FAMILY CONVERSATION

How many people are there in your family?

There are 5 people in my family: my father, mother, brother, sister, and me.

Does your family live in a house or an apartment?

We live in a house in the countryside.

What does your father do?

My father is a doctor. He works at the local hospital.

How old is your mother?

She is 40 years old, 1 year younger than my father.

Do you have any siblings? What’s his/her name?

Yes, I do. I have 1 elder brother, David, and 1 younger sister, Mary.

Are you the oldest amongst your brothers and sisters?

No, I’m not. I’m the second child in my family.

What does your mother/father like?

My father likes playing football and my mother likes cooking.

Do your parents let you stay out late?

Of course not. They always ask me to get home before 10 pm each night.

Do you stay with your parents?

Right now, no, but I used to.

Does your family usually have dinner together?

Yes, we do. My mom always prepares delicious meals for us.

RESTAURANT
How often do you eat out? Who do you go with?
I often eat out on weekends, when I hang out with my friends.

What restaurant do you usually visit?

Well, there are not many restaurants in my neighbourhood, so my best choice is the deli
in convenient stores like the Circle K, Mini-Stop, B-smart.

What type of food do you enjoy to eat? Western or Asian?

I’m interested in Asian food; Western food is not my thing.

How much do you usually pay when you eat out?

It’s not very expensive, just around $5 for each meal.
Do you enjoy spicy food?
Yes, I do, especially on cold days.

Are the servers there friendly to you?

Yes, they are. Most of them are really helpful.

Have you ever tried Italian food?

Yes, at least once, when I was in my friend’s wedding party.

Are you concerned about calories when eating out?

Yes, I am. I’m on diet now, so this really matters to me.

Are fast food restaurants like KFC or McDonald’s famous in your country?
Yes, they are. The youth in my country are big fans of fast food.

Do you often drink alcohol when eating out?

No, not often. Just when I have parties with my friends.

BOOKS
How often do you read books?
I read books almost every night before I go to bed.

What’s your favourite type of book?

I love reading about different cultures.

What can you learn from books?

Books can broaden my horizon about thousands of things around the world, and books
are also my best friends.

Where do you read books?

I read books at home, sometimes in the library.

What’s the most interesting book you have ever read?

I think that would be Nepal, a book written about the country of Nepal, published in
1999.

How long does it take you to finish a book?

Well, it depends on the length of the book, but it usually takes me a week to finish a 300-
page book.

Do you usually bring books with you when you travel?

Yes, I do. When I’m at the airport or bus station, I read books to kill time.

Is there any bookstore or library in your area?

Unfortunately, there are none near my house. The nearest one is 3 kilometres away.
 TRAVEL
How many places have you travelled to?
I’ve visited all the provinces throughout my country.

Who do you usually go with?

I often go with my family, sometimes with my best friends.

What’s your favourite tourist attraction?

That would be Venice city in Italy. I love riding the gondola along the canals while
watching Italian people live their daily lives.

Have you ever been abroad?

Yes, I have. I came to Italy last year for a business trip.

What language do you use when traveling?

English, but sometimes I have to use body language since not all people are good at
English.

What do you usually do during your trip?

I often go sightseeing, take pictures, mingle with the local people and sample the local
cuisine.

What do you do to prepare for your trip?

Before the trip, I search for information about the location, weather, famous tourist
attractions, transportation, local cuisine and prices on the internet.

What do you usually bring when you travel?

I usually pack my suitcase with some necessary items such as clothes, medicine, food, a
map, and a camera.

Do you prefer traveling by car, train or plane?

I prefer planes although it can be a little expensive. Planes are much faster than any other
mode of transport.

Do you prefer traveling alone or joining a guided tour?

I love backpacking with my friends who share the same interests as me.

WEBSITE
What type of websites do you often search for?
It varies depending on my goal. I prefer entertainment and education websites such as
facebook.com, wikipedia.org and VOA Special English.

How long have you been using them?

I have been using these websites since I was a freshman at university.
What do you visit those websites for?
I use them to study online or relax after working.

What’s your favourite website?

I think it’s probably youtube.com.

Can you read websites in English?

Yes, I can. Most useful websites are written in English.

What’s the most popular website in your country?

I’m not quite sure, but I guess it would be facebook.com.

Do you think the youth should use websites as a reliable source of knowledge?
Not always, they should choose their sources carefully.

ACCIDENT
Have you ever been in any traffic accident?
Yes, three years ago.

What happened?
I was hit by a car while crossing the road.

How did you feel then?

I felt really terrible because of my injuries.

Who was involved in the accident?

The car driver, his family (inside the car), and me.

Did the insurance company pay for repair service?

I was walking so I did not require any car repair services.

Did you need a lawyer?

I hurt my lower back just a little, so I didn’t call a lawyer.

Did you report the issue to the police?

No, we didn’t want to get the police involved.

Were you sent to the hospital after the accident?

No, the injury wasn’t really serious.

Do you have a driving license?

Yes, I do. I always keep it in my purse.

Why should people obey traffic regulations?

To protect themselves and others. The best ways are to wear a helmet, wait for traffic
lights and stay in the appropriate vehicle/pedestrian lanes.
 CHILDHOOD MEMORY
Did you have a happy childhood?
Yes, I did. I enjoyed playing hide and seek with my peers.

Did you experience your childhood in a city or countryside?

I spent my childhood in a rural area where I could see vast rice fields.

Did you usually skip class when you were a child?

Yes, I did, and many of my friends did, too.

Who were you with when you were a child?

I was with my beloved family.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I dreamed of being a fashion designer.

Who did you love the most when you were a child?
I loved my mom the most since she was always there and took care of me.

Who was your childhood hero?

Robin Hood, he took money from the rich and gave it to the poor.

What reminds you of your childhood?

Green rice fields which I happen to see everywhere remind me of my beautiful
childhood.

Did you change a lot when you grew up?

Yes, of course. I’m more mature now both physically and mentally.

Why is childhood important?

Because it shapes people into who they will become.

FAVOURITE ROOM
How many rooms are there in your house?
There are 6 rooms: a living room, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen.

Which floor is your bedroom on?

My bedroom is on the first floor of a three-storey house.

Is it big or small?
It’s not very spacious, just enough to put necessary furniture in.

What colour is your bedroom painted?

It’s painted pink, my favourite colour.

Do you love your room? Why?

I love it very much because it is my private space whenever I go home.
What furniture does your bedroom contain?
It contains a bed, a desk, and a clothing closet.

What do you do in it?

Well, I spend most of my free time there reading books and sleeping.

How much time do you spend in your room?

About 10 hours a day, especially in the evening.

Do you share your room with anyone else?

No, everyone in my family has their own room, so I stay there alone.

PRESENT
What kind of presents are popular in your country?
It depends on the receivers. For children, toys are the best choice. For youth, souvenirs are
recommended.

Who gave presents to you? On what occasions?

I have received many presents, most of which were from my friends. They gave me gifts
on my birthday.

What was your last present?

It was a hand-made doll, given by my best friend when I moved to another city.

What was the one you like best?

I loved my book Nepal a lot. It was given to me on my 23rd birthday by my brother.

Did you ever get a present you didn’t like?

Yes, I have, but I still treasure and take care of them.

How do you thank people who give you presents?

I gave them presents that they would like.

What are the times of the year that people give presents in your country?
Some special occasions are birthdays, weddings, graduation, New Year’s Day, Valentine’s
day, housewarming ceremonies, etc.

Who was the last person you gave a present to?

My mom, I bought her a coat on a business trip to Bangkok.

Is giving presents important in daily life?

Yes, it is. It’s one of the best ways to show your love and gratitude to someone.
 HISTORICAL PLACES
Which tourist attractions do you prefer when traveling? Historical places or natural
landmarks?
Well, historical places are always my first choice when traveling.

What do you usually do when visiting historical places?

I usually listen to the tour-guide introducing the sights and take notes about important
historical events.

Can you name some historical places you have visited?

Whenever I travel to a foreign country, I always visit its famous historical places. Some of
them are the Pyramids in Egypt, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Stonehenge in England and
the Taj Mahal in India.

What’s your most favourite historical place? Why?

I love the Pyramids the most. Taking a tour around the Pyramids, I can not only enjoy the
gorgeous architecture but also learn cultural and historical values of the ancient Egyptian
culture.

What is the most famous historical place in your country?

It’s definitely the Statue of Liberty in New York city.

What’s special about it?

The statue was gifted by the people of France. It is a symbol of freedom for the US as well
as a welcoming sight to people coming to the US from another country.

Where is it located?
It’s located on Liberty island in New York Harbour, NYC.

Should the youth visit historical places instead of other places?

Sure. Nowadays the youth should visit these kinds of places more often in order to
preserve historical and cultural values of their country.

NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE
What are the benefits of reading a newspaper/magazine?
Newspapers/magazines can broaden your mind about thousands of things without the
need to travel.

How often do you read it?

I read it every day.

What’s the best time to read the newspaper?

I think the best time is in the morning when you start a new day.
What types of magazines do you usually read?
I usually read politics and fashion magazines. I also enjoy reading about culture and
tourism.

What’s your favourite magazine?

My favourite is The New York Times, which writes about all sorts of things: business,
sports, movies, travel, books, jobs, education, and real estate.

Do you read the paper or online news?

I prefer online news to save money.

How much does it cost you to buy paper newspaper per month?
I only buy a monthly newspaper, so it doesn’t cost much money. Around $5/month.

What is the most popular magazine in your country?

I think it would be Forbes magazine, a leading source for reliable business news and
financial information.

With the popularity of Internet, do you think newspapers and magazines will disappear?
Yes, unfortunately it’s just a matter of time.

A MEMORABLE EVENT
How many events have you joined this year? What were they about?
I have joined more than 10 events so far, most of which were about education.

What was your most memorable event?

The most memorable for me was an international study conference, in which I was
introduced to some famous universities in Europe to study overseas.

Was it organized indoors or outdoors?

It was an indoor event.

Who sponsored the event?

The event organizer was the Education Department of American Centre, but the
universities introduced in the conference were the ones who paid.

Who went to the event with you?

I went there with my friends, who shared the same interest in studying abroad as me.

What were some performances in the event?

There were not many performances. Each university representative just had a speech to
introduce their school to students and then they hosted Q&A session.

Was the event shown on TV?

The event was not aired, but there were television advertisements for it.

How would someone market an event?

Taking advantage of social media is a smart way to promote an event.
 A FAVOURITE SUBJECT
What subjects did you learn in school?
I learned Math, Science, Physics, Biology, Geography, History, Literature, English, Art,
and Music.

What subject did you like the most when you were at school? Were you good at it?
I liked Biology the most although I was excellent at Literature.

Did your friends like that subject too?

Yes, they did. They enjoyed every single Biology lesson.

Was the textbook written in English or any other language?

It was written in English.

Who taught that subject?

My teacher was Ms. Karen, from the USA.

How was that subject helpful to you?

It helped me a lot in becoming a Biology teacher.

How often did you learn that subject?

I often had Biology lessons 5 times a week.

How long did you spend on that subject at home?

I spent roughly 2 hours per day studying Biology at home.

Have you ever attended any extra classes for that subject?
Yes, I have. I usually attended evening classes.

Is it important to study hard on both social sciences and natural sciences?

No, it isn’t. Students should study the ones they like and those that are helpful to their
career path.

A MUSEUM
What type of museum is popular in your country?
There are many types of museums, but the most popular are historical museums.

What is the most famous museum in your country?

That would be The British Museum, located in London.

What’s special about it?

I’m impressed by its large amount of historical, art, and cultural work.

How many times have you visited that museum?

I have visited the museum twice.

What do you usually do when visiting a museum?

I usually listen to the tour guide and take notes about important information.

Are you allowed to take pictures there?

No, the guards did not allow us to bring the camera in.

How did you feel after visiting there?

The overall experience was fantastic, and I learned so many things in just a few hours.

What do you think is the importance of museums in history?

Museums are an integral part of any country’s history, and they keep history alive.

A FAVOURITE MOVIE
Do you usually watch movies at home or at a movie theatre?
I usually watch movies on my laptop, sometimes I go to the movie theatre.

Is watching movies at the theatre more interesting than watching movies at home?
Yes, definitely, because you can watch vivid images on a large screen with lively sound
effects.

How often do you go to the movie theatre?

I often go to the movie theatre every weekend.

What’s your favourite type of movie? What movie of that type do you like?
My favourite type is comedy because whenever I watch one, I feel like there are no more
worries in the world. I love the Mr. Bean movie series.

Was that movie adapted from a book?

No, the story is derived from funny situations in real life.

Who are the actors/actresses in the movie?

Mr. Bean is the main character, he is played by Rowan Atkinson who is from England.

Was it recommended by your friend, teacher or family?

It was recommended by my classmate.

Was the movie in your mother language or in English?

It was in English, but I can also watch it with subtitles.

Should children watch violent movies?

I don’t believe so. Young children are very impressionable and it could lead them to
wanting to imitate the behaviour.

What’s the most important factor of a great movie?

I believe that plot and actors are among the factors which decide the success of a movie.
 A FOREIGN COUNTRY
Have you ever travelled abroad? If yes, what country was it?
Yes, I have. I travelled to the USA last year with my family.

Where is that country located?

The USA is located in North America.

What is it famous for?

The USA is known for its cultural achievements and landmarks.

What are the special food and drinks of that country?

There are many. They are known for fast food, dairy, and many beverages.

What do you like about that country?

I like the fast pace of life and the various sub-cultures.

How many citizens are there in that country?

The current population of the United States of America was over 324 million in 2016,
which accounts for 4.3% of the total world population.

What language do people there speak?

The national language is English, but many people also speak Spanish, French, German,
and Chinese.

Do you want to go back there again?

Sure.

Why do people like to travel abroad?

They just want to discover new places, learn new cultures and maybe speak new
languages.

PARTIES
On what occasions do people in your country celebrate parties?
There are many occasions when people throw parties such as New Year’s Eve, wedding
engagements, family reunions, birthdays, etc, but sometimes people hold parties just
when they meet up and want to have something fun to do.

Are you a party animal?

Yes, I am. I’m crazy about going to parties. I love meeting friends, drinking, and talking.

When do parties often start and finish?

It depends on what kind of party it is. I believe the perfect time to have a party is in the
evening, from 8-11 pm.

Where are the parties thrown?

They are held inside or outside. Some formal events like weddings/housewarmings are
organized inside while others like family reunions and birthdays may be held outside.
What do you usually wear when you come to a party?
I often wear casual clothes like a T-shirt and jeans if I go to informal parties, and a dress
for formal ones.

What do people do in the parties you attended?

At the party, people talk, eat and drink together. Some go there to find business
opportunities and new partners.

Do you enjoy drinking alcohol at the parties?

Yes, a little beer can cheer me up.

Do people have to bring anything to the party?

It’s not required, but sometimes visitors bring some gifts to show their love for the host.

Why do people, especially the youth, love going to parties?

It’s just a good way for them to chill out after a long day.

A TEACHER
Who is your favourite teacher?
I like Mr. Tom the most, he is my English teacher.

Is he a foreign teacher?
Yes, he’s from the US.

What do you like about his lessons?

I have fallen in love with his American accent and he always shows us something new
about the world outside of textbooks.

What’s he like?
He’s not only knowledgeable but also very friendly. He always treats us like friends, not
students.

What does he usually wear when coming to class?

He usually wears a grey suit when he comes to class.

Do you love his subject?

Yes, I enjoy English a lot.

Do students in your class like him?

Yes, all of us admire him.

Do you want to be a teacher like him?

No, although I like him, my dream is not to become a teacher. I would like to be a chef.

Have you ever been punished by him?

No, he rarely punishes anyone.

Do you want to see him again?

Of course, he’s a great mentor.
 A FRIEND
Who’s your best friend?
It’s Jenny. She’s my best friend.

What does she look like?

She has shoulder-length brown hair. I just love her lovely smile.

How and when did you meet?

I first met her when we were in high school.

How often do you see this friend?

I see her every day. We’re in the same class.

What’s she like?

She’s not only thoughtful but also very understanding. She’s always by my side to cheer
me up whenever I’m in trouble.

Do you and her share anything in common?

Yes, a lot. We both love shopping and playing sports.

What do you and her do together?

We usually do homework and read books together.

Have you and her ever quarrelled?

Yes, but we seldom quarrel. When we do argue, afterwards we seem to understand more
about each other.

Does she know how to cook?

Yes, but she’s not a great cook.

Do your parents like her?

Yes, a lot. They always ask Jenny to come over for dinner.

Why is a friend important in life?

A good friend can make your life better in many ways. I don’t think anyone can stand
loneliness.

A HOTEL
What is your favourite hotel? Where is it located?
It’s the Sheraton, a five-star hotel located in Saigon, Vietnam.

How do you know that hotel?

Before coming to Vietnam for traveling, I searched on the Internet. It’s one of the best
hotels in Vietnam.

Why do you choose to stay in that particular hotel?

I like the architecture there, and online all the reviews about the hotel are positive.
Is it by the beach?
No, Saigon is not a beach-side city.

Does it attract many tourists?

Yes, I guess. When I stayed there, it was completely booked.

What type of room did you stay in and what facilities did you get from the hotel?
I stayed in a double-bed room. The room is equipped with air-conditioner, a flat-screen
TV, wardrobe, etc.

What do you like about that hotel?

A gymnasium, swimming pool, and BBQ area are available. I also love the green space
surrounding the hotel.

Are all the staff friendly and helpful?

Yes, definitely. They all are professional.

How much does it cost a night?

It costs me around $250/night.

Do you recommend that hotel to friends?

Yes, if they come to Vietnam. I love everything there.

A LETTER
Who wrote the letter to you?
My dad wrote the letter to me when he was on a business trip.

Did you keep the letter?

Yes, I put it in a folder. Whenever I’m down, reading his letter would be a good way to
cheer me up.

What was the letter about?

He told me about his new workplace and how things were there.

How did you feel about the letter?

I was glad to know that he was fine in another city.

Do you have a letter collection?

Yes. I collect all the letters from family and friends. It’s one of my hobbies.

Do you like writing letters or emails?

I prefer writing paper letters.

Do people in your country usually write letters?

Years ago they did. Now people prefer emails.

What’s the difference between emails and hand-written letters?

Emails are much more convenient than letters because they’re free to send and they get
there instantly. However, letters are much more special.
Why should we write letters to friends or relatives?
It’s a good way to show love to people you care about.

HOBBIES
What is your hobby?
I like playing sports, especially swimming.

Is your hobby common in your country?

Yes, kids, adults, and senior citizens all like swimming in my country.

Is your hobby the same as when you were a child?

Yes, I was fond of swimming when I was a little girl.

When did you start practicing that hobby?

I started swimming when I was 5 years old.

Is there anybody in your family who you share your hobby with?
My dad, he taught me how to swim.

How much time do you spend on your hobby?

I usually go to the swimming pool twice a week.

What benefits do you get from it?

Swimming is a really good workout. It helps me keep fit and chill out after a long day
working.

Have you ever heard of someone having a very unusual hobby? What was it?
Yes, my cousin loves tattooing vehicles. He puts stickers everywhere on his car.

What do you think about someone having weird hobbies?

I don’t think any hobby is weird. It’s just what you like to do, so I don’t judge others.

What hobbies are usually expensive in your country?

Playing golf is a really expensive hobby. Only the rich can afford to buy golf supplies.

MUSIC
What kind of music do you like?
I’m crazy about Pop music.

Is that the kind of music preferred in your country?

It varies. Normally the youth enjoy Rock and Pop while middle-aged citizens prefer
country music.
Who is your favourite singer?
I’m a big fan of Miley Cyrus, a talented US singer, songwriter, and actress.

What piece of music do you like? Who sang that song?

My favourite song is Jolene, sung by Miley Cyrus.

How much time a day do you spend listening to music?

I usually listen to music all day with an MP3 player.

Do you feel relaxed listening to music?

Sure. I feel like there are no more worries in the world.

Why is music important to us?

Music has the power of beautifying our life.

Do you usually go to bars or clubs?

Not often. I sometimes go there on weekends.

What do you think about the teenagers’ music style?

Teenagers tend to choose loud and fast music like Rock or Rap. Everyone has their own
taste of music though.

Have you ever thought of forming a music band?

No, I don’t have any talent for music.

SHOPPING
Do you like shopping?
Yes, I’m a shopaholic.

What do you usually shop for?

I usually shop for clothes. I’m a big fashion fan.

Where do you go shopping?

At some fashion boutiques in my neighbourhood.

Are there many shops in your neighbourhood?

Yes. My area is the city centre, so I have many choices of where to shop.

Do you spend much money on shopping?

Yes, and I’m usually broke at the end of the month.

Do you usually shop online? What items?

Yes, but not really often. I only buy furniture online.

What’s the difference between shopping online and offline?

Unlike shopping offline, you cannot try on the pieces of clothes or check the material
when shopping online.

HOLIDAY
Where did you go for holiday?
Last year I went to Singapore, a Southeast Asian country.

Why did you choose that destination?

I love to travel to Asian countries and Singapore was my best choice because of its beauty
and culture.

How long did it last?

I stayed there for 2 weeks.

Who went with you?

I travelled to Singapore with my best friends.

How did you travel?

We flew there of course. During the time there, we moved mostly by MRT and taxi.

What did you pack up?

I only brought some necessary items such as money, clothes, medicine, a map and a
digital camera.

What did you do during the holiday?

We visited famous tourist attractions like Marina Bay Sands, Merlion Park, Art
science Museum, Singapore Flyers. We also enjoyed local cuisine there.

What’s the difference between holidays today and 20 years ago?

Well, it has changed a lot. People now can afford holidays outside their countries while 20
years ago, traveling abroad seemed hard.

At what time do people in your country usually go on holiday?

It depends on what job people have. When they have a break from work, they will find
somewhere to travel.

ANIMALS

Are you an animal lover?

Yes, I am. I love animals.

Are you raising any pets?

Yes, I have a Pitbull puppy at home.
What is it like?
My puppy is friendly, highly intelligent and well-behaved. He always waves his tail and
licks my hand to welcome me home.

What does it look like?

He’s a medium-sized puppy with a strong neck, broad chest and brown hair.

What are its habits?

My Pitbull puppy loves doing exercise every day. When he plays, he plays to win.

What do you usually do with it?

We usually play tennis together. My puppy helps me pick up tennis balls.

What does it like to eat?

He loves beef, chicken and some dairy products.

What do you learn from it?

He teaches me loyalty. An adult Pitbull may make me feel safe.

Why do people keep pets?

They consider pets as their loyal companions which make their life better.

Are pets well looked after in your country?

Yes. People in my country love pets.

A PRACTICAL SKILL
What practical skill have you learned?
Cooking is a practical skill that I have practiced recently.

Who taught you that skill?

My mom is the best cook. She taught me everything about how to make soup,
salad, omelettes, cake, etc.

How did you learn it?

She shows me how to buy food, prepare ingredients, and cook meals whenever she’s in
the kitchen. I learn how to boil, grill, steam, fry, braise, etc. day by day.

Why did you learn it?

I just want to be a good cook like my mom when I get married. I will prepare the best
dishes for my husband and children.

How long did it take for you to learn it?

I learned it in 4 years. The skill seems to be strengthened when I live apart from my
family for studying.
How often do you use this skill?
I cook every day. I also love homemade food.

How has this skill helped you?

It makes me more confident whenever I go on a picnic outside. I’m always responsible for
the BBQ.

Do people in your family know this skill, too?

My younger sister knows how to cook, too. She has just started learning.

Do all skills need learning?

Yes, they do. ‘’Practice makes perfect.’’

How is this skill important to you?

It’s an essential life skill. All women need to know this to keep their family warm and
happy.

SPORTS
What sport do you like?
I like playing badminton.

Is it easy to play that sport?

Yes, it’s pretty easy to play.

Is that sport popular in your country?

Yes, it is.

How long have you been practicing that sport?

I have been practicing it for 5 years.

Who do you play sports with?

I play badminton with my friends, sometimes with my brother.

How often do you play that sport?

I play badminton every weekend.

What benefits can you get from that sport?

It helps strengthen my muscles because while playing, I have to move continuously. It is
good to burn calories as well.

Do you like watching football? Online or offline?

Yes, I do. I prefer watching football offline and online. Going to the stadium, shouting
and cheering are good to release stress.

What is your favourite football team?

I like the Manchester United Football Club, also known as “The Red Devils”.
Why is sport important?
Sports are sources of recreation. People can learn how to encourage team spirit when they
play sports, too.

A SCHOOL
What school did you go to?
I went to Millennium high school, founded in 1999.

Where is the school located?

It’s located in New York City, United States.

Do you like the architecture of the school?

Yes, I do. The architecture is not really impressive, but I like it that the building’s
architects left plenty of space for lounging.

What are the teachers like?

Most of the teachers there are helpful and friendly. I especially like Mr. Mike, my Physics
teacher.

How long have you spent there?

I have spent 3 years of upper secondary school there.

Is that a single-sex school?

No, it isn’t. This is a unisex school.

Do you like the school uniform?

We don’t wear uniforms at school, actually.

Why do you enjoy the time there?

Although I had to deal with quite a heavy workload, I enjoy the relaxing atmosphere
when hanging out with friends in the cafeteria there.

What important lesson did you learn from school?

I learned how to work in a group in which there are many friends coming from different
cultures. That’s the lesson of cooperation.

Will you recommend that school to others?

Yes, of course. I’m proud to recommend Millennium High School to anyone who is
searching for a good place to learn.
 FESTIVAL
How many popular festivals are there in your country?
There are many: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Valentine’s day, St. Patrick
day, Easter, etc.

What is the most important festival in your country?

I believe that New Year’s Day is the most important one since it’s a chance
for family reunion and parties. People gather together to welcome the new year.

When does it take place?

It occurs on January 1st.

Where’s the festival celebrated?

The New Year’s Day is celebrated all over the country. Each family has its own way to
celebrate the day.

What do people do to prepare for the festival?

Before New Year’ day, people go shopping for food and drinks, repair the house or put up
decor.

Who can join the festival?

It’s a day for everybody.

What do people do in the festival?

On New Year’ Eve, people have a party with traditional food and drinks. After that, they
may visit friends or relatives, go to the movies or watch sports.

What’s special about that festival?

It marks the end of a year and celebrates a new year. People believe that the things they
do on the first day will bring good luck and prosperity to them during the whole year.

Is the festival culturally related?

Sure, the festival is an integral part of culture.

Why is a festival important?

It adds structure to our social lives and connects us with our families and backgrounds.

FOOD
Do you like to cook?
Yes, I do. Cooking helps me feel relaxed after long hours working.

Is there any kind of food you don’t like?

I don’t really like fried chicken, which is very high in fat.
Do you eat out or cook at home?
I usually cook at home, sometimes when I’m busy, I go out to eat.

How often do you cook?

Just when I have free time. My mom is often responsible for preparing meals. She’s the
best cook ever.

What’s your favourite food?

I’m addicted to sushi. I can eat sushi every day.

Is it Western or Asian cuisine?

It’s Asian cuisine. Sushi is derived from Japan.

Is it easy to make your favourite food?

Yes, I guess. The recipe is quite simple.

What ingredients do you need to make that food?

I would need rice, eggs, meat, seafood, and vegetables.

What do you think about fast food?

I don’t really like fast food. It’s not healthy at all.

Would you say that you have a healthy diet?

Yes, I would. I prefer eating vitamins, protein and less fat.

HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE
What’s the most useful household appliance that you have?
That’s definitely the washing machine.

When did you buy it?

I bought it 2 years ago. Actually, my mom gave it to me as a birthday present.

Is it expensive?
I don’t think it cost that much.

Is it easy to use?
Yes, it’s pretty simple.

How does it work?

Just put clothes in, press the desired button and everything will be done within several
minutes.

How often do you use it?

I wash my clothes twice a week.

Will you replace it with a more modern one?

No, because it was a present and it’s still working well.

How does your life change with that household appliance?

It makes our life more convenient. We can save time as well.

Do you think that household appliances will make people lazier and lazier?
Yes, to some extent. With the help of electronic equipment, people tend to forget manual
tasks and become lazier.

A MUSIC BAND
What’s your favourite music band?
I’m a big fan of One Direction. There are 5 singers in the band.

Is it famous around the world?

Yes, it is. The band is well known around the world. Almost all teenagers love them.

What’s their taste of music?

They sing Pop music. Their most famous song may be “What Makes You Beautiful’’.

Are they good at dancing?

Yes, I think so. I fall in love with their every step.

Have you ever seen them in real life?

Nope, I just watch them on media. I wish I will see them one day.

How often do you come to their show?

I watch videos almost every day. Listening to their songs helps me chill out.

Can you sing their songs?

Yes, but only one song. I just keep singing it over and over again every day.

Do your friends like them?

Of course. We usually watch their performances and discuss it together.

Do they have anti-fans?

Yes, every famous singer has anti-fans.

WEATHER
What’s the weather like in your country?
Well, there are 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, which vary considerably in
characteristics.

What kind of weather do you like?

I enjoy hot weather. There are more things to do when it’s sunny. I love swimming and
sunbathing.

What months have the best weather in your country?

I believe it depends. For me, the best weather is from June to August when it’s warm
across the country.
Do you like it when it rains?
Not at all. I hate raining.

How does the weather affect your feelings?

I usually have a bad mood when it rains. The rain reminds me of sad memories.

How has the weather changed recently?

Due to global warming, the weather has become more and more unpredictable. It’s
boiling hot in summer and freezing cold on winter days.

Do you usually watch the weather forecast?

No, not very often.

What’s your favourite season? Why?

Let’s see. I love spring when trees and flowers blossom.

What do you like to do when it’s windy?

When it’s windy, I like flying a kite with my friends. That’s interesting.

NEIGHBOR
Who is your neighbour?
My neighbour is a university student. He lives next to my apartment.

When did you become neighbours?

I first met him when I moved to this apartment 2 years ago.

Is he friendly?
Yes, he is. He always smiles when he sees me.

How often do you see him?

Every day at the gate. Sometimes I invite him to my apartment when I throw a party.

Do you have any problems with him?

Only once when he sang karaoke too loud, which kept me awake all night. We ended up
talking to each other the next day, and he never sang karaoke at midnight from then on.

Does he usually help you?

Yes, he does. He usually helps me run errands.

Would you be sad if he moves to another area?

Yes, of course. That will upset me if he leaves.

What’s the difference between friends and neighbours?

I’m not quite sure, but I think the difference may lie in the relationship. A friend can be
someone you share your feelings with, while a neighbour can just be someone living next
door.
What do you need to be a good neighbour?
Being respectful is the most important factor in building a good relationship.

NATURAL SCENERY
Do you like visiting natural places?
Yes, I do. Being close to nature helps me release stress and worry.

What’s the most impressive natural scenery you’ve ever seen?

That’s the horseshoe of the Colorado River in Arizona. It’s such a great scenic place on
Earth.

When did you see it?

I visited the place last Summer holiday.

Who went with you?

I went there with my family. We camped near the place.

What’s special about it?

I’m fond of the great nature there. It’s a horseshoe-shaped meander of Colorado river.
How has it changed recently?
It doesn’t change much actually.

What’s the next natural scenery you would like to visit?

My next destination would be the Maroon Bells in Colorado. I fell in love with mountain
ranges and yellow flowers there.

What can people get from visiting natural places?

People will get closer to Mother Nature. Children have more motivation to discover the
world around them.

What are some famous natural attractions in your country?

There are many such as Death Valley, Niagara Falls, the Redwoods, and the Grand
Canyon, to name a few.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
What outdoor activity do you participate in?
I do many, but my favourite one is jogging.

Where do you do it?

I go jogging in the park near my place.

Who do you do outdoor activities with?

I usually go jogging with my family.

Who shares the same interests as you?

My family, especially my dad. We usually jog together.
How often do you take part in outdoor activities?
Every morning, except on rainy days.

How do you feel after activities?

I feel really relaxed and refreshed.

What benefits can you get from outdoor activities?

It’s a good workout method. Jogging is also a good way for me to charge batteries for a
long day working.

Do you usually play sports outdoors?

Yes, I do. I play volleyball and swim outdoors.

Why are children less interested in outdoor activities nowadays?

Children nowadays prefer high-tech gadgets like computers, iPads, and phones to
outdoor activities.

LAW
What law do you like?
I like the traffic law of wearing the helmet when traveling by motorbike.
Is that an international law?
Yes, people around the world follow this law.

When was it issued?

I’m not quite sure, but I guess a long time ago.

Who told you that law?

I learned it at school.

Is it easy to follow that law?

Yes, it is. It doesn’t cause any inconvenience at all.

What do you think about that law?

The traffic law is so necessary for traffic participants when they’re on the road.

What benefit can you get from following that law?

It may keep me safe from traffic accidents.

Why should people obey the law strictly?

Following law is a good way to protect themselves as well as others.

What can be done to encourage people to follow the law?

Obeying law is people’s responsibility. If they against the law, they’ll put themselves in
trouble.
 POLLUTION
How many kinds of pollution are there?
There are many types of pollution: land, water, noise, air, light, thermal pollution.

What type of pollution is popular in your country?

The most popular one is water pollution, I guess.

Have you ever littered?

Yes, I have, but when I was taught the lesson of protecting Mother Nature, I quit littering.

What can you do to help prevent pollution?

Reduce and reuse whatever I can to eliminate the amount of waste is what I can do to
prevent pollution.

What does the government do to encourage people to protect the environment?

They organize some campaigns to raise the awareness of people. Everything should start
from education.

Are people in your country aware of the environmental issues?

Yes, they are. They care about what happens to the environment around them.

Is there any law to force people to protect the environment?

Yes. The environment law states punishments to people doing harm to the environment.

TRAFFIC JAM
Are you comfortable with traffic jam?
Not at all. I feel annoyed.

Why does it happen?

Because there are too many vehicles on the streets during rush hours, I bet.

How often do you sit in a traffic jam?

Just every day, when I finish office hour and go back home.

What time in a day are you usually caught in a traffic jam?

In rush hour at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

How long does it take to escape from the traffic jam?

At least half an hour.

What do you do while waiting in a long line?

I often glance at my watch actually.

Have you ever had any trouble caused by traffic jam?

Yes, just yesterday I was late for an important meeting with my clients.

How has the traffic situation changed recently?

There are more vehicles, which makes traffic jam more and more serious.
 TV PROGRAM
What is your favourite TV program?
Well, I watch a lot, but the one I like best is “How’s it made”.

Is that an international TV program?

Yes, it is. It’s available in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and so
on.

What is the TV program about?

Its name somehow describes the content, which is about the process of making things
like lipsticks, balls, candy, toys, chocolate and so on.

How often do you watch that TV program?

Almost every day after dinner.

Who watches that program with you?

My family watches it together. My younger brother can’t wait to turn on the TV.

What channel is it on?

A very common one, Discovery channel, which focuses on popular science, technology,
and history.

Why do you like that TV program?

I love learning new things, especially about how everything is produced. I would love to
run a business about hand-made cosmetics.

How does that TV program change you?

I know more about the world around me. It also supports me in my career path to make
my dream come true.

Who is its target audience?

It particularly aims at families and younger audiences.

Would you recommend that TV program to your friends?

Yes, of course. They would be crazy about the program, I bet.

ARCHITECTURE / BUILDING
What is the most impressive building you’ve visited?
It’s the Petronas Twin Tower in Malaysia.

Where is it located?
It’s located in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

How tall is it?

They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004. It reaches the height of
451.9 meters.
Who was the architect?
César Pelli, an Argentine American architect.

Is it well-known all over the world?

Sure. Tourists can’t miss it when visiting Malaysia.

Do you have to purchase a ticket in order to visit the tower?

Yes, I do. It’s sold online.

When did you see it?

I saw it 2 years ago.

Will you come back there again?

Of course. I’m looking forward to seeing again someday.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA
What kind of electronic media is popular in your country?
There are some popular kinds: radio, TV and online news.

What’s your favourite kind?

I like online news because I have to work with computers every day, it’s easier for me to
read online.

Why do you like it?

Due to its convenience. I love reading anyway.

How often do you access to that kind of electronic media?

Every morning before I start working.

What’s interesting about it?

Instead of watching TV or listening to radio passively, I ‘d rather read and think about
the news.

Is it convenient to access to that kind of electronic media?

Yes, with a computer, smartphone connected to the Internet, you can read electronic news
anytime and anywhere.

Do your family like that electronic media too?

No. My dad likes radio, and my mom likes TV.

How has mass media changed recently?

They’re more modern and user-friendly.

JOB/CAREER
What is your desired job?
Well, my dream changes in accordance with age. Up to now, I would like to be a great
English teacher.
Is that a demanding job?
Yes, I think so although people suppose that being a teacher is easy and boring.

What challenge do you have when doing that job?

I have some problems with classroom management. Maybe I have to improve that skill a
lot in order to be a good teacher.

Is it hard to make your dream come true?

Every job needs time and effort, and teacher does as well. Apart from the academic
knowledge I was taught in university, I have to learn many other soft skills.

Why do you choose that job?

I really admired my high school English teacher, and I want to be like her.

What requirements and characteristics do you need to do that job?

Let’s see. You need to be patient, thoughtful and sympathetic.

Does the job have something to do with your major at university?

Sure. I studied English Linguistics and Literature, majored in English teaching. The major
does support me a lot in my career path.

What does the society think about your job?

I’m not quite sure, but I’m proud to be a teacher, an honour job.

Do you make much money with that job?

Not at all. Teacher’s one of the lowest paying jobs in my country.

Have you ever thought of leaving your job?

I haven’t thought of that before, but I believe in what I’m doing right now.

COMPETITION/CONTEST
What is the most impressive competition you’ve entered?
I took part in an eloquence competition, organized by my university last year.

What was it about?

The competition was to find out the best public speaker in the university.

Were there many participants in the competition?

Yes, there were around 500 participants totally.

What prize did you get?

