WOJ S KO WE ST UD I U M N A U C ZA NIA J ĘZ Y K Ó W OB C Y C H
CENTRALNA KOMISJA EG ZAMINACYJNA JĘZYKÓW OBCYCH MON
PRZYKŁADOWE MATERIAŁY
EGZAMINACYJNE
JĘZYK ANGIELSKI
POZIOM 2
CZYTANIE
SŁUCHANIE
wg STANAG 6001
Łódź 2007
PRZYKŁADOWE MATERIAŁY
EGZAMINACYJNE
JĘZYK ANGIELSKI
POZIOM 2
CZYTANIE
SŁUCHANIE
wg STANAG 6001
Opracowanie i redakcja:
mjr Dariusz Ćwierzona
Ewa Pawelec
Agata Majchrzak
Magdalena Kaźmierczak
Maciej Kurzawiński
Agnieszka Zalasa
Konsultacja:
Eric Atkinson
David Crosbie
Mark Crossey
2
Słowo wstępne
Niniejsza publikacja wychodzi naprzeciw coraz większemu zapotrzebowaniu na
treningowe materiały egzaminacyjne z języków obcych według normy STANAG 6001. Skrypt
ten zawiera zadania egzaminacyjne z języka angielskiego, które były wykorzystane przez
Centralną Komisję Egzaminacyjną Języków Obcych MON na przestrzenie kilku lat w częściach
czytanie i słuchanie egzaminu poziomu 2. Ze względów czysto praktycznych i ograniczeń
z tym związanych, nie są to pełne zestawy egzaminacyjne w kształcie, w jakim przygotowuje
je
Komisja.
Zachowanie
układu
obowiązującego
podczas
rzeczywistego
egzaminu
uniemożliwiłoby m.in. dołączenie odpowiedniej liczby płyt z materiałem dźwiękowym. Z tego
też względu, rozdziały publikacji poświęcone każdej ze sprawności językowych składają się
z części zawierających jeden tylko typ zadania egzaminacyjnego. Ten sam podział został
również zachowany na załączonych płytach.
Prezentowany materiał przeznaczony jest głównie dla szeroko rozumianego odbiorcy
z kręgów wojskowych, zarówno uczelni, centrów szkolenia, jak i jednostek i instytucji
wojskowych, w których realizowane jest kształcenie językowe. Liczymy, iż niniejsza
publikacja pomoże żołnierzom i pracownikom cywilnym wojska w przygotowaniach do
egzaminu resortowego, a także posłuży jako materiał powtórzeniowy wszystkim tym, którzy
uzyskali już świadectwo znajomości języka obcego.
3
Spis treści REA
DING
Reading Part One.
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Listening Part One
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Listening Part Three
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Scripts for Listening
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93
Answer Key
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120
 READING
 READING
 READING
 READING
Part One
Read the texts and choose the right answers A, B or C.
5
Text 1
Great Briton
We all know a little about Winston Churchill, but there is a surprising amount of his long and
fabulously colourful life that is not so well known. For a start, this great Englishman was, in fact, halfAmerican. His mother, Jennie Jerome, was a famous beauty from New York, whom his father, Lord
Randolph Churchill, married against his parents’ will. No doubt the fact that Churchill’s parents came
from these two different countries had a great influence on his faith in the strength and unity of the
“English-Speaking Peoples” that in the end led to the allied victory in the Second World War. His
continuous efforts to get help from the USA changed the course of a war Germany was winning.
At school Churchill was not so successful. A look at his reports shows that for his teachers it
would be difficult to believe their young student would become so famous, not to mention receiving
the Nobel Prize for Literature, as he did in 1953.
Churchill was a well-known person long before becoming Prime Minister of Britain in 1940.
After graduating from Royal Military College at Sandhurst in 1894 he became an army officer but his
first experience of military action was in Cuba, where he went as a journalist while on leave from the
army in 1895. Churchill spent the next few years with his regiment in India, mostly playing polo and
reading. He also wrote his first book in these years, based on his experiences fighting on the northwest frontier.
But it was in South Africa, during the war against the Boers, that Churchill became a public
person. As a journalist working for the Morning Post, Churchill was captured by the enemy. It did not
take him long to escape, though, and his dramatic adventures – which he publicized throughout his
writing – made him world famous.
Churchill’s political career started in 1900 when he joined the Conservative Party and became
a Member of Parliament. After several disagreements with other Conservatives, Churchill left the party
to join the Liberals. However, in a move that many thought politically impossible, Churchill rejoined
the Conservative Party in 1924 and became the finance minister. Not being an expert, Churchill was
unhappy in this office, and his attempt to return Britain to the gold standard (where paper money can
be exchanged for gold) ended in a disaster. Workers went on strike across the country, serious
unemployment followed, and finally the economic crisis of the 1930s started all over the world. But
perhaps Churchil doesn’t deserve the blame for it all! With the defeat of the Conservatives in the
election of 1929, Churchill was out of office.
During these unstable years Churchill was one of the few politicians to make repeated
warnings about Hitler’s Germany, warnings which nobody paid attention to. At that time, he was very
unpopular with the government. But as war became more certain to happen and Churchill’s warnings
proved correct, the government came under strong pressure from the press and people to bring
Churchill back. In May 1940 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign and Churchill
took his place – and the rest, as they say, is history. Churchill proved a very great war leader, having
amazing energy for a man who celebrated his seventieth birthday in 1944.
6
1.
Churchill’s mixed parentage made him …
A.
B.
C.
2.
feel half American
believe Americans and Britons should co-operate
popular in New York
Churchill’s teachers …
A. believed he would not be successful
B. knew he would be a famous person
C. considered him an excellent student
3.
In 1895 Churchill …
A. fought in Cuba
B. wrote for a newspaper
C. left the army
4.
Churchill became famous …
A. because of his first book
B. when he became Prime Minister
C. when he wrote about his escape
5.
The author suggests that the crisis in the 1930s …
A. was caused by Churchill
B. was partly Churchill’s fault
C. should not be connected with Churchill
6.
Churchill’s comments about Hitler …
A. were not listened to
B. influenced the country’s foreign policy
C. made him very unpopular with the government
7. Churchill came to power because ...
A. he was supported by the public
B. he was a great war leader
C. Chamberlain forced him
7
Text 2
War Yesterday and Today
In Vietnam, television was an onlooker, an observer of the war. In the 1991 Gulf War,
television was the war, and the war was television. The video images released by the army did not
result from a cameraman standing to the side and filming soldiers at work. Instead, we saw exactly
what the participants saw. Video cameras were built into the aircraft or into bombs themselves. The
images served to direct the bombs towards their targets, and to make sure that the targets had been
destroyed.
The line dividing the warrior from the television viewer at home was erased. Without those
same images that we viewed in the comfort of our living rooms, the war itself could not have taken
place.
The images from the Gulf War look identical to what we see as we play a computer war game
– the same lines framing the target, the same digits and words flashing on the screen. It is no
exaggeration to say that the Gulf War took place in cyberspace.
Only occasionally did we see the human figure on those video images. But sometimes, as the
missile homed in on an Iraqi tank or bunker, we saw little figures running, trying to get away. The
very fact that they were visible to the incoming missile meant it was already too late. They did not
have a chance. So, killing at a distance, not seeing the enemy, with the added comfort of claiming
that the ‘smart bomb’ can be seen to hit only tanks not civilians, is this progress? To ask whether this
is progress or not, let’s go back to one day from World War I. The place: the Somme, France. The
objective: to capture the Bapaume rail junction, ten miles away, and disturb German communications.
The British Fourth Army climbed out of their deep trenches and marched towards German
trenches a few hundred yards away. The British generals feared that these conscript soldiers were
poorly trained, so they gave them simple orders: march straight ahead. The British had a technical
innovation: each unit carried a telephone and a spool of wire, to report its position. The British
artillery units would direct their bombardment just in front of the British troops. The bombardment of
the first German trenches was supposed to make sure that there would be no Germans left to oppose
the British. A marvellous plan – but the Germans simply moved their men and machine guns back a
few hundred yards, and waited for the British in well-prepared positions.
Second, the telephone wires were almost immediately cut by artillery and machine gunfire,
and British shells began falling behind or directly onto the British troops. However, these troops,
thought by their generals as not able to follow complicated orders, followed the orders they were
given: they kept marching or crawling forward. Twenty thousand died on the first day of the battle,
most of them in the first hour.
The British troops failed to capture anything at all on that first day. The generals kept trying to
reach the Bapaume junction for five more months, but failed. By then, 400,000 British troops had died
in the Battle of the Somme. It was not the bloodiest battle of World War I, but July 1 was the
bloodiest day.
8
1. The video images in the Gulf War were obtained from …
A. professionals using cameras
B. soldiers fighting there
C. cameras installed on the equipment
2.
The main objective of the cameras was to …
A. give the public a clear picture
B. provide material for spies
C. guide the bombs
3.
The people who appeared in the videos …
A. were sure to die
B. were not aware of the bombs
C. were the main target
4.
The British generals thought their soldiers could follow …
A. complex instructions
B. simple instructions
C. any instructions
5. The British Generals’ plan did not work because …
A. the Germans changed their troops’ positions
B. the British troops ignored the orders
C. the German bombardment was heavy
6.
The British unintentionally shelled their own troops because …
A. there were communication problems
B. the troops did not move forward as planned
C. it was impossible to direct artillery fire
7. The Battle of the Somme …
A. meant no territorial gains for the British
B. was a total defeat of the Germans
C. took more lives than any other battle of WW I
9
Text 3
Gladiator
Not so long ago it was said that huge historical films were, literally, a thing of the past. Such
films would be simply too expensive to make today. Yet recent advances in computerised special
effects have changed all that. It is no longer necessary to build enormous sets and hire thousands of
extras to convincingly recreate the life of ancient times. Realistic effects can now be achieved by
means of computers, although a lot of time, patience, talent and money are still needed . Gladiator,
the story of the decline of Roman general Maximus from much-respected soldier to slave and
gladiator, is an impressive vision of imperial Rome in its splendour and decadence, well acted and
stylishly directed.
Although Gladiator includes scenes of graphic violence, these are mild compared to the
horrors that really took place in Rome’s Colosseum. The giant amphitheatre could seat 50,000
spectators, who went to see the Games, where for their entertainment thousands died over the years.
The games probably reached their peak during the reign of the emperor Trajan who staged a festival
during which 10,000 people and 11,000 animals were killed. There were various classes of gladiators,
grouped according to their weapons or methods of fighting. Many fought with sword and shield, while
others used a net and trident (a spear with three points), or rode chariots. They marched into the
arena through the Gate of Life, turned to where the emperor sat and greeted him shouting, “Hail,
Caesar! We who are about to die greet you”. Fighting to death would then begin.
Gladiatorial shows were among the most popular events at the Games, though chariot racing
was the sport that really drove the crowds wild. Rival fans often rioted in much the same way as
today’s football hooligans, huge bets were placed, and fatal crashes were commonplace. As time went
by, the crowd demanded more and more extreme spectacles, often involving Christian captives being
crucified or eaten by lions. This barbarism was finally ended by the emperor Honorius, himself a
Christian, in AD 404.
Successful gladiators became famous, and supposedly enjoyed the favours of high-society
women. If they managed to survive a number of combats, they might be retired: they often worked
as politicians’ bodyguards; sometimes they themselves became politically important; and on occasion
they revolted against their masters, as in Spartacus uprising.
The fate of Maximus, forced in Gladiator to fight for a living, is a variation on what really
happened to some men, and other elements of the film are based on fact. The emperor Marcus
Aurelius did fight against the German tribes, and Commodus did become increasingly insane, amusing
himself by entering the arena as a gladiator and, of course, winning every contest.
Gladiator really succeeds due to its visual impact and acting more than its closeness to fact.
The opening scene of the battle in Germania is stunning, and director Ridley Scott goes on to sustain
the optical feast to the very end. Always noted for the power of his images, in Gladiator he is at his
best, using a variety of techniques to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
Everyone thought the epic film style was dead and buried, but Gladiator has brought it back to
life. Now blood-soaked action is added to old-fashioned simple story telling. Historical epics now have
a future.
10
1. Historical films became a thing of the past because …
A. they weren’t convincing enough
B. their budgets were too high
C. they were enormously long
2. 10,000 people were killed during …
A. one set of the Games
B. the history of the Colosseum
C. the reign of Trajan
3. The most popular event during the Games was …
A. net and trident fights
B. chariots races
C. fights with wild animals
4. Under the emperor Honorius …
A. only non-Christians were killed
B. the cruelty was stopped
C. the spectacles were more extreme
5. Some Gladiators …
A. married into high society
B. worked part-time at other jobs
C. retired and took new jobs
6. Gladiator …
A. is based on the life of a real person
B. is completely made up
C. uses some historical facts
7. The writer is mostly impressed by …
A. the visual effects
B. the sound effects
C. the closeness to facts
11
Text 4
The Original 007
Queen Elizabeth I was an ambitious monarch who wished to see her country grow in
influence. Spain, however, was the most powerful country in the world. The Spanish already had
colonies in America and ruled the seas. And the country that ruled the seas ruled the world. For
England to prosper, Elizabeth first of all had to get rid of the Spanish. She wanted to know what their
plans were and what strategies they would use. But she needed information about her enemies. A
network of espionage was created. English spies and informers in Europe and in the New World were
controlled by the famous Dr Dee.
John Dee was born in 1557. He became a brilliant scholar, indeed a genius, famous in
England and throughout Europe. Around 1580, he went to Cracow in Poland, and from there he
travelled to Prague. The Czech capital was believed to be the centre of Catholic plots and intrigue
against the Protestant countries such as England. Possibly, Dee was there to send back information
to Elizabeth concerning the intentions of the Catholic powers, such as Spain.
At that time, Spain was at the height of its power. Its nearest rival was England. If the
Spanish could destroy the Elizabethan navy, then the seas would be safe for their ships. King Philip II
of Spain thought that the Protestant English were heretics, and he personally hated Elizabeth. The
final confrontation between the two countries occurred in May 1588 when King Philip sent 125 of his
best ships to attack his enemies in the English Channel. This force was called “The Spanish Armada”.
The Armada was seriously weakened by storms and the rest of the ships were attacked.
Soon wild stories were being told about it and many believed that the alchemist Dr John Dee had put
a spell on the Spanish and sent the huge waves crashing down on their ships. It is more likely,
however, that because he knew about meteorology, he had predicted the storm scientifically.
Nevertheless, the story was told that a great magician had saved England.
Dee travelled constantly and he sent secret messages to Elizabeth herself with his special
sign: two circles and the figure seven. This told her that the letter was “For your eyes only”, and that
it came from Dee and no one else. The two circles symbolised John Dee's own eyes as the "eyes" of
Queen Elizabeth. The added “7” is the alchemist's lucky number. Ian Fleming, the author of the Bond
novels, was reading a biography of Dee when he came upon the “007” sign and decided that it would
be the perfect codename for his spy hero, James Bond.
The “00” in Bond’s codename name meant that he was “licensed to kill”. John Dee killed
nobody, but like James Bond, he seems to have been popular with ladies. He was married unlike Bond. Indeed, he married twice. His first wife died only a year after their marriage in 1557.
Strangely, no mention of this woman, or the marriage to her, was ever made in Dee's diaries. And,
even more strangely, on the day of her death Dee was seen entertaining Queen Elizabeth at his
home in Mortlake, as if nothing had happened. Suspicious? He later married one of Queen Elizabeth's
top servants, Jane Frommond.
Towards the end of his life, Dee was forgotten by most of his friends. In Elizabethan
England, science and magic were seen as the same thing. After Elizabeth died and James I came to
the throne, Dee's ideas on magic were no longer acceptable. Throughout his life Dee had suffered
accusations of the occult. The new king’s attitude towards magic was the opposite of Elizabeth’s, and
Dee’s influence soon weakened. He died in 1608, poor and alone.
12
1. Queen Elizabeth wanted to spy on …
A. enemies in England
B. enemies abroad
C. Dr John Dee
2. John Dee went to Prague probably because …
A. he had a message to leave when passing Poland
B. he had a meeting with some Spanish protestants
C. he had to learn what Catholics were planning
3.
At the end of the 16th century …
A. Spain was the greatest power
B. England was the greatest power
C. Spain and England were equally powerful
4.
In reality the English probably won the battle because Dee …
A. used magic on the Spanish
B. was able to predict the storm
C. ordered an unexpected attack
5. The Queen knew the messages were from Dee because …
A. he wrote a special number on the letters
B. he wrote “for your eyes only”
C. he signed them personally
6. Dee and Bond were similar in that …
A. they both killed people
B. both were attractive to women
C. both of them were single
7. By the end of his life, the original 007 …
A. was ignored by his friends
B. gave up practicing magic
C. was admired by the king
13
Text 5
Taxi!!!
