Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts - Close

Practice Test A - Listening Transcripts
Voice1:

WOMAN: Hello. How may I help you?

MAN: I’m here to renew my driver’s license. Is this the right place?

WOMAN: Well, yes. You have to check-in here in this line. Do you have an appointment?

MAN: No. I don’t. Am I supposed to have one?

WOMAN: Actually, no. You don’t need one, but we do recommend that you get an appointment so that you won’t have to wait for a long time.

MAN: Oh, I see. Is it a long wait?

WOMAN: There can be. Usually, the wait is up to one hour, but there have been times when people have waited for three hours or more. That’s why it’s important for you to get an appointment. It’ll save you a lot of time.

MAN: Can I go ahead and make an appointment? And how soon can I get one?

WOMAN: Yes. You can. But it may take several days or weeks to get one. Most people are making appointments nowadays. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee about how soon you can get one.

MAN: I was afraid of that. My license expires in two weeks, and I want to get it renewed before it expires.

WOMAN: Well, let me give you the renewal form, and then you can either get in line and wait, or you can take your chances and schedule an appointment.

MAN: I’d hate to wait for long. I’ll go and sit in the line for a bit and hope it won’t take too long.

Voice2:

WOMAN: Hello again. Looks like you’ve decided to wait.

MAN: Yeah. I didn’t want to take a chance. My license would expire if I decide to get an appointment. Plus, there weren’t many people here already. I went ahead and filled the form. Is there anything I need?

WOMAN: Do you have your renewal notice?

MAN: Sorry. But no. Do I need it?

WOMAN: No. You don’t really need it, but it’s helpful to bring it because it has all the information concerning your license. Do you have your driver’s license with you?

MAN: I left it at home. Is that a problem?

WOMAN: Well, I need to have some type of identification to process your renewal.

MAN: I do have my passport.

WOMAN: Oh, that’ll do. But I also need documents verifying your place of residency, something like a utility bill, a check, or pay stub.

MAN: I don’t believe I have any of them. I guess I’ll have to go home and get those.

Voice3:

WOMAN: Welcome back. That was quick, and you’re lucky that there aren’t many people in the line right now.

MAN: Yes, indeed, and thank you. I found my checkbook in my car along with my paycheck. I got paid yesterday and forgot that I was planning on going to the bank today. Here you go.

WOMAN: Thanks. Now let me get you set up. Can I have the renewal form I gave you?

MAN: Yes. Here it is.

WOMAN: Ah, good. Let me look at everything and check your records. Alright. Everything checks out. I need to take your photo. Could you stand in front of the camera there, please?

MAN: Oh, no. My hair is all a mess, and I don’t have a comb.

WOMAN: That’s okay. If you want, you can smooth your hair out with your hands.

MAN: Alright. Do you have a mirror?

WOMAN: No. But there is one in the washroom, but you’ll have to get back in the queue again.

MAN: I don’t wanna do that. Alright. Let’s get the picture done.

WOMAN: Alright. Just stand there and look forward. And there we go. You’re all done. You should be getting your new license in about two weeks.

MAN: Thanks.

Voice4:

MAN: Hi, Ruth. You’re late. Is everything alright?

WOMAN: No. Tommy had a fever this morning. He’s at my mother’s right now.

MAN: I’m sorry to hear that about Tommy. He’s a good kid. Anything serious? Did you take him to the doctor?

WOMAN: The doctor says he has the flu and it’s the new strain that causes high fever, congestion, and body aches. Tommy’s fever was 102, and he was having difficulty in breathing and was complaining of pain. So, yes, I had no choice but to take him to the doctor.

MAN: What did the doctor say about his recovery?

WOMAN: He said that Tommy should recover in a couple of days. He also said the worst is over. He prescribed several medications, and he’s to stay in bed and rest.

MAN: So your mom is watching over him. Wouldn’t you rather be at home with him,

WOMAN: I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but I’ve got a lot to get done here. I’m already behind schedule with the Ross account, and the deadline is tomorrow. If I work through lunch today and tomorrow, I should be able to get it done.