Well, I didn’t get a very high prize, but it didn’t matter, I was still happy with the result.

What could you learn from the competition?

I learned the way to develop ideas for a speech beside some body language tips in public
speaking.

Did you have to prepare a lot for the competition?

Yes, I did. I read various materials about eloquence, as well as rehearsed a lot.
How did you know about the competition?
The competition was informed in the school poster.

Did you do your best then?

Yes, I think so. After the competition, I know I have to try more.

Is the competition useful, in your opinion?

Sure. It helps students learn soft skills as well as become more confident in life.

A GARDEN
Is there any garden that you like?
Yes, I love the strawberry garden in my neighbourhood.

Where is it?
It’s in the highland area where I live.

When did you first see it?

I accidentally saw it when I had a picnic in the highland.

What were planted in the garden?

Strawberries, of course. There are also some boxes of cucumbers next to the strawberry
beds.

Why do you like the garden?

I love picking red strawberries. The garden brings me closer to nature as well.

What is special about the garden?

The strawberries there are organic.

How do people do the gardening?

Keeping the beds mulched is important since it helps reduce water needs.

How often do you visit the garden?

Just when I have leisure time since I’m quite busy.

Is there any relation between the green garden and your mood?
Yes, at least for me. The green will help me chill out.

Do you want to be a gardener?

Honestly, no. I’m not used to manual work.

HOMETOWN
Where is your hometown?
My hometown is a coastal state of US.

Is it the city or the countryside?

I live in a suburb area.

What’s it known for?

It’s famous for tobaccos.

What do people do there?

Agriculture is the main industry in my hometown. Most of the people here plant and sell
tobaccos.

How is the atmosphere there?

Well, it’s quite peaceful. I enjoy the fresh air here.

How are people there?

They’re friendly and hospitable.

Would you like to live in your hometown or somewhere else?

Yes, I would. I just wish I can live here forever.

Is it easy to find a job there?

Manual work is easy to find. I’m not sure about the white -collar jobs.

Is it a good environment for young people?

I don’t think so. The pace of life here is quite slow. If they want to work in a dynamic
environment, they’d better move to the city.

Is traffic congestion a big problem in your hometown?

Not at all. We couldn’t be happier with the traffic system here.

CLOTHING
What is your favourite item of clothing?
My favourite one is a maxi dress. I wear it when hanging out with my friends or
attending parties.

When did you buy it?

My friend gave it to me as a birthday present when I turned to 21.

Where did you buy it?

I had no idea where my close friend bought it.

What colour is it?

It’s blue – my favourite colour.

Was it expensive?
Yes, I guessed.

Why do you like it?

Well, I’m kind of short and plump, so it’s hard to find a piece of clothing that fits me
perfectly, but that one does. I also love the colour and style.
Do clothes help to build your personal brand?
Yes, I agree with it to some extent. I still believe that personal brand can be built from the
inside rather than the outside. However, what you wear also plays an important role in
saying who you are.

Have you seen anybody wearing unusual clothes?

Yes, I have, but I don’t think any fashion style is weird. I believe everybody has their own
taste of fashion.

How has your fashion style changed recently?

I always wore formal shirt and trousers whenever hanging out years ago, but now I
change into casuals like jeans and T-shirt.

AN ADVERTISEMENT
What is your favourite advertisement?
I’m quite impressed with the advertisement about Surf – a laundry detergent made by
Unilever.

Where did you see it?

I accidentally saw it on TV 2 years ago.

What happened in the advertisement?

The ad told a story of a family in which the children all loved their step-mother due to the
white shirts she prepared for them.

Why do you like it?

I just can’t stop loving the story in the ad. It’s such a sweet story.

Was there any famous actor/ actress in the advertisement?

Not at all. The actors were not very well-known, I think.

Did it attract much attention?

I have no idea, but I saw it in many public places.

What do you like the most in the advertisement?

Well, the vivid images and sound effects did attract me.

Do you believe in advertisements?

Not really. Ads always say good things and neglect to mention bad things about a product
for obvious reasons.

How have advertisements changed recently?

They’re more modern. Digital marketing has proved successful in many fields.
 A PROJECT
What project did you work on?
I made an English poster about our environment.

Was that an indoor or outdoor project?

The project was carried out mostly outdoor, only the last phase was conducted indoor.

Who was involved in the project?

My teammates and an advisory teacher.

What did you do?

We had a field trip to the countryside where we studied insects and plants.

Was it a successful project?

Yes. We received compliments from our professor.

Who was your advisory teacher?

Our Science teacher, Mr. John. We learned a lot from him.

What did you learn after the project?

I learned how to write contents and decorate posters.

Did you like your partners?

Yes. Most of them were friendly and responsible. I particularly liked Michael, the leader
of my team.

What did you get after the project?

After the project, I know how to work in a team and cooperate well with my teammates.

A WEDDING
Have you ever attended someone’s wedding? Who was he/she?
Yes, a lot, but the most memorable one is my best friends.

Who went with you?

I went with one of my classmates.

Where was the wedding organized?

It was held in a restaurant downtown.

What did people do in the wedding?

They enjoyed wedding feast, sang and danced together after giving the couple best
wishes of an ever-lasting happiness.

What did the bride and groom wear?

The bride wore a white wedding gown while the groom wore a black suit and tie.

What was the most interesting ritual in the wedding?

Exchanging rings is the ritual I’m quite interested in.
Are weddings a special event of one’s life in your country?
Yes, along with birthdays.

Do people in your country get married early?

Not really. The average age to get married for women is 27 and for men is 29.

What is the ideal age to get married in your opinion?

Well. 27 would be my ideal age. Women are most charming and mature at that age, I
guess.

How has wedding changed recently?

The most noticeable change is the reduce of rituals in a wedding. There used to be more
steps in weddings years ago than there are now.

A COFFEE SHOP
What’s your favourite coffee shop?
My favourite one is The Coffee House, a local coffee shop in my neighbourhood.

Where is it?
It’s 500 m far from my house.

How often do you visit that coffee shop?

Every weekend when I hang out with my friends. The Coffee House is always our first
choice.

Who do you go with?

I meet my friends there. They love the place, too.

What drinks does it serve?

Many kinds: coffee, chocolate, cocktail, smoothie, tea, juice of various tastes. My favourite
one is hot chocolate.

Are the waiters there friendly?

Yes, they couldn’t be nicer.

Do you like the decorations of that coffee shop?

Yes, I love it. I fancy the green space they put in each corner of the room.

When was the last time you went there?

I last went there last Monday.

What is special about that coffee shop?

The drinks are what make them different. People are just addicted to full-bodied coffee
and chocolate there.

How do you know about that coffee shop?

My cousin recommended it to me and I did give it a try.
 CULTURE
Which culture do you belong to?
I was born and raised in America where my culture was shaped.

Is that a multicultural society?

Yes, it is. My culture is a diverse mix of customs and traditions of various races and
ethnicities.

How long has your country been practicing those customs?

Well, it has a long history, around 10,000 years ago.

What custom do you like the most?

I like practicing dining etiquette. That’s what makes me American whenever I travel to
other countries.

What are traditional costumes of men and women in your country?

Cowboy hats and boots are American styles, but nowadays jeans and T-shirt are more
preferable.

Are you comfortable with tradition and customs of your culture?

Of course. I was born with it.

How do people greet each other?

Well, it depends on the situation. In an informal communication, people just say ‘hi’.

Have you ever felt drawn to another land?

Yes, I’m interested in Indian culture. I wish I can get there someday to attend a typical
Indian wedding.

TRANSPORT
What is the most popular means of transport in your country?
Most people in my country travel by car.

How do you go to school or work?

I prefer bus due to its convenience. I enjoy reading books while sitting on the bus.

How often do you take busses?

Every day. I went to school by bus 2 years ago, and the bus is still my best choice.

Do people in your country like traveling by bus?

Not really, they have their own cars.

What are some benefits of traveling by bicycle?

It’s a good way of doing exercise. We can protect our environment as well.
Do you prefer public transport or private transport?
Public transport is much cheaper.

Do you think bus should replace other means of transport?

Sure. In the future, busses should be used widely by commuters.

What do the government do to encourage people to use public transport?

It’s a good idea to make public transport as convenient as private transport. Besides, more
campaigns should be launched to raise the awareness of protecting our environment.

How has the transport changed recently?

There are more cars in a household now than before, which partly leads to traffic jams in
some cosmopolitan cities.

POLITICIAN
Who is your favourite politician?
She’s Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, an American politician.

Where is she from?

She comes from the USA.

Does she appear on TV?

Yes, quite often. She usually shows up on TV in news programs.

What is appealing about her?

She’s a democratic politician.

Is she famous?
Yes, she’s well-known all over the world.

Does she have a great influence on people?

Yes. I think so. She fights for humans’ rights. She has a very controversial and influential
speech that ‘human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights.’

Do you want to be like her?

Being a politician has never been my dream, actually.

Why do you admire her?

She’s one of the few women who succeed in politics.

What did she do that you can tell others?

Oh, a lot of things. She cares for people’s health. She also tackles the issues of adoption
and family safety.
 COMMUNICATION
What’re your favourite means of communication?
I prefer talking directly to people.

How to you keep in touch with your friends?

I’m so busy that I don’t often hang out with friends, so I usually get in touch with them
using social networks or phone.

Do you get in touch with your family by phone?

Yes, I do. I live away from my family, so phone would be an ideal means of
communication.

Do you usually write letters or emails?

I used to write letters when the Internet hasn’t been used widely. Now I prefer emails due
to its convenience.

What are some advantages of using a mobile phone?

That’s the easiest means of communication, I think. Mobile phones are portable. Just dial
the numbers and you can immediately get connected with anyone you want.

Do you like handwriting letters?

Yes, I do. I like to keep handwriting letters as keepsakes.

Do you use social networks?

Yes, the youth now can hardly live without social networks.

Do you need communication skills using social networks?

Sure. Even in social networks.

How have social networks changed communication?

People prefer talking online rather than directly. Because of the illusion of social
networks, people tend to forget necessary skills to communicate with others in real life.

Do you have good communication skills in your opinion?

Maybe yes. People are quite happy talking to me.

BUSINESS
Are you studying or working?
I left school 3 years ago. I’m working now.

Are you self – employed or working for a company?

I’m self-employed. I used to work for a company 2 years ago.

Are you running any business?

Yes, I’m running a small business.

What does your business sell?

I make and sell handmade cosmetics.
Do you have any difficulty running that business?
Yes, I had some difficulties attracting customers at first, but everything is getting better
now.

Is that an online or offline business?

I sell products online. It’s easier selling online than offline because I can take full
advantage of my social network.

When did you start the business?

I started running my own business 2 years ago.

What are some advantages of running your own business?

I can take some days off whenever I feel tired, and I can make much more money
compared to working for a company.

COMPUTER
Do you have your own computer?
Yes, I owned a personal laptop when I was in university.

How often do you use the computer?

Almost every day. I can’t work without a computer.

Have you ever joined any computer class?

Yes, years ago. I learned about Microsoft Word and Excel.

What do you use the computer for?

You know, I’m an accountant, so managing business records would be much easier for me
using a computer.

What are some advantages of using the computer?

With a computer connected to the Internet, we can shop, pay bills or do bank transactions
online. Listening to music, watching movies are even more convenient.

Do you use other high-tech devices besides computers?

Yes, apart from a computer, I also use a smartphone.

Should children learn how to use the computer?

Yes, I think so. Children should be given chances to approach the computer but under the
control of their parents.

EXERCISE
Do you usually exercise?
Yes, I do. Doing exercise is one of my good habits.

What sport do you play?

Swimming is my favourite. I also play tennis.
How often do you exercise?
I go jogging almost every day before breakfast.

When did you start doing exercise?

Just last year, actually.

Is there anyone who does exercise with you?

I go jogging with my older brother. He’s a good company of mine.

What benefits can you get from exercising?

Well, a lot. Exercise helps reduce fat and build muscles. It also keeps me awake mentally
during the whole day.

Where do you exercise?

At a nearby park. There are some exercise machines for people to use.

Why do you exercise?

I like moving. For me, life without moving is like a picture without colour.

Do people in your country do much exercises?

I don’t think so. They’re so busy working that they forget to do exercise.

What if people don’t do enough exercise?

Obviously, they’ll gain weights fast and become obese.

GOAL / AMBITION
What is your current short-term goal?
I’m determined to get a scholarship to study post-graduate abroad.

When did you start thinking about this goal?

I started thinking about it when I left university.

What difficulties do you have in order to achieve it?

Spending a lot of time searching it, I haven’t found any scholarship that fits my needs.

Do you need any help to achieve that goal?

I really need spiritual encouragement from my family and friends.

Do your parents support you to achieve that goal?

Yes, they do. They’re always by my side and support me when needed.

Do you think it’s important to set goals?

Sure. We all need to have some goals to drive ourselves towards them. Setting goals is a
necessary step to do in order to succeed in doing something

What are the important qualities to achieve goals?

Well, you need to be persistent to what you desire to get. Commitment and patience are
needed, too.
 ART
What’s your favourite work of art?
There’s a special photograph named ‘The Napalm Girl’.

When did you see it?

I accidentally saw it 5 years ago, when I travelled to Vietnam.

Where did you see it?

In Museum of Vietnamese History. The photo was solemnly hung in an eye-catching
position in the room.

Why do you like it?

The photo captured a naked 9 –year-old girl, running away from the napalm attack, which
is really touching.

What’s special about it?

Thanks to the photo, the photographer was awarded the Pulitzer prize for Spot News
Photography.

Do your friends like it, too?

Yes, they do. The photo did touch their souls, too.

Do you want to be an artist?

Nope, although I’m quite interested in art.

What qualities does a person need to be an artist?

An artist needs to be creative and sensitive to things around him, I think.

How do children develop their talent for art?

Children’s talent for art should be recognized and nurtured as early as possible so that
they can reach their full potential.

FASHION
Are you a big fan of fashion?
Yes, I am. I believe every girl is crazy about fashion.

What style do you choose to wear?

Well, my favourite piece of clothes is a dress. Depending on the situation, I choose a
formal or informal dress to wear.

Do you enjoy shopping for clothes?

Yes, I’m a shopaholic, actually.

Is there any fashion icon who you want to wear the same?
Yes, I really admire Taylor Swift and wish to wear like her.

Do you create your own fashion style?

No, I’m not a fashionista, so most of the time I just follow the fashion trend.
Do you prefer vintage or modern style? Why?
Honestly, I love vintage style. Wearing classic clothes makes me feel like I’m special.

Have you ever attended in any fashion show?

Not in real life. I just watch them on TV.

What do people think about your fashion style?

I don’t know exactly, and I don’t care much about it. I just wear what makes me
comfortable and confident.

Are you going to change your fashion style in the future?

Well, I can’t tell. Maybe fashion is changeable, and I am, too.

Is fashion important to people?

Yes, in my opinion. Fashion can partly reveal who you are.

JEWELLERY
What’s your favourite item of jewellery?
Well, I have quite a lot of ornaments, but my favourite one is a necklace.

When did you buy it?

Uhm…I don’t remember exactly when, but I guess I bought it years ago.

What’s it made of?

It’s made of silver.

How does it look?

It looks gorgeous with a ruby clover –shaped pendant.

Why do you like it?

I believe it can bring me good luck in everything I do.

What’s special about it?

I love the vintage style of my necklace. It really goes with my classic dresses.

Does it remind you of something?

Yes, I spent my first month’s salary buying it, so the necklace encourages me to work hard
and earn more money every day.

How much does it cost?

Around $400 if I’m not mistaken.

Do you usually wear it?

Yes, I just wear it all the time. I’ll be missing it if I don’t see it.
 COSMETIC
What’s your favourite cosmetic item?
My favourite cosmetic item is a cherry red lipstick.

When did you buy it?

I bought it in a local cosmetic shop.

How often do you use it?

Almost every day. I sometimes change the colour.

How did it change your physical appearance?

Oh. At first, I was hesitant to try because I thought it wouldn’t match my skin undertone,
but when putting it on, the cherry red colour did make me more charming and gorgeous.

Is it expensive?
Nope. It is under $21only.

Is the brand name famous?

Yes, I think. M.A.C is well-known all around the world. M.A.C lipstick is an iconic
product of the producer.

How important are cosmetics according to you?

Well, frankly, cosmetics are really important to women although I agree that the true
beauty does come from inside.

Is it important to have a good-looking appearance?

Sure. You will be given more opportunities if you’re good-looking.

Are cosmetics harmful?

Yes, I guess. Some toxic chemicals in cosmetics may cause skin cancer.

Do think beauty products are a waste of money?

Not really as for me, I just spend my saving money on cosmetics.

INDOOR GAME
What indoor game do you like to play?
Uhm, I’m fond of playing bowling.

When did you start playing it?

I’ve just started bowling. It’s been 3 weeks so far.

Who do you play it with?

Most of the time I play with my friends when we hang out together. Sometimes, I also go
bowling with my cousins.

Where do you play?

At a nearby shopping mall. There is an entertainment area where people can play various
games.
Is it easy to play?
Yes, quite easy. The bowler has to knock down as many pins as possible, ideally all of
them.

Are you usually the winner?

Nope, because I’m just a beginner. My friends are much more experienced in playing it.

Why do you like it?

Well, going bowling is quite enjoyable. I love it when my friends cheer me up.

Is it popular in your country?

Yes, people playing almost everywhere. There are nearly 3,000 bowling centres in my
country.

What are other indoor games in your country?

There are many such as board game, table tennis, squash, boxing and so on.

PHONE CONVERSATION
Do you usually talk on the phone?
Yes, I do. It’s a good way to keep in touch.

What was your favourite phone conversation?

It was when I talked to my interviewer. He did give me the good news that I got the job.

When did you have the conversation?

I don’t remember exactly, but It’s been 2 years so far, I guess.

Who did you talk to?

I talked to the owner of the restaurant where I’m working as a cashier.

What did you talk about?

He offered me the position and congratulated me.

Why did you find the conversation interesting?

Actually, it was more exciting than interesting. I was waiting for it for so long,
and finally, he did make it come true.

Do you prefer talking directly or talking on the phone?

Personally, talking directly is much better to me since it’s livelier and more authentic.

Who do you usually talk to on the phone?

I talk to my mom almost every day. I will be missing the conversation every evening with
mom if one day she stops calling me.

What are the differences between talking directly and phoning?

Well, talking directly seems more exciting since you can see facial expression, eye contact
while talking on the phone, you can only listen to the voice.
 LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE
Do you like learning languages?
Yes, I do. I love traveling and talking to the local people in their mother tongue.

What is your mother language?

I speak English.

What second language are you learning?

I’m learning Spanish. I fell in love with Spanish when I travelled to Spain last year.

Is that language popular in your country?

Yes. People in my country come from every corner of the world and Spanish is the second
popular language spoken here according to the statistic.

How often do you use that language?

Quite a lot. I see Spanish people every day in the restaurant, bank or supermarket.

How long have you been learning that language?

I’ve been learning it for 5 years. I’m in advanced class now.

Why do you choose to learn that language?

I’m interested in Spanish culture, and I’d like to use language as a tool to discover
Spanish cultural values.

Who is your teacher?

An old Spanish teacher. She can also speak English fluently.

Why do people learn a second language?

There are many purposes. Some learn to do business, some learn to travel, some just learn
for fun.

A CREATIVE PERSON
Who is the creative person that you admire?
Well, I really admire Mr. Tom, who is an extremely creative Math teacher.

Why do you admire him?

For me, Math is quite boring because I have to work with long numbers. I used to hate
Math so much before I had lessons with Mr. Tom. He has thousands of ways to teach that
boring subject, which inspires me a lot.

How did he become so creative?

I’m not quite sure, but I think that’s his inborn talent.

Do people you know admire him, too?

Of course. All my classmates just love and respect him for his creative teaching.
What is he like?
He has a good sense of humour. He always tells jokes, and we just can’t help laughing.

Do you think creativity can be learned and practiced?

Yes, I definitely do. Creativity, like any other qualities, can be trained.

How is creativity important in study or work?

It generates energy and makes things more inspiring. Without creativity, work and study
are just dull and tiring.

A CELEBRITY
Who is a famous celebrity that you admire?
Well, I’m a big fan of Miley Ray Cyrus, an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

Why do you admire her?

Well, she’s at my age, but what she’s achieved is acknowledged worldwide.

What is special about her?

I just fall in love with her beautiful voice. I can’t stop listening to her songs again and
again. My favourite songs of hers are Jolene and Wrecking Ball.

Is she well-known worldwide?

Yes, she is. She’s a teen idol.

Do you see her on TV or in reality?

Most of the time I see her on TV.

Do your friends love her, too?

Yes, they do. We usually enjoy her songs, movies together.

Do you want to be like her?

Yes, being a well-known singer is my dream.

A HEALTH PROBLEM
What health problem did you have?
I had measles when I was 18.

How did you have that health problem?

I thought I catch measles from someone when they cough or sneeze.

Was that serious?

Not really, but it was unpleasant. I recovered after 10 days staying at home.

What were some symptoms of that health problem?

I had a cold and fever with a cough, a runny nose. The small greyish-white spots
appeared on my body, too.
Did you take any medical treatment?
No, I didn’t. The situation wasn’t serious enough to be sent to the hospital then.

How could you recover from it?

Well, let me see, I drank a lot of water, avoided the direct light, and I had to stay off
school for 10 days.

What difficulties did you face because of that problem?

I couldn’t go out for a few days, which was boring. I’m not allowed to play outside and I
felt so bad about it.

What do people do to prevent that health problem?

By having measles vaccine.

Is that health problem common in your country?

Not really, due to the effectiveness of vaccination.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
Are you a tech and gadget lover?
Yes, I am. I love shopping for new gadgets.

What is an important technological advancement you know?

That’s the emergence of online payment systems like Credit Cards or PayPal thanks to the
development of the Internet, I think.

What do you use it for?

I use these services to do shopping online. Now I can book flight tickets in advance
without the need to go to the agency.

How long have you been using it?

I’ve been using these services for around 3 years.

Does it make your life easier?

Sure. It’s fast, simple and convenient.

How did it change your life?

Well, I can enjoy my life more. I can do a plenty of things online like shopping,
transferring money, booking tickets, and so on.

How often do you use it?

At least once a week.

What are other technological advancements you know?

There are many: electricity, smartphone, the internet, robot, and so on.
 A LANDMARK
What is a famous landmark in your hometown?
Well, I can’t hide my proud to talk about the Statue of Liberty.

When was it built?

I read on newspapers that It was constructed in 1886.

Where is it?
It’s located on Liberty island in New York Harbour.

How does it look like?

That’s a woman, known as the Roman goddess, bearing a torch and a broken chain lies at
her feet.

What was it made of?

The main material was copper.

Who was the architect?

Mr. Gustave Eiffel, who also designed the tower of Eiffel.

What is special about it?

Actually, it was gifted to my country, the USA from the people of France.

Does it symbolize something?

The statue is a symbol of freedom. We all love it and are so proud to share with
international friends about it.

Does it attract many tourists to come?

Yup. It attracts 4 million visitors each year according to the statistic.

HANDCRAFT ITEMS
Do you love handcraft items?
Yeah. My accessories are all hand-made.

What handcraft item do you like?

Well, I’ve got many items, but I really fall in love with my bamboo handbag.

Where did you buy it?

I bought it in a trip to the countryside. People make handcrafts from bamboo there.

Why do you like it?

Because it’s unique. I travel quite a lot, but can hardly find a similar one.

What is it made of?

It’s made of 100% bamboo.

What does it look like?

Being made of traditional material, it looks trendy, though. My handcraft bag has A4
paper size, which is large enough to carry a bunch of stuff: makeup things, a wallet, and
tissues.

How is it made?
Luckily, I had a chance to see how it is made. People spent the whole day knitting
hundreds of small bamboo fibres together to make one bag.

Is it easy to make?
Nope. I’m not really skilful and patient, so handcrafts seem super hard for me.

What is special about it?

The material itself is what makes it special. It’s eco-friendly as well.

Does it remind you of something?

Yup. It reminds me of the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of the countryside where I
visited.

PLASTIC SURGERY
Is plastic surgery popular in your country?
Not really. People in my country are not so interested in plastic surgery.

What do you think about people having plastic surgery?

It’s hard to say. As long as they find happiness in what they’re doing, it’s fine with me.

Why do you think people do it?

They want to gain a better look, I believe. That’s understandable.

Is plastic surgery bad?

It’s bad for health in the long run.

Does it do harm to your health?

Sure, there are several unhealthy substances in the medical treatments which may be
harmful to your body.

Do you think changing your look is a good thing?

Yes, I can’t deny that changing for a better appearance is what people should do. But
don’t abuse plastic surgery or you will face serious health problems later on.

Do you think the development of plastic surgery is a positive or negative trend?

It’s more a positive trend, I guess. Thanks to plastic surgery, people who think they don’t
look good can now make themselves more attractive.

Do you care more about your outlook or inner soul?

As for me, the inner soul does matter more although outside appearance is important, too.

What is a part of your face that you wish to change?

Although I have some imperfect parts, I have no wish to change anything. I love the
natural appearance my parents gave me.
 SUCCESS
What success did you achieve?
I don’t know if it matters to someone or not, but passing the entrance exam to university
was a huge success for me.

When did you get that success?

I got it 6 years ago. It’s been 2 years since I left university.

Was there anyone who supported you?

My family supported me a lot. My mom prepared good meals for me while my dad
helped me with hard math problems.

Was it hard to get that success?

It was hard for me since I wasn’t good at academic subjects at all.

What were some difficulties in achieving success?

The period before the exam was quite stressful. I was so obsessed with it that I had a
serious headache.

How did you get it?

I stuck to books day and night. I just stopped reading and writing when I felt I knew
thoroughly about the matters.

How did you feel when you were successful?

I was over the moon then. I was looking forward to campus life.

How did your life change after that success?

I had a chance to learn my favourite major at my desired university and then got a high-
paying job in an active working environment.

What is your key to success?

I don’t particularly have any key to success. Just work hard and try your best, everything
good will come to you.

REQUEST FORM THE BOSS

Susanne: Hi, Mario. Can you help me prepare some things for the next month?

Mario: OK, sure. What can I help you with?

Susanne: I need to visit the customer in Germany. It's important.

Mario: What can I do to help?

Susanne: Can you send an email to the customer? Ask them when I can visit them next
week. Please do this first. It's a priority and very urgent.
Mario: Right. I'll do it today.

Susanne: Thanks. This next task is also important. Can you invite everyone to the next
team meeting?

Mario: Yes, I will.

Susanne: But first you need to book a meeting room. After that, please send everyone
an email about it.

Mario: Yes, of course.

Susanne: And finally, can you write a short report about our new project? I have to give
a presentation to our managers next month. Please do it when you have time
– sometime in the next two or three weeks. It's not too urgent.

Mario: Sure, no problem. I can do it this week.

Susanne: There's no hurry. Take your time.

VOICE MESSAGE
John: Hi, this is John. Thanks for calling. I'm not here at the moment, so please leave a
message and I'll call you back.

Marina: Hi, John, this is Marina Silva calling from Old Time Toys. Your colleague Alex
gave me your phone number. She said you can help me.

I need some information on your new products. Could you please call me when you are
back in the office? My phone number is 0-2-0-8, 6-5-5-7-6-2-1.

Also, can you please email me your new brochure and information about your prices?
My email address is Marina, that's M-A-R-I-N-A, dot Silva, S-I-L-V-A, at O-L-D-T-I-M-
E hyphen toys dot com.

Thanks a lot. I look forward to hearing from you.

BOOKING A TABLE
Staff: Hello, Gino's.
Jamie: Hi. Can I book a table for tomorrow night, please?
Staff: How many people is it for?
Jamie: Four.
Staff: And what time would you like?
Jamie: About eight, eight thirty maybe?
Staff: Let's see ... We're pretty busy tomorrow, so I can do half past seven or nine.
Jamie: Oh. OK, then. Half seven, please.
Staff: What name is it?
Jamie: Jamie.
Staff: J-A- ...?
Jamie: M-I-E
Staff: OK, so that's a table for four at half past seven tomorrow evening.
Jamie: Great. Thanks! Bye.
Staff: Bye.

BUSINESS CARD
A
A: Hello, Doctor Miller. It's nice to meet you.

B: Please call me Peter.

A: OK. Are you a medical doctor? It must be helpful when you sell medical equipment.

B: Actually, no. My doctorate was in electronic engineering, but it's still helpful for me
when I sell our equipment.

B
Good morning, everyone. I'm happy to be here today to tell you about our new project.
My name is Alessandro Rossi. I'm the project leader on the Starlight programming
project.

C
Pleased to meet you. Here's my card. My real name is Megumi Tanaka, but people who
are not from my country think it's difficult to say my name, so I use another name, Meg,
when I'm working internationally.

D
Hello, everyone. My name's Andres Mulligan. I'm very happy to be joining this team for
the next few months and learning more about research and development.
 FINDING THE LIBRARY
Student: Hi. Excuse me.

Student B: Yes?

Student: Where's the library?

Student B: The library? It's next to the registration office.

Student: Ah ... sorry, I'm new. Where's the registration office?

Student B: No problem. See the big building over there?

Student: Yes.

Student B: OK, so that's the lecture theatre. Next to that, on the right, is the registration
office. And next to that is the library.

Student: I see. Thanks!

Student: Hello?

Librarian: Hello.

Student: Is this the library?

Librarian: Yes, it is. Quiet, please.

Student: Oh, sorry. Thank you.

Librarian: Can I help you?

Student: Er, yes, please. I want to borrow some books. What do I need?

Librarian: You need a library card. Here's the application form. You can take up to
six books maximum today.

Student: OK. Six books.

Librarian: Yes. You have two weeks to read the books. Then you bring them back.

Student: And if I'm late?

Librarian: Every day you are late there is a fee of fifty pence.

Student: OK, 50p a day. Er, anything else?

Librarian: Mobile phones must be switched off in the library. You can bring your
laptop, but please use headphones to watch videos or listen to music.

Student: OK, great.

Librarian: And you can't bring food or drink.

Student: No food, no drink. And ...?
Librarian: And please speak quietly! People are working here.

Student: Oh! Oh, OK. Thank you.

Librarian: You're welcome.

MEETING A NEW TEAM MEMBER

Peter: Hi, my name's Peter. What's your name?

Carla: Hi, Peter. I'm Carla. I'm new here.

Peter: Welcome to the company, Carla.

Carla: Thanks, Peter. I'm happy to be here and it's nice to meet you.

Peter: It's nice to meet you too.

Carla: Where do you work?

Peter: I work in the design team. We sit over there.

Carla: I'm in the marketing team. I started last week.

Peter: You work in marketing? That's very interesting.

Carla: Yes, it is. I'm enjoying it. But there are a lot of new things to learn.

Peter: I'm sure there are. I'm happy to help you if I can.

Carla: Thank you, Peter. What do you do in the design department?

Peter: I design new products.

Carla: That sounds interesting. I plan marketing events for new products. So I think
we'll work together sometimes.

Peter: That would be great. So, where are you from, Carla?

Carla: Brazil. And you?

Peter: I'm from the UK.

Carla: How long have you been here?

Peter: I've worked here for three years but I actually moved here from the UK five years
ago, to study.

MEETING OTHER STUDENT

Teacher: So, now you've got the important information, it's time to meet each other.
Everyone, turn to the people next to you and introduce yourselves.
Cara: So, hi. I'm Cara. And you are?
Robert: Robert.
Selim: Selim.
Cara: Nice to meet you!
Robert and Selim: You too.
Robert: Nice accent. Where are you from?
Cara: I'm from Glasgow.
Robert: Oh, really? My mum's from near Glasgow, so I'm half Scottish.
Cara: Cool. Do you live in Scotland?
Robert: No, we live in England, near Manchester. My dad's from there. What about you,
Selim?
Selim: I'm from Leeds originally but I grew up near London.
Cara: Are you both doing history on its own?
Selim: No. I'm doing history and German.
Robert: I'm doing it with maths, actually.
Selim: History and maths. That's different!
Robert: Yeah, I couldn't decide between arts and sciences. Maths doesn't help with
remembering dates, though! And you?
Cara: I'm doing history and French.
Selim: I wanted to do French but German was easier, so I took that.
Cara: German is so hard!

MEETING PEOPLE
Charles: Hello, Julian.

Julian: Hello, Charles. How are you?

Charles: I'm fine. Fine. Julian, do you remember Alyssa?

Julian: No, I don't.

Charles: She's Ben's sister. Do you remember? We were all at Ben's wedding together.
Julian: Ah, yes, I do – in that old castle. Was it in January?

Charles: Yes, it was! Alyssa was there.

Alyssa: Hello. Nice to meet you ... again.

Julian: Hello, nice to meet you too, Alison.

Alyssa: I'm not Alison.

Julian: What?

Alyssa: My name isn't Alison. It's Alyssa.

Julian: I'm sorry. Nice to meet you, Alyssa.

Charles: Good. Would you like a drink?

Julian: Good idea.

Alyssa: Yes, please.

Charles: Here you are.

Alyssa and Julian: Thanks!

ORDERING IN A CAFÉ
Customer 1: Can I have an orange juice, please?

Server: Regular or large?

Customer 1: How big is a large?

Server: This is a large. This is a regular.

Customer 1: I'll have a large, then, please. Without ice.

Server: OK, coming up.

Customer 1: Sorry, I wanted freshly squeezed orange juice.

Server: I'm afraid we only have bottled juices.

Customer 1: Oh, then I'll have an apple juice instead, please.

Server: Here you go. That's £3.50, please.

Customer: Thanks.

Server: Thank you.

Server: Can I help anyone?

Customer 2: Who's next?
Customer 3: You were first, I think.

Customer 2: What teas do you have?

Server: Breakfast tea, mint and green tea.

Customer 2: A mint tea and a slice of lemon cake, please.

Server: To eat in or take away?

Customer 2: Take away, please.

Server: There you go. That'll be £4.20, please.

Customer 2: Sorry, I've only got a fifty.

Server: That's OK. Here's your change … 5, 10, 30, 50.

Server: Who's next?

Customer 4: Can I have a ...

Customer 3: Sorry, I think I was in front of you.

Customer 4: Oh, sorry!

Customer 3: Can I have a chocolate chip cookie, please?

Server: Would you like a drink with that?

Customer 3: No, thanks. Just the cookie.

Server: OK, then. That's 95p, please.

Customer 3: Thanks. I think that's right.

Server: 50, 70, 80, 85, 90, 92, 94, yep, 95. Thank you.

ORGANISING A GROUP PROJECT

Cara: So for our group project, do you want to start this week?

Selim: Yeah, I want to start early so we have enough time.

Robert: Me too, but I've got a big maths project too.

Cara: How about we meet first to plan what we're going to do? Just for an hour.

Robert: Good idea, Cara.

Cara: When are you free?

Robert: I can always do mornings before 10.

Cara: Robert … Uh …
Selim: I'm sleeping before 10!

Robert: OK! OK, so when are you two free?

Cara: Wednesdays are good for me. But not very early, please!

Selim: I can't do the mornings on Wednesdays but I have 3 till 5 free.

Robert: I can do 4 o'clock, just before my maths class.

Cara: Great, 4 then. Where shall we meet?

Selim: The library?

Robert: I don't know. The library isn't a good place for a planning meeting as we can't
talk in there.

Cara: How about the university café? It's near the library. We can talk in there. And eat
cake.

Selim: Cake is good.

Robert: OK, so Wednesday at the café. I need to leave at ten to five to go to my maths
class.

Cara: No problem. Planning will take less than an hour.

Selim: OK! See you Wednesday for cake.

Robert and Cara: See you, Selim!

SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES

Shop assistant: Hello, can I help you?
Customer: I'm just looking, thanks.
Customer: Excuse me?
Shop assistant: Yes?
Customer: Where are the changing rooms?
Shop assistant: They're over there. Behind you.
Customer: Thank you
Customer: Hi. Excuse me again. Do you have this jumper in black?
Shop assistant: Yes, just a moment. What size do you need?
Customer: Extra small, please.
Shop assistant: Here you are.
Customer: How much is this?
Shop assistant: It's £29.
Customer: Can I pay by credit card?
Shop assistant: Yes, you can. Of course.
Shop assistant: Would you like a bag for that?
Customer: Yes, please.

A MORNING BRIEFING
Hi, everyone. I know you're all busy so I'll keep this briefing quick. I have some
important information about a change in the management team. As you already know,
our head of department, James Watson, is leaving his position at the end of this week.
His replacement is starting at the end of the next month. In the meantime, we'll continue
with our projects as usual.

I have two more quick points. Firstly, there will be some improvements made to the
staff car park next month for a few weeks. It will be closed during that time.

Don't worry, we've found a solution. We can use the local church car park until our own
one is ready. If you arrive before 8.30 a.m., please use our small car park on Brown
Street, and if you arrive after that, you should go directly to the church car park. It's only
a five-minute walk away. But they need it in the evenings, so you have to leave before 6
p.m. Sorry about that – I know how much you all love working late!

The other thing I wanted to tell you about is that the canteen has now introduced a
cashless payment system. So, you can't use cash for payments any more. You can pay
directly with your smartphone or you can pay using your company ID card. The total
amount put on your company ID card comes off your salary at the end of each month.
OK. That's it? Are there any questions?

AN INVITATION
Automated message: You have two new messages. Message number one, received
today at 3.45 p.m.

Hi, it's me. How's it going? I guess you're at work and you don't have your phone on,
right? First of all, thank you, THANK YOU for the birthday card and message. I received
it this morning. That's so nice of you. I'm organising a little party for my birthday. It's
nothing very big – only a few of my best and closest friends. That means you too! We're
going to have it at my cousin's house. She lives in the countryside in a nice big house
with a swimming pool. I'd love to see you there. It's going to be this Friday. I'll send you
the instructions on how to get there later, OK?

Anyway, have fun at work. Don't work too hard, OK? Talk soon.

