than that. So this was really amazing. MARTIN: Then we’re making an animated diagram to show the geography of the area in prehistoric times. So originally, St Paul’s Island wasn’t an island, it was connected to the mainland, and mammoths and other animals like bears were able to roam around the whole area. ROSIE: Then the climate warmed up and the sea level began to rise, and the island got cut off from the mainland. So (Q23) those mammoths on the island couldn’t escape; they had to stay on the island. MARTIN: And in fact the species survived there for thousands of years after they’d become extinct on the mainland. TUTOR: So why do you think they died out on the mainland? ROSIE: No one’s sure. MARTIN: Anyway, next we’ll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island. They concluded that (Q24) the extinction happened 5,600 years ago, which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction. It’s based on samples they took from mud at the bottom of a lake on the island. They analysed it to find out what had fallen in over time – bits of plants, volcanic ash and even DNA from the mammoths themselves. It’s standard procedure, but it took nearly two years to do. ————————- TUTOR: So why don’t you quickly go through the main sections of your presentation and discuss what action’s needed for each part? MARTIN: OK. So for the introduction, we’re using a visual, so once we’ve prepared that we’re done. ROSIE: I’m not sure. I think (Q25) we need to write down all the ideas we want to include here, not just rely on memory. How we begin the presentation is so important … MARTIN: You’re right. ROSIE: The discovery of the mammoth tooth is probably the most dramatic part, but we don’t have that much information, only what we got from the online article. I thought maybe (Q26) we could get in touch with the researcher who led the team and ask him to tell us a bit more. MARTIN: Great idea. What about the section with the initial questions asked by the researchers? We’ve got a lot on that but we need to make it interesting. ROSIE: We could (Q27) ask the audience to suggest some questions about it and then see how many of them we can answer. I don’t think it would take too long. TUTOR: Yes that would add a bit of variety. MARTIN: Then the section on further research carried out on the island – analysing the mud in the lake. I wonder if we’ve actually got too much information here, should we cut some? ROSIE: I don’t think so, but it’s all a bit muddled at present. MARTIN: Yes, (Q28) maybe it would be better if it followed a chronological pattern. ROSIE: I think so. The findings and possible explanations section is just about ready, but we need to practice it (Q29) so we’re sure it won’t overrun. MARTIN: I think it should be OK, but yes, let’s make sure. TUTOR: In the last section, relevance to the present day, you’ve got some good ideas but this is where you need to move away from the ideas of others and (Q30) give your own viewpoint. MARTIN: OK, we’ll think about that. Now shall we … Cam 14- Test 3 LIZZIE: So how are you getting on with your teaching practice at the High School, Joe? JOE: Well I’ve been put in charge of the school marching band, and it’s quite a responsibility. I’d like to talk it over with you. LIZZIE: Go ahead. You’d better start by giving me a bit of background. JOE: OK. Well the band has students in it from all years, so they’re aged 11 to 18, and there are about (Q21) 50 of them altogether. It’s quite a popular activity within the school. I’ve never worked with a band of more than 20 before, and this is very different. LIZZIE: I can imagine.
  • 26. JOE: They aren’t really good enough to enter national band competitions, but they’re in a (Q22) regional one later in the term. Even if they don’t win, and I don’t expect them to, hopefully it’ll be an incentive for them to try and improve. LIZZIE: Yes, hopefully. JOE: Well, now the town council’s organising a (Q23) carnival in the summer, and the band has been asked to perform. If you ask me, they aren’t really up to it yet, and I need to get them functioning better as a band, and in a very short time. LIZZIE: Have you been doing anything with them? Apart from practising the music, I mean. JOE: I played a recording I came across, of a (Q24) drummer talking about how playing in a band had changed his life. I think it was an after-dinner speech. I thought it was pretty inspiring, because being in the band had stopped him from getting involved in crime. The students seemed to find it interesting, too. LIZZIE: That’s good. JOE: I’m planning to show them that old (Q25) film from the 1940s ‘Strike Up the Band’, and talk about it with the students. What do you think? LIZZIE: Good idea. As it’s about a school band, it might make the students realise how much they can achieve if they work together. JOE: That’s what I’ve got in mind. I’m hoping I can take some of the band to a (Q26) parade that’s going to take place next month. A couple of marching bands will be performing, and the atmosphere should be quite exciting. It depends on whether I can persuade the school to hire a coach or two to take us there. LIZZIE: Mmm. They sound like good ideas to me. JOE: Thanks. ————————— JOE: Can I tell you about a few people in the band who I’m finding it quite difficult to cope with? I’m sure you’ll have some ideas about what I can do. LIZZIE: Go ahead. JOE: There’s a flautist who says she loves playing in the band. We rehearse twice a week after school, but (Q27) she’s hardly ever there. Then she looks for me the next day and gives me a very plausible reason – she says she had to help her mother, or she’s been ill, but to be honest, I don’t believe her. LIZZIE: Oh dear! Any more students with difficulties? JOE: Plenty! There’s a trumpeter who thinks she’s the best musician in the band, though she certainly isn’t. (Q28) She’s always saying what she thinks other people should do, which makes my job pretty difficult. LIZZIE: She sounds a bit of a nightmare! JOE: You can say that again. One of the trombonists has got an impressive sense of rhythm, and could be an excellent musician – except that (Q29) he has breathing difficulties, and he doesn’t really have enough breath for the trombone. He’d be much better of playing percussion, for instance, but he refuses to give up. So he ends up only playing half the notes. LIZZIE: I suppose you have to admire his determination. JOE: Maybe. One of the percussionists isn’t too bad, but (Q30) he never seems to interact with other people, and he always rushes off as soon as the rehearsal ends. I don’t know if there are family reasons, or what. But it isn’t good in a band, where people really need to feel they’re part of a group. LIZZIE: Hmm. JOE: There are others too, but at least that gives you an idea of what I’m up against. Do you have any thoughts about what I can do, Lizzie? Cam 14- Test 4 STEPHANIE: Hello, Trevor. TREVOR: Hello, Stephanie. You said you wanted to talk about the course I’m taking on literature for children. STEPHANIE: That’s right. I’m thinking of doing it next year, but I’d like to find out more about it first. TREVOR: OK, well, as you probably know, it’s a one-year course. It’s divided into six modules, and you have to take all of them. One of the most interesting ones, for me, at least, was about the purpose of children’s literature.
  • 27. STEPHANIE: You mean, whether it should just entertain children or should be educational, as well. TREVOR: Right, and whether the teaching should be factual – giving them information about the world – or ethical, teaching them values. What’s fascinating is that (Q21) the writer isn’t necessarily conscious of the message they’re conveying. For instance, a story might show a child who has a problem as a result of not doing what an adult has told them to do, implying that children should always obey adults. STEPHANIE: I see what you mean. TREVOR: That module made me realise how important stories are – they can have a significant effect on children as they grow up. Actually, (Q22) it inspired me to have a go at it myself, just for my own interest. I know can’t compete with the really popular stories, like the Harry Potter books – they’re very good, and even young kids like my seven-year-old niece love reading them. STEPHANIE: Mm. I’m very interested in illustrations in stories. Is that covered in the course? TREVOR: Yes, there’s a module on pictures, and how they’re sometimes central to the story. STEPHANIE: That’s good. I remember some frightening ones I saw as a child and I can still see them vividly in my mind, years later! Pictures can be so powerful, just as powerful as words. I’ve always enjoyed drawing, so (Q23) that’s the field I want to go into when I finish the course. I bet that module will be really helpful. TREVOR: I’m sure it will. We also studied comics in that module, but I’m not convinced of their value, not compared with books. One of the great things about words is that you use your imagination, but with a comic you don’t have to. STEPHANIE: There are plenty of kids who wouldn’t even try to read a book, so I think (Q24) comics can serve a really useful purpose. TREVOR: You mean, it’s better to read a comic than not to read at all? Yes, I suppose you’re right. I just think its sad when children don’t read books. STEPHANIE: What about books for girls and books for boys? Does the course go into that? TREVOR: Yes, there’s a module on it. For years, lots of stories, in English, at least, assumed that boys went out and did adventurous things and girls stayed at home and played with dolls. I was amazed (Q25) how many books were targeted at just one sex or the other. Of course this reflects society as it is when the books are written. STEPHANIE: That’s true. So it sounds as though you think it’s a good course. TREVOR: Definitely. ———————————- TREVOR: Have you been reading lots of children’s stories, to help you decide whether to take the course? STEPHANIE: Yeah. I’ve gone as far back as the late seventeenth century, though I know there were earlier children’s stories. TREVOR: So does that mean you’ve read Perrault’s fairy tales? Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and so on. STEPHANIE: Yes. They must be important, (Q26) because no stories of that type had been written before, there were the first. Then there’s The Swiss Family Robinson. TREVOR: I haven’t read that. STEPHANIE: The English name makes it sound as though Robinson is the family’s surname, but a more accurate translation would be The Swiss Robinsons, because it’s about (Q27) a Swiss family who are shipwrecked, like Robinson Crusoe in the novel of a century earlier. TREVOR: Well I never knew that! STEPHANIE: Have you read Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King? TREVOR: Wasn’t that (Q28) the basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker? STEPHANIE: That’s right. It has some quite bizarre elements. TREVOR: I hope you’ve read Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. It’s probably my favourite children’s story of all time. STEPHANIE: Mine too! And it’s so surprising, because Wilde is best known for his plays, and most of them are very witty, but The Happy Prince is really moving. (Q29) I struggled with Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – there long books, and I gave up after one. TREVOR: It’s extremely popular, though.
  • 28. STEPHANIE: Yeah, but whereas something like The Happy Prince just carried me along with it, The Lord of the Rings took more effort than I was prepared to give it. TREVOR: I didn’t find that – I love it. STEPHANIE: Another one I’ve read is War Horse. TREVOR: Oh yes. It’s about the First Word War, isn’t it? (Q30) Hardly what you’d expect for a children’s story. STEPHANIE: Exactly, but it’s been very successful. Have you read any … Cam 13- Test 1 EMMA: We’ve got to choose a topic for our experiment, haven’t we, Jack? Were you thinking of something to do with seeds? JACK: That’s right. I thought we could look at seed germination – how a seed begins to grow. EMMA: OK. Any particular reason? I know you’re hoping to work in plant science eventually … JACK: Yeah, but practically everything we do is going to feed into that. No, there’s an optional module on seed structure and function in the third year that I might do, so I thought it might be useful for that (Q21). If I choose that option, I don’t have to do a dissertation module. EMMA: Good idea. JACK: Well, I thought for this experiment we could look at the relationship between seed size and the way the seeds are planted. So, we could plant different sized seeds in different ways, and see which grow best. EMMA: OK. We’d need to allow time for the seeds to come up (Q22). JACK: That should be fine if we start now. A lot of the other possible experiments need quite a bit longer. EMMA: So that’d make it a good one to choose. And I don’t suppose it’d need much equipment; we’re not doing chemical analysis or anything. Though that’s not really an issue, we’ve got plenty of equipment in the laboratory. JACK: Yeah. We need to have a word with the tutor if we’re going to go ahead with it though. I’m sure our aim’s OK. It’s not very ambitious but the assignment’s only ten percent of our final mark, isn’t it? But we need to be sure we’re the only ones doing it (Q23). EMMA: Yeah, it’s only five percent actually, but it’d be a bit boring if everyone was doing it. JACK: Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list? EMMA: The one by Graves? I looked through it for my last experiment, though it wasn’t all that relevant there. It would be for this experiment, though. I found it quite hard to follow – lots about the theory, which I hadn’t expected (Q24) JACK: Yes, I’d been hoping for something more practical. It does include references to the recent findings on genetically-modified seeds, though. EMMA: Yes, that was interesting. JACK: I read an article about seed germination by Lee Hall. EMMA: About seeds that lie in the ground for ages and only germinate after a fire? JACK: That’s the one. I knew a bit about it already, but not about this research. His analysis of figures comparing the times of the fires and the proportion of seeds that germinated was done in a lot of detail – very impressive (Q25). EMMA: Was that the article with the illustrations of early stages of plant development? They were very clear. JACK: I think those diagrams were in another article. ———————– EMMA: Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment? We’ll need to get going with it quite soon. JACK: Right. So the first thing we have to do is find our seeds. I think vegetable seeds would be best. And obviously they mustn’t all be the same size. So, how many sorts do we need? About four different ones? (Q26) EMMA: I think that would be enough. There’ll be quite a large number of seeds for each one.
  • 29. JACK: Then, for each seed we need to find out how much it weighs (Q27), and also measure its dimensions, and we need to keep a careful record of all that. EMMA: That’ll be quite time-consuming. And we also need to decide how deep we’re going to plant the seeds (Q28) – right on the surface, a few millimetres down, or several centimetres. JACK: OK. So then we get planting. Do you think we can plant several seeds together in the same plant pot? (Q29) EMMA: No, I think we need a different one for each seed. JACK: Right. And we’ll need to label them – we can use different coloured labels. Then we wait for the seeds to germinate – I reckon that’ll be about three weeks, depending on what the weather’s like. Then we see if our plants have come up, and write down how tall they’ve grown. (Q30) EMMA: Then all we have to do is look at our numbers, and see if there’s any relation between them. JACK: That’s right. So … Cam 13- Test 2 TUTOR: Ah … come in, Russ. RUSS: Thank you. TUTOR: Now you wanted to consult me about your class presentation on nanotechnology – you’re due to give it in next week, aren’t you? RUSS: That’s right. And I’m really struggling. Should I assume the other students don’t know much, and give them a kind of general introduction, or should I try and make them share my fascination with a particular aspect? (Q21) TUTOR: You could do either, but you’ll need to have it clear in your own mind. RUSS: Then I think I’ll give an overview. TUTOR: OK. Now, one way of approaching this is to work through developments in chronological order. RUSS: Uh-huh. TUTOR: On the other hand, you could talk about the numerous ways that nanotechnology is being applied. RUSS: You mean things like thin films on camera displays to make them water-repellent, and additives to make motorcycle helmets stronger and lighter. TUTOR: Exactly. Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area (Q22), say medicine, or space exploration. RUSS: That would make it easier to focus. Perhaps I should do that. TUTOR: I think that would be a good idea. RUSS: Right. How important is it to include slides in the presentation? TUTOR: They aren’t essential, by any means. And there’s a danger of tailoring what you say to fit whatever slides you can find. While it can be good to includes slides, you could end up spending too long looking for suitable ones. You might find it better to leave them out. (Q23) RUSS: I see. Another thing I was wondering about was how to start. I know presentations often begin with ‘First I’m going to talk about this, and then I’ll talk about that’, but I thought about asking the audience what they know about nanotechnology. TUTOR: That would be fine if you had an hour or two for the presentation, but you might find that you can’t do anything with the answers you get, and it simply eats into the short time that’s available. RUSS: So, maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used, to focus people’s attention. (Q24) TUTOR: That sounds sensible. RUSS: What do you think I should do next? I really have to plan the presentation today and tomorrow. TUTOR: Well, initially I think you should ignore all the notes you’ve made, take a small piece of paper, and write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation (Q25): it can be something as simple as ‘Nanotechnology is already improving our lives’. Then start planning the content around that. You can always modify that sentence later, if you need to.
  • 30. RUSS: OK. ———————————— TUTOR: OK, now let’s think about actually giving the presentation. RUSS: That’s right. It was pretty rubbish! TUTOR: Let’s say it was better in some respects than in others. With regard to the structure. I felt that you ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off (Q26). Be careful not to do that in next week’s presentation. RUSS: OK. TUTOR: And you made very little eye contact with the audience, because you were looking down at your notes most of the time. You need to be looking at the audience and only occasionally glancing at your notes. (Q27) RUSS: Mmm. TUTOR: Your body language was a little odd. Every time you showed a slide, you turned your back on the audience so you could look at it – you should have been looking at your laptop. And you kept scratching your head, so I found myself wondering when you were next going to do that, instead of listening to what you were saying! (Q28) RUSS: Oh dear. What did you think of the language? I knew that not everyone was familiar with the subject, so I tried to make it as simple as I could. TUTOR: Yes, that came across. You used a few words that are specific to the field, but you always explained what they meant, so the audience wouldn’t have had any difficulty understanding. (Q29) RUSS: Uh-huh. TUTOR: I must say the handouts you prepared were well thought out. They were a good summary of your presentation, which people would be able to refer to later on (Q30). So well done on that. RUSS: Thank you. TUTOR: Well, I hope that helps you with next week’s presentation. RUSS: Yes, it will. Thanks a lot. TUTOR: I’ll look forward to seeing a big improvement, then. Camm 13- Test 3 TUTOR: OK, Jim. You wanted to see me about your textile design project. JIM: That’s right. I’ve been looking at how a range of natural dyes can be used to colour fabrics like cotton and wool. TUTOR: Why did you choose that topic? JIM: Well, I got a lot of useful ideas from the museum, you know, at that exhibition of textiles. But I’ve always been interested in anything to do with colour. Years ago, I went to a carpet shop with my parents when we were on holiday in Turkey, and I remember all the amazing colours. (Q21) TUTOR: They might not all have been natural dyes. JIM: Maybe not, but for the project I decided to follow it up. And I found a great book about a botanic garden in California that specialises in plants used for dyes. TUTOR: OK. So, in your project, you had to include a practical investigation. JIM: Yeah. At first I couldn’t decide on my variables. I was going to just look at one type of fibre for example, like cotton … TUTOR: … and see how different types of dyes affected it? JIM: Yes. Then I decided to include others as well, so I looked at cotton and wool and nylon. (Q22) TUTOR: With just one type of dye? JIM: Various types, including some that weren’t natural, for comparison. TUTOR: OK. JIM: So, I did the experiments last week. I used some ready-made natural dyes. I found a website which supplied them, they came in just a few days, but I also made some of my own. TUTOR: That must have taken quite a bit of time.
  • 31. JIM: Yes, I’d thought it’d just be a matter of a teaspoon or so of dye, and actually that wasn’t the case at all. Like I was using one vegetable, beetroot, for a red dye, and I had to chop up a whole pile of it (Q23). So it all took longer than I’d expected. TUTOR: One possibility is to use food colourings. JIM: I did use one. That was a yellow dye, an artificial one. TUTOR: Tartrazine? JIM: Yeah. I used it on cotton first. It came out a great colour, but when I rinsed the material, the colour just washed away (Q24). I’d been going to try it out on nylon, but I abandoned that idea. TUTOR: Were you worried about health issues? JIM: I’d thought if it’s a legal food colouring, it must be safe. TUTOR: Well, it can occasionally cause allergic reactions, I believe. ———————– TUTOR: So what natural dyes did you look at? JIM: Well, one was turmeric. The colour’s great, it’s a really strong yellow. It’s generally used in dishes like curry. TUTOR: It’s meant to be quite good for your health when eaten, but you might find it’s not permanent when it’s used as a dye – a few washes, and it’s gone. (Q25) JIM: Right. I used beetroot as a dye for wool. When I chop up beetroot to eat I always end up with bright red hands, but the wool ended up just a sort of watery cream shade (Q26). Disappointing. TUTOR: There’s a natural dye called Tyrian purple. Have you heard of that? JIM: Yes. It comes from a shellfish, and it was worn in ancient times but only by important people as it was so rare. I didn’t use it. (Q27) TUTOR: It fell out of use centuries ago, though one researcher managed to get hold of some recently. But that shade of purple can be produced by chemical dyes nowadays. Did you use any black dyes? JIM: Logwood. That was quite complicated. I had to prepare the fabric so the dye would take. TUTOR: I hope you were careful to wear gloves. JIM: Yes. I know the danger with that dye. TUTOR: Good. It can be extremely dangerous if it’s ingested (Q28). Now, presumably you had a look at an insect-based dye? Like cochineal, for example? JIM: Yes. I didn’t actually make that, I didn’t have time to start crushing up insects to get the red colour and anyway they’re not available here, but I managed to get the dye quite easily from a website. But it cost a fortune (Q29). I can see why it’s generally just used in cooking, and in small quantities. TUTOR: Yes, it’s very effective, but that’s precisely why it’s not used as a dye. JIM: I also read about using metal oxide. Apparently you can allow iron to rust while it’s in contact with the fabric, and that colours it. TUTOR: Yes, that works well for dying cotton. But you have to be careful as the metal can actually affect the fabric (Q30) and so you can’t expect to get a lot of wear out of fabrics treated in this way. And the colours are quite subtle, not everyone likes them. Anyway, it looks as if you’ve done a lot of work … Cam 13- Test 4 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. (Q21) 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 realise that the ‘healthy’ yoghurt I’ve bought for years is full of sugar and that it’s actually quite high in calories. (Q22) JACK: 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. (Q23) JACK: When most people eat the whole pizza. Not exactly transparent is it?
