SECTION 1
C = Counsellor
K = Kate
L = Luki
C: Hi there, Kate. Come on in. How are you today?
K: Fine thanks.
C: Hi, Luki. Hows things?
L: OK.
C: Well, as I explained on the phone, Im a Counsellor here at the Student
Services section of the university and Im interviewing overseas students to
help me draw up a guide for new students so Id be grateful if you could tell
me a little about your time since youve been here in Cambridge.
K: Right.
L: Good idea.
C: Now, Kate lets start with you. OK, um
this is your second semester isnt
It? Could you tell us something about your first impressions of the town
when you arrived?
K: Yeah well first of all I was struck by how quiet it is here in the evening Example
Repeat
C: Yes, I suppose Cambridge is a quiet place. Where did you live when you first
arrived?
K: Well, I went straight into student accommodation; it was a kind of student Q1
hostel.
C: Ah right, so you didnt have to worry about doing your own cooking or
anything like that?
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K: No, but sometimes I wished I had! The food at the hostel was awful. Q2
C: Oh dear. But how were the other students?
K: To be honest I havent managed to make many friends even though the place
is full. People seem to keep to themselves; theyre not really very friendly. Q3
C: Oh Im sorry to hear that. Well, what about the actual course? Youre
studying
uh?
K: Im doing a Masters by coursework in Environmental Studies.
C: Ah, right, and how are you finding that?
K: Yeah, well, its been pretty good really. Ive enjoyed the course, but I feel
there hasnt been enough contact with the lecturers. They all seem to be Q4
incredibly busy. The only chance Ive really had to talk to them was on the
field trip.
C: Well thats no good. Could anything be done to improve the course in your
opinion?
K: Well
I think it would be helpful to have meetings with lecturers on the Q5
course. Say once a fortnight something like that.
C: Regular meetings. Yes that could certainly help. Now Kate, well come back.
to you in a minute, but Id just like to ask Luki some questions.
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C: Luki, Where are you from?
L: I am from Indonesia.
C: And how did you find Cambridge when you first arrived?
L: Well, I like it here. I think the city is very beautiful.
C: What about your accommodation? Was that OK?
L: Yes, OK. At first I stayed with a family for three months. They were very Q6
kind to me but they had three young children and I found it difficult to Q7
study
C: Right, I see.
L: So after three months I moved out and now I live with two other students in
a student house. Its much cheaper and we like it there. Q8
C: Good, and what about your studies? What are you studying?
L: Im doing a Bachelor of Computing. Q9
C: Computing. I see. Um, apart from the language difficulties, if you can
separate them, how have you found the course?
L: OK, but
C: Yes, go on.
L: Well, the main difficulty for me is getting time on the computers in the
computer room. Its always busy and this makes it very hard to do my
practical work.
C: Yes, Im sure it would. Can you reserve time in the computer room?
L: No, you cant
but it would certainly help if we could reserve computer
time. Q10
C: Yes. Ill look into that and see if something cant be done to improve things
over there. Now lets go back to Kate...
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Practice Test 2
SECTION 2
Radio presenter:
Well, last week we talked about buying camping equipment and today Id like to
talk to you about buying a bicycle. A simple enough exercise, you might imagine,
but there are lots of things to look out for to make sure you get the best deal for
your money.
Well, the range of bicycles is enormous there are racing bikes, touring bikes,
mountain bikes or just plain ordinary bikes for riding round town. They vary Q11
enormously in two basic ways: price and quality. This means that the choice you Q12
make will probably be determined by the amount of money you want to pay, your
own personal needs, what is actually available or a compromise of all three things.
However, in broad terms you can spend anything from $50 to $2,000 on a bike so, Q13
youll need to know what you are looking for.
Single speed cycles that is bikes with no gears, are really only suited to short,
casual rides. Their attraction is their simplicity and reliability. After years of Q14
neglect they still manage to function, though not always too efficiently. If its basic
transport youre after then you cant go wrong.
Three speed cycles on the other hand are all that is really necessary for most
town riding, going to the shops and things like that. Like the single speed bike Q15
they are simple and reliable. If you are going to be going up and down lots of
hills, then youll probably want something more efficient.
Five and ten speed bicycles are best suited to riding over long distances or hilly
terrain and to serious touring, so if its serious touring youre interested in, get a five Q16
or ten speed bike. However its worth remembering that the difference in price
between a five and ten speed cycle is usually very little and so its well worth Q17
paying that little bit extra to get the ten speed one. So I would tend to recommend
the ten speed bike as the price is similar however youll be getting better
quality components. Q18
Now the next thing we need to look at is size. Buying a cycle is like buying
clothes, first of all you find the right size and then you try it on to see if it fits. Q19
Contrary to what you might imagine, the size of the cycle is not determined by the
size of the wheels (except in childrens cycles), but by the size of the frame. So Q20
youll need to measure the length of your legs and arms to get a frame that is the
right size for you.
Well, thats all from Helpful Hints for today
SECTION 3
F = Fiona
M = Martin
F: Hi there, Martin. How are you going with your Australian studies tutorial
paper?
M: Oh good. Ive finished it actually.
F: Lucky you. What did you do it on? Im still trying to find an interesting topic.
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M: Well
after some consideration I decided to look at the history of banana
growing in Australia.
F: (surprised) Banana growing!
M: Yes, banana growing.
F: (sarcastically) Fascinating, Im sure! Q21
M: Well
its not as boring as youd think. And I wanted to tie it in to the
work Ive been doing on primary industries and the economy. Anyway I bet
there are a few things you didnt know about bananas!
F: Such as?
M: Such as the fact that bananas were among the first plants ever to be
domesticated.
F: Oh, really?