Automated message: You have two new messages. Message number two, received
today at 5.15 p.m.

Aw, you're still not answering your phone! OK, here are the instructions to get to my
cousin's house for the party. Are you going to take your car? If you take the car, drive
straight on Forest Road until you get to the motorway. Drive past Brownsville and take
exit 13A. That's 13A. You drive down the road there and turn left. It's the first big house
on the right. OK? If you're taking a bus, you can get the number 80 to Brownsville. Call
me when you get there and somebody can pick you up in a car. I can't wait. This is going
to be so great!

CHANGING A MEETING TIME

Lucy: Hi, Anna. Do you have a minute to talk about the meeting next Tuesday?

Anna: Sure. We said 11, didn't we?

Lucy: Yeah, we did. But I have a bit of a problem with the time. Would it be possible to
move it?

Anna: Oh, I see. We could postpone it to the afternoon, to 1 p.m., for example. Or bring it
forward to earlier in the morning. What would suit you?

Lucy: Could we make it 9 o'clock? That would really help me. I have another important
meeting in the central office at 12.
Anna: No problem. It's important you're there.

Lucy: Thanks a lot, Anna.

Anna: Do you need help with any preparation? Did you get the agenda I sent out?

Lucy: Yes, I did. And no, that's all fine, thanks. My report is ready and I'm looking
forward to presenting it.

Anna: Great.

Lucy: I can tell Sven about the time change. I'll see him later.

Anna: Don't worry about telling Sven. I'll send an email to everyone to confirm the time
has changed and with an updated meeting invite.

Lucy: Great. Thanks, Anna.

Anna: OK. I'm happy that works for you. We really need you there and it's good we
don't have to cancel it.

Lucy: See you then. Have a good weekend in the meantime.

Anna: You too.

CHANGING PLANS
Francesco: Sachi? Sachi? Sachiko!

Sachi: Francesco! Is everything OK?

Francesco: Yes. Yes. Sorry, I saw you and I was across the street … I ran.

Sachi: I see. What's up?

Francesco: Do you have the tickets … for the play?

Sachi: No, I don't. I'm going to buy them this afternoon.

Francesco: Oh good, good. Listen, don't buy tickets for this Friday.

Sachi: Oh? Why not?

Francesco: I can't go to the theatre on Friday. Something's come up. I have a concert
this Friday.

Sachi: Another concert? But you said …

Francesco: I know, I know. I'm sorry. I forgot.

Sachi: Francesco!

Francesco: How about next week? Are you free then? I can definitely go next Friday.

Sachi: Francesco. You did this two weeks ago, remember? I had cinema tickets for the
new Marvel movie and you changed the plans then too. For band practice.

Francesco: I know, and I …

Sachi: We also missed my favourite dance group. Because your band was playing at
some child's birthday party.

Francesco: It was my nephew's birthday …

Sachi: Ha!

Francesco: OK, why don't we go out for dinner before my concert? Then, next Friday we
can go to the play.

Sachi: Oh …
Francesco: Come on, Sachi. Just this one more time.
Sachi: OK, but promise me next Friday. OK?

Francesco: I promise. I promise!

FACTS AND FIGURES

… and the next part of this talk is on the Panama Canal. It's amazing how this one small
section of a small country can be so important to the world. Let's learn a little bit about
the canal itself, before we look at how it connects to everything else.

The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway in the Central American country of Panama
that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. It is only 82 kilometres long. If you go
around South America by ship then you need to travel another 15,000 kilometres. So
the canal saves a lot of travel time. It takes around 8 to 10 hours to cross the canal.

The French started building the canal in 1881, but they couldn't finish it. The project
was started again in 1904 by the United States and the canal was finally finished in
1914. Many people died while they were building the canal, some say up to 25,000. For
the rest of the 20th century, the United States controlled the canal, but gave control back
to Panama in 2000.

Every year, around 40,000 ships come through the canal. These are mostly commercial
ships. They transport goods for trade between Asia and America, or Europe. In 2016 the
government of Panama made the canal bigger, so that now 99 per cent of ships can pass
through it.

Let's now turn to the role of the Panama Canal in the global economy …

FOUR CONVERSATIONS
A
Man: How did it go?
Woman: Umm, I think it went quite well. I did a lot of research and prepared a lot. I was
in there for ... I don't know ... half an hour?

Man: And? What did they say?

Woman: Nothing much. At the end I asked them, 'What happens now?', and the woman
said, 'We'll call you back with news in three or four days.'

Man: Really?

Woman: Yeah, I think I've got the job. There weren't a lot of other people there. I was
the only interview that day, you know?
Man: Well, good luck with it.
B
Man: Anyway, you were saying ...

Woman: Oh, yeah, um ... let's see. Yes, so I was in the museum and there were, I don't
know, a hundred people waiting to get into the room. Finally, I got in, and I tried to see
the Mona Lisa but I couldn't look at it.

Man: Why not?

Woman: Because the room was filled with people taking photographs of it!

Man: Oh, right.

Woman: Yes! And selfies.

Man: Wait a minute. You can take photos while you're in there?

Woman: Yes, but you can't use flash. I don't know ... Why do we take photos
of everything we see when we travel?

Man: I know. And we never look at the photos after.

Woman: Exactly! I'm tired of always taking photos. I don't feel I'm enjoying things.

C
Man: Who took this?

Woman: I can't remember. Hmmm ...

Man: What am I doing?

Woman: You're sitting on the sofa, watching TV and eating chocolates. Nothing
changes!

Man: Ha! Very funny. You look very young, though.

Woman: I know. Look at my hair – it was so long!

Man: Mine too, look at me! Hey … I think I know who took this photo.

Woman: Umm … who? Was it Dad?

Man: No, it wasn’t Dad or Mum. Do you remember Barry?

Woman: No.

Man: Yes, YES! You do remember. Barry, your boyfriend at high school. You were
seventeen and he was sixteen and he was so very polite: 'Hello, I'm Barry. It's very nice
to meet you ...'

Woman: Stop it! He was nice.

Man: Yeah, well, he took the photo.
D
Woman: Let's see. OK. I'm glad we could talk about this. It's not easy to say.

Man: What?

Woman: Well, you're not in our group – for the class project.

Man: What do you mean? You know I'm always in a group with you.

Woman: I know. It's just that this time … this time we made the group differently and
because you were late ...

Man: I see. You don't want me in the group?

Woman: No, no. It isn't that. It's that we've already made the group, see? There's four of
us already.

Man: So? We can't be a group of five?

Woman: Well, the teacher said four people per group.

Man: Oh.

Woman: It's not about you or your work or anything like that. It's ... errrr ... well, we
already have the group.

Man: So I have to find another group.

Woman: I'm sorry.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ASSIGNMENTS

I want to explain a few things about your essay.

First of all, the deadline. The deadline for this essay is October the 18th. Not the 19th,
not the 28th, not two days later because your dog was ill or your computer broke – the
18th. If it's late, I won't mark it. I won't even read it – you'll fail the assignment! So,
please hand it in on time. You can even hand it in early, if you like!

You can email me the essays at [email protected]. That's H-A-R-T-S-H-O-R-N. I'll

reply to say I've got it. If I don't reply within a day, it might mean I didn't get it, so
please email me again to make sure. You can also bring a paper copy of the essay to my
office, but let's be kind to the trees, OK? Email is better for the trees and for me.

Don't forget that you must reference every idea or quote you use that isn't your own
idea. And the last page of your essay should be a list of all the books you used, in
alphabetical order, not in the order you used them!

And lastly, make it easy for me to read! That means use a clear font. Arial is best, but
Times New Roman is fine too. Not Comic Sans please! Size 12 font for the essay, and size
14 for the titles and subheadings. And use page numbers. Any questions?
LLNSJNSJNNCAHJH

LEAVING A MESSAGE
Jane: Hello, this is the sales department. Jane Solomon speaking.

Peter: Hello, is Maria Fernandez there, please?

Jane: No, I'm sorry. She's not in the office at the moment. She's on her lunch break.
Peter: Oh. Could you take a message, please? Could you tell her that Peter Griffin called?

Jane: Sure. Could you give me your number?

Peter: It's 0-7-4-6-0 double 9-0-1 double 8.

Jane: Thanks. That's 0-7-4-6-0 2-9-0-1-2-8.

Peter: Sorry, no. It's 0-7-4-6-0 9-9-0-1-8-8.

Jane: 9-9-0-1-8-8.

Peter: Yes. Please ask her to call me back, and tell her it's about the PXO project. I need
the new project figures.

Jane: The PXO project. Right. I'll give her your message when she comes back to the
office.

Peter: Thank you. In case I'm in a meeting when she calls back, can I give you my email
address too?

Jane: Of course.

Peter: Great. It's P-E-T-E-R dot G-R-I-F-F-I-N at F-R-E-S-H dot com.

Jane: Can I read that back to you?

Peter: Sure.

Jane: That's P-E-T-E-R dot G-R-I-F-F-I-N at F-R-E-S-H dot com.

Peter: Yes, that's it.

Jane: OK. I'll tell her you called.
Peter: Thank you. Goodbye.

Jane: Goodbye.

MISSING A CLASS
Student: Excuse me, Ms Henderson?

Teacher: Yes, Diana. How can I help you?

Student: I'm sorry, but I can't come to class next Wednesday. I have a doctor's
appointment.

Teacher: OK. Thanks for letting me know.

Student: Is there anything to do at home?

Teacher: Let me just check my notebook. OK, first of all … you need to read chapters 17,
19 and 20 in the book. There are also some articles and a video to watch – those are
online. I'll post the links online in the usual place.

Student: Chapters 17 to 20.

Teacher: Yes, except chapter 18. Chapters 17, 19 and 20.

Student: Ah, OK. Um ... is there a deadline?

Teacher: Yes, this Friday. But there's something else. I was going to give you all a
practice test.

Student: A practice test?

Teacher: Yes, to help people prepare for the mid-term exam.

Student: Ah. All right.

Teacher: Don't worry, I can send you the practice test by email on Wednesday. Can you
send it to me before Friday?

Student: Sure, no problem.

Teacher: And don't forget to bring a certificate from the doctor to the office.

Student: Thanks, Ms Henderson! I'll do that.

Teacher: You're welcome, Diana. Take care.
 TRANSPORT ANNOUNCEMENT
A
The next train to arrive at Platform 2 is the 12.20 to Bristol Temple Meads, calling at
Reading, Oxford and Bristol Parkway. Platform 2 for the 12.20 to Bristol. First class is in
the rear carriage.

B
This is a platform announcement for passengers for the 12.20 service to Bristol Temple
Meads. This train is delayed by approximately 8 minutes. The train will now depart
from Platform 9. Passengers for the 12.20 train to Bristol, please make your way to
Platform 9.

C
Passengers for Flight EB380 to Paris please make your way to Gate 13 for boarding.
Gate 13 for flight EB380 to Paris. Please have your passports and boarding passes ready.
Your flight is ready to board.

D
This is a London Underground service to Liverpool Street. The next station is Liverpool
Street. Upon arrival, the first set of doors will not open. Customers in the first carriage,
please move towards the rear doors to leave the train. The next station is Liverpool
Street. Change here for Central Line, Circle Line, Hammersmith & City Line and
Metropolitan Line and Main Line Suburban rail services. Please mind the gap between
the train and the platform. This train terminates at Redbridge.

UNDERSTANDING AN EXPLANATION
Professor: OK, before we continue, does anybody have a question? Oh, lots of questions,
I see. OK, we'll go one at a time. Yes?

Student: Thank you. You talked about Fibonacci numbers in the lecture. Sorry, I don't
understand. Can you explain?

Professor: Of course. What do you want to know?

Student: OK … I hope this isn't a silly question, but what does Fibonacci actually mean?
Professor: No question is ever silly – it's always good to ask. OK, it's the name of a
person. Fibonacci was a European mathematician in the Middle Ages.
Student: Ah, OK. Thanks. So, we know he was a person, but what are the Fibonacci
numbers? I don't get it.

Professor: The Fibonacci numbers are a sequence of numbers. They go 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

and so on. Do you see the sequence? Do you see how it works?

Student: I'm not sure.

Professor: OK. This is how it works. The first number is 1, then 1 again, then 2. The
third number is the first number plus the second number. The fourth number is the
second number plus the third number: 1 plus 2 is 3. The fifth number is the third
number, 2, plus the fourth number, 3. So the fifth number in a Fibonacci sequence is 5.

Student: Ah! I think I understand now. But what about their importance? You said these
were very important.

Professor: Yes, let me explain. This sequence of numbers is important because we see it
in many things. Fibonacci numbers are common in geometry, they are common in
nature, for example in plants. We see the sequence everywhere.

Student: Could you give us some more examples?

Professor: OK ... well, we don't have time right now but I can bring more examples in
for next class, OK?

WHO’S WHO IN THE OFFICE

Jani: Welcome to the department, Yuki. Let me show you around and tell you about
your new colleagues. I'll introduce you to them all later.

Yuki: Great. Thanks. So, who are those people over there?

Jani: That's the order management team. Luciana deals with the new orders. She's the
one with short, dark hair.

Yuki: In the purple dress?

Jani: Yeah, that's right. You'll probably work closely with her while you are learning
about our ordering process.

Yuki: Got it, thanks. And who's that over there? The guy who's on the phone?

Jani: Oh, you mean the one by the window? In the green shirt? Ah, that's Ian. He's the
marketing director. And that's Maria beside him. She's responsible for the internal IT
systems.

Yuki: OK, I'll try to remember all of this. I should probably be taking notes!

Jani: Don't worry about it. For now it's just good to put some faces to names.

Yuki: OK, great – and who do I talk to about setting up my mobile phone with email
access? Is that also Maria?
Jani: No, you need to talk to Sebastian who works in communications. He can help you.
That's him over there, next to the printer.

Yuki: Thanks. I'll introduce myself to him later.

A CALL FROM THE CUSTOMER

Junko: Hello, Junko Mori speaking. How can I help you?

Andrea: Hi, Junko, it's Andrea here from Red Band. I'm calling about our latest order.

Junko: Everything arrived OK, right? We got the delivery confirmation at our end.

Andrea: Yes, everything's fine with the order. I'm calling about the invoice and the
payment terms. I need a favour.

Junko: A favour? What do you need?

Andrea: This is a little, er ... difficult, but I need an extension on the payment terms. I
know they're usually 30 days, but we're having some cash flow problems. You'd really
be helping us out if you could extend it to 60 days.

Junko: I'm not sure if I can do that, Andrea. We've got regulations at our end, and also
have to manage our own cash flow.

Andrea: I promise this won't become the norm, Junko. Actually, I also want to place
another new order. The same size order as last time. It's for an important customer and
they pay on delivery.

Junko: I see. So your cash flow problem will be solved after this new order is delivered.

Andrea: Exactly.

Junko: That sounds good. Hold on, Andrea. Let me see what I can do. Yes, I think we can
make an exception this time.

Andrea: That's great, Junko. I appreciate your help.

Junko: And we appreciate your business, Andrea. It works both ways.

Andrea: Thanks again, Junko. Can you send me a quick email confirmation of the
payment terms extension?

Junko: Sure, no problem. We're happy to help you.

Andrea: Great. And I'll email you the new order.

Junko: Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. Talk to you soon.

Andrea: You too. Goodbye.

 A STUDENT DISCUSSION
Teacher: So, you've got a few minutes to discuss with your partner.
Student 1: So, as far as I know, the main similarity between Mars and Earth is that they
can both support human life.
Student 2: Yeah, but do we know that's actually true? I mean, Mars is much colder than
Earth, isn't it? It says here it's about minus 55 degrees most of the time, whereas on
Earth only places like Antarctica get that cold.
Student 1: True. Well then, I suppose you could say both planets are a similar distance
from the Sun?
Student 2: No way! Mars is much further away! It says here it's about 228 million
kilometres, while Earth is about 150 million.
Student 1: Yes, but in space that's not that far. Jupiter is, like, almost 780 million
kilometres. That's why we use astronomical units when we talk about distances in
space. Earth is 1 astronomical unit from the Sun and Mars is 1.3. The difference doesn't
sound so big when you look at it that way.
Student 2: I see what you mean. Jupiter is 5.2 astronomical units so I guess you're right.
What other similarities are there between the two planets?
Student 1: Let's see … not the colour, obviously!
Student 2: Yeah! Earth is called the blue planet and Mars is called the red planet for
pretty obvious reasons!
Student 1: Their sizes are pretty different. Mars is about half the size of Earth.
Student 2: What about this? It looks like the days on both planets are almost the same
length. Earth's day is 24 hours but Mars's is about half an hour longer.
Student 1: You're right. OK, any other things they both share?
Student 2: I suppose you could say they have water in common.
Student 1: Could you? How?
Student 2: Well, Earth is 70 per cent water and Mars probably had huge oceans in the
past. It's just that most of the water there now is probably frozen.
Student 1: Ah, I see. I don't think we can say the air is the same, though. Most of Earth's
air is nitrogen and oxygen, but Mars …?
Student 2: Mars doesn't really have air, not compared with Earth. It's got about one per
cent as much air as Earth.
Student 1: Right, and it's mostly carbon dioxide.
Student 2: Gravity is another difference. I didn't know this, but Mars has higher gravity
than the Moon. But it's much less than on Earth, of course.
Student 1: Oh, yes. It says Mars has about 38 per cent of Earth's gravity.
Teacher: OK, let's see what you've found …

A TEAM MEETING ABOUT DIVERSITY

Nina: As you know, our team has grown a lot in the past year and we feel we need to
address the diversity in the team.

Brenda: How do you mean, 'address the diversity'?

Nina: Well, we all know that diversity in teams is a good thing, but it can also be a
challenge for some people to respect and value people's differences. We've got a really
diverse team here – people of different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, ages … and
sometimes I don't feel we make the most of this.
Stefano: Yes, and even if it isn't specifically challenging, many people are simply
unaware of the isolation that some team members may feel because they are different.

Brenda: So, what does this mean? What are we going to do?

Nina: Well, we need to create a workplace charter. You know, one that promotes
equality, diversity and inclusion.

Brenda: That sounds like a good idea. But will people just see it as something the
management team has created? Maybe they won't even pay attention to it.

Nina: I know. That's why we're going to involve everyone in creating it.

Stefano: That's a good idea. We could run some workshops and get ideas from the
employees about how we can create a more inclusive workplace.

Nina: Exactly. I was thinking that before that we could run some team-building sessions
so they can experience the value of diversity for themselves.

Brenda: Yes, I like that. Many people see diversity as something negative, often because
there are different opinions or ways of doing things.

Nina: Yes, I know, but if there's no diversity, then the risk is that we all work in the same
way, think the same and see the world the same. This makes it hard to be creative and to
innovate.

Stefano: I completely agree, Nina. OK. So, what do you want us to do?

Nina: Stefano, can you look for a successful trainer who specialises in running
workshops and team-building sessions on diversity and inclusion?

Stefano: Sure. I'll be happy to.

Nina: And Brenda, can you find a fun venue? Somewhere that is quite diverse itself.
Something that's not the usual seminar-style environment?

Brenda: Sure. That'll be fun.

Nina: And I'm going to do some further research into how other organisations are
benefiting from their diversity. I can share this with the whole team.

A WEATHER FORCAST
Hello and good morning! Well, we're off to a good start in the south this week, as most
of the rain from the weekend has disappeared – just a few patches of cloud and maybe
some showers here on the east coast. They'll all clear up by lunchtime, though. Over the
next day or so, London and the area around Kent can expect a couple of isolated
showers, but mostly dry through until Thursday.

It's not such good news for the north-west this week, I'm afraid: more wet weather, and
not a lot of sunshine. Some of today's showers will be heavy – and even thundery in
Manchester and across the Pennines. Leeds will escape the thunderstorms, with drizzle
and light rain only throughout the rest of the day and tonight.

Elsewhere it becomes dry today, but with some foggy patches towards Wales. In
England, tomorrow morning will see a dry, bright start in most places, with high
temperatures throughout the week. We might see one or two thunderstorms appearing
as the week goes on, with temperatures everywhere at 29 to 30 degrees.

By the weekend, unfortunately, the dry weather will make way for mostly cloudy skies
and rain. The rain will move from Scotland, down towards the north and reach the
south coast by Saturday afternoon. Temperatures, at least, will stay mostly warm at
around 21 degrees for the weekend. It might feel like a nice change from the high
twenties and early thirties we'll see in the week. That's all from me until tomorrow.
Enjoy the mini-heatwave while you can!

AN INTERVIEW ABOUT LISTENING SKILLS

Presenter: So, today's expert teacher is Gabriella, a university English teacher from
Leeds. Gabriella, hi and thanks for joining us today.

Gabriella: Thanks for having me!

Presenter: So, I have to confess today's topic is something I am really bad at: listening.
Most people say speaking is the most stressful part of learning a new language but, for
me, with my B1 German, speaking isn't so bad. At least I'm in control of it. But listening
… woah … people speak so fast and it's like my brain just shuts down. Am I just really
strange and bad at listening? Tell me, honestly, I can take it.
Gabriella: No, you're not strange. In fact, it's really common. You know, in exams most
people do pretty well in speaking compared with listening. Of course, exams are a
different situation from real life because in an exam you can't ask for something to be
repeated or explained. You usually have just one or maybe two opportunities to listen to
the dialogue and then it's gone.

Presenter: Right, but in real life I feel stupid always saying, 'Sorry, can you repeat that,
please?', especially if I still don't understand even when they repeat it. And people out
there listening, I hope you don't do this – quite often the person just repeats what they
said equally as fast and I'm still lost!

Gabriella: They do, don't they? In real life, you've got two strategies. One is to pretend
to understand and get out of the conversation as fast as you can.

Presenter: Yep, sounds familiar!

Gabriella: But, obviously that's not going to help if it's a conversation with high stakes.
It might have important consequences. I mean, if you're just chatting with a stranger at
the bus stop, it doesn't matter. But imagine you're at a government office or a bank,
trying to find out what paperwork you need to get your ID or open a bank account. What
can you do then?

Presenter: I hope you've got the answer, Gabriella, because I'm coming out in a cold
sweat just thinking about either of those situations!

Gabriella: The other strategy is to summarise what they said.

Presenter: But how can you do that if you didn't understand what they said?

Gabriella: Ah, well, you only start the summary, so you might say, in German in your
case, 'OK, so the first thing I have to do is …?' and make it a question. Or, for example,
'And which office is that again?' Break it down into smaller questions and the other
person will naturally start answering them. That way you're controlling the
conversation a bit more.

Presenter: I get you ...

AN INTRODUCTION TO A LECTURE
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the first lecture of our new course in Positive
Psychology. While some people may associate psychology with looking at what's wrong
with us, and at what problems we have, there is much more to psychology than that.
Positive psychology, for example, looks at how to help people become happier.

This lecture begins with a question: what makes a happy life?

Now, I'm going to give you one possible answer. A happy life is a life in which you are
completely absorbed in what you do. Now, how does this compare with what you and
your partner said?
This answer comes from the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and the theory of flow.
Csikszentmihalyi is a psychologist who has spent much of his professional life on the
study of what makes people happy and how we can find happiness.

Csikszentmihalyi suggests the theory that happiness is not caused by external events or
things that happen to us. Our perception of these things and how we see these
events either makes us happy or sad. In other words, if we want happiness, we have to
actively look for it. However, this does not mean that we should always look for
happiness! Csikszentmihalyi believed that our happiest moments happen when we are
in a state of flow.

The theory of flow can be summarised like this: when we are totally involved in, or
focused on, what we are doing, we are in a state of flow.

Csikszentmihalyi got the inspiration for this theory when he noticed how artists worked
in a studio. They completely lost track of time, they didn't notice they were hungry or
tired, and they could work for hours, even days, without stopping. Anyone I have spoken
to who has experienced this state of concentration has said it's difficult to explain. The
best way to explain it is that it is like being in a river and the flow of the water carries
you away.

For the rest of this lecture, I will explore this theory of flow in more detail. First, we will
look at Csikszentmihalyi's life, and how it influenced his ideas. Then we will look at the
conditions that go with a state of flow. What creates flow, exactly? Finally, we will look
at activities that can help us achieve flow in our everyday lives. Will this course make
you happy for life? Well, maybe. Maybe.

Right, let's get started. If you look at the next slide …

ARRIVING LATE TO SCHOOL

Student 1: Sorry. Sorry, excuse me. I'm just … just coming to sit over here. Phew. Hey.
How's it going? So, what have I missed?
Student 2: Nothing. He just started around five minutes ago.
Student 1: Did he say anything about the mid-term?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: About the mid-term tests. Did he say anything about when he was going to
hand them back?
Student 2: He's almost finished marking them, he said. We get them next Tuesday.
Student 1: I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. When do we get them?
Student 2: Tuesday. Next Tuesday.
Student 1: OK. Got it. Sorry. What page are we meant to be on?
Student 2: Page 34.
Student 1: Page … 34. Oh, wait. I don't have my textbook. Can I … share with you? Wow.
This is hard stuff.
Student 2: Mmm.
Student 1: What does SEO mean?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: SEO. This is all about SEO but he hasn't said what it means.
Student 2: Search engine optimisation. How to appear on internet searches.
Student 1: Internet searches. Right. Right. OK.
Student 2: He said what it meant.
Student 1: What?
Student 2: He explained it before you got here.
Student 1: Oh. Right. OK.
Student 2: Can you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to the lecture.
Student 1: So am I. Sorry. Sorry, one more question. What does this have to do with the
American Revolution?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: I don't get it. Why is he talking about search engines in a course on the
American Revolution?
Student 2: What are you talking about? This is a class on software engineering.
Student 1: You mean, it's not Early American History?
Student 2: You're in the wrong class.
Student 1: Oh, wow. Now it all makes sense. I'm so sorry.
Student 2: It's fine.
Student 1: Here, I'll just … excuse me. I'm in the wrong class. Excuse me. Thanks. Sorry.

AT THE CHEMIST
Chemist: Hello, can I help?

Customer: Yes, my wife sent me here. I, erm, need something for a sore throat … and I
can't stop coughing. It really hurts.

Chemist: Do you have a headache too?

Customer: Not really, no.
Chemist: Well, we have this syrup. And these lozenges.

Customer: Which is better?

Chemist: They're both good. The syrup is more expensive.

Customer: Oh, well … I'll take the lozenges, then. How many do I take?

Chemist: Just one.

Customer: Sorry, I'm sorry. Er, how often should I take it?

Chemist: Just one every four to six hours. Take it before mealtimes. Are you allergic to
any medicine?

Customer: No.

Chemist: Then you'll be fine with this.

Customer: Can I get some antibiotics too?

Chemist: I'm afraid you need a prescription for that.

Customer: Ah.

Chemist: You know, you should really see a doctor if that cough continues.

Customer: Thanks. I know.

Chemist: Anything else?

Customer: No, thanks.

Chemist: That'll be £7.49 then, please.

TALKING ABOUT A SERIES

Man: So, did you see the final episode last night?

Woman: Of course! As if I would miss that!

Man: And?

Woman: It was by far the best episode, definitely.

Man: Yeah, totally. The dragon at the end and all the special effects in that final scene
were amazing.

Woman: I loved that part! But I still don't think this series was as good as the others.

Man: Really? But you said you wouldn't want to miss it?

Woman: I know, but still … it's a lot more predictable than it used to be.
Man: But that's because the story has been told so well that all the characters are
reaching their destiny now.

Woman: I don't know … before, anyone could die at any time so it was exciting! But, this
series, no key characters died and we all knew they wouldn't. When Jaime fell in the
water after the dragon attacked him, we knew he would make it somehow. And … oh,
surprise, Bronn jumps in and saves him.

Man: They did kill some characters in this series, though. What was that one's name …?

Woman: Exactly, see! You can't even remember who died!

Man: Hmm. The only thing I didn't like about this series was that it was shorter than the
others. Seven episodes instead of ten. Maybe they spent all their money on that dragon!

Woman: Right! I don't understand why they did it, as all the fans would happily watch
ten episodes.

Man: I reckon that now they're not using the story in the books any more, they don't
have as many ideas.

Woman: That would explain why they're not being as brave with the story too. It's
more like a Hollywood film than a TV show now.

Man: So, is Tyrion still your favourite character?

Woman: You know … surprisingly, I think my favourite might be Cersei.

Man: What?!

Woman: She's so interesting! All the awful things she's done and the way she's just
aiming for revenge, even though it won't make her happy. She still surprises us because
we're expecting her to have a happy ending where she sees her mistakes and becomes a
good person. But she never does, no matter what it costs her. She's unpredictable
because we just can't believe anyone would be like her.

Man: I guess. You don't have to like a character for them to be your favourite!

MAKING A DECISION
Jani: Thanks for coming, everyone. So, we're here today to define the timeline for our
new project.

Emiko: Yes, Jani, that's a great idea.

Carolina: OK. What do you need from us?

Emiko: Hold on a moment. I think we need to decide between us what to do, to make
sure it works for all departments.
Jani: Yes, exactly, don't worry. We're going to discuss this and make a decision together.
Let's first think about the scheduling of each project phase. What do you think, Emiko?

David: Can I interrupt? I think we should first be clear about the process we'll use to
make the decision. How are we going to do it?

Jani: Ah, yes. Good point. Well, I think the best way is for each of you to give your
opinion and then we can discuss and make a decision.

David: OK. That sounds good.

Emiko: Yes, that works for me too. I know we're still planning the structure of the later
phases of the project, but I think we should begin phase one as soon as possible. We can
work out the rest later, as we go along.

David: I'm sorry, I don't think so. How can we start phase one if we're not fully clear on
where the rest of the project will take us? We might make a wrong decision and waste
time.

Jani: I agree with you on that point, David. However, we'll waste too much time if we
wait until everything is planned before we actually start working on the project. I think
we should take an agile approach.

David: Agile approach?

Jani: Well, it means that we start quickly and then adapt as we go along.

Emiko: That's right.

Jani: Carolina, you've been very quiet.

Carolina: Um … I'm sorry. I didn't want to interrupt. I'm listening … and thinking.

David: Do you agree we should get the plan right first, and then start with phase one?

Carolina: I'm sorry, David. I don't think I agree with you. It's important to have a good
plan. But plans can change, even the good ones – and business changes often. We need
to be flexible, and we also need to move quickly.

Jani: OK. So should we take a vote?

Emiko: Well, you're the project leader. Let's go with your decision.

Carolina: Yes, I'll follow your lead, Jani.

David: Well, I guess that's decided then. We'll follow your agile approach, Jani. Start
quickly and keep planning the later stages of the project.

Jani: Yes, that's right.

David: I still don't think this is the right decision, but I'm happy to go with the majority.
We should add some space into the schedule later for additional work this 'flexibility'
will need.
Jani: Don't worry, David, we will. OK, so it's decided then. We'll start phase one as soon
as possible, and in the background, we'll continue planning the later phases and adapt
them as we go along.

MEETING AN OLD FRIEND

Selina: Patrick? Is that you?

Patrick: Selina! Hello!

Selina: Well, well. Patrick Eastwood. How have you been?

Patrick: Good. Great, actually. How are you? I haven't seen you for ... how long?
Selina: It's been ages. At least fifteen years. Wow.

Patrick: Yeah. Wow.

Patrick and Selina: So, what are you doing here?

Selina: Sorry, you go first.

Patrick: OK. What are you doing here? I thought you'd moved to London.

Selina: I was in London for a couple of years. But it didn't work out.

Patrick: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you ... OK?
Selina: I'm fine! The dream job wasn't really a dream, you know? Um ... and London is
great but it's so expensive. I mean, just the rent on a flat is ... uh … crazy expensive.

Patrick: I see.

Selina: So, I came back. I've been back now for almost five months. Living back home
with Mum and Dad. Which is err ... interesting. Um ... but anyway, what about you?

Patrick: Me? Oh, nothing new. You know me – 'Patrick the predictable'. I never left here.

Selina: Oh. And is that ...?

Patrick: Oh, I'm very happy. I'm married now. We've just celebrated our tenth
anniversary.

Selina: No way! You? Married? To …?

Patrick: I don't think you know her. Her name's Marigold. And we've got two kids.
They're five and eight years old.
Selina: Married and with two kids? Wow!

Patrick: Don't look so surprised!

Selina: No, no … I'm just amazed how time flies! I'm happy for you. I really am.

Patrick: Thanks. You should really come round to the house one day.

Selina: That would be great. Let's swap numbers and ...

WORK LIFE BALANCE

Presenter: Good morning, everyone. On today's show, we've got Chris Svenson with us,
the author of No more nine to five, the new best-selling book about work–life balance in
the current working world. Good morning, Chris. Thanks for coming.

Chris: Thanks for having me, Anna.

Presenter: So, Chris, tell us about your book and how the concept of a work–life
balance has been changing?

Chris: Well, in the more traditional workplaces, people's working lives and their private
lives are, or were, clearly divided. People often work from nine in the morning until five
or six in the evening. People sometimes stay late in the office and work in the evenings.
This is called working overtime.

Presenter: OK, and what else?

Chris: Well, in these environments it isn't common for people to work at the weekend
or while they're on holiday. They can clearly separate their working lives and their
private lives. And the evenings, weekends and holidays are free to focus on non-work
areas of life, such as hobbies, interests, sports, spending time with the family and
friends, and so on. It's important and healthy not to spend all your time just working,
right?

Presenter: Right! So, what has changed? How are things different now?

Chris: Well, for a start, most people can now access their work emails from their mobile
phones. So, they are more likely to quickly reply to an important mail in the evening or
at the weekend. The same goes for laptops. It's easier to access your work in the
evenings from home or even from your hotel when you're on holiday.

Presenter: That doesn't sound like much of a work–life balance. It sounds like all work.

Chris: Exactly, but this new mobility brings a lot of advantages with it. More people are
now able to work flexibly, so if they need to leave the office early one afternoon to be
with their family, they can catch up on work that evening from home or somewhere
else.
Presenter: That sounds good. So, what you're saying is that although traditional
divisions between work and life are fading, many employees now have more freedom to
do their work from different locations and at different times.

Chris: Yes, that's it.

WELCOME TO TODAY’S SHOW

Presenter: Welcome to today's show. We're very happy to have Anna Oliveira as our
guest today. Anna is the creator and founder of HomeworX – spelled with an 'x' we
should note – an app which helps teenagers with their homework. Thanks for coming in,
Anna.

Anna: Thanks for having me.

Presenter: So, tell us about your app. How does it work?

Anna: Well, teenagers and their parents have numerous challenges when it comes to
homework these days. In many families both parents work and don't have much
available time to help their kids with their homework. And even if they do have time to
help, they may not be able to offer support with the content. What I mean is, they may
not know, or at least remember, enough in any given subject to support.

Presenter: You mean they might not be able to remember complex maths or might
have never studied certain subjects, such as biology or economics, themselves?

Anna: Exactly. So, they might want to support their children with their homework, but
have neither the time nor the knowledge to do so.

Presenter: I see. So, the app helps solve this problem?

Anna: Yes, and more. The next issue is that tutors can be expensive, and there may be
long waiting lists for specialist tutors in the town or region you live in. Our HomeworX
app brings students and tutors together online. Students can search a database of pre-
approved tutors and sign up for live online support. They don't need to be in the same
town or city.

Presenter: That sounds really great.

Anna: It is. And this approach also enables us to offer the tutoring services at lower
prices because there's no travelling time involved for the tutor to get to the student's
home. And tutors who live in remote areas are happy to get access to more students,
and be able to work from home, even at lower rates.

Presenter: This all sounds great. So, how did you come up with the idea?

Anna: Well, as you might guess, I was one of those parents I described earlier. I really
wanted to help my son with his homework, but I was either too busy with work or I
didn't actually know anything about the subjects he was having difficulty with. Also, we
live in an area where there aren't many tutors and the ones that are there are either
very expensive or have long waiting lists.

Presenter: Yes. I can understand your predicament. Well, it sounds like a very useful
app that is clearly meeting a need. And its popularity obviously speaks for itself.

Anna: Thank you.

Presenter: So, do you have plans for the future?

Anna: We've just secured some funding and hope to expand the range of services we
offer using the app.

Presenter: We wish you the best of luck. Thanks again for coming in. That was Anna
Oliveira, founder of the tutoring app HomeworX (with an 'x', don't forget!), which is
available for both Apple and Android devices. Join us again next week for another
business interview. Have a great week, everyone.

A DESIGN PRESENTATION
Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming to this short presentation on our new product design.
As you know, we've already redeveloped our 'Adventure' shampoo to make it more
modern and appealing. And we've renamed it 'Adventure Tech'. Our market research
established the target market as men in the 18–40 age range who like to be outdoors
and also like technical gadgets, such as smartwatches, drones and things like that. We
needed to create a bottle which appeals to that market.

So, today, I'm happy to unveil our new bottle design. As you can see, it's designed to look
like a black metal drinking flask, with some digital features printed on it.

I'd like to talk you through the following three points: the key features, sizing and our
timeline for production.

Firstly, you'll notice it has an ergonomic design. That means it fits smoothly into your
hand and can be easily opened and squeezed using one hand. And, it looks like a flask
you might use when hiking outdoors. The imitation digital displays are designed to
remind the user of other tech devices they may have, such as a smartwatch or smart
displays in their home.

I'd now like to tell you about the sizes. It comes in two sizes: the regular size and a small
travel size. The travel size is the same type of design – a flask, also with imitation digital
displays on the bottle. We were thinking of starting with one and following with the
travel-size in a few months, but we've worked hard and both are ready now.

Finally, I'm going to talk to you about our timeline for production. You've probably
heard that we're launching in two months. In preparation for that, we're starting the
marketing campaign next month. You can see the complete overview of all phases in this
Gantt chart.
In summary, the bottle's been designed for men who like adventure and technology, and
it comes in two sizes. The marketing campaign is starting next month and we're
launching the product in two months.

OK. So, any questions? Feel free to also email me for further information in case we run
out of time.