  • 32. ALICE: Not at all. But I expect it won’t stop you from buying pizza? JACK: Probably not, no! I thought comparing the different labelling systems used by food manufactures was interesting. I think the kind of labelling system used makes a big difference. ALICE: Which one did you prefer? JACK: I liked 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 (Q24). 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 supermarkets have been making an effort to provide reliable information for customers. JACK: Yes. There just needs to be more consistency between labelling systems used by different supermarkets, in terms of portion sizes, etc. ALICE: Mmm. 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. (Q25) ALICE: I know. I’d at least have expected them to contain a small percentage of real chicken. JACK: Absolutely. ALICE: I think having nutritional food labeling 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 kind of prove the opposite? People didn’t necessarily stop buying unhealthy products. ALICE: They only said that might be the case. Those findings weren’t that conclusive (Q26) and it was quite a small-scale study. I think more research has to be done. JACK: Yes, I think you’re probably right. ——————– 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 green – for levels of fat, sugar and salt in a product. JACK: Buy it’s not been adopted universally (Q27&28). And not on all products. Why do you suppose that is? ALICE: Pressure from the food manufacturers. Hardly surprising that some of them are opposed to flagging up how unhealthy their products are. JACK: I’d have thought it would have been compulsory. It seems ridiculous it isn’t. ALICE: I know. And what I couldn’t get over is the fact that it was brought in without enough consultation – a lot of experts had deep reservations about it. JACK: That is a bit weird. I suppose there’s an argument for doing the research now when consumers are familiar with this system. ALICE: Yeah, maybe. JACK: The participants in the survey were quite positive about the traffic-light system. ALICE: Mmm. But I don’t think they targeted the right people. They should have focused on people with low literacy levels because these labels are designed to be accessible to them. JACK: Yeah. But it’s good to get feedback from all socio-economic groups (Q29&30). And there wasn’t much variation in their responses. ALICE: No. But if they hadn’t interviewed participants face-to-face, they could have used a much bigger 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 used the supermarket. Cam 12- Test 1 TRUDIE: OK, Stewart. We need to start planning our paper on public libraries. Have you thought of an angle yet?
  • 33. STEWART: Well, there’s so much we could look into. How libraries have changed over the centuries, for instance, or how different countries organise them. What do you think, Trudie? TRUDIE: Maybe we should concentrate on this country, and try relate the changes in libraries to external developments, like the fact that far more people can read than a century ago, and that the local population may speak lots of different languages. (Q21) STEWART: We could include something about changes in the source of funding, too. TRUDIE: Yes, but remember we’re only supposed to write a short paper, so it’s probably best if we don’t go into funding in any detail. STEWART: Right. Well, shall we just brainstorm a few ideas, to get started? TRUDIE: OK. We obviously need to look at the impact of new technology, particularly the internet. Now that lots of books have been digitalised, people can access them from their own computers at home. STEWART: And if everyone did that, libraries would be obsolete. TRUDIE: Yes. STEWART: But the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of copyright, aren’t they? And copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the author dies. So you won’t find the latest best-seller or up-to-date information. (Q22) TRUDIE: That’s an important point. Anyway, I find it hard to concentrate when I’m reading a long text on a green. I’d much rather read a physical book. And it takes longer to read on a screen. STEWART: Oh, I prefer it. I suppose it’s just a personal preference. TRUDIE: Mm. I expect that libraries will go on evolving in the next few years. Some have already become centres where community activities take place, like local clubs meeting there. I think that’ll become even more common. STEWART: I’d like to think so, and that they’ll still be serving their traditional function, but I’m not so sure. There are financial implications, after all. What I’m afraid will happen is that books and magazines will all disappear, and there’ll just be rows and rows of computers (Q23). They won’t look anything like the libraries we’re used to. TRUDIE: Well, we’ll see. ———————– TRUDIE: I’ve just had an idea. Why don’t we make an in-depth study of our local public library as background to our paper? STEWART: Yes, that’d be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues. Let’s make a list of possible things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure. For instance, um, we could interview some of the staff, and find out whether the library has its own budget, or if that’s controlled by the local council. (Q24) TRUDIE: And what their policies are. I know they don’t allow food, but I’d love to find out what types of noise they ban – there always seems to be a lot of talking, but never music. I don’t know if that’s a policy or it just happens. STEWART: Ah, I’ve often wondered. Then there are things like how the library is affected by employment laws. I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff, and so on. (Q25) TRUDIE: Right. Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it. Like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety? (Q26) They’d need floor coverings that aren’t slippery, and emergency exits, for instance. Oh, and another thing – there’s the question of the kind of insurance the library needs to have, in case anyone gets injured. (Q27) STEWART: Yes, that’s something else to find out. You know something I’ve often wondered? TRUDIE: What’s that? STEWART: Well, you know they’ve got an archive of local newspapers going back years? Well, next to it they’ve got the diary of a well-known politician from the late 19th century (Q28). I wonder why it’s there. Do you know what his connection was with this area? TRUDIE: No idea. Let’s add it to our list of things to find out. Oh, I’ve just thought – you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs? Well, I wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online. (Q29)
  • 34. STEWART: Right. I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that’s open to the public and one that’s part of a museum, for example (Q30) – they must be very different. TRUDIE: Mmm. Then something else I’d like to know is … Cam 12- Test 2 BETH: Oh good morning. You must be James. I’m Beth Cartwright – please call be Beth. JAMES: Thank you. BETH: Now as this is your first tutorial since you started on the Scandinavian Studies course, I’d like to find out something about you. Why did you decide to take this course? JAMES: Well, my mother is Danish, and although we always lived in England, she used to talk about her home a lot, and that made me want to visit Denmark. We hardly ever did, though – my mother usually went on her own. But whenever her relations or friends were in England they always came to see us. (Q21) BETH: I see. So I assume you already speak Danish, one of the languages you’ll be studying. JAMES: I can get by when I talk to people, though I’m not terribly accurate. BETH: Now you probably know that you’ll spend the third year of the course abroad. Have you had any thoughts about that? JAMES: I’m really looking forward to it. And although Denmark seems the obvious place to go, because of my family connections, I’d love to spend the time in Iceland. BETH: Oh, I’m sure it can be arranged. Do you have any plans for when you graduate? A lot of students go on to take a master’s degree. JAMES: I think the four years of the undergraduate course will be enough for me. I’m interested in journalism, and I quite like the idea of moving to Scandinavia and writing for magazines (Q22). I’d find that more creative than translating, which I suppose most graduates do. BETH: OK. Now how are you finding the courses you’re taking this term, James? JAMES: Well, I’m really enjoying the one on Swedish cinema. BETH: That’ll continue next term, but the one on Scandinavian literature that’s running at the moment will be replaced by more specialised courses (Q23). Oh, and by the way, if you’re interested in watching Danish television programmes – there’s going to be a course on that the term after next. JAMES: That sounds good. BETH: Have you started thinking about the literature paper that you have to write in the next few weeks? JAMES: Yes, my first choice would be to do something on the Icelandic sagas. BETH: Hmm. The trouble with that is that a lot of people choose that topic, and it can be difficult to get hold of the books you’ll need. Why not leave that for another time? JAMES: Right. BETH: You might find modern novels or 19th century playwrights interesting. (Q24) JAMES: I’ve read or seen several plays in translation, so that would be a good idea. BETH: Fine. I’ll put you down for that topic. JAMES: Right. So what would you advise me to aim at in the paper? BETH: First I suggest you avoid taking one writer and going into a great deal of detail. That approach certainly has its place, but I think you first need to get an understanding of the literature in the context of the society in which it was produced – who it was written for, how it was published, and so on (Q25). I also think that’s more fruitful than placing it within the history of the genre. JAMES: OK, that sounds reasonable. ———————— JAMES: Could I ask for some advice about writing the paper I’m working on about the Vikings? I have to do that this week, and I’m a bit stuck. BETH: Of course. Have you decided yet what to write about? JAMES: No, I haven’t. There’s so much that seems interesting – Viking settlement in other countries, trade, mythology …
  • 35. BETH: Well, what I suggest is that you read an assignment a student wrote last year (Q26), which is kept in the library. It’s short and well focused, and I’m sure you’ll find it helpful. I’ll give you the details in a moment. Textbooks usually cover so many topics, it can be very difficult to choose just one. JAMES: OK. I’ve got a DVD of the film about the Vikings that came out earlier this year. Should I watch that again? BETH: If it’s the one I am thinking of, hmm, I’d ignore it – it’s more fantasy than reality. But I’ve got a recording of a documentary that you should watch (Q27). It makes some interesting and provocative points, which I think will help you to focus your topic. JAMES: Right. BETH: So then should I work out an outline? (Q28) JAMES: Yes. Just headings for different sections, at this stage. And then you should start looking for suitable articles and books to draw on, and take notes (Q29) which you organise according to those headings. BETH: I see. JAMES: Then put short phrases and sentences as bullet points under each heading (Q30). Make sure that this skeleton makes sense and flows properly, before writing up the paper in full. BETH: OK. Thanks, that’s very helpful. Cam 12- Test 3 NATALIE: Dave, I’m worried about our case study. I’ve done a bit of reading, but I’m not sure what’s involved in actually writing a case study – I missed the lecture where Dr Baker talked us through it. DAVE: OK, well it’s quite straightforward. We’ve got our focus – that’s tourism at the Horton Castle site. And you said you’d done some reading about it. NATALIE: Yes, I found some articles and made notes of the main points. DAVE: Did you remember to keep a record of where you got the information from? (Q21) NATALIE: Sure. I know what a pain it is when you forget that. DAVE: OK, so we can compare what we’ve read. Then we have to decide on a particular problem or need at our site. And then think about who we’re going to interview to get more information. NATALIE: OK. So who’d that be? The people who work there (Q22)? And presumable some of the tourists too? DAVE: Yes, both those groups. So we’ll have to go to the site to do that, I suppose. But we might also do some of our interviewing away from the site – we could even contact some people here in the city, like administrators involved in overseeing tourism. (Q23) NATALIE: OK. So we’ll need to think about our interview questions and fix times and places for the meetings. It’s all going to take a lot of time. DAVE: Mmm. And if we can, we should ask our interviewees if they can bring along some numerical data that we can add to support our findings. NATALIE: And photographs? DAVE: I think we have plenty of those already. But Dr Baker also said we have to establish with our interviewees whether we can identify them in our case study, or whether they want to be anonymous. (Q24) NATALIE: Oh, I wouldn’t have thought of that. OK, once we’ve got all this information, I suppose we have to analyse it. DAVE: Yes, put it all together and choose what’s relevant to the problem we’re focusing on, and analyse that carefully to find out if we can identify any trends or regularities (Q25) there. That’s the main thing at this stage, rather can concentrating on details or lots of facts. NATALIE: OK. And then once we’ve analysed that, what next? DAVE: Well, then we need to think about what we do with the data we’ve selected to make it as clear as possible to our readers. Things like graphs, or tables, or charts. NATALIE: Right. DAVE: Then the case study itself is mostly quite standard; we begin by presenting the problem, and giving some background, then go through the main sections, but the thing that surprised me is that in a normal
  • 36. report we’d end with some suggestions to deal with the problem or need we identified, but in a case study we end up with a question or a series of questions to our readers, and they decide what ought to be done. (Q26) NATALIE: Oh, I hadn’t realised that. ————————– NATALIE: So basically, the problem we’re addressing in our case study of the Horton Castle site is why so few tourists are visiting it. And we’ll find out more from our interviews, but I did find one report on the internet that suggested that one reason might be because as far as transport goes, access is difficult. DAVE: I read that too, but that report was actually written ten years ago, when the road there was really bad, but that’s been improved now. And I think there’s plenty of fascinating stuff there for a really good day out, but you’d never realise it from the castle website – maybe that’s the problem. (Q27) NATALIE: Yes, it’s really dry and boring. DAVE: I read somewhere a suggestion that what the castle needs is a visitor centre. So we could have a look for some information about that on the internet. What would we need to know? NATALIE: Well, who’d use it for a start. It’s be good to know what categories the visitors fell into too, like school parties or retired people, but I think we’d have to talk to staff to get that information. DAVE: OK. And as we’re thinking of suggesting a visitor centre we’d also have to look at potential problems. I mean, obviously it wouldn’t be cheap to set up. NATALIE: No, but it could be a really good investment. And as it’s on a historical site it’d need to get special planning permission, I expect. That might be hard. (Q28) DAVE: Right, especially as the only possible place for it would be at the entrance, and that’s right in front of the castle. NATALIE: Mmm. DAVE: But it could be a good thing for the town of Horton. At present it’s a bit of a ghost town. Once they’ve left school and got any skills or qualifications, the young people all get out as fast as they can to get jobs in the city, and the only people left are children and those who’ve retired. (Q29) NATALIE: Right. Something else we could investigate would be the potential damage that tourists might cause to the castle site, I mean their environmental impact. At present the tourists can just wander round wherever they want, but if numbers increase, there might have to be some restrictions, like sticking to marked ways. And there’d need to be guides and wardens around to make sure these were enforced. (Q30) DAVE: Yes, we could look at that too. OK, well … Cam 12- Test 4 KATIE: Joe, you know I’m giving a presentation in our film studies class next week? JOE: Yes. KATIE: Well, could we discuss it? I could do with getting someone else’s opinion. JOE: Of course, Katie. What are you going to talk about? KATIE: It’s about film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve got very interested in all the different approaches that film directors take. JOE: Uhuh. KATIE: So I thought I’d start with Giannetti, who’s professor of film and literature, and in one of his books he came up with a straightforward classification of film adaptations based on how faithful they are to the original plays and novels. (Q21) JOE: Right. KATIE: I’ve already made some notes on that, so I just need to sort those out before the presentation. I thought that next I’d ask the class to come up with the worst examples of Shakespeare adaptations that they’ve seen, and to say why (Q22). That should be more fun than having their favourite versions. JOE: Yes, I can certainly think of a couple! KATIE: Right. Next I want to talk about Rachel Malchow. I came across something on the internet about her work on film adaptations, and I was thinking of showing some film clips to illustrate her ideas. JOE: Will you have enough time, though? Both to prepare and during the presentation? After all, I doubt if you’ll be able to find all the clips you want.
  • 37. KATIE: Hmm. Perhaps you’re right. OK, well, I’d better do some slides instead, saying how various films relate to what she says (Q23). That should encourage discussion. JOE: Mmm. KATIE: Next I want to say something about how plays may be chosen for adaptation because they’re concerned with issues of the time when the film is made. (Q24) JOE: You mean things like patriotism, or the role of governments? KATIE: Exactly. It’s quite tricky, but I’ve got a few ideas I’d like to discuss. ———————– KATIE: And finally I want to talk about a few adaptations that I think illustrate a range of approaches, and make some comments on them. Do you know the Japanese film Ran? JOE: I haven’t seen it. It was based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, wasn’t it? KATIE: That’s right. It was a very loose adaptation, using the same situation and story, but moving it to 16th century Japan instead of 16th century Britain (Q25). So for example the king’s daughters become sons, because in Japanese culture at that time, women couldn’t succeed to the throne. JOE: OK. I hope you’re going to talk about the 1993 film of Much Ado About Nothing. I think that’s one of the best Shakespeare films. It really brings the play to life, doesn’t it? KATIE: Yes, I agree. And I think filming it in Italy, where the play is set, makes you see what life was like at the time of the play. (Q26) JOE: Absolutely. Right, what’s next? KATIE: Er, next, I thought Romeo & Juliet, the 1996 film, which moves the action into the present day. (Q27) JOE: Yes, it worked really well, I thought – changing the two feuding families in the original to two competing business empires, even though they’re speaking in the English of the original play. KATIE: You’d expect it would sound really bizarre, but I found I soon got used to it. JOE: Me too. KATIE: Then I thought I’d include a real Hollywood film, one that’s intended to appeal to a mass commercial audience. JOE: There must be quite a number of those. KATIE: Yes, but I’ve picked the 1996 film of Hamlet. It included every line of the text, but it’s more like a typical action hero movie (Q28) – there are loads of special effects, but no unifying interpretation of the play. JOE: All show and no substance. KATIE: Exactly. Then there’s Prospero’s Books, based on The Tempest. That was really innovative, from a stylistic point of view. (Q29) JOE: Didn’t it include dance and singing and animation, as well as live actors? KATIE: Yes, it did. I also want to mention Looking for Richard. Did you ever see it? (Q30) JOE: No, but I’ve read about it. It was a blend of a documentary with a few scenes from Richard III, wasn’t it? KATIE: That’s right. It’s more a way of looking into how people nowadays connect with the playwright – the play is really just the starting point. And that’ll be where I finish. JOE: Well, it sounds as though it’ll be very interesting. Cam 11- Test 1 LISA: OK, Greg, so I finally managed to read the article you mentioned – the one about the study on gender in physics. GREG: About the study of college students done by Akira Miyake and his team? Yeah. I was interested that the researchers were actually a mix of psychologists and physicists. That’s an unusual combination. LISA: Yeah. I got a little confused at first about which students the study was based on. They weren’t actually majoring in physics – they were majoring in what’s known as the STEM disciplines. That’s science, technology, engineering and … (Q21) GREG: … and math. Yes, but they were all doing physics courses as part of their studies.