Everybody recognises them. Usually black, old-fashioned looking – although most of them
were recently built. In some ways they are like Volkswagen Beetles or Pontiac Cruisers – they remind
us of times gone by.
When talking about taxis in London – “older times” describes perfectly the beginnings of paid
transport services. Do you realise that the tradition of taxis goes back to the 12 th century? It was then
that permission to transport people for money was given for the first time. The licences to transport
passengers then were for boats on the river Thames.
And as time went by, people needed transport around the city, not only along the river.
Richard II understood that need very well and issued a royal authorisation for carriages to carry
people.
The first carriages were called “hackney” – the name comes from the horses that pulled the
carriages and it is worth remembering as it is still used today.
The first true taxis appeared at the time when Shakespeare staged his plays in London.
Carriages were a popular means of transport to the Playhouse at Blackfriars to see “Romeo and Juliet”
or “Hamlet”. These carriages caused the first traffic jams when dozens of them stopped at the same
time in front of a theatre.
For that reason special licenses for carriage drivers were issued and the first problems of a
free market economy appeared when the watermen on the Thames complained about the drop in
their income.
Not surprisingly as the city grew, transport in London developed rapidly as well. And the
vehicles changed as well. Around 1820 the first horse-drawn French hackney cabriolets came onto
streets of London. These later became a motor vehicle cabriolet, or cab for short.
Although London was the pioneer city in taxi transport, motor cars appeared in London later
than in other cities. When the limit was raised to 20 mph in 1903, London had around 11,000 horse
cabs. Ten years later only 2,000 remained, while there were 1,000 motorised cabs. The last horse
drawn cab was licensed in 1947.
Why do London cabs have that unique look? English conservatism and pragmatism is the
answer. A cab must seat 5-6 persons, so it can’t be an ordinary private car. The driver must have his
own compartment separated from his passengers. That ensures safety for both parties. As for the
height of the vehicle, it has to be high enough to carry a gentleman wearing a top hat. Despite its
size, the cab is easy to drive. They can “turn on a sixpence’ which means a turning circle of 7.62
meters. This is very important in the old and narrow streets of London.
A cab does not work without a driver. He is the person who drives the vehicle and takes care
of it. His financial standing is investigated to ensure he has enough money to maintain his taxi
properly. By law, cabbies are required to be courteous at all times which is not always true as cab
drivers can have bad days too. No matter his mood though, we can be sure that the driver knows
where he is. This is because of the Knowledge – a London topography exam. It was introduced
around 1850 during the Great Exhibition. The Knowledge requires that cabbies know every street,
pub, church and synagogue six miles around Charing Cross. There are about 17,000 streets in that
area! It takes about 2-3 years to acquire the Knowledge, and after that – the license. Today there are
about 22,500 cab drivers in London.
14
1. London taxis are similar to the Volkswagen Beetles and Pontiac Cruisers because …
A. everyone knows what they look like
B. they are all modern cars
C. they make us think of the past
2.
Richard II issued a royal authorisation because …
A. there was an increase in transport on the river
B. there was a growing demand for transport on land
C. he wanted to shorten the time of journeys
3.
Special licenses were issued in Shakespearian times …
A. to make taxies more popular
B. to stop traffic jams
C. to carry theatre goers
4. The watermen on the Thames complained because they …
A. were not issued licenses
B. were losing business
C. had no money to live on
5.
Between 1903 and 1913, the number of cabs in London decreased by …
A. 9000
B. 1000
C. 8000
6.
English taxis look the way they do because they need to be …
A. practical for passengers
B. easy to drive
C. easily recognisable
7. If you get in a London taxi, you can be certain that the driver…
A. owns the taxi
B. is polite and friendly
C. knows the city well
15
Text 6
Down by the Riverside
The giant disused power station at Battersea on the south bank of the River Thames in
London has long been a symbol of the decline of the city's main waterway. Compared to the
elegantly designed River Seine in Paris and the magnificent canals of Venice, the Thames’ waterfront
has often seemed a bit of an industrial mess.
This image is being transformed, however, by a series of exciting public projects aimed at
making the river a place to be visited and not just crossed to get to work and back home.
The impetus behind the new development of the Thames was the millennium celebrations in
the UK. A special Millennium Fund was established to choose a number of key projects to mark the
year 2000.
The new national landmark is the Millennium Dome, situated by the Thames in Greenwich.
This enormous exhibition centre was opened on New Year's Eve 1999 by the Queen and the Prime
Minister Tony Blair, and now offers visitors several interactive galleries covering themes from human
life and history. Unfortunately, the project has been heavily criticized for its design and, above all, its
high cost. What's more, the Jubilee Line Underground hasn't been working as well as it should. All
these factors mean that the number of visitors has been far lower than expected.
In contrast, the new Tate Modern art museum has proved a great success, exciting both art
critics and the public alike. Since opening on 14th May, London's first official modern art museum has
recorded an amazing average of 3,000 visitors per hour! The architects created the Tate Modern by
redesigning Bankside Power Station, which was previously empty, like Battersea Power station. At the
same time, a futuristic footbridge was designed to link the museum to St Paul’s Cathedral on the
north side of the Thames.
Surprisingly, there were some unexpected engineering difficulties that made the footbridge’s
special suspension design unable to support the weight of the thousands of enthusiastic opening-day
visitors. The bridge started to buckle and shake with the weight of the pedestrians, so it was closed
temporarily only a couple of days after opening in June. Now numbers crossing have to be limited!
These major millennium projects are part of a general revival of life along the Thames. With
London being Europe's largest financial centre, many new developments have been linked to
business. The old docks area in east London, known as Docklands, first drew the attention of
property developers back in the 1980s, who saw the chance to create Manhattan-style apartments
and office blocks. After a slump at the end of the 80s, the area has been enjoying a boom with many
yuppies coming here to find their dream home by the water!
If London is still some way behind Paris and Rome in terms of architecture, Londoners are
nonetheless ahead in matters of style. What's more, they are certainly more excited than ever before
by design and new tastes in this most cosmopolitan of cosmopolitan cities. You only have to look at
the style sections in any of the large number of British newspapers and magazines to realize how
important this new trend is. So don't be surprised if, on your next visit to London, you find people
sitting in European-style cafes and bars drinking cafe latte and discussing the latest new building
along the Thames!
16
1. Until recently people thought the Thames’ waterfront was …
A. elegant and well designed
B. as magnificent as Venice
C. dirty and underused
2. Public Projects on the River Thames were designed to …
A. help industry
B. help tourism
C. help transport
3. The Millennium Dome failed despite …
A. good transport links
B. many attractive exhibits
C. support from the public
4. The Tate Modern is a success because …
A. it is a modern building
B. it is easy to get to
C. it is an exciting building
5. On its opening day, the new footbridge over the Thames …
A. collapsed
B. had to be closed
C. suffered structural problems
6. Docklands is an example of …
A. the Thames becoming more interesting
B. an attempt to make London look like New York
C. an attempt to revive London as a financial centre
7. Looking at certain sections of newspapers and magazines will tell you …
A. London is behind other cities in architecture
B. Londoners are taking style seriously
C. Londoners are reading more magazines
17
Text 7
Stranger than Fiction
Where did it all go wrong for Jeffery Archer? He is sitting in a cell in Camp Hill prison, the Isle
of Wight, England. He is scheduled for release in 2005. This means he has lots of time to look back
on his life. The fact is that the novelist who loves to tell fictional stories in his books, has told as
many, if not more, fictional stories about himself. All his life, the writer of Kane and Abel and First
Among Equals, among others, has told half-truths and lies about his past. But he needn't have. His
story was strange enough already.
Jeffrey Archer, born in 1940 in southern England, loves to tell the story about his father
being a World War I hero who won medals for bravery. In fact, his father, William Archer, was a
convicted fraud and bigamist who travelled to New York with a stolen, dead man's passport. Archer
also loves to tell the story of how he studied at Oxford University. Well, he did study physical
education in Oxford, at the Oxford Department of Education, but this is not part of Oxford University.
In 1966 he married Mary Weedon, who is still his wife today. On the marriage certificate she wrote
"research assistant" as her occupation, which was true. Jeffery Archer also wrote "research assistant"
on the marriage certificate, which was not.
In 1967, he entered local politics, and two years later became a Conservative MP in the county of
Lincolnshire. Archer has claimed that at 29, he was the youngest MP ever to enter the House of
Commons. This is not true - he was actually the fourth youngest MP ever. But this is still an
impressive achievement. Things were going well for the young politician.
Then disaster struck. A Canadian cleaning company in which he had rather foolishly invested all his
life savings, went broke. Archer was declared bankrupt. A bankrupt cannot be a Member of
Parliament so he had to resign. With no money and no career, Archer sat down in 1976 and wrote a
novel. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was not appreciated by literary critics, but readers in the
UK and the US loved it. The book sold well, and his next work Kane and Abel sold even better.
Jeffrey Archer was suddenly rich and successful again.
But Archer always wanted more. He re-entered politics in 1985 as Deputy Chairman of the
Conservative Party, serving under the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He still dreamed of being
the Prime Minister himself one day. But disaster was, yet again, lurking around the corner. In July
1987, he sued the British tabloid, the Daily Star, for libel. The newspaper alleged that Archer had
spent a night with a prostitute in a London hotel the year before. The scandal forced him to resign
from politics for the second time. But the master of fiction delivered a sound alibi in court, "proved"
his innocence, won the libel trial, and was awarded £500,000 in damages.
Afterwards, he continued to write very successful novels, and in 1992 he was made Lord
Archer by the then Prime Minister, John Major (a Conservative, of course). As a Lord, he could sit in
the House of Lords. Archer bounced back again, entering politics for a third time. But never satisfied,
he now wanted to become Mayor of London. He believed his ups and downs in life would be popular
with the voters. "When I talk to Londoners, they treat me as an equal”: he said in 1997. "The people
say: “he was in terrific debt, he has had his problems, he understands us: Londoners trust me."
In 1999 the Conservative Party nominated him as their candidate in the elections for Mayor,
even though many in the Party felt nervous about him. They didn't trust him. “Archer”, they said,
"was trouble". And he proved them right for another disaster lay in waiting, and this time there was
no escape. In November 1999 another tabloid, the News of the World, reported that Archer had
persuaded a former friend, Ted Francis, to lie in court in the 1987 libel trial. It also emerged that the
novelist had asked his PA (personal assistant) to create a false diary, which "proved" that he couldn't
have slept with the prostitute, and that he had not told the truth in 1987. This summer he was found
guilty of perjury and sentenced by the Judge to four years in prison. An amazing up-and-down life
took another downward turn.
18
1. Jeffrey Archer’s father was …
A. a war hero
B. a criminal
C. an Oxford graduate
2. On the marriage certificate Archer lied about …
A. his father’s profession
B. his profession
C. his education
3. Archer became a politician as a young man, and the author thinks that …
A. he was too inexperienced as an MP
B. becoming an MP was Archer’s big success
C. in fact Archer was not interested in politics
4. Archer had to leave the Parliament for the first time because …
A. he couldn’t pay his debts
B. he wrote a controversial novel
C. he was accused of corruption
5. Archer had to resign from politics for the second time because …
A. he was sued by a British paper
B. he lost a libel case
C. he was involved in a scandal
6. Archer thought Londoners would want him as a Mayor because …
A. he wrote successful novels
B. he sat in the House of Lords
C. he was an experienced person
7. Archer went to prison because he …
A. faked financial records
B. slept with a prostitute
C. lied in court
19
Text 8
Kings of The Road
The Tour de France is the largest annual sporting event in the world. This cycling race round
France lasts for twenty-five days from the last week of June until the middle of July and covers a
staggering 4000 km. There are only between 120 and 140 professional cyclists, who come from all
over the world, but they are accompanied by 20,000 camp followers. These are mostly race officials,
technicians, medical teams and newspaper, radio and TV reporters who stay in hotels, guest houses
and eat in bars and restaurants to the benefit of local economy. There are also the 26,000 policemen,
who are involved nationwide in helping to clear the roads at the approach of the cyclists and keeping
under control the vast crowds of spectators.
The route, though different every year, has four fixed parts: the Alps, the Pyrenees, the
Massif Central and, of course, the end of the race in Paris. The route is changed every year to try and
cover as much of France as possible. Some parts of the country are difficult to include in the route but
the race organisers try to ensure that this happens at least once a decade. It makes the Tour a truly
national event, which affects the whole country.
The first tour de France was held in 1905. It was the brainchild of the reporter for a cycling
magazine, Henri Desgarge. Desgarge was an early cycling enthusiast who started his professional life
in a solicitor’s office as a clerk. He was sacked by his employers when he was seen riding a bicycle
with bare legs! After being a professional cyclist for some time, he then turned to journalism. The
Tour was originally a massive publicity campaign for the magazine he worked for, but the funds
required to stage it soon became too much for this publication to bear on its own. Commercial
sponsorship, or the giving of money to the race by companies in return for advertising, entered the
Tour de France at an early stage.
In the early days, when there were no service cars to help riders with repairs along the route,
riders had to carry out all their own repairs without any assistance. On one occasion, a bicycle’s front
forks, to which the front wheel is attached, broke. The only solution was for the rider to pick up his
bike and run for nearly ten kilometres to the next village. When he reached the village, he took his
bike to the local blacksmith, who was more used to making shoes for horses. He repaired the bicycle
himself but, because he could not operate the bellows (which blow air into the fire to make it hotter),
and mend the bike at the same time, he asked a young lad to operate the bellows. Once the forks
were mended, he got back on his bicycle, even though he had lost two hours: and continued the race.
The race organisers did not make themselves at all popular with the public or the rider when a penalty
of three minutes was imposed on him for having accepted outside help from the boy operating the
bellows!
Nowadays, the support service enjoyed by riders is considerably more sophisticated and well
developed. Riders rarely enter the Tour de France as individuals but form part of a highly organised
team paid for by major bicycle manufacturers. Each team has its own service van, which can carry out
rapid roadside repairs. What riders have gained in terms of technical and financial support, they have
lost in terms of opportunity for their individual talents. The team system dominates.
The race is much more highly organised nowadays and it is rare that anybody other than the
predetermined star wins. Nevertheless, the Tour is still an unusual and exciting sporting event, and a
great spectator sport.
20
1. The cyclists are followed by about ...
A. 20,000 people
B. 26,000 people
C. 46,000 people
2. The route changes each year to …
A. finish in different places
B. go to the most difficult places
C. include other places in France
3. When H. Desgarge started the Tour de France he was …
A. a professional cyclist
B. a solicitor’s clerk
C. a sports journalist
4. At first, Tour de France was financed by …
A. advertising campaigns
B. a cycling magazine
C. bike manufacturers
5. A cyclist was penalised for ….
A. accepting help
B. carrying his bike
C. arriving late
6. Nowadays most contestants enter as …
A. individual participants
B. members of national teams
C. members of manufacturing teams
7. The result of changes in the way the race is run is that …
A. the stars are most likely to win
B. the race is much more exciting
C. the race is more enjoyable to watch
21
Text 9
A Good Man For Trouble
The most famous TV journalist in Britain is John Simpson. He works for the BBC as their World
Affairs editor. He started his career with the BBC in 1966 as a sub-editor, but he really wanted to be a
journalist. He finally got his wish in 1969 and one year later he went to Northern Ireland. He spent
five years there. It was in Northern Ireland that Simpson first saw the military in action. He noticed
that the British Army were using different tactics. They were behaving more like policeman than
soldiers.
Simpson saw that this experience was put to good use in Iraq. British Soldiers didn’t treat the
local people of Basra like the enemy, they thought of them as citizens who needed help. This was very
different from how the Americans behaved. He once saw the US marines lose control in Tikrit. They
were screaming and shouting at people and kicking them and forcing them to the ground. John thinks
the Americans can learn a lot from the Brits.
He also remembers one incident when a civilian was almost killed. A US marine shouted
“sniper” and pointed his rifle at a man on a rooftop. But it was only an old man putting out a blanket
to get it dry. Simpson had to stop the marine. He whispered in his ear and said that if the soldier
fired, he would tell his commanding officer that he had murdered a civilian. The marine didn’t fire.
After his time in Northern Ireland, John Simpson had a quiet five years when nothing much happened.
He was posted to places like Brussels, where even the politics are dull. At the end of those five years
John was promoted to become a foreign affairs specialist.
Since then he has been covering some of the most exciting and important stories of the last
part of the 20th Century and the dawn of the 21 st century. For example, Tiananmen Square, the fall of
the Berlin Wall and the Siege of Sarajevo. He particularly remembers the Siege of Sarajevo as being
horrific and terrible. He thinks it was a war crime that lasted for three years. He thought the British
Army, and even the BBC, didn’t do a very good job there.