MAN: What’s so important about the Ross account?

WOMAN: It’s the biggest account the firm has recently acquired. We still have our others, but the Ross Media Group hired the firm to handle all their marketing, and that means I’ve got to put together a budget for the marketing campaign they want us to launch.

MAN: Oh, I didn’t know. How soon will the campaign be launched?

WOMAN: In two weeks, so everything has to be finished in a week before. Of course, they can proceed with the budget in place, so that’s why it’s vital for me to get it done as soon as possible.

MAN: Well, I’m sure you’ll get it done. What problems were you facing regarding this?

WOMAN: I’ve been waiting for Rachel to get me a cost breakdown, but she was on vacation for the last two weeks. She just got back on Monday and hadn’t started it yet. Anyway, I need to get started. I’ll catch you later.

MAN: See you.

Voice5:

MAN: I want to thank you for meeting me. Well, I’m pursuing a master’s in fine arts, and I’m researching on traditional native art. Can you tell me about Canadian native Indian art?

WOMAN: I’d be happy to help, and I can help a lot. I know a lot about native art, more so because I am researching on traditional arts myself.

MAN: Well, what can you tell me about the native art that is kept here at the museum?

WOMAN: Primarily, we house artifacts of the coastal Salish people that make up a number of different tribes living along the Western Coast. Now these people have a very rich culture filled with many diverse objects of art.

MAN: Can you give me some examples?

WOMAN: Yes. For instance, the Salish people were well known for their wood carvings. These included masks, wooden boxes, rattles, and even totem poles. Now the most interesting feature of their art was the use of what are called house posts.

MAN: House posts? I wonder what they are and what’s their significance?

WOMAN: These are large beams on the sides of the longhouse called house posts. These were carved or painted depicting ancestors, family history, or supernatural beings. These were primarily used for two purposes. First, to establish which family lived in the house, and second, to display the family’s spiritual guardians.

MAN: Interesting. So entire families lived in the houses?

WOMAN: Yes. They did. And they had extended families with several generations living in the house, and those houses were often very large.

MAN: Wow. Now you mentioned other wood carvings that Coast Salish people were engaged in.

WOMAN: Yes. The most significant one was their masks. In fact, there is a mask tradition called the mask ceremony, which is an important part of their culture.

MAN: Can you tell me more about it, please?

WOMAN: Sure. Men from certain families were into the Squash Squash society and wore special masks. The masks had bulging eyeballs and horns that resembled animal heads with drooping tongues and crowned large feathers. Such feathers are not found in any other native culture in Canada.

MAN: Interesting. Was there a distinction between the crafts done by men and those done by women?

WOMAN: Yes. For instance, for the Squish Squish masks ceremony, the men would make the masks. Men typically carved house posts, grave monuments, masks, and ritual items, such as rattles, while women crafted woven items, like clothes and blankets.

Voice6:

MAN: Recently, after a five year journey across the nation, Frederican native Roberta Sinclair returned to establish herself as a professional artist and is currently taking New Brunswick by storm.

During her five year trek, Roberta and her husband, Clyde, and their daughter sought to view Canada’s natural beauty. But what really struck her was not so much the nation’s natural beauty, but the degradation that is happening throughout many wilderness areas.

She states that she has always been an artist, but it wasn’t until after returning home that she decided to focus her energies solely on painting. And it was largely the degradation that she witnessed which inspired her to take brush to canvas as a means of expressing and educating people about Canada’s fragile ecosystems.

She also hopes to inspire people through her art to take action to support environmental issues.

She believes that her art is designed to make people question their feelings and attitudes about the environment, such as, is it too late? What can be done? And what is my role? For instance, one painting, which is now hanging in the New Brunswick Provincial Government Building, depicts an eclipse over a diminishing forest.

The forest represents the natural upland forests of the province, which are being diminished due to logging.

While the eclipse has several meanings, such as the forest’s fate is already sealed or time is at hand to make change. Roberta says the different colors represent several concepts.

