IELTS LISTENING TEST 19

SECTION 1 EMPLOYER: Hello, is this John Murphy? APPLICANT: Hi, yes it is. EMPLOYER: Hi John, this is Ed Heisenburg from the Wild Dunes Spa and Resort calling about your application for our lifeguard (Example) position. Do you have a few minutes to talk? APPLICANT: Yes, absolutely. EMPLOYER: Great. Could you give me your address? APPLICANT: Sure. My address is 45 Elsinore (Q1) Court. EMPLOYER: I'm sorry, was that Eleanor? Could you spell that for me? APPLICANT: Sure – it's Elsinore. E-L-S-I-N-O-R-E. EMPLOYER: Okay, thanks. And is this the number we should reach you at in the future? 099885767? APPLICANT: No, this is my home phone, but let me give you my mobile phone number instead: 077896245 (Q2). Call me on that one. EMPLOYER: Okay – I'll make a note of that. Could you tell me your availability? APPLICANT: Sure. I am usually available during afternoons or weekends.I would prefer not to be scheduled on weeknights because I work part-time as a waiter (Q3). EMPLOYER: That shouldn't be a problem, since we don't stay open very late anyway. And do you have any other employment experience? APPLICANT: Yes, I have worked at a few other places. I was the baseball coach (Q4) at Ridgemont High School last season. EMPLOYER: I see. And do you have any other experience that you would like us to note on your application? APPLICANT: Yes. Last year I worked at the beach as a rescue diver (Q5). EMPLOYER: Rescue diver? That sounds intense! APPLICANT: Well, it's really just like being a lifeguard, except in the ocean instead of a pool. So kind of like being a lifeguard at the world's largest pool. EMPLOYER: Haha. I see. EMPLOYER: So could you tell me about the relevant skills you have? I'm guessing a lot, given your experience. APPLICANT: I am CPR certified and have 2 years of diving experience (Q6). EMPLOYER: Great! It sounds like you are well qualified for this position. When does your CPR certification expire? APPLICANT: Hm. I think in November, but let me quickly check my CPR card … actually, it expires in October (Q7). EMPLOYER: Okay, so regardless you have it through the end of the summer. When is your ideal time to work? APPLICANT: Since I work in the restaurant on weeknights, I like weekends best – specifically Saturday mornings (Q8). EMPLOYER: I see. We do already have a lot of staff available on Saturdays, but I do need an early morning shift lifeguard. How early could you work Saturday morning? APPLICANT: I can get there by 6.00 (Q9) if need be. EMPLOYER: You'll be happy to know we open a little later than that, but I'll put you down for Saturday mornings here. APPLICANT: Oh awesome! I can't wait to get started. EMPLOYER: How about you come in next Saturday, the 12th? APPLICANT: That sounds good. EMPLOYER: Great – we can figure out other shifts for you to work when you come in then. One last thing – just out of curiosity, where did you hear about us? APPLICANT: I heard your ad on the radio (Q10) while I was driving this morning. EMPLOYER: You know, I think you're the first person who has responded to our radio ads. It's almost always people who have seen us in the newspaper. APPLICANT: Yeah, I don't have time to read through the newspaper every morning. I have plenty of time in the car to listen to radio ads. EMPLOYER: That makes sense. Well, thanks for your time, and we'll look forward to seeing you on the 12th.

