Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 1
If I could wave a magic wand and speak another language fluently, I think I would probably
choose Chinese, because I think it’s going to be important to speak Chinese in the future, but
it’s really hard to learn … I think learning it by magic would probably be my best chance!
If I could change one thing about my appearance I would change the colour of my hair. My
hair’s a kind of mousy brown colour and I really wish I had naturally black hair – it’s just not the
same if you dye it black, it’s not as shiny and natural-looking.
I’d never go and live abroad under any circumstances … you know emigrate … I would just
miss home too much, my family, food, everything about living in my country. It’s nice to go to
other countries on holiday, and see other places and other cultures, but it’s also nice to come
home.
I do really wish I was better with technology. Everything I touch just seems to go wrong, and it
makes me really nervous about using any kind of new gadget … it’s a real problem these
days. I wish I didn’t have to ask my daughter or my husband to help me all the time … they
get annoyed with me!
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
If I could be any animal, I would probably choose to be a cat. I mean think about it. They are
really independent creatures, they can go out, do what they like, but they get totally looked
after, and they can sleep all day. I think it would be the perfect life really!
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 2
asteroid
catastrophe
dioxide
dinosaur
eruption
fuel
nuclear
ocean
radioactive
scientific
solar
surface
temperature
volcanic
volcano
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 3
Case 1
Miss K, a 15 year old secondary school student wants to have plastic surgery to change the
shape of her nose. Although no-one at her private girls’ school has bullied her about it, she
feels that peer pressure to look attractive is very strong and she says the issue is affecting her
self-esteem, and making her depressed. It is Miss K’s ambition to become a corporate lawyer,
and she believes that her nose will also affect her career prospects. Her wealthy parents don’t
believe that her nose is such a serious problem, and feel that she should wait until she is at
least 21, as she may feel differently about it by then. However, they have said that they will
pay for the surgery if doctors agree that it is in their daughter’s best interests.
Case 2
A six-year-old boy, S, has been diagnosed by doctors with attention deficit disorder (ADHD)
and prescribed a new drug which he will probably have to take until he is an adult. The drug is
not thought to lead to dependency, but the long-term effects are not fully known. His mother,
who is separated from his father, and who has custody of their three children, is keen to try
the drug. She says his problem is badly affecting his life both at school and at home. He is
distracted at school, is already falling behind other children in his schoolwork, and his teachers
are unsympathetic. At home, his bad behaviour causes constant stress, and his mother says
that the only thing that keeps him calm is playing computer games. His father, who lives 100
kilometers away, is against him taking the drug. He says that his son is just a normal boy who
needs to move to a more disciplined school with a calmer working environment, and that he
needs to play outside more instead of staying indoors and playing computer games.
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
Case 3
Dr Z, a prominent National Health Service specialist, has created a big stir in the media by
publicly questioning whether he should treat a patient who is a heavy smoker. The woman,
Mrs X, who is in her early sixties, has a life threatening illness that requires expensive surgery
and medication. She has been a lifelong smoker and says that she cannot give up. Dr Z says
that treating her ‘does not represent value for money for the tax payer’, as she is shortening
her life expectancy considerably by smoking. However opponents of Doctor Z point out that
Mrs X, who is a retired school secretary, was a tax payer all her working life. Furthermore her
illness is not directly linked to smoking, and she is currently in good enough general health to
undergo surgery and treatment. But, as the aging population grows, and healthcare gets more
and more expensive for the state, the case is causing huge public debate.
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 4
A: Lila, can I ask you something?
B: Sure.
A: Lila … I just wanted to ask something … important. I wanted to ask if you would … if
you would … if you would tell me where you bought that phone. It’s so cool.
B: Oh thanks, Ian. I bought it online. Anything else?
A: No, er, that’s all. Oh dear, that was my perfect opportunity. She might have said yes if
I’d asked her out.
C: I work here … at a speed race track. It’s my dream job. … I wouldn’t be here now if I
had followed my parents wishes … and become a lawyer.
D: Bye Sally, see you tomorrow!
You know, I had an argument with Sally a few years ago. A big, screaming argument.
It was difficult for a while but … we stayed in touch. I kept calling her trying to work it
out and we did in the end. If I hadn’t kept in touch with her, we wouldn’t be friends now.
F: Oh dear! Another late evening in the office. If I had left work on time, I would have seen
my children before they went to bed.
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 5
Do you have any lifelong ambitions?
Have you ever been rescued by a lifeguard?
Do you find it easy to talk about your private life?
Is anyone making life difficult for you at the moment?
Which film star would you like to meet in real life?
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Upper Intermediate Audio script Unit 11
UNIT 11 RECORDING 6
N = Newsreader, R = Reporter
N: Two recent opinion polls have given new life to the debate on animal testing. So,
Sasha, what do the polls reveal?
R: Well, they show that the majority of people feel that medical research on animals is
justified in some circumstances. Only around one in five people believe that it is never
acceptable under any circumstances.
N: Well that seems quite clear. What else do the polls show?
R: Well, the problems start when you ask what sorts of experiments are justified. Three
quarters of people, for instance, think that experiments on monkeys and other primates
should not be allowed. And more than four out of five people think that experiments
which cause severe suffering or pain should be banned. However just over half the
people polled also said that experiments on new medicines should be allowed. The
problem of course, is what if that experiment on a new medicine causes severe pain to
the animal.
N: Mm. I see. What do people feel about testing cosmetics on animals?
R: Well that’s very clear. The vast majority of people, over 90%, are against testing
cosmetics on animals.
N: So how would you summarise the polls overall?
R: Generally speaking, it’s a mixed picture. But the results certainly show that more and
more people are concerned about animal testing.
N: OK. Well, thank you for that brief round up, Sasha. On to other news …
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