IELTS LISTENING TEST 7

SECTION 1 Man: Hello, First Choice Car Rental! How may I help you? Woman: Oh, good morning. Um, I'm calling for some information about your car renting services. I'm an American (Example), and I will be going on a family holiday to your city from Ohio next month. Man: OK. no problem. It's our pleasure to serve you. Could you please tell me your name and contact information first? Woman: I'm Caroline, that's C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E, and my telephone number is 04196570156 (Q1). Man: OK. I've got that. And how can I send you our quotation, if you are satisfied with our arrangement? Is email all right, or should I send it by post? (Q2) Woman: The latter (Q2), please! I'm afraid I'd prefer to read it on paper. Man: That's no problem. Woman: I'm considering renting a caravan for a week, but I don't really know the price range for it, since I haven't rented any car through that method before. I think it should be within my budget of $50. Man: You know, we have various caravans at different renting prices, according to the class of vehicle, facilities inside, mileage, etc. I'd recommend the 'Explorer', taking your budget into consideration, which is of good value and will cost you $39 per day (Q3). Is that OK? Woman: Of course, that's fine for me! I know the 'Explorer'. That could save me $11 each day! You know a family holiday will be costly. That van is perfect! Man: I'm glad that you like it. So do you have any particular requirements about your room in the van? Woman: Um, how many beds are there? Man: One twin bed. Woman: But there are three of us, my mum. daughter and me. So can we add another bed? (Q4) Man: No problem. Woman: For the facilities, I think a kitchen is the most important (Q5), and of course the stove. Man: In our vans, such as 'Explorer', there are all the basic bedding materials you need, like pillows and blankets, as well as some equipment for daily life. And many things can be added into your room according to your needs, such as a coffee maker. Woman: Well, I need to have a heater (Q6), in case it'll be cold at night, and a microwave of course. (Q7) Man: All right, I've taken notes of all these things. Actually, all our vans should be taken from our company, which is not too far from the city centre, so we can pick you up from the centre for free. Is that OK? Woman: Oh, I'm afraid we'd better be picked up from the airport (Q8), as we are foreigners in your country and not familiar with the transport system. Is that alright? Man: Yes, it is no problem. With that comes the information for the insurance. I need the driver's name and age. Woman: That is my daughter Chris, who is 19, the youngest driver amongst us three. Man: I'm sorry, but our company only accepts caravan drivers aged 25 or over, according to our regulations. So… Woman: Well, that would be me, Caroline, and I'm 49 years old. (Q9) Man: And where was your driving licence issued? I mean the country. Woman: I've got a licence in America, but I've also got one in Australia which is still valid. Is it better for me to register the local one from your country? (Q10) Man: Yes, that might be better. So your registration number is…

SECTION 2 Hello everyone, and welcome to the University of New South Wales. The first thing I'd like to do at today's Orientation Session is get you all oriented! That means tell you the location of some useful facilities and services. So, first of all, take out the maps we gave you all as you came in the door. The map is the big yellow sheet of paper. As you can see on the map, North is at the top, South at the bottom, et cetera. Which way is North? Well, look through that window on my left, your right. See the rising sun? That would have to be East. So North must be directly behind me. Now, we are at the campus's Main Gate. The Recreational Facilities are on my right hand and its opposite is the Student Centre (Q11). No questions? Good. Pretty easy, right? OK, did everyone eat breakfast at the Student Food Service this morning? Was the food good? Yes, yes. I am joking. I've eaten there, too. So after a meal like that, you must be eager to go to a doctor. Right? Well, I have good news for you: the Student Health Centre is located about half a kilometre straight north of here (Q12). Look on your maps. You see the street on the east side of this building? Ned Kelly Avenue? Just follow that about 500 metres, and the Health Centre will be on your left at the third cross street. (Q12) Now, I know you all just got here. So you must be wondering how to tell your folks you've arrived safely, how much you miss the dog, and how you already need more money. If you don't have an Iphone, you probably are wondering where to find a computer. Well, I have good news. If you go straight out of its door and walk down the Garden Street, you'll see the Internet Unit on your left side, just next to the Gym (Q13). The hours are posted on the door, and the computers are free, but you must bring your student ID card with you. Like I tell everyone, if you need help with anything, you can probably find it right here in the Student Centre. Do you see the four buildings there between the Student Centre and the library? Those are the dormitories. The men's dorms are the two on the south; the women's the two on the north. OK, I'm sorry to have to tell you, but the university has been doing a lot of repairs and remodelling, and it's not all done yet. So there may be some small problems with your dorm rooms. Maybe the window doesn't open. Maybe an air conditioner is missing or does not work. If there are any problems, you can go to the Complaint Office, which is right beside the Teaching Building between the Parker Street and the Crammer Street (Q14). Just tell them your