  • 38. LISA: That’s correct. So as I understood it, Miyake and co started from the fact that women are underrepresented in introductory physics courses at college, and also that on average, the women who do enrol on these courses perform more poorly than the men. No one really knows why this is the case. GREG: Yeah. But what the researchers wanted to find out was basically what they could do about the relatively low level of the women’s results (Q22). But in order to find a solution they needed to find out more about the nature of the problem. LISA: Right – now let’s see if I can remember … it was that in the physics class, the female students thought the male students all assumed that women weren’t any good at physics … was that it? And they thought that the men expected them to get poor results in their tests. GREG: That’s what the women thought, and that made them nervous, so they did get poor results. But actually they were wrong … No one was making any assumption about the female students at all. (Q23) LISA: Anyway, what Miyake’s team did was quite simple – getting the students to do some writing before they went into the physics class. What did they call it? GREG: Values-affirmation – they had to write an essay focusing on things that were significant to them, not particularly to do with the subject they were studying, but more general things like music or people who mattered to them. (Q24) LISA: Right. So the idea of doing the writing is that this gets the students thinking in a positive way. GREG: And putting these thoughts into words can relax them and help them overcome the psychological factors that lead to poor performance (Q25). Yeah. But what the researchers in the study hadn’t expected was that this one activity raised the women’s physics grades from the C to the B range. (Q26) LISA: A huge change. Pity it wasn’t to an A, but still! No, but it does suggest that the women were seriously underperforming beforehand, in comparison with the men. GREG: Yes. Mind you, Miyake’s article left out a lot of details. Like, did the students to the writing just once, or several times? And had they been told why they were doing the writing? That might have affected the results. (Q27) LISA: You mean, if they know the researchers thought it might help them to improve, then they’d just try to fulfil that expectation? GREG: Exactly. ——————- GREG: So anyway, I thought for our project we could do a similar study, but investigate whether it really was the writing activity that had that result. LISA: OK. So we could ask them to do a writing task about something completely different … something more factual? Like a general knowledge topic. GREG: Maybe … or we could have half the students doing a writing task and half doing something else, like an oral task. LISA: Or even, half do the same writing task as in the original research and half do a factual writing task (Q28). Then we’d see if it really is the topic that made the difference, or something else. GREG: That’s it. Good. So at our meeting with the supervisor on Monday we can tell him we’ve decided on our project. We should have our aims ready by then. I suppose we need to read the original study – the article’s just a summary. LISA: And these was another article I read, by Smolinsky. It was about her research on how women and men perform in mixed teams in class, compared with single-sex teams and on their own. GREG: Let me guess … the women were better at teamwork. LISA: That’s what I expected, but actually the men and the women got the same results whether they were working in teams or on their own (Q29). But I guess it’s not that relevant to us. GREG: What worries me anyway is how we’re going to get everything done in the time. LISA: We’ll be OK now we know what we’re doing. Though I’m not clear how we assess whether the students in our experiment actually make any progress or not … GREG: No. We may need some advice on that. The main thing’s to make sure we have the right size sample, not too big or too small.
  • 39. LISA: That shouldn’t be difficult. Right, what do we need to do next? We could have a look at the timetable for the science classes … or perhaps we should just make an appointment to see one of the science professors. That’d be better. (Q30) GREG: Great. And we could even get to observe one of the classes. LISA: What for? GREG: Well … OK maybe let’s just go with your idea. Right, well … Cam 11- Test 2 HELEN: I’ve brought my notes on our Biology Field Trip to Rocky Bay, Colin, so we can work on our report on the research we did together. COLIN: OK. I’ve got mine too. Let’s look at the aims of the trip first. HELEN: Right. What did you have? COLIN: I just put something about getting experience of the different sorts of procedures used on a field trip. But we need something about what causes different organisms to choose particular habitats. (Q21) HELEN: I agree. And something about finding out how to protect organisms in danger of dying out? COLIN: In our aims? But we weren’t really looking at that. HELEN: I suppose not. OK, now there’s the list of equipment we all had to bring on the field trip. What did they tell us to bring a ruler for? COLIN: It was something about measuring the slope of the shore, but of course we didn’t need it because we were measuring wind direction, and we’d brought the compass for that … HELEN: But not the piece of string to hold up in the air! Didn’t Mr Blake make a fuss about us leaving that behind. (Q22) COLIN: Yeah. He does go on. Anyway it was easy to get one from another of the students. HELEN: Now, the next section’s the procedure. I sent you the draft of that. COLIN: Yeah. It was clear, but I don’t think we need all these details of what time we left and what time we got back and how we divided up the different research tasks. (Q23) HELEN: OK. I’ll look at that again. COLIN: Then we have to describe our method of investigation in detail. So let’s begin with how we measured wave speed. I was surprised how straightforward that was. (Q24) HELEN: I’d expected us to have some sort of high-tech device, not just stand there and count the number of waves per minute. Not very precise, but I suppose it was good enough. But the way we measured the amount of salt was interesting. COLIN: In the water from the rock pools? HELEN: Yeah, oh, I wanted to check the chemicals we used in the lab when we analysed those samples – was it potassium chromate and silver nitrate? COLIN: That’s right. HELEN: OK. And we need the map of the seashore. You just left that to me. And I had to do in while the tide was low, well that was OK, but the place I started it from was down on the beach, then I realised I should have gone up higher to get better visibility (Q25), so I had to start all over again. But at least I’d go the squared paper or I’d have had problems drawing it all to scale. COLIN: Yes. It looks good. We could get a map of the region off the internet and see if we need to make any changes. HELEN: I had a look but I couldn’t find anything. But you took some pictures, didn’t you? COLIN: Yeah. I’ll email you them if you want. HELEN: OK. I’ll make my amendments using those, then I can scan it into our report (Q26). Great. HELEN: Now when we get to our findings I thought we could divide them up into the different zones we identified on the shore and the problems organisms face in each zone. So for the highest area … COLIN: … the splash zone? HELEN: Yeah, we found mostly those tiny shellfish that have strong hard shells that act as protection. COLIN: But not from other organisms that might eat them, predators?
  • 40. HELEN: No, that’s not the main danger for them. But the shells prevent them from drying out because they’re in the open air for most of the time. (Q27&Q28) COLIN: Right. And since they’ve exposed, they need to be able to find some sort of shelter, or cover themselves up, so they don’t get too hot (Q27&Q28). Then in the middle and lower zones, nearer the sea, we need to discuss the effects of wave action … HELEN: Yes, and how organisms develop structures to prevent themselves from being swept away, or even destroyed by being smashed against the rocks. COLIN: I haven’t done anything on the geological changes. I don’t know what to put for that. HELEN: No, we weren’t concentrating on that. Maybe we need to find some websites. COLIN: Good idea. I’ve got the lecture notes from Mr Blake’s geology course, but they’re too general. But we could ask him which books on our Reading List might be most helpful. HELEN: Right. OK, now I did a draft of the section of sources of possible error in our research, but I don’t know if you agree. For example, the size of the sample, and whether it’s big enough to make any general conclusions from. But I thought actually we did have quite a big sample. COLIN: We did. And our general method of observation seemed quite reliable. But we might not be all that accurate as far as the actual numbers go. HELEN: Yeah, we might have missed some organisms – if they were hiding under a rock, for example (Q29&Q30). I wasn’t sure about the way we described their habitats. I decided it was probably OK. COLIN: Yeah, and the descriptions we gave of the smaller organisms, they weren’t very detailed, but they were adequate in this context. I’m not sure we identified all the species correctly thought. (Q29&Q30) HELEN: OK, we’d better mention that. Now, how … Cam 11- Test 3 JEREMY: Hello, Helen. Sorry I’m late. HELEN: Hi, Jeremy, no problem. Well we’d better work out where we are on our project, I suppose. JEREMY: Yeah. I’ve looked at the drawings you’ve done for my story, ‘The Forest’, and I think they’re brilliant – they really create the atmosphere I had in mind when I was writing it. HELEN: I’m glad you like them. JEREMY: There are just a few suggestions I’d like to make. HELEN: Go ahead. JEREMY: Now, I’m not sure about the drawing of the cave – it’s got trees all around it (Q21), which is great, but the drawing’s a bit too static, isn’t it? I think it needs some action. HELEN: Yes, there’s nothing happening. Perhaps I should add the boy – Malcolm, isn’t it? He would be walking up to it. JEREMY: Yes, let’s have Malcolm in the drawing. And what about putting in a tiger (Q22) – the one that he makes friends with a bit later? Maybe it could be sitting under a tree washing itself. HELEN: And the tiger stops in the middle of what it’s doing when it sees Malcolm walking past. JEREMY: That’s a good idea. HELEN: OK, I’ll have a go at that. JEREMY: Then there’s the drawing of the crowd of men and women dancing. They’re just outside the forest (Q23), and there’s a lot going on. HELEN: That’s right, you wanted them to be watching a carnival procession, but I thought it would be too crowded. Do you think it works like this? JEREMY: Yes, I like what you’ve done. The only thing is, could you add Malcolm to it, without changing what’s already there. HELEN: What about having him sitting on the tree trunk on the right of the picture? JEREMY: Yes, that would be fine. HELEN: And do you want him watching the other people? JEREMY: No, he’s been left out of all the fun, so I’d like him to be crying (Q24) – that’ll contrast nicely with the next picture, where he’s laughing at the clowns in the carnival. HELEN: Right, I’ll do that. JEREMY: And then the drawing of the people ice skating in the forest.
  • 41. HELEN: I wasn’t too happy with that one. Because they’re supposed to be skating on grass aren’t they? (Q25) JEREMY: That’s right, and it’s frozen over. At the moment it doesn’t look quite right. HELEN: Mm, I see what you mean. I’ll have another go at that. JEREMY: And I like the wool hats they’re wearing. Maybe you could give each of them a scarf as well. (Q26) HELEN: Yeah, that’s easy enough. They can be streaming out behind the people to suggest they’re skating really fast. JEREMY: Mm, great. Well that’s all on the drawings. HELEN: Right. So you’ve finished writing your story and I just need to finish illustrating it, and my story and your drawings are done. ———————– HELEN: So the next thing is to decide what exactly we need to write about in the report that goes with the stories, and how we’re going to divide the work. JEREMY: Right, Helen. HELEN: What do you think about including a section on how we planned the project as a whole, Jeremy? That’s probably quite important. JEREMY: Yeah. Well, you’ve had most of the good ideas so far. How do you feel about drafting something (Q27), then we can go through it together and discuss it? HELEN: OK, that seems reasonable. And I could include something on how we came up with the ideas for our two stories, couldn’t I? JEREMY: Well, I’ve started writing something about that, so why don’t you do the same and we can include the two things. (Q28) HELEN: Right. So what about our interpretation of the stories? Do we need to write about what we think they show, like the value of helping other people, all that sort of thing? JEREMY: That’s going to come up later isn’t it? I think everyone in the class is going to read each other’s stories and come up with their own interpretations which we’re going to discuss. (Q29) HELEN: Oh, I missed that. So it isn’t going to be part of the report at all? JEREMY: No. But we need to write about the illustrations, because they’re an essential element of children’s experience of reading the stories. It’s probably easiest for you to write that section, as you know more about drawing than I do. HELEN: Maybe, but I find it quite hard to write about. I’d be happier if you did it. (Q30) JEREMY: OK. So when do you think … Cam 11- Test 4 SUPERVISOR: Hi, Joanna, good to meet you. Now, before we discuss your new research project. I’d like to hear something about the psychology study you did last year for your Master’s degree. So how did you choose your subjects for that? JOANNA: Well, I had six subjects, all professional musicians, and all female. There were violinists and there was also a cello player and a pianist and a flute player. They were all very highly regarded in the music world and they’d done quite extensive tours in different continents (Q21&Q22), and quite a few had won prizes and competitions as well. SUPERVISOR: And they were quite young, weren’t they? JOANNA: Yes, between 25 and 29 – the mean was 27.8. I wasn’t specifically look for artists who’d produced recordings, but this is something that’s just taken for granted these days, and they all had. (Q21&Q22) SUPERVISOR: Right. Now you collected your data through telephone interviews, didn’t you? JOANNA: Yes. I realised if I was going to interview leading musicians it’s only be possible over the phone because they’re so busy (Q23&Q24). I recorded them using a telephone recording adaptor. I’d been worried about the quality, but it worked out all right. I managed at least a 30-minute interview with each subject, sometimes longer. SUPERVISOR: Did doing it on the phone make it more stressful?
  • 42. JOANNA: I’d thought it might … it was all quite informal though and in fact they seemed very keen to talk. And I don’t think using the phone meant I got less rich data rather the opposite in fact. (Q23&Q24) SUPERVISOR: Interesting. And you were looking at how performers dress for concert performances? JOANNA: That’s right. My research investigated the way players see their role as a musician and how this is linked to the type of clothing they decide to wear. But that focus didn’t emerge immediately. When I started I was more interested in trying to investigate the impact of what was worn on those listening (Q25&Q26), and also whether someone like a violinist might adopt a different style of clothing from, say, someone playing the flute or the trumpet (Q25&Q26). SUPERVISOR: It’s interesting that the choice of dress is up to the individual, isn’t it? JOANNA: Yes, you’d expect there to be rules about it in orchestras, but that’s quite rare. —————————— SUPERVISOR: You only had women performers in your study. Was that because male musicians are less worried about fashion? JOANNA: I think a lot of the men are very much influenced by fashion, but in social terms the choices they have are more limited … they’d really upset audiences if they strayed away from quite narrow boundaries. (Q27) SUPERVISOR: Hmm. Now, popular music has quite different expectations. Did you read Mike Frost’s article about the dress of women performers in popular music? JOANNA: No. SUPERVISOR: He points out that a lot of female singers and musicians in popular music tend to dress down in performances, and wear less feminine clothes, like jeans instead of skirts, and he suggests this is because otherwise they’d just be discounted as trivial. (Q28) JOANNA: But you could argue they’re just wearing what’s practical … I mean, a pop-music concert is usually a pretty energetic affair. SUPERVISOR: Yes, he doesn’t make that point, but I think you’re probably right. I was interested by the effect of the audience at a musical performance when it came to the choice of dress. JOANNA: The subjects I interviewed felt this was really important. It’s all to do with what we understand by performance as a public event. They believed the audience had certain expectations and it was up to them as performers to fulfil these expectations to show a kind of esteem … (Q29) SUPERVISOR: … they weren’t afraid of looking as if they’d made an effort to look good. JOANNA: Mmm. I think in the past the audience would have had those expectation of one another too, but that’s not really the case now, not in the UK anyway. SUPERVISOR: No. JOANNA: And I also got interested in what sports scientists are doing too, with regard to clothing. SUPERVISOR: Musicians are quite vulnerable physically, aren’t they, because the movements they carry out are very intensive and repetitive, so I’d imagine some features of sports clothing could safeguard the players from the potentially dangerous effects of this sort of thing. (Q30) JOANNA: Yes, but musicians don’t really consider it. They avoid clothing that obviously restricts their movements, but that’s as far as they go. SUPERVISOR: Anyway, coming back to your own research, do you have any idea where you’re going from here? JOANNA: I was thinking of doing a study using an audience, including .. Cam 10 -Test 1 JOHN: Erm … hello Professor, I’m John Wishart. I’m working on my entry for the Global Design Competition. My tutor said you might be able to help me with it. PROFESSOR: Ah, yes, I got a copy of your drawings. Come in and tell me about it. What sort of competition is it? JOHN: Well, it’s an international design competition and we have to come up with a new design for a typical domestic kitchen appliance. (Q21) PROFESSOR: I see, and are there any special conditions? Does it have to save energy for example?
  • 43. JOHN: Actually that was the focus in last year’s competition. This year’s different. We have to adopt an innovative approach to existing technology, using it in a way that hasn’t been thought of before. PROFESSOR: I see, that sounds tricky. And what kitchen appliance have you chosen? JOHN: Well, they’re an everyday kitchen appliance in most Australian houses but they’re all pretty boring and almost identical to each other. I think some people will be prepared to pay a little extra for something that looks different. (Q22) PROFESSOR: That’s a nice idea. I see you’ve called your design ‘the Rockpool’; why is that? JOHN: Basically because it looks like the rock pools you find on a beach. The top is made of glass so that you can look down into it. PROFESSOR: And there’s a stone at the bottom. Is that just for decoration? JOHN: Actually it does have a function. Instead of pushing a button, you turn the stone. (Q23) PROFESSOR: So it’s really just a novel way of starting the dishwasher. JOHN: That’s right. PROFESSOR: It’s a really nice design, but what makes it innovative? JOHN: Well, I decided to make a dishwasher that uses carbon dioxide. PROFESSOR: In place of water and detergent? How will you manage that? JOHN: The idea is to pressurize the carbon dioxide so that it becomes a liquid. The fluid is then released into the dishwasher where it cleans the dishes all by itself. PROFESSOR: Sounds like a brilliant idea! Your system will totally do away with the need for strong detergents. So what happens once the dishes are clean? JOHN: Well, to allow them to dry, the liquid carbon dioxide and the waste materials all go to an area called the holding chamber. That’s where the liquid is depressurised and so it reverts to a gas (Q24). Then the oil and grease are separated out and sent to the waste system. PROFESSOR: It sounds like you’ve thought it all out very thoroughly. So, what happens to the carbon dioxide once the process is complete? Not wasted I hope. JOHN: Actually, that’s where the real savings are made. The carbon dioxide is sent back to the cylinder and can be used again and again. (Q25) PROFESSOR: What a terrific idea. Do you think it will ever be built? JOHN: Probably not, but that’s OK. PROFESSOR: Well, I’m sure a lot of positive things will come out of your design. ——————————- PROFESSOR: Now, you seem to have thought about everything so what exactly did you need me to help you with? JOHN: Well, my design has made it to the final stage of the competition and, in a few months’ time. I have to give a presentation, and that’s the part I was hoping you could help me with. (Q26) PROFESSOR: Right, well that should be easy enough. What have you managed to do so far? JOHN: Well, I’ve got detailed drawings to show how it will work and I’ve also written a 500-word paper on it. PROFESSOR: I see. Well, if you want to stand a good chance of winning you really need a model of the machine. (Q27) JOHN: Yes, I thought I might but I’m having a few problems. PROFESSOR: What is the main difficulty so far? Let me guess – is it the materials? JOHN: Yes. I want it to look professional but everything that’s top quality is also very expensive. (Q28) PROFESSOR: Look, projects like this are very important to us. They really help lift our profile. So why don’t you talk to the university about a grant? (Q29) I can help you fill out the application forms if you like. JOHN: That would be a great. PROFESSOR: You’d better show me this paper you’ve written as well. For a global competition such as this you need to make sure the technical details you’ve given are accurate and thorough. (Q30) JOHN: That would be a great help. PROFESSOR: Is there anything else I can do?
