IELTS LISTENING TEST 18

SECTION 1 PETER: Hey Jim, it's Peter. JIM: Oh hey Peter. What's up? PETER: I thought I'd call so we could hammer out the details for next year's lease (Example). JIM: That's a good idea. Did we ever decide on how to split the total rent? PETER: Well, I was thinking since my room is bigger I probably should pay a little more, so I could pay £110 and you could pay £80 (Q1). Does that sound okay? JIM: Considering that my old apartment cost me £100 for a smaller room, I'm definitely alright with that! Hey, I was looking at a map of the area, and can't seem to find a bus stop near it. Do you know where we would catch the bus? PETER: Well, the bus is actually pretty far from us, but we have that garage (Q2) that we can park our cars in. JIM: Wow, that's great! Convenient parking is hard to find, so we're lucky we have that. Okay, so we have a whole lot of things we'll need to buy when we move in – how do you want to split that up? PETER: I was wondering – do you still work at the supermarket (Q3)? JIM: Yep, every Tuesday and Saturday. PETER: Would you be able to buy things from there if I send you a shopping list? JIM: Sure, I can do that. PETER: Great. Then I can take care of whatever else we need that you wouldn't get at a supermarket. If you want, I'll pick you up from work that day and we can go to the apartment together. JIM: That would be great, thanks. PETER: No problem – that way we can split the cost of petrol (Q4). JIM: Works for me. It's so expensive these days, isn't it? PETER: It's downright obscene. JIM: So let's figure out what appliances we need. Do we have a microwave? PETER: Yes, the landlord's providing that for us. Hey, do you still have that space heater (Q5) though? We need one for the kitchen since it's not connected to the central heating. JIM: Oh, right, I'll bring that. Anything else? PETER: Well, I have some dining room and living room furniture I can bring, so that should take care of most of the big stuff. You know what we do need though? Could you bring a toaster (Q6)? JIM: I actually don't have one. It doesn't come with the microwave? PETER: No, the landlord is only supplying the microwave. It would really help if you could bring one. JIM: Okay, I'll pick one up at the store. You know, I also have this cool antique rotary phone that would be a cool addition to the apartment. Sort of as decoration and utility. PETER: Oh cool! The only thing is, we'd have to put it in the kitchen, unless you want it in your room. JIM: Why not put it in the living room? PETER: The living room is too loud to have a phone conversation. The noise sort of carries, so if one person is trying to watch TV or have friends over the person on the phone won't be able to hear. JIM: Hm, okay, well I guess kitchen (Q7) it is then. Any other big things we need? That seems like everything. PETER: That's all I can think of. And of course, move-in is – JIM: June 1st (Q8). I can't wait. We'll be able to watch the big game in our new apartment – it's going to be awesome! PETER: Yeah, we can move in in the morning and then Friday night (Q9) we can sit back and cheer on Liverpool. JIM: I have an exam (Q10) in the morning, but will be done around 11 a.m. and can move in after. Wait…Liverpool? You're joking, right? I thought you were a Manchester United fan? PETER: MAN U? No way! Liverpool all the way! JIM: Oh no. I don't know if I can live with a Liverpool fan…

SECTION 2 Welcome to all of you…Can everybody see and hear me?… Good…I'm Sarah Conor, an HR representative of Earn and Learn. I have been asked today to talk to you about our company. So, for those of you who don't know very much about the company, let me start by giving you some basic information about it. Earn and Learn started nearly twenty years ago. It is not a charity but a for-profit company that enables promising entrepreneurs to make money (Q11) while traveling. During the past ten years, it has grown rapidly and has gained great influence in most countries of the world. We have a partnership with the school (Q12) and take a large number of recent graduates from the business school. So if you are a recent graduate I'd say you can consider applying to our company. Before your application, you might be curious about what sort of places you could go to. There are four main locations, but you also have the freedom to submit a different location and if they can make the necessary arrangements, you can go. The first country Earn and Learn established locations in was the U.S., where you may choose from multiple locations, as long as you can commit to their more rigid schedule of August to December (Q13). Also, you could do the Australia (Q14) internship. That one is really cool – you work at a wildlife shelter and learn about the business practices of nonprofit organisations. You do have to be willing to commit 8 months for that one, though. Perhaps that's a long time to be so far away, but I would say it is really an amazing opportunity. I don't know whether some of you are in decent physical shape. If so, the South Africa (Q15) internship is another exciting one – you learn a lot about sustainable farming – but you would be doing some of the manual labor involved in maintaining a farm. Indeed, it's hard work, but I think you would definitely be able to do it. It may be wise to wait until after their summer is over so it's not so terribly hot. In addition, there is a most recently established location in India (Q16). This one gives you more of a study abroad feel, given that they arrange a host family for you to stay with. In the other locations, you live in an apartment with other interns, so this is definitely a unique experience. Regardless of where you go, at the end of the program you get a Global