problem and they should have it fixed by the time you graduate in four years. I'm joking, but please be patient. There are a lot of little things they need to take care of. Tired of the school food? No? Give it a week. Or maybe you just need a place to get coffee in the wee hours of the night during one of those marathon study sessions. Either way, you definitely have to check out the little Cafe just past the women's dormitories (Q15). They've got free Wi-Fi, so a lot of students saddle up with coffee and a bagel for hours on end to get work done. As for the dorm rooms, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is the rooms are small and you'll probably be sharing space with at least three other students. The good news is that each room has its own bathroom (Q16). What's good about sharing a bathroom with three strangers? Hmmm… good question. OK, call it bad news and worse news. Hey, maybe try this for good news: each dorm has a kitchen. If you want to make snacks or meals, you can do it there. You can buy food containers (Q17) at any campus convenience store, so you can store your food in the kitchen. But a word of warning: you should definitely write your name on your food containers. Sad to say, there are food thieves among your fellow students. Speaking of thieves, a word about security. I mean this is Australia and we do get drunken bushrangers wandering onto campus. Each of you will be given a key for your dorm room. Don't lose it. You have to pay for any replacement and fill out a bunch of papers, too. Red tape, huh? Your key does not work for the front door of your dorm, however. To the right of each door, there is a keypad with numbers. When you move in, they will tell you the code (Q18) you use to enter the door. Please do not tell the code to people who do not live in the dorm. Let's see. Have I forgotten anything? Oh, yes. Most of you are not rich, correct? So when your clothes get dirty, you can't just throw them away and buy new ones. That means you have to learn to do laundry. Or, men, that means you have to hurry up and get married. If you decide to wash those clothes and not get married, there are laundries in each dorm. Where? Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The laundry for each dorm is in the basement (Q19). Some real good news this time: if you are a student, it is free. You do have to buy your own soap, however. The laundry closes, by the by, at 11:30. And, now that I've mentioned 11:30, please remember the dorm doors are locked at Q20 11:30 p.m. Your code will not work. If you want to get in, you'll have to call the night watchman. Don't worry, you can get that number at the Dorm Office. Yes, the Dorm Office and the Complaint Office are the same office. All right, then. Before we continue, are there any questions?

SECTION 3 Carlos: OK, everyone. Let's look at what presentation tips we have come up with for our next seminar. Melissa? Melissa: OK, here's my first tip. Show up early (Q21). Some experience presenters say that something good is bound to happen! I'm not sure about that, but… David: Well, … you may have a chance to head off some technical problem. Also, at the beginning, before you actually begin your presentation, people filter in slowly. It's a great time to introduce yourself. Melissa: Can't argue with that! Simona had some ideas about opening. Simona: Have a strong opening. I picked up a few ideas for structuring your opening. First, never apologize (Q22). If you're worried the presentation won't go well, keep it to yourself and give it your best shot. Besides, people are usually too preoccupied with their own problems to notice yours. Carlos: I like that! Simona: Open by addressing the following three questions: What's the problem? Who cares? What's your solution? Carlos: Excellent suggestion! David? You've gone quiet! David: Well, my next suggestion is PGP. That means that with every subtopic, you should move from the Particular to the General and back to the Particular (Q23). Even though the purpose of a subtopic is to convey the general information, bracing it with particulars is a good way to draw attention and promote retention. (Q24) Melissa: I've got another one. This might not be a tip so much as a law. Give everyone at least one piece of paper. A piece of paper is a record from your presentation. People can use that to help recall the details of the presentation, or better yet to tell others about it. Carlos: The next tip that I have is know your audience (Q25). This is, of course, a general piece of advice for public speaking. See if you can find out what styles of information presentation they are most familiar and comfortable with. Adapting your presentation to those styles will leave fewer barriers to the direct communication of your material. Simona: I like that idea. We mentioned possible technical problems before. My next point is that maybe speakers should rethink the overhead projector. Is one really necessary? David: I think that often it is. but I agree with your basic point (Q26), Simona. Don't use one just because it's there. Maybe a good tip is to consider carefully what you are putting on your slides. Simona: Yes, David, that's a very good point to make. Slide content is … well, you don't want too much … too little. Carlos? Carlos: Good points, both of you. Another point I have is to respect the audience. Don't condescend by "dumbing down" your lecture. Show them respect by saying what you believe and what you know to be the whole story. Melissa: I also have a point about humor. I think that humour is generally good, but be careful with it. Humour in a presentation works best (Q27) when it actually drives the presentation forward. If you find you're using canned jokes that don't depend on the context, of