Progress Test 1 Audio Script

Track 1

Narrator: Gold Preliminary. Progress Test 1. Listening

Presenter: Magda, you’ve just got back from visiting South Korea. I understand a large

international supermarket company has introduced a new kind of supermarket in the

underground train stations.

Magda: That’s right! When I first heard I could do my shopping in the underground, I thought

it sounded horrible! I mean, underground stations are famous for being hot and dirty

places, so it didn’t seem like a very practical place to put a supermarket. But it works.

Presenter: So, what made this online supermarket so different?

Magda: Well, I often shop online and use my mobile phone to order, but this shop’s different.

They’ve put interactive photos of shelves full of products along the walls of the

underground station, and you scan the photos of things you want to buy with your

mobile. It was like walking through a real supermarket, only less trouble. They

delivered the food only an hour after ordering, but then South Korean supermarkets

are always efficient like that.

Presenter: So what kind of things did you use it to buy?

Magda: Well, the Asian vegetables were so interesting, I wanted to try them all. But I was

staying in a hotel and there was nowhere to cook. I bought something to wash my

hair, and a few other things. I didn’t order anything to drink, even though I was really

thirsty – I didn’t want to have to wait for it to be delivered.

Presenter: Why did the company choose South Korea?

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Magda: Well, young South Koreans love technology, but that’s true of young people

everywhere. But South Koreans have one of the longest working weeks in the world.

They just haven’t got time to go food shopping. With this new method they can

change their waiting time into shopping time on their way home.

Presenter: Did you personally like the new supermarket?

Magda: Definitely! I hate going shopping, but it wasn’t half as bad doing it this way. In fact, I

found it fun. I don’t know if that’s because it was the first time I’d used it. Mind you,

it wasn’t easy to download the software at the beginning, and there was a delivery

charge, which doesn’t make it a cheap option if you only need a few things.

Presenter: What have other South Koreans thought about the virtual supermarket?

Magda: Well, the company weren’t that sure about introducing it. I mean, there were already

a lot of popular international supermarkets there. It was possible people wouldn’t

want to change their habits. But they quickly became the number one company for

online sales. In fact, their sales increased by 130 percent thanks to this underground

project.

Presenter: Do you think you’ll see this kind of supermarket in Britain?

Magda: I don’t think people would have any problems using this method of shopping. We

already spend a huge amount of money internet shopping. As I understand, the only

thing that’s stopping the company is that the underground system can’t receive mobile

signals, so it’s just not possible at the moment.

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Progress Test 2 Audio Script
Track 2

Narrator: Gold Preliminary. Progress Test 2. Listening

Male: So, Jen, what’s it like living in Shanghai?

Female: Well, it’s the biggest city in China; it has more people than Beijing. But it’s actually

quite an old city, so the population of 23 million isn’t growing that much, compared

to other cities.

Male: Is the traffic as bad as they say?

Female: Well, it is and it isn’t. The public transport system’s excellent. They have the longest

train and bus networks in the world. But you can’t just buy a car and drive around

Shanghai, you need a special licence, and the government only sells 8,000 licences a

month.

Male: I’ve heard that it’s quite polluted.

Female: Hmm, that is pretty awful. Most countries measure their air pollution from 0 – 100,

100 would be unhealthy for old or sick people. But in May 2010, the pollution level in

Shanghai actually reached 500, which is the highest any system in the world can

measure. That was worrying!

Male: I guess there aren’t many open spaces, then.

Female: Well, there aren’t many large parks in the city, but that’s changing. There’s a great

project to make an eight and a half kilometre long piece of land into natural parkland.

It’s alongside the river.

Male: Are there places you can take your kids?

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Female: Well, even the smallest parks have a space for children to play. Most of them are very

new, clean and safe, and in great condition.

Male: How about entertainment?

Female: Shanghai’s full of nightclubs, and there’s the Chinese cinema industry, of course.

There’s a lot to do – things you’ve probably never even thought of trying!

Male: Have you had any difficulties?

Female: Only the usual problems. I guess the weather’s been difficult. Britain has a very mild

climate, but the weather in Shanghai is quite extreme, freezing winters and very hot

summers!

Male: Are you happy you decided to move there?

Female: Definitely! There are some great jobs for people who want to try living in China, and

it’s a friendly place to live.