DETOX PODCAST
Presenter: So, we're back in the studio. Welcome back, everyone. My name's Rick
Walker. From our laptops to our televisions, from the displays on our smartphones to
those on our satnavs, we are in front of screens all the time. Have you ever wondered
what it would be like to disconnect completely? To choose not to have access to the
internet? If you have, you may be in need of a digital detox – a total switch-off from all
things digital. The idea of people taking a digital detox is becoming more and more
popular, especially amongst young people – and today we're joined by someone who's
tried a number of digital detox activities and is here to give us some advice about it.
Amanda Vince, welcome to the studio.

Amanda: Thank you very much.

Presenter: So, Amanda, you work for a fashion magazine in London, right? I guess your
work means you need to be online a lot.

Amanda: Oh, yes. Apart from the hundreds of emails I get every day, I'm always
browsing fashion websites, as well as online videos. I also need to be very active online,
especially on Twitter and Instagram – sharing what we're doing in the magazine,
interacting with designers, photographers, influencers … it never stops, literally. Then of
course there's my friends and family to keep in touch with online too, and for me, my
work grew out of my passion, so friends and work colleagues aren't two totally separate
groups of people and it all gets a bit messy online sometimes. I think I'm online for at
least 12 hours a day.

Presenter: So, how did you get the idea for a digital detox?

Amanda: I read a book about it, called Log Off: How to Stay Connected after
Disconnecting. The author's name is Blake Snow. That book gave me some really good
advice and made me think about trying to change some of my digital habits. I started
with removing distraction.

Presenter: What do you mean by that?

Amanda: That means turning off alerts, buzzes, alarms or notifications of any kind. I
had notifications set up for everything, and it meant I was always being forced to look at
my phone. Removing all of them except for important contacts helped me focus
immediately. The book also made a really good point, that we should ask ourselves
'Why?' every time we take out our phone. I realised that most of the times I looked at
my phone were because I was trying to avoid or ignore something else happening right
in front of me. It was an automatic habit.

Presenter: I have to confess, that happens to me too. But what else are you going to do
when you're standing in line at the bank or waiting for your train?

Amanda: OK, yes, I'm the first to admit that it's great for helping time go by. But
speaking personally, I found I wasn't just checking my phone to kill time when I was
alone. I was also doing it with friends or family around.

Presenter: Hmmm … right. Well, so far, this doesn't sound too drastic. Turning off
notifications and becoming aware of when we use our devices. That sounds easy.

Amanda: Yes, it's the first step. Once we begin to realise just how much of a grip our
devices have on us, then we're ready to really take the next step. First, my partner and I
did a weekend with absolutely no screens. She found it easier than I did. For me, it was a
little bit scary at first but it turned out to be a pretty rewarding experience.

Presenter: A whole weekend, huh? I don't know if I could ...

Amanda: I think everyone has to do this at their own pace. If a weekend feels too much,
maybe just try for an evening. Then work your way up to more. I guarantee, once you've
tried it, you'll want to try it again. We're going to try for a whole week in the summer.

Presenter: OK, let's pause there then and see what our listeners have to say. You can
call us here directly, or send us a message on any of our social media channels ... oops,
should I be saying that? Anyway, more after the break.

A LECTURE ABOUT AN EXPERIMENT

In today's lecture we're going to be talking about experiments, and I thought it might be
interesting for you all to learn about the world's oldest continuously running laboratory
experiment that is still going today. In fact, it holds the Guinness World Record for being
the longest-running experiment. This experiment began in 1927 and has been going
ever since.

It's called the 'pitch drop' experiment and it was created by Professor Thomas Parnell at
the University of Queensland, Australia. Parnell was the university's first physics
professor, and he wanted to show in this experiment that everyday materials, such as
pitch, can have quite surprising properties.

You see, when pitch is at room temperature, it feels solid. You can easily break it with a
hammer. However, it isn't in fact solid. At room temperature, pitch is many billions of
times more viscous than water, but it's actually fluid.

In 1927, Professor Parnell took a sample of pitch. He heated it and poured it into a glass
funnel. He allowed the pitch to cool and settle – for three years. He then turned the
funnel upside down and cut the top off it.
Since then, the pitch has slowly dropped out of the funnel. How slowly? Well, the first
drop took eight years to fall. It took another forty years for another five drops to fall.
Today it's been almost 90 years since the experiment started. Only nine drops have
fallen from the funnel. The last drop fell in April 2014 and the next one is expected to
fall in the 2020s.

The experiment has a tragic story associated with it. Professor Parnell died without
seeing a pitch drop. His replacement, Professor John Mainstone, became responsible for
the pitch drop experiment from 1961. He held the job for 52 years, and missed seeing
the drop fall three times – by a day in 1977, by just five minutes in 1988 and finally in
2000, when the webcam that was recording the experiment suffered a power outage for
20 minutes, during which time the pitch dropped.

The pitch drop experiment is something we can all participate in now. There's a live
web stream that allows anyone to watch the glass funnel and wait for the fateful
moment. A similar experiment to the Queensland pitch drop was set up in Dublin, and
the video of the moment the pitch actually dropped went viral on the internet. It's
interesting to see how a very slow event can spread news so quickly.

A TALK ABOUT MOTIVATION

So, we think we know how to motivate people, right? Offer them a reward. Do this and
you'll get this. Do this faster, earn more money. Do this better than everyone else, here's
a promotion. We offer incentives when we want people to do things. We do it at work, at
school, even at home with our kids. Tidy your room and you can watch TV.

But when social psychologists test whether incentives work, they get surprising results.
Sam Glucksberg, from Princeton University, America, set people a problem to solve and
told them he was going to time them to see how long they took. Then he put them in two
groups. He offered one group a reward for finishing fast. Five dollars for anyone
finishing in the top 25 per cent and 20 dollars for the person who finished the fastest of
all. To the other group he offered no incentive, but he told them he was going to use
their times to calculate an average time.

The first group, the ones with the reward, solved the problem faster, you'd think, right?
Well, no, they actually took three and a half minutes longer than the group who just
thought they were being timed. Incentive didn't work. In fact, it made them slower. This
experiment has been repeated, with the same results, many times. But in business we
still offer bonuses, promotions and rewards to staff.

That's fine if we want them to do something simple, like chop wood. We'll pay you more
if you chop the wood faster. An incentive works then. But if we want someone to do
something complex, something creative, something where they have to think, rewards
don't work. They might even have the opposite result, and make people perform worse.
Another study, by Dan Ariely, showed that the bigger the reward, the worse the subjects
performed on a complex task. The reward made them focus so hard on the result that
they couldn't think creatively any more.

And this all matters because more and more simple jobs will become automated. We'll
be left with creative, problem-solving jobs that computers will never do. And we need to
find a way to motivate people to do those jobs when we've proved the traditional
incentives don't work.

So what does work? Giving your workers freedom; freedom to work on the things they
want to work on, freedom to choose when, where and how they work. Want to work
from home three days a week, get up late and work into the night instead? Fine. Just do
the job well. And evidence shows people who choose the way they work get results.
Companies that give employees time during the week to work on things that interest
them and are not part of their regular job achieve amazing things. Some of the big tech
companies are good examples of this, with ping-pong tables and areas to relax in …

BUSINESS NEWS
The first item in the news today is the recent elections that took place across the
country. This was a crucial vote, which may see a dramatic change in how the country
develops over the coming years. Overall, a 54.5 per cent voter turnout was registered.
This represents an increase of 11 per cent over the previous election and six per cent
above the average for the past 50 years. There has also been a slight change in
demographics, with an increase in youth turnout in the 18- to 24- and 24- to 29-year-
old brackets. Despite this increase, young people are still less likely to vote than older
people; 84 per cent of voters in the 70 plus age group came to the polling stations.

Moving on, the global digital powerhouse ONK today posted quarterly results which
were above forecast. Back in March, Tim Bolling, CEO, issued a profit warning over fears
that there would be losses following the recall of their leading product, the 40d device.
In fact, the company posted quarterly revenue of US$14.8 billion which represents an
increase of 11 per cent from the same quarter a year ago. They also announced that they
had sold 21 million 40d devices over the quarter. The company has provided the
information that with this level of revenue, there will be a gross margin of 34 to 35 per
cent, ultimately leading to a US$1.20 per share cash dividend awarded to shareholders.

And in our final news item we ask, will we soon be saying goodbye to coins and notes
forever? The nationwide trend of using cashless payment options is increasing. There
are a number of reasons for this development. A key reason for this is a growing interest
in reducing the number of items people need to leave their homes with. As almost
everyone carries a smartphone with them, and many people also have smartwatches,
the ability to pay for things using one of these two technologies is particularly
appealing. More and more retailers are accepting cashless payments and, in some cases,
they've stopped accepting cash altogether.

CREATING A GROUP STUDY

Ali: Hey, you guys, I've been looking for you. I've got an idea – a study group. What do
you think? Are you interested?
Dina: Yes! I need a study group, in a big way.

Bea: Me too.

Ali: Do you think we have enough people here for a study group? I mean, there are only
four of us …

Bea: Sorry. Three of us. Chris can't do study group. Right, Chris?

Chris: Yeah, there's no way I can do a study group. I have an assignment and then I'm
too busy. But I'll stay for this first meeting.

Ali: Should we try and get another group together with us for this?

Bea: No, I don't think so. I think three is fine. Ideal size, really.

Dina: Me too.

Ali: OK, three people then. Four people for the first meeting. What next?

Bea: What about a meeting place? We can't meet here in the library …

Ali: It's not too bad, especially if those other people would go away.

Bea: But we can't exactly ask them to leave, and people might get annoyed with us
talking.

Dina: Can I say something here?

Ali: Sure, go ahead.

Dina: There's a study hall next to the cafeteria. It's almost always empty. Could we meet
there?

Ali: A study hall?! Who knew? Well, it sounds good to me.

Bea: Yeah. I've never been there but …

Ali: So, we ought to decide how long for and how often.

Dina: I read somewhere that you should make the meeting at the same time each week.
Like a seminar. That way we'd take it more seriously.

Bea: We may as well make it for this time since we're all here. Is this time OK?

Dina: Works for me.

Ali: Me too.

Chris: Hang on just a minute. I know I'm not going to be in this group, but aren't we
supposed to have a seminar at this time every other week?

Dina: Umm, no.

Bea: Thursday, no?
Ali: No, that's on Thursday.

Chris: Sorry. Forget I said anything.

Ali: Don't worry about it.

Bea: So everyone agrees that this time is fine? Every week?

Ali: How long should we make it?

Bea: An hour?

Dina: Could we find a way of making it two hours?

Ali: Two hours seems a bit like … too much. To start with then?

Bea: Ninety minutes? Compromise?

Ali: Is that OK with you, Dina?

Dina: Fine by me.

Ali: OK, so I guess all we have left to decide is exactly what we'll do when we meet. The
final exam is a way off. I guess we could review our notes, or practise learning things by
heart.

Dina: I have a list of dos and don'ts actually that I got online. I could be a moderator, and
we could use the ideas as a starting point …

FILM REVIEWS
Obviously, this is the sequel to Fun in the City, which is a film I didn't like so it's fair to
say my expectations were low. So, you could say I wasn't disappointed, as it met my
expectations. It was awful! It was so awful; I'd rather not spend any more time on it by
talking about it. But that wouldn't be a film review and I think I owe you all a review to
save you wasting your money going to see it.

So, it starts off with this big wedding scene. And, I won't go into why, but the whole
scene is just there so they can make this one joke. It's not even a funny joke ... it's just,
ah, it's just terrible. It's got nothing to do with the rest of the film. Anyway, it starts
there. Then, instead of the characters and the plot staying in New York where the
original film was set, one of them wins a ticket to India and decides to take all her
friends. It's what directors do when they've run out of ideas … let's take our characters
on tour!

Anyway, they gossip, cry and shop, and they repeat this until the end. No real people
would ever act like this. I didn't have any sympathy for their problems or even care
what happened to them. Don't go and see it, you'll only encourage them to make
another sequel. The world doesn't need three of these films. Please save your money
and go and see the other big film this week: Twilight Mirror.
So, if you're a fan of the book it's based on, you're probably as excited as I was about
this. For everyone else, this is a film fans have been waiting ten years to see. I have to
confess; I was a bit nervous. I'd seen the posters and they didn't look right. I didn't love
them at all. And I wasn't sure about the actors they cast either. So, I went in not sure
what to expect. But … I loved it.

One thing I really liked about it was the pace. They went backwards and forwards
between the real world and the computer world and it worked really well. The special
effects brought the computer world to life and I totally believed in it. But, more than
that, I felt emotionally connected to the story and the characters. The whole film worked
on so many levels. It reminded me of going to the cinema as a child – how much fun that
was. I can't recommend it enough.

GETTING ADVICE
Clara: Hi, how are you? I haven't seen you in class for a while.

Ben: Good, thanks. You?

Clara: Great, as long as I don't think too hard about all the essays, I have to write this
term!

Ben: Yeah …

Clara: Hey, are you OK?

Ben: I have to admit, I'm struggling a bit. Maybe even a lot. I've not been sleeping well at
all and then I can't concentrate. And all these things are just going around and around in
my head.

Clara: Mmm … that doesn't sound good. So, you're sleeping badly and you can't
concentrate. Is that all it is, do you think?

Ben: Well, if I'm honest, it's more than that. I'm starting to dread going outside. I find
myself worrying about stupid things like what if I forget the way home. Or, what if I go
to class thinking it's Monday but actually it's Friday and I'm in the wrong place at the
wrong time. It sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud. It took me two hours to
leave the house today.

Clara: It doesn't sound stupid at all. It actually sounds a lot like me last year.

Ben: Really? But you're so together!

Clara: I've learned to be, but even I still have bad days. I used to have panic attacks and
everything. When you were trying to leave the house today, how did you feel?

Ben: Like I couldn't breathe. And my heart was going way too fast.
Clara: Hmm … that sounds like a panic attack to me.
Ben: I thought I was going to die.
Clara: You'd be surprised how common they are. Loads of people have them, they just
don't talk about it.

Ben: How did you get over them?

Clara: I actually talked to a doctor about it, and you should too. But I learned some
practical things as well. Though they're easier said than done, and they're going to
sound weird, so hear me out, OK?

Ben: OK …

Clara: So, one thing I did was to try to reduce the power of the anxiety and the panic
attacks when they came. So – and this may sound strange – at a time when you're
feeling safe and OK, you literally do things that make your heart start racing faster and
your breathing speed up. Like spinning around on a chair until you're dizzy or
hyperventilating so you're short of breath.

Ben: That sounds awful!

Clara: It is, but it means you get used to the symptoms, so they feel less scary.

Ben: Right.

Clara: Then you have to deliberately do the things that usually make you feel panic. So,
if it's going to class on Monday and being scared you've got the wrong day, on Monday
you go to class. If you let the anxiety control you by making you stay at home, it just
makes it worse the next time you really do have to go out.

Ben: And what did you do if a panic attack came anyway?

Clara: I had a distraction plan. So, I walked everywhere instead of taking the bus
because the exercise helped, but also, I did things like count trees or red cars or
something. Whatever it was didn't matter, as long as I had something else to focus on.

Ben: I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I thought …

JOINING A GYM
Receptionist: Hello, welcome to Shake it Off Fitness. How can I help you?

Customer: Yes, thanks. I've been meaning to come in and find some information about
here for some time. I was wondering if you could help me?

Receptionist: Sure, of course. What would you like to know?

Customer: I saw on the sign outside that you have the best budget membership in the
city. Is that right?

Receptionist: You've got that right, yes. If you find a better rate, then we'll match it.
Also, we don't have any sign-up fees or cancellation fees.
Customer: Sorry, what was that last bit?

Receptionist: Cancellation fees. Some gyms charge you money if you leave before a
minimum number of months or something like that. We don't do that.

Customer: That's useful to know. Ummm, what times do you have?

Receptionist: We open at 5 a.m. and close at midnight.

Customer: Not 24 hours then, I see.

Receptionist: No. Almost, though! We tried doing the 24-hour thing, but there really
weren't a lot of people who wanted to do exercise at 2 in the morning.

Customer: Makes sense. Another question: do you have trainers? Like, will you do a
personalised evaluation of me?

Receptionist: Sure, we do. As we say on our brochure, we can show you what to do,
how to do it and why you're doing it. Have you worked with a personal trainer before?

Customer: Err, no. No, I haven't. No.

Receptionist: So, it's very easy. For your first visits we'll assign you one of our expert
personal trainers. He or she will design an exercise plan that's just right for you and
show you exactly what to do. We even include nutrition advice in the plan.

Customer: Let me get this straight. All of this is included in the price?

Receptionist: Yes, it is. If you want to continue with your trainer after the first few
classes, we can talk about that. It does cost extra though. OK?

Customer: Yeah. Sounds ... great.

Receptionist: Do you have any other questions?

Customer: Hmmm, yeah. Um, OK. Why should I choose here instead of any of the other
gyms in the city?

Receptionist: What, you mean apart from our competitive rates and personalised
attention?
Customer: Yeah, I guess.

Receptionist: Listen, here's a free day pass. Why don't you drop by and see for
yourself? That way you can talk to other members, see the facilities and our staff.

Customer: OK, I'll do that. Thanks very much!

OFFICE PARTY PLANNING

Ayako: Hello, sales department. This is Ayako speaking. How can I help you?
Sam: Hi, Ayako, this is Sam from Events-4-U. I'm calling about the piano you want at
your Christmas party next month.

Ayako: Oh, good. It would be a great surprise to have one there for our boss for the
night. He can play and it would be a great addition for the party. Have you been able to
source one?

Sam: Well, yes, I have, but …

Ayako: But what?

Sam: Well, we're going to either have an issue with the logistics or the budget, or
possibly both.

Ayako: Oh dear.

Sam: Well, we've found a baby grand piano, as you requested, and it's available for the
date you want.

Ayako: OK, great. So, what's the issue? Is it too expensive?

Sam: No, it's within the budget you gave me, so everything there is OK. But it's too wide
for the entrance doorway into the building.

Ayako: Oh, I see. So, what are our options? Could we dismantle it outside and
reassemble it inside?

Sam: Er, no. Unfortunately, you can't really do that with pianos. But don't worry, I'm
sure we can find some inventive solution.

Ayako: Do you have any ideas?

Sam: Well, we could hoist it up to the first-floor balcony. The door there would be large
enough to fit it through.

Ayako: Great. That sounds like a good plan.

Sam: That would work, though it would increase the cost considerably as we'd need a
crane, an extension on the insurance policy and probably two to three additional people
to manage getting it successfully into the building.
Ayako: Oh, I see. Well, we can definitely stretch the budget by about ten per cent, but
we shouldn't go over that. If we exceed the budget by more than ten per cent, then other
areas of the party budget will have to be cut. And we don't really want that.

Sam: OK, so this idea won't work then. Sorry if I wasn't being clear. The considerable
budget increase I was referring to would add a further fifty per cent. You know, cranes
are expensive.

Ayako: Oh … um … OK. So, what other options do we have?

Sam: Well, how fixed are you on the piano being a baby grand? Would an upright piano
be an option?
Ayako: Hmm. I don't know.

Sam: It would fit through the door on the ground floor and cause fewer problems. I've
also got the option on a really nice white vintage upright piano, with black design work.

Ayako: OK. That sounds like it might work. Could you send me over some photos of it?

Sam: I'll do it now, together with the rental and delivery information and costs.

Ayako: Great. Thanks, Sam. Let me think about it and I'll call you back later today.

Sam: Sure, no problem. I'll wait for your call.

TALKING ABOUT RUMOURS

Will: Kiera, have you heard John isn't coming back and they might even fire him?

Kiera: No! I knew he was away but I thought it was for personal reasons?

Will: I'm pretty sure that's not the full story. Have you ever worked with him?

Kiera: A long time ago, but … well, I've heard stories about him for years.

Will: I've never worked with him directly but I know people that have and they say he
was always shouting and screaming, threatening to fire people. And Susanne told me he
took credit for one of her ideas. She had this idea for a project and she brought it up at
the monthly creative workshop and he liked it – everybody did. But she saw the notes
from the meeting and there was no mention of her name anywhere. John had agreed
with her and repeated some of the things she said and the notes made it look like they
were his ideas in the first place. He made her do all the work planning it, then when the
project actually got started – it was that cars one – Susanne was moved to something
else.

Kiera: It won an award, didn't it?

Will: Yeah, but Susanne didn't get to share it – there was zero recognition of her
contribution. She was furious but she couldn't do anything about it. Not if she wanted to
keep her job.

Kiera: Yeah, it's almost impossible to report people who are as high up as John is, or
was.

Will: How did you find working with him, then?

Kiera: Well, you know what you said about him shouting at people? I've been in
meetings with him and we all learned to keep our mouths shut. It was horrible. People
were genuinely afraid of him.

Will: Did you ever see him stealing people's ideas?

Kiera: It was never that obvious. He was a genius. He had incredible vision but, you
know, there was a whole team of people working with him. Not every single idea came
from him and after a while it's not easy to say, 'Oh, this idea was mine and this idea was
yours.' For me, the bigger problem was that you could be in his good books and then
suddenly, with no explanation, you were out. And if you were out, life got very difficult.

Will: I heard women in particular had a hard time working with him.

Kiera: Yeah, well, like I said, you had to stay in his good books. So, if there was a
comment that made you feel uncomfortable, you didn't say anything.

Will: Did that happen to you?

Kiera: Not to me, no, but we all knew … and no one said anything. And I was lucky I
didn't have that much contact with him myself.

Will: They're doing a full investigation so I suppose a lot of these stories are going to
come to light.

Kiera: I hope so. I really hope he's not coming back.

A JOB INTERVIEW
Interviewer: Hello, Maria. Thanks for coming in for the interview.

Maria: It's my pleasure. Thanks for inviting me.

Interviewer: Well, as you know, the company has been expanding and we have an
opening in our HR department. We're creating a new role for someone to lead our
training and development within the company.

Maria: Yes, I very much think that my skills and experience are a good fit for what
you're looking for.

Interviewer: That sounds great. So, your CV looks strong, though it would be good if
you could give us an overview, in your own words, of what you've been doing over the
past four years or so.

Maria: Well, in my first job, four years ago, I was working for a small HR services
provider which offered HR services, including L&D, to corporate clients.

Interviewer: OK, so it was only B2B?

Maria: Yes, we only offered services to other companies, not B2C.

Interviewer: Right, and it says here you then left that company about three years ago.

Maria: Yes, that's right. I was looking for a little more stability and also to be part of a
larger organisation. So, I joined a company with around one hundred staff and a small
HR team. As there are only a few of us, we each deal with a range of HR topics. In
addition to payroll, one of the areas I was responsible for was learning and
development.

Interviewer: I see. And, so why do you want to change jobs now?

Maria: Well, I very much like the L&D side of my role and I've always had particularly
good feedback for my work in this area. I believe I excel in that field. So, I'm looking to
specialise, and as your company has around 2,000 people, right …?

Interviewer: Yes, that's right.

Maria: Well, an organisation of this size would give me the scope to specialise in L&D.
I'm also a big follower of your brand and feel fully aligned with your image and values.

Interviewer: Well, that all sounds good. And I can see you have an L&D qualification.

Maria: Yes, I got a diploma two years ago. I am also currently working on a further
diploma in psychology, with a specific focus on learning and performance management.

Interviewer: Very good. Well, it looks like you have the qualifications and experience
we're looking for. What do you think will be the main challenges of coming to a much
larger company?

Maria: I can see that it might be perceived as a weakness to not have experience in an
organisation of this size, though I see that it could also be a benefit. I won't be bringing
too many preconceived and possibly inflexible ideas with me to the role.

Interviewer: Yes, that would be a good thing.

Maria: Also, I'm used to taking a very personal approach to employee development. I
realise that such an approach with 2,000 staff members will have to happen in a
different way, but I bring many ideas with me that can be replicated on a larger scale.

Interviewer: I see what you mean. Right, so, do you have any questions for me?

Maria: Um, I think we've covered many of the areas I had wanted to address. I have two
quick questions though.

Interviewer: Go on.
Maria: Who would I mostly work with on a daily basis?

Interviewer: Well, there's the HR manager who you would report to. And then the HR
team, which currently has six people in it. There's usually an intern or two who you can
get some support from also.

Maria: OK. Thanks. That's all really clear. And my other question is how performance in
this role will be measured. What does success look like?

Interviewer: That's a good question. As you know, we have a performance

management system in place, and from that we have identified some learning and
development needs within the organisation. But we haven't devised a strategy. Your
role would be to devise and then successfully implement this strategy.
Maria: Thank you. That sounds interesting.

Interviewer: Great. So, thanks again for coming in today. We'll be discussing all
candidates next week and then I'll get back to you by the end of next week to let you
know the outcome.

Maria: Thank you for your time. I'd welcome the opportunity to continue discussing
this role with you.

A PROJECT MANAGEMENT MEETING

John: Thanks, everyone, for coming to this project meeting. I know we're all working
cross-functionally on this project, but so far, the key stakeholders are really pleased
with how it's going. This project will really benefit our overall value proposition and the
company as a whole.

Akiko: Thanks, John. It's an important project. It's good to be collaborating on this
together.

Matteo: Yes, it's important, but we're all so busy with our regular jobs. It'll be difficult to
fit things in.

John: It's OK, Matteo. We'll work it out. I know that you all have a lot on at the moment,
combining this project with your regular jobs.

Barbara: So, what do we need to do, and by when?

John: Good questions, Barbara. We have a number of key deliverables to discuss so it's
essential we're all in agreement about roles and responsibilities and also the timelines
we're working to.

Akiko: Great.

Matteo: Yes, it's good to get this clear.

John: So, the first thing we need to do is design the customer survey questionnaire. In
my experience, this is best done through an online survey tool.

Akiko: That sounds like a great idea. I'm glad you have experience with this.
John: Yeah, we've done something similar on previous projects.

Matteo: So will you do that, John?

John: I'd love to but I'm already tied up managing this project, and my line manager,
Kate, has agreed that I should focus on the timelines, reporting and financial
management. I'd like Akiko to lead on the questionnaire. You learned about this on your
marketing and PR course, didn't you?
Akiko: Yeah, happy to take it on.
John: Thanks, Akiko. Next thing is we need the new designs finalised. Matteo, you said
you could do this in a couple of weeks, right?
Matteo: Yeah, I know, but that was last month, and then nothing happened. I'm
overloaded at the moment and my line manager won't be happy if I don't hit my targets.
Sorry, but this project has to take lower priority.

John: Hmm. I see. I can understand the challenge you're facing. I've been in that
situation before. So, what can we do to help you hit those targets and free up some time?

Matteo: That's a good question. If I could get a slight reduction in my targets, I could use
the extra time that would create to finish the designs for this project.

John: OK. We might not be able to get your targets reduced, but I'll see what we can do.

Barbara: How about if I support Matteo there? I know his job well and I have some
capacity at the moment. I can help him meet his targets so he can free up some time to
finish the designs for this project.

Matteo: Could you, Barbara?

John: Hmm. I'm not sure if it's fair to ask Barbara to be supporting Matteo in his regular
job so he can work on this project.

Barbara: It's up to you, but I'm happy to support Matteo with his regular work, just for
a couple of weeks so he can create the designs. He's the only one with the expertise.

John: Yeah, you're right. OK, thanks a lot, Barbara. I appreciate it. Matteo, would that
work for you?

Matteo: Yes, that would work. Thanks. OK, you've made it easy for me to say yes.

John: OK, then that's settled. Thanks, both. I really appreciate your help in this. So, can
you get them done by the end of the month?

Matteo: Yes, that should be no problem.

AN INTERVIEW ABOUT 2 BOOKS

Presenter: Today we're looking at the darker side of literature with two books about
not-so-happy families. And we've got writer Helen Slade and book critic Anna Kimura to
talk us through them. First up, we're looking at Her Mother's Daughter by Alice
Fitzgerald, a novel written from two points of view, one of a child and the other of her
very troubled mother. Helen, I have to be honest. I found this one hard to read. It's very
well written but, well, how did you find it?

Helen: I know what you mean, but I literally couldn't put it down and stayed up till
three in the morning to finish it. There's something about immersing yourself in a family
this flawed, this damaged, that's compelling. You'd never want to be in that family
yourself, but that's what reading is about, isn't it? Wearing someone else's shoes for a
while without ever having to live their reality.

Presenter: You surprise me! The families in your own books are a million miles away
from this one.
Helen: Yeah, my readers can always be sure they're going to get a happy ending. Which
you definitely ... I don't want to give too much away here, but you definitely don't feel
like a happy ending is coming for these characters.

Presenter: OK, so don't mention the ending, but can you just describe for listeners what
the book is about?

Helen: So, it's about a family with secrets. The mother has hidden her troubled
childhood from her husband and her two children but, of course, it's shaped her entire
personality and how she behaves as a mother and as a wife. Which is especially obvious
when we're reading the sections told in the child's voice, even though the little girl
herself doesn't understand the meaning of everything she's seeing.

Presenter: For me, what was really so shocking was less what happened to the mother
when she was a child but how the mother treated her own children. Why is that, do you
think?

Helen: I think we're all programmed to see mothers as something sacred and pure. As a
child she was mistreated by her father, and in some ways we're not that shocked by
that, which is a sad thing in itself, and her own mother didn't help her. As a reader we're
less affected by that, I think, because that part of the story is revealed to us in the
mother's voice, the adult voice. But the reason the way she treats her own child is so
much more shocking is that the child is telling us about it and we sympathise with her.
It's very clever how the author plays on our natural instincts to protect a child.

Presenter: Though we do feel sorry for the mother too. Or, at least, I did.

Helen: It's hard not to. She's trapped in her own unhappiness.

Presenter: And we're trapped right there with her as the reader. It made me wonder,
Anna, why is it that miserable books like this one sell so well?

Anna: Because all of us have families. I suppose the books play out things we all see in
much smaller ways in our own family lives.

Presenter: The other hard-hitting book this week is We Need to Talk About Kevin by
Lionel Shriver. Now there's a family who have a problem!
Anna: They definitely do. Very few people will ever have a killer as a teenage son like
the narrator in the book, but we can all identify with the challenges and often terrifying
reality of raising teenagers!

Presenter: So can you give us the lowdown on Kevin, then, Anna?

Anna: This book is written from the point of view of the mother in letters she's writing
to her husband, Kevin's father. Again, we shouldn't say too much about the ending, but
the way the author uses the letters is very clever.

Presenter: I have to admit, I really enjoyed this book. It's a difficult topic, but it was
much easier to read than Her Mother's Daughter.
Anna: As Helen said before, it's about the voice of the narrator. There's no child's voice
and, in this story, the victims in many ways are the adults, though, of course, Kevin's
sister is a victim of her brother's evil.

Helen: Yes, and the idea of where 'evil' comes from is a theme that comes out in both
books. If you choose to call it 'evil' that is. I prefer to describe it as a complete lack of
empathy. The mother in Her Mother's Daughter had a terrible childhood, but Kevin's
from a happy home and good parents.

Presenter: Is he though? The mother often admits she found motherhood hard. Aren't
we supposed to think she might have caused Kevin to turn out the way he does? Just like
in Her Mother's Daughter.

Anna: Both books certainly look at how the mistakes of the parents affect children. And
this is another reason we relate to these books. Parents are always worrying if they're
doing a good job.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Marco: The big four-oh, Charles!

Dora: Oh!! It's your 40th!

Marco: Are you planning a party?

Charles: Nah, I never celebrate birthdays. I don't see why this one should be any
different.
Dora: Why not?

Charles: First, you know me, I can't be bothered with the hassle. It's my birthday but
I'm supposed to do all the hard work – contacting people, finding a venue, organising
food, worrying who will show up. No, thanks.

Marco: Ah, someone's angling for a surprise party, eh, Dora?

Charles: Marco, stop! Even worse. Having to pretend to be delighted 50 people just
sprang up in your living room when you thought you were coming home to put your
feet up. Probably having a heart attack at the shock.

Dora: Note to self: never to organise you a surprise party. OK then!

Marco: You've got to do something, though, Charles. It's your 40th.

Charles: Why? What's so great about getting old?

Dora: Er … still being here to have your birthday?

Marco: Yeah, 'Ageing is better than the alternative', as they say.

Dora: Yeah, and it's true – so why not celebrate?

Charles: You guys can have parties for your 40ths if you like. I just don't go in for that
kind of self-indulgent attention-seeking.

Dora: Wow, that's a bit harsh! I had a huge bash for my 30th. And you came. And
enjoyed yourself if I recall. Are you trying to say I was just doing it for attention?

Charles: Not exactly … but … well … at least a small part of you must have been.

Dora: Remind me not to invite you to my 40th then, so you won't have to put up with
my huge ego while I feed you and provide free drinks all night because I thought we
were friends.

Charles: I meant, er, I mean, not all attention-seeking is bad. It's just not my style is all.

Dora: Whereas it is mine?

Marco: Anyway ...

Charles: I didn't say that!

Dora: Er, yes, yes, you did. You said celebrating birthdays is self-indulgent and ...

Marco: Guys, guys! Who knew birthdays was such a touchy subject? Speaking of which,
I have to sort out my nine-year-old’s party the weekend after next.

Charles: Now, that's a party I'd love to organise.

Marco: Really? It's a nightmare. It's not like when we were kids. Now you have to take
them all rock-climbing or hire a make-up artist to come and teach them how to look like
a zombie or a film star. And there'd be trouble if someone else in school had the same
kind of party and your kid gets accused of copying. That fear you said about no one
turning up? It's a million times worse when you're scared your kid is going to have no
one turn up.

Charles: Is there that much pressure?

Marco: Yeah, it's crazy. Last year, I got it right with a cinema trip. Simple, but always a
winner. But we can't do the same thing again apparently. It says it in my 'Official Laws
for 9-Year-Olds' book.

Charles: That's a pity. I've got so many fond memories of birthday parties as a kid. Party
food and games and watching cartoons until your parents arrived.

Marco: Trust me, your parents were stressing out!

Dora: At the risk of restarting the argument, when do you think you stopped enjoying
birthdays then?

Charles: I dunno really … somewhere around moving away from home and getting a job
and being a grown-up. I don't mean birthdays are immature. I mean, it takes a while to
make new friends and so birthdays just become more low-key and it's drinks with a
couple of friends or dinner or something. And I just got out of the habit, I guess. Maybe I
just need to have a kids-style party like we used to have! Play musical chairs and eat
pineapple and cheese on sticks and all that.

Dora: Very retro. I bet people would love that.

Marco: Yeah, they would. Well, I would anyway. And maybe it'll catch on with my kids
and it'll start a new party trend.

Charles: You've got me thinking … it's not a terrible idea. Maybe I will have a party this
year!

CATCHING UP AFTER A TRIP

Dave: Jean, hi!

Jean: Hi, Dave. How are you?

Dave: Good, good.

Jean: Wait a second, I'm not calling you in Canada, right? You're back now, aren't you?

Dave: Yeah, I got back two days ago.

Jean: Oh good, phew. Because I wouldn't want to be calling you long distance without
realising it and suddenly ...

Dave: You've spent a fortune on a long-distance call. No, I know, it's OK. I actually
wouldn't answer the phone while I was over there if I saw the call was coming from
England. But no worries, we're in the same country now.

Jean: Yeah. So, how was the trip? Did you meet your long-lost uncle?

Dave: I did, actually. It was very good. I flew to Toronto and stayed there for a few days.
At first I was really worried about my accommodation because I kept reading these
appalling stories about rental flats going all wrong.

Jean: Oh, was it one of those?

Dave: Yeah.

Jean: My friend had a disastrous experience in Barcelona with one of them. The place
didn't look anything like the photos, and all the neighbours hated that there was a
holiday flat in their building. Awkward situation. Urgh.
Dave: Right. So, as I was saying, I was really worried because I heard these stories. And
at first, I couldn't find the place. Turns out I was in the wrong building. It was next door,
and on the top floor, and … wow. Jean, this place was fabulous! Really spacious, with
these floor-to-ceiling windows and the most scenic views of the city. I could see the
lake and the whole city skyline and skyscrapers from my bedroom. I had to pinch myself
to prove I wasn't dreaming.

Jean: Sounds pretty cool. So, what's it like? The city, I mean. I've always wanted to go to
Canada.

Dave: It's nice. I mean, it's another big, vibrant, modern city. But it's really clean, and
there's lots of parks. One of the things I liked was the multiculturalism. We visited
Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, Little India … umm, I can't remember the others but
it was sort of a new area every three or four blocks, you know?

Jean: Hey, is it true that there's a whole part of the city that's underground? I read that
somewhere about Toronto, or saw it on some TV show.

Dave: It's true! I asked about that. They call it the PATH. There's, like, almost 30
kilometres of restaurants, shops, cinemas and stuff all underground. In the middle of the
downtown area.

Jean: Amazing!

Dave: Yeah, but actually once you're down there it's not that noticeable. There's actually
a lot of natural light. I forgot we were underground. It's mostly useful to get out of the
cold weather.

Jean: What temperature was it while you were there?

Dave: It was still only November, but it was getting cold. We had at least a day where it
was less than zero. My uncle told me that in January and February it can go down to 20
below zero.

Jean: Oh, wow. I think I'd die!

Dave: Yeah, and the worst thing was what they call the 'wind-chill' factor. So they say
the temperature is zero degrees, but minus eight with the wind chill. So it feels like
minus eight. And my uncle said the wind-chill factor can go down to minus 40.

Jean: Stop it! You're making me feel cold just thinking about it. So, how was meeting
your uncle? The famous Uncle George.

Dave: That was great too. He lives outside of Toronto, in a cottage by a lake. Really
tranquil and unspoiled nature.

Jean: I'm dying to see photos. You want to meet up soon? Or are you too jet lagged still?

Dave: Yeah, I'm actually free tomorrow if you like.