Traveling Certificate, as long as you can explain your experience. You can provide a written log of what you did (Q17). I recommend writing journal or blog entries about what you do every day, or a weekly summary of each day. Of course you don't have to write up a formal report or anything like that. And you need to apply for it once you have returned (Q18). Some students may want to know whether this is a paid internship. Actually you have to pay for the flight there yourself. But you have the opportunity to create your own small business, which could earn you money if it's successful. So basically you pay for two thirds of the cost up front as a deposit, and then give the final installment one month prior to your return (Q19). Finally, I have to remind you that you need a health check (Q20) before you go, to make sure you're not going to spread any communicable diseases. In addition, before you go, you don't have to attend any meetings or workshops. You'll meet everyone you'll be working with once you get there. Okay, well, that's all I've time for today. Thanks for listening and I'm happy to take any questions if you have them…

SECTION 3 STUDENT: Hi, Professor Timmons? Do you have a few minutes? I was hoping to talk about what I missed on Thursday. PROFESSOR: Hello, come in. Sure, sit down. Could you tell me your name please? STUDENT: Margaret, sir. Margaret Parkinson. I apologise for missing your class but I had to go to the hospital. PROFESSOR: I'm sorry to hear that! Everything is OK now though, I hope? STUDENT: Yes, thanks. PROFESSOR: Glad to hear it. So on Thursday I outlined the research project that will account for 30% of your grade. All students will be divided into groups and will give a well-researched presentation to the class covering a specific topic relevant to student life. STUDENT: Oh, that sounds interesting – can we choose just any topic that pertains to life as a student, like how to start your own student organisation? PROFESSOR: Well, though I'm sure that would be an informative presentation, I have already chosen a list of topics which I will assign. As an example, I assigned one group the topic of student loans (Q21). They are to research not just the prevalence of students who have loans to pay for their tuition, but information as to how best to manage these loans and possible scholarships that could alleviate some of the financial burden. STUDENT: That one sounds particularly interesting to me – could I request that topic? I could easily find out a lot about it by stopping by the Finance Office (Q22) on my way to class. PROFESSOR: Unfortunately, that one is already taken by another group. I have, however, assigned you to a group and given you all one of two choices. STUDENT: Oh, I see. What are the choices? PROFESSOR: The first is discussing smoking (Q23). Trends in the number of student smokers compared with the general population, popular reasons students take up smoking, and more healthy alternatives to smoking. STUDENT: Hm, that one could be interesting. I'm not a smoker myself, but will see what my group thinks. If we did choose this topic, we would rather not put our fellow students on the spot to interview them – where else could we gather information? PROFESSOR: How about where the cigarettes are sold? STUDENT: Oh, that's a great idea. I could interview the manager of a supermarket (Q24) and find out the average age of people buying cigarettes, or how much they buy, that sort of thing? PROFESSOR: Precisely. STUDENT: Okay, I'll keep that in mind. And what was the other topic? PROFESSOR: The other topic is the practice of natural medicine (Q25). It sounds far more specific than the others, but it is more an exercise of outlining a career path. If your group chooses this, you would cover the specifics of becoming a Doctor of Natural Medicine, how to become licensed to practice natural medicine, what the career outlook is, etc. You could find much of the information you need on this in the Careers Office (Q26). STUDENT: Wow, that would be really helpful not just in learning about natural medicine, but in how to approach researching any career path. PROFESSOR: That's the idea. I want groups to really think outside the box to find information on their topics. They should interview multiple sources. STUDENT: Okay, now I think I have the general idea. STUDENT: When is the presentation due? PROFESSOR: I expect each group to send me an email attachment (Q27) of the plan ahead of time – by October 10th – so that I can ensure that you are on the right track. STUDENT: Oh, that's actually really reassuring. I would hate to spend so much time on a presentation only to find we had taken it in the wrong direction! So when is the presentation? PROFESSOR: I let groups choose from the list of time slots I have between November 1st and November 5th (Q28). STUDENT: Okay, how about the 3rd? I'll have to check with my group, of course, but maybe we could write a tentative time? PROFESSOR: Sure, let me take a look. I'm actually booked completely through the 3rd and 4th now. How about sometime in the afternoon of the 5th? STUDENT: Great! How about 2 o'clock? PROFESSOR: No problem. I'll pencil your group in. STUDENT: Okay, thanks. And to clarify, what exactly is due in the first phase? PROFESSOR: Before the October deadline, I want your group to have compiled resources and then to provide some initial data analysis (Q29) to support your claims. STUDENT: Okay, so data analysis is due the 10th of October, and then the um, the PROFESSOR: – Presentation (Q30)? Yes. The final phase is simply giving the presentation on the 5th of November. STUDENT: Alright, I think I have all the information I need. Thanks! PROFESSOR: You're welcome. See you in class tomorrow.