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Progress Test 3 Audio Script
Track 3

Narrator: Gold Preliminary. Progress Test 3. Listening

Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica. For my project on water, I'm going to talk about the cruise ship I went

on, The Ocean Star. These days, cruise ships can be the size of a small town and get

through a lot of water each day. As they have to carry all their fresh water with them,

they need to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. I wanted to talk about The

Ocean Star because I think these environmental practices could be a model for all of

us in the future.

One obvious use of water is for drinking. The ship gets through about 30 tonnes a day

just refilling drinking bottles. Washing hair and bathing uses about 60 tonnes daily.

But they also get through an amazing 50 tonnes for ice cubes each day – mostly for

keeping food on the buffet tables cool.

That's a lot of water, and cruise ships have to consider every detail. For example, the

showers looked strange because there were only three holes in the shower head.

Showers usually have a lot more, but the water shoots out really quickly here, so it

still feels great, like a massage. Unfortunately, it's so good that it encourages people

to stay in there longer!

The swimming pools also needed a lot of water. On land, pools are kept clean and

healthy with strong chemical products in the water. But a cruise ship wouldn't be able

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to put the pool water back into the sea if it was mixed with chemical cleaners. The

Ocean Star used salt and electricity to keep the water pure. This system meant the

pool was closed a little longer for cleaning, but the water was wonderful!

Obviously, there were some places where chemicals were necessary. The washing

machines got their water from the waste water in the cooling system, which reused

some water. But after using it in the laundry, washing the towels and sheets, it was

too polluted even to use to water the on-board gardens. It had to be stored with the

water from cleaning the rooms, until the ship reached land.

Of course, working with environmental organisations to keep the seas clean matters to

the cruise industry. The Ocean Star recorded information about water temperature and

quality. This information was sent to universities to help them analyse changes in the

oceans. They also worked with local governments to leave behind reusable materials,

such as furnishings, to benefit local people.

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Progress Test 4 Audio Script
Track 4

Narrator: Gold Preliminary. Progress Test 4. Listening

Robbie: Okay, now for some news about our annual charity auction evening. Unfortunately,

we can’t use the Forest Hotel again, as it’s being re-decorated next month, but we’re

very excited about getting into the small but luxurious Park Hotel for the auction this

year. It’s located opposite the station.

We have an exciting range of things to sell this year, but we’d always welcome more

items. Please contact Miss Campbell, that’s C-A-M-P-B-E-L-L if you have anything

else for the sale. The final day is next Thursday.

All money from this year’s events goes towards helping local homeless people. We

intend to use the money from the auction to build a new training centre, where

homeless people can come to learn new skills. It’ll be next to the existing hostel and

you can see the plans in the office.

Please give your names to the secretary before the day of the event. Look in the local

paper for our advert. If you cut it out and bring it with you to the auction, you might

win a luxury television! Don’t worry about bringing cash, we can always take your

personal details.

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We’ve got some fantastic items in this year’s auction. The dinner for two in The City

Lights Restaurant is new this year. We’re expecting the most interest in the tickets to

The Big Thing, as this fantastic festival is now sold out. We’re also very excited about

the day pass to the local adventure park for younger ones.

Now then, we have enough people to help with seating, but we are looking for more

people to help with the coffee. If you think you can do this, please contact Mr Baker.

We also have plenty of people working on the catalogue. So, we’re sure it’s going to

be a huge success …

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Exit Test Exercise 3A Audio Script
Track 5

Narrator: Gold Preliminary Exit Test. Listening. Exercise 3A

Examiner: 1. Where is the museum?

Man 1: Oh, excuse me, I’m looking for the National Museum.

Woman 1: Oh sure, carry on down this road for about half a kilometre. You’ll come to a really

big crossroads. There’s the national bank on the right hand side, just after the

crossroads. It’s huge, it’s got these really awesome statues of these muscly Greek

guys in front. Anyway, the national museum’s directly opposite, – be careful crossing

the street, those cars go really fast. You’ll need to walk round the side for the

entrance.

Examiner: 2. Which object did the students find part of?

Woman 2: So, any luck?

Boy 2: Yeah, definitely. We found a whole load of stuff in here. It was probably a kitchen.

