Academic Module – Practice Test 12

Test Preparation Course (Target 6.0+)

Candidate Name ______________________________________________

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING SYSTEM

Listening Transcript
PRACTICE TEST 12

PART 1 (Track 45) Questions 1-10

WOMAN Wildlife Conservation Society. Good afternoon. Can I help you?
MAN Oh, hello. Yes, I'd like to join, please.
WOMAN Oh, yes, certainly. I'll just get some details from you. Could I have your name?
MAN Michael Jones.
WOMAN Right. And can I ask where you heard about us? Was it in an advert or did a friend tell
you or…
MAN Neither actually, [Q1] it was a radio program. Then I just got your number from the
phone book.
WOMAN Oh, right. And now I need some membership details. It's Michael Jones. And the
address?
MAN 21 Beale street.
WOMAN Okay.
MAN Leeds.
WOMAN Fine. And do you know your postcode?
MAN Yes, it's [Q2] LS142JW.
WOMAN Okay, and do you have a daytime telephone number we can contact you on?
MAN Yes, you can call me at work. The number is 0-1-1-7-3-5-8-6-4-2. And I can give you
my office email address if you like.
WOMAN That'd probably be useful. Yes, please.
MAN It's [Q3] mj@hennings.co.uk.
Academic Module – Practice Test 12

WOMAN Is that [Q3] H-E-N-N-I-N-G-S?

MAN That's right.
WOMAN Thank you. Now I just need to ask you some questions about exactly what you want.
First of all, how long do you want the membership for? [Q4] We do two, three and five
year memberships and we also do one for life.
MAN Uh, I think [Q4] I'll just get the minimum length this time round.
WOMAN Fine. And then the type of membership: we do single, joint or family, which covers up
to four children.
MAN Well, we haven't got any children, but I think [Q5] I'll get the joint one because my wife
will probably want to do the activities with me.
WOMAN Yes, fine. Let me see. [Q6] That'll be 49 pounds altogether then, please.
[…]
WOMAN How would you like to pay?
MAN By direct debit?
WOMAN No problem. I just need your bank details. Can you give me the name first?
MAN It's [Q7] The Union Bank.
WOMAN And now I've got your name. But I need your account number.
MAN 0105 9612.
WOMAN Okay. When would you like to start payment? Next month on the 1 October or…..
MAN [Q8] Can you make it the 15th instead?
WOMAN No problem. The membership will begin then, too. Is that all right?
MAN That's fine.
WOMAN I just give you a reference number in case there's any problem. Have you got a pen?
MAN Yes.
WOMAN It's [Q9] JYZ37. And we'll be sending you an information pack within a few days. Is
there anything else?
MAN Oh, yes. Could you send me an additional one? I've got a friend who's very interested.
WOMAN Certainly. No problem. I'll make a note of that. [Q10] There's also a video we can send
you if you like. There's no charge.
MAN Yes, please. That'll be great.

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Academic Module – Practice Test 12

PART 2 (Track 46) Questions 11-20

Greetings all you listeners out there. This is national radio and I'm Kevin Lowe. This morning I'm
going to tell you what's so special about the laid back city of Gisborne.

You'll hear a little bit about its past in the old days, and [Q11] a lot about what attractions it has to
offer foreign and domestic visitors today. So listen up to learn more about what there is to do in this
city and its surrounding region, where the economy is booming, but the lifestyle remains unspoiled.

The Gisborne region is where the legendary canoe sailed by Maori explorers first landed in New
Zealand about 1400 years ago, after its long and risky voyage over the sea. It is also the easternmost
point of the country, which is what inspired its original name, [Q12] Tairawhiti, which in the Maori
language means the coast where the sun rises across the waters.

Gisborne was also the place where the European explorer Captain Cook first landed his boat upon
discovering New Zealand, all the way from England back in 1769. Even in those early days, this
district was a center of horticulture thanks to its fertile soil and subtropical climate. Soon after that,
of course, the English settlers arrived and soon Gisborne was shipping its products to larger
settlements, such as Auckland and Wellington. [Q13] This began with maize and root crops, but
quickly expanded to butter, meat and wool from the agricultural settlements in a rich pastoral
country near the famous Poverty Bay. Walls and jetties were built beside the sea to service the
coastal traders. Many of these wooden structures can still be seen on Gisborne beaches today.

Today, Gisborne continues to export fresh produce to other regions of New Zealand. These ways
include various award-winning cheeses, and of course, the delicious lobsters and snapper fish
harvested by hand from the local reefs and waters. [Q14] As for exports to Asian markets, there is an
increasing demand for the region's oranges and lemons. Gisborne is also becoming well known
nationally and internationally as the source of some top quality white and red grapes.