SECTION 2 GEOFFREY: Good evening, I'm Geoffrey Miller, from the University of Nottingham Student Union. And in this week's free class, Carlos Garcia is going to tell us about safety around campus. Over to you, Carlos. CARLOS: Thank you, Geoffrey. And thank you for all of your attendance today. Also, I would like to thank the student union here at the university for organising this lecture (Q11). Well, I have been serving and protecting the city of Nottingham for over 20 years now as a member of the police department. Does anyone know what type of crime is the most prevalent on campus? I heard someone say drugs and alcohol – that actually isn't too much of an issue. Violence? Nope. Actually, the biggest thing we worry about here is theft (Q12). The nature of crime on Nottingham's campus is quite different from that of the surrounding areas. Crime rates across the East Midlands are very difficult to control. We would like to see the rate stay the same for this calendar year, but it has been increasing steadily over the past three years. On campus, however, I'm happy to say that the overall crime rate has fallen this year (Q13). You wouldn't think so if you have seen the extremely exaggerated stories in the media. The media has done nothing but cause more concern about crime in our area (Q14). Even the crime shows you see today are a little bit farfetched, but at least viewers know they are not real events. We would really like to see more factual news articles out there so the public can have a rational sense of the safety level of our society. OK, let's move on to what to do when you see a crime. Do not get involved if at all possible, and do not draw too much attention to yourself by running away in a conspicuous manner. Though most likely (and hopefully) you will not have to experience this situation, if you are being mugged please do not try to resist. Instead, be compliant and, seek help after the incident (Q15). Like I said, though, it is highly unlikely that you will find yourself amidst a crime, but it is important to be prepared should it ever happen. We find that educating students and staff on the correct precautions to take is the best way to increase your safety (Q16). Just remember to be smart when you're out late at night, and avoid any area or person that looks suspicious. I know it sounds obvious, but I cannot stress this enough. It is also not a bad idea to have your mobile phone with you at all times, but be careful. If you are chatting on your smart phone on your way home, you are a prime target for thieves. I'd like to see a show of hands – how many people have left work or the library after 10 p.m. to go home before? A lot of you, right? If you do have to go home late at night, please don't walk home alone. More often than not there is someone there that will be walking the same direction as you at some point. Walk home with a friend or coworker. Even if you must use your phone to call someone that is nearby to walk with you, it is always safer to walk home with someone (Q17). So when you're walking home, you may feel more comfortable with some sort of self-defense, such as pepper spray. Now, it's your call whether you want to carry something like this or not. However, I absolutely advise against carrying a knife or any other offensive weapon. All too often they can be used against you if you are disarmed, putting yourself in more danger (Q18). For all those interested, the recreation centre offers a free self-defense class to all students every Thursday evening. While obviously an introductory self-defense class may not equip you to fight off villains like a regular superhero, it does come in handy sometimes. After taking a self-defense class, you will surely be more aware of possible dangers (Q19) and how to deal with them. So hopefully now you have a more complete understanding of the nature of crimes committed on your campus, and how to avoid being a victim. I know most students at the University of Nottingham are not the criminal types, but remember that there is no barrier like a wall (Q20) or something keeping nonstudents out. There is no army force securing the borders, and I doubt anyone wants it that way. The campus is generally a safe place, but it is not immune to small crimes once in a while. Alright. That's all I have to say for today. Stay safe!

SECTION 3 TUTOR: So you were both given your project assignments for your senior thesis today, right? JANE: Yes, and we already have to submit our topics next week! MARK: But how could they give us a grade this soon? TUTOR: No, next week's due date will not be counted towards your final grade. The teachers are just going to read your topic and give you feedback (Q21). JANE: Oh, I see. So first we should come up with our topics, and then what? TUTOR: Well, once you know what you want to study, you need to think about how you'll study it. You need to decide on your research methods. The methods will be the main part of your paper (Q22). MARK: What about the results section? TUTOR: Well, I can give you feedback on that, but you will be the one carrying out an experiment and thus will have to produce the results on your own. What I would like to do today is practice writing research papers before you even begin your report. I'll give you samples of old data from past experience, and you can practice writing results and drawing conclusions. JANE: I think that would be really helpful. MARK: Yeah, it sounds like a lot of extra work, but I'm sure it will make our actual project easier. TUTOR: You are exactly right. So let's get started. First, let's try this simple experiment on fruit flies. Read the information, and then take 25 minutes to summarise a results and conclusion section. That's really important – pay attention to the time limit (Q23). JANE: OK, does it still have to be 6,000 words? TUTOR: No, don't worry about that. MARK: What if we get off topic? TUTOR: I wouldn't worry too much – you will have so much information to write about that it should be easy to stay on topic. JANE: But what about other sources? TUTOR: Well for this assignment, you can use the one from your textbook. In your actual paper, you should find old experiments that support your topic. MARK: So do we need to find different types of sources? For instance, should I be conducting lots of interviews to use in my paper? TUTOR: No, there's no need to conduct lots of interviews (Q24) or anything like that. MARK: OK, I'm ready to get started. I'm still a