  • 44. JOHN: Well, I’m really … Cam 10-Test 2 VICTOR: Right, well, for our presentation shall I start with the early life of Thor Heyerdahl? OLIVIA: Sure. Why don’t you begin with describing the type of boy he was, especially his passion for collecting things. (Q21&Q22) VICTOR: That’s right, he had his own the little museum. And I think it’s unusual for children to develop their own values and not join in their parents’ hobbies; I’m thinking of how Heyerdahl wouldn’t go hunting with his dad, for example. OLIVIA: Yeah, he preferred to learn about nature by listening to his mother read to him. And quite early on he knew he wanted to become an explorer when he grew up. That came from his camping trips he went on in Norway I think … VICTOR: No, it was climbing that he spent his time on as a young man. (Q21&Q22) OLIVIA: Oh, right … After university he married a classmate and together, they decided to experience living on a small island, to find out how harsh weather conditions shaped people’s lifestyles. (Q23&Q24) VICTOR: As part of their preparation before they left home, they learnt basic survival skills like building a shelter. I guess they needed that knowledge in order to live wild in a remote location with few inhabitants, cut of by the sea, which is what they were aiming to do. OLIVIA: An important part of your talk should be the radical theory Heyerdahl formed from examining mysterious ancient carvings that he happened to find on the island. I think you should finish with that. VICTOR: OK. ————————- OLIVIA: All right, Victor, so after your part I’ll talk about Thor Heyerdahl’s adult life, continuing from the theory he had about Polynesian migration: Up until that time of course, academics had believed that humans first migrated to the islands in Polynesia from Asia, in the west. VICTOR: Yes, they thought that travel from the east was impossible, because of the huge, empty stretch of ocean that lies between the islands and the nearest inhabited land. (Q25) OLIVIA: Yes, but Heyerdahl spent ages studying the cloud movements, ocean currents and wind patterns to find if it was actually possible. And another argument was that there was no tradition of large ship- building in the communities lying to the east of Polynesia. But Heyerdahl knew they made lots of coastal voyages in locally built canoes. VICTOR: Yes, or sailing on rafts, as was shown by the long voyage that Heyerdahl did next. It was an incredibly risky journey to undertake – sometimes I wonder if he did that trip for private reasons, you know? To show others that he could have spectacular adventures. What do you think, Olivia? OLIVIA: Well, I think it was more a matter of simply trying out his idea, to see if migration from the east was possible. (Q26) VICTOR: Yes, that’s probably it. And the poor guy suffered a bit at that time because the war forced him to stop his work for some years … OLIVIA: Yes. When he got started again and planned his epic voyage, do you think it was important to him that he achieve it before anyone else did? VICTOR: Um, I haven’t read anywhere that that was his motivation. The most important factor seems to have been that he use only ancient techniques and local materials to build his raft. (Q27) OLIVIA: Yes. I wonder how fast it went. VICTOR: Well, it took them 97 days from South America to the Pacific Island. OLIVIA: Mm. And after that, Heyerdahl went to Easter Island, didn’t he? We should mention the purpose of that trip. I think he sailed there in a boat made out of reeds. VICTOR: No, that was later on in Egypt, Olivia. OLIVIA: Oh, yes, that’s right. VICTOR: But what he wanted to do was talk to the local people about their old stone carvings and then make one himself to learn more about the process. (Q28)
  • 45. OLIVIA: I see. Well, what a great life. Even though many of his theories have been disproven, he certainly left a lasting impression on many disciplines, didn’t he? To my mind, he was first person to establish what modern academics call practical archaeology. I mean, that they try to recreate something from the past today (Q29), like he did with his raft trip. It’s unfortunate that his ideas about where Polynesians originated from have been completely discredited. VICTOR: Yes. Right, well, I’ll prepare a PowerPoint slide at the end that acknowledges our sources. I mainly used The Life and Work of Thor Heyerdahl by William Oliver. The research methods he used were very sound, although I must say I found the overall tone somewhat old-fashioned. I think they need to do a new, revised edition. (Q30) OLIVIA: Yeah, I agree. What about the subject matter – I found it really challenging! VICTOR: Well, it’s a complex issue … OLIVIA: I thought the book had lots of good points. What did you think of … Cam 10 -Test 3 MIA: Hi, Rob. How’s the course going? ROB: Oh, hi, Mia. Yeah, great. I can’t believe the first term’s nearly over. MIA: I saw your group’s performance last night at the student theatre. It was good. ROB: Really? Yeah … but now we have to write a report on the whole thing, an in-depth analysis. I don’t know where to start. Like, I have to write about the role I played, the doctor, how I developed the character. MIA: Well, what was your starting point? ROB: Er … my grandfather was a doctor before he retired, and I just based it on him. MIA: OK, but how? Did you talk to him about it? ROB: He must have all sorts of stories, but he never says much about his work, even now. He has a sort of authority though. MIA: So how did you manage to capture that? ROB: I’d … I’d visualise what he must have been like in the past, when he was sitting in his consulting room listening to his patients. (Q21) MIA: OK, so that’s what you explain in your report. ROB: Right. MIA: Then there’s the issue of atmosphere – so in the first scene we needed to know how boring life was in the doctor’s village in the 1950s, so when the curtain went up on the first scene in the waiting room, there was that long silence before anyone spoke. And then people kept saying the same thing over and over, like ‘Cold, isn’t it?’ (Q22) ROB: Yes, and everyone wore grey and brown, and just sat in a row. MIA: Yes, all those details of the production. ROB: And I have to analyse how I functioned in the group – what I found out about myself. I know I was so frustrated at times, when we couldn’t agree. MIA: Yes. So did one person emerge as the leader? ROB: Sophia did. That was OK – she helped us work out exactly what to do, for the production. And that made me feel better, I suppose. (Q23) MIA: When you understood what needed doing? ROB: Yes. And Sophia did some research, too. That was useful in developing our approach. MIA: Like what? ROB: Well, she found these articles from the 1950s about how relationships between children and their parents, or between the public and people like bank managers or the police were shifting. (Q24) MIA: Interesting. And did you have any practical problems to overcome? ROB: Well, in the final rehearsal everything was going fine until the last scene – what’s where the doctor’s first patient appears on stage on his own. MIA: The one in the wheelchair?
  • 46. ROB: Yes, and he had this really long speech, with the stage all dark except for one spotlight – and then that stuck somehow so it was shining on the wrong side of the stage (Q25) … but anyway we got that fixed, thank goodness. MIA: Yes, it was fine on the night. ———————– ROB: But while you’re here, Mia. I wanted to ask you about the year abroad option. Would you recommend doing that? MIA: Yes, definitely. It’s a fantastic chance to study in another country for a year. ROB: I think I’d like to do it, but it looks very competitive – there’s only a limited number of places. MIA: Yes, so next year when you are in the second year of the course, you need to work really hard in all your theatre studies modules. Only students with good marks get places – you have to prove that you know your subject really well. (Q26) ROB: Right. So how did you choose where to go? MIA: Well, I decided I wanted a programme that would fit in with what I wanted to do after I graduate, so I looked for a university with emphasis on acting rather than directing for example. It depends on you (Q27). Then about six months before you go, you have to email the scheme coordinator with your top three choices. I had a friend who missed the deadline and didn’t get her first choice, so you do need to get a move on at that stage (Q28). You’ll find that certain places are very popular with everyone. ROB: And don’t you have to write a personal statement at that stage? MIA: Yes. ROB: Right. I’ll get some of the final year students to give me some tips (Q29) … maybe see if I can read what they wrote. MIA: I think that’s a very good idea. I don’t mind showing you what I did. And while you’re abroad don’t make the mistake I made. I got so involved I forgot all about making arrangements for when I came back here for the final year. Make sure you stay in touch so they know your choices for the optional modules (Q30). You don’t want to miss out doing your preferred specialisms. ROB: Right. Cam 10- Test 4 TIM: Hi, Laura – could you spare a few minutes to talk about the work placement you did last summer? I’m thinking of doing one myself … LAURA: Hi, Tim. Sure. TIM: Didn’t you do yours at an environmental services company? LAURA: That’s right … It’s only a very small company and they needed someone to produce a company brochure, and I wanted to get some business experience because I’m interested in a career in occupational psychology in a business environment. It was good because I had overall responsibility for the project. TIM: What kind of skills do you think you developed on the placement? I mean, apart from the ones you already had … Did you have to do all the artwork for the brochure, the layout and everything? LAURA: We hired the services of a professional photographer for that. I did have to use my IT skills to a certain extent because I cut and pasted text from marketing leaflets, but that didn’t involve anything I hadn’t done before. TIM: Do you think you got any better at managing your time and prioritizing things? You always used to say you had trouble with that … (Q21&Q22) LAURA: Oh, definitely. There was so much pressure to meet the project deadline. And I also got better at explaining things and asserting my opinions (Q21&Q22), because I had to have weekly consultations with the marketing manager and give him a progress report. TIM: It sounds as if you got a lot out of it then. LAURA: Absolutely. It was really worthwhile … But you know, the company benefited too … TIM: Yes, they must have done. After all, if they’d used a professional advertising agency to produce their brochure instead of doing it in-house, presumably they’d have paid a lot more?
  • 47. LAURA: Oh, yes. I worked it out – it would have been 250 per cent more (Q23&Q24). And I thought the end result was good, even though we did everything on site. The company has quite a powerful computer and I managed to borrow some scanning software from the university. The new brochure looks really professional; it enhances the image of the company straight away (Q23&Q24). TIM: So in the long run it should help them to attract clients, and improve their sales figures? LAURA: That’s the idea. Yeah. ———————– TIM: Well, all in all it sounds very positive – I think I will go ahead and apply for a placement myself. How do I go about it? LAURA: It’s easy enough to do, because there’s a government agency called STEP – S-T-E-P – that organises placements for students. You should start by getting their booklet with all the details – I expect you can download one from their website. TIM: Actually, they’ve got copies in the psychology department – I’ve seen them there. I’ll just go to the office and pick one up. (Q25) LAURA: Right. And then if I were you, after I’d looked at it I’d go over all the options with someone … TIM: I suppose I should ask my tutor’s advice. He knows more about me than anyone. LAURA: One of the career officers would be better (Q26), they’ve got more knowledge about the jobs market than your personal tutor would have. TIM: OK … LAURA: And then when you know what you want you can register with STEP – you’ll find their address in the booklet. And once you’ve registered they assign you to a mentor who looks after your application. TIM: And then I suppose you just sit back and wait till you hear something? LAURA: They told me at the careers office that it’s best to be proactive, and get updates yourself by checking the website for new placement alerts (Q27). Your mentor is supposed to keep you informed, but you can’t rely on that. TIM: I don’t suppose it’s a good idea to get in touch with companies directly, is it? LAURA: Not really … But it is the company who notifies you if they want you to go for an interview. You get a letter of invitation or an email from personnel departments. (Q28) TIM: And do I reply directly to them? LAURA: Yes, you do. STEP only gets involved again once you’ve been made a job offer. TIM: Right … So, once you’ve had an interview you should let your mentor know what the outcome is? I mean whether you’re offered a job, and whether you’ve decided to accept it? (Q29) LAURA: That’s right. They’ll inform the careers office once a placement has been agreed, so you don’t have to do that. TIM: Is that all then? LAURA: More or less. Only once you’ve accepted an offer you’ll probably have to supply a reference, because the placement will be conditional on that. And that’s something you should ask your own tutor to provide (Q3). He knows about your academic ability and also about your qualities, like reliability. TIM: Well, thanks very much for the information – I’m starting to look forward … SECTION 4- SCRIPTS Cam 16 - test 1 Ancient philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing, or even reading long, dense books. In fact, it is something people have used throughout history – to solve their problems and to achieve their greatest triumphs. Specifically, I am referring to Stoicism, which, in my opinion, is the most practical of all philosophies (Q31) and therefore the most appealing. Stoicism was founded in Ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC, but was practised by the likes of Epictetus, Cato. Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Amazingly, we still have access to these ideas, despite the fact that the most famous Stoics never wrote anything down for publication (Q32). Cato definitely didn’t.
  • 48. Marcus Aurelius never intended his Meditations to be anything but personal. Seneca’s letters were, well, letters and Epictetus’ thoughts come to us by way of a note-taking student. Stoic principles were based on the idea that its followers could have an unshakable happiness in this life and the key to achieving this was virtue. The road to virtue, in turn, lay in understanding that destructive emotions, like anger and jealousy, are under our conscious control – they don’t have to control us, because we can learn to control them. In the words of Epictetus: “external events I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them, I do control”. (Q33) The modern day philosopher and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines a Stoic as someone who has a different perspective on experience which most of us would see as wholly negative (Q34); a Stoic “transforms fear into caution, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking”. Using this definition as a model, we can see that throughout the centuries Stoicism has been practised in more recent history by kings, presidents, artists, writers and entrepreneurs. The founding fathers of the United States were inspired by the philosophy. George Washington was introduced to Stoicism by his neighbours at age seventeen, and later, put on a play based on the life of Cato to inspire his men (Q35). Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca beside his bed. Writers and artists have also been inspired by the stoics. Eugène Delacroix, the renowned French Romantic artist (known best for his painting Liberty Leading the People) was an ardent Stoic, referring to it as his “consoling religion”. The economist Adam Smith’s theories on capitalism were significantly influenced by the Stoicism (Q36) that he studied as a schoolboy, under a teacher who had translated Marcus Aurelius’ works. Today’s political leaders are no different, with many finding their inspiration from the ancient texts. Former US president Bill Clinton rereads Marcus Aurelius every single year, and many have compared former President Obama’s calm leadership style to that of Cato. Wen Jiabao, the former prime minister of China, claims that Meditations is one of two books he travels with and that he has read it more than one hundred times over the course of his life. Stoicism had a profound influence on Albert Ellis, who invented Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Q37), which is used to help people manage their problems by changing the way that they think and behave. It’s most commonly used to treat depression. The idea is that we can take control of our lives by challenging the irrational belief that create our faulty thinking, symptoms and behaviours by using logic instead. (Q38) Stoicism has also become popular in the world of business. Stoic principles can build the resilience and state of mind required to overcome setbacks because Stoics teach turning obstacles into opportunity (Q39). A lesson every business entrepreneur needs to learn. I would argue that study Stoicism is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago, thanks to its brilliant insights into how to lead a good life (Q40). At the very root of the thinking, there is a very simple way of living – control what you can and accept what you can’t. This is not as easy as it sounds and will require considerable practice – it can take a lifetime to master. The Stoics also believed the most important foundation for a good and happy life is not money, fame, power or pleasure, but having a disciplined and principled character – something which seems to resonate with many people today. ——————— Cam 16 - test 2 Dancing is something that humans do when they want to have a good time. It’s a universal response to music, found in all cultures. But what’s only been discovered recently is that dancing not only makes us feel good, it’s also extremely good for our health. Dancing, like other forms of exercise, releases hormones, such as dopamine, which make us feel relaxed and happy. And it also reduces feelings of stress or anxiety. Dancing is also a sociable activity, which is another reason it makes us feel good. One study compared people’s enjoyment of dancing at home in front of a video with dancing in a group in a studio. The people dancing in a group reported feeling happier, whereas those dancing alone did not.
  • 49. In another experiment, university researchers at York and Sheffield took a group of students and sent each of them into a lab where music was played for five minutes. Each had to choose from three options: to sit and listen quietly to the music, to cycle on an exercise bike while they listened, or to get up and dance. All were given cognitive tasks to perform before and after. The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity (Q31) when doing problem-solving tasks. Doctor Lovatt at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems. He thinks dance should be prescribed ad therapy (Q32) to help people overcome issues such as depression. ———————— It’s well established that dance is a good way of encouraging adolescent girls to take exercise but what about older people? Studies have shown that there are enormous benefits for people in their sixties and beyond. One of the great things about dance is that there are no barriers to participation. Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard of fitness is quite low. (Q33) Dance can be especially beneficial for older adults who can’t run or do more intense workouts, or for those who don’t want to. One 2015 study found that even a gently dance workout helps to promote a healthy heart. And there’s plenty of evidence which suggests that dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance. (Q34) There are some less obvious benefits of dance for older people too. One thing I hadn’t realised before researching this topic was that dance isn’t just a physical challenge. It also requires a lot of concentration because you need to remember different steps and routines. For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to process things more quickly (Q35) and to retain more information. Current research also shows that dance promotes a general sense of well-being in older participants, which can last up to a week after a class. Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active (Q36) and do daily activities such as gardening or walking to the shops or a park. Ballroom or country dancing, both popular with older people. They require collaboration and often involve touching a dance partner, all of which encourages interaction on the dance floor. This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people’s sense of isolation (Q37), which is a huge problem in many countries. I also looked at the benefits of Zumba. Fifteen million people in 180 countries now regularly take a Zumba class, an aerobic workout based on Latin American dance moves. John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories. This is similar to moderately intense exercises (Q38) like step aerobics or kickboxing. A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with obesity (Q39) did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit (Q40) and continued to attend classes at least once a week – very unusual for an aerobic exercise programme. Dance is never going to compete with high-intensity workouts when it comes to physical fitness gains, but its popularity is likely to keep on rising because it’s such a fun way to keep fit. Cam 16- test 3 Good morning everyone. So today we’re going to look at an important creative activity and that’s hand knitting. Ancient knitted garments have been found in many different countries. Showing that knitting is a global activity with a long history. When someone says the word ‘knitting’ we might well picture an elderly person – a grandmother perhaps – sitting by the fire knitting (Q31) garments for themselves or other members of the family. It’s a homely image, but one that may lead you to feel that knitting is an activity of the past – and, indeed, during the previous decade, it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish (Q32) from everyday life. For although humans have sewn and knitted their own clothing for a very long time, many of these craft-based skills went into decline when industrial machines took over – mainly because they were no longer passed down from one generation to another.
  • 50. However, that’s all changing and interest in knitting classes in many countries is actually rising, as more and more people are seeking formal instruction in the skill. With that trend, we’re also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment. (Q34) So why do people want to be taught to knit at a time when a machine can readily do the job for them? The answer is that knitting, as a handicraft, has numerous benefits for those doing it. Let’s consider what some of these might be. While many people knitted garments in the past because they couldn’t afford to buy clothes, it’s still true today that knitting can be helpful if you’re experiencing economic hardship (Q34). If you have several children who all need warm winter clothes, knitting may save you a lot of money. And the results of knitting your own clothes can be very rewarding, even though the skills you need to get going are really quite basic (Q35) and the financial outlay is minimal. But the more significant benefits in today’s world are to do with well-being. In a world where it’s estimated that we spend up to nine hours a day online, doing something with our hands that is craft-based makes us feel good. It releases us from the stress of a technological, fast-paced life. ——————— Now, let’s look back a bit too early knitting activities. In fact, no one really knows when knitting first began. But archaeological remains have disclosed plenty of information for us to think about. One of the interesting things about knitting is that the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found suggest that most of the items produced were round (Q36) rather than flat. Discoveries from the 3rd and 4th centuries in Egypt show that things like socks and gloves, that were needed to keep hands and feet warm, were knitted in one piece using four or five needles. That’s very different from most knitting patterns today, which only require two. What’s more, the very first needles people used were hand carved out of wood and other natural materials, like bone (Q37), whereas today’s needles are largely made of steel or plastic and make that characteristic clicking sound when someone’s using them. Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, hemp, cotton and wool, and these were often very rough on the skin (Q38). The spinning wheel, which allowed people to make finer yarns and produce much greater quantities of them, led to the dominance of wool in the knitting industry – often favoured for its warmth. Another interesting fact about knitting is that because it was practised in so many parts of the world for so many purposes, regional differences in style developed (Q39). This visual identity has allowed researchers to match bits of knitted clothing that have been unearthed over time to the region from which the wearer came or the job that he or she did. As I’ve mentioned, knitting offered people from poor communities a way of making extra money while doing other tasks. For many centuries, it seems, men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over sheep (Q40), walking to market or riding in boats. So, let’s move on to take a … ——————— I hope you find this Cambridge 16 Listening Test 3 Transcript useful in your IELTS preparation. If you want complete Cambridge Listening transcripts from all booklets released till date, then simply click on the button below: Cam 16 - test 4 One of the most famous cases of extinction is that of a bird known as the dodo. In fact there’s even a saying in English, ‘as dead as the dodo’, used to refer to something which no longer exists. But for many centuries the dodo was alive and well, although it could only be found in one place, the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It was a very large bird, about one metre tall, and over the centuries it had lost the ability to fly, but it survived happily under the trees that covered the island. Then in the year 1507 the first Portuguese ships stopped at the island. The sailors were carrying spices (Q31) back to Europe, and found the island a convenient stopping place where they could stock up with food and water for the rest of the voyage, but they didn’t settle on Mauritius. However, in 1683 the Dutch arrived and set up a colony (Q32) there. These first human inhabitants of the island found the dodo birds a convenient source of meat, although not everyone liked the taste.
