Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts - Close

Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts
Voice1:

MAN: Hello. Can you help me?

WOMAN: Oh, certainly. What can I help you with?

MAN: Well, it’s my wife’s birthday, and I want to give her something special. I think a nice piece of jewelry would be a nice gift.

WOMAN: Well, we have a wide range of jewelry. Do you have any idea what you want to purchase for her?

MAN: Well, I don’t wanna buy her a ring because, well, I’m embarrassed to say, I don’t know what a ring size is.

WOMAN: Well, okay then. Perhaps a pair of earrings for your wife then.

WOMAN: Alright. What do you have?

WOMAN: Well, we have earrings in 24 karat gold with a variety of diamond settings.

MAN: Diamonds? What would be the cost of those? I have to consider my budget.

WOMAN: Well, they range from $400 to $1,000. Is that within your budget?

MAN: That’s a bit out of my range. I should first check what my budget allows.

Voice2:

WOMAN: Welcome back. Have you decided on your budget?

MAN: Thank you. Yes. Yes. I have decided. I have a limit of $250, so I don’t think I can afford gold. Do you have anything in silver?

WOMAN: Well, we do have bracelets and anklets. What would you prefer?

MAN: I bought her anklets for our anniversary, but I can consider giving a nice bracelet. She normally wears bangles, but she doesn’t have a bracelet.

WOMAN: Alright. Let me show you what we have.

MAN: Wow. That is quite a collection.

WOMAN: In terms of style, are you looking for something fancy or rather simple?

MAN: Well, I think I would like something that is simple and elegant at the same time.

WOMAN: It does come as a single bracelet or you can pair this with another one.

MAN: I think I’ll just buy a single bracelet. I really like this one with a heart. How much does it cost?

WOMAN: It’s 92% pure silver, and it is for $150.

MAN: Well then, ring me up.

WOMAN: Alright. Come with me, please.

Voice3:

WOMAN: It truly is a very nice bracelet. I think your wife will like it.

MAN: She will. She really likes nice and simple things that are also elegant.

WOMAN: Sometimes simplicity can be elegant. Would you like me to gift wrap it for you?

MAN: Well, how much would it cost?

WOMAN: Oh, it’s free of charge. I’d be happy to do that for you.

MAN: Alright. I like that idea. It’ll save me from wrapping it myself. Thank you.

WOMAN: My pleasure. Okay. Your total after adding taxes is $166. How would you like to pay for it?

MAN: I’d like to use my credit card, please.

WOMAN: Certainly. Alright. Let me run it through. Oh, I’m sorry, but it’s not taking your card.

MAN: What happened?

WOMAN: We’ve been having network problems lately. Do you have cash?

MAN: Yes. Here’s $200.

WOMAN: Alright. Let me give you your change, $44. And now, let me wrap it up for you.

Voice4:

MAN: Hey, Anna. What did you think of the lecture?

WOMAN: Boring as usual. I don’t know why I even bother to go to class. Everything the professor says is already in the book.

MAN: I know, but we’re required to attend. You won’t want to end up like Mitchell Adams.

WOMAN: Who’s that?

MAN: He’s that really tall guy who sat in front of the class.

WOMAN: Oh, you mean the guy that always wore a suit and tie to the class? I always wondered what happened to him.

MAN: Yeah. Well, he stopped coming to class. He told me that the professor expelled him because he stopped coming.

MAN: I see. So are you prepared for the test next week?

MAN: I don’t know. I’m studying every day, but I’m having trouble with some of the material. I’ve been thinking of asking professor Donaldson, but there’s always a crowd at his office during his office hours. I’d get a tutor, but I don’t think it’ll help.

WOMAN: Maybe you might need a study partner.

MAN: That could work. I just don’t know who I could partner up with.

WOMAN: Silly. You could study with me. I find the class rather simple. I’d be happy to help you.

MAN: Well, I don’t want to impose.

WOMAN: Pete, it’s not a problem. I’m free in the afternoons and evenings, and so are you. We can study around dinner time. Heck, if I tutor you, you can give me a treat.

MAN: Alright. You’re on.

Voice5:

WOMAN: It’s so nice to meet you, doctor Simpson. With winter coming on, what are some of the dangers that our audience should be aware of?

MAN: Well, our bodies are affected by cold in a variety of ways. As an emergency care physician, I unfortunately get to see all the problems cold weather can bring.

WOMAN: I could imagine. What would you say is perhaps the most dangerous affliction that can be caused by freezing conditions?

MAN: That would have to be frostbite. While both frostbite and hypothermia can be deadly, frostbite can cause more lasting damage should someone be afflicted with it.

WOMAN: Living so far north, I would imagine that frostbite happens quite a lot.

MAN: Actually, it doesn’t. Hypothermia probably happens more often. However, even that is uncommon because we generally are prepared for living in the cold.

WOMAN: Okay. I know hypothermia is the lowering of body temperature. Could you explain what frostbite is?

MAN: Frostbite occurs when the soft tissues of our bodies literally freeze due to overexposure to cold conditions. Typically, it results in the loss of feeling and color in affected areas. For instance, it often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, and fingers because these are the areas that are most often exposed to the air.

WOMAN: Now, can frostbite be easily treated?