 CHALLENGES AT WORK
A

I'll never forget the first time I met our new contact from Retro link, one of our top five
customers. I had travelled to their office to meet him in person, talk about the history of
our companies together and define a shared vision for future co-operation. I wanted to
focus on building a good relationship with him which would be a good foundation for
working together.

So, when we met, I wanted to make a good impression and also show him respect. I
greeted him with a handshake and addressed him by his surname. When I put my hand
out, I realised he had been moving in to give me a hug, so we did an awkward mixture of
the two! Also, when I greeted him by his surname, he responded politely, though he
used my first name. It was all a little uncomfortable.

In this situation, I guess I made assumptions about the level of formality he expected.
Even though he had never met me before, he knew our two companies had been doing
business with each other for years and he wanted to build on that history by being less
formal with me from the beginning. The real learning here for me was that I shouldn't
assume we all have the same ideas about meeting people for the first time.

I'd never worked with a virtual team on an international project before. It was quite
exciting, though also challenging to work with people from different countries, many of
whom I would never actually get to meet in person. There were a lot of things that were
different about working in the same office and it was quite challenging at the beginning.

For example, there were different time zones, different IT systems and even different
local regulations, which impacted on what each person was allowed to, or able to, do for
the project.

There were also interpersonal differences, such as different ways of working,

approaches to deadlines and when to reply to emails. And we shouldn't forget the fact
that English was the project language and that most people on the team had to work in a
language which wasn't their first. A positive of this was that it meant that everyone,
including the native English speakers, had to make the effort to communicate clearly
and clarify their own and everyone else's understanding.

To help us all get on the same page, we defined the communication norms and the rules
the team would follow, as well as the meeting dates and deadlines. We laid this all out in
a document called a team or project charter. This was really useful and in the end the
project was a great success. I'm looking forward to working on my next international
project.

C
I went through a bit of a rough patch last year at work. I was already committed to too
much and then we lost a team member through restructuring and I quickly became
overloaded. This led to me doing too much overtime and feeling very stressed. My boss
was really helpful and she pushed back against the unrealistic targets that had been set
for our department. She also introduced me to the smart approach to goal setting. It's an
acronym, S-M-A-R-T. You use it to create goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant and Timely.

I used this approach to deal with all of the things that were overloading me. It helped
me to prioritise some tasks, to do some later and to drop some completely.

I often use this approach now and feel much more in control of my time and workload.

Have you ever missed a flight or had one cancelled? I did. It happened to me last week.
My flight home from a business trip was the last one of the day and we were told it was
going to be delayed. That's always a risk at the end of each day. The ground crew kept
extending the delay until eventually they cancelled the flight completely. They then told
us to go back through the airport to the departures area to talk to their agent who
would organise hotels for everyone and rebook us on the following day's flight.

As soon as they made the announcement about the cancellation, I knew I had to think
quickly as it would not be likely that the flight would have capacity to take everyone
from my cancelled flight. I hurried back through the airport and was one of the first to
make it to the desk. That turned out to be a good idea, as there were only nine seats
available on the flight the next morning. Everyone else had to fly to a different airport
and then continue back to our destination airport in coaches. Lucky me! Right?

INNOVATIONS IN BUSINESS
Welcome to today's Business4U podcast. The focus of this podcast is to think about
innovation and why it's important, and also to look at different types and stages of
innovation. By the end of it, you will hopefully have a better grasp of the topic of
innovation and be able to better understand and drive innovation in both your working
and personal lives.

So, why is innovation important? Well, simply put, without innovation it would be
difficult to make progress. Organisations and societies would stagnate. Innovation is
what drives us forward. It's what forces us to compete in the business world. It's what
leads to better products and services, and solutions to new and existing problems. From
a business point of view, it's also something which is necessary for survival.

Four key types of innovation are incremental, disruptive, architectural and radical.

Incremental innovation involves innovating in increments, or small stages. Step by step.

It focuses on existing markets and technologies and aims to make improvements and
design changes to existing products and services.
Disruptive innovation aims to bring new ideas, like technology or processes, to existing
markets. In that sense, the innovations will disrupt the market and the companies
currently serving that market. The first touchscreen smartphones disrupted the mobile
phone industry because up to then, mobile phones had buttons and keypads.

Architectural innovation involves taking successful ideas from one market or industry
and applying them to a new or different market. This often happens when people think
of other unconventional uses of existing technology. A good example of this can be seen
in vacuum company Dyson's entry into the hand dryer and hairdryer market. Their
advanced airflow technology from their vacuum cleaners was applied in reverse to
machines that blow out air. In the case of these examples, it's personal hairdryers and
hand dryers in public toilets.

And finally, we come to radical innovation. This is where a completely new idea is
created for a market that doesn't exist yet. It's often what we think of when we think of
innovation and it often swallows up existing markets. For example, the birth and growth
of digital and downloadable music has practically led to the death of music CDs, and
even DVDs. Similarly, film and TV streaming services may lead to the demise of
traditional TV within a few short years.

Moving on from types of innovation, let's have a quick look at five key stages of
innovation.

The first stage is Idea generation. This is where you think of the initial idea and develop
it into a more detailed proposal or plan.

The next stage is Support. You need to check if you can get support for it, for example
from senior leaders or stakeholders in your company. If you're innovating in your
personal life, then the support you might need could be from friends or family. Do they
think it's a good idea and do they think it would work?

The third step is to Experiment and test out the idea. This could mean creating a sample
or a prototype of it, if it's a product. Or if it's a service, you could test out a basic version
of it.

The fourth step is Evaluation. You need to assess how successful your experiments were
and what chances of larger success your idea will have.
And finally, you then need to actually Implement your idea. That's the fifth stage.

So, there you have it. We've looked at four key types of innovation: incremental,
disruptive, architectural and radical, and also five stages of successful innovation:
firstly, idea generation. Then, get support. Next, experiment and test out the idea. The
fourth stage is evaluation and finally implementation.

INTROVERTS
If I asked you to describe a great leader, I'd be willing to bet certain traits come to mind
… someone charismatic, dynamic, inspiring, a confident public speaker. You're probably
imagining a man too, but that's a bias we'll save for another talk! We tend to think of
great leaders as people who naturally take to the stage, who draw other people to them
by their sheer presence, who are extroverts. But history has also been transformed by
people who don't fit these descriptions. People like Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt and
Gandhi. These people would have described themselves as shy, quietly spoken … as
introverts.

Of course, we're drawn to extroverts. They're usually charming and persuasive, fun to
be around. They're not quietly in the corner somewhere reading a book where we might
not notice them. Introverts are mostly happy to let the extroverts take the
attention; they'd rather not be in the spotlight; they'd rather finish that book. If they
become leaders, it's not because they want to be the centre of attention, it's because
they feel compelled to act. They lead not because they enjoy giving orders but because
circumstances have put them in a position to make change. If they're the boss, they
allow space for the ideas of others to grow because they're not trying to make their
mark. An introvert sounds like a pretty good boss, right? You won't need to worry about
them stealing your ideas or talking over you in a meeting.

Some of our great creators are introverts too. People like the writer JK Rowling, the
great thinker Darwin and the designer of the first Apple computer, Steve Wozniak. It
turns out coming up with good ideas is easier when you're engaged in quiet, solo
contemplation than when you're leading the cheerleading squad. Not that I'm saying
there's anything wrong with cheerleaders! Extroverts are great – some of my favourite
people are extroverts. But why is the world so set up for extroverts and so hard for
introverts? Why are we always encouraging our kids to speak up, join in, work as a
team?

Nowadays, most schools and most workplaces are set up with the extrovert in mind.
Children no longer sit in rows in desks, they sit in groups of four or six, doing group
projects. Even subjects like maths and creative writing are taught with an emphasis on
group collaboration, even though most writers sit alone in front of their computer or
typewriter, with nothing between them and the blank page. A kid who prefers to go off
into a corner and work alone starts to look like a problem. What's wrong with Janie?
Why isn't she joining in? Studies show teachers think extroverts make better students,
even though introverts actually tend to get higher grades. We're telling our introverted
kids something is wrong with them, that they need to be more sociable, more outgoing.
We're giving them fewer opportunities for the quiet contemplation they need in order
to produce the best work and be their best selves.

And then at work we do the same. Most offices today are open plan, everyone working
and creating noise in one big room, attending team-building workshops or group
brainstorming sessions; the introverts' worst nightmares. The introverts at school are
judged negatively by their teachers and when they reach the workplace, they're passed
over for promotion into leadership positions. But introverts typically take fewer risks
and make more careful decisions, and don't we need those traits too?
I'm not saying let's get rid of extroverts and grab all those talkative, sociable performers
at primary school and send them off to the library for four hours a day of solitude until
they learn to tone it down. I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying we're doing something
like the opposite of that to introverts and we need to stop. We need to allow them space
to be themselves and then we'll end up getting the most out of our extroverts and our
introverts. Let's teach all our kids how to work with others and how to work on their
own. Let's create space in offices and at conferences for people to work on their own
when they want to and give them the opportunity to come together to share ideas. Let's
give staff 'away days', where they go off into the woods, walk up a mountain or
wherever, to work on something alone, as well as the 'team-building day' where
everyone learns to dance salsa together.

The future is complicated, with a lot of huge, complex problems to solve. Let's make
sure we've got our best people working on those problems in the way that suits them
best. And then we've got to make sure we listen to our extroverts and our introverts and
everyone who sits somewhere in between on the scale. We're going to need all of them.

RENTING A HOUSE
A

We saw the ad in the summer, in about July, I think, but we weren't really serious about
moving then so we didn't even go and see it. It wasn't until November when they
readvertised it that we got in touch with the agency and had a look. They'd put the price
down since the summer too, I suppose because it had been empty so long, so that made
it more affordable for us which helped us make up our minds. It was perfect – a bigger
garden for the kids and enough space for an office. In winter it was lovely, very cosy, in
fact, which is important to me as I really feel the cold, whereas my husband will open a
window when it's minus temperatures outside! Anyway, in July when summer really
started and we had that heatwave, we understood why no one had wanted to rent it
over summer. It was boiling! All those lovely big windows that made the flat so light and
open were like a greenhouse as soon as it got warmer. From about 8 in the morning
until 7 in the evening, it was like living in a sauna! We couldn't stand being at home, and
weekends were especially bad. No air conditioning, of course. If only we'd gone to see it
when it was first advertised in July, we'd never have moved in!

I always rent apartments when I go on holiday, rather than staying in hotels. Hotels are
so impersonal, aren't they? This way you get to feel like you really live in the place
you're visiting. It's the first time I've done it the other way round, though, and rented
out my place … but it seemed like a good way of making some extra money. The website
is really easy to use and they only charge five per cent commission, which is lower than
a lot of the other holiday rental sites. It's all about the photos and the reviews. Get the
photos right and the place can look really upmarket and spacious, but you don't want to
make it look too much better than it really is or you end up with a bad review. It's better
to undersell and overdeliver so guests are pleasantly surprised and leave an extra
positive review. So far, I'm averaging three stars because of one bad review that brought
my average down from four and a half stars, but hopefully I'll get it back up during the
busy season.

Buying a house seems so far out of my reach it's almost impossible, as it is for loads of
people my age these days. My parents always told me renting was throwing money
away, but it was different in their day. Then people could afford to buy a house on a
normal salary, but nowadays house prices are so high and no bank will look at you
unless you've got a huge deposit. The problem with my dream of buying is that it's
never going to come true. Not unless my parents help me out, but I've got two sisters
and we're all in the same position. At least they've both got good jobs. Not good enough
to buy a house, but at least they can afford to rent places of their own in nice areas. I just
don't earn enough to rent around here. Even if I get promoted to manager, it'll be tough
to find somewhere unless I share, and call me fussy, but there aren't that many people I
want to share a bathroom and kitchen with. Some days I think I'll be stuck living with
my parents forever – even renting is like a dream to me.

At first our landlord was really helpful, couldn't do enough for us. You hear stories of
nightmare landlords and we felt like we were really lucky, or so we thought anyway. He
redecorated the whole place, from top to bottom, and let us keep all the bills in his name
so we didn't have the bother of contacting all the companies ourselves. He even offered
to come round and do the gardening as he knew we both worked long hours and might
not have time. That's where the problems started now, I look back. Then he'd pop round
'just to check everything's OK for you' … once a month, then twice a month. Soon he was
coming every week with some excuse or other. In the beginning we'd invite him in for
tea, but it was only encouraging him, so when we realised, we'd try to have the
conversation on the doorstep instead. It got so bad we pretended to be on our way out if
we saw him coming up the path. We'd grab our coats and walk round the block until
he'd gone. I don't know if he was just lonely or just didn't trust us not to ruin his
precious house. In the end we gave our notice and found somewhere else. It's a shame
because we really loved that house, but at least it's more peaceful in the new place.

TECH ADDICTION
Presenter: The sound of kids hanging out together. Or, at least, how it sounded a few
years ago. Nowadays a group of, well, just about anyone – kids, teens, tweens, their
parents – might sound a lot more like this …

Most of us spend hours a day with our heads bent over our smartphones. Research
suggests teenagers spend as many as nine hours a day, while pre-teens spend up to six.
Teen voice: I don't know, it's, like, the first thing I do in the morning, check in and see
who's posted anything overnight. It's my alarm clock so I kind of have to look at it and
then, you know, it's pretty hard not to scroll through.

Presenter: And it's not just teenagers and millennials, Generation X and even the Baby
Boomers are almost as bad.

Adult voice: I'm online most of the day for work and you'd think I'd be sick of screens
by the time I get home, but most of my news comes through Facebook and I'm really
into food so I'll hold my hands up to being one of those people who posts photos of their
meals.

Presenter: But are we addicted to our phones and apps? And does it matter? Former
Google and Facebook employees certainly think so. So they've set up a non-profit
organisation, the Center for Humane Technology, to reverse the digital attention crisis
and promote safe technology for children.

Expert: Anyone who's seen queues round the block for the latest iPhone has to wonder
what these people are thinking. You've literally got people sleeping in the street to get
the newest device, probably not even talking to anyone else in the queue because
they're on social media, taking selfies in the queue to post to Instagram. If that's not
addiction, it's certainly obsession.

Presenter: A more formal definition of addiction describes it as a repeated involvement

with an activity, despite the harm it causes. Someone with an addiction has cravings –
that feeling that you haven't checked your phone for two minutes and can't relax until
you get your hands on it again. They may have a lack of self-control and not realise their
behaviour is causing problems – like texting while cycling or falling off a cliff taking a
selfie. And, in case you're wondering, I read about both of those via the news app on my
phone, which updates every couple of minutes with the latest stories … definitely
addicted. So the 'Truth about Tech' campaign by Common Sense Media and the Center
for Humane Technology couldn't come fast enough for most of us. But it's children who
are probably most at risk because of the effect tech addiction might be having on their
brain development. Professor Mary Michaels of the Atlanta Future Tech Institute has
been working with very young children. Mary, thanks for dropping by. What is your
research telling us?
Mary: Well, we know that screen time is affecting key aspects of healthy child
development, like sleep, healthy eating and what psychologists call 'serve and return'
moments, which are when parents respond to babies seeking assurance and connection
by making eye contact, smiling or talking. All perfectly normal things we do and which
help lay the foundations of babies' brains. It's much harder to engage with a baby
normally if you're looking at your phone. Or, even worse, if parents give a crying child a
phone to distract them instead of talking to them or hugging them, and that might lead
to them failing to develop their ability to regulate their own emotions.

Presenter: And what about older children?

Mary: Again, we know that teenagers who spend a lot of time on social media are 56 per
cent more likely to report being unhappy and 27 per cent more likely to suffer
depression. Teenagers are especially vulnerable because they're more sensitive to highs
and lows anyway, so we're looking at, potentially, higher instances of suicide,
schizophrenia, anxiety and addiction in teens which is exacerbated by dependence on
technology.

Presenter: It sounds like a vicious circle. They're more likely to get addicted to
smartphones and social media and that addiction itself makes them candidates for other
addictions.

Mary: Yes, that's right.

Presenter: Time to stage an intervention! Is there anything we can do to make tech less
addictive?

Mary: Setting devices to greyscale, which is basically black and white, might make them
less appealing. Scrolling through a newsfeed of boring, washed-out photos just doesn't
create the same rush as bright colours perhaps. And you can turn off the notifications
that are constantly pulling you back in to check your phone.

Presenter: So is it ...

THE HELIX
I'd like to turn now to the object which is the main point of this talk: the helix. This is a
fascinating mathematical object which touches many parts of our lives. Movement, the
natural world, the manufactured world and our genetic make-up are all connected to
the shape of the helix.

A helix is a type of three-dimensional curve that goes around a central cylindrical shape
in the form of a spiral, like a corkscrew or a spiral staircase. The helix is a very popular
shape in nature because it is very compact. In fact, helices are sometimes referred to as
'nature's space saver'. In architecture too, the helix shape of a spiral staircase is an
attractive option in buildings where space is very restricted.

The most renowned type of helix is probably the double helix of DNA, or
deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is made of two helices that curve around each other, a bit
like a twisted ladder. DNA contains the genetic information or 'code' that determines
the development and functioning of all known living things. The helix shape is a very
efficient way to store a long molecule like DNA in the limited space of a cell.

There are different types of helices. Helices can twist clockwise, right-handed, or anti-
clockwise, left-handed. An interesting experiment is to hold a clockwise helix, such as a
corkscrew, up to a mirror. The clockwise helix appears to become counter clockwise.

We can perceive examples of helices in many areas of our world. Spiral staircases,
cables, screws and ropes can be right-handed or left-handed helices. A helix that goes
around a cone is called a conical helix. Examples of conical helices are screws or the
famous spiral ramp designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the Guggenheim
Museum in New York.

Helices are also prevalent in the natural world. The horns of certain animals, viruses,
seashells and the structure of plants, flowers and leaves can all contain helices. The
human umbilical cord is in fact a triple helix.

With the discovery that the helix is the shape of the DNA molecule, it is not surprising
that the helix is found in so many areas. It's one of the most natural shapes in nature.

Let's turn our attention now to the mathematical description of the helix. You'll need a
pen and paper for the next part of the talk as I am going to give you some variables to
write down. Take your time to notice the different ...

HISTORY OF HAND GESTURES

Earlier on in today's lecture, I mentioned the importance of hand gestures and said that
I'd touch on some of these, pardon the pun! Hand gestures are, of course, often
culturally bound and can vary from group to group. But there are a few of them which, if
not universal, are very common indeed around the world. I'd like to focus on the history
of four gestures in particular: the salute, the thumbs up, the high five and the
handshake.

The salute, a gesture most associated with the military, may have originated in the 18th
century. The Grenadier Guards, one of the oldest regiments of the British Army, used
helmets in the form of cones. These were held in place by chinstraps. It was difficult to
raise your helmet when greeting someone, so the soldiers simply touched their head
with one short movement of the hand before quickly putting it back down again at their
side.

The thumbs-up gesture apparently goes back a lot further. It's widely believed that this
gesture goes back to Roman times when gladiators fought in front of the emperor and
eager crowds in the Colosseum. The fallen gladiator's fate was decided by the audience.
If they felt he had fought well, they showed their approval with a thumbs-up gesture.
The emperor would then confirm this and thereby would spare the gladiator's life. If the
crowd gave a thumbs down, on the other hand, that meant execution.
However, there are no reliable historical references to thumbs going either up or down
in the Colosseum. It may be that if the crowd wanted to spare the gladiator's life, then
they would actually cover up their thumb and keep it hidden. They would only extend
their hand and thumb if they wanted the gladiator killed. This actually makes more
sense, as the emperor could much more easily see what the crowd was indicating when
looking out over a huge arena.

The high-five hand gesture is almost universally used as a greeting or celebration. Many
see its origins in baseball. Two US teams lay claim to inventing the high five: the Los
Angeles Dodgers in 1977 or the Louisville Cardinals in 1978. It's quite likely that it was
neither, and the gesture might have a much earlier origin again. It is very similar to a
1920s Jazz Age gesture known as the 'low five', or 'giving skin'. This gesture involved
people slapping each other's lower hands, also in celebration. There are, in fact,
numerous references to the low five in films of the era. Perhaps the high five is just an
evolution of that gesture.

The final gesture I'm going to mention today is the handshake. It dates back as a
greeting at least as far as Ancient Greece. In the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the base of
one of the columns shows goddess Hera shaking hands with Athena, the goddess of
wisdom and courage. It's thought that shaking hands, rather than bowing or curtseying,
showed both parties as equals. In 17th-century marriage portraits in Europe we find
many examples of handshakes between husband and wife. Now, of course, the
handshake has a multitude of uses: meeting, greeting, parting, offering congratulations,
expressing gratitude or completing an agreement. In sports or other competitive
activities, it is also done as a sign of good sportsmanship. In this way, the gesture has
not strayed from its original meaning to convey trust, respect and equality.

A GOOD NITGHT SLEEP

Host: At exam time it is important to sleep well. Today we have Doctor Baker with
us in the studio and he is going to give us five top tips for getting a good night’s
sleep. Welcome to the show, Doctor Baker.
Dr Baker: Thank you. It’s great to be here. Let’s start with tip one. Don’t go to bed
with the television on. Some people think they can sleep well with the TV on, but the
noise and lights mean you don’t really sleep well, so turn it off!
Tip two: Don’t think too much before bedtime. Do your hardest homework earlier in
the evening. Do easier homework later. If your brain is too busy and full of ideas it
takes longer to get to sleep.
Tip three: Don’t play video games for an hour before you go to sleep. They also
make your brain too busy and active.
Tip four: Turn off your cell phone when you go to bed. What is so important that it
can’t wait until the morning? If possible, leave your phone in another room.
Tip five: Play music if you like. But don’t play it too loud. Turn the sound down low.
Host: Thank you, Doctor. That is very useful advice for our young listeners.
 AT THE LIBRARY
Lucy: Hello.
School librarian: Hello, what’s your name?
Lucy: My name's Lucy.
School librarian: And what's your surname, Lucy?
Lucy: Moore.
School librarian: Can you spell that?
Lucy: M-O-O-R-E.
School librarian: Thank you. What class are you in?
Lucy: Class 1B.
School librarian: Class 1B. And how old are you, Lucy?
Lucy: I'm 13.
School librarian: Have you got a photo?
Lucy: Yes, here you are.
School librarian: Thank you ... OK, thank you, Lucy. Here's your school library card.
Lucy: Thanks. Bye.
School librarian: Goodbye.

BAND AUDITIONS
Boy: Ah, band auditions. Great! I’d love to be in a band! ... Hi. Is this the band
audition?
Girl: Hello. Yes. So, you'd like to be in our band?
Boy: Yes, I love music.
Girl: Well, we need a singer, a guitarist and a drummer.
Boy: Oh, I love singing!
Girl: OK, so you can sing. Let’s sing the beginning of this song.
Boy: (singing) Tonight I'm going to have myself a real good time. I feel alive ...
Girl: Right, OK, mmm, maybe not. Can you play an instrument?
Boy: Er, well, I can play the guitar a little.
Girl: OK, let's hear you. What can you play? ... That's it?
Boy: Er, yeah. I can't remember any more.
Girl: Erm, can you play the drums?
Boy: Yeah, sure.
Girl: OK! OK! STOP! That's enough. Erm, what about the maracas? Can you play the
maracas?
Boy: Yes, I can. (singing) Young and strong and ... er ...
Girl: Great, great! Hmm ... thanks for coming. I’ll call you next week.

DESCRIBING PEOPLE
Aurelia: Who’s that boy over there, Hannah?
Hannah: That? Er, that’s my brother, Jem.
Aurelia: Your brother?
Hannah: Yes, and that’s his girlfriend Lucy. The pretty girl with the long, brown
hair.
Aurelia: Oh right. So, you’ve got a brother?
Hannah: No, I’ve got two brothers. Jem and Alex.
Aurelia: Really? ... and ... how old is Alex?
Hannah: Alex and Jem are twins, they’re both 15.
Aurelia: 15, mmm ... and does Alex look like Jem?
Hannah: They’re exactly the same! They’re both tall and thin. They’ve both got short
brown hair, green eyes and big ears!
Aurelia: They’re not big, I think they’re cute. And ... has Alex got a girlfriend?

FIRST DAY AT THE SCHOOL

Tania: Hi. I’m Tania. What’s your name?
Jing: Hello. My name’s Jing.
Tania: Nice to meet you, Jing. What class are you in?
Jing: I’m in class 1B. And you?
Tania: Me too. I’m in Class 1B too.
Jing: Who’s our teacher?
Tania: Mr Smith.
Jing: And where’s our classroom?
Tania: This way. Come with me.
Jing: OK. Great.
 GETTING AN ID CARD

Admin worker: International Student ID card?

Student: Yes, that’s right.
Admin worker: Have you got the form?
Student: Yes, here it is.
Admin worker: OK, let’s see. Name – Ahmed, surname – Saeed, age 14, address ...
(pause) ... oh, what’s your address?
Student: 14 Spring Avenue …
Admin worker: 14 Spring Avenue ...
Student: Leicester.
Admin worker: Can you spell that, please?
Student: L-E-I-C-E-S-T-E-R.
Admin worker: What’s your postcode?
Student: LE 14 2GZ.
Admin worker: LE 14 2GS.
Student: No, 2GZ.
Admin worker: OK, 2GZ. And what’s your nationality?
Student: I’m British.
Admin worker: What’s your school?
Student: Newtown Secondary School. N-E-W-T-O-W-N.
Admin worker: And what’s your date of birth?
Student: The 2nd of June 1998.
Admin worker: 02/06/1998 (the second of the sixth, 1998). Have you got a photo?
Student: Yes, here you are.
Admin worker: Thank you. One moment, please ... (pause) ... and here’s your card.
Student: Thanks. Bye.

INTERVIEW WITH A SWIMMER

Interviewer: Hello, Dan.
Dan: Hi.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about a typical day in your life for the school
magazine?
Dan: Yeah, sure.
Interviewer: So, what time do you get up?
Dan: Oh, I get up very early. I get up every day at 5 o’clock and go to the pool. Then
I swim from 6 o’clock to 8 o’clock.
Interviewer: You get up at 5 o’clock? Wow, that’s early!
Dan: Yeah. Then at 8 o’clock I have a shower, I get dressed and I have breakfast. I
have a big breakfast: cereals, toast, bacon and eggs and orange juice.
Interviewer: What do you do after breakfast?
Dan: At 11 o’clock I go to university. I’m studying sports science and I have classes
from 11 o’clock to 4 o’clock.
Interviewer: When do you have lunch?
Dan: I have lunch at about 2 o’clock at the university.
Interviewer: What do you do after classes?
Dan: Sometimes I go to the gym and sometimes I meet my friends at a café.
Interviewer: What time do you have dinner?
Dan: I have dinner at 7 o’clock, then I watch TV or go online and I usually go to bed
at 10 o’clock.
Interviewer: Thanks, Dan. That’s a busy day!

INTRODUCING A FRIEND
Sumi: Hi, Pablo. How are you?
Pablo: Hi, Sumi. I'm fine, thanks.
Sumi: Pablo, this is Greta.
Pablo: Hi, Greta, I'm Pablo.
Greta: Hi. How are you?
Pablo: I'm fine, thanks. Where are you from, Greta?
Greta: I'm from Germany. Where are you from?
Pablo: I'm from Argentina. Nice to meet you.
Greta: Nice to meet you too.

INVITING SOMEONE TO A CINEMA

Jack: Hi, Ismael. How are you?

Ismael: Hi, Jack. I'm OK but I’ve got loads of homework.

Jack: Me too, but would you like to come with us to the cinema tonight?
Ismael: Who's 'us'?
Jack: Me, Jamie, Nicola and Selina.
Ismael: OK, and what's the film?
Jack: We don't know. We can't decide. There's that new horror film, 'Light and Dark'.
Ismael: No, no, no! I don't like horror films.
Jack: OK, well, there's a comedy about a school.
Ismael: Oh, no more school, please! What about a romcom?
Jack: Romcom?
Ismael: You know, romantic comedy, boy meets girl ...
Jack: What? Really? No, I hate romantic films. I like action.
Ismael: Well, there's a new science fiction film, 'Alien attacks'.
Jack: OK, I like science fiction. Let's see that.
Ismael: OK, I'll ask the others if they like sci-fi.
Jack: What time is the film?
Ismael: At 8 o'clock. Let’s meet at 7:30 outside the cinema.
Jack: OK. See you later.
Ismael: Bye.

ONLINE SAFETY CONVERSATION

Charlie: Mum! That's my computer!
Mum: I know, I know. Don't worry, I'm changing your privacy settings.
Charlie: Privacy settings?
Mum: Yes. There are privacy settings on your social networking sites. Your account
is totally public at the moment, and you're logged in!
Charlie: Oh. What are the privacy settings for?
Mum: To make you safe online. You want to be safe, don't you? And for the right
people to see your information, not EVERYONE.
Charlie: Everyone?
Mum: Yes. If you don't change your privacy settings, when you upload a photo,
anyone can see it. It's important to change them so only your friends can see them.
You don't want everyone to see everything, do you?
Charlie: No! But I can delete things, can't I?
Mum: Well, you can, but it's very difficult. Some things stay there forever.
Charlie: That's really scary, Mum.
Mum: Don't worry, but you must learn how to stay safe. You mustn't tell anyone
your password!
Charlie: I won't!
Mum: Crazy Charlie one two one, isn't it?
Charlie: Mum! Yes, it is. How …
Mum: It's on your notebook. Right there. On your desk. It isn't a very secret place, is
it?
Charlie: No, it isn't.

ORDERING FOOD ONLINE

Café worker: Next, please! What would you like?
Andi: Can I have a burger, please?
Café worker: A cheese burger or double cheese burger?
Andi: Double cheese burger, please.
Café worker: Anything else?
Andi: Yeah, I'd like some banana cake.
Café worker: Would you like a drink?
Andi: Yes, can I have an apple juice, please?
Café worker: OK, so that’s one double cheese burger, one banana cake and an apple
juice. What’s your table number?
Andi: Table 3. How much is that?
Café worker: That’s £8.37, please.
Andi: Here you are.
Café worker: Thank you ... that’s £10.00 ... and £1.63 change. Next, please ...

STUDY TIPS
Ben: You always get good marks at school. You’re lucky! I study but I don’t always
get good marks.
Katy: I’m not lucky! I know how to study. I always do three things. Do you want to
know them?
Ben: Yeah, please!
Katy: OK, number one. Always study in a quiet place.
Ben: I usually study in my bedroom. It’s very quiet.
Katy: Number two. Have a clear desk!
Ben: Right. A clear desk. My desk isn’t clear. There are lots of papers and books and
pens on it.
Katy: Well, that isn’t very good!
Ben: What’s tip number three?
Katy: Have lots of breaks. I always study for thirty minutes. Then I have a break for
five minutes. I move my arms and legs and drink some water. Then I study again for
thirty minutes.
Ben: I never have a break. I sometimes study for two or three hours.
Katy: That isn’t a good idea! It’s important to get up and move your body.
Ben: OK. Thanks. Next time I think I can get good marks!

EATING OUT
Waiter: Hello.
Jamie: Hi. A table for two, please.
Waiter: Of course. Over here, please. Here’s the menu.
Sally: Thank you.
(pause)
Waiter: Are you ready to order?
Sally: Yes, we are.
Waiter: What would you like for your starter?
Jamie: I’d like French onion soup, please.
Sally: And I’ll have a tomato salad, please.
Waiter: And for your main course?
Jamie: Mmm, I’m not sure. I don’t know whether to have the steak or Thai
chicken.
Sally: Oh, I’d like the Thai chicken and rice please.
Jamie: OK, me too.
Waiter: So that’s two Thai chicken and rice. What would you like to drink?
Jamie: I’ll have a fresh orange juice and ...
Sally: I’d like some mineral water, please.
Waiter: OK, thank you.

FREE TIME
Receptionist: Good morning, Brownton swimming pool.
Tyrone: Hello, I’d like some information about the water polo club.
Receptionist: Yes, of course. We have an under 14s club, an under 16s club, an
under 18s club and an adult’s club. How old are you?
Tyrone: I’m 15.
Receptionist: OK, so you want the under 16s club.
Tyrone: Yes.
Receptionist: Just a moment ... yes, we have two places in the under 16s club.
Tyrone: When do they train?
Receptionist: Let’s see, the under 16s train two evenings a week, on Mondays, no
sorry, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:00pm. And matches are on
Saturday mornings.
Tyrone: When does the training start?
Receptionist: Training starts next week, on September 2nd.
Tyrone: OK. And how much are the classes?
Receptionist: Classes are free for under 18s.
Tyrone: Great! What do I have to do to join?
Receptionist: You have to come to the swimming pool and complete a form. You
need to bring a photograph too.
Tyrone: OK.
Receptionist: Can I take your name?
Tyrone: Yes, it’s Tyrone Williams.
Receptionist: OK, thanks. Tyrone.
Tyrone: Thanks. Bye.

GIVING DIRECTIONS
A
Go straight on. Then take the first left on to Green Street. Walk past the library
and it’s the building next to the library on the left.
B
Go straight on. Go past the traffic lights. You will see a shop on the right. Go past
that and it’s on the right next to the shop.
C
Go straight on. Go past the traffic lights and go straight on until you get to the
roundabout. At the roundabout turn left. Go past the theatre. It’s the building next
to the theatre, opposite the hospital.
D
Go straight on. Go past the traffic lights and take the second right on to King’s
Road. Go past the bookshop. It’s the building next to the bookshop opposite the
café.
 GOING TO CINEMA
Tamara: Hi, Mario. Do you want to go and watch a film?
Mario: Hi, Tamara. Sure, what’s on?
Tamara: Well, there are two action films, Mr and Mrs Jones and War Games, and
they’re both in 3D.
Mario: I’ve already seen Mr and Mrs Jones. I haven’t seen War Games, but I don’t
really want to see an action film. What else is on?
Tamara: There’s that science fiction film, Robot 2075, but I’ve already seen it.
Mario: Is it good?
Tamara: Yes, it is, but I don’t want to see it again. There’s a romantic comedy
called Forever.
Mario: Mmm, I’m not sure. Are there any horror films on?
Tamara: Yes, there’s Midnight Moon. It’s got vampires in it.
Mario: OK, sounds good. Let’s go and watch Midnight Moon. What time is it on?
Tamara: It’s on at 12 o’clock or at half past two.
Mario: Is it on this evening?
Tamara: Yes, at 7:30.
Mario: Perfect. Let’s go at 7:30.
Tamara: OK, shall we meet at the cinema at 7:00?
Mario: Great! See you later.
Tamara: Bye.

SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES

Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes, have you got this T-shirt in other colours?
Shop assistant: We’ve got it in white, black, red and purple. What size do you
want?
Customer: Medium.
Shop assistant: OK, in medium we’ve got black and red.
Customer: And in purple?
Shop assistant: No, just black and red.
Customer: OK, red. Can I try it on?
Shop assistant: Yes, of course. The changing rooms are over there.
(pause)
Shop assistant: Is it OK?
Customer: Yes, I’ll take it.
Shop assistant: That’s £10.95. Would you like to pay by credit card or with cash?
Customer: Cash please. Here’s twenty.
Shop assistant: OK, thanks, that’s nine pounds, 5 p change and here’s your receipt.
Customer: Thanks. Bye.

STOP WASTING TIME

Tom: I don't know what to do. I start off studying but I always end up doing
something else.
Mum: I’ll help you but please listen to me.
Tom: Of course! Go on!
Mum: Now first, you need to take away all of the things that stop you working.
Tom: What do you mean?
Mum: First, turn off your music. Music doesn’t help you study.
Tom: OK. No music.
Mum: And put the dog outside!
Tom: What?
Mum: Well, every time the dog goes into your room, you stop studying to pat it.
Spot stops you working!
Tom: OK. Bye, Spot!
Mum: Have an apple and a glass of water on your desk before you start. Here you
are.
Tom: Why?
Mum: Because then you don’t need to go to the kitchen for something to eat or
drink.
Tom: OK.
Mum: Turn off your phone.
Tom: No way!
Mum: Yes. It stops you working. If you turn it off, it’s easier to concentrate. You
can read your messages later.
Tom: OK, but I can’t turn off the internet on my computer. I need it to look up
information.
Mum: OK, but you can turn off your instant messages.
Tom: I know! Mum?
Mum: Yes?
Tom: Thanks.

TAKING NOTES
Mark: What’s the matter?
Clare: I’ve got a history exam on Friday and I’m worried I’ll fail it.
Mark: Why? You’re brilliant at history.
Clare: It isn’t difficult but I have to remember a lot of information. These are my
notes from today.
Mark: Can I see?
Clare: Yes.
Mark: These aren’t notes! This is a full text!
Clare: What do you mean?
Mark: You don’t have to copy everything! ‘Notes’ are just a few words. You have
to write the important words. You don’t need to write the extra bits. Look. King
Henry the Eighth was married six times.
Clare: That’s important information.
Mark: But you don’t need to write all of those words. You can draw little pictures
too. Pictures can help you to remember things and then you don’t need to write so
many words. Look.
Clare: That’s so good! The crown is for ‘King’ and the ‘H’ is for Henry. That’s cool.
Then the heart is ‘love’ and a number six … well that is ehm … six.
Mark: Yes. So, look at these notes. Let’s test your memory.
Clare: King Henry the Eighth was married six times.
Mark: Exactly! Write notes like this, Clare. Then you won’t have six pages of
notes, you’ll only have two or three!

