TEST 1

TC EMPLOYEE:   Hi. Can I help you?

VISITOR:              I’d like to find out if you have any excursions suitable for families.

TC EMPLOYEE:   Sure. How about taking your family for a cruise? We have a steamship that takes passengers out several times a day (Example) – it’s over 100 years old.

VISITOR:              That sounds interesting. How long is the trip?

TC EMPLOYEE:   About an hour and a half. And don’t forget to take pictures of the mountains (Q1). They’re all around you when you’re on the boat and they look fantastic.

VISITOR:              OK. And I assume there’s a café or something on board?

TC EMPLOYEE:   Sure. How old are your children?

VISITOR:              Er, my daughter’s fifteen and my son’s seven.

TC EMPLOYEE:   Right. Well there are various things you can do once you’ve crossed the lake, to make a day of it. One thing that’s very popular is a visit to the Country Farm. You’re met off the boat by the farmer and he’ll take you to the holding pens, where the sheep are kept. Children love feeling them!

VISITOR:              My son would love that. He really likes animals.

TC EMPLOYEE:   Well, there’s also a 40-minute trek round the farm on a house (Q2), if he wants.

VISITOR:              Do you think he’d manage it? He hasn’t done that before.

TC EMPLOYEE:   Sure. It’s suitable for complete beginners.

VISITOR:              Ah, good.

TC EMPLOYEE:   And again, visitors are welcome to explore the farm on their own, as long as they take care to close gates and so on. There are some very beautiful gardens along the side of the lake which also belong to the farm (Q3) – they’ll be just at their best now. You could easily spend an hour or two there.

VISITOR:              OK. Well that all sounds good. And can we get lunch there? (Q4)

TC EMPLOYEE:   You can, and it’s very good, though it’s not included in the basic cost. You pay when you get there.

VISITOR:              Right.

————————-

VISITOR:              So is there anything else to do over on that side of the lake?

TC EMPLOYEE:   Well, what you can do is take a bike over on the ship and then go on a cycling trip. There’s a trail there called the Back Road – you could easily spend three or four hours exploring it, and the scenery’s wonderful. They’ll give you a map when you get your ticket for the cruise – there’s no extra charge. (Q5)

VISITOR:              What’s the trail like in terms of difficulty?

TC EMPLOYEE:   Quite challenging in places. It wouldn’t be suitable for your seven-year-old. It needs someone who’s got a bit more experience. (Q6)

VISITOR:              Hmm. Well, my daughter loves cycling and so do I, so maybe the two of us could go, and my wife and son could stay on the farm. That might work out quite well. But we don’t have bikes here… is there somewhere we could rent them?

TC EMPLOYEE:   Yes, there’s a place here in the city. It’s called Ratchesons. (Q7)

VISITOR:              I’ll just make a note of that – er, how do you spell it?

TC EMPLOYEE:   R-A-T-C-H-E-S-O-N-S. It’s just be the cruise ship terminal.

VISITOR:              OK.

TC EMPLOYEE:   You’d also need to pick up a repair kit for the bike from there to take along with you, and you’d need to take along a snack and some water – it’d be best to get those in the city.

VISITOR:              Fine. That shouldn’t be a problem. And I assume I can rent a helmet from the bike place? (Q8)

TC EMPLOYEE:   Sure, you should definitely get that. It’s a great ride, but you want to be well prepared because it’s very remote – you won’t see any shops round there, or anywhere to stay (Q9), so you need to get back in time for the last boat.

VISITOR:              Yeah. So what sort of prices are we looking at here?

TC EMPLOYEE:   Let’s see, that’d be one adult and one child for the cruise with farm tour, that’s $117, and an adult and a child for the cruise only so that’s $214 dollars altogether. Oh, wait a minute, how old did you say your daughter was?

VISITOR:              Fifteen.

TC EMPLOYEE:   Then I’m afraid it’s $267 (Q10) because she has to pay the adult fare, which is $75 instead of the child fare which is $22 – sorry about that.

VISITOR:              That’s OK. Er, so how do …

 

TEST 2

MAN:                    Good morning, Kenton Festival box office. How can I help you?

WOMAN:             Oh, good morning. I’m coming to Kenton for a few days’ holiday next month, and a friend told me there’s a festival. She gave me this number to find out about it.

MAN:                    That’s right, the festival begins on the 16th of May (Example) and goes on till the 19th.

WOMAN:             Oh, that’s great. I’ll be there from the 15th till the 19th. So could you tell me the programme, please?

MAN:                    Well, on the first day, there’s the opening ceremony, in the town centre. People start gathering around 2 o’clock, to get a good place to see from, and the events will start at 2.45 (Q1), and finish about 5.30.

WOMAN:             OK, thanks. I’ll make sure I get there early to get a good spot.

MAN:                    The festival will be officially opened by the mayor. He’ll just speak for a few minutes, welcoming everyone to the festival. All the town councillors will be there, and of course lots of other people.

WOMAN:             Right.

MAN:                    Then there’ll be a performance by a band (Q2). Most years we have a children’s choir, but this year the local army cadets offered to perform, and they’re very good.

WOMAN:             Uhuh.