We found these things that looked like pieces of stone, but they were obviously man-

made. We were hoping to find a knife or a tool, but we haven’t had any luck with that.

Anyway, when the professor came along, he said the pieces were actually bits of an

old bowl. Now all we need is to find the spoon they used and we’ve got the whole

breakfast set.

Examiner: 3. How was the picture damaged in the fire?

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Woman 3: Following a fire at the museum, there’s been a rescue attempt to save the many works

of art inside the building. Several paintings were damaged, including the famous

‘Simpson’s Mother’. Although it escaped the fire damage, the water system, which

came on automatically, left a large mark in the bottom right hand corner. It’s not the

first time the painting has experienced problems. On a previous occasion, the frame

was broken when it was being transported. Fortunately, the painting itself didn’t tear

on this occasion. Experts hope to repair it soon.

Examiner: 4. What does the girl buy?

Boy 4: Did you bring back any souvenirs from holiday?

Girl 4: Yeah, well, my mum was like, you’ve got to buy something practical, like a t-shirt or

something, and I said, no way. I mean, they only had the t-shirts in large and extra-

large. So she said we should get a tie, for my dad. Like dad’s really going to go into

the office in a holiday tie. He’d hate it. Anyway, there were these baseball caps in

blue, and blue suits everyone, so there was only really one choice in the end.

Examiner: 5. What will the weather be like during the fair?

Girl 5: So, are we doing the science fair in the hall, or out on the school field?

Boy 5: Hang on, I’m just getting the weather on the internet. Well. It says here it’s going to

rain in the morning, but stop around midday. And then from 2 o’clock, it’ll be sunny.

Girl 5: Great, the fair’s from two till four, let’s go on the field.

Boy 5: Yeah, but even if it clears up by that time, we won’t be able to set up the things in the

morning because it’ll be raining.

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Girl 5: Oh, yeah.

Examiner: 6. Which animal is on the plate?

Man 6: Okay. Susan, what did you bring for the antiques show?

Girl 6: Well, my aunty gave me this to bring in. She’s mad about animals, she’s got like

thousands of cat things in her house. This is just about the only thing not cat-related.

Anyway, it’s got this crocodile, with a poem on the back about how terrifying the

animal is, but it doesn’t look scary on the plate. It originally came as a pair, with a

plate with a bird on it, but that got broken a few years back.

Examiner: 7. When can students visit the show for free?

Man 7: Welcome to the South African Art Exhibition helpline. The exhibition will be open to

the public daily from 26th September. There’ll be a special viewing for journalists and

local television representatives on 20th September. There will also be an open day on

the 23rd September. Anybody taking Advanced Art or a similar level art course is

welcome this day, but will have to book through their school or university. There’s no

charge for this showing, but students attending after the 26 th will need to pay the full

entrance fee.

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Exit Test 3B Audio Script
Track 6

Narrator: Gold Preliminary Exit Test. Listening. Exercise 3B

Female: Hi, I’d like to tell you about the Valley Car Share Scheme. It’s a car sharing system

for university staff and students.

We’ve got over 20 vehicles, so you’re sure to find one available when you need it.

Anyone over the age of 18 with a full driving licence can join the scheme. And if you

show your college student card you won’t have to pay the extra charges for drivers

under 25.

Once you’ve applied for our annual membership, we’ll send you what we call a ‘key

card’. It opens all of our vehicles. It’s like the plastic library card you have and you

can easily keep it in your wallet along with your bank cards.

Each time you want to use a car, you’ll need to make a booking. You can do this in

person at our office, or by phone, but we prefer to receive these by text as it’s quicker

and easier for us to put your booking through our system.

When it comes to finding the cars, our main garage is in Hillway Avenue. That’s H-I-

L-L-W-A-Y, just behind the baseball field, close to all the main student

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accommodation blocks. You can go anywhere you want, but please return the cars

there when you finish.

Okay, what about costs? It costs $25 to apply to join the membership scheme, but you

get $10 off your first booking, so you get some of that back. You’ll also have to pay

$50 a year annual membership fee.

There’s also an hourly or a daily fee to pay when you use the car. It’s currently $8 an

hour or $66 a day during the week. At the weekends it costs $9 an hour and $72 a day.

But our charges are the same during both college time and holidays.

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