John’s most recent war experiences were in Iraq. The first problem he had there was just
getting into the country. He wanted to get into Northern Iraq, but the Iranian and Syrian borders
were closed and the Turks were only allowing a few people through. John tried everything, apart from
corruption, but always failed. But then he was lucky. The Turkish Border guard decided to let in a
group of Kurdish leaders who were going to a conference and John managed to get across the border
by dressing up as a Kurd and joining the party. If that had failed, he had planned to cut through the
border fence.
It was in Northern Iraq that John and his television crew suffered a great tragedy. They were
going forward with a convoy of Turkish and American Forces when they were attacked by Iraqi tanks.
The American commander called for air support. Two F-14’s circled overhead and then swooped down
onto the convoy. They fired missiles and one landed a few yards away from John and his crew. It hit a
truck filled with ammunition. There was a lot of panic and terrible sights. People were burning to
death or walking around holding their insides. The Turks suffered terrible losses and John’s translator,
Kamran, had been hit. He had some shrapnel in his thigh. It had cut an artery and he was bleeding
heavily. John and his crew tried everything, but couldn’t save him. He died an hour later.
Because of this attack, John is deaf in one ear and has scars from shrapnel wounds. But he
thinks he is lucky to be alive. What he wants more than most, is for justice to be done. He wants to
know what went wrong. He wants those responsible for the tragedy to be punished.
Despite this experience, John stills wants to go back to Iraq. But that is the nature of the man. He is
certainly a good man to have in trouble.
22
1. In Northern Ireland, John Simpson saw …
A. policemen being used as soldiers
B. soldiers carrying out normal duties
C. soldiers acting like policemen
2. In Iraq, the British behaved differently from the Americans in that they …
A. were friendly towards civilians
B. saw civilians as a great danger
C. brought lots of police with them
3. John Simpson whispered in the ear of an American soldier because he wanted to …
A. warn him of a sniper
B. not be heard by anyone
C. save the life of a civilian
4. Straight after his time in Northern Ireland, John Simpson …
A. was promoted
B. had a great time
C. had a boring time
5. In order to get into Iraq John …
A. paid the guards some money
B. pretended he was going to a conference
C. cut through a border fence
6. In Northern Iraq, John Simpson’s translator, Kamran, was killed by …
A. the Turks
B. the Iraqis
C. the Americans
7. Because of the incident in Northern Iraq, John …
A. is now deaf
B. wants justice
C. wants to go back
23
Text 10
An Amazing Story
In May 2000, while out skiing with two friends, Anna slipped and fell through the ice covering
a waterfall. Her companions summoned help, but it was more than an hour before rescuers could pull
her out. She was immediately taken to hospital, where she arrived at ten past nine in the evening.
The hospital was fully prepared to receive such emergency case. Anna was showing no signs of life
and her body temperature fell to previously unrecorded levels. The first recorded temperature after
wheeling her straight into the operating room was 14.4° Celsius. Nobody has ever recovered from
such a low temperature. They must be reheated to 36°C and given treatment to restart their heart
and lungs. If this fails, they can be pronounced dead.
Anna was apparently dead, as her consciousness, heartbeat, breathing and all reflexes were
absent. Medics continued the resuscitation that had been started by the rescue team. Active rewarming was accomplished by placing Anna in a circulating water bath warmed to 40° Celsius. This
surface warming brought about a rapid increase in body heat and improved heart output. After nine
hours Anna showed the first symptoms of returning to life. For the following 35 days she stayed on a
ventilator and in the intensive care unit for another 2 months. By then it was clear that she would
pull through.
Anna survived, but her recovery continues. She has problems with the nerves in her arms
and legs since they were damaged by the cold. But there is a chance of these nerve endings coming
back to some semblance of normality. The mere fact she went skiing in Canada for a week, and that
there has been a remarkable recuperation so far, means that she may make a full recovery. Anna
does not yet know if her career as a doctor will continue. She used to work as a surgeon, but now
she finds that few people like the idea of her operating on them. This is hardly surprising. She does
not want to make any decisions about her career until she knows how well her hands are going to
heal and function. But the skiing will go on.
1. Doctors couldn’t legally state Anna was dead until …
A. she was treated at 36º Celsius
B. her temperature dropped to 14º Celsius
C. her signs of life had disappeared
2. How long was it before doctors knew Anna would survive?
A. 9 hours
B. 35 days
C. 3 months
3. Because of her current medical condition Anna can’t …
A. recover completely
B. lead an active life
C. do her normal job
24
Text 11
The Last will Be the Best
If you want to be famous and enter the world of sport, you don’t always have to come first. In
the world of the Olympic Games, in which excellent sportsmen compete, those who finish last may
actually be winners.
For example, do you remember two skiers from Kenya – Boit and Bitok – who took part in the
Winter Olympics in Nagano? Before coming to Japan, they had little experience of snow, but their
spirits were huge. They were chosen to represent their country because a sponsor thought it was a
funny thing to send people from Africa to compete on snow. However, they did not feel exploited by
their sponsors. On the contrary, they were grateful for the chance to become Olympians and
represent Kenya and so they became heroes.
Kenyans seem to be underestimated in sports other than athletics. When the Kenyan David
Kinja arrived at the cycling World Championship in France, nobody collected him from the airport. He
had no place to go – the organisers were expecting him the next day. When he finally contacted
them, he learned that he would not be taking part in a race, but in a time trial. In other words, he
would compete against the clock, not other cyclists. Completely unprepared, with a borrowed bicycle,
poor quality shoes and bad weather, he had one advantage: his positive spirit. This spirit against all
the odds made him the star of the championship during which he was interviewed more that any
other competitor.
The sportsman with the biggest spirit – and the best self-promoted – was Michael Edwards,
who was better known as “Eddie the Eagle.” Eddie was Britain’s first and only ski jumper to reach the
Olympic Games. He chose this sport in a country with no ski jumps and little real snow, where there
was nobody with knowledge to train him. His debut in 1987 in Obersdorf was watched by a nation
expecting him to crash and kill himself. No such thing happened, and Eddie returned home very
popular.
At the Olympic Games in Calgary, even the President of the USA took time out from a
conference to watch Eddie’s jump and the potential crash that thankfully never happened. Eddie was
the only individual athlete that was mentioned in the closing speech of Olympics. When the president
said “at the Olympic Games some competitors have won gold and some have broken records, and one
even flew like an eagle”, 100,000 people in the stadium got up and roared ‘Eddie, Eddie’.
But these fantastic failures may be a thing of the past. After Eddie’s start at the Games, the
committee introduced rules that made it impossible to take part in Games for people like him.
Competitors have to jump a certain length before representing their countries. This is the “Eddie the
Eagle Rule”.
1. Boit and Bitok became popular although ...
A. they were not properly equipped
B. their sponsor exploited them
C. they did not ski very well
2. When the Kenyan cyclist arrived at Paris airport ...
A. he wasn’t met by anybody
B. he learned there was no championship
C. he realised his bike had been stolen
3. When “Eddie the Eagle” was competing, people thought ...
A. he would get injured
B. he would be disqualified
C. he would give up
4. The “Eddie the Eagle Rule” says that ...
A. amateurs cannot take part in the Games
B. you must be able to reach a minimum standard
C. all sportsmen have to qualify for the Games
25
Text 12
The Soldier Who Never Gave Up
Jack Pringle, who died aged 84, was one of the very few World War II officers to be awarded
a Military Cross for his repeated escapes from prisoner of war (PoW) camps. He made such a nuisance
of himself that the Nazis jailed him in the Italian prison fortress at Gavi, from which no one had
escaped in the 600 years of its existence. Within a few months, Pringle discovered an old mining shaft
leading to an underground reservoir, carefully removed the bricks from an outside wall and made his
way towards Switzerland. Posing as a Greek, a German deserter and a Croat, he got within five miles
of the border before being captured while resting in a wood.
Born in 1914, Pringle was educated at Sandhurst, from which he joined the Kings Royal Irish
Hussars. As a young officer in the Thirties, he slipped easily into the smart social scene. His name was
linked with that of the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and he later married Orson Welles’s ex-wife,
Virginia Nicholson. But fortune did not always smile on Pringle. On one occasion, he was invited to a
fancy-dress ball and, finding that all the other costumes had been sold out, decided to go as a potato.
Dressed like this, he presented himself at the house where the dance was being held – only to find
out that he had arrived a week too early.
Pringle’s wartime service began in Africa, where he won his first MC (Military Cross). In 1941,
he took part in the advance to relieve Tobruk, and was captured. As a PoW (Prisoner of War), Pringle
was held in 11 different camps and escaped six times. Once he was almost captured when he
disguised himself as a woman and jumped off a moving train, when the trouser leg unrolled and
slipped below his skirt. On another occasion, he escaped with David Sterling, the founder of the SAS
(Special Air Service). Confronted by a German patrol, Pringle began jabbering away in Italian, having
told his companion, who did not speak the language, to whistle Lile Marlene. Unfortunately, Stirling
remained silent. He later explained that he had been unable to remember the tune. After his escape
from Gavi, Pringle was sent to Colditz, from which he was liberated by the US army.
Years of hard times in camps and on the run had taken their toll on Pringle’s health, and he had
to leave the army in 1946 with a heart condition. He worked for a time in Portugal, lectured the SAS
and was a keen hunter. In 1988, he published a memoir of his wartime experience, Colditz Last Stop.
1. Jack Pringle was famous for …
A. spending a long time in an Italian prison
B. running away from prisoner of war camps
C. being good at pretending to be foreigners
2. He was captured while he was …
A. making a hole in the outside wall
B. having a rest far away from the prison
C. leaving the underground tunnel
3. Pringle made a fool of himself once when he …
A. wore a dull costume for the party
B. mixed up the dates of the ball
C. never showed up at the party
4. On one occasion Pringle was captured because…
A. the female clothes he wore did not fit him
B. it was difficult to jump out of moving train
C. a colleague forgot a popular melody
5. Pringle left the army because …
A. he wanted to move abroad
B. he decided to work for the SAS
C. he suffered from poor health
26
Text 13
Teaching English is now a big business and many people are trying to find new methods of
teaching the language. The latest craze is a method started in the USA five years ago.
This method uses games, toys and songs to teach English to children, starting as early as one
year old, to the age of fourteen. The participation of the parents is very important and is a great way
for mother or father and child to share some fun times together.
Children meet their teacher and their group once a week. Every day they listen to a cassette
tape twice, so they come to each lesson already knowing something of the vocabulary and structures
to be taught. A child doesn't have to pay attention to the tape, it just plays in the background while
the child plays, eats or is being driven to school with mum or dad.
The person who created the method developed it after teaching her own children so
successfully that her friends and neighbours began to ask her to teach their children. From these
beginnings the project has grown into the international network it is today. Now the only problem
seems to be how fast they can train teachers. They don’t have enough teacher trainers to meet the
demand.
Teachers are also talking about how to get parents more involved in their children's learning.
Sometimes they have doubts when they see their children fidgeting and wandering without speaking
around the room during lessons. According to teachers, parents need to understand that children
have different styles of learning and it's perfectly normal.
Very young children often seem not to learn much English at first. However, those who listen to
the foreign language at a younger age will, in the long run, learn more easily and fluently.
One teacher told a story about how she had had a class with a young girl who used to spend all
the lessons sitting in the corner and never speaking, until one day she said to the group in English,
'Now I'll be the teacher.'
That proves that some children learn quicker than others and will show what they have learnt
when they are ready.
1. The important thing about the cassette tape is that …
A. it is played just before a lesson starts
B. it doesn’t have to be listened to carefully
C. it is listened to together with parents
2. The method is not growing as quickly as it could because …
A. not all parents understand how it works
B. many teachers are uncertain about it
C. not enough teachers are being trained
3. When the method is used …
A. children can learn at different speeds
B. the age of children is no longer important
C. the results of the learning can be seen quickly
4. The main topic of the text is …
A. learning languages is now a business
B. the role of parents in children’s language education
C. a new way of teaching languages to children
27
Text 14
Earthquakes cause thousands of deaths and are probably Nature’s most dramatic event.
People have been trying to understand earthquakes for a long time. In fact, the oldest records of
earthquakes are in China. The Chinese have been keeping records for 3,000 years. These unique
documents may be useful. They could tell us if earthquakes follow any sort of pattern.
Today, the Chinese are the world’s leading experts on earthquakes. They have as many as
10,000 earthquake specialists plus many more amateurs in the country. They make many
observations to try to guess when an earthquake will happen. In small towns and villages, strange
events, such as animal behaviour, for example, rats leaving buildings in large numbers or snakes
crawling out of their holes are recorded. They also measure changes in temperatures deep in the
earth, which tells experts of the movement of the earth’s crust. This information is sent to the closest
Earthquake Research Centre for analysis.
International agencies use the most advanced method of trying to guess when earthquakes
will happen. They use satellites that record the changes of the radioactive gas, radon. This gas is
usually released just before a large tremor. Whether from space, land or from beneath the surface,
keeping an eye on the different things that may show an earthquake will soon happen is a costly
investment. Countries like Mexico or Guatemala, which are earthquake prone countries, often lack
funds to do this properly.
1. China is important to people studying earthquakes because …
A. they have discovered the pattern of earthquakes
B. they understand why earthquakes happen
C. they have a long historical record of earthquakes
2. The second paragraph is mainly about …
A. ways of guessing when earthquakes will happen
B. the strange behavior of animals in earthquakes
C. changes happening under the earth’s surface
3. Some earthquake prone countries …
A. cannot pay for good observation methods
B. measure changes in gas levels
C. use satellites to observe earthquakes
28
 READING
 READING
 READING
 READING
Part Two
In this part, six phrases have been removed from each text and
placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has been included in each
task. You must decide which phrases go into which gaps and
write the letters in the boxes below. Examples have been done
for you.
29
Text 15
NATO Allies and Partners act out flood relief in Ukraine
Flood victims were pulled to safety from trees, off roof tops and even out of rivers by
helicopter, … (0) ... (example) to major flooding in Ukraine.
The exercise - ... (1) ... - took place in Uzhgorod, Transcarpathia, in western Ukraine. Named
Trans-Carpathia 2000, it simulated responses to flooding in a region ... (2)... during the 20th century.
In the disaster scenario, rainfall raised water levels causing rivers to overflow, affecting more
than 300 towns and villages. Some 200 kilometres of road were flooded, and power lines cut,
... (3) … .
Ukraine, a NATO Partner, shocked by the scale of the catastrophe, asked the Euro-Atlantic
Disaster Response Coordination Centre … (4) ... for help.
Transport planes flew over the region to carry out reconnaissance and sent air images of the
flooded area back to a field coordination centre. Flood victims ... (5)... were taken for treatment to a
Ukrainian field hospital.
Participants from several countries set up water purification equipment, necessary in the case of a
flood. A Hungarian team demonstrated how 4,500 litres of water could be taken from the river Uzh
and ... (6) … . Meanwhile, experts from several countries took part in an operation to stop toxic
chemicals pouring out from an overturned tanker.
… A … (example) as NATO Allies and Partners rehearsed crisis responses
… B … and tens of thousands of people left homeless
… C … turned into clean water in one hour
… D … situated at NATO headquarters in Brussels
… E … which experienced massive floods 13 times
… F … who had been rescued
… G … which was held between 26 and 28 September
… H … because of the threat of pollution
0
1
2
3
4
A
30
5
6
Text 16
Operation Joint Resolve
Operation Joint Resolve XVIII … (0) … (example) to maintain SFOR’s military force in a high
state of readiness. The peace enforcement operation was conducted from 16th-20th January.
Ninety men from Company A and the Royal Regiment of Wales … (1) … . The company established its
operations centre just outside the small city of Modrica.
The troops carried out presence patrols in the city, … (2) … . Company Commander, Major Jolly
Danford, was very pleased with this chance to co-operate with units from other countries.
The U.K. unit was working together with U.S. units from TF 2-87 from Camp McGovern. During
the following days, … (3) … . “The patrols have already located three sites of unexploded bombs,”
Danford explained. “A local farmer showed us where they were”.
A small unit was to start patrolling the resettlement area of Dobor in Modrica. The area had
some problems with returnees a few months ago, but everything appeared quiet according to the
soldiers … (4) …. One of the main objectives of these patrols ... (5) … and to obtain information from
them on what was going on in the area. The soldiers also explained their presence in the area. The
local people were friendly and seemed pleased … (6) … .
Operation Joint Resolve XVIII has shown that SFOR is capable of rapidly assembling and redeploying units. The operations conducted were considered a success.