TOUR OF LONDON
Tour guide: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this fantastic
tour of London by bus. My name’s Greg and I’m your guide this afternoon on our
tour of London. As you can see, we’re on an open-top bus, so you can see all the
attractions from your seat and you don’t need to walk anywhere. And please don’t
worry about the rain, I’m sure it’ll stop soon. A-a-and please ask any questions at
any time.
Tourist 1: I have a question.
Tour guide: Yes?
Tourist 1: Do you have extra umbrellas? I mean, if it rains a lot.
Tour guide: Err, no, we don’t have any extra umbrellas, but don’t worry, I’m sure
the rain will stop soon. Right, OK, so where are we going on our wonderful tour?
Well, the tour takes two hours and we are going to visit all the famous sites. First
we’ll see Madame Tussauds, the museum with wax models of famous people and
celebrities, then we’ll drive along the most famous shopping street in the world,
Oxford Street. After that we’ll see the famous clock Big Ben and The Houses of
Parliament. As we drive along the river you’ll see the popular attraction, the
London Eye, from which you can see the whole city on a sunny day. Then we’ll
see Tower Bridge and the famous Tower of London before arriving at
Buckingham Palace, just in time for a cup of tea with the Queen.
Tourist 2: Is that included in the tour? A cup of tea with the Queen?
Tour guide: Err, well, no, not exactly, but there’s a lovely café near the palace
where you can get a cup of tea. (Sound of a storm right overhead, loud thunder and
very heavy downpour)
Tourist 1: I have another question.
Tour guide: Yes?
Tourist 1: Can we have our money back? We’re getting off the bus.
Tour guide: Err, well, you see ... Quick! Run! Everyone off the bus! ...

TRAIN AND TRAVEL

A.
Passenger: Excuse me? Which platform does the train to Cambridge leave from?
Train station attendant: The 10:15 train or the 10:40?
Passenger: The 10:15.
Train station attendant: The 10:15 train leaves from platform 3.
Passenger: Thanks.

B.
Passenger: Hi. Could I have a ticket for the next train to Manchester, please?
Train ticket vendor: Single or return?
Passenger: Errr, single please.
Train ticket vendor: The next train is at 12:30pm, leaving from platform 2.
Passenger: And how much is it?
Train ticket vendor: £13:50

C.
Ticket inspector: Tickets, please. Can I see your ticket, please?
Passenger: Yes, here you are.
Ticket inspector: This ticket is for Oxford.
Passenger: Yes, that’s right.
Ticket inspector: But this train doesn’t go to Oxford, it goes to Liverpool.
Passenger: What? Liverpool? Oh no!

D.
Train station announcement: The next train arriving at platform 1 is the 15:45 train
to Exeter, stopping at Bristol Temple Meads and arriving at Exeter St David’s at
18:30.

E.
Harry: What time is our train back to London?
Angel: It leaves at 4:30. We’ve only got 5 minutes.
Harry: What platform does it leave from?
Angel: Platform 2. Look, over there.
Harry: I can’t see our train anywhere. Let me see the ticket. Look, it says 4:20, not
4:30!
Angel: Oh no, we’ve missed it.
Harry: No, we haven’t, it’s late. Look, here it is now.
Angel: Phew, that was lucky!

TRAVELLING ABROAD
A
Good morning. This is an announcement for all passengers travelling on the 9:25
flight TOM1223 to Rome. This flight is delayed by two hours because of bad
weather.
B
Would all passengers travelling to Tokyo on flight FR3421 please have your
boarding passes and passports ready for boarding. Flight FR3421 now boarding at
gate 21.
C
This is the final boarding call for passengers Gemma and Ryan Grey flying to
Athens on flight EZ9753. Your flight is ready to leave. Please go to gate 14
immediately. The doors of the plane will close in five minutes. Final boarding call
for passengers Gemma and Ryan Grey.
D
This is an announcement for passengers travelling to Amsterdam on flight
KL1050. Will all passengers with express boarding tickets and passengers
travelling with young children please go to gate 6 for boarding. That’s all
passengers with express boarding tickets and passengers travelling with young
children go to gate 6 for boarding. Thank you.
E
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We have landed at JFK airport in New York
where the local time is 18:30 and the temperature is 76º. We hope you have
enjoyed your flight with American Airlines this evening and wish you a very safe
journey to your final destination.

USING COLOURS FOR DOING HOMEWORK

Girl: My presentation is about how you can use colour coding to organise your
homework.
To start you need a few things from the stationery shop. This photo shows the
things I use. They aren’t expensive. They are all cheap. I’ve got coloured pens and
pencils, sticky notes, page markers, glue and folders.
First, I choose a different colour for each school subject. The colour I choose has to
be easy to remember so I make sure it means something to me. Maths is green
because my ruler is green. PE is yellow because my trainers are yellow.
Here is a photo of my folders. I use the cheapest kind and I add a coloured sticky
note to the top and to the front. I keep all my notes inside the different folders.
This is a photo of some more sticky notes. I wrote them in the library when I was
studying. The blue notes are for history. My history teacher has got a blue car! The
black notes are for geography. One day I want to visit the Black Sea.
This photo shows the pages I need to read for homework. I use two coloured page
markers to mark where it starts and ends. Those blue ones mark the pages I need
to read for history.
Finally, this last photo shows my wall calendar. This green star shows I have a
maths test on Friday. This pink circle shows I’ve got French homework for
Monday. It’s pink because ‘pink’ is ‘rose’ in French … and the rose is my favourite
flower.
Has anyone got any questions?
 WEATHER FORECAST
News reporter: Here is the weather.
Weather reporter: Welcome to the weather forecast. Now, let’s see what the
weather is like today. In the north of the country, it’s very windy and cold. There
is a chance of some rain too, so don’t leave home without your umbrella! The
temperature is around 10º centigrade. In the east it’s rainy all day today, I’m
afraid. There may be a thunderstorm in the afternoon. The temperature is a bit
higher, at around 13º. In the west and middle of the country the weather is dry,
but cloudy. So no rain for you, but it is quite windy and the temperature is just
10º. The south of the country has the best weather today. It’s cloudy most of the
time but sunny this afternoon. The temperature is around 15º.

WORK
A
I work on Saturdays and in the school holidays. Saturdays are busy because that’s
when everyone goes shopping. Our shop sells clothes and accessories for men,
women and children. I work in the children’s department. It can be crazy
sometimes, but it’s fun.
B
I work during my summer holidays when I’m not at university. Oxford has
thousands of tourists in the summer, so it’s easy to find a job as a tour guide. I
take tourists to visit the university colleges and then we go down to the river. We
go along the river on a boat. The tourists love the boat trip, but last summer one
tourist fell in the river! I love meeting people from all over the world.
C
I like my job, but lots of people don’t like coming to see me because they hate
dentists. Sometimes it’s very hard work, but it’s great to help people when they
have a problem. It’s so important to look after your teeth.
D
My job is very difficult, but I like it because I love flying. I fly planes that take
people to different places on holiday. Most of the time I fly in Europe to places
like Spain, Greece and Italy. The most difficult thing about my job is when the
weather is bad. Snow and thunderstorms are the worst. The best thing is visiting
different places.
E
I work in a hospital in the city centre. It’s a very big hospital. I help the doctors
with the patients. I give them their medicine and look after them when they feel
ill. I love my job but I don’t like the uniform and sometimes I have to work at
night.

ADVICE FOR EXAM

Morning, everyone. Quiet, please. Right, OK. So, today I’m going to give you
some advice to help you prepare for the exams next week. So, make some notes as
I’m talking, please. Everybody ready?
Now, while you’re studying, eat food that gives you energy. Don’t be tempted to
eat sweets or drink cola. Sugar won’t help you study but fruit and cereals will.
Apples, actually, are especially good.
Find a comfortable place with plenty of light when you study. But not ‘too’
comfortable or you’ll fall asleep!
Try and keep a positive mind. It is easier to study when you are positive and
relaxed. Now, if you start feeling anxious, have a little break. Go out for a stroll
around the block.
Don’t try to learn everything. There isn’t time. Just choose the ‘important’ things,
the things that’ll get you the most points in an exam. And if you aren’t sure about
this, ask me.
First, learn the main ideas and don’t worry too much about the details. If you have
time, you can come back later and read the details.
Make notes of these key points and read them, then cover them up and try to
remember all the points. Now, it might be boring, but repetition helps you to
remember.
Use past exam papers to study. They will help you understand what kind of
questions come up. There are plenty of past exam papers in the library. You can
photocopy them and take them home.
Take regular breaks while you’re studying. A five-minute break every half hour is
usually enough. Get some fresh air and stretch your arms and legs. Drink a glass
of water too. It’s important to keep hydrated.
And, last but not least, good luck! I’m sure you’ll all do your best.
 AMAZING FACTS
A: Hey, I’m reading this really interesting article about the human body.
B: Yeah? Well, we know all about that from biology lessons.
A: No, we didn’t learn much at all at school! They’re discovering loads more
things all the time. Really amazing things! Did you know that only about one
tenth of the cells in your body are really you? The rest are bacteria.
B: What? I’m not really me?
A: No, of course you are you, but you also have millions, or trillions, of bacteria in
you.
B: Eeeeuuugh!
A: No, they’re mostly really helpful. Someone did an experiment to see if animals
can live without bacteria, and he found that a lot of them died or had to have a
special diet. Animals need bacteria to digest food, you see. So we’re better off
with bacteria.
B: Unless the bacteria are bad.
A: Unless they are bad, but they’re nearly all good. Oh yeah, and going back to
cells, do you know how many cells you have in your body?
B: Quite a lot, I’d say. A good few.
A: Yeah, but how many?
B: I don’t know. I’m not mathematical.
A: 7 octillions! That’s 7 plus 27 noughts.
B: I knew it was a lot.
A: OK, that’s an amazingly huge number, almost impossible to imagine. But the
really weird thing is that most of the atoms are empty space, just air or
nothingness. And if you took out the empty space, you could fit your body inside
a tiny cube which measures one 500th of a centimetre on either side. That’s a box
measuring 0.002 of a centimetre on each side. You’d be much too small to see.
B: Mmm, I can imagine that. It sounds like something that would happen in a
really bad Hollywood movie. You know, a mad scientist goes: (funny voice) ‘I’m
going to extract all the air from your body’. OK, enough facts for one day.
A: Don’t go! One last thing, did you know …
B: No.
A: Did you know that you probably have mites in your eyelashes?
B: Mites in my eyelashes? What are mites exactly anyway?
A: Yeah, they’re very small creatures, like insects, only not insects. They’re about a
third of a millimetre long, so you can’t really see them. These particular mites live
in eyelashes and eyebrows.
B: But in mine?
A: Well, maybe not. Only about 50% of people have them, and more older people.
So, you might not have any. Anyway, they’re completely harmless, they just eat
dead skin.
B: Yeah, right, harmless. I really would have preferred not to know that.
A: Sorry.
B: I mean, really!

CELEBRATIONS
A
It was Nicky’s idea, but we all think it’s going to be brilliant. As soon as the last
exams have finished, we’re going to decorate the main hall at school with paper
streamers and Chinese lanterns and things. Steve had this idea of projecting
photos of everyone onto a wall, like a slide show. And we’ve got Jo’s brother,
who’s a professional DJ, coming along. Then there are three different bands lined
up to play. Ours is the best, because we’ve been together longest and we’ve got a
great bass player, (coughs) although I say so myself, so we’re on last. It’s going to
be cool.
B
Every year there’s a carnival in August in London. You’ve probably heard of it, the
Notting Hill Carnival? So, this year, me and my friends are going again. We went
last year and we had such a fantastic time. It’s all Afro-Caribbean, with people in
amazing costumes and these brilliant steel bands. We don’t go in costume, but we
do dance a lot. It does get quite crowded, so you have to make sure you stick
together. And you have to watch out for pick-pockets when there are so many
people in the same place. But it’s really good fun; it’s like London becomes a
different country. Even the police dance sometimes.
C
We’re going to hire a boat for the day and take it up the river. It’s my
grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary, so the whole family is getting
together. I’m really looking forward to seeing my cousins again. I haven’t seen
them for ages. We’ve got this huge picnic planned, with loads of different types of
sandwiches and salads and an enormous cake. My dad has borrowed an ancient
gramophone player, you know, what they had before CD players, and some old
records. So, as we go up the river, we’re going to listen to music from the time my
grandparents got married – the swinging sixties!
D
Two of my best friends have their birthday in the same week, so some of us have
decided to have a surprise party for both of them. One of my friends, Sandra, has
a big house, and her parents say we can use it. They’re going away, luckily. It’s at
the end of October, so we’re going to decorate the house with Halloween things,
you know, spiders' webs and spooky things. We're going to make up an excuse to
get the birthday girls to come round to the house – say we’re going to help Sandra
move some stuff, or something. Then, as soon as Sandra lets them in, we’re going
to turn the lights out and jump out at them! We just have to make sure nobody
mentions anything on Facebook and gives away the surprise.
E
There’s a Royal Wedding in June – one of our princes is getting married – so it’s a
public holiday. Lots of people are having parties in squares and parks and places,
and the people in our street decided to have one too. Well, it’s a good excuse to
have a party, isn’t it? We’re all going to take out tables and chairs and put them
together in the middle of the road. We’re going to stop cars coming through,
obviously. We’re all going to bring different dishes and share them round. There
are quite a lot of different nationalities living on our street – people from India,
China and different African countries – so the food should be really interesting.
It’ll be good to get to know more of the neighbours too.

DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
A
Boy: Mum?
Mother: Yes?
Boy: You know that Economics exam I had last week?
Mother: The one you didn’t revise for?
Boy: I did revise for it. I was working on it all weekend. Don’t you remember?
Mother: Oh, yes, I remember. Apart from going out until four in the morning, you
mean?
Boy: Well, I have to relax a little, even if I’m revising. Anyway, I didn’t pass it.
Mother: You failed it! But wasn’t that an important one?
Boy: Yeah, I’m really sorry.
Mother: I’m really sorry too. What does that mean?
Boy: Well, I’ll probably have to retake the whole course.
Mother: Oh, Ryan! It’s a really expensive course. I’m not sure we can afford for
you to take it again. Things are difficult enough as it is.
Boy: I know, Mum. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to the teacher again and see if I can retake it.
B
Girl 1: Hi, Megan. How are you?
Girl 2: Not feeling too good, actually.
Girl 1: Oh? Why’s that?
Girl 2: Well, something terrible happened this morning … (voice trembling)
Girl 1: What? Sorry, take your time, and tell me when you’re ready.
Girl 2: Well, I was playing with Bonzo in the garden with a ball, and the ball went
over the hedge into the road, and …
Girl 1: Yes?
Girl 2: And Bonzo jumped over the hedge after it and he got hit by a car.
Girl 1: Oh, no! And is he …?
Girl 2: Yes. We took him to the vet’s immediately, but there was nothing she could
do.
Girl 1: Oh, poor Bonzo. And poor you. I know how much he meant to you.
Girl 2: We’d had him since he was a tiny puppy. He was like one of the family.
Girl 1: I’m really sorry. At least he had a happy life.
Girl 2: His life was too short!
Girl 1: Well, yes, OK. I’m sorry, that was a really insensitive thing to say. I’ll come
round and see you later, OK?
C
Boy: Hi, Dad.
Father: Hi, how’s it going?
Boy: Did you have a good day at work?
Father: Same as usual, really. What about you? Good day at school?
Boy: Yeah, pretty good. Except for one little thing …
Father: Why do I have a sinking feeling in my stomach?
Boy: Do you remember you lent me your phone?
Father: Yes?
Boy: Well, I was standing just outside school, texting Jack, and somebody ran past
and grabbed it.
Father: You let someone steal my phone?
Boy: I didn’t let them.
Father: No, I suppose not. But did you know that that might happen? Is that a
dangerous spot?
Boy: Well, I had heard of that happening, but I’d forgotten. Anyway, I didn’t
think it would happen to me.
Father: No, OK. Did you see who it was?
Boy: No. It was someone in a blue tracksuit, and there are loads of people who
wear those. But there’s a CCTV camera on the entrance. It might have got a shot of
the thief’s face.
Father: You reported it then?
Boy: Well, not yet, but I will tomorrow.
Father: All right. Don’t forget to report it tomorrow. I’ll have a look at the
insurance and see if it’s covered.

FAVOURITE THINGS
A (boy)
My favourite thing has to be my new tablet. It’s really light and quite small, so I
take it with me everywhere. I’m always writing messages to friends and it’s big
enough to do college work on it too. It takes really good photos, and I play games
and listen to music on it as well, of course. I often download films onto it and
watch them in bed. My mum says I’m addicted, because I’m always on it. I even
read things on it at breakfast time. I’m not allowed to at dinner time, though. I
have to be polite and talk to people then. “Welcome back to real life," my mum
says.
B (girl)
My favourite thing? Does my cat count as a thing? She’s not really a thing, but
anyway. She’s a really beautiful little cat. I’ve had her since she was four months
old. You know how some cats are really independent and hardly talk to you? I
know cats don’t really talk, but you know what I mean. Well, she’s not like that at
all. She’s really affectionate and comes up to me as soon as I get home, purring
away like mad. She makes a lot of noise for a tiny thing. She loves being stroked
and comes and curls up next to me when I’m on the sofa. She’s great company.
C (boy)
My new scooter! It’s quite small, but fun, and just what I needed for getting
around the city. I used to have quite a long walk to the metro, then a longish walk
at the other end to get to college. But now I can just whiz there on my scooter. And
there’s no problem parking, there’s always space for it. You have to be careful
with the cars and lorries – they don’t always see you – and when it rains the
surface of the road is terrible, it gets really slippery. But in general, it’s perfect for
me, and I can fit a friend on the back too – I’ve got an extra helmet for a friend. It’s
great. Riding along makes me feel so free.
D (girl)
This might sound a bit old-fashioned, but my sewing machine is my favourite
thing. I’m studying fashion and love making things, as well as designing them. I
also love clothes myself and often buy second-hand clothes – everyone loves the
“vintage” look at the moment – and then I adapt them to my size. It’s much easier
using a machine to do that than doing it by hand. I do alterations for my mum and
my sister too. If I don’t make it as a designer, I suppose I can always set up my
own alterations and customising business. Customising clothes, by taking things
off and adding things on, is actually very creative, so I wouldn’t mind that.
E (boy)
My set of Japanese knives. That sounds a bit sinister, doesn’t it, but I’m not a
murderer or anything. They’re chef’s knives and the best ones come from Japan.
Cooking is my new hobby. I got into it when I started watching Masterchef on
TV. Then I went to an evening class for beginners, and I haven’t looked back
since. I try and have a dinner for between four and eight friends every two or
three weeks. That gives me something to work towards and I always do new
dishes so they can try them out and give me feedback. It’s quite an expensive
hobby if you use good ingredients, but now my friends help towards the cost.
They still get a good meal for a very low price.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE
A (Girl):
She lives next door and she’s always been really important in my life. When we
were little and my mum was working, she used to look after us. She’d tell us
stories about her childhood. It was like listening to fairy stories, life was so
different when she was a child. In her kitchen she used to keep a special dish with
sweets for us, and she was always baking cakes and pies. Now she doesn’t bake so
much. She’s started eating more healthily in her old age, salads and vegetables
and things. It’s funny how she’s changed. She also goes to this special gym class
for old people, it’s amazing. I don’t see her so often now, but she’s always the
same person however much her lifestyle changes.
B (Boy):
He’s four years older than me and that seemed like a huge amount when we were
children. When we were at the same school, we’d never talk to each other during
school hours. But now we’re older it’s a lot better, although I’ll always be the little
one, and that’s annoying sometimes. He’s taken me to rock concerts that I
wouldn’t have gone to otherwise and when he was at uni I went to stay with him
sometimes. That was really cool. It was great to see what real student life was like
when I was still at school. Now that he’s working, he’s really busy, but we still
hang out sometimes. We go to football matches together because we both support
our home team. It’s always good to see him.
C (Girl):
We’ve known each other since we were five and we’ve always got on really well.
Well, apart from that time when we fell out because we both liked the same boy.
But he went off with Heather Jenkins, so we made friends again quite quickly!
We both like the same kind of music and going dancing at the weekend, and
when we were younger, we went out on our bikes together. At school we’re good
at different things. I’m good at languages and Laura’s good at maths. That’s good
though – it means that we can help each other with our homework. Next year I’m
probably going to study in London and she’s going to Manchester, but I’m sure
our relationship won’t change.
D (Boy):
His family moved in just a few houses down from us when I was about ten, and I
still remember how excited I felt when I found out there was another boy on the
street. I’d been the only boy, you see. The others were all girls. We were good
friends from the beginning because we were into the same things: computers and
football, mostly. But we had quite a few of the same hobbies for a while. I
remember making lots of models of aeroplanes one year. Another year we took up
fishing. We had all the equipment and everything and we’d spend ages down by
the river. I never go fishing now. His family moved away a couple of years ago.
We’re still friends on Facebook but we don’t really have much contact.
E (Girl):
I can remember all the details of when we met. I was wearing a red dress and I’d
just had my hair cut. I can even remember what music was playing the first time I
saw him. I knew he was special from the beginning, and I was right. We’ve been
together ever since. Well, it’s only been eighteen months, and some people say
that isn’t very long, but it seems like ages to me. We’ve got such similar
personalities and so much in common. I’m sure we’ll stay together forever.

FAVOURITE FILM
A (girl)
I really like The Notebook; it’s a romantic classic. The story is about a poor boy,
called Noah, who meets a rich girl, called Allie, and they fall in love over one
summer. But of course, there are problems. Allie’s parents don’t approve of Noah
because he’s poor and they get separated, then a lot of time passes before they can
get together again. She goes away to college and he writes to her every day, but
she doesn’t get the letters. Then after quite a long time, Noah buys an old house
which he promised to restore for Allie. He does it up and she sees a newspaper
article about it and goes to find him again. You can probably guess the rest, but
it’s a bit complicated because she is engaged to another man. Noah is played by
Ryan Gosling, who’s my favourite actor, and he stops the film being too soppy –
but you still cry a lot at the end. Rachel McAdams is really good too, as Allie.
B (boy)
I think my favourite film is Skyfall, the last James Bond movie. It stars Daniel
Craig again and Javier Bardem is this really evil baddie. They’re both great, and so
is Judi Dench as M, Bond’s boss. It’s a bit different to other Bond films. The story
is more important, although there is still a lot of action. It’s really well filmed,
especially in the scenes which are shot in Shanghai and Scotland, and it’s really
exciting, of course. Bond is also a bit different – although he does amazing things,
he seems older and that makes him more human and the story more realistic. Oh,
the song by Adele is great, too. You know it won an Oscar?
C (girl)
It’s not a very recent film, but I love Pride and Prejudice – the version with Keira
Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy. The story is
really clever and interesting, besides being romantic. It’s all about how we tend to
jump to conclusions about people and we’re often completely wrong. Elizabeth
thinks Mr Darcy is stuck up and snobbish at the beginning of the film, but at the
end she realises she has been completely wrong and he isn’t like that at all. She
also realises he has an enormous house and that maybe helps her fall in love with
him too! After I saw the film, I read the book by Jane Austen and I really
recommend that too. Although it was published 200 years ago, it’s still a great read
and really funny in parts.
D (boy)
My favourite film has to be The Matrix. Even though it was made back in 1999, it
still feels really modern. It’s about this ordinary man, Neo, played by Keanu
Reeves, who works with computers during the day and is a hacker at night. One
day he is contacted by a woman who introduces him to a very strange man:
Morpheus. Morpheus explains to Neo that what he thinks of as real is actually
fiction and the world is run by evil machines who have imprisoned and tricked
the human race. Laurence Fishburne is terrific as Morpheus, and Keanu Reeves is
excellent, but the best thing about the film is the special effects. I can watch it
again and again.
E (girl)
Let the Right One In is my favourite film. There are two versions, the first is
Swedish and the second American – I prefer the original, Swedish version. It’s a
modern vampire film and also a kind of love story, but it’s really unsentimental
and a bit scary in places. Oskar is a young boy with a lot of problems. He is being
bullied at school and wants revenge on the bullies. Then some new neighbours
move in next door and he becomes friends with Eli, a beautiful but strange girl. I
won’t tell you any more, because it will spoil the story, but expect a serial killer, a
lot of violence and blood-drinking. If you like that kind of thing, you’ll love this.
 ORGANISING YOUR TIME
Host: On ‘Star Students’ today we’re speaking to Peter, who is going to tell us
about the Pomodoro Technique, a system to help manage your time. It was
invented by an Italian man called Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. Now, he called it
the Pomodoro Technique after a tomato-shaped timer that his mother used to use
when she was cooking. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. And this tomato has
helped Peter become an A-grade student. So, Peter, welcome to the studio.
Peter: Thanks.
Host: Tell us about the Pomodoro Technique. What’s it about?
Peter: It’s about getting maximum productivity from your available time. I use it
for studying, but professionals use it at work.
Host: Is it difficult to follow?
Peter: No. It’s actually very simple. It’s about breaking down your work into
separate jobs and then using a timer to separate your time into periods of
intensive work and short breaks.
Host: OK, well, that sounds sensible. So, how do you start?
Peter: First of all, you should think about the task you need to complete. For
example, writing an essay for homework. You need to think about all the stages of
the task and write a clear to-do list on a piece of paper. When you are ready to start
you set the timer to 25 minutes and you start working on the first item on the list.
Host: OK … but what happens when the timer goes off?
Peter: When the timer goes off you must take a short break of between 3 to 5
minutes. One 25-minute session is one ‘pomodoro’ so when you have completed
this, you deserve a short break. You should try to move about a bit during the
break.
Then, set the timer for another 25 minutes and keep working. At the end of the
next ‘pomodoro’ you have another short break. As you complete the items on the
‘to-do’ list you should tick them off, to give you a feeling of satisfaction that
you’re getting the job done.
Host: OK … I get it. Can you use any timer? Most people have timers on their
phones these days. Could you use that?
Peter: You could, but the danger is that then you can check messages on your
phone or you start looking at apps. I use my dad’s kitchen timer and I make sure I
switch off my phone when I’m studying. I get so much more done. In the breaks I
sometimes check my phone but only if I’ve completed some of the items on my to-
do list.
Host: Three to five minutes isn’t long for a break. Is that enough time?
Peter: Well, when you’ve had four or five short breaks you can take a longer
break, and then you start again.
Host: And it works?
Peter: Yes, it works for me! It stops me wasting time. My work is much more
effective when I use the timer. It’s like short, intense periods of work. I actually
get my homework done a lot quicker now, which leaves me more free time, so for
me it works really well.
Host: Oh, I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks so much for coming in, Peter.
Peter: You’re welcome. Thanks for inviting me.

SPORTS CENTRES
A
Hi, come in. I’m Maya. Hello everybody. Welcome to the Grange Park Sports
Centre. I’ll just show you round the centre and explain what we offer here, and
then you can ask me questions. Well, as you can see, this is quite a small centre
but we offer a lot of different activities at different times of the day. If you’d just
like to come through here, you can see the main rooms. These are nice and light
and airy and we have a very good air-conditioning system so they are warm in the
winter and cool in the summer. Here we have classes of yoga, tai chi, Pilates and
Zumba at different levels. We also have different types of dance class: jazz
dancing, Indian dancing and Latin dancing. Oh, and we’ve just started offering
flamenco. All our teachers are fully qualified and experienced. We have
beginners’ classes up to advanced. Some of our students have been coming since
we opened, ten years ago.
So, if you could follow me through here - mind the steps here - we’ve got the
sauna and massage rooms. We have very reasonable prices for massages. And over
here we have the gym with exercise machines. It’s quite a small gym, but usually
there’s plenty of room for people to move around without any problems. OK,
that’s about it. Over there we have the changing rooms with showers. You do need
to bring your own towel if you want a shower, but you don’t need to bring a mat
for the yoga and Pilates classes. Oh, and I must mention the café. It’s just off the
main entrance. That’s very popular with our clients; we have a great selection of
teas, fresh juices, sandwiches and cakes.
Right, the prices. You can join for three months, six months or a year and that
gives you the right to use the gym and go to two classes a week. If you want to go
to more classes or use the sauna, there’s a small extra charge. For three months the
fee is …

B
OK, let me show you the gym. My name’s Bill and I’m the main sports trainer
here, but we have a team of four specialists who are always around to help you
with exercise programmes and give advice about lifestyle and diet. We strongly
recommend that you talk to one of us as soon as you sign up and set up your
personalised training programme. So, through here we have the main gym. As you
can see, it’s enormous and we have lots of brand-new machines. You can do
everything here, running, cycling, rowing, weights … you name it. Although we
have a lot of clients, it’s very unusual to have to wait for a machine. Over there is
the area for weight-training. If you want a closer look at the machines, you can
come back later. Oh, by the way, you can only come in here with trainers on. No
outdoor shoes, please.
OK, through here we have the swimming pool. It’s great, isn’t it? We’re very
proud of it. You can use it most of the time without booking, but there are certain
times of day when we have swimming classes and water aerobics. There is always
a lifeguard in attendance who will also offer informal swimming tips. OK, just
over there you have the changing rooms and lockers, and on the right are the
bathrooms and showers. We have our own shop, here, where you can buy our own
brand of sportswear and sports drinks and supplements. Right, I can see you’re
impressed, and as I said, we’re very proud of our centre. However, I should warn
you that we are slightly more expensive than other gyms in the area – but then we
offer a much higher level of services and a very wide range of activities. Here’s a
brochure with the timetables of the extra classes that we offer, such as boxing,
taekwondo and capoeira and quite a few others, besides swimming activities:
swimming classes, diving classes, water aerobics and water polo. OK, so have a
look at the brochure, then you can speak to one of the secretaries in reception
about the best combination of activities for you.

THE WEEKEND
Girl: So, have you got any plans for the weekend?
Boy: Yeah, me and my mates are going to this activity centre in the mountains.
Girl: Oh, yeah?
Boy: You can do all kinds of things. It’s a new centre; it sounds great. We’re going
to go dirt boarding …
Girl: What’s that?
Boy: It’s like skateboarding or snowboarding. You have a board, or deck, to stand
on and wheels. They’re pretty strong because you go down rough mountain tracks
on them. Steep, rough mountain tracks.
Girl: Sounds a bit risky. Have you done it before?
Boy: No, but I’ve done similar things. Anyway, we’re also going to go canyoning.
Before you ask, that’s when you jump and swim down a river canyon. You have to
use ropes and special equipment. And maybe we’ll go white water rafting too.
Girl: Phew. It sounds far too difficult to me.
Boy: They have lots of things that you could do too. Like zip-wiring, you know
when you go along a wire through the trees or down a mountain.
Girl: Go down a mountain on a wire!
Boy: It’s really easy, and exciting too. You just have to hold on and enjoy the ride.
Or there’s bungee jumping.
Girl: Jump off a bridge on a long elastic band! Me? You’ve got to be joking!
Anyway, I’m going away this weekend too, thank you for asking.
Boy: I was going to ask. So where are you going?
Girl: Paris! I’m so excited!
Boy: Paris, wow!
Girl: Yeah, it’ll be brilliant! We’re going to do all the sights, like go up the Eiffel
Tower and take a boat along the River Seine and see the old parts of the city. It
looks so beautiful in the photos. And then there are all the art galleries. You know
how much I like art. I can’t wait to go round the Louvre and see all those famous
paintings.
Boy: I think the famous Impressionist paintings are somewhere else.
Girl: Yeah, I know, they’re in the Musée d’Orsay. We’re going there too. And then
I want to go to the Rodin Museum and see that famous statue, you know, The
Thinker. And of course, if we’re in Paris, we’ll have to go shopping. Or look at the
shops, at least. And then there’s the restaurants. Just think, French food!
Boy: You’ve got a lot planned for one weekend.
Girl: Oh, we’re going for four days, actually.
Boy: Oh, four days, very nice. And who are you going with?
Girl: Oh, just a friend.
 THEME PARK
Interviewer: Good morning. Today we’re going to talk about theme parks and
we’re going to hear from Andy Wells who has written a guide to theme parks
around the world. Welcome to the programme, Andy.
Andy: Hi, it’s good to be here.
Interviewer: You really have a dream job, don’t you, Andy? Flying round the
world all the time, visiting adventure parks ...
Andy: Well, yes, it’s pretty exciting. But it’s really hard work too, you know.
Interviewer: I bet. So, what’s the number one theme park in the world?
Andy: That all depends what you’re looking for. In terms of numbers, it has to be
Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, the most famous theme park. But the
most popular park for people who like adventure rides is Cedar Point in Ohio,
USA. It has the biggest number of rollercoasters in one park, 17, and three water
rides. There are lots of other attractions too. Last year they introduced 50
animatronic dinosaurs. You know, life-size models that move and look real.
Interviewer: Cool! Have they got anything lined up for this year?
Andy: Yeah, there’s a new rollercoaster called the Gatekeeper. Well, actually it’s
not a rollercoaster, it’s a wing coaster. It’ll be the biggest in the world.
Interviewer: What’s a wing coaster?
Andy: With a normal rollercoaster you are sitting on a seat with the track under
you. With a wing coaster the seats kind of stick out at the side so the passengers
have nothing below or above them. You feel as if you’re flying.
Interviewer: So, it’s more frightening?
Andy: More exciting! Way more exciting.
Interviewer: What other attractions have you seen recently?
Andy: I’ve just been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Islands of
Adventure in Orlando, Florida. It’s great! You know those shops that sell magic
sweets and things in the Harry Potter books? Well, they have those, just like
you’ve imagined. There’s a fantastic tour of Hogwarts School where you meet
characters from the books. It’s so well done.
Interviewer: Right, sounds interesting. In your book you have a lot of theme parks
in Asia too. Can you tell us about them?
Andy: Sure. Tokyo has had a Disneyland for quite a long time, which attracts a lot
of people. Ocean Park in Hong Kong has also been going for a long time – that has
a lot of marine animals as well as rides. Lotte World, a huge park in South Korea,
has the world’s biggest indoor theme park. And then there’s Universal Studios in
Singapore. That’s expanding with additions to its New York street section. There’s
going to be a Sesame Street dark ride. A dark ride’s a ride inside a building.
Interviewer: I see. New York in Singapore?
Andy: Yeah, it’s weird, but it works. But the place to watch at the moment is China
– they’re really expanding. Lots more parks will open in China in the next few
years, including another one with dinosaurs in the north, and Ocean Kingdom in
the south. That will have the world’s longest roller coaster and tallest Ferris
wheel, as well as boat rides and a night-time zoo.
Interviewer: Wow, so that’s opening soon?
Andy: Yes, this year. I’ll be there!
Interviewer: Have a ride for me, then.

THE MASSAI AND THE LION

For thousands of years the Maasai people in Kenya had no doubts about their
relationship with the lions who shared the land with them. They were enemies.
The lions wanted to kill the tribe’s livestock and the Maasai had to protect the
animals. It was even part of the coming-of-age ritual of young warriors to kill a
lion.
But now things have changed and the Maasai are part of a new East African
scheme to protect lions, called the Lion Guardians. The aim is for local people to
be trained to manage and protect the lions without involvement from outsiders
after the period of initial training. The Lion Guardians are taught basic literacy,
how to manage data, how to deal with conflict between humans and lions, GPS
and telemetry tracking of radio-collared lions. Some of them also learn how to
speak in public and how to blog.
The Lion Guardians monitor the lions and other carnivores and inform cattle
herders when to avoid the areas where there are lions. They also help improve the
livestock enclosures and educate people about wildlife. Helping find lost
livestock is another important job. In the past these would often have been killed
by carnivores.
If anyone is about to carry out a lion hunt, the Lion Guardians try and persuade
them not to. Since many of the Guardians have killed lions in the past and are
very experienced, they are highly respected in the community and are listened to
by their age-mates, or peers, and often by their elders. They explain the
importance of the lions to culture and tourism and how they can now be arrested
for killing protected animals.
One such Lion Guardian is Olubi Lairumbe. He has killed seven lions in his
lifetime. The last one was a lioness who was pregnant with five cubs. He regretted
killing her very much, had a massive change of heart and volunteered to become a
Lion Guardian. Olubi’s father used to hate lions and encouraged his sons to hunt
them, but since Olubi became a Guardian, he has been advising them not to kill
carnivores. Olubi was recently interviewed by Sir David Attenborough and
appeared on the Africa documentary series.
Another Guardian, Mingati Makarot, is very good at tracking lions using his
traditional skills and has a great knowledge of the area that acts as a refuge to
many wildlife species. Mingati is a past lion killer but has completely converted
to being one of its ardent protectors. His name, Mingati, is a ‘lion name’ given to
him meaning one who is fast and doesn’t lag behind.
In the past, a moran (a Maasai warrior) received a lion name after spearing a lion.
In Maasai culture the name represents the characteristics of both the warrior and
the lion he has killed. A warrior with a lion name feels that he has achieved
something great. When the successful warrior brings the lion’s mane and tail back
to his manyatta (his home in the community) to be put on display, he is treated as
a hero. Other young men who don’t yet have their lion names are called by the
general name of ‘moran’. They long to have recognition and dream about the day
that it will be their turn to bring home the lion trophy.
Now, this naming tradition is changing. The Lion Guardians experimented by
giving lion names to boys who had not killed lions and it worked. Other young
people called them by the lion names, then the older people did so too. There
were still some boys who wanted to do something to prove their bravery, and they
were assigned conservation tasks to do. Now young men can earn respect by
protecting lions, rather than killing them.
Another change is that the lions are now given Maasai names and each has a card
explaining who the lion is related to and which lions they keep company with.
Personalising the lions helps them to be seen as individuals by the community.
Since the programme began in 2007, no lions have been killed in the area
patrolled by Lion Guardians. Compare that to a similar neighbouring area without
Guardians, where 63 have been killed, and you can see just how successful the
scheme is. The Maasai have managed to successfully adapt their culture to
changing times without giving up their identity.

WHAT KIND OF STUDENT ARE YOU?