MAN:                    After that, a community group from the town will perform a play they’ve written themselves, just a short one. It’s about Helen Tungate (Q3). I don’t know if you’ve heard of her?

WOMAN:             I certainly have. She was a scientist years ago. (Q4)

MAN:                    That’s right. She was born in Kenton exactly 100 years ago, so we’re celebrating her centenary.

WOMAN:             I’m a biologist, so I’ve always been interested in her, I didn’t realise she came from Kenton.

MAN:                    Yes. Well, all that will take place in the afternoon, and later, as the sun sets, there’ll be a firework display. You should go to the park to watch, as you’ll get the best view from there, and the display takes place on the opposite side of the river (Q5). It’s always one of the most popular events in the festival.

WOMAN:             Sounds great.

————————                         

WOMAN:             And what’s happening on the other days?

MAN:                    There are several events that go on the whole time. For example, the students of the art college have produced a number of videos, all connected with relationships between children and their grandparents. (Q6)

WOMAN:             That sounds interesting. It makes a change from children and parents, doesn’t it!

MAN:                    Exactly. Because the art college is in use for classes, throughout the festival, the videos are being shown in Handsworth House. (Q7)

WOMAN:             How do you spell the name?

MAN:                    H-A-N-D-S-W-O-R-T-H. Handsworth House. It’s close to the Town Hall.

WOMAN:             Right.

MAN:                    Now let me see, what else can I tell you about?

WOMAN:             Are there any displays of ballet dancing? I’m particularly interested in that as I do it as a hobby.

MAN:                    There isn’t any ballet, I’m afraid, but there’ll be a demonstration of traditional dances from all round the country. (Q8)

WOMAN:             Oh, that’d be nice. Where’s that being held?

MAN:                    It’s in the market in the town centre – the outdoor one, not the covered market (Q9). And it’s on at 2 and 5 every afternoon of the festival, apart from the first day.

WOMAN:             Lovely. I’m interested in all kinds of dancing, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy that!

MAN:                    Mmm. I’m sure you will.

WOMAN:             And I’d really like to go to some concerts, if there are any.

MAN:                    Yes, there are several. Three performed by professionals, and one by local children.

WOMAN:             And where is it being held?

MAN:                    It’s in the library, which is in Part Street. On the 18th, at 6.30 in the evening.

WOMAN:             I presume I’ll need tickets for that.

MAN:                    Yes, you can book online, or you can buy them when you arrive in Kenton, either at the festival box office, or from any shops displaying our logo in the windows. (Q10)

WOMAN:             Well, I think that’ll keep me busy for the whole of my stay in Kenton. Thank you so much for all your help.

MAN:                    You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay.

WOMAN:             Thank you. Goodbye.

 

TEST 3

SUSIE:   Hello?

PAUL:    Hi, Susie, it’s Paul here. How are you? Enjoying your new job? You’re working at the library, aren’t you?

SUSIE:   Yes. I started when the library re-opened a month ago (Example). It’s great.

PAUL:    Actually Carol and I have been meaning to join for a while.

SUSIE:   Oh, you should. It doesn’t cost anything, and the new library has all sorts of facilities. It’s not just a place where you borrow books. For instance, there’s an area with comfortable seats where you can sit and read the magazines they have there. Some people spend the whole morning there.

PAUL:    Mmm. Wish I had that amount of time to spend!

SUSIE:   Yes, you must be pretty busy at present, with the children and everything?

PAUL:    We are, yes. But we’re hoping to get away this summer. We’re thinking of going to Greece.

SUSIE:   Well, we’ve got a much larger section of the library devoted to travel books now (Q1), so you should come and have a look. I can’t remember if there’s anything specifically on Greece, but I should think so.

PAUL:    OK. Now Carol’s organising a project for the history class she teaches at school – it’s about life in the town a hundred years ago. Do you have anything that might be useful?

SUSIE:   Yes, actually we’ve now got a new section with materials on the history of the town and surrounding region. (Q2)

PAUL:    Right. I’ll tell her. You can’t always find that sort of thing on the internet. Now in the old library there used to be a separate room with reference books. It was a really nice quiet room.

SUSIE:   Yes. We’ve put those books in the main part of the library now, but we do have a room called the community room. It can be hired out for meetings, but at other times people can use it to study. (Q3)

PAUL:    I might use that. It’s hard to find anywhere quiet at home sometimes.

SUSIE:   I can’t remember how old your son and daughter are … we’ve introduced a special section of fiction written specially for teenagers (Q4), but they might be a bit young for that?

PAUL:    Yes, they would be.

—————-

SUSIE:   Well, we do have lots of activities for younger children.

PAUL:    Yes?

SUSIE:   For example we have a Science Club. At the next meeting, they’re going to be doing experiments with stuff that everyone has in the kitchen (Q5) – sugar and flour and so on.

PAUL:    They might be interested, yes.

SUSIE:   And we have a competition for children called Reading Challenge. That doesn’t begin until after the end of term. They have to read six books, and they get a certificate if they manage it.

PAUL:    So that gives them something to do while they’re on holiday, instead of getting bored.