… A … (example) is one of the operations designed
… B ... the units carried out operations together in the area
… C ... that SFOR showed its presence and interest in the area
… D ... with the main focus on the resettlement areas
… E ... was to get in contact with the local population
… F ... as they met after their patrol
… G ... were deployed into the AOR by COMSFOR
… H ... see their equipment and patrolling techniques
0
1
2
3
4
A
31
5
6
Text 17
Soto Caso Air Base
Soto Caso Air Base, Honduras - More than 135 Air Force and Army troops from Joint Task
Force-Bravo joined almost 275 other U.S. and Central American participants in a multinational
peacekeeping exercise held here May 20 to 31.
The exercise, Fuerzas Aliadas (Allied Forces) Central American Peacekeeping Operation was
hosted … (0) ... (example).
Troops from Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and the U.S. joined to study
peacekeeping problems and solutions … (1) … .
The exercise scenario was set in the unreal country of Arcadia, … (2) … led to economic
crisis, armed conflict and other humanitarian problems. As part of the exercise, the participants kept
an eye on cease-fire agreements, helped Arcadian efforts to bring back stability and … (3) …, and
prepared the country for follow-on forces.
Participants maneuvered virtual battalion elements using two computer systems called
… (4) … . The JCM allowed simulation of tactical, strategic and logistical situations, while the CAM
allowed exercise instructors to add simulated political-military situations into the exercise.
Participants had to make choices in response to very real situations. Leaders were forced to
direct team members to move elements throughout … (5) …, facing various situations from snipers in
trees to setting-up road blocks.
Use of the computer systems cut costs and gave leaders more flexibility. Leaders could
explore more situations in this $900,000 exercise as opposed to … (6) …. The computer simulation
paid off.
… A … (example) by the Honduran armed forces
… B ... in the computer-simulated exercise
… C ... the costly deployment of ground forces
… D ... whose devastating ethnic problems
… E ... the war-torn Arcadia and surrounding countries
… F ... conduct free elections
… G ... the joint conflict model and civil affairs model
… H ... more than 2000 soldiers were trained
0
1
2
3
4
A
32
5
6
Text 18
Cooperative Nugget Begins
Troops from NATO and the former Warsaw Pact stood side-by-side on the parade field here Aug 8
as Cooperative Nugget '95 ... (0) ... (example). Defense Secretary William Perry and United
Kingdom Field Marshal Sir Richard Vincent, NATO's senior military official, attended the opening
ceremony.
“Cooperative Nugget is a tremendous opportunity, … (1) ..., from one another, and how to
conduct military operations with one another,” Perry said.
Vincent said the aim of the exercise is “to promote interoperability through common tactics,
techniques and procedures for ... (2) ... and humanitarian relief operations.
“And you really don't need me today to remind you that these are the kinds of practical and highly
relevant skills ... (3) ... for everyday use in environments such as the former Yugoslavia and many
other places,” Vincent said.
Addressing the troops Vincent said: “No doubt some of you have already participated in
operations of this sort. But I would ask those of you who've done so ... (4) ...”.
Partnership for Peace was established after the Cold War as a way ... (5) ... in Central and
Eastern Europe. The exercise at Fort Polk's Joint Readiness Training Center ... (6) ... and involve
about 4,200 troops – including 518 Air Force members. A majority of the 2,500 U.S. troops are from
the Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Polk. U.S. Atlantic Command, based at
Norfolk, Virginia, will oversee the training, which is the sixth military exercise conducted as part of the
program.
…A…
(example) officially began
… B … to share those experiences with other participants
… C … which soldiers from many nations need
… D … the more effective conduct of peacekeeping
…E…
attending the opening ceremony
…F…
to strengthen cooperation between NATO and non-NATO nations
… G … to learn more about one another
… H … will run through Aug. 28
0
1
2
3
4
A
33
5
6
Text 19
Return to the War Zone
The
dramatic
rescue
of
Maj
Andy
Harrison
and
several
dozen
UN
colleagues
... (0) … (example) caught the media's imagination and made international headlines. Yet a couple
of weeks after being reunited with his wife Carolyn and daughters Phillippa and Isabel at RAF
Northolt, … (1) … .
Two days before he left he told Soldier about his time as a prisoner. His job was to assist the
Lome peace agreement, … (2) … . He was part of a team that deployed into Kailahun, a town in the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) heartland.
Maj Harrison met and worked with the rebels daily. Then the 11 observers were called to a
meeting with the RUF commander at Kailahun. They were told there was to be a peaceful protest and
that they would be held by the RUF for a while because the UN had supposedly held … (3) … .
He and his fellow observers were taken to a small base in a village about half an hour away,
close to … (4) … . All he had were his clothes, a compass, some malaria tablets and his passport.
The prisoners were put in a house with cells and barred windows. It was dark, had concrete
floors, a leaking roof and was riddled with rats. After a few days of living on mangos and paw-paw
they started to get food brought in from the Indian UN company at Kailahun. Using a smuggled
camera, … (5) … .
“The third day was bad because … (6) … . That afternoon our captors threatened to kill a
Russian peacekeeper, Andrei, and myself. We negotiated hard and things stabilised. It was not an
experience I would like to go through every day”.
… A … (example) from the jungles of West Africa
… B ... the Liberian border
… C ... Maj Harrison took photographs of his surroundings
… D ... Maj Harrison quietly slipped out of Britain and returned to Sierra Leone
… E ... which required the rebels to hand over weapons
… F ... to meet the rebel colonel
… G ... some people in the town of Makeni the previous night
… H ... two RUF soldiers were killed in Makeni
0
1
2
3
4
A
34
5
6
Text 20
Servicemen Missing in Action Returned
The remains of two U.S. Navy officers, ... (0) ... (example), have been found and are being
returned to their families for burial in the U.S. One has been identified as Lt. Cmdr. Roger B. Innes of
Chicago. The other officer's name will not be released ... (1) ... .
On Dec. 27, 1967, Innes and the other U.S. aviators were aboard an F-4B Phantom ... (2) ...
from the carrier, the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. The flight was an armed reconnaissance mission along the
coast of North Vietnam. Innes' aircraft was observed on radar as it started its attack on an enemy
target, but contact was suddenly lost ... (3) ... . Repeated radio calls were unsuccessful, and an
extensive visual and electronic search conducted throughout the day failed to locate the aircraft. Low
flight ceilings and poor visibility in the target area prevented additional search efforts.
In August 1992, teams of U.S. and Vietnamese investigators, ... (4) ..., interviewed villagers
and reviewed documentation which indicated an aircraft crashed in 1967 about 300 meters off the
coast. The information was a close match to the circumstances of Innes' loss. In 1995, investigators
interviewed local fishermen who pointed out a general area ... (5) ... .
In February and March 1998, U.S. and Vietnamese divers inspected the underwater site and
recommended a full search. Then in May and June 1999, U.S. Navy divers operating from a
Vietnamese barge, conducted the first underwater recovery operation in Vietnam ... (6) ... . The
divers were able to recover remains, personal belongings of the crew, and aircraft wreckage.
Analysis of the remains and other evidence by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory,
Hawaii established the identity of these servicemen.
… A … (example) missing in action from the Vietnam War
… B ... due to the lack of evidence
… C ... as the lead aircraft in a flight of two
… D ... in the area surrounding the target
… E ... where their fishing nets had been torn on aircraft wreckage
… F ... in waters approximately 10-15 meters deep
… G ... as such was his family’s request
… H ... led by Joint Task Force-Full Accounting
0
1
2
3
4
A
35
5
6
Text 21
Sailors, Marines Get Go-Ahead for Vieques Training
A contingent of U.S. sailors and Marines ... (0) ... (example) will first carry out a week-long
training at the range on Vieques Island in Puerto Rico.
Demonstrators are expected to protest the exercise; earlier this week U.S. authorities rejected a
request from the Puerto Rican government ... (1) ... . Such training, they said, would damage health
and create too much noise.
Pentagon spokesperson Navy Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said, April 26, that the navy have made
very careful arrangements ... (2) .... . These included police officers from both U.S. and Puerto Rican
land- and water-based units.
The Navy will use inert bombs and shells during the training. The exercise involves sailors and
Marines that have been assigned ... (3) ... .
The Navy continues to look at other training sites for Atlantic-area sailors and Marines. Officials
are working out how to reduce the need for the facility at Vieques.
The U.S. Atlantic fleet has trained at Vieques since 1941. The range became a sensitive issue
between Puerto Rico and DoD ... (4) ... April 19, 1999.
On June 9 of that year, President Clinton directed Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen to form
a special working group. Their task was to see if the range at Vieques was really needed. At the same
time, they had to look for other sites or methods ... (5) …".
DoD officials continue to talk with Puerto Rican officials about Vieques. "As before, we look
forward to the continued cooperation of the people and government of Puerto Rico in providing
adequate security for the Navy to conduct the training that is so critical ... (6) ...,” according to the
DoD release.
… A … (example) scheduled for duty in the Mideast.
… B … for sailors and Marines to carry out realistic training
… C … to make sure that the Vieques exercise is well protected
… D … when an errant bomb killed a civilian security guard
… E … that would meet the Department's needs
… F … to the USS Enterprise carrier battle group
… G … for the safety and proficiency of our armed forces
… H … that wanted to ban training at Vieques
0
1
2
3
A
36
4
5
6
Text 22
U.S. to Close Half of Korean Bases
SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. military has agreed to close half of its bases in South Korea
in the next 10 years, but will not reduce … (0) … (example).
A
joint
statement
said
the
U.S.
military
will
shut
down
28
combat
facilities
… (1) … . This will mean that more than half the land currently occupied by U.S. forces will be
returned to the South Korean government by 2011.
“There is no reduction in U.S. forces,” Gen. Thomas A. Schwartz, commander of the U.S.
Forces in South Korea, said after signing the agreement with South Korean Defense Minister Kim
Dong-shin. “We will stay at our current strength level”.
Up to 12,000 of the 37,000 U.S. troops … (2) … will be moving to new facilities, said Col.
Robert Durbin, assistant deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Forces in Korea.
The United States fought on South Korea’s side in the 1950-53 Korean War, … (3) … . As a
result of the war, U.S. troops are stationed here as a deterrent against North Korea.
Schwartz said that the U.S. military would benefit from lowering the number of bases
… (4) …, as it would offer greater efficiency, and better quality facilities.
South Korean officials said the deal will mean that the government will give back vast areas of
private land … (5) … . The first relocation will begin later this year, the joint statement said.
The U.S. military will cover $1.38 billion of the total $2.5 billion cost of relocations and base
consolidations. The remainder will be paid by South Korea, … (6) …, the statement said.
… A … (example) the number of American troops stationed there
… B ... which ended without a peace treaty
… C ... but this will stop the process
… D ... and three training ranges
… E ... that it confiscated for military use
… F ... from 41 to 23
… G ... which will also build nine new facilities for U.S. troops
… H ... based in South Korea
0
1
2
3
4
A
37
5
6
Text 23
Engineers Conduct Field Training in Macedonia
Cornerstone 00-3, an engineering field-training exercise, … (0) … (example), in Macedonia.
The exercise ends June 30, 2000. It is organized by Macedonia and the United States.
Cornerstone 00-3 is designed to develop a common understanding of military interoperability
in peace support operations. It is also aimed at promoting mutual trust, respect and cooperation
… (1) …. While conducting the exercise, engineers will complete four humanitarian assistance
projects for Macedonian cities. These will include the renovation of medical clinics in Pepeliste and
Krivolak … (2) … at two elementary schools.
Approximately 140 U.S. personnel and 105 Macedonian engineers and security personnel will
participate in the exercise at any given time. U.S. participants will include … (3) … of the U.S. Navy
Seabees, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 16th Air Force, Vermont Air National Guard, Oregon Air National
Guard, Indiana Air National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps engineers.
This exercise is being conducted in the spirit of the partnership for peace program; it is also
… (4) … between Vermont and Macedonia.
The exercise will also be the first to include military engineer observers from other countries
participating in the Southeast Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) process. SEDM brings together,
… (5) …, three NATO allies (Greece, Italy, and Turkey) and four partners (Albania, Bulgaria, Romania,
and Slovenia) to cooperate on a variety of security-related issues in the region.
By observing Cornerstone 00-3 the SEDM military engineers will learn project and construction
techniques. This is of great importance as they may be useful for their future mission of … (6) … and
natural disasters.
… A … (example) begins May 1, 2000
… B ... part of the state partnership program
… C ... between the two main participating countries
… D ... active duty, reserve and guardsmen
… E ... large number of civilians
… F ... giving assistance in humanitarian emergencies
… G ... in addition to the United States and Macedonia
… H ... as well as minor engineering projects
0
1
2
3
A
38
4
5
6
Text 24
Chechens Down Helicopter in a Battle
Local police … (0) … (example) in Ingushetia have been fighting off an attack by a large
group of rebels, which is said to have entered the country from Georgia. The Chechen rebels,
numbering up to 300, are apparently trying … (1) … . Most of them, according to the authorities, are
Islamic radicals who want to create a fundamentalist state in the Caucasus. Russia says its troops will
hunt the rebels … (2) …, even if this means crossing into Georgia .
The Russian military has confirmed that a Mi-24 helicopter gunship was shot down
… (3) …, across the border with Chechnya. Both pilots were killed. The helicopter was shot down with
a portable anti-aircraft missile and crashed onto the village of Galashki. The rebels also fired on
another helicopter but missed. The incident happened during a gunfight between security forces and
the rebels, reportedly led … (4) … . His unit, the Russian military say, recently crossed into Russia
from the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia.
Heavy fighting is reported around Galashki, with some reports saying that the Chechen rebels
are trying … (5) … . It has been bombed and blocked off by the Russian federal forces. They have
seized several portable missile launchers that have been used by the rebels to devastating effect.
There are conflicting reports about casualties … (6) … .
Last August, one-hundred-and-twenty Russian soldiers were killed when a transport helicopter
was shot down with a portable missile in the Chechen capital Grozny.
… A … (example) and Russian troops
… B ... until the village is clear
… C ... to gain control over the centre of the village
… D ... by Chechens in Ingushetia
… E ... by the Chechen warlord Abdul Malik
… F ... until they are completely eliminated
… G ... on both sides among the locals
… H ... to break through into Chechnya
0
1
2
3
4
A
39
5
6
Text 25
Georgia-NATO Military Exercises Begin Today
Twelve days of joint Georgia-NATO military exercises nicknamed “Best Effort 2002”
… (0) … (example) and will concentrate on peacekeeping operations.
The exercises are organised by the Atlantic Alliance’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program.
They are planned as part ... (1) … . They will be small unit land live exercises.
The exercises will last from June 16 to June 28 and they will allow exercise participants to
exchange light infantry skills in a variety of peace support operation scenarios.
According to NATO and Georgian officials, around 600 troops from six NATO countries
… (2) … . They will be joined by around 70 Georgian troops.
Georgian spokesman Colonel Irakli Batkuashvili said the exercises would involve “patrols, the
organisation of control points and operations against snipers. They are to give a general preparation
for all kinds of missions … (3) … ”.
Uzbekistan last week announced that it was leaving the GUUAM post-Soviet economic
grouping. It has also decided at the last moment … (4) … . According to Batkuashvili, Russia has
shown no interest in taking part.
“Best Effort 2002” is the second round of NATO exercises to take place in Georgia as part of
the PfP a program which allows former Warsaw Pact nations … (5) … .
Last month US military instructors began training Georgian officers under a program designed
to form anti-terrorist units and … (6) … .
… A … (example) begin today
… B ... are deploying at the Vaziani Base near Tbilisi
… C ... to cooperate with their former NATO enemy
… D ... which costs a lot of money
… E ... that troops may perform in peacekeeping operations
… F ... not to take part in the exercises
… G ... to help restructure the Georgian armed forces
… H ... of the main annual NATO exercise programme
0
1
2
3
4
A
40
5
6
Text 26
U.S. Troops Fighting Terrorism in the Horn of Africa
Roughly 1,300 American and coalition troops are working ... (0) ... (example) in the Horn of
Africa. From the sea and on the land, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa - detects, disrupts
and defeats terrorists in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen - Marine Maj. Stephen Cox said today.
Cox is the task force public affairs officer. He and his commander, Marine Maj. Gen. John Sattler,
spoke via a telephone connection to reporters in the Pentagon from the unit's headquarters ... (1) ...,
floating off the coast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden. Cox said about 400 service members form task
force headquarters on the Mount Whitney, ... (2) ... . The other 900 work at Camp Lemonier in
Djibouti.
“Fighting terrorists in the region will be successful if there are good relations between
... (3) ...,” he said. Since the unit arrived early last month, task force leaders have met with the heads
of state of Yemen and Ethiopia. Cox said the unit has been building intelligence networks in the region
and can ... (4) ... if Sattler gets "actionable intelligence" about a planned attack.