  • 51. It’s hard to get an accurate description of what the dodo actually looked like. We do have some written records from sailors, and a few pictures, but we don’t know how reliable these are. The best-known picture is a Dutch painting in which the bird appears to be extremely fat (Q33), but this may not be accurate – an Indian painting done at the same time shows a much thinner bird. Although attempts were made to preserve the bodies of some of the birds, no complete specimen survives. In the early 17th century four dried parts of a bird were known to exist – of these, three have disappeared, so only one example of soft tissue from the dodo survives, a dodo head (Q34). Bones have also found, but there’s only one complete skeleton in existence. This single dodo skeleton has recently been the subject of scientific research which suggests that many of the earlier beliefs about dodos may have been incorrect. For example, early accounts of the birds mention how slow and clumsy it was, but scientists now believe the bird’s strong knee joints would have made it capable of movement (Q35) which was not slow, but actually quite fast. In fact, one 17th century sailor wrote that he found the birds hard to catch. It’s true that the dodo’s small wings wouldn’t have allowed it to leave the ground, but the scientists suggest that these were probably employed for balance (Q36) while going over uneven ground. Another group of scientists carried out analysis of the dodo’s skull. They found that the reports of the lack of intelligence of the dodo were not borne out by their research, which suggested the bird’s brain (Q37) was not small, but average in size. In fact, in relation to its body size, it was similar to that of the pigeon, which is known to be a highly intelligent bird. The researchers also found that the structure of the bird’s skull suggested that one sense which was particularly well-developed was that of smell (Q38). So the dodo may also have been particularly good at locating ripe fruit and other food in the island’s thick vegetation. ————————————– So it looks as if the dodo was better able to survive and defend itself than was originally believed. Yet less than 200 years after Europeans first arrived on the island, they had become extinct. So what was the reason for this? For a long time, it was believed that the dodos were hunted to extinction, but scientists now believe the situation was more complicated than this. Another factor may have been the new species brought to the island by the sailors. These included dogs, which would have been a threat to the dodos, and also monkeys, which ate the fruit that was the main part of the dodos’ diet. These were brought to the island deliberately, but the ships also brought another type of creature – rats (Q39), which came to land from the ships and rapidly overran the island. These upset the ecology of the island, not just the dodos but other species too. However, they were a particular danger to the dodos because they consumed their eggs, and since each dodo only laid one at a time, this probably had a devastating effect on populations. However, we now think that probably the main cause of the birds’ extinction was not the introduction of non- native species, but the introduction of agriculture. This meant that the forest (Q40) that has once covered all the island, and that had provided a perfect home for the dodo, was cut down so that crops such as sugar could be grown. So although the dodo had survived for thousands of years, suddenly it was gone. Cam 15. Test 1 Today I’m going to talk about the eucalyptus tree. This is a very common tree here in Australia, where it’s also sometimes called the gum tree. First I’m going to talk about why it’s important, then I’m going to describe some problems it faces at present. Right, well the eucalyptus tree is an important tree for lots of reasons. For example, it gives shelter (Q31) to creatures like birds and bats, and these and other species also depend on it for food, particularly the nectar from its flowers. So it supports biodiversity. It’s useful to us humans too, because we can kill germs with a disinfectant made from oil (Q32) extracted from eucalyptus leaves. The eucalyptus grows all over Australia and the trees can live for up to four hundred years. So it’s alarming that all across the country, numbers of eucalyptus are falling because the trees are dying off prematurely. So what are the reasons for this?
  • 52. One possible reason is disease. As far back as the 1970s the trees started getting a disease called Mundulla Yellows. The trees’ leaves would gradually turn yellow, then the tree would die. It wasn’t until 2004 that they found the cause of the problem was lime, or calcium hydroxide to give it its proper chemical name, used in the construction of roads (Q33). The lime was being washed away into the ground and affecting the roots of the eucalyptus trees nearby. What is was doing was preventing the trees from sucking up the iron they needed for healthy growth. When this was injected back into the affected trees, they immediately recovered. But this problem only affected a relatively small number of trees. By 2000, huge numbers of eucalyptus were dying along Australia’s East Coast, of a disease known as Bell-miner Associated Die-back. The bell-miner is a bird, and the disease seems to be common where there are high populations of bell-miners. Again it’s the leaves of the trees that are affected. What happens is that insects (Q34) settle on the leaves and eat their way round them, destroying them as they go, and at the same time they secrete a solution which has sugar in it. The bell-miner birds really like this solution, and in order to get as much as possible. They keep away other creatures that might try to get it. So these birds and insects flourish at the expense of other species. And eventually so much damage is done to the leaves that the tree dies. ————————– But experts say that trees can start looking sick before any sign of Bell-miner Associated Die-back. So it looks as if the problem might have another explanation. One possibility is that it’s to do with the huge bushfires that we have in Australia. A theory proposed over 40 years ago be ecologist William Jackson is that the frequency of bushfires in a particular region affects the type of vegetation that grows there. If there are very frequent bushfires in a region, this encourages grass (Q35) to grow afterwards, while if the bushfires are rather less frequent, this results in the growth of eucalyptus forests. So why is this? Why do fairly frequent bushfires actually support the growth of eucalyptus? Well, one reason is that the fire stops the growth of other species which would consume water (Q36) needed by eucalyptus trees. And there’s another reason. If these other quick-growing species of bushes and plants are allowed to proliferate, they harm the eucalyptus in another way, by affecting the composition of the soil (Q37), and removing nutrients from it. So some bushfires are actually essential for the eucalyptus to survive as long as they are not too frequent. In fact there’s evidence that Australia’s indigenous people practised regular burning of bush land for thousands of years before the arrival of the Europeans. But since Europeans arrived on the continent, the number of bushfires has been strictly controlled. Now scientists believe that this reduced frequency of bushfires to low levels had led to what’s known as ‘dry (Q38) rainforest’, which seems an odd name as usually we associate tropical rainforest with wet conditions. And what’s special about this type of rainforest? Well, unlike tropical rainforest which is a rich ecosystem, this type of ecosystem is usually a simple (Q39) one. It has very thick, dense vegetation, but not much variety of species. The vegetation provides lots of shade, so one species that does find it ideal is the bell-miner bird, which builds its nests (Q40) in the undergrowth there. But again that’s not helpful for the eucalyptus tree. Cam 15. Test 2 I’m going to report on a case study of a programme which has been set up to help rural populations in Mozambique, a largely agricultural country in South-East Africa. The programme worked with three communities in Chicualacuala district, near the Limpopo River. This is a dry and arid region, with unpredictable rainfall. Because of this, people in the area were unable to support themselves through agriculture and instead they used the forest as a means of providing themselves with an income, mainly by selling charcoal. However, this was not a sustainable way of living in the long term, as they were rapidly using up this resource. To support agriculture in this dry region, the programme focused primarily on making use of existing water resources from the Limpopo River by setting up systems of irrigation (Q31), which would provide a dependable water supply for crops and animals. The programme worked closely with the district government in order to find the best way of implementing this. The region already had one farmers’ association, and it was decided to set up two more of these. These associations planned and carried out activities including water
  • 53. management, livestock breeding and agriculture, and it was notable that in general, women (Q32) formed the majority of the workforce. It was decided that in order to keep the crops safe from animals, both wild and domestic, special areas should be fenced off where the crops could be grown. The community was responsible for creating these fences, but the programme provided the necessary wire (Q33) for making them. Once the area had been fenced off, it could be cultivated. The land was dug, so that vegetables and cereals appropriate to the climate could be grown, and the programme provided the necessary seeds (Q34) for this. The programme also provided pumps so that water could be brought from the river in pipes to the fields. However, the labour was all provided by local people, and they also provided and put up the posts (Q35) that supported the fences around the fields. ———————- Once the programme had been set up, its development was monitored carefully. The farmers were able to grow enough produce not just for their own needs, but also to sell. However, getting the produce to places where it could be marketed was sometimes a problem, as the farmers did not have access to transport (Q36), and this resulted in large amounts of produce, especially vegetables, being spoiled. This problem was discussed with the farmers’ associations and it was decided that in order to prevent food from being spoiled, the farmers needed to learn techniques for its preservation. (Q37) There was also an additional initiative that had not been originally planned, but which became a central feature of the programme. This was when farmers started to dig holes for tanks in the fenced-off areas and to fill these with water and use them for breeding fish (Q38) – an important source of protein. After a time, another suggestion was made by local people which hadn’t been part of the programme’s original proposal, but which was also adopted later on. They decided to try setting up colonies of bees (Q39), which would provide honey both for their own consumption and to sell. So what lessons can be learned from this programme? First of all, it tells us that in dry, arid regions, if there is access to a reliable source of water, there is great potential for the development of agriculture. In Chicualacuala, there was a marked improvement in agricultural production, which improved food security and benefited local people by providing them with both food and income. However, it’s important to set realistic timelines for each phase of the programme, especially for its design (Q40), as mistakes made at this stage may be hard to correct later on. The programme demonstrates that sustainable development is possible in areas where … Cam 15- Test 3 Nowadays, we use different products for personal cleanliness, laundry, dishwashing and household cleaning, but this is very much a 20th-century development. The origins of cleanliness date back to prehistoric times. Since water is essential for life, the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties – at least that it rinsed mud off (Q31) their hands. During the excavation of ancient Babylon, evidence was found that soapmaking was known as early as 2800 BC. Archaeologists discovered cylinders made of clay (Q32), with inscriptions on them saying that fats were boiled with askes. This is a method of making soap, though there’s no reference to the purpose of this material. The early Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and apparently didn’t use soap. Instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of sand, pumice and ashes, then anointed themselves with oil, and scraped off the oil and dirt with a metal instrument known as a strigil (Q33). They also used oil mixed with ashes. Clothes were washed without soap in streams. The ancient Germans and Gauls are also credited with discovering how to make a substance called ‘soap’, made of melted animal fat and ashes. They used this mixture to tint their hair red (Q34). Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, from Mount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed, leaving deposits of animal fat. Rain washed these deposits, along with wood ashes, down into the clay soil along the River Tiber. Women found that this mixture greatly reduced the effort required to wash their clothes. As Roman civilisation advance, so did bathing. The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts (Q35). It was built around 312 BC. The baths were luxurious, and bathing became very
  • 54. popular. And by the second century AD, the Greek physician Galen recommended soap for both medicinal and cleaning purposes. ————————– After the fall of Rome in 467 AD and the resulting decline in bathing habits, much of Europe felt the impact of filth on public health. This lack of personal cleanliness and related unsanitary living conditions were major factors in the outbreaks of disease (Q36) in the Middle Ages, and especially the Black Death of the 14th century. Nevertheless, soapmaking became an established craft in Europe, and associations of soapmakers guarded their trade secrets closely. Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with perfume, apparently for the first time (Q37). Gradually more varieties of soap became available for shaving and shampooing, as well as bathing and laundering. A major step toward large-scale commercial soapmaking occurred in 1791, when a French chemist, Nicholas Leblanc, patented a process for turning salt into soda ash (Q38), or sodium carbonate. Soda ash is the alkali obtained from ashes. That combines with fat to form soap. The Leblanc process yielded quantities of good- quality, inexpensive soda ash. Modern soapmaking was born some 20 years later, in the early 19th century, with the discovery by Michel Eugène Chevreul, another French chemist, of the chemical nature and relationship of fats, glycerine and fatty acids. His studies established the basis for both fat and soap chemistry, and soapmaking became a science (Q39). Further developments during the 19th century made it easier and cheaper to manufacture soap. Until the 19th century, soap was regarded as a luxury item, and was heavily taxed in several countries. As it became more readily available, it became an everyday necessity, a development that was reinforced when the high tax was removed (Q40). Soap was then something ordinary people could afford, and cleanliness standards improved. With this widespread use came the development of milder soaps for bathing and soaps for use in the washing machines that were available to consumers by the turn of the 20th century. Cam 15- test 4 Hi everyone, in this session I’ll be presenting my research about the social history of Britain during the Industrial Revolution. This was a time that saw the beginning of a new phenomenon; consumerism – where buying and selling goods became a major part of ordinary people’s lives. In fact, it was in the 19th century that the quantity and quality of people’s possessions was used as an indication of the wealth (Q31) of the country. Before this, the vast majority of people had very few possessions, but all that was changed by the Industrial Revolution. This was the era from the mid-18th to the late 19th century, when improvements in how goods were made as well as in technology (Q32) triggered massive social changes that transformed life for just about everybody in several key areas. First let’s look at manufacturing. When it comes to manufacturing, we tend to think of the Industrial Revolution in images of steam engines and coal. And it’s true that the Industrial Revolution couldn’t have taken place at all if it weren’t for these new sources of power (Q33). They marked an important shift away from the traditional watermills and windmills that had dominated before this. The most advanced industry for much of the 19th century was textiles (Q34). Before the Industrial Revolution, most people made goods to sell in small workshops, often in their own homes. But enormous new machines (Q35) were now being created that could produce the goods faster and on a larger scale, and these required a lot more space. So large factories were built, replacing the workshops, and forcing workers to travel to work. In fact, large numbers of people migrated from villages into towns as a result. ———————– As well as manufacturing, there were new technologies in transport, contributing to the growth of consumerism. The horse-drawn stagecoaches and carts of the 18th century, which carried very few people and good, and travelled slowly along poorly surfaced roads, were gradually replaced by the numerous canals that were constructed. These were particularly important for the transportation of goods. The canals gradually fell out of use, though, as railways were developed, becoming the main way of moving goods and people from one end of the country to the other. And the goods they moved weren’t just coal, iron, clothes, and so on – significantly, they included newspapers (Q36), which meant that thousands of people were
  • 55. not only more knowledgeable about what was going on in the country, but could also read about what was available in the shops. And that encouraged them to buy more. so faster forms of transport resulted in distribution becoming far more efficient – goods could now be sold all over the country, instead of just in the local (Q37) market. The third main area that saw changes that contributed to consumerism was retailing. The number and quality of shops grew rapidly, and in particular, small shops suffered as customers flocked to the growing number of department stores – a form of retailing that was new in the 19th century. The entrepreneurs who opened these found new ways to stock them with goods, and to attract customers: for instance, improved lighting (Q38) inside greatly increased the visibility of the goods for sale. Another development that made goods more visible from outside resulted from the use of plate glass, which made it possible for windows (Q39) to be much larger than previously. New ways of promoting goods were introduced, too. Previously, the focus had been on informing potential customers about the availability of goods; now there was an explosion in advertising (Q40) trying to persuade people to go shopping. Flanders claims that one of the great effects of the Industrial Revolution was that it created choice. All sorts of things that had previously been luxuries – from sugar to cutlery – became conveniences, and before long they’d turned into necessities: life without sugar or cutlery was unimaginable. Rather like mobile phones these days! Cam 14- Test 1 Producing enough energy to meet our needs has become a serious problem. Demand is rising rapidly, because of the world’s increasing population and expanding (Q31) industry. Burning fossil fuels, like gas, coal and oil, seriously damages the environment and they’ll eventually run out. For a number of years now, scientists have been working out how we can derive energy from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind, without causing pollution. Today I’ll outline marine renewable energy – also called ocean energy – which harnesses the movement of the oceans. Marine renewable energy can be divided into three main categories: wave energy, tidal energy and ocean thermal energy conversion, and I’ll say a few words about each one. First, wave energy. Numerous devices have been invented to harvest wave energy, with names such as Wave Dragon, the Penguin and Mighty Whale, and research is going on to try and come up with a really efficient method. This form of energy has plenty of potential, as the source is (Q32) constant, and there’s no danger of waves coming to a standstill. But the problem with ocean waves is that they’re erratic, with the wind making them travel in every (Q33) direction. This adds to the difficulty of creating efficient technology: ideally all the waves would travel smoothly and regularly along the same straight line. Another drawback is that sand and other sediment on the ocean (Q34) floor might be stopped from flowing normally, which can lead to environmental problems. ——————————– The second category of marine energy that I’ll mention is tidal energy. One major advantage of using the tide, rather than waves, as a source of energy is that it’s (Q35) predictable: we know the exact time of high and low tides for years to come. For tidal energy to be effective, the difference between high and low tides needs to be at least five metres, and this occurs naturally in only about forty places on Earth. One current plan is to create a tidal lagoon on the coast of Wales. This will be an area of water within a (Q36) bay at Swansea, sheltered by a U-shaped breakwater, or dam, built out from the coast. The breakwater will contain sixteen hydro turbines, and as the tide rises, water rushes through the breakwater, activating the turbines, which turn a generator to produce electricity. Then, for three hours as the tide goes out, the water is held back within the breakwater, increasing the difference in water level, until it’s several metres higher within the lagoon than in the open sea. Then, in order to release the stored water, (Q37) gates in the breakwater are opened. It pours powerfully out of the lagoon, driving the turbines in the breakwater in the opposite direction and again generating thousands of megawatts of electricity. As there are two high tides a day, this lagoon scheme would generate electricity four times a day, every day, for a total of around 14 hours in every 24 – and enough electricity for over 150,000 homes.