SUSIE:   That’s the idea. And there’s special activities for adults too. On Friday we have a local author called Tanya Streep who’s going to be talking about her new novel. It’s called ‘Catch the Mouse’ and she based the story on a crime that actually took place here years ago. (Q6)

PAUL:    Right. We’re not free on Friday, but I’ll took out for the book.

SUSIE:   Now this probably isn’t for you, but we do have IT support available for members. We get quite a few older people coming along who are wanting to get up to speed with computer technology. It’s on Tuesday mornings – they don’t need to make an appointment or anything, they just turn up. (Q7)

PAUL:    Well, my mother might be interested, I’ll let her know.

SUSIE:   OK. And there’s another service which you wouldn’t expect from a library, which is a free medical check-up. The hospital arranges for someone to come along and measure the level of sugar in your blood, and they check cholesterol levels at the same time. (Q8)

PAUL:    Really?

SUSIE:   Yes, but that’s only for the over-60s, so you wouldn’t qualify.

PAUL:    OK. Well, I’ll tell my mother, she might be interested.

SUSIE:   What other information … well, we do have a little shop with things like wallcharts and greetings cards, and also stamps (Q9) so you can post the cards straightaway, which is really useful.

PAUL:    Yeah. Well, I’ll bring the children round at the weekend and we’ll join. Oh, one more thing – I’ll be bringing the car, is there parking available? (Q10)

SUSIE:   Yes, and it’s free in the evening and at weekends.

PAUL:    Perfect. Well, thanks, Susie see you …

 

TEST 4

BOB:                     Hello, Pembroke Cycling Holidays, Bob speaking.

MARGARET:        Oh hello. I’ve seen your advert for people to lead cycle trips. Are you the right person to speak to?

BOB:                     Yes, I am. Could I have your name, please?          

MARGARET:        It’s Margaret Smith. (Example)

BOB:                     Are you looking for a permanent job, Margaret? (Q1)

MARGARET:        No, temporary. I’ve got a permanent job starting in a few months’ time, and I want to do something else until then.

BOB:                     What work do you do?

MARGARET:        This will probably sound crazy – I used to be a lawyer, and then I made a complete career change and I’m going to be a doctor (Q2). I’ve just finished my training.

BOB:                     Right. And have you had any experience of leading cycle trips?

MARGARET:        Yes, I’ve led several bike tours in Africa (Q3). The trip to India that I had arranged to lead next month has now been cancelled, so when I saw you were advertising for tour leaders, I decided to apply.

BOB:                     OK. Now we normally have two or three leaders on a trip, depending on the size of the group. Some tours are for very experienced cyclists, but we’ve got a tour coming up soon in Spain, which is proving so popular we need an additional leader. It’s a cycling holiday for families. Would that suit you?            

MARGARET:        It certainly would. I enjoy working with children, and I probable need some more experience before I go on a really challenging trip.

BOB:                     That tour includes several teenagers: have you worked with that age group before?

MARGARET:        Yes, I’m a volunteer worker in a youth club (Q4), where I help people to improve their cycling skills. Before that I helped out in a cycling club where I taught beginners.

BOB:                     Well that’s great. Now the trip I mentioned is just for a fortnight, but there might be the possibility of leading other tours after that. Would that fit in with your plans?

MARGARET:        That’s be fine. I’ll be free for five months. My job is due to start on October the 2nd, and I’m available from May the 1st until late September. (Q5)

BOB:                     Good. Now is there anything I need to know about the food you eat? We usually have one or two people in the group who don’t eat meat, or have some sort of food allergy, so we’re always very careful about that.

MARGARET:        Yes, I’m allergic to cheese (Q6). Would that be a problem?

BOB:                     No, as long as we have enough notice, we can deal with that.

MARGARET:        That’s great.

——————–

MARGARET:        It sounds really interesting – would you like me to fill in an application form?

BOB:                     Yes, please. Where should I post it to?

MARGARET:        Could you send it to 27 Arbuthnot Place – A-R-B-U-T-H-N-O-T – Place, Dumfries. (Q7)

BOB:                     And what’s the postcode, please? (Q8)

MARGARET:        DG7 4PH.

BOB:                     Was that P Papa or B Bravo?

MARGARET:        P Papa.

BOB:                     Got that. If you could return the application form by Friday this week, we can interview you on Tuesday next week (Q9). Say half past two. Would that be possible for you?

MARGARET:        Yes, it’s fine. You’re quite a long way from where I live, so I’ll drive over on Monday. Should I bring anything to the interview?

BOB:                     We’ll have your application form, of course, but we’ll need to see any certificates you’ve got that are relevant, in cycling, first aid, or whatever.

MARGARET:        OK.

BOB:                     And at the interview we’d like to find out about your experience of being a tour guide, so could you prepare a ten-minute talk about that, please? (Q10) You don’t need slides or any complicated equipment – just some notes.

MARGARET:        Right. I’ll start thinking about that straightaway!

BOB:                     Good. Well, we’ll look forward to receiving your application form, and we’ll contact you to confirm the interview.

MARGARET:        Thanks very much.

BOB:                     Thank you, Margaret. Goodbye.

MARGARET:        Bye.