Camp Lemonier is where 900 troops are sleeping, eating and working in climate-controlled
tents. "I would describe it as very, very harsh, but very, very safe," Sattler said. "And it certainly
meets our needs and our mission here". He noted the camp's residents provide "very, very strong
force-protection security" themselves. Task force members typically will serve 180-day rotations, but
individually and in small groups ... (5) ... that could lower capabilities, he added.
He called the Mount Whitney "probably the most capable naval platform in the world”. Sattler
said the unit has helicopters on board the ship that allow him to travel anywhere in the region and
state-of-the-art communications systems ... (6) ... . While U.S. Central Command officials may want
to move the task force headquarters onto land in the coming months, Sattler said nothing is pushing
the force to hurry off the ship and move ashore.
… A … (example) to prevent terrorists from gaining ground
… B ... carry out missions against terrorists
… C ... the task force and the governments of surrounding countries
… D ... to avoid rotation of troops on a large-scale
… E ... to make the cooperation between the countries stronger
… F ... on board the USS Mount Whitney
… G ... to get to anyone in the chain of command
… H ... an amphibious command ship
0
1
2
3
4
A
41
5
6
Text 27
Oil from Iraq: An Israeli Pipedream?
It is said that Israel will benefit greatly ... (0) … (example), mainly because there will be no
President Saddam Hussein, its great enemy, and no threat from the weapons of mass destruction.
However, it seems the Israelis have also other things in mind.
Haaretz, in his report from 31 March, pointed to another benefit. He said that the minister for
national infrastructures Joseph Paritzky … (1) … the oil pipeline from Mosul to the Mediterranean port
of Haifa. This pipeline has been closed for a very long time now. Because Israel hasn’t got enough
energy resources of its own and … (2) …, reopening the pipeline would change its economy. Of
course, the new Iraqi government would have to agree to restart supplies from Mosul to Haifa.
Paritzky said he was sure the USA would agree with … (3) … . According to Western
diplomats in the region, the USA has discussed this with Iraqi opposition groups. Some of them say
that the Bush administration has said it will not agree to stop UN sanctions on Iraq … (4) … .
There is a theory that Bush's war is part of a masterplan to change the shape of the Middle
East to serve Israel's interests. Haaretz quoted Paritzky as saying that the pipeline project is
economically very important because … (5) … .
It is not surprising that US tries to get Iraqi oil to Israel. According to 1975 Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), the US guaranteed that Israel … (6) … . Moreover, the USA agreed to send oil
from its home market, and also guaranteed transportation of the promised oil in its own tankers if
there would be any problems with commercial shippers.
… A … (example) from the US led war on Iraq
… B ... if Saddam's successors don’t agree to sell oil to Israel
… C ... it would dramatically lower Israel's energy bill
… D ... would get all needed oil if there is a crisis
… E ... it would be a very good contract
… F ... was thinking about opening
… G ... the idea of reopening the pipeline
… H ... buys expensive oil from Russia
0
1
2
3
A
42
4
5
6
Text 28
Where Is Osama?
“We don’t know where Osama is”, says Army General Tommy Franks. “We’ve been pretty
honest about that. We’ve said he is either dead or alive, … (0) … (example). While some leaders of
the
new
Afghan
government
believe
Bin
Laden
is
hiding
with
Omar
near
Baghran,
… (1) … . They believe that if he survived the bombing of Tora Bora caves, he is most likely to be
hiding on one side or the other of the Afghan border with Pakistan. The White House is sure that
Pakistan’s military is dead serious about finding bin Laden and turning him over to U.S. authorities
… (2) … . As many as 60,000 Pakistani troops have been deployed at border checkpoints. Moinuddin
Haider, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, says the border patrols have so far … (3) …, who are being held
in high-security prisons in and near the frontier town of Kohat. They also deported back to
Afghanistan the Taliban’s former ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef. What if Osama is
already in Pakistan? Even if it becomes certain that Osama has escaped there, the Bush
Administration has no plans to deploy U.S. special – operations forces or CIA paramilitary teams
… (4) … . In the White House view, Pakistan’s army and intelligence service are far more suitable for
the task.
If bin Laden has crossed the border, U.S. intelligence officials don’t believe he
… (5) … . He would find the safest place in the remote areas of northwest Pakistan. In some of those
parts, bin Laden … (6) … . In Pakistan’s Dabori Valley last week, where bin Laden stayed for some
time after he was kicked out of Sudan in 1996, villagers say they would give him shelter as a fellow
Muslim.
… A … (example) and he is either inside Afghanistan or he isn’t
… B … has moved too far into Pakistan
… C … if he is captured
… D … and was given food and money
… E … American officials are skeptical
… F … could expect a warm welcome
… G … arrested 245 foreigners, mostly Saudis and Yemenis
… H … to hunt for him
0
1
2
3
A
43
4
5
6
PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
44
 READING
 READING
 READING
 READING
Part Three
Read the texts and write if the statements 1 to 7 are true (T) or
false (F).
45
Text 29
Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate,” in other
words, to learn to understand computers and what makes them work. Not all experts agree, however,
that this is a good idea.
One pioneer in particular who disagrees, is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK.
Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David
does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed just for the opposite reason, to
bring computers to the people.
David first got the idea when he visited one of America’s best-known computer specialists, Bob
Albrecht, in the small university town of Palo Alto in Northern California. Albrecht had started a project
called Computertown USA in the local library, and the local children used to call round every
Wednesday to borrow some time on the computer there, instead of borrowing library books. Albrecht
was always there to answer any questions and to help the children discover about computers in their
own way.
Over here, in Britain, Computertowns have become successful, and there are now about 40 scattered
over the country. David Tebbutt thinks they are most successful when tied to a computer club. He
insists there is a vast and important difference between the two, although they complement each
other. The clubs look after enthusiasts, with some computer knowledge already. This frightens away
non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers available for them
to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions; they are not told what to
do, they find out.
David Tebbutt finds it interesting to see the two different groups of people working side by side. The
computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to explain the
answers to the questions that people really want to know. In some Computertowns there are question
sessions, where the experts listen to a lot of questions and then try to work out some way to answer
them. People don’t have to learn computer jargon, but the experts have to translate computer
mysteries into easily understood terms; the computers are becoming “people-literate”.
0. (Example) Experts think computer users should learn how computers work.
(…F…)
1. All experts agree that computer literacy is necessary.
(……)
2. The first Computertown was founded in the UK.
(……)
3. Children came to Computertown USA once a week.
(……)
4. There are 40 Computertowns in the UK and the USA.
(……)
5. Computer clubs and Computertowns compete with each other.
(……)
6. Non-experts prefer Computertowns to computer clubs.
(……)
7. In Computertowns, the experts decide what to tell people.
(……)
46
Text 30
Many ghost stories have their beginnings in the strange events that occur during wartime. One
of the strangest is about the haunted German submarine, the UB-65.
The UB-65 was built in 1916 during World War I. During the work on the submarine, a series
of accidents killed five men and injured several others. Although the submarine crew were highly
superstitious and they did not want to sail, the ship was needed badly, and so its construction
continued despite the dangerous signs of approaching disaster.
During the preparations for the submarine’s first dive, a sailor threw himself over the side
without warning. The captain continued the mission as if nothing had happened. But when he tried to
surface, the UB-65 would not rise. Sea water began coming into the ship, soon reaching the batteries
and causing them to give off deadly fumes. At last, the desperate captain managed to surface with his
crew almost dead from the gases.
Back in port, the UB-65 was loading supplies when a torpedo exploded, killing six men including
a lieutenant. Shortly after, a terrified petty officer and another sailor said that the ghost of the dead
lieutenant had come aboard. A few weeks later, while patrolling off the English coast, the ghost was
noticed standing in the bows. The ghost appeared once more as the ship entered the port. A few
moments later the captain was killed as enemy planes attacked the harbour. A chaplain was called to
exorcise, to force away, the ghost.
For the next few months, the UB-65 functioned normally. Then suddenly the chief gunner went
mad and killed himself, and the day after that, the petty officer jumped over the side. In the next battle
the ship was hit. The lights inside the submarine flashed wildly, and a strange green glow filled the hull.
Once more the damaged UB-65 went back to the port.
Late in the war, an American ship met something strange. The crew saw the UB-65 deserted
and drifting at sea. Suddenly there was an explosion on the submarine. Before it went under, the figure
of the ghostly officer appeared for the last time.
0. (Example) The haunted submarine was of German make.
(…T…)
1. Five people were injured in accidents during the building of the submarine.
(……)
2. One man committed suicide during the submarine’s first dive.
(……)
3. Once inside the submarine, the water caused the emission of deadly fumes.
(……)
4. In port, the submarine accidentally fired a torpedo.
(……)
5. There was an attempt to get rid of the ghost.
(……)
6. The chief gunner and the petty officer killed themselves.
(……)
7. There was nobody aboard the UB65 when the American ship saw it.
(……)
47
Text 31
You will not find him playing main characters in films. His appearance in “Cleopatra” with Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Burton went unnoticed. Yet he is well known to moviegoers around the world with
his episodic roles in the Bond films. As “Q” he supplied 007 with a range of hi-tech gadgets that were
everything the agent needed to survive.
Desmond Llewelyn, as the enigmatic “Q”, played in all but two of the James Bond films. When he
was omitted from “Live and Let Die”, audiences felt disappointed and the demand for his return was
so great that he returned to the screen to continue his job as “Q”.
Llewelyn was born in Wales at the outbreak of WWI. His film debut was in “Ask a Policeman”.
During WW II he was captured by the Germans and spent five years as a prisoner during which time
he worked on an escape tunnel dug with other prisoners.
“Pay attention Bond … and please use this for its intended purpose, 007.” “Q” always warned Bond
not to treat his powerful gadgets as toys. However, Bond’s fascination with his accessories, more than
once, resulted in accidents and irreparable damage. That did not discourage “Q” from constructing
new “gizmos” for each new episode.
In his private life Llewelyn was not that fascinated with gadgetry. He admitted that in his hands
most gadgets exploded as soon as he touched them. He preferred cars, though he was never able to
buy a really good one. He had a weakness for them because his father had had the first Bentley on
the road in England. Desmond drove everywhere himself, even though people offered him lifts. His
wife ,though, was not quite happy with this. She wanted him to give up driving after he turned 80.
The last Bond film marks the end of Llewelyn’s career as “Q”. Although playing “Q” was not timeconsuming – it took him 2 or 3 days for each film – he decided to quit. In “The World Is Not Enough”
he introduces a new assistant, “R”, played by John Cleese. “Q” has said his good-bye and
disappeared, leaving a new successor and Bond with new toys.
His exit proved to be a final one. What his wife was afraid of happened. On December 19 while
driving to sign copies of his biography, he was involved in a head-on collision. He was flown to
hospital but died of the terrible injuries sustained in the crash. He was 85 years old.
0. (Example) Desmond Llewelyn became well known after his role in “Cleopatra”.
(…F…)
1. Desmond Llewelyn played in all James Bond movies.
(……)
2. His performance in “Live and Let Die” disappointed the audience.
(……)
3. Desmond Llewelyn owned the first Bentley in England.
(……)
4. He stopped driving when he was 80.
(……)
5. Llewelyn played in “ The World is Not Enough”.
(……)
6. Llewelyn wrote a book about James Bond.
(……)
7. He died in a plane accident.
(……)
48
Text 32
Ellis Island is still in New York Bay. It has been walked on by millions of immigrants who
escaped from their homeland in search of freedom and a better life. It has heard words spoken in
every language of the world. Ellis Island has been the miraculous bridge between desire and the
fulfilment of dreams.
All immigrants landed on Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. Here everyone was examined
and evaluated. According to the Fitness Law passed in 1891, every immigrant had to be checked for
various diseases such as smallpox or tuberculosis. Those who did not pass their medical examination
would be deported. In 1913, intelligence tests were added. Approximately, 1,200 immigrants failed
these tests and were sent home as mentally unsatisfactory. Immigration officials thought that
children of 10 were old enough to take care of themselves. This meant that they could enter the
country or be deported without their parents. There were periods in the history of this island when
there were far too many immigrants who could not be accommodated properly. Once 1,700 people
tried to sleep in a dormitory that had beds for only 600. Often, immigrants ate the same food three
times a day due to overcrowding.
Ellis Island served as a barrier as well as a gateway: those too old or too weak to support
themselves were turned back from what they called the "Isle of Tears". In 1911, about 13,000
immigrants made the bitter voyage back to the lands they had left. Between 1892 and 1943, 25
million immigrants passed through the examination rooms of Ellis Island. Now it is part of the Statue
of Liberty National Monument, and a reminder of dreams that did come true.
All those who were accepted as new residents of the United States of America took the short
ferry ride to Manhattan. From here, many newly-arrived immigrants — there were millions of them
from all nations — started a new life. Some stayed on Manhattan Island, lived and worked in ethnic
sections of New York City, in Brooklyn or Queens. Others moved on to the other states to work, live
and raise their families. Their children eagerly went to school to learn English and often became
English teachers for their parents. In America they could attend the church of their choice without
being criticised. They could move about the country without asking permission. Some went to
California to look for gold while others moved to the American plain states to start farms of their own.
Many started small family shops or worked as tailors, carpenters, or painters. Those without any trade
or knowledge of English often worked in "sweat shops", sewing in the lower Manhattan's clothes
district.
0. (Example) Ellis Island is close to New York.
(…T…)
1. About 1,200 failed the medical test in 1913.
(……)
2. Ten-year-olds were sent back alone if they failed the tests.
(……)
3. From Ellis Island, immigrants sailed to the Isle of Tears.
(……)
4. The Statue of Liberty Monument is part of Ellis Island.
(……)
5. Ellis Island is close to Manhattan.
(……)
6. Immigrants living in New York needed permission to travel.
(……)
7. “Sweat shops” made clothing with cheap immigrant labour.
(……)
49
Text 33
It was clear from his diary entry of November 2, 1936 that John Reith, the first DirectorGeneral of the BBC, doubted whether television had a future. In those early days the BBC itself
wondered if anyone was watching it at all. During experimental broadcasting leading up to the
opening, it placed an advertisement in the newspapers. ‘The BBC is most anxious to know the number
of people seeing this television programme. Will those looking in send a postcard marked 'Z' to
Broadcasting House immediately.’ Programmes were broadcast to the small band of viewers or
"lookers", as they were called, for 34 months until the service was closed suddenly for the duration of
the Second World War after the transmission of a Mickey Mouse cartoon on 1 September. Among
other reasons, it was felt that the Alexandra Palace transmitter might become a navigational aid for
enemy aircraft.
BBC Television was reopened on June 7, 1946. It is estimated that the coverage of the Victory
Parade the following day was seen by 100 000 viewers. Richard Dimbleby, providing the commentary
for the Parade, clearly not well-briefed, criticised Princess Elizabeth's hat. People did not mind; they
could stare at personalities and nobody thought they were ill-mannered.
It was the Coronation of the present Queen on June 2, 1953 which truly launched the
television age. It was estimated that some 20 million viewers saw the seven hours of continuous
coverage. Even Churchill's opposition could not keep the cameras out of Westminster Abbey on that
occasion. Like many, he felt it was wrong for people to watch such an important occasion while
drinking tea in their front rooms.
The first major classic serial was The Forsythe Saga (1967). Each week the whole country
followed the drama, hissing at the fearsome but sad Soames (Eric Porter) and crying over Young
Jolyon (Kenneth Moore). Some clergymen changed the time of Evensong so that their congregation
could get home in time to watch it. Eighteen million people saw the final episode.
Televised sport actually goes back to 1932, when the BBC showed some poor quality
demonstration pictures of horses passing the finishing post at the Derby. The first sport covered after
the official opening of the BBC's Television Service was a demonstration of boxing in 1936. Television
produced many marvellous cricketing broadcasters over the years. During one particularly dull cricket
match, one of them, Jim Laker, got into trouble with his microphones and was heard to say on air:
"It'll be a relief when this game is over and we can go for a couple of beers."
0. (Example) John Reith made a note in his diary on November 2, 1936.
(…T…)
1. Before World War Two (WW II) the BBC was certain it had a big audience.
(……)
2. The BBC television continued to broadcast during WW II.
(……)
3. Victory Parade took place on June 7, 1946.
(……)
4. Showing the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was a big break for TV.
(……)
5. There was some political opposition to showing the Coronation.
(……)
6. On average 18 million viewers watched each episode of the Forsythe Saga.
(……)
7. Boxing was the first sport to be shown on television.
(……)
50
Text 34
With only about 4,700 inhabitants, the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland has
perhaps more golf holes per head of population than any other island in the world. It has 7 courses,
three of the standard 18-hole length (Brodick, Lamlash and Whrting Bay) and one for almost every
village on the island. All are so-called "links" courses, that means next to the sea, and many have
holes that either run alongside the beach or play directly over the sea. Nearly all have magnificent
views, particularly on the island's west coast, from where you can almost see Paul McCartney across
the sea playing his guitar on his farm on the Mull of Kyntire. On a good day the coastline of Northern
Ireland is visible, as well as Ailsa Craig, the giant rock that sticks out of the sea like a giant tooth,
some 25 miles south of Arran.