  • 56. This system has quite a lot in its favour: unlike solar and wind energy it doesn’t depend on the weather; the turbines are operated without the need for (Q38) fuel, so it doesn’t create any greenhouse gas emissions; and very little maintenance is needed. It’s estimated that electricity generated in this way will be relatively cheap, and that manufacturing the components would create than 2,000 (Q39) jobs, a big boost to the local economy. On the other hand, there are fears that lagoons might harm both fish and birds, for example by disturbing (Q40) migration patterns, and causing a build-up of silt, affecting local ecosystems. There are other forms of tidal energy, but I’ll go on to the third category of marine energy: ocean thermal energy conversion. This depends on there being a big difference in temperature between surface water and the water a couple of kilometres below the surface, and this occurs in tropical coastal areas. The idea is to bring cold water up to the surface using a submerged pipe. The concept dates back to 1881, when … Cam 14- Test 2 In this series of lectures about the history of weather forecasting, I’ll start by examining its early history – that’ll be the subject of today’s talk. Ok, so we’ll start by going back thousands of years. Most ancient cultures had weather gods, and weather catastrophes, such as floods, played an important role in many creation myths. For instance, there’s the Egyptian sun god Ra, and Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning. Many ancient civilisations developed rites such as (Q31) dances in order to make the weather gods look kindly on them. But the weather was of daily importance: observing the skies and drawing the correct conclusions from these observations was really important, in fact their (Q32) survival depended on it. It isn’t known when people first started to observe the skies, but at around 650 BC, the Babylonians produced the first short-range weather forecasts, based on their observations of (Q33) clouds and other phenomena. The Chinese also recognised weather patterns, and by 300 BC, astronomers had developed a calendar which divided the year into 24 (Q34) festivals, each associated with a different weather phenomenon. The ancient Greeks were the first to develop a more scientific approach to explaining the weather. The work of the philosopher and scientist Aristotle, in the fourth century BC, is especially noteworthy, as his ideas held sway for nearly 2,000 years. In 340 BC, he wrote a book in which he attempted to account for the formation of rain, clouds, wind and storms. He also described celestial phenomena such as haloes – that is, bright circles of light around the sun, the moon and bright stars – and (Q35) comets. Many of his observations were surprisingly accurate. For example, he believed that heat could cause water to evaporate. Errors like this were rectified from the Renaissance onwards. ———————– For nearly 2,000 years, Aristotle’s work was accepted as the chief authority on weather theory. Alongside this, though, in the Middle Ages weather observations were passed on in the form of proverbs, such as ‘Red (Q36) sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning’. Many of these are based on very good observations and are accurate, as contemporary meteorologists have discovered. For centuries, any attempt to forecast the weather could only be based on personal observation, but in the fifteenth century scientists began to see the need for (Q37) instruments. Until then, the only ones available were weather vanes – to determine the wind direction – and early versions of rain gauges. One of the first, invented in the fifteenth century, was a hygrometer, which measured humidity. This was one of many inventions that contributed to the development of weather forecasting. In 1592, the Italian scientist and inventor Galileo developed the world’s first (Q38) thermometer. His student Torricelli later invented the barometer, which allowed people to measure atmospheric pressure. In 1648, the French philosopher Pascal proved that pressure decreases with altitude. This discovery was verified by English astronomer Halley in 1686, and Halley was also the first person to map trade winds. This increasing ability to measure factors related to weather helped scientists to understand the atmosphere and its processes better, and they started collecting weather observation data systematically. In the eighteenth century, the scientist and politician Benjamin Franklin carried out work on electricity and lightning in particular, but he was also very interested in weather and studied it throughout most of his life. It was Franklin who discovered that (Q39) storms generally travel from west to east. In addition to new meteorological instruments, other developments contributed to our understanding of the atmosphere. People in different locations began to keep records, and in the mid-nineteenth century, the
  • 57. invention of the (Q40) telegraph made it possible for these records to be collated. This led, by the end of the nineteenth century, to the first weather services. It was not until the early twentieth century that mathematics and physics became part of meteorology, and we’ll continue from that point next week. Cam 14- Test 3 As you all know, the university is planning an arts festival for later this year, and here in the music department we’ve planned three concerts. These will be public performances, and the programme has just been finalised. The theme of the festival is links between the UK and Australia, and this is reflected in the music: each concert will feature both British and Australian composers. I’ll tell you briefly about the Australian music, as you probably won’t be familiar with that. The first concert will include music by Liza Lim, who was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1966. As a child, Lim originally learned to play the piano – like so many children – and also the (Q31) violin. She found this was her real strength, and she studied and later taught composition, both in Australia and in other countries. As a composer, she has received commissions from numerous orchestras, other performers and festivals in several countries. Liza Lim’s compositions are vibrant and full of (Q32) energy, and she often explores Asian and Australian Aboriginal cultural sources, including the native instrument, the didgeridoo: this is featured in a work called The Compass. Her music is very expressive, so although it is (Q33) complex, it has the power of connecting with audiences and performers alike. In the festival we’re going to give a semi-staged performance of The Oresteia. This is an (Q34) opera in seven parts, based on the trilogy of ancient Greek tragedies by Aeschylus. Lim composed this when she was in her mid-20s, and she also wrote the text, along with Barrie Kosky. It’s performed by six singers, a dancer, and an orchestra that, as well as standard orchestral instruments, includes electric guitar, and a traditional Turkish stringed instrument. Lim wrote that because the stories in the tragedies are not easy to tell, the sounds she creates are also (Q35) disturbing, and they include breathing, sobbing, laughing and whistling. The work lasts around 75 minutes, and the rest of the concert will consist of orchestral works by the British composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Frederick Delius. ——————————- Moving on now to our second concert, this will begin with instrumental music by British composers – Benjamin Britten and Judith Weir. After the interval we’ll go to Australia for a piece by Ross Edwards: The Tower of Remoteness. According to Edwards, the inspiration for this piece came from nature, when he was sitting alone in the dry bed of a creek, overshadowed by the leaves of palm trees, listening to the birds and insects. The Tower of Remoteness is scored for piano and (Q36) clarinet. Edwards says he realised years after writing the piece that he had subconsciously modelled its opening phrase on a bird call. Ross Edwards was born in 1943 in Sydney, Australia, and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the universities of Adelaide and Sydney. He’s well known in Australia, and in fact he’s one of the country’s most performed composers. He’s written a wide range of music, from symphonies and concertos to some composed specifically for children. Edward’s music has been described as being ‘deeply connected to Australia’, and it can be regarded as a celebration of the (Q37) diversity of cultures that Australia can be proud of. The last of the three Australian composers to be represented in our festival is Carl Vine. Born in 1954, Vine, like Liza Lim, comes from Perth, Western Australia. He took up the cornet at the age of five, switching to the piano five years later. However, he went to university to study (Q38) physics, before changing to composition. After graduating he moved to Sydney and worked as a freelance pianist and composer. Before long he had become prominent in Australia as a composer for (Q39) dance, and in fact has written 25 scores of that type. In our third concert, Vine will be represented by his music for the flag hand-over ceremony of the (Q40) Olympics held in 1996. Cam 14- Test 4 In today’s class I’m going to talk about marine archaeology, the branch of archaeology focusing on human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers. It’s the study of ships, cargoes, shipping facilities, and other physical remains. I’ll give you an example, then go on to show how this type of research is being transformed by the use of the latest technology.
  • 58. Atlit-Yam was a village on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, which seems to have been thriving until around 7,000 BC. The residents kept cattle, caught fish and stored grain. They had wells for fresh water, many of their houses were built around a courtyard and were constructed of stone. The village contained an impressive monument: seven half-tonne stones standing in a semicircle around a (Q31) spring, that might have been used for ceremonial purposes. Atlit-Yam may have been destroyed swiftly by a tsunami, or climate change may have caused glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise, flooding the village gradually. Whatever the cause, it now lies ten metres below the surface of the Mediterranean, buried under sand at the bottom of the sea. For marine archaeologists, Atlit-Yam is a treasure trove. Research on the buildings, (Q32) tools and the human remains has revealed how the bustling village once functioned, and even what diseases some of its residents suffered from. But of course this is only one small village, one window into a lost world. For a fuller picture, researchers need more sunken settlements, but the hard part is finding them. Autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, are used in the oil industry, for instance, to create (Q33) maps of the seabed before rigs and pipelines are installed. To navigate they use sensors, such as compasses and sonar. Until relatively recently they were very expensive, and so (Q34) heavy that they had to be launched from a large vessel with a winch. ———————— But the latest AUVs are much easier to manoeuvre – they can be launched from the shore or a small ship. And they’re much cheaper, which makes them more accessible to research teams. They can communicate with each other and, for example, work out the most efficient way to survey a site, or to find particular objects on the seabed. Field tests show the approach can work. For example, in a trial in 2015, three AUVs searched for wrecks at Marzamemi, off the coast of Sicily. The site is the final resting place of an ancient Roman ship, which sank in the sixth century AD while ferrying prefabricated (Q35) marble elements for the construction of an early church. The AUVs mapped the area in detail, finding other ships carrying columns of the same material. Creating an internet in the sea for AUVs to communicate is no easy matter. Wifi networks on land use electromagnetic waves, but in water these will only travel a few centimetres. Instead, a more complex mix of technologies is required. For short distances, AUVs can share date using (Q36) light, while acoustic waves are used to communicate over long distances. There’s also a system that enables AUVs to share information from seabed scans, and other data. So if an AUV surveying the seabed finds an intriguing object, it can share the coordinates of the object – that is, its position – with a nearby AUV that carries superior (Q37) cameras, and arrange for that AUV to make a closer inspection of the object. Marine archaeologists are excited about the huge potential of these AUVs for their discipline. One site where they’re going to be deployed is the Gulf of Baratti, off the Italian coast. In 1974, a 2,000-year-old Roman vessel was discovered here, in 18 metres of water. When it sank, it was carrying (Q38) medical goods, in wooden or tin receptacles. Its cargo gives us insight into the treatments available all those years ago, including tablets that are thought to have been dissolved to form a cleansing liquid for the (Q39) eyes. Other Roman ships went down nearby, taking their cargoes with them. Some held huge pots made of terracotta. Some were used for transporting cargoes of olive oil, and others held (Q40) wine. In many cases it’s only these containers that remain, while the wooden ships have been buried under silt on the seabed. Another project that’s about to … Cam 13- Test 1 Hi. Today we’re going to be looking at animals in urban environments and I’m going to be telling you about some research on how they’re affected by these environments. Now, in evolutionary terms, urban environments represent huge upheavals, the sorts of massive changes that usually happen over millions of years. And we used to think that only a few species could adapt to this new environment. One species which is well known as being highly adaptable is the crow, and there’ve been various studies about how they manage to learn new skills (Q31). Another successful species is the pigeon, because they’re able to perch on ledges on the walls of city buildings, just like they once perched on cliffs by the sea. (Q32).
  • 59. But in fact, we’re now finding that these early immigrants were just the start of a more general movement of animals into cities, and of adaptation by these animals to city life. And one thing that researchers are finding especially interesting is the speed with which they’re doing this – we’re not talking about gradual evolution here – these animals are changing fast. (Q33) Let me tell you about some of the studies that have been carried out in this area. So, in the University of Minnesota, a biologist called Emilie Snell-Rood and her colleagues looked at specimens of urbanised small mammals such as mice and gophers that had been collected in Minnesota, and that are now kept in museums there. And she found that during that time, these small mammals had experienced a jump in brain size when compared to rural mammals (Q34). Now, we can’t be sure this means they’re more intelligent, but since the sizes of other parts of the body didn’t change, it does suggest that something cognitive was going on. And Snell- Rood thinks that this change might reflect the cognitive demands of adjusting to city life – having to look in different places to find food, for example, and coping with a whole new set of dangers. (Q35) Then over in Germany at the Max Planck Institute, there’s another biologist called Catarina Miranda who’s done some experiments with blackbirds living in urban and rural areas. And she’s been looking not at their anatomy but at their behaviour (Q36). So as you might expect, she’s found that the urban blackbirds tend to be quite bold – they’re prepared to face up to a lot of threats that would frighten away their country counterparts. But there’s one type of situation that does seem to frighten the urban blackbirds, and that’s anything new – anything they haven’t experienced before (Q37). And if you think about it, that’s quite sensible for a bird living in the city. —————— Jonathan Atwell, in Indiana University, is looking at how a range of animals respond to urban environments. He’s found that when they’re under stress, their endocrine systems react by reducing the amount of hormones such as corticosterone into their blood (Q38). It’s a sensible-seeming adaptation. A rat that gets scared every time a subway train rolls past won’t be very successful. There’s just one more study I’d like to mention which is by Sarah Partan and her team, and they’ve been looking at how squirrels communicate in an urban environment, and they’ve found that a routine part of their communication is carried out by waving their tails (Q39). You do also see this in the country, but it’s much more prevalent in cities, possibly because it’s effective in a noisy environment. So what are the long-term implications of this? One possibility is that we may see completely new species developing in cities. But on the other hand, it’s possible that not all of these adaptations will be permanent (Q40). So, now we’ve had a look… Cam 13- Test 2 Today, we’ll be continuing the series of lectures on memory by focusing on what is called episodic memory and what can happen if this is not working properly. Episodic memory refers to the memory of an event or ‘episode’. They allow us to mentally travel back in time to an event from the past. These include various details about these events, for example, when an event happened and other information such as the location (Q31). To help understand this concept, try to remember the last time you ate dinner at a restaurant. The ability to remember where you ate, who you were with and the items you ordered are all features of an episodic memory. Episodic memory is distinct from another type of memory called semantic memory. This is the type of factual memory that we have in common with everyone else – that is your general knowledge of the world (Q32). To build upon a previous example, remembering where you parked your car is an example of episodic memory, but your understanding of what a car is and how an engine works are examples of sematic memory. Unlike episodic memory, semantic memory isn’t dependent on recalling personal experiences. (Q33) Episodic memory can be thought of as a process with several different steps of memory processing: encoding, consolidation and retrieval. The initial step is called encoding. This involves the process of receiving and registering information, which is necessary for creating memories of information or events that you experience. The degree to which you can successfully encode information depends on the level of attention you give to an event while it’s actually
  • 60. happening (Q34). Being distracted can make effective encoding very difficult. Encoding of episodic memories is also influenced by how you process the event. For example, if you were introduced to someone called Charlie, you might make the connection that your uncle has the same name. Future recollection of Charlie’s name is much easier if you have a strategy to help you encode it. (Q35) Memory consolidation, the next step in forming an episodic memory, is the process by which memories of encoded information are strengthened, stabilised and stored to facilitate later retrieval. Consolidation is most effective when the information being stored can be linked to an existing network of information (Q36). Consolidation makes it possible for you to store memories for later retrieval indefinitely. Forming strong memories depends on the frequency with which you try to retrieve them (Q37). The last step in forming episodic memories is called retrieval, which is the conscious recollection of encoded information. Retrieving information from episodic memory depends upon semantic, olfactory, auditory and visual factors. These help episodic memory retrieval by acting as a prompt. For example, when recalling where you parked your car you may use the colour of a sign close to where you parked (Q38). You actually have to mentally travel back to the moment you parked. —————— There are a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions that can affect episodic memory. These range from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia to autism. An impairment of episodic memory can have a profound effect on individuals’ lives. For example, the symptoms of schizophrenia can be reasonably well controlled by medication; however, patients’ episodic memory may still be impaired and so they are often unable to return to university or work. Recent studies have shown that computer- assisted games designed to keep the brain active can help improve their episodic memory. (Q39) Episodic memories can help people connect with others, for instance by sharing intimate details about their past; something individuals with autism often have problems with. This may be caused by an absence of a sense of self (Q40). This is essential for the storage of episodic memory, and has been found to be impaired in children with autism. Research has shown that treatments that improve memory may also have a positive impact on children’s social development. One study looked at a … Camm 13- Test 3 Last week, we started looking at reptiles, including crocodiles and snakes. Today, I’d like us to have a look at another reptile – the lizard – and in particular, at some studies that have been done on a particular type of lizard whose Latin name is tiliqua rugosa. This is commonly known as the sleepy lizard, because it’s quite slow in its movements and spends quite a lot of its time dozing under rocks or lying in the sun. I’ll start with a general description. Sleepy lizards live in Western and South Australia, where they’re quite common. Unlike European lizards, which are mostly small, green and fast-moving, sleepy lizards are brown, but what’s particularly distinctive about them is the colour of their tongue, which is dark blue (Q31), in contrast with the lining of their mouth which is bright pink. And they’re much bigger than most European lizards. They have quite a varied diet, including insects and even small animals, but they mostly eat plants of varying kinds. (Q32) Even though they’re quite large and powerful, with strong jaws that can crush beetles and snail shells, they still have quite a few predators. Large birds like cassowaries were one of the main ones in the past, but nowadays they’re more likely to be caught and killed by snakes (Q33). Actually, another threat to their survival isn’t a predator at all, but is man-made – quite a large number of sleepy lizards are killed by cars when they’re trying to cross highways. One study carried out by Michael Freake at Flinders University investigated the methods of navigation of these lizards. Though they move slowly, they can travel quite long distances. And he found that even if they were taken some distance away from their home territory, they could usually find their way back home as long as they could see the sky – they didn’t need any other landmarks on the ground. (Q34) ——————— Observations of these lizards in the wild have also revealed that their mating habits are quite unusual. Unlike most animals, it seems that they’re relatively monogamous, returning to the same partner year after
  • 61. year (Q35). And the male and female also stay together for a long time, both before and after the birth of their young. It’s quite interesting to think about the possible reasons for this. It could be that it’s to do with protecting their young – you’d expect them to have a much better chance of survival if they have both parents around. But in fact observers have noted that once the babies have hatched out of their eggs, they have hardly any contact with their parents (Q36). So, there’s not really any evidence to support that idea. Another suggestion’s based on the observation that male lizards in monogamous relationships tend to be bigger and stronger than other males. So maybe the male lizards stay around so they can give the female lizards protection from other males (Q37). But again, we’re not really sure. Finally, I’d like to mention another study that involved collecting data by tracking the lizards. I was actually involved in this myself. So we caught some lizards in the wild and we developed a tiny GPS system that would allow us to track them, and we fixed this onto their tails (Q38). Then we set the lizards free again, and we were able to track them for twelve days and gather data, not just about their location, but even about how many steps they took during this period. (Q39) One surprising thing we discovered from this is that there were far fewer meetings between lizards than we expected – it seems that they were actually trying to avoid one another. So why would that be? Well, again we have no clear evidence, but one hypothesis is that male lizards can cause quite serious injuries to one another, so maybe this avoidance is a way of preventing this (Q40) – of self-preservation, if you like. But we need to collect a lot more data before we can be sure of any of this. Cam 13- Test 4 In my presentation, I’m going to talk about coffee, and its importance both in economic and social terms. We think it was first drunk in the Arab world, but there’s hardly any documentary evidence of it before the 1500s, although of course that doesn’t mean that people didn’t know about it before then. However, there is evidence that coffee was originally gathered from bushes growing wild in Ethiopia, in the northeast of Africa. In the early sixteenth century, it was being bought by traders, and gradually its use as a drink spread throughout the Middle East. It’s also known that in 1522, in the Turkish city of Constantinople, which was the centre of the Ottoman Empire, the court physician approved its use as a medicine. By the mid-1500s, coffee bushes were being cultivated in the Yemen and for the next hundred years this region produced most of the coffee drunk in Africa and the Arab world. What’s particularly interesting about coffee is its effect on social life. It was rarely drunk at home, but instead people went to coffee houses to drink it. These people, usually men, would meet to drink coffee and chat about issues of the day. But at the time, this chance to share ideas and opinions was seen as something that was potentially dangerous, and in 1623 the ruler of Constantinople demanded the destruction of all the coffee houses in the city (Q31), although after his death many new ones opened, and coffee consumption continued. In the seventeenth century, coffee drinking spread to Europe, and here too coffee shops became places where ordinary people, nearly always men, could meet to exchange ideas. Because of this, some people said that these places performed a similar function to universities (Q32). The opportunity they provided for people to meet together outside their own homes and to discuss the topics of the day had an enormous impact on social life, and many social movements and political developments had their origins in coffee house discussions. (Q33) ——————– In the late 1600s, the Yemeni monopoly on coffee production broke down and coffee production started to spread around the world, helped by European colonization. Europeans set up coffee plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean and production of coffee in the colonies skyrocketed. Different types of coffee were produced in different areas, and it’s interesting that the names given to these different types, like Mocha or Java coffee, were often taken from the port they were shipped to Europe from (Q34). But if you look at the labour system in the different colonies, there were some significant differences. In Brazil and the various Caribbean colonies, coffee was grown in huge plantations and the workers there were almost all slaves (Q35). But this wasn’t the same in all colonies; for example in Java, which had been colonized by the Dutch, the peasants grew coffee and passed a proportion of this on to the Dutch, so it was used as a means of taxation (Q36).