Now, what's on in Gisborne? Well, first up, there's the annual Gisborne concert held every
summertime. This is a great experience. [Q15] It's held at Waiahikia Vineyard, which is near the
traditional Maori meeting house or Marae of the same name. They bring in a piano player and opera
singers who perform on our purpose-built stage in a kind of natural amphitheater in the middle of
the rows of grapes. It's a fantastic concert-like atmosphere, a really good night out.

What to do on a rainy day, I'd suggest [Q16] a visit to the show called The Beach, which is on in
gallery one at Tairawhiti museum. It's a big display. So it also takes up the hall next to gallery one
and it's divided into different sections of the local culture, like surfing, camping, fashion and so on. If
you buy the book of the exhibition, there are some interesting photographs in there.

[…]

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There's a lot else to say in Gisborne as well. You shouldn't miss the Hot Springs Reserve which has
warm natural mineral pools and little houses where you can stay amongst the bush. Being very
secluded and private, [Q17] this resort is most favored by newlyweds, who often book a cabin for
their honeymoon. The water is very therapeutic too. It's apparently good for your health to be there,
though not recommended for pregnant women or the elderly.

Around the corner is Mahia Peninsula, legendary as a New Year's Eve party destination [Q18] for
large crowds of university students after their graduation. The surfing and fishing here is excellent.
And it's the safe spot for swimming and diving too.

Now, also good for kids is taking a raft or jet boat ride on the Motu River. This sounds quite wild,
doesn't it? But in fact, [Q19] this activity is often used by local primary schools who take big groups
of young children, several classes at a time, out here for a bit of fun while they're on this school
camp. No parents required. You can have some time out as this activity is a lot safer than it sounds
and is carefully supervised by the rafting company.

Finally, don't let's forget the Eden Woodlands Park which is really a huge tree nursery. You can walk
for hours here in the peaceful green surroundings along a variety of tracks. [Q20] There's even a
very nice walkway made wide enough for those in wheelchairs so that everyone can go along and
enjoy mother nature at her best.

Part 3 (Track 47) Questions 21-30

JEANIE Hi, Dan. How's it going?

DAN Hello, Jeanie. Pretty well, thanks. Have you finished your research yet?

JEANIE Yes, it's all done. I've spent several weeks on it from the very beginning of deciding the
topic to carrying out the research and writing the essay.

DAN Congratulations. Seems like a big project. I know the research is to do with music, but
what is it exactly about?

JEANIE Well, at first I didn't have a specific purpose until one day I read a report that said,
[Q21] if appropriate music is played while people are eating, it may cause some
changes in their behavior. But the report didn't illustrate the changes in detail. So I
wanted to carry out a thorough investigation into this.

DAN That's quite unique. So how did you conduct your research?

JEANIE I started by looking for five different restaurants and then went to each of the
restaurants to order some food and observe other people. I mainly focused on how the
music is played instead of how people eat. Findings of my observations indicate that

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the five restaurants have something in common. They all have a special section to play
the music. [Q22] More importantly, although the music is played at different times, the
volume is unchanged.

DAN This sounds attractive. I've never read anything about this before. In addition to
observation, what other research methods have you used?

JEANIE I also distributed the survey questionnaire to people dining there.

DAN What questions are posing your questionnaire?

JEANIE Well, the first section of the questionnaire asks subjects to indicate the number of
times they have been to the restaurant previously, the number of people they dine
with, and whether they think they will return to the restaurant. [Q23] These early
questions don't involve musical preferences, but largely act as distracted as the
intention being that subjects will be less inclined to think that the survey is about the
music being played.

DAN That sounds very reasonable. Did you design the questionnaire by yourself?

JEANIE Actually, no. [Q24] I read an assignment a student wrote last year, which was just kept
beside a dictionary in the library. [Q24] I came across it when I was looking something
up in the dictionary.

DAN Oh, you're so lucky. Is there any other question included in the questionnaire?

JEANIE Yes. Subjects are also asked why they choose to dine at a particular restaurant.
Several reasons are listed in the questionnaire. I thought people would put service
first, but that's not the case. Only about 12% of them have chosen this reason, while
[Q25] the majority of respondents think whether they will pick this restaurant depends
on how many available seats it has. They think it's terrible to eat in a crowded place.

DAN Yes, everyone wants to enjoy a meal comfortably. Then I guess maybe the location of
a restaurant is an important factor, since no one likes to waste too much time on the
way.

JEANIE It used to be. But nowadays, nearly every household has a private car, so they don't
have to be worried about the traffic problem. What I find interesting, however, is that
[Q26] a large percentage of people say they will compare different restaurants in the
neighborhood on the Internet first. If one of them stands out from its rivals, they will
choose it.