To play Arran's courses is cheap and relatively painless by English standards. There is no sixmonth waiting list as at many English courses, no obligation to wear a shirt and tie in the clubhouse,
and the atmosphere is far less formal than at many English courses.
Another great beauty is the island’s sheep, many of whom roam the courses. Or did until the
outbreak of foot and mouth disease earlier this year, and the occasional couple of goats or deer. They
take no notice of the golfer and are not concerned about the state of the game. They like a bit of
grass though, and keep the courses neat and tidy.
Perhaps the nicest course is at Machrie. Part of it runs along the sea coast, and if you are not
careful you can see your shots glide effortlessly into the deep blue sea, to be cracked open by crabs
and swallowed by seals.
As you probably know, it is never not windy in Scotland, and Arran is no exception. This
makes low hitting of the ball and accuracy a must. If not swallowed by the sea, your ball can find its
way into the thick rough – that is, the area with longer grass not tended by the club. For the golf
enthusiast, Arran is not in the same league as the big tournament courses, at St. Andrew’s, Troon and
Scotland's other grand golf arenas, but it is great for a week of knocking a ball around a field or two.
You can hire clubs cheaply for a day or a week and set off from one village to the next along the
island's 55-mile round-the-island road.
According to the legend, Jack Nicklaus, the British Open Champion, once played at Sannox,
one of the island’s courses. For him it may have been a simple pleasure. For you, well, it might be
quite a challenge.
0. (Example) There are 4,700 inhabitants on the Isle of Arran.
(…T…)
1. There are more than seven villages on the island.
(……)
2. Paul McCartney lives on the Isle of Arran.
(……)
3. The Isle of Arran lies between Scotland and Ireland.
(……)
4. One can feel relaxed playing on Arran’s courses.
(……)
5. It is difficult to lose a ball playing at Machrie course.
(……)
6. It always blows a lot over Arran.
(……)
7. Arran can house major Golf Championships.
(……)
51
Text 35
The history of gin is as interesting as the history of London itself and has influenced the social
and economic development of the city. Gin has been popular for hundreds of years, but its image has
not always been as sophisticated as it is today, for gin actually owes its existence to a medicinal tonic
of the distant past. The discovery of a 17th-century Dutch physician, Sylvius, the first gin was a
mixture of pure spirit and extract of juniper berries. British soldiers fighting in the Thirty Years War in
Holland and Belgium in the early part of the 17th century had grown accustomed to their pre-battle
drink of “Dutch Courage”. They brought the spirit back home to London, where it soon became a firm
favourite. It was Charles I who decided to promote gin to the population of London by introducing
wider distribution. The King formed a company with exclusive rights to distil and manufacture gin in
London. A later ban on the importation of spirituous liquors from foreign countries opened up the
distilling trade to any British citizen.
Londoners took full advantage of the new drinking opportunities offered to them. The working
population were able to become “dead drunk” when they wished, which gave rise to the first
movement towards reducing gin consumption. The reforms culminated in the introduction of the Gin
Act in 1736, a law which made gin prohibitively expensive. The reaction of the masses was obvious
and in some parts of London large scale rioting took place. The 1751 Tippling Act ordered that only
persons licensed by the government were allowed to sell gin. These licenses were restricted to
innkeepers and other sellers who paid a duty of ten pounds rent for their establishment. Punishments
for those breaking this regulation were severe, including imprisonment, whipping and deportation.
The consumption of gin dropped from eleven million gallons per year in the early 1750's to less than
two million gallons in 1760. In later centuries the gin production process became more refined and
gin began its climb into high society. By the 1950's it was one of the three essential drinks for home
entertainment.
Gin is very often used in cocktails, as it blends well. Of all the cocktails it is used in, the Dry
Martini is the classic, and — many would argue — the ultimate test of a barman's skill.
0. (Example) Gin is an alcoholic drink.
(…T…)
1. Gin originated as a medicine.
(……)
2. Gin used to be called “Dutch Courage”.
(……)
3. By royal order in London only one company was allowed to produce gin.
(……)
4. The Gin Act of 1736 prohibited gin consumption.
(……)
5. The Tippling Act of 1751 introduced licenses for selling gin.
(……)
6. Gin consumption decreased due to severe punishments.
(……)
7. A Dry Martini is difficult to prepare.
(……)
52
Text 36
Nibal, my Arab guide, and I went to the market in the old part of the city. I had, of course,
seen BBC TV pictures of the Iraqis in Baghdad selling, for example, an old pair of shoes, a well-worn
shirt or a broken comb. Watching it on TV was bad enough, particularly as I have no sympathy
whatsoever with the sanctions put on Iraq following the Gulf War. But seeing it in front of my eyes
was a lot worse.
As we were walking through the market, we could see people selling old bits of cars, fish,
meat and clothing; all very secretly of course, as this was all illegal trade. The local police didn't,
however, stop them so I guess this tiny amount of trade was not thought to be a crime.
I was not only saddened by the sight of all this, but also because the UK had helped to make
all this poverty happen. I don’t know how Iraqis, and Jordanians, can be so friendly towards the
British. However, they are, and that friendliness just adds to the feeling of shame. I couldn't actually
meet their eyes; not only because I'm a woman and it's not the right thing to do, to look a strange
man in the eye in Arab countries, but also because I didn't want them to know that I was British.
We wanted to see whether they had any rugs for sale; they did. Nibal did all the negotiating
of course. I kept my eyes low. We were shown wonderfully coloured handmade rugs. I wanted to buy
them all for the reason that my money might have gone to help some poor family. However, although
I'd brought a big suitcase with me, I didn't have enough space! So, I chose two. Nibal was trying to
get the seller to accept less than his asking price, in true Arab style. I thought we should not only
accept his original asking price but also give him much more! Nibal eventually agreed a price that
wasn't far off the original. In the UK I would have to pay ten times as much as in the Iraqi souk.
You would be surprised at what men from Baghdad will do to make a small amount of money
in order to support their families. For example, they take a shared taxi from Baghdad to Amman; a
journey of around eight hours one-way. With them they carry, for example, five little one-litre plastic
cans of petrol. Petrol is cheap in Baghdad (but it's illegal to export it) and expensive in Jordan. They
make this long journey there and back, and make around ten dollars for the effort.
I was glad to get back to England. The rugs look beautiful in my sitting room, and are a
constant reminder of an area of the world that I love.
0. (Example) The Iraqis on the market were selling old, second-hand things.
(…T…)
1. The author was surprised by the level of poverty she saw in Iraq.
(……)
2. The author felt ashamed to be British.
(……)
3. The author wanted to give rugs to poor people.
(……)
4. The author paid close to the original asking price for the rugs.
(……)
5. The author bought the rugs because they were so cheap.
(……)
6. The author and her guide took a taxi to Jordan.
(……)
7. Iraqi men trade illegally in petrol.
(……)
53
Text 37
Pop Idol, the latest offering in reality TV, has taken British TV by storm. The format is simple:
a mixture of Big Brother and a talent contest. Young hopeful people sing in front of very rude judges
and then the best ten singers perform live on national TV every Saturday for ten weeks. The viewers
vote which one they like least off the program until there is a winner. The prize is a record contract,
instant fame and wealth. This is a seriously successful show.
The success of Pop Idol lies in its ability to appeal to all sorts of people, who happily admit to
being a fan. Watching Pop Idol on a Saturday night became a ritual for many families and the end of
the series left emptiness, which still remains unfilled. The show was dramatic and exciting, but also,
unlike the contestants in Big Brother, these people had real talent as well as a hunger for fame.
Even before the final votes were counted, the two finalists, Will Young and Gareth Gates had
achieved the fame they so wanted and record contracts and wealth waited for them. The
bookmakers made Gareth the most likely winner. His singing and youthful appearance made him an
instant pop idol for thousands of teenage girls. Will Young appealed to the older, more sensitive
music fan. Unexpectedly, Will won. Even though the audience felt sympathy for Gareth, they decided
Young was the better singer.
Critics of the program argue that Pop Idol is just another example of the record industry
manufacturing an overnight sensation. Traditionally, rock and pop groups are formed by friends in
garages and bedrooms. Their music and image grows naturally. They have time to tour clubs and
concert halls for a few years before they get famous. On the other hand, groups like the Spice Girls
are formed and manufactured in the offices of the marketing department at a record company. Will
Young is just another fabricated pop star, the critics say. He will be a pop sensation for only a year or
so, if he is lucky to last that long. Then, when the new Pop Idol sensation comes along, he will be
forgotten.
0. (Example) Pop Idol is a reality show.
(…T…)
1. The audience vote for their favourite.
(……)
2. Pop Idol attracted different people.
(……)
3. Pop idol is still on in Great Britain.
(……)
4. The two finalists signed record contracts before the final voting.
(……)
5. Everybody expected Will to win.
(……)
6. Pop Idol is criticised for lack of naturalness.
(……)
7. According to the critics Will Young’s career will probably be short.
(……)
54
Text 38
Spring is in the air and for one group of people in Ireland that brings mixed emotions. These
people are third year university students. In Ireland, as in most English speaking countries, students
at third year generally face the frightening prospect of exams at the end of the academic year, which
is usually in late May or early June. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when the weather is
good and people are relieved that winter is over. Students, consequently, are not looking forward to
exams. There is, however, one item that lifts the spirits before the hard grind of exam preparation
begins.
Rag Week, which is held in or around the month of April, is a weeklong series of events,
concerts, games and all round madness. Each university and college organizes all kinds of events
ranging from the weird to the wonderful. The most important thing about the spirit of Rag Week is
that anything goes. Anything, except for lectures.
Rag Week is a very old tradition going back over a hundred years. The name came about
because students used to wear caps and gowns to lectures at University. But for Rag Week, they
could wear what they wanted, including old clothes, or rags.
Some quite strange events are organized at Irish third year institutions during Rag Week.
There is wheelbarrow racing where one student pushes another round a city in a wheelbarrow. They
must go from pub to pub and drink a beer in each one. The first one over the finish line is the winner.
Sometimes the teams are bigger and they use a bed instead of a wheelbarrow. The "slave auction" is
where one student is auctioned off as a slave to the rest of the students. When they are "sold" they
must work in the house of the person or people who buy them for a period of time, cooking, washing
up and cleaning. All the money raised at these events goes to charity.
There are more conventional events as well. There is Blind Date and a Rag Ball where people
dress in fancy dress. At the university I attended in Limerick there is Rag Week Radio, which is a radio
station set up by the students for the seven days of Rag Week. There are programmes on student life,
music, interviews with Professors and live broadcasts from around the university. There is a
"suggestion box" into which you can put your ideas on what you want to hear on the radio.
In recent years concern has grown that Rag Week is becoming dominated by alcohol. Many of
the large drink companies sponsor events and alcohol is sold at low prices, or in some cases given
free, at nearly all the concerts and Rag Week events. As Ireland has got richer more students have
money to spend and sadly this often means they spend it on beer or whiskey. Frequently they spend
all their money in Rag Week and are broke at the end of it. Many people ask whether there are better
ways for students to unwind before exams rather than consuming too much alcohol.
0. (Example) Rag Week is organised in Ireland.
(…T…)
1. Rag Week is organised to celebrate the end of the third year.
(……)
2. During Rag Week students do not go to lectures.
(……)
3. A hundred years ago during Rag Week students wore caps and gowns.
(……)
4. One competition is about drinking as much beer as possible.
(……)
5. Students bought at auctions have to do charity work.
(……)
6. At the University of Limerick, students set up a radio station especially for Rag Week.
(……)
7.
(……)
During Rag Week alcohol prices go down.
55
Text 039
230 years ago, on 9 October 1769, English seaman James Cook became the first European to
set foot in New Zealand. He returned there several times, using the islands as a base in his search for
a mythical "great southern continent."
Philosophers had agreed in ancient times that a large continent must exist in the southern
hemisphere to balance those in the north. But although Dutch, Spanish and French sailors had
explored much of the western Pacific in the 17 th century, they had found only Australia and New
Zealand.
In 1768, the Royal Society in London chose James Cook, a skilled navigator and astronomer,
to observe from Tahiti a transit of Venus across the sun's disc in 1769. Cook was told to sail south and
west afterwards to find the southern continent and claim it for England. If he did not find it, he was to
continue onward and explore New Zealand.
Cook's instructions from the Lord High Admiral also reflected the age of Enlightenment's
respect for "the noble savage." If he found any natives along the way, Cook was to try "by all proper
means to cultivate a friendship and alliance with them showing them every kind of civility and regard."
The Maori people of New Zealand thought differently. They had prevented Abel Tasman from
landing in 1642, and they fought Cook when he went ashore at Poverty Bay. With time, however, he
gained their friendship and their permission to build bases along the coast, which he used in his later
voyages in 1772-75 and 1776-79.
Cook failed to find another continent, even though his voyages took him almost as far south
as Antarctica. He did, however, map Tonga, a large part of the Australian coast and the Cook Islands.
He also discovered Hawaii, but was killed there by native people in a dispute in 1779.
Cook became famous not only for his discoveries, but also because most of his men survived
the long voyages. He prevented scurvy, a disease which killed many seamen, by making his men eat
sauerkraut and an orange extract. He also insisted that they should wash themselves and their clothes
often - a novelty on sea voyages.
0. (Example) James Cook was English.
(…T…)
1. Cook believed in the existence of a continent in the southern hemisphere.
(……)
2. The Royal Society wanted the British Empire to become bigger.
(……)
3. One idea of the Enlightenment was to dominate other cultures.
(……)
4. Abel Tasman built bases on New Zealand.
(……)
5. The Maori people changed their attitude to explorers.
(……)
6. Cook died at sea.
(……)
7. Cook cared for his sailors.
(……)
56
Text 040
Oxford and Cambridge might be the most famous places of learning in Britain but they are not
the largest. That honour goes to the University of London, a federation of Colleges and Institutions
that together provide the greatest variety of courses to take. Many of the colleges have as good a
reputation for academic excellence as Oxford and Cambridge. London University also has a proud
tradition of being anti-elitist – something that cannot be said of its more famous rivals.
In the early 19th century Oxford and Cambridge were the only two universities in Britain. The
cost of education at these places was so high that only the sons of very rich people could go there.
Another restriction was that only members of the Church of England could attend these universities.
As a result of those limitations, in 1827, in Gower Street, London, a new college, University College,
was founded. This college aimed to attract students from all religious and social backgrounds.
However, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Duke of Wellington, the Prime Minister at the time,
did not like the new school and they used to say it was the “godless college”. So they decided to set
up another university in London, King's College.
In 1836 these two institutions joined forces in a typically English compromise. The University
of London was created. However, each of the colleges still kept its own internal organization, faculties
and teaching.
During the reign of Queen Victoria London University expanded. Medical schools at various
hospitals became part of the university, Bedford School for women was founded, and so was the now
famous Imperial College of Science and Technology. Famous British social reformers Sidney and
Beatrice Webb set up the London School of Economics (LSE). Bertrand Russell, a famous British
philosopher, gave all of his large family inheritance to help fund the LSE. In 1900 the school became
part of the University of London. The LSE was radical in many ways. It was one of the few schools
which taught students politics, economy and sociology. The college also shocked lecturers at Oxford
and Cambridge by creating departments that were unheard of before. For instance, a new
anthropology department was set up by Polish scholar Bronisław Malinowski.
In many ways the University of London has departed from the old-fashioned traditions of
Oxford and Cambridge. London was the first to stop carrying out “religious tests”. Moreover, it has a
much greater range of students from various ethnic and social backgrounds than the elitist
universities. And you won’t see those funny black flat hats and gowns being worn in London like you
will in Oxbridge.
0. (Example) Oxford and Cambridge are the largest universities in Great Britain.
(…F..)
1.
To study at Oxford one had to belong to the Church of England.
(……)
2.
University College was created for students of different religious beliefs.
(……)
3.
At the beginning London University had just two colleges.
(……)
4.
Some schools were separated from London University in the 19th century.
(……)
5. The London School of Economics taught many new subjects.
(……)
6. The anthropology department was started by Bertrand Russell.
(……)
7.
(……)
London University follows all Cambridge and Oxford traditions.
57
Text 41
In the early 1970s British Army Captain F.W. Wintherbotham published a book which revealed
knowledge kept under wraps by the British Secret Service for thirty years. He wrote that the British
were able to read Nazi secret radio messages encrypted on a machine called Enigma. Winterbotham
claimed that the code breakers were exclusively British. Now, however, historians all over the world
acknowledge that the Polish Secret Service did the initial decoding work.