  • 62. But whatever system was used, under the European powers of the eighteenth century, coffee production was very closely linked to colonisation. Coffee was grown in ever-increasing quantities to satisfy the growing demand from Europe, and it became nearly as important as sugar production (Q37), which was grown under very similar conditions. However, coffee prices were not yet low enough for people to drink it regularly at home, so most coffee consumption still took place in public coffee houses and it still remained something of a luxury item. In Britain, however, a new drink was introduced from China, and started to become popular, gradually taking over from coffee, although at first it was so expensive that only the upper classes could afford it. This was tea, and by the late 1700s it was being widely drunk. However, when the USA gained independence from Britain in 1766, they identified this drink with Britain, and coffee remained the preferred drink in the USA (Q38), as it still is today. So, by the early nineteenth century, coffee was already being widely produced and consumed. But during this century, production boomed and coffee prices started to fall. This was partly because new types of transportation had been developed which were cheaper and more efficient (Q39). So now, working people could afford to buy coffee – it wasn’t just a drink for the middle classes. And this was at a time when large parts of Europe were starting to work in industries. And sometimes this meant their work didn’t stop when it got dark; they might have to continue throughout the night (Q40). So, the use of coffee as a stimulant became important – it wasn’t just a drink people drank in the morning, for breakfast. There were also changes in cultivation … Cam 12- Test 1 In public discussion of business, we take certain values for granted. Today I’m going to talk about four of them: collaboration, hard work, creativity and excellence. Most people would say they’re all ‘good things’. I’m going to suggest that’s an over-simple view. The trouble with these values is that they’re theoretical concepts, removed from the reality of day-to-day business. Pursue values by all means, but be prepared for what may happen as a result. They can actually cause damage, which is not at all the intention. (Q31) Business leaders generally try to do the right thing. But all too often the right thing backfires, if those leaders adopt values without understanding and managing the side effects that arise (Q32). The values can easily get in the way of what’s actually intended. OK. So the first value I’m going to discuss is collaboration. Er, let me give you an example. On a management training course I once attended, we were put into groups and had to construct a bridge across a stream (Q33), using building blocks that we were given. The rule was that everyone in the team had to move at least one building block during the construction. This was intended to encourage teamwork. But it was really a job best done by one person. The other teams tried to collaborate on building the structure, and descended into confusion (Q34), with everyone getting in each other’s way. Our team leader solved the challenge brilliantly. She simply asked everyone in the team to move a piece a few centimetres, to comply with the rule, and then let the person in the team with an aptitude for puzzles like this build it alone. We finished before any other team. My point is that the task wasn’t really suited to teamworking, so why make it one? Teamwork can also lead to inconsistency – a common cause of poor sales. In the case of a smartphone that a certain company launched, one director wanted to target the business market, and another demanded it was aimed at consumers. The company wanted both directors to be involved, so gave the product a consumer-friendly name, but marketed it to companies. The result was that it met the needs of neither group. It would have been better to let one director or the other have his way, not both. (Q35) Now industriousness, or hard work. It’s easy to mock people who say they work hard: after all, a hamster running around in a wheel is working hard – and getting nowhere. Of course hard work is valuable, but only when properly targeted. Otherwise it wastes the resources that companies value most – time and energy. And that’s bad for the organisation. (Q36) There’s a management model that groups people according to four criteria: clever, hard-working, stupid and lazy. Here ‘lazy’ means having a rational determination not to carry out unnecessary tasks (Q37). It doesn’t mean trying to avoid work altogether. Most people display two of these characteristics, and the most
  • 63. valuable people are those who are both clever and lazy: they possess intellectual clarity, and they don’t rush into making decisions. They come up with solutions to save the time and energy spent by the stupid and hard-working group. Instead of throwing more man-hours at a problem, the clever and lazy group looks for a more effective solution. Next we come to creativity. This often works well – creating an attention-grabbing TV commercial, for example, might lead to increased sales. But it isn’t always a good thing. Some advertising campaigns are remembered for their creativity, without having any effect on sales. This happened a few years ago with the launch of a chocolate bar: subsequent research showed that plenty of consumers remembered the adverts, but had no idea what was being advertised (Q38). The trouble is that the creator derives pleasure from coming up with the idea, and wrongly assumes the audience for the campaign will share that feeling. A company that brings out thousands of new products may seem more creative than a company that only has a few, but it may be too creative, and make smaller profits. Creativity needs to be targeted, to solve a problem that the company has identified (Q39). Just coming up with more and more novel products isn’t necessarily a good thing. And finally, excellence. We all know companies that claim they ‘strive for excellence’, but it takes a long time to achieve excellence. In business, being first with a product is more profitable than having the best product. A major study of company performance compared pioneers – that is, companies bringing out the first version of a particular product – with followers, the companies that copied and improved on that product. The study found that the pioneers commanded an average market share of 29 percent, while the followers achieved less than half that, only 13 percent (Q40) – even though their product might have been better. Insisting on excellence in everything we do is time-consuming, wastes energy and leads to losing out on opportunities. Sometimes, second-rate work is more worthwhile than excellence. ‘Make sure it’s excellent’ sounds like a good approach to business, but the ‘just-get-started’ approach is likely to be more successful. Cam 12- Test 2 Over the years, attitudes towards workers have changed considerably. After all, there was a time when workers had no rights at all, and laboured in appalling conditions. Conditions have improved a lot, but conflict in the workplace is still common. And human resources managers nowadays need to be able to deal with it when necessary. What is conflict in the workplace? Definitions vary, but I’m taking it to refer to a whole range of behaviours that the victim finds unacceptable, from minor, harmless arguments to – at the opposite extreme – physical violence. Much of this is covered by the term bullying (Q31), by which I mean one or more people behaving abusively or aggressively against another who is in a weaker position. Although all behaviour like this is a form of conflict, not all conflict can be described in these terms. As with all human behaviour, there are numerous reasons for it. But often it’s caused by someone who feels the need to show their superiority over someone else (Q32), in order to feel that they aren’t at the lowest level in a hierarchy or a group of people. In some cases one person simply dislikes the other, on the basis that the personality of one is in some way incompatible with that of the other person (Q33). A general habit of optimism in one person could make them intolerant of a colleague who’s constantly pessimistic – not that that justifies treating them badly, of course. Some conflicts arise when people are more interested in promoting themselves and their team than in the company as a whole. These conflicts are called ‘structural’ (Q34), and could come about, for example, when a sales team believe they are the only people in the business who do any useful work, and look down on behind- the-scenes administrators. Conflict obviously affects the individuals concerned – the situation is likely to be very stressful for victims, resulting in their absence from work, possibly for months (Q35). For the company, if no effort is made to deal with conflict, it can spiral out of control, and even lead to the breakdown of the business. Some interesting work with chief executives – CEOs – has uncovered some of the reasons why they may treat colleagues badly. Many CEOs combine two opposing characteristics: confidence – that is, the belief that they’re capable of great achievements – with a high level of anxiety (Q36), a fear of missing targets, whether
  • 64. set by themselves or by the directors of the company. This combination can make them respond badly to anyone who questions their decisions. In a high pressure work environment, such characteristics become problematic. And it’s particularly difficult to tackle the situation where colleagues, managers and board members are all trying to achieve their own visions. When they can’t agree on strategic issues and on where they see the business going, there are real problems. (Q37) For managers at lower levels within the organisation, it might seem that an autocratic form of management – where the chief executive gives orders and everyone else has to obey – would see more conflict than others. Interestingly, though, a company with a more democratic business model, can suffer more, when uncertainly about who to report to leads to conflicting demands. (Q38) Now I’ll say a little about dealing with the type of conflict that has harmful effects. Of course the ideal is to prevent it arising in the first place. A good manager, at any level, will make efforts to earn the respect of the people they work with (Q39), particularly those who report to them. That will involve politeness in all communications, and treating them as equals who happen to have a different role within the organisation. Sometimes, of course, conflict does occur, and can get out of hand. In such cases the human resources department often gets involved. However, if one of the parties in a conflict sees human resources as simply a mouthpiece for the chief executive, then an external mediator might be able to help (Q40). By talking to both sides, and trying to find the truth of what’s been happening, they can build a clear picture of the situation, and give feedback that both sides will accept, precisely because they’re independent. Cam 12- Test 3 OK, so we’ve been looking at how man-made changes in our environment can affect wildlife. Now I’ll discuss a particular example. Let’s take a look at mercury. Mercury’s one of the 120 or so elements that make up all matter, and it has the symbol Hg. It’s a shiny, silvery substance. You may have seen it in old-fashioned thermometers, but it’s not used much for domestic purposes now because it’s highly toxic. But the problem is that the amount of mercury in the environment’s increasing. The main reason for this is the power plants used to produce electricity. The main source of energy that most of them use is still coal, and when it’s burned it releases mercury into the atmosphere. Some of this gets deposited into lakes and rivers, and if it’s ingested by a fish it’s not excreted, it stays in the fish’s body and it enters the food chain. So it’s been known for some time that birds which eat fish may be affected, but what wasn’t known until quite recently is that those that eat insects can also be affected. (Q31) So a woman called Claire Varian-Ramos is doing some research on how this is affecting birds. And rather than looking at how many birds are actually killed by mercury poisoning, she’s looking for more subtle sub-effects. These may be to do with the behaviour of the birds, or with the effect of mercury on the way their brain works, so whether it leads to problems with memory, for example (Q32). And she’s particularly focusing on the effects of mercury on bird song. Now, the process of song learning happens at a particular stage in the birds’ development, and what you may not know is that a young bird seems to acquire this skill by listening to the songs produced by its father (Q33), rather than by any other bird. And Varian-Ramos has already found in her research that if young male birds are exposed to mercury, if they eat food contaminated with mercury, then the songs they produce aren’t as complex as those produced by other birds (Q34). So quite low-level exposure to mercury is likely to have an impact on male birds in a natural situation, because it can mean that they’re less attractive to female birds, and so it can affect their chances of reproduction. (Q35) Now the way she’s carrying out this research is worth thinking about. She’s using a mixture of studies using birds kept in laboratories, and studies carried out outdoors in the wild. The lab-based studies have the advantage that you don’t get all the variables you would in a natural setting, so the experimenter has a much higher level of control (Q36), and that means they can be more confident about their results in some ways. And of course they don’t have to worry about going out and finding the birds in order to observe them. So what are the implications here for humans? Well, because many birds are migratory, they may be transporting mercury far from contaminated sites. For example, it’s been found that ducks who’d been feeding at a contaminated site were later shot by hunters over a thousand kilometres away, and
  • 65. presumably eaten (Q37). But these birds likely had mercury levels high enough to warrant concern for human consumption. In addition, going back to song learning by birds, we saw that this may be affected by mercury contamination. Well, we also know that in humans, mercury causes developmental delays in the acquisition of language (Q38), and in fact this process is very similar in the brain regions it involves and even the genes that are involved. But mercury contamination has other important implication for humans as well. It’s now known that an unborn child can be affected if the food eaten by its mother contains high levels of mercury (Q39), and these effects can be quite substantial. In the end, it comes down to whether more value is placed on human economic wellbeing or environmental wellbeing. It’s true there are new regulations for mercury emissions from power plants, but these will need billions of dollars to implement, and increase costs for everyone (Q40). Some argue that’s too much to pay to protect wildlife. But as we’ve seen, the issues go beyond that, and I think it’s an issue we need to consider very carefully. Cam 12- Test 4 This lecture will be about the science of acoustics, the study of sound, in relation to urban environments such as cities. As an acoustic engineer myself, I think this is an area where we’re likely to see great changes. In the past, researching urban soundscapes was simple. We measured levels of sound in decibels, so I used to take my sound meter and I measured the noise somewhere, and then I might ask a sample of people to say at what level the sound became annoying. With data like this, acoustic engineers have been able to build up what we call noise maps, maps of the sound environment. But actually these aren’t a lot of use. What they do show is that the highest noise levels are generally on roads – well, that’s not really very surprising. But there’s quite a lot going on that these maps don’t show, because they can’t capture the complex way that sound varies over time. So they ignore important issues such as the noise someone might hear from the open windows or gardens of their neighbours (Q31), and this sort of noise can be quite significant in summer. We don’t have any databases on this sort of information. As well as that, these records of sound levels take no account of the fact that people vary in their perceptions of noise – so someone like me with years of working in acoustics might be very different from you in that regard. But anyway, even though these noise maps are fairly crude, they’ve been useful in providing information and raising awareness that noise matters, we need to deal with it and so it’s a political matter (Q32). And that’s important – we need rules and regulation because noise can cause all sorts of problems. Those of you who are city-dwellers know that things go on 24 hours a day, so city-dwellers often suffer from interrupted sleep. It’s also known that noise can lead to a rise in levels of stress, due to physical changes in the body affecting the composition of the blood. And there are other problems as well, for instance if schoolchildren don’t have a quiet place to study, their work will suffer. (Q33) Now, one problem with decibel measurement is that it doesn’t differentiate between different types of noise. Some types of sounds that most people would probably think of as nice and relaxing might well score quite highly in decibel levels – think of the sound made by a fountain in a town square, for example (Q34). That’s not necessarily something that we’d want to control or reduce. So maybe researchers should consider these sorts of sounds in urban design. This is going to be tricky because just measuring decibel levels isn’t going to help us here. Instead, many researchers are using social science techniques, studying people’s emotional response to sound by using questionnaires and so on. (Q35) So what exactly do people want to hear in an urban environment? Some recent interdisciplinary research has come out with results that at first sight seem contradictory – a city needs to have a sense of activity, so it needs to be lively, with sounds like the clack of high heels on a pavement or the hiss of a coffee machine, but these mustn’t be too intrusive, because at the same time we need to be able to relax. (Q36) One of the major problems in achieving this will be getting architects and town planners to use the research. Apart from studying the basics of acoustics, these people receive very little training in this area (Q37). But in fact they should be regarding sound as an opportunity to add to the experience of urban living, whereas at present they tend to see it as something to be avoided or reduced as far as possible, or something that’s just a job for engineers like the street drainage system.
  • 66. What’s needed is for noise in cities to be regarded as an aesthetic quality, as something that has the qualities of an art form. If we acknowledge this, then we urgently need to know what governs it and how designers can work with it. We need to develop a complex understanding of many factors. What is the relationship between sound and culture? (Q38) What can we learn from disciplines such as psychology about the way that sound interacts with human development and social relationships, and the way that sound affects our thought and feelings? Can we learn anything from physics about the nature of sound itself? (Q39) Today’s powerful technologies can also help us. To show us their ideas and help us to imagine the effect their buildings will have, architects and town planners already use virtual reality – but these programs are silent (Q40). In the future such programs could use realistic sounds, meaning that soundscapes could be explored before being built. So hopefully, using the best technology we can lay our hands on, the city of the future will be a pleasure to the ears as well as the eyes. Cam 11Cam 11- Test 1 I’ve been looking at ocean biodiversity, that’s the diversity of species that live in the world’s oceans. About 20 years ago biologists developed the idea of what they called ‘biodiversity hotspots’. These are the areas which have the greatest mixture of species, so one example is Madagascar. These hotspots are significant because they allow us to locate key areas for focusing efforts at conservation (Q31). Biologists can identify hotspots on land, fairly easily, but until recently, very little was known about species distribution and diversity in the oceans, and no one even knew if hotspots existed there. Then a Canadian biologist called Boris Worm did some research in 2005 on data on ocean species that he got from the fishing industry. Worm located five hotspots for large ocean predators like sharks, and looked at what they had in common. The main thing he’d expected to find was that they had very high concentrations of food, but to his surprise that was only true for four of the hotspots – the remaining hotspots was quite badly off in that regard (Q32). But what he did find was that in all cases, the water at the surface of the ocean had relatively high temperatures, even when it was cool at greater depths (Q33), so this seemed to be a factor in supporting a diverse range of these large predators. However, this wasn’t enough on its own, because he also found that the water needed to have enough oxygen in it (Q34) – so these two factors seemed necessary to support the high metabolic rate of these large fish. A couple of years later, in 2007, a researcher called Lisa Balance, who was working in California, also started looking for ocean hotspots, but not for fish – what she was interested in was marine mammals, things like seals (Q35). And she found three places in the oceans which were hotspots, and what these had in common was that these hotspots were all located at boundaries between ocean currents, and this seems to be the sort of place that has lots of the plankton that some of these species feed on. So now people who want to protect the species that are endangered need to get as much information as possible. For example, there’s an international project called the Census of Marine Life. They’ve been surveying oceans all over the world, including the Arctic. One thing they found there which stunned other researchers was that there were large numbers of species which live below the ice (Q36) – sometimes under a layer up to 20 metres thick. Some of these species had never been seen before. They’ve even found species of octopus living in these conditions. And other scientists working on the same project, but researching very different habitats on the ocean floor, have found large numbers of species congregating around volcanoes, attracted to them by the warmth and nutrients there. ——————– However, biologists still don’t know how serious the threat to their survival is for each individual species. So a body called the Global Marine Species Assessment is now creating a list of endangered species on land, so they consider things like the size of the population – how many members of one species there are in a particular place – and then they look at their distribution in geographical terms, although this is quite difficult when you’re looking at fish, because they’re so mobile, and then thirdly they calculate the rate at which the decline of the species is happening. (Q37) So far only 1,500 species have been assessed, but they want to increase this figure to 20,000. For each one they assess, they use the data they collect on that species to produce a map showing its distribution (Q38).