DAN Wow. It's really interesting.

[…]

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DAN What else?

JEANIE Well, the second section of the questionnaire asks subjects to respond to the music
being played by rating so that the relationship between music and perceived
atmosphere could be examined directly as a means of examining purchase intention.
The final section of the questionnaire asks them to indicate the maximum amount of
money they are prepared to spend on their main meal.

DAN So what have you finally discovered?

JEANIE I collected all the questionnaires and analyzed people's answers to get a clear idea of
their reactions to different music conditions. The result shows that [Q27] music has
become an indispensable part of restaurants. If people find there isn't any music
during the meal, they will think the restaurant charge is too much.

DAN Yes, now music is everywhere in our life. Is there any difference in people's attitudes
towards different musical styles?

JEANIE Yes. Most people think that [Q28] if jazz is being played when eating, they tend to stay
at the restaurant longer and order more food to enjoy the music. But this is quite the
opposite of what happens when classical music is played. [Q29] Many customers
think if the restaurant plays classical music, they wouldn't like to stay there for another
minute, but to finish the food quickly and hurry away because they don't like this type
of music at all. And lastly, about pop music. It's very popular these days, especially
among young people. As I've noticed in restaurants, they like listening to this type of
music during their meals. As a result, [Q30] this greatly increases the possibility of
their presence at the same restaurant.

DAN Great. I've learned a lot from your research. I think it's meaningful and innovative.
Thanks for telling me, Jeanie.

JEANIE You're welcome, Dan.

Part 4 (Track 48) Questions 31-40

In this lecture series, we're looking at changes occurring due to the rapid spread of digital
technology in the last decades of the 20th century. By digital technology, I include any computer
related devices such as email, the internet, cell phones, instant messaging, to name but a few.

Today's lecture focuses on the ideas of Marc Prensky and what he believes are the major effects
that high exposure to digital technology has had on young people today.

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Firstly, what exactly does Prensky believe? He argues that because today's young people have been
born into a digital world, and spend hours simply playing with technology, they've changed in
fundamental ways. He believes [Q31] they're evolving differently, and as a result, process
information differently from previous generations. It's even possible that these young people's brains
have physically changed. Although whether this is literally true, isn't yet known nor does Prensky go
quite this far.

Prensky divides people into digital natives and digital immigrants. Today's young people are the
digital natives. And they belong in this new digital age, because they were born into it and grew up
as native speakers of the digital language of computer technology, whereas digital immigrants are
those born in the generations before the digital age, just as those who learn a second language,
often retain their foreign accent. [Q32] The immigrants are usually in varying degrees, not quite as
effective at speaking the digital language as the natives are. For example, they're more comfortable
finding phone numbers using a phonebook or looking up information in an encyclopedia rather than
using the internet as a primary source of information. Prensky calls this the digital accent.

Another example of the digital accent is scanning a manual for a computer program, rather than
assuming the program itself will teach you how to use it. Basically, [Q33] people with a digital accent
have never really stopped relying on their original non-digital means of sourcing information. They
prefer doing things as they've always done without typing something into a computer.

[…]

Prensky predicts that due to all this, changes are in store, mainly in the area of education. But what
do other educators and theorists such as Thomas Allen, Samuel James, and Peter Vander believe?

[Q34] Samuel James from Sydney University agrees with Prensky’s predictions. He believes that
educators are no longer successful in the way they teach, However, not surprisingly, Prensky has
been criticized by more traditional theorists like Peter Vander and Thomas Allen. They disagree with
many of Prensky’s assertions.

Vander argues that a typical classroom is more varied than Prensky believes, with students coming
from a range of backgrounds. [Q35] He maintains that a large percentage of these students are not
necessarily proficient with technology. And not all students today fit the one stereotype.

And [Q36] Allen adds that even though most students today have easy access to technology, some
just don't find the digital medium appealing.

James disagrees, though. he believes that all today's students do share the same basic interest in
and knowledge of digital technology. However, [Q37] James believes our younger students can
communicate with their digital immigrant teachers and can still learn using methods which have
proven to be successful in the past.

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James' theories are taken a step further by Allen, who recognizes that both digital immigrants and
natives have to deal with vast amounts of information in today's electronic society.

[Q38] Allen maintains that while most young students are proficient in playing computer games and
using the web in quite basic ways, they're not used to using the computer at advanced levels. For
example, to conduct complex information searches, which are so necessary for university study
today.

Irrespective of Allen's research, [Q39] James believes it's possible for computer games to play a
major role in making classroom learning more stimulating, and he cites many instances where this
would be possible today.

However, [Q40] Vander asserts that rather than focusing on developing games, we should think of
better ways to assist teachers because no computer program comes close to doing what a human
teacher does every day.

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