In 1932, the Polish Cipher Bureau received a series of intercepted German signals that were
in, what seemed, unbreakable code. After much research, by Polish mathematicians Marian Rajewski,
Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski, they hypothesised that a machine must have produced the cipher.
They were correct. Soon the continuous deciphering of German secret messages became possible.
In 1939 the Polish General Staff decided to invite French and British representatives to the
new intelligence centre in Pyry, and demonstrated their inventions and ideas to the Allies. They
showed the guests the new Polish Enigma machines that they were developing. It was also explained
how the machine worked and the code-breaking methods that they were using.
Two Enigma machines were brought to Paris and handed over to the French Intelligence. On
16th of August 1939, Cpt Bertrand handed one machine to British spy Steward Menzies at Victoria
Station, London. Several days later Nazi tanks crossed the Polish border. The battle to uncover the
secrets of Enigma became even more vital.
The chief of the British Government Code and Cipher School, Commander Denistone, asked
his most experienced code breaker Dillwyn Knox, to form a team to beat the German code machine.
Included in the code breaking team were Peter Twin and Alan Turing, mathematicians at King’s
College, Cambridge. The base for operation was a mansion at Bletchley Park, England.
A large number of people were needed to work on the Nazi-encoded messages. Apart from
scientists, cryptographers, linguists and mathematicians, the authorities at Bletchley looked for
workers to operate Enigma machines. Added to the team were Hugh O’Donnell Alexander and Harry
Golombek, both former chess champions.
In spite of breaking the Enigma secret, improvements had to be constantly made, as the Nazis
frequently changed the settings of their machine to confuse the enemy. Alan Turing used his pre-war
experiences and a Polish invention, “Bomba”, to design a new machine called the Bomb. Its aim was
to discover as quickly as possible the settings of the rotors and plugs used by the Germans on their
machine. This machine was the first primitive computer ever to be invented. The secrets that this
computer would uncover saved many lives and helped win the war.
0. (Example) F.W. Wintherbotham was in the military.
(...T...)
1. Captain Wintherbotham did not tell the whole truth about Enigma.
(……)
2. In 1932, Poles suspected that Germans had a coding machine.
(……)
3. The Polish cryptographers worked together with the Allies.
(……)
4. The Poles sent the model of Enigma to London.
(……)
5.
(……)
Commander Denistone helped to create a decoding team.
6. Chess champions were decoding German messages.
(……)
7. The Nazis used a primitive computer to change the settings of Enigma.
(……)
58
Text 42
Pupils’ misbehaviour in the classroom is one of the most quoted problems that teachers have,
and one on which there is often conflict between them and parents. The sad truth is that teachers
seem to have fewer and fewer options. Their day is a battle to keep in the classroom children who
show no interest in learning.
Ofsted’s chief inspector, David Bell, wrote in his latest report that there is a “hard core of
pupils with no social skills” whose language is “impolite” and who have “little or no understanding of
how to behave sensibly”. They are, he said, “unteachable”.
If the situation at schools is getting worse, and the control of parents over their kids is
weaker, then the number of teachers leaving the profession, now one in three, will also grow. One
Leeds deputy head teacher with 30 years’ experience is in no doubt. “Some of these children are
coming through secondary school not properly house-trained,” he says. “They cannot sit still and
listen and, perhaps as a result of computer and television habits, they expect to be entertained rather
than to take part in an education process.
“There are serious problems with boys especially. I don’t think that people understand how
difficult the work of teachers is. They try to control and teach these children whose parents simply
can’t, or won’t, do anything with them. There was a time when parents would come into school and
asked what their child had done. Now they ask what the school has done to their child.”
Bad behaviour is not limited to teenagers from bad areas. The latest National Union of
Teachers survey shows it is common in rural and middle-class suburbs as well as inner-city areas, and
it often starts in the nursery.
Of the 2,500 teachers questioned, 80 per cent thought that standards of behaviour had gone
down during their time in teaching. They also said that even children in nursery schools are now
showing levels of unacceptable actions like, for example, bad language, dirty and offensive comments
and threats.
Professor Joan Freeman, an educational psychologist from Middlesex University, says that
teachers are not properly trained in how to deal with rude pupils. “Teachers need to be trained in the
psychology of control — they should not exclude children from school activities, but reward them for
acceptable behaviour. The prospect of exam success does not work — it is too far away. I think that
we all expect too much of teachers, and if the problem turns into threats then the child should be
given professional help.”
The influence of parents can be extremely important, but many children come from overcontrolling families where they are shouted at and criticised so often that it has no effect when used
by teachers. “These children may have problems concentrating in a classroom, but they have no
problem concentrating for hours on computer games or the TV,” he says.
The Government plans to invest £470 million over the next three years in a new national
strategy to improve behaviour and attendance at schools. If it makes teachers less frustrated by the
behaviour of some pupils, it will be money well spent. If not, anarchy in the classroom will only get
worse.
0. (Example) Teachers mostly complain about students’ misbehaviour.
(…T..)
1. The main problem in education is the conflict between teachers and parents.
(……)
2. It is possible that more teachers will soon leave their profession.
(……)
3. Parents behave in the same way now as in the past.
(……)
4. Children from “good” districts can cause problems.
(……)
5. Professor Freeman says that nothing can be done to cure the situation.
(……)
6. If parents control their children, it always brings good results.
(……)
7. The government will do something to change the situation in schools.
(……)
59
Text 43
By the autumn of 1995, the youngest Beatle had edged into his 50s. He was famously tired of
things like the Beatles. But when George Harrison was asked if retelling the band’s story for the
“Anthology” had been exciting or boring, he chose the first expression. Harrison adds however, that
he is not really “Beatle George”. “Beatle George” is like a suit or shirt that he once wore on occasion.
Harrison, 58, died of cancer on November 29 at a friend’s home in Los Angeles.
He spent the last few years of his life persuading his fans not to worry about him – and to
love each other – even as the disease attacked his throat, his lungs and finally his brain. His wife,
Olivia, was with him, as was their son Dhani. The family issued a statement that read, in part, “He left
this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death, and in peace, surrounded by family
and friends”. After the breakup of the Beatles, John Lennon said that George had not done his best
work yet. His talents have developed over the years and he was working with Lennon and McCartney,
two brilliant song-writers. “It gave him a chance to learn a lot from us” – said Lennon, but he did not
realize that what Harrison wanted to learn, Lennon and McCartney could never teach him.
George Harrison was a 15-year-old boy in Liverpool when he joined John and Paul’s group,
“the Quarry Men”, as a guitarist. Lennon thought that George was too young to play with them, but
he let him in the band because he knew a lot of chords. Even as a Beatle, Harrison had to prove
himself. He had to work very hard. As a result he wrote “Something” – one of the most famous love
songs in history. Harrison also introduced Sitar – an Indian instrument – to pop music. For years
George lived in Lennon and McCartney’s shadow – he was sometimes described as the invisible man.
But his first release after the breakup “All Things Must Pass” was three records long and brilliant. He
finally managed to show his real talent.
In 1971, Harrison organized a concert for Bangladesh. He showed his love of Eastern music
and religion and everybody, from Led Zeppelin to Madonna, has introduced Indian motifs into their
music since then.
In 1999 a heroin addict broke into Harrison’s house and wanted to kill him. Harrison managed
to defend himself as he grabbed the point of the knife with his hand. You would think that nearly
losing Harrison in 1999 would have prepared us for his death two years later. Of course it did not. “I
am devastated”, said Paul McCartney after Harrison’s death. “He was a lovely guy and very brave and
had a wonderful sense of humour”.
0. (Example) George Harrison was the youngest Beatle.
(…T..)
1. It was boring for Harrison to work on ”Anthology”.
(……)
2. Harrison kept in touch with his fans all the time.
(……)
3. According to the text, Lennon and McCartney taught Harrison everything he needed.
(……)
4. “Something” was a great hit of “the Quarry Men.”
(……)
5. As a Beatle, Harrison showed all his musical gifts.
(……)
6. Harrison started a fashion for eastern music.
(……)
7. Harrison’s bodyguard stopped the attacker.
(……)
60
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
Part One
Listen to the texts and choose the best answers A, B, or C.
61
Listening 1
1. To get more information about British Universities you need to contact …
A. the British Embassy
B. the University of London
C. the British Council
2. To study Law at a good university you need an IB score of …
A. 38
B. 34
C. 36
3. Polish students need to pay the same fees as students from …
A. England and Scotland
B. France and Germany
C. Japan and America
4. A student visa allows you to work …
A. part-time
B. only in summer
C. for one year only
5. To make friends at university you are advised to …
A. go out to local pubs
B. join the Foreign Students Association
C. join a university club or society
6. A British University education is good because of …
D. the quality of the lectures
E. the system of individual tutors
F. the has continuous assessment
7. The university staff are easy to get on with because they are …
A. carefully chosen
B. specially trained
C. not overworked
62
Listening 2
1. Merthyr Tydfil began to develop fast in …
A. 16th century
B. 18th century
C. 19th century
2.
To solve the transport problems, … was built.
A. a new road
B. a water canal
C. a railway
3.
Trevithick's plan to build a locomotive was sponsored by …
A. local authorities
B. town’s citizens
C. his boss
4.
In the 19th century people were impressed by Merthyr because….
A. it was still peaceful
B. it was so industrialised
C. its people were so rich
5. The town began to have difficulties because …
A. it couldn’t sell its products
B. it was running out of iron
C. it began to lose workers
6. After World War II …
A. the town’s population was moved
B. new branches of industry came
C. some ironworks survived
7.
If you go to Merthyr Tydfil, you can see…
A. the first ever steam locomotive
B. the town’s first iron works
C. the home of an ironworks’ owner
63
Listening 3
1. The UK Government wants people to …
A. give money to beggars
B. give food or clothes to beggars
C. buy The Big Issue from beggars
2. Which of the three has the largest readership?
A. The Big Issue
B. The Observer
C. The New Statesman
3. The Big Issue magazine is special because …
A. it is about the homeless
B. it is written by the homeless
C. it is sold by the homeless
4.
For their work the homeless get ….
A. some money
B. something to eat
C. somewhere to live
5.
A magazine similar to The Big Issue is published …
A. in one European country
B. in two European countries
C. in many European countries
6. The Polish and Hungarian magazines are partners because …
A. they print the same articles
B. the same person runs them
C. they have similar problems
7.
Polish companies do not want to advertise in street magazines because …
A. the homeless sell them
B. the sales are too low
C. it is too expensive
64
Listening 4
1. The first part of the exam is …
A. a written exam
B. an oral exam
C. a driving exam
2.
At the moment getting a license takes …
A. two years
B. a year and a half
C. three years
3.
The speaker says driving a cab is …
A. a learning experience
B. a well-paid job
C. a chance to make friends
4.
Taxi drivers are hired by detective agencies because …
A. they drive very fast
B. there are so many of them
C. they know the city so well
5.
After the Range Rover stopped, …
A. the woman detective followed the driver on foot
B. the taxi driver followed the driver in the taxi
C. the taxi driver took the driver to his destination
6.
When he was attacked, he was helped by …
A. a taxi driver
B. the police
C. passers-by
7.
He works …
A. at night
B. during the day
C. in shifts
65
Listening 5
1. Michael Connor works for …
A. the press
B. the radio
C. both press and radio
2. Michael Connor usually …
A. stays in one country for a long time
B. sees many different countries during one journey
C. travels between Ireland and the country he is writing about
3. The speaker writes …
A. only stories about politics
B. only about cultural events
C. about various topics
4. In Colombia he was …
A. flying a military helicopter
B. living in a refugee camp
C. shot at by gangsters
5. Michael Connor thinks that journalists …
A. exaggerate some of their stories
B. are heroic and brave
C. don’t want to take any risks
6. The story he recently did was about …
A. the Cuban security apparatus
B. a Mexican spy in Cuba
C. human rights in Latin America
7. Michael Connor intends to …
A. never go back to Latin America
B. settle down in Ireland
C. live in Ireland and visit Latin America
66
Listening 6
1. Freshers’ Week is the time when new students …
A. take exams
B. start courses
C. start social lives
2. People you meet in the first week will …
A. become your real friends
B. not be your friends later
C. shock you at parties
3. Some students leave parties early because they want to …
A. arrange their new rooms
B. make an impression on others
C. have a long night’s sleep
4. The Freshers’ Fair is …
A. one of many student societies
B. a final student party
C. a time to see different societies
5. The speaker says the most useful opportunity at Freshers’ Fair is …
A. to join a students’ society
B. to meet good-looking people
C. to find out about others’ political opinions
6. To pay for food and fees British students …
A. receive grants from the government
B. get university scholarships
C. have to find employment
7. Adults …
A. think parents should control students
B. allow students to enjoy themselves
C. enjoy being with young people
67
Listening 7
1. Dmitri believes in …
A. magic
B. superstitions
C. science
2. He married Olga because …
A. she was beautiful
B. she understood him well
C. she made him do it
3. After his marriage, Dmitri …
A. found things quickly
B. stopped being careless
C. didn’t lose things
4. Once, when Olga was washing dishes …
A. a cup was broken
B. a plate was dropped
C. a cup was saved
5. Olga gathered herbs in order to …
A. give a present to the farm owner
B. stop the problems on the farm
C. help her to prepare some food
6. After sprinkling water in the main room …
A. the mice and rats ran away
B. the animals got better
C. the animals became restless
7. After what happened in the farmhouse …
A. Olga told Dmitri what she had done
B. Dmitri discovered Olga’s method
C. Dmitri never found out what Olga had done
68
Listening 8
1. In the beginning the speaker advises …
A. visiting Scotland on bike
B. avoiding Scotland in spring
C. keeping off the main roads
2. When he was 16, the speaker visited Scotland in ...
A. August
B. Spring
C. Autumn
3. They took a straight road because …
A. it was less difficult
B. they didn’t want to lose their way
C. they had travelled it before
4. They didn’t climb Ben Nevis because ...
A. they had no time
B. the weather was bad
C. it was too difficult
5. The statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie is in ...
A. Fort William
B. Glenfinnan
C. Culloden
6. What did the speaker most remember about the Isle of Skye?
A. crowds of hikers
B. how much it rains
C. its friendly people
7. The speaker has visited Scotland...
A. once
B. twice
C. more than twice
69
Listening 9
1. Mick’s health problems started ...
A. on Christmas Eve
B. before Christmas
C. at the start of the New Year
2. Mick knew he had cancer when ...
A. he noticed a lump in his neck
B. he was sent for tests
C. he was shown his X-ray
3. In a sense, Mick welcomed the bad news because ...
A. he thought it would be worse
B. he learnt what was wrong with him
C. he didn’t have to go to war in Iraq
4. Mick thinks Chemotherapy ...
A. was fully responsible for his recovery
B. pollutes the environment too much
C. feels like eating and drinking too much
5. During his recovery, Mick was surprised because …
A. his morale remained so high
B. his friends didn’t know how to speak to him
C. a large number of people visited him
6. Mick has started a campaign to inform people that …
A. cancer is curable if it is discovered early
B. a third of all people can get cancer
C. different cancers attack at different ages
7. Mick knew what his unit was doing in Iraq because he …
A. used army communications
B. saw them on television
C. heard stories in the soldiers’ club
70
Listening 10
1. The class reunion took place ...
A. two months ago
B. last week
C. last month
2.
At the reunion there were ...
A. twelve people
B. twenty people
C. six people
3.
The reunion took place in London because …
A. one of the friends was in hospital there
B. they studied there
C. it was easier for the organisers
4.
In the evening, the friends ...
A. drank beer in a flat
B. went to a pub
C. went to a disco
5.
Peter spent the night ...
A. at a hotel
B. at a hostel
C. at a friend’s flat
6.
Peter came to London by ...
A.
B.
C.