SECTION 4 Good morning, everyone. In today's lecture, I'm going to talk about the role of sleep in humans and animals. Of all the biological processes in the animal kingdom, sleep is perhaps the most important. A human can survive for almost two weeks without eating, but did you know that one week without sleep can be fatal? It's even worse for animals, especially for those who must avoid predators. Without sleep, an animal is much less capable of avoiding an attack (Q31) – this is the case for all animals, whether they are reptiles, mammals (Q32) or fish. Let us look now at how different animals sleep, reasons for their ways of rest, and the potential problems they might encounter. In marine life, sleep must be balanced with breathing. For example, the dolphin must float to the surface as it sleeps in order to breathe (Q33). Like other large sea mammals, they keep one eye open and one half of the brain awake at all times to maintain some amount of consciousness required to breathe and to watch out for possible threats. They sleep with only one brain hemisphere in slow-wave sleep. Birds also have unusual sleeping patterns, mostly due to being constantly on edge (Q34) in the presence of numerous predators. They usually sleep quite lightly—for example, Swainson's Thrush, also called Olive-backed Thrush, is a medium-sized thrush that takes hundreds of naps during the day, each of which lasts just a few seconds. While migrating, migratory birds tend to function well on micronaps. Horses, on the other hand, do most of their sleeping standing up. Scientists think that horses develop their habit of sleeping upright as a defense mechanism, a way of protecting themselves against predators, and a standing position keeps a horse in a constant state of readiness to race away if danger should approach. Also, horses do occasionally take short naps lying down. Horses are heavy animals with big muscles, but their bones (Q35) are surprisingly delicate, so lying in one position for a long time could well injure a horse. Just like humans, animals can also have sleeping problems (Q36). Dr. John Hedricks and Adrian Morrison from the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, determined that certain diseases were primarily associated with the sleep states in animals. In their research they emphasised that because so much in this area still remains unclear, animal models were very important for studies of sleep disorders. The physiology of sleep in animals is similar to that of humans. But why do we humans sleep? Researchers and scientists believe it helps us organise our memories (Q37) of the day – that sleep acts as a kind of filing system for the brain. Without it, our thoughts become disorderly and confused, which leads to increased likelihood of accidents and a tendency to say and do bizarre things. Researchers also believe that sleep plays a key role in learning (Q38). We sleep so that the brain can integrate new knowledge and form new associations. Because of the similar sleeping pattern to that of humans, rats (Q39) are often studied in order to increase our knowledge of human physiology. In one study, rats were kept awake for almost two weeks, and their behavior was observed. Researchers found the sleep-deprived rats could hardly remember anything of what they had been taught that day. For example, one rat had been taught to recognise pictures of various Parisian landmarks in order to receive food – pressing a button below a picture of the Louvre would result in food being released and so forth. However, when deprived of sleep, they would press buttons seemingly at random. In addition to rats, the fruit fly, a small insect that feeds and breeds on spoiled fruit, has also been used as a model organism and thousands of scientists around the world work on it. But why was the fruit fly chosen to be studied? It was for practical reasons. The most important one is that the relationship between fly and human genes is so close that the sequences of newly discovered human genes, including genes that show a susceptibility, can often be matched against their fly counterparts. This provides an indication of the function of the human gene and could help in the development of effective drugs to help people with sleeping disorders. Therefore, many scientists today choose to study the genetic structure (Q40) of the fruit fly, which could make a particularly important contribution to the understanding of developmental processes in humans. In conclusion, sleep is a necessary part of life not just for humans, but for the entire animal kingdom. Now, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have…