Teacher: Are you all sitting comfortably? We’re going to do a short quiz called
‘What kind of student are you?’ I want you to listen carefully and think about
your responses. Then I want you to write your answers in your notebook. Please
be sincere! Nobody is going to look at your answers. When we complete the quiz,
I’ll read out the results and you can think about them carefully for a few minutes
in private. You need a pen and a blank page in your notebook. OK, pay attention,
please.
One. When do you usually get to school?
a) Early, you like to have extra time ‘just in case’ something crops up.
b) You always turn up just in time, as the bell rings.
c) You often get to school late, out of breath from rushing.
Two. When do you usually do your homework?
a) As soon as you get it. The same evening.
b) A day or two before you have to hand it in.
c) The same day you hand it in. Sometimes it’s late.
Three. What is your average mark in tests?
a) You usually do well and get seventy-five per cent or higher.
b) You usually pass tests but your marks are near to fifty or sixty per cent.
c) Your marks are often below fifty per cent.
Four. What kind of a relationship do you have with the staff at school?
a) Great! You get on well with most of the academic staff.
b) Not bad. You have a good relationship with some members of staff.
c) Dreadful. In general, you don’t get on with teachers.
Five. Where do you usually sit in class?
a) Usually at the front so you can see the board easily.
b) Somewhere in the middle so you can daydream unnoticed.
c) Near the back so you can turn on your mobile without being seen.
Six. What do you want to do when you finish school?
a) Carry on studying at university or college.
b) You don’t know yet. It depends on your exam results.
c) Look for a job and start earning your own money. You’ll be fed up with
studying by then.
OK. Now look at your answers and count the number of As, Bs and Cs. Then I’ll
read out the results. Are you ready?
If you have mostly As, you are an exceptional student. You are mature and you
have a superb attitude towards your studies. You definitely grasp the importance
of a good education.
If you have mostly Bs, you are an average student, but you are capable of much
more and it isn’t too late to improve and become an excellent student. You just
need to make a few changes to your habits.
If you have mostly Cs, you really need to adjust your outlook. You waste your
time and you are at risk of finishing school without any qualifications. Think
about your behaviour and consider making some changes before it’s too late.

WHAT’S IN A NAME
Presenter 1: Today we are going to talk about names, particularly fashions in
names, you know, the kind of names famous people use for their children. You’ve
been looking into this recently, haven’t you Finn?
Presenter 2: I have indeed and it’s a fascinating topic. The US leads here with new
names and we in Britain follow sometimes, but we tend to go for the more
traditional names. So, the big trend is using nouns as names.
Presenter 1: Nouns, what sort of nouns?
Presenter 2: Well, they can be abstract qualities like Honor or Passion. There’s a
long tradition of this kind of name, like Faith or Charity, which used to be
common names. A new name is Haven, that’s growing in popularity. And similar
names like Shelter, Harbor and Bay also convey feelings of safety and warmth.
Presenter 1: Mmm. I suppose Passion is used to mean ‘extreme enthusiasm’
nowadays, and people use the word a lot, so maybe it’s a good choice for a modern
name. Haven has a nice, safe feel to it.
Presenter 2: OK, then there are names which come from nature or animals,
although with some of these it’s hard to know whether they come from nature or a
surname – that’s another trend. Here we have Frost, Wolf, Fox, Bear, for boys, of
course. And a new name: Ridge.
Presenter 1: Ridge, like a mountain ridge? The top of a mountain range?
Presenter 2: Yes, weird, huh? It’s seen as a tough, outdoorsy name for a boy. OK,
then there are musical names. Harmony and Melody have been around for ages,
but Lyric is a new one.
Presenter 1: Lyric, wow!
Presenter 2: Yes, it came in at number 325 in the US a couple of years ago. That
doesn’t sound very popular, but there are so many different names being used at
the moment that it means it isn’t so unusual. Other noun categories are months
– May, June and April are common, but January is uncommon and November very
unusual. And then you have colours. Beyoncé and Jay-Z called their daughter Blue
Ivy – a very distinctive name, a colour plus the name of a plant. Blue is very
popular for girls right now, and Red or Grey for boys.
Presenter 1: I’ve just thought of another category. Food names, like Olive or
Clementine.
Presenter 2: Yes, that’s another one. Flower names are pretty common, but food
names are unusual. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter
Apple, of course.
Presenter 1: Yes, poor child.
Presenter 2: Actually, Apple is becoming more and more popular, although people
think that’s because of the technology connection, not the fruit. New names
always seem strange at first, but you quickly get used to them, like all the names
from places or jobs. Chelsea and Brooklyn seem like normal names now; they
were strange when they were first used. Taylor, Mason, Cooper are all first names
from jobs.
Presenter 1: And they are also surnames, I think that’s how they started.
Presenter 2: You’re probably right there.
Presenter 1: What about the Beckhams’ daughter, Harper?
Presenter 2: She was named after Harper Lee, the American novelist who wrote To
Kill a Mockingbird. That’s another trend, naming children after famous writers,
musicians – the British band One Direction have had an effect on names – or
fictional characters, like Bella or Edward from the Twilight series, or Hermione
from Harry Potter.
Presenter 1: Sorry, can I just interrupt there. I’ve just has a message passed on by
the producer. A listener has just phoned in with a very strange story about a
family in Holland with six children. Their names are all anagrams of the letters: A,
E, L and X.
Presenter 2: Ah yes, I’ve heard about this. This family are famous in the world of
bloggers on names. Let me see if I remember the names … Alex and Axel … and
Lexa – they’re the easy ones – Xela ('Zela') and Xael ('Zay-el') and the last one is
Xeal ('Zeal') – I’m guessing about the pronunciations, by the way.
Presenter 1: You mean there are names X-E-L-A and X-A-E-L?
Presenter 2: Yes, but they are very unusual. I think the Dutch family are stopping
at six children, but there are about eighteen more possible anagrams they could
use.
Presenter 1: Nooo, you’re kidding!
Presenter 2: All seem horrible to me, but all are possible names. This is similar to
another trend of giving children names all starting with the same letter, like the
Kardashian family, all beginning with K, Kim, Kourtney and so on.
Presenter 1: The Kardashians have had enough publicity, let’s not talk about
them. What about your name? Finn, that sounds like a good Irish name …
 BOYS BAND
Presenter: The internet is full of articles about what makes a good boy band. But
many bands appear and disappear without a trace. Alana, it can’t be as easy as
following a formula, can it?
Alana: No, I don’t think so. The traditional formula is that you have four or five
good-looking young guys with some musical ability and the ability to dance – the
choreographed dancing was very important to boy bands in the past. They tended to
wear the same, or very similar clothes when they performed, so you had to decide
on a ‘look’ for the group. The most important element, however, was said to be that
the band members had different and very distinct personalities.
Presenter: Right, the cute one, the rebel, the joker, the shy one, mysterious one ...
Alana: Yeah, although sometimes they all just seem to like the cute one! The idea is
that different boys appeal to different girls, so you can have a bigger fan base.
There’s someone in the band for everyone.
Presenter: So, do you think this all still holds true? Or have things changed in the
21st century?
Alana: Yeah, I guess things have changed for several reasons – partly just because
we needed a change – but mainly because of changes in the media and with new
technology. Take One Direction …
Presenter: Ah, I’ve been counting the seconds before you mentioned One Direction!
Alana: Well, we have to talk about them because they’re the biggest thing at the
moment, although who knows how long they will last.
Presenter: Oh, ages and ages ...
Alana: We’ll see. Anyway, One Direction, as you know, came to fame through the X
Factor, a reality show, and that was a great way to start. You had loads of people
watching them every week and wanting them to win. They felt as if they had a
personal stake in their story as they voted for them every week.
Presenter: What age group does One Direction appeal to exactly?
Alana: That’s another clever thing, they seem very unthreatening, so they appeal to
very young girls, they are cute so teenage girls really like them, but they also have a
laddish, slightly naughty side to appeal to the mums! The teenage girls and the
mums are the ones who will spend money. The lyrics to the songs are calculated to
appeal to girls who feel a bit insecure about themselves, like most teenage girls. "You
don't know you're beautiful, that's what makes you beautiful", that kind of thing.
Lots of girls want to feel wanted, but not scared, and that’s traditionally what boy
bands do. They present this image of a clean-cut, reliable boyfriend. Actually, One
Direction’s clothes also help here: chinos and clean casual shirts and canvas shoes.
You’ll have noticed that they don’t wear the same clothes. Their stylists have been
instructed to keep them looking individual, but despite that they all have this
attractive but unthreatening look. No tattoos, or piercings, or black leather, or make-
up or anything.
Presenter: You make them seem very cold and calculating. Remember that they’ve
been nominated for loads of music awards and they’ve won dozens, so they’re
regarded as serious musicians.
Alana: OK, if you don’t want to believe they’re calculating you can blame their
management. They’re nice boys who are fantastic musicians.
Presenter: They are! And they keep proving their critics wrong. A lot of people said
they wouldn’t make the leap from the UK to the US market, but they did very
quickly.
Alana: Yes, and that’s all down to their clever use of social media, or rather their
management’s clever use of social media. One Direction are all over Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr. That’s how they made it in the States so quickly. In
the past it was a lot more difficult and took a lot longer. Bands had to try and get air-
time on local radio stations and that was really hard. But they’ve by-passed all that.
Social media has become the new radio, as their manager said.
Presenter: Their first record, Up All Night, went to number one in the US, didn’t it?
Alana: Sure did! They achieved a world record as the first British band in history to
reach number one in America with a debut album. It sold 176,000 copies in the US in
a single week.
Presenter: Amazing. And the boys are all rich from the merchandising too.
Alana: Yes, well, the boys and their management company. There are One Direction
phones, toys and games. Dolls, even. I think that’s another 21st-century thing
– companies are cashing in on success in all possible ways as quickly as possible.
Presenter: May they all enjoy it while it lasts.

HIGH ACHIEVING TEENS

Presenter: Next on the programme we have an interview with someone who has
been writing a book about high-achieving teenagers. Welcome, Louise Hardy.
Louise: Hi, it’s lovely to be here.
Presenter: Louise, many of these teenagers who have achieved success and fame
early on, have done so through using new technology, haven’t they? Through
blogging or using YouTube or Twitter?
Louise: Absolutely, and the greatest example of this is Justin Bieber. As I think
everyone on the planet knows, he started off by posting videos on YouTube at the
age of 14 and was spotted by a talent scout who worked with the R&B singer Usher.
After that he very rapidly became a worldwide sensation.
Presenter: I heard that last year he was said to be more influential than Obama!
Louise: (laughs) Yes, that was because he is number one on Twitter. He has over 35
million followers. There’s a new one every two seconds. A company that analyses
social media called Klout said that he is the most influential person in the world
because of that. But whether he’s really more influential than Obama, well …
Presenter: Mmmm. All this exposure has negative consequences for young people
too, doesn’t it?
Louise: Yes. Although millions adore Justin, a lot of people don’t. One of his videos
was the most disliked ever. And he has a big problem with privacy. He’s followed
everywhere by the paparazzi, and that’s bad for anyone, never mind a teenager.
Presenter: OK, let’s turn to a very different teenager. Tavi Gevinson was even
younger when she began, wasn’t she?
Louise: Yes, she was only eleven years old when she started a fashion blog called
Style Rookie. By the way, for British listeners, 'Rookie' is an American word used for
a person who is new to something.
Presenter: Thanks.
Louise: On her blog she posted photos of herself wearing unusual combinations of
clothes and wrote about them.
Presenter: Some of them were quite weird.
Louise: Well, yes, I suppose a lot of high fashion is weird. Anyway, she quickly built
up a huge following, up to 300,000 readers per day, and many of them were adults.
Serious fashion magazines interviewed her and sent her to fashion shows in Europe
and to meet top designers, like Karl Lagerfeld.
Presenter: Some people didn’t believe she was as young as she was, did they?
Louise: No, one magazine printed an article saying the writer didn’t believe Tavi
was only 12, and that upset her. But she bounced back and continued blogging.
Then, as she grew older, Tavi became interested in other things besides fashion. In
2011, when she was 15, she started Rookie Magazine, an online magazine for
teenagers. In less than a week it had one million readers.
Presenter: I’ve seen it. It’s very impressive, isn’t it? All teenage girls listening, check
out Rookie Magazine.
Louise: Yes, I think it’s fantastic and Lady Gaga called Tavi 'the future of
journalism'! She employs about 50 writers and photographers – both adults and
teenagers – on Rookie, but she is the editor with overall control.
Presenter: And all this time she’s continued to lead a normal life, hasn’t she?
Louise: Oh yes, she lives a very normal life in a small town and goes to school and
so on. She’s not even twenty yet. But I think writing and editing are very different
from being a performing artist. There’s a lot less pressure from fans and the press.
Although some actors, like Emma Watson, seem to manage a private life and getting
a normal education.
Presenter: Yes, Emma Watson is now in her twenties, of course, but …

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

Mary: I’d like to welcome Charles Long to the studio today. Charles has just
published an article in New Science journal about memorisation. It’s all about how
to make our memory function better.
Charles, exam time is looming and there’ll be lots of teenagers tuning in today. Can
you give us some advice about improving our ability to memorise?
Charles: Hello! Yes, of course. I’d like to start by talking about the process of
memorisation. It’s vital that we understand the process if we want to make
adjustments to the way we function. We all use memory in the same way. It doesn’t
matter whether you’re a student revising for your finals or an adult standing in the
aisle of a supermarket, trying to recall a particular item from a grocery list.
Mary: Ha ha! That’s me. I always forget to take my list.
Charles: You and thousands of other people too, Mary. We learn to use our memory
when we are still at nursery school. Young children are naturally very good at
working out how to remember things. The tips I’m going to share today are based on
the things we used to do to help us remember when we were children. The process
of memorisation occurs in two distinct forms. Do you know what they are?
Mary: Are they ‘long-term memory’ and ‘short-term memory’?
Charles: That’s right! But these aren’t completely separate concepts. We use a
combination of both types of memory when we want to formulate our thoughts and
recall information, whether we’re trying to remember something from a decade ago
or just an hour earlier.
Mary: So, what tips have you got for improving the quality of our memory?
Charles: Right. Let’s start with ‘association’.
Mary: Association?
Charles: Yes. We can use word association to remember an idea or a concept. This
means choosing a word or phrase you associate with what you are trying to
remember. The word needs to be something familiar, that you come into contact
with on a daily basis. So, for example, you can use the name of your pet dog to
remember a scientific equation. Try it! Read the equation a few times and then say
your dog’s name again and again. Later, in your science exam, just recall the name
and the whole equation should come back to you.
Mary: It sounds too good to be true! What else, Charles?
Charles: Visualisation is another trick we can use. So, you have to visualise an image
that is connected to the thing you need to remember. For example, if you want to
remember the date that the Berlin Wall came down, you might visualise a picture of
a wall with the date written on it in graffiti. The image of the wall becomes an
important part of what you will remember. You can use several images in a row to
remember things like information in a text or a list of ingredients for a recipe.
Mary: Yes, that makes sense.
Charles: Singing can help with memorisation too.
Mary: Singing?
Charles: Yeah. So instead of reading a text aloud, you sing it. Singing is one of most
effective and earliest memory tricks that are used for learning new concepts. I used
to ‘sing’ lists of historical facts and dates. It works.
Mary: And did you have to sing aloud in your history exams?
Charles: Not aloud! But I did used to sing in my head. And I always got good marks
for history.
Mary: Any more tips, Charles?
Charles: Yes! I’ve saved the best one till last. It’s particularly relevant for any
students who have tuned in. ‘Teach it’.
Mary: Teach it? Teach ‘what’?
Charles: Teach whatever it is that you want to remember. So, if you’re studying for
an English exam, teach the concepts to someone else. It can be a real person - a friend
in a study group is ideal - or it can be a ‘pretend’ person. You can just imagine
someone is listening to you as you teach. Better still, record yourself ‘teaching’ and
then play back the video to revise the material further.
Mary: That sounds like a great tip … or ‘trick’.
Charles: Yes, it really works because in order to teach something you need to
understand it. Teaching reinforces the understanding. And although these sound
like ‘tricks’, they aren’t really.
Mary: No?
Charles: No. They are just simple ways that we can train our brains to be more
effective. By getting into the habit of using word association, visualisation, singing
and teaching, our brains develop and work better for us. And of course, that has a
knock-on effect on our memory and our abilities to recall all kinds of data.
Mary: Thank you, Charles. Now, I think we’ve got time for a couple of questions
from our listeners.

HOW TO STUDY
Good morning. Today I’m going to talk about how to study. Now you probably
think you know all about that, right? You’ve been studying for years. And I expect
some of you are fantastic at studying, really organised and good at concentrating.
But there’s always room for improvement, and your exams aren’t far away, so these
tips are for all of you.
Right, so, what’s the best way to study? Well, first of all, it’s a good idea to have
some kind of plan or timetable. This could be for the week or a longer revision
timetable for an exam, from one month to six months. Yes, if you’re studying for an
important exam it’s important to think long term. Draw up a timetable, but revise it
often. If it’s not going to plan, you may have to rethink it.
Next, think about your environment. Make sure the place where you are going to
study is comfortable with enough light, air, etc. Not too hot, not too cold. Make sure
there are no distracting noises around, such as television. If you think you
concentrate better listening to music, experiment and see if it’s really true. Some
people really do seem to work better with music in the background, especially
classical music, but for many people it spoils their concentration. However, if you
have to work near a TV, you might have to use headphones to play music to drown
out the sound of the TV. In this case, find out what kind of music works best for you,
maybe something without words. By the way, you might think you work fine with
the TV on, but, again, experiment. You might be surprised at how much better you
work away from a TV. Oh, and the other thing is the internet, text messages, Twitter,
Facebook, etc. Forget about all of that while you’re studying. No, really, you can
ignore it for an hour or so; it won’t be the end of the world if you don’t reply to a
message immediately.
Right, planning breaks. Plan your study periods in chunks with regular breaks.
Many people recommend half an hour of concentrated study, then a ten-minute
break. But you can adjust this to suit you. If you study for too long at a stretch your
mind will work less effectively, so be careful. In your short break, you can give
yourself a treat, such as a cup of green tea. I wouldn’t advise a chocolate bar as a
treat – a sugar rush is not great for concentration.
OK, so next let’s think about what you do when you’re studying. Some people just
read through their notes or textbooks and underline in pencil or highlight important
bits. If this works for you, fine, but I’d suggest that it’s better to write notes of some
kind, so your mind is processing the information more. This way you are also
producing material which will be useful for last-minute revision. I don’t recommend
very last-minute revision, by the way, but we’ll come back to that later.
Have a look at these examples of student notes. Which do you think are best? The
first person has written important phrases at random, the next has a table with clear
headings and boxes with notes, the next has summaries, and the last one has mind
maps: you’ve got the main topic in the circle, then lines coming off the circle
attached to subcategories, then more lines to further details. Mind maps are great for
showing the connections between different bits of information. They seem to work in
the same way the brain works. So, what do you think? To me, the first one wouldn’t
be very useful to come back to and use in the future. But the others are all fine – it
depends on your personal preference. Mine is for mind maps. I would suggest using
colours, though, and even little drawings. They can make things much more
memorable.
Obviously, when you are studying, the first thing to think about is whether you
understand the information, and the second thing is how you are going to remember
it. Let’s look at some more ways of making information more memorable …

MY HERO
A (Girl 1):
My hero isn’t very famous, but she ought to be. She’s Mary Anning, who was only
12 years old and from a poor family when she made an amazing discovery. She
found the first dinosaur skeleton, that of an ichthyosaur, on the cliffs of Lyme Regis
in the south of England. That was in 1811, and until then people had thought that it
was impossible for an animal to become extinct. Because she was a woman and
didn’t have enough money for a proper education, she wasn’t able to take part
properly in the scientific community of the time. But she read as much scientific
literature as she could and continued to search for fossils, often risking her own life
to get them by climbing dangerous cliffs. She once nearly died in a landslide which
killed her dog. Although she didn’t write famous books about fossils, her
contribution to palaeontology, the study of fossils, is said to be enormous. I admire
her because she kept on trying to make new discoveries at a time when usually only
men, and men with money, were allowed to be scientists. After her death the writer
Charles Dickens said that ‘the carpenter’s daughter has won a name for herself, and
has deserved to win it’.
B (Boy 1):
My hero is Kailash Satyarthi, who has been campaigning against child slavery for
years. He is from India and first became aware of the problem of children working
when he was 6 and noticed that a boy younger than himself had to spend all day
polishing shoes and was unable to go to school. When he was 11, he began to collect
money to help buy textbooks for other children, and when he was 26 he gave up his
job as an electrical engineer to fight child slavery in India, by doing things like
raiding factories where children were forced to work, making rugs or glass bottles.
He introduced a programme first called RugMark, now known as Goodweave,
which puts tags on child-labour-free rugs made in factories. He has saved many
thousands of children, over 80,000, from a terrible life of enforced labour in South
Asia and helped them to get an education. He has often been physically attacked for
helping children, for example for trying to free Nepalese children forced to work in a
circus. He regularly risks his life to fight injustice; two of his colleagues have been
murdered. I believe that the best thing he has done is to change how people think
about child slavery and to make it an international issue.
C (Boy 2):
I’m really interested in ecology and my hero, or heroine, is Rachel Carson because
she first got people thinking about the way we humans are causing permanent
damage to the Earth’s ecosystems. She began as a biologist, specialising in writing
about the sea, but she gradually became aware of the danger of using pesticides like
DDT and the way they can harm the whole of the food chain, from the worm to
humans! She wrote her classic book Silent Spring in 1962 to explain this to the general
public, to explain how humans and nature are interdependent. The title of Silent
Spring refers to the fact that one day all the birds might be dead so they won’t be able
to sing in the springtime. The agricultural and chemical industries reacted very
badly to the book and said she was unprofessional. But further research by other
scientists proved that she was right about the dangers of chemicals used to kill
insects. Nowadays there is a growing movement for organic food production, but
unfortunately things in general are still getting worse, rather than better. We still
need to read Rachel Carson’s book and think about its message.
D (Girl 2):
My choice of hero isn’t very original, I’m afraid, but he’s the person I would most
like to have met: John Lennon. He died a long time before I was born, and his most
famous songs were written long before that, but when I listen to his music I really
feel as if he’s speaking to me personally. I love the whole range of the Beatles’ music,
from the early pop songs to the very experimental music at the end of their time as a
group. John Lennon was the most innovative writer in the Beatles and he continued
to create exciting music when he left and went solo. But although I love his music,
what I admire about him is his dedication to universal peace. It’s amazing that the
song Imagine, written in 1971, is still incredibly popular after all this time. It’s about
a world where everyone can be equal, a world with no wars, no divisions between
countries, no greed, no hunger, no material possessions ... I’d like to meet him
because he was a lifelong rebel, and although he could be a difficult person, he was
original, clever and funny. It was awful that he was killed in 1980 when he was only
40. I wonder what he would be doing if he was alive now.

NEW INVENTIONS
Presenter: Welcome to Tech Today! This week it’s National Science and Engineering
Week, so to celebrate we asked Jed our science correspondent to give us a round-up
of new inventions.
Jed: Hi, yes, I’ve got some very interesting things to tell you about today, starting
with a fun one: wingsuits, those suits that look like bats and allow people to fly, or
glide, at least. They’re the ultimate in cool.
Presenter: But they’re not very new, are they?
Jed: Well, no, but the modern ones are better than ever and last October was the first
ever world championship in China. The price is coming down, too. Now you can
buy one for 600 to 2,000 dollars. It’s still too expensive for me, but I suppose it’ll keep
coming down.
Presenter: OK, what about useful new inventions?
Jed: There are lots of those. There’s a new solar water distiller created by Gabriele
Diamanti aimed at parts of the world where it’s hard to get clean drinking water.
You pour in salty water and let the sun do the work for a few hours. Then, hey
presto! You have clean water! It’s a very simple device and fairly cheap to produce.
Presenter: Can I hear some doubt in your voice?
Jed: Well, they still need help with investment to start producing the distiller
properly. So if anyone out there has money to invest in a great product …?
Presenter: Absolutely. Get in touch with the designers.
Jed: Another useful invention which it would be good to see in production are
‘enable talk gloves’. These were invented by some Ukrainian students to allow
people with speech and hearing impairments to communicate with people who
don’t understand sign language. The gloves use sensors to translate sign language
into text, then into spoken language using a smartphone. A brilliant invention!
Presenter: Yes, that could benefit thousands of people.
Jed: Another useful invention comes from a surprising source, James Cameron, the
film director.
Presenter: The Titanic director?
Jed: The very same. Cameron was part of a team, headed by engineer Ron Allum,
which designed the Deepsea Challenger Submarine, capable of descending to the
lowest parts of the sea, 10 km down. Last year Cameron went down to the bottom of
Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the sea in the world. He was the first person to
do a solo dive there, and he stayed for three hours, the longest time so far.
Presenter: That sounds impressive!
Jed: Yes. We know so little about what’s at the bottom of the ocean, and it’s
important to find out more. OK, so now for something useful in a different way. You
know that feeling when you’re trying to get tomato ketchup out of a bottle and it
won’t come out, but you’re sure there’s lots more in there?
Presenter: Yeah, of course. It’s really annoying.
Jed: Well, a team of students at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have
come up with a new product that you use to coat a glass or plastic bottle, and then
what’s inside, hair gel or mustard, or whatever, comes out really easily.
Presenter: So, it saves hours of frustration trying to get stuff out of bottles?
Jed: Exactly. Right, now for my favourite invention. This is really silly, but I love it.
It’s a way of producing clouds indoors.
Presenter: Clouds?
Jed: Yes. A Dutch artist has come up with a way of forming perfect, small, white
clouds inside. They’re just beautiful. I don’t think you can do it yourself at home yet,
though.
Presenter: I don’t think I’d want to.
Jed: Oh, you would if you’d seen the photos. They’re amazing.
Presenter: OK, Jed, thanks for that. We’ll leave you with your head in the clouds and
see you again next week!
 SPORTS INTERVIEWS
Presenter: Now the 2020 Olympics might seem a long way away to you, but people
are already talking about what new sports might be included. Today I’m going to
talk to two people who are hoping their sport might be included. The first is Jonny
Mills whose sport is wakeboarding. Jonny, can you tell us what wakeboarding is? Is
it like surfboarding?
Jonny: Well, a bit. It started in California because people wanted to surf but didn’t
have waves ... It’s also a bit like water skiing in that the rider is towed behind a
specially-built speed boat.
Presenter: How fast does the boat go?
Jonny: Usually at about 25 mph, or a bit less. The rider uses the wake the board
produces in the water to launch into the air.
Presenter: And then you do a lot of complicated things in the air?
Jonny: That’s right, spins of up to 1260 degrees, things like that.
Presenter: 1260 degrees, that’s impossible isn’t it?
Jonny: Oh no, but it’s pretty crazy. You spin round three and a half times in the air.
Presenter: And then you have to land again without falling over.
Jonny: You’ll have to come and watch some wakeboarding if you haven’t seen any.
Come to Wake stock in July if you can.
Presenter: That’s in Wales, isn’t it?
Jonny: Yep, Abersoch in North Wales. It’s a really popular wakeboarding and music
festival. It’s right by the beach. It’s not quite the same as California, but it’s cool. It
attracts a lot of great riders.
Presenter: Who does wakeboarding?
Jonny: They reckon about 3 million people all over the world. More guys do it, but
there are increasing numbers of girls too. The people who compete are usually in
their teens or twenties, but anyone can do it. There’s a lot of crossover with other
board sports like surfing and skateboarding. The tricks people pull are similar and
the names for things are often the same.
Presenter: And looking at you, I’d say the fashion was similar too.
Jonny: Yeah, the clothes and the lifestyle are similar.
Presenter: Right, now I’d like to ask Jules Russell about her sport. She’s a skater in a
roller derby team. Tell us about that, Jules. Is it a popular sport?
Jules: Yes, it’s becoming really popular in the UK. There are about 60 leagues in
England and 1,200 throughout the world. In the US and Canada, of course, and
places like Scandinavia and Australia, but lots of other countries too.
Presenter: The sport began in the States, didn’t it?
Jules: Yes, in the 1930s, but it was more for entertainment than sport and it died out
by the 1970s. Then there was a revival in Texas in 2001 and from then on, it’s just
been growing and growing.
Presenter: So how do you play it?
Jules: Well, you have two teams of five people on roller skates, of course, and they
go round an oval track in the same direction. Each team has a "jammer" who scores
points by passing members of the opposing team. They do whatever they can to stop
her, within reason. The team with the most points at the end of the match wins.
Presenter: It sounds a bit rough!
Jules: Well, it’s a contact sport, so there’s bound to be a lot of pushing and falling
over. It’s all good fun, though; people don’t often get hurt. If you try and trip
someone up you get penalised. You do try and frighten the other team a bit though.
Presenter: That’s right. You have frightening clothes and special names.
Jules: People used to have incredible costumes a couple of years ago. Now the sport
is changing and becoming more professional. Lots of the teams train three or four
times a week, and spend a lot of time in the gym you have to be really dedicated and
fit. We still have nicknames, though. I’m “The Julifier”.
Presenter: And is the sport all female?
Jules: There are a few men who do it, but it’s mostly female and amateur at the
moment. Things are changing fast though, so who knows what the future will bring.
It would be fantastic to be an Olympic sport.
Presenter: What do you think about roller derby, Jonny?
Jonny: It’s wild! Those ladies scare me to death! Good luck to them with the
Olympics thing though. And good luck to us too.
Presenter: Good luck to you both.

THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD

Once again, the organisation which promotes Australia, Tourism Australia, is
advertising the best job in the world. But this year, they have six jobs going, all for
six months, with a great salary and extra spending money. If you think one of these
is your dream job, you have to make a 30-second video explaining why you are the
best person for the role. But – be warned. Thousands of people will be competing for
each post.
The job of 'outback adventurer' is for someone with a passion for outdoor life, and in
the Northern Territory there are plenty of wide-open spaces. The job is for someone
to find out the best adventures and jobs for young people on working holidays.
You’d be getting close to wildlife, sleeping under the stars in a bush camp and flying
over stunningly beautiful landscape in a hot air balloon. Your duties will include
getting to know about aboriginal culture and eating traditional bushfoods, maybe
including the famous witchetty grubs – insect larva.
Like the idea of 200 days of sunshine every year? Job number two is a park ranger in
tropical Queensland. It’s a wonderful state with ancient rainforests, the world’s
largest sand island and the awesome Great Barrier Reef. Here your duties would
include protecting and promoting native plants and animals, spectacular waterfalls,
dinosaur fossils, untouched beaches and indigenous culture. You’d get paid to patrol
the beaches of Lizard Island and live a life most people can only dream about.
Another island job is as 'wildlife caretaker' on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. If
you love all kinds of animals, this is the job for you. The advert says you’ll be able to
talk to wallabies (a kind of small kangaroo), play with dolphins, cuddle koalas and
sunbathe with seals on the unspoilt beach at Seal Bay. You would get about the
island on foot, by bicycle, kayak or boat, taking photos and leaving only footprints.
There is one potential drawback, though. You’d need to be pretty brave since you
might come face to face with great white sharks.
Maybe you are not quite so keen on the great outdoors and your talents are more
journalistic. If you fancy feature writing, photography and making videos, you can
apply for the position of lifestyle photojournalist for Time Out in Melbourne. You
would be required to photograph and write about the city's coolest cafés and
musical events. But you’d also cover tourist activities in the whole state of Victoria,
including surfing on the Great Ocean Road, skiing at Mount Hotham or watching
the little penguins at Phillip Island.
Are you a foodie? Do you know about food, as well as love eating it? If the answer's
yes, you can apply for the role of 'taste master' in Western Australia. Your job would
be to promote the best restaurants, pubs, wineries and breweries. You’d also catch
fresh seafood off the beautiful coast and learn all about making wine and beer.
Finally, a fantastic job in Sydney. We’ve all seen those amazing firework displays in
Sydney Harbour. Well, you could be one of the people making that happen next
year. New South Wales is looking for a 'chief funster', who would be based in
Sydney while travelling around the state and tweeting about the coolest things going
on. This job would appeal to someone interested in everything: sports, the arts,
entertainment, food. You’d also be involved in making the Sydney Festival, Mardi
Gras and Vivid Festival as spectacular, and as fun, as possible.
 THE FILTER BUBBLES
Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Hello. Now, have you ever noticed that
when you log on to the internet, you nearly always see adverts for things that you're
interested in? Yes? OK. So, let's say you were looking for a new pair of trainers last
week. Well, suddenly you'll see adverts for trainers all over the place. Well, believe it
or not, this isn't random. The internet browsers, websites and apps that we use know
a lot about us because they monitor how we use their site or app. This way they can
work out what we like and don't like. Clever! So, you've probably heard of cookies.
Am I right? Yes? OK. When you visit some sites for the first time, a cookie is
downloaded onto your computer that keeps a track on how you travel around the
site and exactly what you do. So, the next time you use the site again, your computer
will check the cookies and adapt, depending on the information it stored from your
last visit. With me? OK. So, without even thinking about it, we give out a lot of
information that can then be used to personalise our online experience.
Now, I saw a great presentation last week by the internet activist Eli Pariser and I
want to tell you a little bit about it. He wrote a book a few years ago called The Filter
Bubble and I think it's something that we should all know about. Here's the book. We
actually have it in the school library if you want to borrow it. In this talk I'm just
going to give you a little taster. Now, he likens the 'filter bubble' to an ecosystem and
he claims it is something that we should all be worried about. Now, after reading his
book and watching his talk, I've got to say I agree with him. I think it's something
you should all know about too.
So, let me try to explain using a simple example. Imagine I support a political party
… so, to keep this really simple let's call it the Yellow Party. OK, so let's say I have
lots of friends who also support the Yellows but some of my friends support the
Reds. Now, on my favourite social media site I want to see the posts from all my
friends but I tend to click more on the links that are posted by my friends who
support the Yellows, like me, obviously. Even so, I do still want to see what the Reds
are posting about. With me? OK. Now, a few months ago, just before the big
elections I noticed something quite weird happening on my newsfeed. I noticed that
my friends who support the Red Party had almost completely disappeared from the
site, and I was only being shown posts from my Yellow friends. Weird. Now, I
wondered if all my Red friends had left this social media space and moved
somewhere else, but when I clicked on their profiles to check, I could see that they
had been busy posting links and talking to people, but their posts were being hidden
from me. And it's only now I understand why. I know it's because I hardly ever
clicked on their posts and I didn't interact so much with them. So, the social media
site itself had decided for me that I wasn't interested in their posts, so they decided
not to show them to me. Now, this is an example of what Eli Pariser means by the
filter bubble – it's when the websites and apps choose what information we can and
can't see. Does that make sense?

FILTER BUBBLE 2
OK. So, moving on, if the social media sites can personalise the user experience, to
block out things they think we don't want to see, well, begs the question, what else is
being hidden from us? Well, in his talk Eli Pariser gives another example. Did you
know that if two people type the same word into some of the most popular search
engines, the results might be totally different?
I know. Crazy, huh? Well, maybe you can try it one time with a friend. The example
that Eli gave in his talk was two of his friends who have very different interests.
They both typed the word 'Egypt' into a search engine. One got results from news
websites about recent events in Egypt and the other got mainly travel guides. The
results were totally different and this is because some search engines record
information about what we usually look at, what we like and what our interests are.
Some sites are now starting to personalise what an individual user sees. Now,
sometimes, of course, it can be really helpful to have information personalised for us.
It can save us time searching and often actually we do want to see the information
that we're more interested in. It can make online shopping easier and it helps us to
connect with like-minded people. But let's stop for a second and think. Do we really
want the internet to offer us only what the internet thinks we want to see? Aren't we
going to miss out on a lot of really interesting and fresh information?
Well, whatever you think about the filter bubble, I think we all need to be aware that
this is happening. By controlling the flow of information each individual receives,
these algorithms mean we don't have access to all the information that is out there.
So, aren't we missing out on a lot of really useful stuff?
The question is, what can we do? Well, I have to say, I agree with Eli Pariser. I think
we need to try and step outside of our filter bubbles from time to time to try and get
our information from other sources, as well as the internet. And actually, you can
look for alternative search engines that don't filter the content in the same way. They
exist too. There are also ways to depersonalise searches, but I will tell you more
about that another day. For now, just try to make sure that you keep your eyes and
ears open and learn as much as you can about how the internet actually works.
Things change very quickly, but we should all try and keep up to date and learn
more about how the wonderful worldwide web works. Thank you very much.