  • 67. Ultimately they will be able to use these to figure out not only where most species are located but also where they are most threatened. So finally, what can be done to retain the diversity of species in the world’s oceans? Firstly, we need to set up more reserves in our oceans, places where marine species are protected. We have some, but not enough. In addition, to preserve species such as leatherback turtles, which live out in the high seas but have their nesting sites on the American coast, we need to create corridors for migration, so they can get from one area to another safely. As well as this, action needs to be taken to lower the levels of fishing quotas to prevent overfishing of endangered species. And finally, there’s the problem of ‘by-catch’. This prefers to the catching of unwanted fish by fishing boats – they’re returned to the sea, but they’re often dead or dying. If these commercial fishing boats used equipment which was more selective, so that only the fish wanted for consumption were caught, this problem could be overcome. OK. So does anyone have any … Cam 11- Test 2 We’ve been discussing the factors the architect has to consider when designing domestic buildings. I’m going to move on now to consider the design of public buildings, and I’ll illustrate this by referring to the new Taylor Concert Hall that’s recently been completed here in the city. So, as with a domestic building, when designing a public building, an architect needs to consider the function of the building – for example, is it to be used primarily for entertainment, or for education, or for administration? The second thing the architect needs to think about is the context of the building, this includes its physical location obviously, but it also includes the social meaning of the building how it relates to the people it’s built for (Q31). And finally, for important public buildings, the architect may also be looking for a central symbolic idea on which to base the design, a sort of metaphor for the building and the way in which it is used. Let’s look at the new Taylor Concert Hall in relation to these ideas. The location chosen was a site in a run- down district that has been ignored in previous redevelopment plans. It was occupied by a factory that had been empty for some years (Q32). The whole area was some distance from the high-rise office blocks of the central business district and shopping centre, but it was only one kilometre from the ring road. The side itself was bordered to the north by a canal (Q33) which had once been used by boats bringing in raw materials when the area was used for manufacturing. The architect chosen for the project was Tom Harrison. He found the main design challenge was the location of the site in an area that had no neighbouring buildings of any importance. To reflect the fact that the significance of the building in this quite run-down location was as yet unknown, he decided to create a building centred around the idea of a mystery – something whose meaning still has to be discovered. So how was this reflected in the design of the building? Well, Harrison decided to create pedestrian access to the building and to make use of the presence of water on the site. As people approach the entrance, they therefore have to cross over a bridge (Q34). He wanted to give people a feeling of suspense as they see the building first from a distance, and then close-up, and the initial impression he wanted to create from the shape of the building as a whole was that of a box (Q35). The first side that people see, the southern wall, is just a high, flat wall uninterrupted by any windows. This might sound off-putting, but it supports Harrison’s concept of the building – that the person approaching is intrigued and wonders what will be inside. And this flat wall also has another purpose. At night-time, projectors are switched on and it functions as a huge screen, onto which images are projected. (Q36) The auditorium itself seats 1500 people. The floor’s supported by ten massive pads. These are constructed from rubber (Q37), and so are able to absorb any vibrations from outside and prevent them from affecting the auditorium. The walls are made of several layers of hony-coloured wood, all sourced from local beech trees. In order to improve the acoustic properties of the auditorium and to amplify the sound, they are not straight, they are curved (Q38). The acoustics are also adjustable according to the size of orchestra and the type of music being played. In order to achieve this, there are nine movable panels in the ceiling above the orchestra which are all individually motorized, and the walls also have curtains which can be opened or closed to change the acoustics. (Q39)
  • 68. The reaction of the public to the new building has generally been positive. However, the evaluation of some critics has been less enthusiastic. In spite of Harrison’s efforts to use local materials, they criticise the style of the design as being international rather than local (Q40), and say it doesn’t reflect features of the landscape or society for which it is built. Cam 11- Test 3 So what I’m going to talk about to you today is something called Ethnography. This is a type of research aimed at exploring the way human cultures work. It was first developed for use in anthropology, and it’s also been used in sociology and communication studies. So what’s it got to do with business, you may ask. Well, businesses are finding that ethnography can offer them deeper insight into the possible needs of customers, either present or future, as well as providing valuable information about their attitudes towards existing products (Q31). And ethnography can also help companies to design new products or services that customers really want. Let’s look at some examples of how ethnographic research works in business. One team of researchers did a project for a company manufacturing kitchen equipment. They watched how cooks used measuring cups to measure out things like sugar and flour. They saw that the cooks had to check and recheck the contents, because although the measuring cups had numbers inside them, the cooks couldn’t see these easily (Q32). So a new design of cup was developed to overcome this problem, and it was a top seller. Another team of ethnographic researchers looked at how cell phones were used in Uganda, in Africa. They found that people who didn’t have their own phones could pay to use the phones of local entrepreneurs. Because these customers paid in advance for their calls, they were eager to know how much time they’d spent on the call so far (Q33). So the phone company designed phones for use globally with this added feature. Ethnographic research has also been carried out in computer companies. In one company, IT systems administrators were observed for several weeks. It was found that a large amount of their work involved communicating with colleagues in order to solve problems, but that they didn’t have a standard way of exchanging information from spreadsheets and so on. So the team came up with an idea for software that would help them to do this. (Q34) In another piece of research, a team observed and talked to nurses working in hospitals. This led to the recognition that the nurses needed to access the computer records of their patients, no matter where they were (Q35). This led to the development of a portable computer tablet that allowed the nurses to check records in locations throughout the hospital. Occasionally, research can be done even in environments where the researchers can’t be present. For example, in one project done for an airline, respondents used their smartphones to record information during airline trips, in a study aiming at tracking the emotions of passengers during a flight. (Q36) ——————— So what makes studies like these different from ordinary research? Let’s look at some of the general principles behind ethnographic research in business. First of all, the researcher has to be completely open-minded – he or she hasn’t thought up a hypothesis to be tested, as is the case in other types of research. Instead they wait for the participants in the research to inform them. As far as choosing the participants themselves is concerned, that’s not really all that different from ordinary research – the criteria according to which the participants are chosen may be something as simple as the age bracket they fall into, or the researchers may select them according to their income (Q37), or they might try to find a set of people who all use a particular product, for example. But it’s absolutely crucial to recruit the right people as participants. As well as the criteria I’ve mentioned, they have to be comfortable talking about themselves and being watched as they go about their activities (Q38). Actually, most researchers say that people open up pretty easily, maybe because they’re often in their own home of workplace. So what makes this type of research special is that it’s not just a matter of sending a questionnaire to the participants, instead the research is usually based on first-hand observation of what they are doing at the time (Q39). But that doesn’t mean that the researcher never talks to the participants. However, unlike in traditional research, in this case it’s the participant rather than the researchers who decides what direction the
  • 69. interview will follow. This means that there’s less likelihood of the researcher imposing his or her own ideas on the participant. But after they’ve said goodbye to their participants and got back to their office, the researchers’ work isn’t finished. Most researchers estimate that 70 to 80 per cent of their time is spent not on the collecting of data but on its analysis – looking at photos listening to recording and transcribing them and so on (Q40). The researchers may end up with hundreds of pages of notes. And to determine what’s significant, they don’t focus on the sensational things or the unusual things, instead they try to identify a pattern of some sort in all this data, and to discern the meaning behind it. This can result in some compelling insights that can in turn feed back to the whole design process. Cam 11- Test 4 As we saw in the last lecture, a major cause of climate change is the rapid rise in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last century. If we could reduce the amount of CO2, perhaps the rate of climate change could also be slowed down. One potential method involves enhancing the role of the soil that plants grow in, with regard to absorbing CO2. Rattan Lal, a soil scientist from Ohio Stage University, in the USA, claims that the world’s agricultural soils could potentially absorb 13 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – the equivalent of the amount released in the last 3o years. And research is going on into how this might be achieved. Lal first came to the idea that soil might be valuable in this way not through an interest in climate change, but rather out of concern for the land itself and the people dependent on it. Carbon-rich soil is dark, crumbly and fertile, and retains some water. But erosion can occur if soil is dry (Q31), which is a likely effect if it contains inadequate amounts of carbon. Erosion is of course bad for people trying to grow crops or breed animals on that terrain. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Lal was studying soils in Africa so devoid of organic matter that the ground had become extremely hard (Q32), like cement. There he met a pioneer in the study of global warming, who suggested that carbon from the soil had moved into the atmosphere. This is now looking increasingly likely. Let me explain. For millions of years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been regulated, in part, by a natural partnership between plants and microbes – tiny organisms in the soil. Plants absorb CO2 from the air and transform it into sugars and other carbon-based substance (Q33). While a proportion of these carbon products remain in the plant, some transfer from the roots to fungi and soil microbes (Q34), which store the carbon in the soil. The invention of agriculture some 10,000 years ago disrupted these ancient soil-building processes and led to the loss of carbon from the soil. When humans started draining the natural topsoil, and ploughing it up for planting, they exposed the buried carbon to oxygen. This created carbon dioxide and released it into the air. And in some places, grazing by domesticated animals has removed all vegetation, releasing carbon into the air. Tons of carbon have been stripped from the world’s soils – where it’s needed – and pumped into the atmosphere. So what can be done? Researchers are now coming up with evidence that even modest changes to farming can significantly help to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Some growers have already started using an approach known as regenerative agriculture. This aims to boost the fertility of soil and keep it moist through established practices (Q35). These include keeping fields planted all year round, and increasing the variety of plants being grown (Q36). Strategies like these can significantly increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, so agricultural researchers are now building a case for their use in combating climate change. One American investigation into the potential for storing CO2 on agricultural lands is taking place in California. Soil scientist Whendee Silver of the University of California, Berkeley, is conducting a first-of-its-kind study on a large cattle farm in the state (Q37). She and her students are testing the effects on carbon storage of the compost that is created from waste – both agricultural, including manure and cornstalks, and waste produced in gardens (Q38), such as leaves, branches, and lawn trimmings. In Australia, soil ecologist Christine Jones is testing another promising soil-enrichment strategy. Jones and 12 farmers are working to build up soil carbon by cultivating grasses that stay green all year round (Q39). Like composting, the approach has already been proved experimentally; Jones now hopes to show that it can be applied on working farms and that the resulting carbon capture can be accurately measured. It’s hoped in the future that projects such as these will demonstrate the role that farmers and other land managers can play in reducing the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. For example, in countries like the
  • 70. United States, where most farming operations use large applications of fertiliser, changing such long-standing habits will require a change of system. Rattan Lal argues that farmers should receive payment not just for the corn or beef they produce but also for the carbon they can store in their soil. (Q40) Another study being carried out … Cam 10 -Test 1 Today we continue our series on ecology and conservation with a look at a particularly endangered member of the black bear family. One in ten black bears is actually born with a white coat, which is the result of a special gene that surfaces in a few (Q31). Local people have named it ‘the spirit bear’. And according to the legends of these communities, its snowy fur brings with it a special power (Q32). Because of this, it has always been highly regarded by them – so much that they do not speak of seeing it to anyone else. It is their way of protecting it when strangers visit the area. (Q33) The white bear’s habitat is quite interesting. The bear’s strong relationship with the old-growth rainforest is a complex one. The white bear relies on the huge centuries-old trees in the forest in many ways. For example, the old-growth trees have extremely long roots that help prevent erosion of the soil along the banks of the many fish streams (Q34). Keeping these banks intact is important because these streams are home to salmon, which are the bear’s main food source. In return, the bear’s feeding habits nurture the forest. As the bears eat the salmon, they discard the skin and bones in great amounts on the forest floor, which provide vital nutrients. These produce lush vegetation that sustains thousands of other types of life forms, from birds to insects and more. Today, the spirit bear lives off the coast of the province of British Columbia on a few islands (Q35). There is great concern for their survival since it is estimated that less than two hundred of these white bears remain. The best way to protect them is to make every effort to preserve the delicate balance of their forest environment – in other words, their ecosystem. ———————– The greatest threat to the bear’s existence is the loss of its habitat. Over many years, logging companies have stripped the land by cutting down a large number of trees. In addition, they have built roads which have fractured the areas where the bear usually feeds, and many hibernation sites have also been lost (Q36). The logging of the trees along the streams has damaged the places where the bears fish. To make matters worse, the number of salmon in those streams is declining because there is no legal limit on fishing at the moment. (Q37) all these influences have a negative impact on the spirit bear’s very existence, which is made all the more fragile by the fact that reproduction among these bears has always been disappointingly low. (Q38) And so, what’s the situation going forward? Community organizations, environmental groups and the British Columbia government are now working together on the problem. The government is now requiring logging companies to adopt a better logging method (Q39), which is a positive step. However, these measures alone may not be sufficient to ensure a healthy population of the spirit bear in the future. Other steps also need to be taken. While it is important to maintain the spirit bear’s habitat, there also needs to be more emphasis on its expansion (Q40). The move is justified as it will also create space for other bears that are losing their homes … Cam 10-Test 2 Well, I’ve been talking to managers in a number of businesses, and reading surveys about the future of management. And what I’m going to present in this seminar is a few ideas about how the activity is likely to change in the next ten years. It isn’t a scientific, statistical analysis – just some ideas for us to discuss. One area I want to mention is business markets, and I’m sure a really significant development will be a major increase in competition, with companies from all round the world trying to sell similar products (Q31). Consumers will have much more choice – for instance, food products sold in Australia might be manufactured in the USA, China, Finland and dozens of other countries. At the same time, mergers and takeovers mean that governments are actually losing power to major global corporations (Q32). We can probably all think of companies that exert a great deal of influence, which may be good for consumers. A third point I want to make about markets is that in the rapidly expanding economies, such as India, China,
  • 71. Brazil and Russia, demand is growing very fast (Q33). This is putting pressure on resources all over the world. I think businesses are becoming more open to external influences. In particular, companies are consulting customers more and more before making their business decisions (Q34). Companies are finding out what they want and providing it, instead of making products and then trying to sell them, which is the model of years ago. Another influence is that concerns about the environment will force manufacturers to extend product lifecycles, to reduce the amount of pollution and waste. And in some cases, regulation will need to be strengthened. (Q35) Many societies are much more fluid and democratic, and the structure of companies is changing to reflect that. I think we’re going to see a greater emphasis within companies on teams created with a specific project in mind (Q36). And when they’re completed, the teams will be disbanded and new ones formed. More and more people see work as simply one part of their lifestyle, and not the most important one, and as the workforce is shrinking in some countries, businesses are having to compete for staff instead of being about to choose among a lot of applicants. Typical examples that will attract and retain staff are traditional ones like flexible hours (Q37) and – something that has been made possible by advances in technology – remote working, with people based at their home, abroad, or almost anywhere they choose. ——————- Management styles will almost certainly continue to change. Senior managers will require a lot more than the efficiency that they’ve always needed. Above all they’ll need great skills in leadership (Q38), so that their organisation can initiate and respond to change in a fast-moving world, where they face lots of competing requirements and potential conflicts. In most of the world, the senior managers of large businesses are mainly men in their fifties and sixties. The predominant style of management will almost certainly become more consultative and collaborative, caused above all, by more women moving into senior management positions. (Q39) Many of the changes are influenced by developments in the wider economy. The traditional emphasis of business was manufacturing, and of course the service sector is very important. But we shouldn’t overlook the growing financial contribution of IP, that is, intellectual property. Some books and films generate enormous sums from the sale of related DVDs, music, games, clothes, and so on. Another point I’d like to make is that although I’ve been talking about companies, one trend that they have to face is the move away from people working for the same employer for years. Instead, more and more people are becoming self-employed (Q40), to gain the freedom and control over their lives that they’re unlikely to get from being employed. OK, well that’s all I want to say, so let’s open it up for discussion. Cam 10 -Test 3 Today, I want to talk about self-regulatory focus theory and how the actions of leaders can affect the way followers approach different situations. Self-regulatory focus theory is a theory developed by Tori Higgins. He says that a person’ focus at any given time is to either approach pleasure or avoid pain. These are two basic motivations that each and every one of us has, and they cause us to have different kinds of goals. Promotion goals in different life situations emphasise achievement (Q31). Prevention goals are oriented towards the avoidance of punishment. In a specific situation, our thoughts might focus more on promotion goals or more on prevention goals. The theory suggests that two factors affect which goals we are focusing on. First, there is a chronic factor. This factor is connected to a person’s personality (Q32) and says that each person has a basic tendency to either focus more on promotion goals or focus more on prevention goals as part of his or her personality. Second, there is a situational factor which means that the context we are in can make us more likely to focus on one set of goals or the other (Q33). For example, we are more likely to be thinking about pleasure and to have promotion goals when we are spending time with a friend (Q34). In contrast, if we are working on an important project for our boss, we are more likely to try to avoid making mistakes and therefore have more prevention goals in our mind.
  • 72. Research has shown that the goals we are focusing on at a given time affect the way we think. For example, when focusing on promotion goals, people consider their ideal self, their aspirations and gains (Q35). They don’t think about what they can lose, so they think in a happier mode. They feel more inspired to change. When people are focusing on prevention goals, they think about their “ought” self. What are they supposed to be? What are people expecting from them? They consider their obligations to others. As a result, they experience more anxiety and try to avoid situations where they could lose. ———————– Now that I have talked about the two focuses and how they affect people, I want to look at the idea that the way leaders behave, or their style of leading, can affect the focus that followers adopt in a specific situation (Q36). In talking about leadership, we often mention transformational leaders and transactional leaders. Transformational leaders, when interacting with their followers, focus on their development (Q37). In their words and actions transformational leaders highlight change. Their speech is passionate and conveys a definitive vision (Q38). All of these things can encourage followers to think about what could be. In other words, they inspire a promotion focus in their followers. In contrast, transactional leaders focus on developing clear structures that tell their followers exactly what is expected of them (Q39). While they do explain the rewards people will get for following orders, they emphasise more how a follower will be punished or that a follower won’t get rewarded if his or her behaviour doesn’t change. In short, they emphasise the consequences of making a mistake. This emphasis will clearly lead followers to focus on avoiding punishment and problems. This is clearly a prevention focus. In conclusion, it is important to understand that one focus is not necessarily better than the other one. For a designer who works in a field where a lot of innovation (Q40) is needed, a promotion focus is probably better. In contrast, a prevention focus which causes people to work more cautiously and produce higher quality work might be very appropriate for a job like a surgeon, for example. The main point of the research, though, is that the actions of leaders can greatly influence whether people approach a situation with more of a promotion focus or more of a prevention focus. Cam 10- Test 4 Today we’re going to look at an important area of science, namely nanotechnology. So what is it? Nano means tiny, so it’s science and engineering on the scale of atoms and molecules. The idea is that by controlling and rearranging atoms, you can literally create anything. However, as we’ll see, the science of the small has some big implications affecting us in many ways. There’s no doubt that nanotechnology promises so much for civilisation. However, all new technologies have their teething problems. And with nanotechnology, society often gets the wrong idea about its capabilities (Q31). Numerous science-fiction books and movies have raised people’s fears about nanotechnology – with scenarios such as inserting little nano-robots into your body that monitor everything you do without you realising it, or self-replicating nano-robots that eventually take over the world. So how do we safeguard such a potentially powerful technology? Some scientists recommend that nano- particles be treated as new chemicals with separate safety tests and clear labelling (Q32). They believe that greater care should also be taken with nano-particles in laboratories and factories. Others have called for a withdrawal of new nano products such as cosmetics and a temporary halt to many kinds of nanotech research. But as far as I’m concerned there’s a need to plough ahead with the discoveries and applications of nanotechnology (Q33). I really believe that most scientists would welcome a way to guard against unethical uses of such technology. We can’t go around thinking that all innovation is bad, all advancement is bad. As with the debate about any new technology, it is how you use it that’s important. So let’s look at some of its possible uses. ————————– Thanks to nanotechnology, there could be a major breakthrough in the field of transportation with the production of more durable metals (Q34). These could be virtually unbreakable, lighter and much more pliable leading to planes that are 50 times lighter than at present.
  • 73. Those same improved capabilities will dramatically reduce the cost of travelling into space making it more accessible to ordinary people (Q35) and opening up to totally new holiday destination. In terms of technology, the computer industry will be able to shrink computer parts down to minute sizes. We need nanotechnology in order to create a new generation of computers that will work even faster and will have a million times more memory but will be about the size of a sugar cube (Q36). Nanotechnology could also revolutionise the way that we generate power. The cost of solar cells will be drastically reduced so harnessing this energy will be far more economical than at present. (Q37) But nanotechnology has much wider applications than this and could have an enormous impact on our environment. For instance, tiny airborne nano-robots could be programmed to actually rebuild the ozone layer, which could lessen the impact of global warming on our planet. That’s a pretty amazing thought, isn’t it? On a more local scale, this new technology could help with the clean- up of environmental disasters as nanotechnology will allow us to remove oil and other contaminants from the water far more effectively (Q38). And, if nanotechnology progresses as expected – as a sort of building block set of about 90 atoms – then you could build anything you wanted from the bottom up. In terms of production, this means that you only use what you need and so there wouldn’t be any waste. (Q39) The notion that you could create anything at all has major implications for our health. It means that we’ll eventually be able to replicate anything. This would have a phenomenal effect on our society. In time it could even lead to the eradication of famine through the introduction of machines that produce food to feed the hungry. But it’s in the area of medicine that nanotechnology may have its biggest impact. How we detect disease will change as tiny biosensors are developed to analyse tests in minutes rather than days (Q40). There’s even speculation nano-robots could be used to slow the ageing process, lengthening life expectancy. As you can see, I’m very excited by the implications that could be available to us in the next few decades. Just how long it’ll take, I honestly don’t know.