The blackness of the sky with red light radiating from the eclipsed sun represents danger and a sense of urgency to save the upland forests, whereas the deep greens represent life and environment. While she works in various mediums, she prefers natural pigments including natural dyes and even crushed minerals.

She also paints on wood, particularly birch panels. She believes that using these natural elements help her to connect more deeply with the environment and her subject matter.

Video:

WOMAN: Okay. What’s next? Ah, yes. The upcoming jamboree. It’s to be held in July. We need to start planning for it now.

MAN1: What do we need to plan for, Sue? I mean, it’s only two months away.

MAN2: Well, first, Ted, there are several things. First off, we need to see what we have in terms of equipment. It’s a seven day camping trip.

MAN1: Alright, Bill. But shouldn’t we be concerned about food since it won’t be provided at the venue?

WOMAN: Well, our concern regarding food can actually wait. It is an important issue, but knowing what equipment we have is even more important.

MAN2: Yeah. And another thing, usually, when we go on long campouts like this, food is usually provided. Such as the case when the troop goes to summer and winter camps. Camp Winnemucca won’t be providing meals, so it will be up to us and the boys to feed them. Besides the fact that Camp Winnemucca has no kitchen facilities, in addition to the food, we will have to pack in all the cooking equipment as well as tents, sleeping bags, and everything else.

WOMAN: Yes. We need to discuss equipment first before we even discuss food or a menu. We need to consider tents, sleeping bags, and other camping gear. We need to find out what we already have to hand.

MAN1: Well, for my family, we have camping gear. Don’t we require the boys to have these?

WOMAN: We do. But, you know, we also have a number of boys whose families don’t have a lot of money. We need to consider them too, which means we need to provide them with gear.

MAN1: Ah, I didn’t know. I understand that we should have some items in storage. Right? I mean, tents, sleeping bags, and such.

MAN2: Yes. We do. But what we need to do is to take an inventory of it all and examine. One of the things I’m thinking of is the next scout meeting. The boys can do this inventory as well as inspect everything. That way, we’ll know what we’re short on.

MAN1: That’s fine by me. It sounds like a good plan.

WOMAN: I agree. We’ll go over the inventory next week, and then we can start discussing budgets and fundraising for the jamboree as well.

Voice7:

MAN: The Ontario government has just announced plans to change the current curriculum for high school students, as well as the class size. These changes are scheduled to take place during the next school year.

However, these changes are prompting an outcry from educators. At the heart of the changes, there is a plan to increase class size from 22 to 28 students. Also, the students would be required to take four mandatory classes online.

According to Erin Roy, president of the local district of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, such a change in class size is neither manageable nor sustainable.

Many other educators share the same concern. Here in Windsor, this will create additional stress on teachers. Sharon Parsons, president of student government at Windsor High, expressed that teachers are already challenged with current curriculum guidelines and regulations.

She points out that many teachers often have little time for individual help and increasing the class size will make it impossible.

Despite this, some students have expressed otherwise. Ryan Hold Herzog, a senior at the school, does not find it a big concern, particularly in light of the fact that students will now need to take online classes.

According to him, basic courses such as science and mathematics could be taken online and this would even free teachers from spending more time on advanced classes.

Even so, according to the chair of the school board, Marina Klaminski, online learning doesn’t always work well for all students. She mentions that there will be little support in place for students who are having difficulty in grasping subject matter.

She also questions the reason for this big push towards e learning. She further adds that questions regarding the rationale for changing the curriculum are yet to be answered by the government.

This view is shared by John Hansen, Dean of Education at Ontario University. He notes the ambiguity regarding the rationale behind this move by the government. He does note that there is room to enhance computer skills and digital literacy.

But there, he questions if this is a ploy by the government to save money. The Ministry of Education has been contacted, but so far there has been no official response.

However, one insider who spoke on condition of anonymity has stated that the goal was to encourage computer literacy. This person also acknowledged the concerns educators have and has said that the government is planning to hold meetings with educators to address these concerns prior to implementing them next year.