M: Yes, theyre an extremely nourishing food. Q22
F: I suppose youre going to tell me the whole history of banana growing now
arent you?
M: Well, itd be a good practice run for my tutorial next week. Ill do the same Q23
for you some time.
F: OK. Fire away. So where were these bananas first domesticated?
M: According to my research, the Cavendish banana, which is a type of banana
and the first type to be cultivated here, actually originated in China but they
had a fairly roundabout route before they got to Australia.
F: You mean they didnt go straight from China to Australia?
M: No, they didnt. It seems that in 1826, bananas were taken from South China
to England.
F: I suppose they would have made a welcome addition to the English diet.
M: Yes, Im sure. Well apparently there was an English Duke who was
particularly fond of bananas and he used to cultivate them in his hothouse,
which is where you have to grow them in England, of course, because of the
cool climate and they became quite popular in the UK. So he was the one Q24
responsible for cultivating the Cavendish banana which was then introduced
into Australia.
F: I see. And weve been growing them ever since?
M: Yes.
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F: Are they hard to grow?
M: Well, yes and no. To grow them in your garden, no, not really. But to grow
them commercially you need to know what youre doing. You see you only
get one bunch of bananas per tree and it can take up to three years for a tree Q25
to bear fruit if you dont do anything special to it. But this period is greatly
reduced with modern growing methods, particularly in plantations where you
have perfect tropical conditions.
F: Right! So what are you looking at? One year? Two years?
M: No, no, around 15 months in good conditions for a tree to produce a bunch of Q26
bananas. And once youve got your bunch you cut the bunch and the plant down.
F: So how do the trees reproduce then?
M: Well, bananas are normally grown from suckers which spring up around the
parent plant, usually just above the plant. They tend to like to grow uphill Q27
or at least thats the common wisdom.
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Practice Test 2
F: So thats why banana plantations are usually on hillsides, is it?
M: Yes. They grow best like that.
F: Thats interesting!
M: If you plant them in rich soil and give them plenty of water at the beginning Q28
of summer, then they should be well advanced by the beginning of winter
when growth virtually stops. But in a country like England, theyre hard to
grow, although you can grow them in a hothouse.
F: But in Australia, its not difficult?
M: No, though even here, the growers put plastic bags around the bunches to Q29
protect them and keep them warm. If you go up to the banana growing
districts, youll see all these banana trees with plastic bags on them.
F: But how do they stop the bananas going bad before they reach the shops?
M: Well, the banana bunches are picked well before the fruit is ripe. Once you
cut the bunch, the bananas stop growing but they do continue to ripen. The
interesting thing is that once one banana ripens, it gives off a gas which then
helps all the others to ripen so they pretty much all ripen within a few hours Q30
of each other.
F: Amazing! So do we export lots of bananas overseas, to Europe and Asia for
instance?
M: Well, oddly enough, no. I believe New Zealand takes a small proportion of Q31 or 32
the crop but otherwise theyre mostly grown for the domestic market, which Q32 or 31
is surprising when you think about it because we grow an enormous number
of bananas each year.
F: Yes, well thank you for all that information. Im sure the tutorial paper will
go really well you certainly seem to have done your research on the subject.
M: Lets hope so.
SECTION 4
J = John
D = Diane Greenbaum
J: Good morning, good morning, everyone, and welcome to our regular lecture
on health issues. This series of lectures is organised by the Students Union
and is part of the unions attempt to help you, the students of this university,
to stay healthy while coping with study and social life at the same time. So Q33
its a great pleasure for me to welcome back Ms Diane Greenbaum who is a
professional dietician and who has been kind enough to give up her time, in Q34
what I know is a very hectic schedule, to come along and talk to us today.
D: Thank you. Thank you very much, John. May I say its a pleasure to be
back. Now, stresses at university, being away from home and having to look
after yourselves, learning your way around the campus all contribute to
making it quite hard sometimes to ensure that your diet is adequate. So
today Im going to talk about ways of making sure that you eat well while at
the same time staying within your budget. Q35
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If you have a well balanced diet, then you should be getting all the vitamins
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that you need for normal daily living. However sometimes we think were
eating the right foods but the vitamins are escaping, perhaps as a result of
cooking and anyway were not getting the full benefit of them. Now, if you Q36
lack vitamins in any way the solution isnt to rush off and take vitamin pills.
though they can sometimes help. No its far better to look at your diet and
how you prepare your food.
So what are vitamins? Well, the dictionary tells us they are food factors
essential in small quantities to maintain life. Now, there are fat soluble
vitamins which can be stored for quite some time by the body and there are
water soluble vitamins which are removed more rapidly from the body and
so a regular daily intake of these ones is needed. Q37
OK, so how can you ensure that your diet contains enough of the vitamins
you need? Well, first of all, you may have to establish some new eating
habits! No more chips at the uni canteen, Im afraid! Now firstly, you must
eat a variety of foods. Then you need to ensure that you eat at least four Q38
servings of fruit and vegetables daily. Now youll need to shop two or three
times a week to make sure that theyre fresh, and store your vegetables in the
fridge or in a cool dark place. Q39
Now let s just refresh our memories by looking at the Healthy Diet
Pyramid. OK, can you all see that? Good. Well ,now, as you see weve got
three levels to our pyramid. At the top in the smallest area are the things
which we should really be trying to avoid as much as possible. Things like
Example yes, sugar, salt, butter
all that sort of thing.
Next, on the middle of our pyramid we find the things that we can eat in
moderation. Not too much though! And thats where we find milk, lean meat, Q40
fish, nuts, eggs. And then at the bottom of the pyramid are the things that
you can eat lots of! Because theyre the things that are really good for you Q41
And here we have bread, vegetables and fruit. So dont lose sight of your
healthy diet pyramid when you do your shopping.