little confused though, on how we should format our paper. TUTOR: Don't worry about it for now, but on your final paper, make sure to pay attention to the format (Q25). It should follow the guidelines exactly. JANE: Oh man, I'm starting to understand why they give us all semester to do this. Are there any other small details like that that we should know about? TUTOR: Not a whole lot, make sure you provide two copies (Q26) – one for your teacher of course, but one for yourself as well. And of course, you know the due date, right? MARK: Uh, it's April 11, right? JANE: What? No! It's May 11. Right? TUTOR: Yes. The due date is May 11 (Q27). Write it down! MARK: Oh wow. Yeah, I need to note it. Also, I'm having trouble finding information on my topic. What if I can't find enough good sources? TUTOR: It's alright to change (Q28) your topic. Just make sure to do it before the beginning of April. MARK: Oh really? Wow, I'm definitely going to change it then. TUTOR: Just make sure to write a note (Q29) to your teacher letting him or her know. JANE: Okay. So getting back to writing this sample paper, where do we start? Should I just explain the experiment and what happened? TUTOR: Well, you need to start with your hypothesis – what you think will happen – and then describe your procedure (Q30). Then you can write up the results and your conclusions. JANE: Oh boy, I don't know if I can handle any more instructions…

SECTION 4 Hello class, and welcome back to Marketing Strategies. This week I will expand upon last week's lecture by talking about factors you should consider when creating advertising materials and the effects they can have on your product sales. Lesson one: limit your advertising to the geographic area of your target market. Though you may have a product that people want in a large area, the distance (Q31) that customers are willing to travel is a significant factor in their choice of where to purchase that product. Take this example – if you are really hungry and decide you want a burrito, would you choose the restaurant that is a block from your apartment, or the one that is just as good – or even slightly better – across town? Of course you'll pick the closer restaurant. Next, there's the method of communication to your target market. How do you decide among radio ads, TV commercials, fliers, or even word of mouth? While we often think of the visual presentation of ads, there is much more to advertising than the look. Studies show that consumers are much more likely to remember advertising slogans if there is also a sound (Q32) played. Did you know that your sense of smell is closely linked with memory? Think about Mandy's Candy Store up the road. Every time you walk past it, you can just smell (Q33) the chocolate, right? I bet you can almost smell it now. Just mentioning the name brings about the smell memory, and in turn a chocolate craving. What better way to sell chocolate bars? Obviously sometimes appealing to the senses isn't the most practical way to advertise. For example, it is a good idea to come up with a marketing strategy that adapts to the product, especially digital products. The flexibility (Q34) of this kind of product is extremely important, so it is very common for advertisers to form one single layout for all of their ads – the visual, the medium, even the majority of the content – and simply update the ad each time they come out with a new version. Remember, advertising is all about stirring up the right feeling in your potential customers, whether by stimulating the senses, appealing to intellect, and so on. Once the customer experiences the ad, the important thing is his or her reaction (Q35). Someone could love the ad you made, but unless he or she considers buying the product, you have failed to get the reaction you were looking for. So once you have successfully reached your target customer and you have his or her business, often you will want to expand to a larger market. More often than not, the same marketing strategies you used in your small campaign may not work for a larger audience. The larger you scale your product, the more factors you must consider. For instance, Apple operates worldwide, so they must tailor their advertising for each market they enter. Often you'll see Apple ads on international flights that appear not only in English, which is the lingua franca of most regions, but also in the native language (Q36) of the majority of passengers. I traveled to Russia last week, and it was really interesting to see the same Nike ad that I have seen a hundred times – except this time it was in Russian! Okay, going back to the medium of the advertisement, even after choosing to create print ads (instead of radio announcements, television commercials, etc) there is more to consider. If you print your ad in a newspaper, it will be read by a far different audience than if you print your ad in a popular magazine. Would you put an ad for the new Justin Bieber album in a newspaper? Probably not, because that product is most suitable for youths. Let's face it – do you know anyone under the age of 25 that buys a newspaper (Q37)? No! Now let's try a few strategy exercises. Imagine you are a company that is aiming to improve the environment (Q38) by making products that reduce human waste. How would you advertise your product? Clearly it would send the wrong message if you put up fliers or other materials that cause lots of waste paper. Consider instead putting commercials on the Health Channel, or buying ad space on websites like UNESCO. Or here's another example: What is one great place to advertise suntan lotion? How about a swimming pool (Q39)? It has the exact group of people that need the product. Alright, one last thing. Let's say you're filming a commercial for a water filter pitcher. What would be good scenery to use for the background? Think about somewhere calm and relaxing with clean, fresh water. Can't you see how much more effective a commercial with the beautiful scenery and flowing rivers of a national park (Q40) would be than, say, water dripping from a tap? So to wrap things up today, think about the geography of your target market, the type of marketing material you should use, and the most effective way to appeal to the customer in order to make a successful ad campaign. That is all I have for you all today. Make sure to read through chapter 8 for Monday if you have not done so already. OK, now I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have…