the presentation, eliminate them David? David: Maybe, Melissa, but always be very careful about jokes that. put. down a class of people. If you're going to alienate your audience, do it on the merits of your content. Simona: Also, avoid masculine-or even feminine pronouns as universal. It can be a nuisance to half the audience. As universal, use the plural "they". The Oxford English Dictionary has allowed "they" as a gender neutral singular pronoun for years. Carlos: Thanks, Simona. Thinking towards the end. Take care with questions (Q28). Many people judge the quality of your talk not by the twenty minutes of presentation, but on the thirty seconds you spend answering their question (Q28). Be sure to allow long pauses for questions. Ten seconds may seem like a long pause when you're at the front of the room, but. it flows naturally from the audience's point of view. Simona: Let people know you believe your material. Speak with conviction. Believing your subject, matter is one of the best ways to speak more effectively! Melissa: Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen (Q29). If nothing else, people will be able to leave early, and suddenly they'll have an extra couple of minutes to do things they didn't think they'd get to. People will really like you if you do that. David: I think we have missed a key point. Practice! Practice over and over and over. If you can, record your presentation. Play it back and watch yourself. You'll discover a thousand horrible things you never knew about yourself. Now watch it again without the sound. Why are your hands flying around like that? Now listen to it without the picture. Get rid of those urns! Now watch it at twice the normal speed. This emphasizes low frequency cycles in your gestures. Carlos: David, those were excellent points! I have one more. Something quite simple, but often overlooked. I read that the two most dehydrating things you can do in modern civilization are live presentations and air travel. I don't know if it's really true, but the message is that, the way to stay sharp is to drink lots of water (Q30). Take care of your body, especially your voice. If possible, avoid alcohol too. Melissa: So, we've got to organise these points now…

SECTION 4 The London Eye Today I want to focus on some of the major sights that attract tourists to cities, and I am going to begin with the London Eye. The London Eye is London's newest major tourist attraction. It is a huge wheel designed to celebrate the Millennium year 2000, so it's also known as the Millennium (Q31) Wheel. It stands at Millennium Pier, on the South Bank of the River Thames (Q32), close to the south end of Westminster Bridge, and within an easy walk of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Though it looks like a huge Ferris wheel, the London Eye is no fairground thrill- ride, but a slow and stately way to experience London in a unique way. The London Eye is the UK's most popular paid for visitor attraction, visited by over 3.5 million (Q33) people a year. The Eye was built between 1998 and 2000. It seems remarkable that a site that has so quickly become a symbol of modem London has been around for such a short time! It took fully seven years from start of the design process to create the Eye. It was intended to stand for only a few years, but it proved to be such a popular attraction that the decision was made to make the wheel a permanent feature of the London landscape. The Eye was referred by British Airways (Q34), and for several years after opening it was referred to as the British Airways Millennium Wheel. Today the London Eye is under the ownership of the London Eye Company, a subsidiary of Merlin Entertainments Group Company. Constructing The Merlin Entertainments London Eye was a massive challenge. It's the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world, rising high above the London skyline at 135 metres (Q35). It was a piece of daring innovation and revolutionary design which combined the best of British design, architecture and engineering with an exceptional team of experts. So, how is that great wheel held up? How did it get there? The starting point was, of course, the ground, and while parts of the wheel itself were still being constructed in various countries, tension piles (Q36) were being driven into the ground beside the River Thames. This was the first step, and once these were securely in place, a base cap was installed over them as a kind of lock, with two giant blimps pointing up, onto which a frame was attached, like a giant letter. The wheel was supported on huge A-frame (Q37) legs, made up of 2,200 tonnes of concrete on 44 concrete piles set 33 meters deep in the earth. All this took many months and incredible effort, but meant that the spindle could be installed, around which the great wheel would turn. The spindle itself was too large to cast as a single piece so instead was produced in eight smaller sections. Now the project really was in business, and the vast rim (Q38) with spokes like an outsized bicycle wheel could be brought in. 64 spoke cables, which are similar to bicycle spokes, hold the rim tight to the central spindle. And the view was enhanced by the capsule design; unlike traditional ferris wheel designs that you might see at a local fairground, the passenger capsules (Q39) were not suspended under the wheel, they were set within a circular mounting ring attached to the outside surface of the wheel. What this means in practice is that travelers within the capsule have a full 360 degree panoramic view, unhindered by spokes of wheel struts. And the last thing to be built is the first thing the visitor encounters, the boarding platform (Q40) laid down underneath. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.