SLEEPING FOR EXAM TIME

Teacher: Good afternoon. So, we’re fast approaching exam season and I can already
see a lot of tired faces here in front of me. Well, today we are lucky enough to have
Professor Manson from the University of Denton talk to us about how sleep can help
us pass those all-important exams. So, without any further ado, I’d like you to give a
big round of applause and stay wide awake for Professor Manson.
Professor: Good afternoon. Looking around this room now takes me back to when I
was your age and life seemed to be a never-ending chain of exams and assignments.
At that time, organisation was not my forte and too often I found myself up all hours
of the night before an exam cramming every last piece of information I could in an
attempt to remember something. Does that sound familiar to any of you? Can I just
see a show of hands how many of you this term has had no more than 3- or 4-hours’
sleep before an exam? OK, so that’s a clear majority and it has to be said that last-
minute revision can do wonders for the short-term memory, but what is, in fact,
even more beneficial is a good night’s sleep.
So, I’d like to explain to you now, especially you all-night crammers, the link
between sleep and memory and how a good night’s kip can improve your exam
results. Now, could everyone take a minute to work out, on average, how many
hours' sleep they get every night. Can I see a show of hands for more than 10 hours?
OK, none of you, how about between 8 and 10 hours? A handful of you. OK, so what
about between 6 and 8 hours? Right, that’s a popular option. And any of you fewer
than 6 hours? Mmm … OK, so you’re the guys we most need to worry about.
According to the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, newborn babies need
anything between 14 and 17 hours' sleep and this amount gradually decreases the
older we get until as adults we need around 7 or 8 hours sleep, but … you’ll be
interested to know that the 14 to 17 age group should be aiming for 8 to 10 hours'
sleep a night. So you can already see that most of us are not getting enough sleep,
and this is something we need to think about.
Sleep is essential. The human body simply can’t survive without it. End of story.
While we’re asleep, the body checks that all our vital functions such as growth,
circulatory systems and our immune system are in good working order. And while
we’re snoring away, our brains are very active restructuring information we’ve
collected during the day and consolidating memories.
So, let me explain memory consolidation. Memory consolidation is what happens
when information is moved from our short-term memory to our long-term memory
with the help of a major part of the brain called the hippocampus. This is it, folks …
this is the BIG moment when all of those facts and figures that you have crammed
into your short-term memory are processed and consolidated in your long-term
memory.
However, as you’re probably aware, we don’t always remember everything. One
reason we remember certain things better than others relates to the environment or
conditions we were in when we originally made the memories. What experts have
discovered is, the more emotions that are activated when we make a memory, the
more likely we are to consolidate that memory. So, for example, the more interesting
or fun you find a biology lesson, the more chance there is of you remembering
information from it … OK, teachers? And not only that … we actually need to
review information again and again after certain periods of time to help the
consolidation process, which is why well-planned exam revision timetables are far
more effective in the long term than short-term cramming the night before.
And one reason why it's important to get enough hours of sleep is that this process
of consolidation happens during certain stages of sleep. So, you’re probably aware
that there are different stages of sleep. The initial stages of sleep are a much lighter
type of sleep and it's not until we reach the later stages of deep sleep, what we call
'slow wave sleep' because the brain waves are much slower, that we consolidate our
memories. These slow waves help move the information we have collected and
stored in the hippocampus to our long-term memory.
So, what we have here is enough evidence to conclude that the best way to help you
pass your exams is to learn the information in a fun, interesting way, review it
regularly, and most importantly, get plenty of good-quality sleep.
And before you all drift off into a peaceful slumber, I’d like you to ask any questions
you might have.
Teacher: Thank you, Professor. OK, any questions?

TEENS GOING VEGGIE

Speaker 1
I switched to vegetarianism two years ago because I read an article about all the
health benefits – best decision I’ve ever made. I feel so much healthier now. My skin
is really good and my hair is much shinier. You have to be super-careful though that
you still get all the nutrients you need in your diet. The main problem for me is that
I’m the only vegetarian in the family, and the others want to eat meat and fish. So
sometimes it’s a bit of a pain for my mum, because she’s the one who does most of
the cooking. She usually cooks for the rest of the family, then throws something
together quickly just for me. She says I should learn to cook for myself, but I’ve got
so much homework at the moment ... OK, I am a bit lazy about cooking. I’m going to
have to get my act together or I’ll be condemned to a diet of salads and omelettes,
which I like, but if that’s all you’re eating, it’s pretty boring.
Speaker 2
Did you know that there are about half a million vegans in the UK? That’s people
who don’t eat any animal products at all. They reckon the number is growing
because of teenagers on social media – like me! That’s where I got links to videos
which convinced me that it’s the best option for animals, our planet and my health. I
did a lot of research into what kinds of things to eat before I changed my diet. It’s
really easy to find vegans online who’ll answer questions and give you advice. I’ve
been given lots of useful tips, like you can eat chickpeas and spinach for iron — you
know, to make up for the iron you’d get from meat in a conventional diet. I still
really miss fried eggs and normal chocolate — oops, I mean non-vegan chocolate.
My family have been supportive about the change, but I get teased a bit at school.
Some people think that being a vegan is weird. Luckily, I’ve got a lot of friends who
tell them it’s cool.
Speaker 3
I gave up eating meat a couple of years ago because at the time I was following a
celebrity who was a veggie. Stupid reason, I know, but you see beautiful, glamorous
people on Instagram and you want their lifestyle, so I became a vegetarian. I don’t
miss meat but I still eat fish sometimes, which sort of isn’t really allowed. My main
problem is that I’m not too keen on vegetables. My dad finds that hilarious. He’s
always going, 'How can you be a vegetarian if you don’t like vegetables?' I do like
chips, though, and tomato ketchup – they’re made from vegetables, aren’t they? I
don’t eat that much fruit either, apart from bananas. Anyway, but because my diet is
a little on the unhealthy side, I take multivitamins every day. I also try and avoid
rubbish like fizzy drinks and sweets. I don’t think my diet is so bad. I feel pretty
healthy.
Speaker 4
My whole family is vegetarian, so if you’re brought up that way it seems perfectly
normal. My parents are both good cooks and we had a very varied diet. We ate lots
of international dishes: Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern and so on. I never really
missed meat or fish, except when I went out with friends. When I was young, I
remember lots of birthday parties in hamburger places – that was a bit tricky! When
you’re young you never like being different. But later, quite a few people in my class
at school became vegetarian, so I was no longer the odd one out. Anyway, now I’ve
left home, I keep having lapses. I wouldn’t admit it at first, but I have tried meat a
couple of times and I’m getting to really like fish. I feel awful sometimes, but I love
food and I want to experiment with everything. I haven’t told my mum and dad –
they’d be shocked!
Speaker 5
My main reason for becoming vegan was that I can’t stand the way we treat animals
– most farms are run in such an inhumane way. I refuse to support factory farming.
The treatment of hens is horrific, not to mention what they do to cows. So now I
don’t eat any animal products – no meat, obviously, but no eggs, milk or cheese
either. And I don’t eat fish, of course. When I first started to be a vegan, I found I
was getting tired all the time, so I went to see a nutritionist and she said I wasn’t
getting enough protein. Now I’m a lot more careful and I eat lots of different nuts
and seeds, and pulses – you know, dried beans, chickpeas and lentils. It’s a bit time-
consuming, buying and cooking special things, but now I feel really good. My family
think I’m a bit weird, but they’re gradually coming round to my lentil and rice
specials!

THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS

Teacher: Good morning, class.
Students’ voices: Morning, miss / Morning.
Teacher: So, today we’re going to carry on with what we were talking about last
class which are the advantages of doing sport on a regular basis. Let’s start by seeing
how much you remember about the benefits of sport. I’m going to ask you some
questions and, in your groups, I’d like you to answer them. OK, so the first question
is, can you remember three of the specific physical benefits sports offers to the
human body that we discussed last class? OK, Group B. What do you think?
Group B spokesperson: Um, well we’ve got two.
Teacher: OK, let’s hear them.
Group B spokesperson: We think that doing sport reduces high blood pressure and
the chance of getting diabetes.
Teacher: Absolutely. OK does anyone have any other advantages? Yes, Group D?
Group D spokesperson: Yeah, sport is good for your bones.
Teacher: That’s right. It strengthens our bones, particularly while we are still
growing. OK, we also discussed that sport can be good for our minds too because of
the chemicals that our brains release when we exercise. Can anyone remember the
name of these chemicals and how they make us feel? Mmm, Group A?
Group A spokesperson: Are they called euphoria?
Teacher: Not exactly. Anyone else? OK, Group B again.
Group B spokesperson: Endorphins and they make you feel euphoric or really
happy.
Teacher: That’s right. So, sport can help us feel happy and put us in a good mood
because of these chemicals that are present in our bodies when we exercise. It also
improves our capacity to concentrate, which is why doing PE at school can actually
help you do better in exams. OK, so that was basically what we covered last week
and what we’re going to move on to today is thinking about whether it’s better for
us to take part in individual or team sports. So, let’s have a quick show of hands to
see what you think. Those who think it’s better for us to do individual sports put up
your hands. OK, thank you. And now those who think it’s better to do a team sport?
OK. Well, there are certain advantages to both individual and team sports, but, in
my opinion, the benefits of team sport do seem to outweigh those of individual
sport. Can you shout out a couple of examples of individual sports?
Group C spokesperson: Yeah, like, karate or swimming?
Group D spokesperson: And tennis.
Teacher: Good. Well, you won’t be surprised to hear that in order to succeed in
individual sport we need to have a fair amount of self-discipline to motivate
ourselves, which is easier said than done for some people. However, with regular
practice, it may be easier to see progress. Also, it’s worth pointing out that our
individual successes and failures are completely down to the individual, no one else.
OK, I’d like you to have a think in your groups about the possible advantages of
doing sport as part of a team as opposed to by yourself.
Teacher: OK, Group C. What have you come up with?
Group C spokesperson: Well, we were saying that it might be, like, easier to be
more motivated to actually do a sport if you’re in a team because you, like, you don’t
want to let anyone down, so you, like, always turn up for sports practice, you know,
so you are sort of more committed to doing the sport.
Teacher: That’s a very good point. Yes, being a team member certainly helps people
feel motivated and make an effort to turn up and play on a regular basis. Well done,
Group C. Any other ideas? Group D?
Group D spokesperson: Err, because it’s boring doing sport by yourself and it’s
more fun if you’re with your mates.
Teacher: Absolutely! And the sense of being involved and belonging to a group is
very positive for most people. Some experts actually believe that belonging to a
group or a team makes us less likely to suffer from depression, as members develop
positive bonds between them. And there are other benefits too. When you work as
part of a team you are learning to work together and rely on each other. Everyone is
responsible for the success of the team, so there’s less pressure on an individual and
consequently it’s less stressful. And finally, can you think of any skills you develop
when you work as part of a team?
Teacher: Group A?
Group A spokesperson: Well, you need communication skills to talk to everyone on
the team.
Teacher: Yes, very good, Group A. Any more? Group C?
Group C spokesperson: Err … could it be, like, negotiation skills?
Teacher: Yes, you need to communicate and negotiate with your fellow teammates.
You also develop trust as you work together with others to achieve a common aim
or goal, and all these skills are ones that come in handy in other areas of your life as
well as in sport. So, you can see that there are many all-round benefits to being in a
team. However, perhaps, at the end of the day, the most important point is that you
choose a sport you actually like, regardless of whether it’s an individual or team
sport.

THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS

Extract one
You will hear part of an interview with an expert on phobias.
Interviewer: So, what exactly is a phobia?
Expert: Well, nearly everyone fears something, but when the fear becomes
exaggerated and irrational, it’s a phobia, which is the most common form of anxiety
disorder. There are many types of what are known as specific or simple phobias.
Common phobias include a fear of animals, particularly spiders, a fear of darkness
or nyctophobia, or perhaps a fear of clowns, flying or a fear of public speaking. Now,
you may not be keen on some of these things I’ve just mentioned, but most of us find
a way to cope with the situation and don’t let it interfere with our daily lives.
However, if you have a phobia of one of these things, you may suffer from
symptoms such as an increased heart rate, dizziness, excessive sweating or even a
panic attack. You might end up going to extreme lengths to change your daily life so
as not to come into contact with the thing or situation that causes your phobia. For
example, imagine a friend of yours has a pet tarantula. If you’re not a huge fan of
spiders you may not enjoy spending time in his house, but most of us would put up
with it. However, if you are an arachnophobia sufferer, you would probably refuse
to visit him at home altogether. So, you can see how phobias can have a real impact
 on our social relationships.
Interviewer: And why do people suffer from phobias?
Expert: Well, there are a couple of causes. If a child grows up with a parent who
suffers from a phobia, the child is far more likely to develop the same irrational fear.
Also, many phobias are actually triggered by a traumatic past event, often during
childhood. So, perhaps an encounter with a vicious dog or falling into a swimming
pool and nearly drowning as a child could feasibly develop into cynophobia, a fear
of dogs, or aquaphobia, a fear of water.

EXTRACT TWO
Listen to part of a radio programme in which someone is talking about why
people like to feel scared.
Interviewer: There are many of us out there who actually enjoy the sensation of
feeling scared to death on a roller coaster or delight in sitting on the edge of your
seat during a horror movie and, Jan, you can explain to us why this is the case.
Jan: Yes, that’s right. As you say, millions of us choose to put ourselves in situations
where we consciously know we are going to feel scared, like going on rides at a
theme park. The reaction we have when we put ourselves into these situations – you
know, the rapid heartbeat or sweaty palms – is in part similar to that when we’re
faced with a real threat. What happens in those cases is that the body reacts to the
danger with what we call a ‘fight or flight’ response. So, when the body detects real
danger, it closes off any non-essential systems such as critical thought and reacts
with automatic responses which enable us to either put up a fight or run away. We
get a sudden huge rush of energy and at the same time the body is flooded with
chemicals which protect us from feeling pain. The difference between a situation of
real danger and being on a theme park ride is the context. So, although we feel a
certain sense of fear, we know deep down that the situation does not really pose a
true threat and so this energy and lack of pain without any real danger allow us to
experience a sense of euphoria or an adrenaline rush, which explains why we are
able to scream and giggle in quick succession.

EXTRACT THREE
You will hear some people talking about their fears and phobias.
Ben: So, have you got any phobias, Liz?
Liz: I’m not sure if I’d call it a phobia as such, but I absolutely hate needles and
injections. Even the thought of them makes me feel queasy. When I have to have a
blood test, I can’t bring myself to watch and I feel faint and dizzy, and if I’m
watching TV and there’s a scene with someone injecting themselves, I can’t watch. I
think it started when I was little and I went to the doctor with my mum and my big
sister. The doctor gave my sister an injection and I was watching ... I started to feel
faint and I passed out on the floor of the doctor’s office.
Abi: Oh no! Well, my greatest fear is clowns. There’s actually an official name for it,
coulrophobia, I think. I don’t know what it is about them exactly, but they just freak
me out, they’re so weird. I’ve always hated them since I was a kid from birthday
parties and the circus and things. They don’t look at all happy to me even with a big
painted smile. They look sad and scary, even a bit sinister.
Liz: What about you, Ben? Are you scared of anything?
Ben: No, course not!
Abi: Well, apart from heights.
Ben: That’s true, I can’t look out of the window past the fourth floor.
Abi: And lifts …
Ben: OK, yeah, and lifts. I hate getting inside lifts. I’ll always take the stairs if I can. I
don’t know, they just make me feel uneasy. And, well, I get really nervous if I ever
have to speak in public. I start sweating and my mind just goes blank. It’s so
embarrassing ... that’s pretty normal, isn’t it?
Liz: Of course!
Abi: Sure.

WAR’S SILVER LINING

Good morning, everybody. Today I’m going to talk about one of the most terrible
wars of the twentieth century. Although it took place mainly in Europe, it involved
countries from all over the world. I’m talking, of course, about the First World War,
from 1914 to 1918, which resulted in the death of about ten million military
personnel. Despite the enormous human cost, the war did have some positive
consequences. In fact, it was precisely because of the nature and scale of the horrors
of the battlefield that many important medical advances were made, as new
equipment and techniques had to be developed quickly to cope with the huge
number of injuries.
As I said, the scale of the First World War was huge. New weapons were used that
were designed to kill on an industrial scale, such as machine guns, tanks and poison
gases. These produced brutal results: many deaths and about twice as many injuries.
Those injured suffered very severe wounds and this pushed the medical
establishment to build on recent discoveries and to come up with solutions for the
new problems faced by doctors. I’m going to tell you about a few of these.
You probably know that X-rays were discovered in 1895, and were developed for
limited medical use in the following year. But their use became much more
widespread during the war, when they helped detect fragments of bombs and
bullets buried in tissue. They allowed doctors to extract these elements, which would
otherwise have caused serious infections. Stretchers for carrying injured people had
also been in use before the war, but the development of rescuing the wounded from
the battlefield, by sending in stretcher-bearers to bring them back as quickly as
possible, was completely new. The modern concept of a paramedic, who is able to
apply first aid in the field, also comes from this time.
Blood transfusion was in its early days at the time of the Great War. It was done
person-to-person, that is, with a tube transferring blood from one person to another.
This was extremely impractical and carried a very high risk. The rigours of the war
demanded a better solution and by 1917 indirect transfusion had been developed. It
was possible to store blood on ice for up to 26 days and deal much better with battle
injuries. For many, this was the most significant medical breakthrough of the war.
The war also saw advances in treating wounds which demanded that the patient be
unconscious while undergoing procedures. In 1917 the anaesthetist Henry Boyle
invented a machine which could provide a steady flow of oxygen, nitrous oxide and
ether, and this provided the basis of all the anaesthesia machines that followed.
Operations without pain – a wonderful innovation, I’m sure you’ll agree.

So the next time you have an X-ray, donate blood or undergo an operation, spare a
thought for those doctors, nurses, researchers and patients back at the time of World
War 1 – we owe them a lot!

HELP OTHERS AND HELP YOUR SELF

Interviewer: Today I’m going to talk to two young people who are both doing
voluntary work in the sports sector. First there’s Liam Parker, who is a keen BMX
biker and does a lot of work at a sports centre. And then there’s Debbie Sanford,
who has volunteered to help with many different sports, and who now has a paid
job with a sports organisation. So, Liam, tell us a bit about the place you work – it
sounds really interesting.
Liam: Yes, it’s really cool. Basically, it’s a huge space where lots of sports and
cultural events take place. It used to be a shipbuilding hangar, but the company
went bust years ago. The building was taken over and completely renovated and
repurposed about five years ago. Now we have facilities for all kinds of urban sports
like skateboarding, breakdancing, Parkour, kick scooter …
Interviewer: Hang on a moment, can you explain the last two?
Liam: A kick scooter is just a normal scooter with a handlebar, deck and wheels. But
now we have stunt scooters and special ones for racing. And Parkour has been
around for a while now. It’s a way of moving around an urban environment – it
developed from military training. It involves climbing, running, vaulting, jumping,
swinging and stuff like that. Everyone’s seen it on TV and videos, people jumping
off incredibly high buildings, between roofs and things.
Interviewer: So, what are you involved with?
Liam: My passion is for BMX, and I want to get other people involved in the sport.
But I do all kinds of things at the centre. I make sure the bikes and scooters meet
safety standards. I check the tracks and ramps so that they are clean and no one can
slip and hurt themselves. I teach kids the basics of BMX and do demonstrations. I
sometimes cook in the burger van too.
Interviewer: Right, so you’ve learned a lot of skills?
Liam: Yeah. At first, I was a bit nervous about speaking to groups, but now I have no
problem giving safety inductions to people. I had to learn sports-specific first aid in
case anyone hurts themselves, cooking hygiene for the burger van, maths for taking
money at the till. I’ve had a lot of training in different areas and gained useful
certificates.
Interviewer: So, all that training will be valuable when you come to look for paid
work?
Liam: Absolutely. I’m still only 18 and I’ve been volunteering for two years. I’d like
to stay in this sector and find full-time paid work, so obviously all my experience
and skills will help a lot.
Interviewer: Thank you, Liam. And now, our other guest has made that jump from
voluntary work to paid work. Debbie, you’ve been involved in many different sports
in your 22 years, haven’t you?
Debbie: Yes, quite a few! I started off playing football at county level and then got
into coaching. I reckoned that I wouldn’t have been able to play football without the
help of volunteers, so when I had the chance to help other people, I did. Then I
started a degree in Sport Development and I realised that lots of people like me
would soon have a degree and be looking for a job and I’d need more experience to
compete with them all!
Interviewer: So, you volunteered again?
Debbie: Yes, I spent a year helping with an online sports volunteering bureau and
volunteered at various events including a cricket tournament, a table tennis
championship and a half marathon.
Interviewer: Wow, that’s a lot of experience!
Debbie: Yes. I must add that I don’t actually play cricket or table tennis myself,
though I do run. You don’t have to be an expert in a sport to volunteer – there are
lots of jobs that need doing.
Interviewer: And now you’ve finished your degree and you’re working.
Debbie: That’s right. I wrote my dissertation on the retention and recruitment of
volunteers, and now I manage volunteers for an organisation promoting swimming.
I also organise events at a national level. I would never have got the job without all
my volunteering experience. It helped me loads.
Interviewer: And finally, a question for you both. Do you think we sometimes
exploit volunteers in this country? Are they doing things for free when they ought to
be getting paid? Liam, I believe that you volunteer for about ten or twenty hours a
week. Do you ever feel that you should be paid for what you do?
Liam: Well, of course, it would be nice. But the organisation I help is non-profit-
making and it couldn’t really afford to pay all the volunteers. At the moment, I’m
happy to do what I love and gain experience of dealing with the public. I’m living
with my parents and they are paying my keep. In the future I’ll have to look for paid
work.
Debbie: I think many volunteers feel they want to give something back to their
sport. It was like that for me with football. Ideally it would be good to have more
paid positions, but we also need volunteers. Sport just couldn’t function without
them. It is really important to give people recognition for what they do, though.
Interviewer: Thanks very much for sharing your experiences. And now, we’re going
to move on …

HOW FALSE INFORMATION SPREADS

Presenter: Hi, everyone. On today’s Tech-times podcast we’re lucky to have Sam
Wogan, a well-known digital journalist, with us. So, Sam – what interesting techie-
topic would you like to talk about today?
Journalist: Hi Brad. Today I’d like to talk about some of the reasons why we
shouldn’t automatically believe everything we read online, and how false
information spreads so easily with the help of technology. One of the reasons for this
is a phenomenon known as circular reporting.
Presenter: Circular reporting? What’s that?
Journalist: Well, it’s basically reports which are based on other reports, rather than
on the primary evidence or source. To the reader, it looks like the information is
coming from several different independent sources, which normally means it can be
trusted. But, in actual fact, all the reports are based on each other. Imagine a piece of
false information is published, for example on Wikipedia, and then is referenced in a
newspaper article or other publication. Then, in turn, the original Wikipedia entry
references or quotes the article as validation that the information is true. In a
nutshell, it’s the confirmation of false information by more than one publication.
Presenter: OK, let me see if I’ve understood this correctly. So, someone writes an
article on Wikipedia which contains some false information ...
Journalist: That’s right, false information which is not referenced or checked and in
no way is obvious as being false.
Presenter: OK, and then this false information is copied from Wikipedia by a
journalist and included in a newspaper article.
Journalist: Yes, or other type of article, as if it were true information.
Presenter: And then Wikipedia references the newspaper article, which verifies the
information in the original Wikipedia article as being true.
Journalist: That’s right! And sometimes it’s not just one newspaper article that cites
the false information. Several publications may include it and so it becomes very
difficult to prove that the original information is false. Let me give you an example.
A few years ago, a 17-year-old American student was on holiday with his family in
Brazil. He spotted what he believed to be an aardvark, but which was in fact a type
of Brazilian raccoon called a coati. When the boy got home after his holiday, he went
online and changed the Wikipedia entry by adding the name ‘Brazilian aardvark’ to
the information on the article, as a sort of joke, and then he forgot about it and
thought nothing more of it. However, what started to happen was that articles and
blogs began to quote the information from Wikipedia and then those articles were
re-reported as evidence in Wikipedia. Before long, everyone was talking about the
‘Brazilian aardvark’ as if it were factual information.
Presenter: So, when information makes its way from a Wikipedia page into a
published article, the article could be spreading false information without even
realising it?
Journalist: Exactly! It makes you wonder how many hoaxes initiated by people in
this way have ended up as truths in many people’s minds just because people copy
and paste vandalised Wikipedia pages. That’s not to say that all information on
Wikipedia is false by any means. There’s a ton of really valid information there and
it is constantly being updated – many people consider it to be the most up-to-date
and unbiased encyclopaedia in the world. However, it is the open structure of
Wikipedia, compared to a traditional encyclopaedia, which makes it a target to be
tampered with.
Presenter: So, we just have to be aware that there may be a certain number of
inaccuracies on Wikipedia?
Journalist: Yes, and it’s also worth mentioning that circular reporting is not just
restricted to harmless information like the ‘Brazilian aardvark’.
Presenter: Isn’t it?
Journalist: No. For example, some time ago, claims that certain vaccines could cause
autism in children were published in a prestigious medical publication by a British
surgeon. The problem was that the unsupported claims were picked up by the
media and the news spread like wildfire. Soon enough the general public were
understandably concerned about the risks and huge numbers of parents refused to
vaccinate their children. Consequently, in recent years we have seen an increase in
the number of children suffering childhood diseases such as measles. By the time the
claims were proven unfounded, the damage was done and even to this day some
people still believe that there is a link between vaccines and autism.
Presenter: It just goes to show how difficult it is sometimes for the truth to be heard.
Journalist: Absolutely.
Presenter: So, in practical terms, how can we be sure that what we’re reading is true?
Journalist: Well, we can take certain steps such as checking the original source of the
information and, if at all possible, checking that the original source is reliable and
not just taken from either Wikipedia, Facebook or the media.
Presenter: Right, so we need to be a little more critical and not just believe
everything we read online.
Journalist: That’s right, although it’s difficult because we want information quickly
and immediately, so it’s not always viable to spend time checking the sources of
information, even though we should. And we should certainly try and reflect on the
information and decide ourselves if we think it’s true or not. If you feel unsure about
the validity of certain information, then there’s no harm in looking into it further to
check how true it actually is.
Presenter: That’s very true. We often take things at face value and don’t really take
the time to think critically about them.

HOW TO BREAK INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Jeff Seagle: Hi everybody. I’m Jeff Seagle. Good to see so many people here. As you
know, I’ve been asked to come along and give you some advice about how to break
into the music industry. And before I start, I’d better make it clear that this talk is for
people wanting to work with and for artists, not to actually be musicians, OK?
Right, so I’ve been in the music biz for quite a number of years now, and I’ve
worked with a lot of amazing people. So here are my tips, for what they’re worth.
First of all, I know a lot of you are thinking about further degrees, but forget the
MBA. This business is much more about experience than qualifications, so it’s better
to start working as soon as you can. Easier said than done, you might say, but I’m
talking about any kind of relevant work experience.
Don’t panic – you can start small! Go along to your local music venue or a small
music company in your home town and see if there’s anything you can do. It could
just be selling tickets on the door – you’ll get to meet people and one thing might
lead to another. Obviously paid work is better than unpaid, but you have to start
somewhere. You need to be in an environment where you are learning stuff and
making contacts. Ah, a question already – yes?
Girl A: What about being an intern? Are there many internships available
nowadays?
Jeff Seagle: There definitely are some. Not a huge number — as you know, it’s a
very competitive industry, but the bigger companies certainly do take on people.
And if you get your foot in the door at a big place you’ve really got to prove your
worth. Show the higher-ups that you have some kind of unique skill or knowledge.
Maybe something to do with social networking, or even knowledge of the music
scene in the place you grew up. If you possibly can, let them see that you have
something special to offer, and with any luck, they’ll keep you on. Remember that
companies often want interns because they’re young and have their finger on the
pulse. Show them that you know what’s going on, what people are listening to, how
to find new acts, and so on. Find a cool app that they don’t know about. OK, another
question?
Boy: How important is networking?
Jeff Seagle: Meeting people and making connections is absolutely vital. If people see
you as an ambitious 'networker', if they think you’re just using them, that’s not so
good. Nobody wants to feel like a stepping stone in someone else’s career. But
people are often willing to give younger people the benefit of their experience and,
of course, we’re all susceptible to a bit of flattery. So, my advice is to find people in
the business you genuinely admire and ask them questions. If you’re an intern, start
with your boss, then move on to others in the building, after getting your boss’s
permission. It’s also good to chat to anyone who shares your passion for music,
people on the door in clubs, band members, fans or music executives. You never
know what information might be useful or which contact may help you in the
future. Oh, and one other point about networking, bear in mind that nowadays the
personal and professional lines are sometimes blurred. That means that anything
you post online for your friends to see can also be seen by potential professional
contacts. Make sure that everything people can see about you reflects the image you
want to project. Next question from over there?
Girl B: You’ve talked about the music industry, but I’m not sure what kind of jobs
are available exactly. Could you give some examples?
Jeff Seagle: Sure, and that’s a good point. You need to work out what you’re best at,
and what you feel most passionate about, and let that guide your career path. It
could be working in publicity, promoting artists; working in A&R (that stands for
Artists and Repertoire), discovering new talent and matching artists up with musical
collaborators; booking acts for TV shows; helping a new band become successful by
working with their management team. And of course, now there are hundreds of
jobs connected to the internet. You could be managing a website or blogging for a
label. Or social media manager for a band – running their social media channels.
Things are changing so fast – a lot of the music portals we use today have only been
in existence a short time. Who knows what’s coming next and what new jobs will be
created?
Girl B: Thanks, that’s really useful. I also wanted to ask how you deal with
celebrities. Have you worked with many?
Jeff Seagle: Yep, quite a few. The main thing is not to be star-struck, just treat them
as clients, it’s a business relationship. If you get tongue-tied and clam up, everyone
will feel awkward. The other thing is that the unknown singer of today could be the
star of tomorrow, so you need to treat everyone with respect. I remember, right ...

LIVING ONLINE
Speaker 1
I think that even up until just a few years ago we could never have imagined how
our behaviour would change with regards to using mobiles and tablets. I know that I
would find it incredibly difficult to live without my mobile. I’m constantly looking at
my phone to see if I’ve got any new messages or updates, and checking my apps to
see what’s new. I wouldn’t say that I post my life online, not like some people I
know, but I do like to keep up with what people are up to — friends, family and
even other people I know but maybe haven’t seen for years, like old school friends,
and check out photos of what they look like now, ha ha ha (laughing) …
Speaker 2
In a way, I think it’s quite funny that we’re always worrying about teenagers and
young people becoming obsessed with online communication, but if you ask me we
need to worry just as much about adults! At the office where I work, even when we
have a break, nobody talks to each other unless they absolutely have to, which is a
sorry state of affairs to say the least. Everyone’s too busy checking their social
networks and sending messages to have time to communicate face-to-face! People
spend their lunchtime glued to their screens or barely glance up from their phones.
Even during meetings people can’t resist subtly checking their phone, and what
really irritates me is when you are trying to talk to someone and they’re more
interested in looking at their phone than paying attention to what you’re saying,
even though you're right in front of them! Phubbing, I think it’s called!
Speaker 3
I was listening to this discussion on the radio the other day talking about online
communication and they were talking about FOMO or, what was it, Fear of Missing
Out, which apparently is a kind of modern-day psychological syndrome which
we’re affected by because of our obsession with online communication. Basically,
they were saying that the reason why people feel that they have to be connected
24/7 and communicate everything they’re doing and keep up with everything that
other people we know are doing is down to this fear of missing out. We’re worried
that everyone is having more fun than us or doing something more exciting than us.
They also said that because we’re spending more time communicating in the online
world, we’re losing the ability to enjoy the present.
Speaker 4
My generation is so different to my parents’. I mean, they’re always telling me that
they grew up in a world without mobiles and social networking and they managed
fine. Hard to imagine how they arranged to meet their friends without a phone …
but they say they did! Uh ... I had so many arguments with them while I was
growing up, until they let me have my first smartphone. But they didn’t let me have
Snapchat or Instagram or anything like that! ‘It’s not the end of the world,’ they’d
say! They just didn’t understand that that’s the way people my age communicates
with each other. Nobody actually talks on the phone any more. They have no idea
how much I missed out on at school being the only one who didn’t have Snapchat.
Also, at school we had loads of talks and stuff on how to stay safe online and most of
us knew that anything you post online was going to be there forever.
Speaker 5
For me, one of the best things about online communication is that you can stay in
touch with everyone at the same time, all the time. You know exactly what’s going
on, when and where, so you never miss out on anything. I love the fact that you can
update all your friends on what’s going on in your life and they can respond
immediately with a like or a comment, so you feel like you’re together with people
even though you might be completely alone sitting on a bus or at home. I share loads
of photos, but I only post up my best edited shots. I hate it when people I know post
photos of me not looking my best.

MAN OR BEAST
Presenter: Good afternoon and welcome to 'Book Corner'. Our first review today is
of an unusual book by Charles Foster which is a combination of nature writing,
biology, philosophy, personal memoir … it’s not very definable, but it’s already
being described as a modern classic. Jon, tell us about the book you’ve been reading.
Jon: You’re quite right, it’s not very easy to define. The title is Being a Beast and the
book is about the author’s attempts to be a beast, that is, to live as an animal, or
rather as several animals: a badger, an otter, a fox, a red deer and a bird. He says he
wanted to really know what life was like for these animals and so he did the
conventional research, the reading and so on. Then he actually tried to live in the
same way as them, as far as possible. For example, when he’s being a badger, he
goes to live in a hole in the ground and crawls around a wood, learning to identify
different trees by their smell. He even experiments with eating earthworms. Eighty-
five per cent of a badger’s diet is made up of earthworms – did you know that?
Presenter: Ugh! I didn’t know that. He took one of his children with him, didn’t he?
Jon: Yes, his eight-year-old son, Tom. Foster says that children make better animals
than adults in many ways – they use their senses to understand the world more, and
they think in a much less abstract way than adults. Another reason why he took his
son is that badgers are social creatures and would never live alone. He says that Tom
adapted quickly to being a badger, learning to smell mice, hear tiny forest sounds
and get around on four feet.
Presenter: How did Foster tackle being the other animals?
Jon: In the same kind of way. As an otter, he spent a lot of time in the rivers and
lakes and the sea, as an otter would – alone this time, since otters are solitary. The
otter’s big problem is that it has to spend all its time hunting for food in order to
survive, and that feeling of desperation was hard to recreate, but he did catch live
fish in his mouth. To try to live as a red deer, Foster went to the north of Scotland.
He nearly died from exposure to the cold out on the mountains, and he asked a local
to set his dogs on him so that he could experience being hunted.
Presenter: What happened?
Jon: The dogs realised that he wasn’t a red deer! That episode left Foster feeling that
he had failed to get close to understanding the animal, but he had much more
success as a fox. In London, he tried to forage for waste food, as an urban fox would.
There’s one very funny part where he’s trying to sleep on the ground like a fox, and
a police officer tries to move him on. He tries to explain that he’s trying to be a fox ...
Presenter: … and gets arrested, I suppose!
Jon: Almost! In London he had the kind of animal encounter that he’d been hoping
for: a fox looked him in the eye and he felt some kind of relationship was being
established, animal to animal. He felt he had got close to understanding foxes – he
had great respect for their ability to survive and thrive in the city. The end of the
book is about swifts, those amazing birds which travel thousands of miles between
continents every year.
Presenter: It must be hard for a human to live like a swift.
Jon: Absolutely! Foster can’t fly! The nearest he can get to the birds is by standing in
a tree and trying to catch insects. But this section has a lot of fascinating facts about
swifts, and about other animals. In fact, the whole book is very witty and engaging.
It asks lots of important questions about what it means to be human and animal, and
provides quite a few possible answers. I really recommend this to anyone with any
interest in animals, or in humans, in fact. Although it contains some scientific detail,
it’s a very good read, by the way. Very entertaining.
Presenter: Well, I’ll certainly look out for that book, Jon. Thanks. Now, our next book
is about something completely different …

SLEEPING FOR EXAM

Teacher: Good afternoon. So, we’re fast approaching exam season and I can already
see a lot of tired faces here in front of me. Well, today we are lucky enough to have
Professor Manson from the University of Denton talk to us about how sleep can help
us pass those all-important exams. So, without any further ado, I’d like you to give a
big round of applause and stay wide awake for Professor Manson.
Professor: Good afternoon. Looking around this room now takes me back to when I
was your age and life seemed to be a never-ending chain of exams and assignments.
At that time, organisation was not my forte and too often I found myself up all hours
of the night before an exam cramming every last piece of information I could in an
attempt to remember something. Does that sound familiar to any of you? Can I just
see a show of hands how many of you this term has had no more than 3- or 4-hours’
sleep before an exam? OK, so that’s a clear majority and it has to be said that last-
minute revision can do wonders for the short-term memory, but what is, in fact,
even more beneficial is a good night’s sleep.
So, I’d like to explain to you now, especially you all-night crammers, the link
between sleep and memory and how a good night’s kip can improve your exam
results. Now, could everyone take a minute to work out, on average, how many
hours' sleep they get every night. Can I see a show of hands for more than 10 hours?
OK, none of you, how about between 8 and 10 hours? A handful of you. OK, so what
about between 6 and 8 hours? Right, that’s a popular option. And any of you fewer
than 6 hours? Mmm … OK, so you’re the guys we most need to worry about.
According to the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, new born babies need
anything between 14- and 17-hours’ sleep and this amount gradually decreases the
older we get until as adults we need around 7- or 8-hours sleep, but … you’ll be
interested to know that the 14 to 17 age group should be aiming for 8 to 10 hours'
sleep a night. So, you can already see that most of us are not getting enough sleep,
and this is something we need to think about.
Sleep is essential. The human body simply can’t survive without it. End of story.
While we’re asleep, the body checks that all our vital functions such as growth,
circulatory systems and our immune system are in good working order. And while
we’re snoring away, our brains are very active restructuring information we’ve
collected during the day and consolidating memories.
So, let me explain memory consolidation. Memory consolidation is what happens
when information is moved from our short-term memory to our long-term memory
with the help of a major part of the brain called the hippocampus. This is it, folks …
this is the BIG moment when all of those facts and figures that you have crammed
into your short-term memory are processed and consolidated in your long-term
memory.
However, as you’re probably aware, we don’t always remember everything. One
reason we remember certain things better than others relates to the environment or
conditions we were in when we originally made the memories. What experts have
discovered is, the more emotions that are activated when we make a memory, the
more likely we are to consolidate that memory. So, for example, the more interesting
or fun you find a biology lesson, the more chance there is of you remembering
information from it … OK, teachers? And not only that … we actually need to
review information again and again after certain periods of time to help the
consolidation process, which is why well-planned exam revision timetables are far
more effective in the long term than short-term cramming the night before.
And one reason why it's important to get enough hours of sleep is that this process
of consolidation happens during certain stages of sleep. So, you’re probably aware
that there are different stages of sleep. The initial stages of sleep are a much lighter
type of sleep and it's not until we reach the later stages of deep sleep, what we call
'slow wave sleep' because the brain waves are much slower, that we consolidate our
memories. These slow waves help move the information we have collected and
stored in the hippocampus to our long-term memory.
So, what we have here is enough evidence to conclude that the best way to help you
pass your exams is to learn the information in a fun, interesting way, review it
regularly, and most importantly, get plenty of good-quality sleep.
And before you all drift off into a peaceful slumber, I’d like you to ask any questions
you might have.
Teacher: Thank you, Professor. OK, any questions?