MAN: It can be if it’s treated as and when it happens. If not, the victim is likely to suffer permanent damage, including amputation of the affected area. Now there are ways to treat it. First, you have to warm the area. This can be done by soaking the affected area in warm water for twenty to thirty minutes. Now if it’s, say, an earlobe, nose, or cheek, you can use warm wet towels.

WOMAN: Wouldn’t dry heat work better?

MAN: Actually, not. You see, if you use dry heat such as a heating pad, the affected skin is likely to burn easily, and that would cause more injury. Immersion in warm water helps bring up the temperature of the affected area gradually and reduces the risk of physical damage.

Voice6:

MAN: Police officers are available to help all sorts of people. But for one kitten in Prince George, Officers at the Central Police Station were quick to respond. Nearly four weeks ago, a tiny black and white kitten was found meowing behind the station.

The kitten was rescued by officer Pamela Malek, who said the kitten was shivering and appeared to be hungry and thirsty. She immediately took the kitten inside and the response from the rest of the officers and staff was overwhelming.

The kitten, whose name is Sylvester, after the cartoon character, was very friendly with everyone and immediately charmed everyone there. After taking Sylvester to the veterinarian, she’s been bringing the kitten daily to the station where he greets people at the front desk.

The police have also created a Sylvester page on its social media accounts with the title of Sylvester alert. Pictures are posted daily of his antics and reports of his well-being. Sylvester continues to stay with officer Malek who takes care of him while off duty.

However, there is a move to get him adopted by a loving family. The station has been working with the local humane society and other animal shelters in order to find a loving family who will take care of him. So far, there has been many likes on the Sylvester page, but no one has come forward to adopt him.

According to Malek, Sylvester is a very playful, friendly, and loving kitten who would fit well in homes with other cats and children. Also, Sylvester has been thoroughly examined.

He is in excellent health. He has been neutered and received all current vaccinations. For those interested in adopting Sylvester, you can send an email to the Prince George police on the address [email protected].

Video:

WOMAN: Well, I’ve asked you both to meet so that we can further discuss the problems with the intersection of Main Street and Thompson Road.

MAN1: What’s the problem with it?

WOMAN: There has been an increase in the number of accidents at that intersection due to the increasing traffic. This is probably because of all the housing development that has been taking place there.

MAN2: Well, I agree. Something needs to be done at that intersection. Maybe we can have the police patrol it more often. The police are already stretched thin. Besides, there’s already a unit assigned to that area. I’m afraid the police can’t spare more. I see. So what else can we do about it then? What’s there already in terms of traffic signs?

WOMAN: Well, there’s no stop sign or traffic light of any kind at the moment, but we need something to control the traffic.

MAN2: Well, why don’t we just put a stop sign at Thompson? It’s the smaller of the two roads.

WOMAN: That might work, but still there is a lot of traffic on both roads. However, I don’t think it’s enough to truly control the traffic.

MAN1: I agree. What if we put stop signs for both the roads? That should do the trick.

MAN2: Considering budget constraints, it would be cheaper just to put signs at Thompson Road.

WOMAN: Maybe, but that area is really coming up. I think traffic lights at the intersection will be the best.

MAN1: Well, for the time being, we should at least have stop signs installed for both the roads at that intersection. We can always add traffic lights at a later time.

WOMAN: That sounds reasonable.

MAN2: I guess, I’ll go

Voice7:

WOMAN: Recently, a group of tenants met to discuss issues with the landlords in Edmonton. The packed hall in the community center was filled with frustrated renters recounting stories of landlords’ unresponsiveness or delays in making repairs.

There were concerns over safety in the buildings and the general attitude of who cares held by the building owners. Unfortunately, these problems are not just limited to one building or holdings of a few owners, but epidemic throughout the city.

This is the assessment of Rebecca Johnson of the fair housing program, who is the intake coordinator. According to Johnson, many problems are experienced by low income tenants, most of whom deal with numerous barriers within the housing assistance system.

Often, these tenants are unaware of their rights as tenants, and as a result, they accept their situations as they are. This, in turn, has led to little change for those landlords who cater to these individuals and families.

During this particular meeting of the Fair Housing program, renters were persuaded to approach the Residential Housing Authority for filing repair requests as well as complaints.

However, many people expressed that this process is ineffective, and by filing such paperwork, many fear they could lose their homes. According to Johnson, the Fair Housing program, which is a community based nonprofit organization, was created to assist both landlords and tenants in complying with the rental agreements.

However, Johnson notes that this was not enough because there were many gaps within the housing system which have allowed such problems to exist. She notes that what was needed was a more intensive advocacy on behalf of the tenants.

While many individual landlords have remained relatively silent on the issue, a source within the Edmonton Realty Association has suggested that the possible reason for this indifference on behalf of the landlords is due to the fact that providing rental housing entails a high overhead for the landlords already.

The landlords who cater to low income tenants don’t always have the resources to make repairs as promptly as tenants would like. According to one tenant who was present at the meeting, this sentiment expressed by the source from the ERA is completely unjustified.

She notes that in her building of 200 units, residents pay as much as a thousand dollars per month as rent depending on the size of the apartment. The owners also receive funding from the provincial government in the name of rental assistance.

Johnson sympathizes with the renters and others. However, she states that the problem lies within the system. She notes that there are two underlying issues to the problem. The first is that for the most part, tenants are not using the system.

Secondly, the system is filled with a lot of procedural red tape that makes it difficult for tenants to navigate.