7.
train
car
bus
On the day of the reunion it was …
A. raining
B. nice but cold
C. snowing
71
Listening 11
1. The real reason why the Cashins left Ireland was …
A. that Tom got a job in Germany
B. so their children could learn languages
C. that they wanted new experiences
2. They left Germany after four years because …
A. Tom lost his job
B. they had no friends there
C. their children spoke German well
3. They almost didn’t buy the hotel because …
A. they didn’t have enough money
B. a friend advised them not to
C. they misunderstood the price
Listening 12
1. The couple didn’t want to leave the window open because …
A. it was getting cold
B. they feared mosquitoes
C. somebody might get in
2. The woman didn’t scream because …
A. she had throat problems
B. she saw her husband
C. she was scared to death
Listening 13
1. On her hike in Wyoming, Sarah …
A. was attacked by a bear
B. fell sick
C. broke her leg
2. Harrison Ford was able to help Sarah because …
A. he had medical training
B. he owned and flew a helicopter
C. he had his mobile phone with him
72
Listening 14
1. The Amigos de las Americas program is for …
A. students
B. doctors
C. professionals
2. His first interest at school was …
A. animals
B. medicine
C. the environment
3. The speaker chose Ecuador because he …
A. had been to Ecuador at school
B. wrote a report on Ecuador and loved it
C. didn’t want to go to Paraguay
4. The local people really liked his …
A. English Lessons
B. talks about gardens
C. stories about America
5. This visit to Ecuador changed his life, because he …
A. learned his job
B. decided to stay there
C. met his future wife there
Listening 15
1. According to Ben, the biggest problem in Tibet is …
A. political fighting
B. people can’t speak their own language
C. their old culture is disappearing
2. The worst effect of the occupation according to the speaker is …
A. alcoholism has become a problem
B. people have lost their spirit
C. people are learning Chinese
73
Listening 16
1. The man traveled with ...
A. British Airlines
B. Australian Airlines
C. Brunei Airlines
2. He didn’t work in Darwin because ...
A. he wasn’t experienced
B. he couldn’t drive there
C. there were no job offers
3. The man decided to travel to Queensland because ...
A. he got a lift there
B. somebody advised him to
C. he had found work there
4. Luckily, when the car broke down, the men ...
A. were near a service station
B. got a lift with Danish girls
C. got help quickly
Listening 17
1. Page’s first company ...
A. grew oranges
B. distributed fruit
C. posted mail
2. The Page Museum is special because ...
A. you can see preparation for exhibits
B. it has been designed for children
C. you can touch exhibits there
3. The skeleton of a woman is ... years old.
A. 9 000
B. 10 000
C. 40 000
74
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
Part Two
Listen to the texts and complete the questions by putting short
phrases into the boxes.
75
Listening 18
(1)
Original departure time:
(2)
Reason for delay at Warsaw Airport:
(3)
Time spent waiting for the new ticket:
(4)
Food available at the bar:
(5)
Frank finally landed at:
(6)
Number of pieces of luggage lost:
Listening 19
(1)
Date of accident:
(2)
Time of accident:
(3)
Speed of motorcycle:
(4)
Exact place of accident:
(5)
Ford’s registration number:
(6)
Injuries:
76
Listening 20
(1)
Time of arrest:
(2)
Weather that morning:
(3)
Place of arrest:
(4)
Number of people arrested:
(5)
Reason for illegal entry into Poland:
(6)
Possible penalty:
Listening 21
(1)
Name of Yacht:
(2)
Sea conditions at time of accident:
(3)
The time of accident:
(4)
Number of people on boat:
(5)
Boat’s geographical position of sinking:
(6)
Price of Boat:
77
Listening 22
(1)
People involved:
(2)
Time of accident:
(3)
Place of accident:
(4)
Cause of accident:
(5)
Injuries:
(6)
Damages:
Listening 23
(1)
Place of accident:
(2)
Time of accident:
(3)
The policeman was standing:
(4)
Cause of the accident:
(5)
Description and type of the offending vehicle:
(6)
Policeman’s injuries:
78
Listening 24
(1)
Time of Accident:
(2)
Place of Accident:
(3)
Cause of Accident:
(4)
People Involved:
(5)
Damage:
(6)
Injuries:
Listening 25
(1)
Place of Fight:
(2)
Time of Fight:
(3)
Injuries:
(4)
Items Stolen:
(5)
Value of Stolen Items:
(6)
Attackers: M / F
Age
Dress
Height
79
Listening 26
(1)
The speaker is talking to:
(2)
The flight number was:
(3)
The flight was diverted because:
(4)
The crash happened in:
(5)
The speaker’s seat was:
(6)
The first to arrive on the scene of the accident were:
Listening 27
(1)
In Greece, if you want to say ‘yes’ you (do what?):
(2)
If people in Japan want to say ‘no’ they say:
(3)
If you liked the meal in Guatemala you should:
(4)
The ‘OK’ gesture is offensive in:
(5)
In Turkey, it is offensive to show the soles of your shoes because:
(6)
If you turn a glass upside down in an Australian pub it means that:
80
Listening 28
(1)
Reported missing (time):
(2)
Unusual feature:
(3)
Clothes:
(4)
Last seen in:
(5)
Contact the police on:
(6)
Exact meeting place for the search party:
Listening 29
(1)
Time of explosion:
(2)
Number of injured:
(3)
Cause of explosion:
(4)
Damage to: the whole restaurant and …
(5)
Motive for the explosion:
(6)
People arrested (who?):
81
Listening 30
(1)
Length of fire brigade action:
(2)
Number of injured factory workers:
(3)
Cause of fire:
(4)
Where the fire started (exactly):
(5)
Estimated damage:
(6)
Date of final report:
Listening 31
(1)
Place of Attack:
(2)
Number of people hurt:
(3)
Incident Reported to:
(4)
Who was stopped by the police?
(5)
Apart from drugs they had some:
(6)
What are the police doing now?
82
Listening 32
(1)
The length of stay of Irish soldiers in Iraq:
(2)
The soldiers are settled in (where?):
(3)
The patrols are done (how often?):
(4)
Number of weapons handed over:
(5)
The soldiers helped reopen (what?):
(6)
The search operation was a success because:
83
PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
84
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
 LISTENING
Part Tree
Listen to the texts and answer the questions by putting either
T (for True) or F (for False) inside the bracket.
85
Listening 33
0. (Example) Cornelius Wilkes died in Northwood Hall.
(…T…)
1.
All stories about Wilkes are true.
(……)
2.
At the moment Northwood Hall is uninhabited.
(……)
3. Cornelius’s parents were rich.
(……)
4. Cornelius slept in a different bedroom every night.
(……)
5. Cornelius lost his popularity.
(……)
6. Cornelius was shot by his friends.
(……)
7. You can still see the skeleton of Cornelius.
(……)
Listening 34
0. (Example) Everybody agrees with the new law.
(…F…)
1. A newspaper did a report on attacks on nurses.
(……)
2. Some people think the rules are not well written.
(……)
3. The law only affects those working directly with patients.
(……)
4. Paula Fisher was once a criminal.
(……)
5. Many of Sam Clerk’s employees used to take drugs.
(……)
6. If minor criminals have changed, they may be allowed to work.
(……)
7. The law can be changed.
(……)
86
Listening 35
0. (Example) The earthquake happened when Sue was 17.
(…T...)
1. On the night of the earthquake Sue was alone.
(……)
2. Right after the earthquake Sue managed to phone some of her friends.
(……)
3.
(……)
Sue lived close to where many people died.
4. Sue’s parents found out about the earthquake from her aunt.
(……)
5. Sue lived with a family friend until her parents came back.
(……)
6. Bodies of victims were well cared for.
(……)
7. Sue doesn’t think she will be in another earthquake.
(……)
Listening 36
0. (Example) The production of TV programmes is a complex process.
(…T…)
1. Before a television programme starts, the studio is very noisy.
(……)
2. A journalist finds a good story by talking with the public.
(……)
3. The research part of making a television programme is exciting.
(……)
4. It is important for a journalist to know how long the piece will be on TV.
(……)
5. To make an interview look interesting, a journalist has to use his imagination.
(……)
6. On TV people speak with frequent pauses.
(……)
7. Poor pictures can be improved with voice-overs.
(……)
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Listening 37
0. (Example) The mission was placed in Zambia.
(…T…)
1. The injured man got to the Mission on foot.
(……)
2. The man was injured when hunting for hippos.
(……)
3. The man's leg had to be cut off.
(……)
4. The plane didn’t take off because it was too heavy.
(……)
5. The pilot thought that God looked after him.
(……)
6. The girl was left alone by the river bank.
(……)
7. The mother couldn't rescue her daughter.
(……)
Listening 38
0. (Example) A near-miss is when planes nearly crash into each other.
(…T…)
1. Bob Taylor is an air-traffic controller.
(……)
2. Despite improved technology, the number of near-misses is growing.
(……)
3. During peak-holiday periods more controllers are hired.
(……)
4. Each air-traffic controller watches over one section of the sky.
(……)
5. A language problem caused last week’s near-miss.
(……)
6. Only English is used in air-traffic control.
(……)
7. Hearing the instructions for other planes can be helpful.
(……)
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Listening 39
0. (Example) Maria decided to leave her country.
(…T…)
1. Maria paid $5000 to a smuggler.
(……)
2. The passengers were allowed to take only food and water.
(……)
3.
(……)
The smugglers knew the route.
4. The passengers were aware of the danger.
(……)
5. A man pulled Maria and her son from the water.
(……)
6. The survivors were rescued just after the boat was damaged.
(……)
7. All the survivors were released after 48 hours.
(……)
Listening 40
0. (Example) Amelia was American.
(…T…)
1. Amelia was interested in flying during her childhood.
(……)
2. Amelia took her first flight during the First World War.
(……)
3. “Canary” was a gift from her family.
(……)
4. Amelia published her memories of her first trans-Atlantic flight.
(……)
5. Amelia was the second person to fly across the Atlantic alone.
(……)
6. Amelia’s plane stopped at New Guinea.
(……)
7. $4 million was spent on the rescue search for Amelia.
(……)
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Listening 41
0. (Example) The film “Four Weddings And A Funeral” is a comedy.
(…T…)
1. The bride helps the groom to choose the best man.
(……)
2. Nowadays, the majority of best men are single.
(……)
3. In the past, men got married at a younger age.
(……)
4. As a rule, the best man is a close relative of the groom.
(……)
5. The best man is responsible for getting a photographer.
(……)
6. There are three speeches at the reception.
(……)
7. The best man’s speech ends before food is served.
(……)
Listening 42
0. (Example) The programme you are listening to is about body art.
(..T…)
1. There are three surfaces of the human body that can’t be tattooed.
(……)
2. The word ‘tattoo’ means ‘to paint’.
(……)
3. Frederick IX and George V wore a similar tattoo.
(……)
4. Celtic tattoo motifs often show images of nature.
(……)
5. Thomas Edison first tested the invention on himself.
(……)
6. The number of illegal studios has become smaller.
(……)
7. Using lasers to remove tattoos is painless.
(……)
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Listening 43
1. Public baths in Japan cost a lot of money.
(……)
2. When you enter a Japanese public bath, you first pay the entrance fee.
(……)
3. When you are in the dressing room the attendant can see you undressing.
(……)
4. When bathing, you wear a bathing suit.
(……)
5. There is one big bath for many people.
(……)
6. Traditionally, the bath was a place where people could do informal business.
(……)
7. Sometimes, after their bath, people drink something, like tea.
(……)
Listening 44
1. Professor Brown works in London.
(……)
2. The professor is advising fathers to have paternity tests.
(……)
3. The daughter was 3 years old.
(……)
4. The girl needed a heart transplant.
(……)
5. The girl’s mother had a lover.
(……)
6. The man didn’t want to see the child any more.
(……)
7. The professor thinks paternity testes will be done routinely.
(……)
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Part One
Listening 1
Good morning and welcome to Your Questions Answered; the radio programme that tries to give
answers to listeners’ questions. The first question we have today comes from Jolanta Wojcieszek, a
listener from Poland who wants to know how to get into a British university and what life might be like
when she gets there. Well, Jolanta, a very interesting question and I’m sure it’s one that many of our
listeners out there would also like to hear the answer to. First of all, you need to find out some
information about British universities - what courses they offer, what fees they charge. That sort of
thing. You may think that the British Embassy would be a good place to go. However, though they will
be polite, they don’t keep a lot of information on higher education, so its not a good place to try.
What you need to do is to contact The British Council. They have lots of information about all British
Universities, about all the courses, all the different fees. Something else you need to think about are
the academic qualifications – the qualifications you need to be accepted at a British University. For
example, some foreign students have taken the International Baccalaureate – the IB – school leaving
exam. The IB score that you need depends on the subject you wish to study. For humanities it will be
34, for sciences it could be 36. But for very popular subjects, such as law, it’s as high as 38. So,
anyone with the correct score has the right to study in Britain, but can everybody afford to? What are
the fees you have to pay? Well, that depends on which country you are applying from. There are two
types of fees. Fees for home students – students from the United Kingdom – and fees for overseas
students. Now, people from countries within the European Union, such as France or Germany, pay
home-student fees. Everyone else, for example students from Japan and America, will pay overseasstudent fees. Now, I see, Jolanta, that you’re from Poland, so you will pay the overseas fees. And
unfortunately, overseas fees are much higher than home-student fees. So, how do you overcome the
problem of money? Well, as a Polish person you can’t get a grant from the British government and
you will find it hard to get a loan, so the only thing left to do is to get a job. Fortunately, your student
visa allows you to take a part time job. Many foreign students also take summer jobs, though this is
illegal. Working part time can help you pay for your course, but you must remember that during the
last year of the university you’ll want to spend a lot of time in the library. So, you’ve managed to get
into university. You have enough money to survive. What will life be like there? Well, many foreign
students find it difficult to make friends, especially in the first year. They see other students going out
to pubs or joining clubs and societies, but they don’t know the customs and quite often there is
nobody else from their country at the university. Well, the solution to this problem is to join the
Foreign Students’ Association. Every university has one. And what is academic life like? Well, British
Universities have a reputation for being very good. The quality of the lectures in other countries may
be the same or even better. But what makes a British university education especially good is the
system of individual tutors that they have. Each student gets their own personal tutor to help them
plan their work and there’s an individual tutor for each subject so you can discuss your essays with
him or her. Oh, and essays are important. Most universities today have continuous assessment of
their students. That’s marking based on these essays, not just on the exams at the end of the course.
So, that’s the tutors, what about the rest of the University Staff? Well, you’ll find them easy to get on
with, very friendly, very relaxed. Because it’s hard to recruit staff, universities can’t choose exactly
who they want. However, all staff do receive special training so they know how to work with foreign
students. So, even though they are very busy, university staff are, as I said before, very easy to get
on with. Well, Jolanta, I hope we’ve managed to answer some of you questions about British
universities. I’m sure that if you do get to one you’ll have a great time there. Lots of parties and a
good education as well. Now on to our second question of the programme. Hilde Braun from Germany
asks; “Can I…?”
Listening 2
Thirty kilometres north of Cardiff there’s a town called Merthyr Tydfil. It’s true that Wales has many
much more attractive places to visit, but the name of the town is known to most British people.
Merthyr is a place closely connected with the history of the Industrial Revolution. The history of
Merthyr Tydfil is the history of iron. The first ironworks was set up in a wooded valley near the town
in the sixteenth century. But it wasn’t until the middle of the eighteenth century that the town began
to grow like no other had done before. It was then that coke-fired furnaces, specially heated ovens in
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which iron is melted at very high temperatures, were introduced. Merthyr Tydfil's location was perfect
for this new method of iron production. The valley was not only rich in iron ore, but also in coal. There
was a lot of water form the local river and a lot of excellent building material in the form of local
stone. During this time of growth four ironworks were built in the town and business prospered. At
first, iron was transported from Merthyr Tydfil by road to Cardiff, the nearest port. But soon the roads
became hopelessly overcrowded with traffic. Fortunately, the developing businesses were able to raise
money to build a canal. This made the transport of goods much cheaper and quicker, which gave a
huge boost to the town's prosperity. The town started to gain international fame. But Merthyr Tydfil is
not only famous for iron production. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a young Cornish
engineer, Richard Trevithick, began to experiment with steam engines. He wanted to use the power of
steam to transport finished iron products. Though many people thought Trevithick’s ideas wouldn’t
work, his employer supported him, and on 21 February 1804, one of Trevithick's creations – a steam
locomotive – completed a fifteen-kilometre journey. It carried ten tons of coal and seventy passengers
at a speed of eight kilometres per hour and was the very first steam locomotive to run on rails! The
nineteenth century was the 'railway era', and there was a great demand for iron. Merthyr Tydfil
thrived, producing rails that were used all over Britain. They were also exported to America, Germany,
Russia and India. By the 1830s, Merthyr had become the largest city in Wales. Its ironworks were able
to pay high wages, which attracted many new workers. They arrived in their thousands. Dowlais
Ironworks, with 10,000 workers, became the largest in the world. Even by today's standards, four
huge ironworks in one town would be impressive, but in the nineteenth century nobody had seen
industrial development on such a scale. Merthyr Tydfil, once a sleepy village, had grown into the
world's centre of iron production. For the owners of the factories it was a time of great wealth and
high living. But for the workers of the town life was harder. This was a town of harsh work in difficult
conditions, smoke darkened skies and ugly houses. But the boom couldn't last forever. During the
second half of the nineteenth century more iron was produced than could be sold and the price of iron
fell dramatically. The situation got worse during the early years of the twentieth century. Britain began
to import iron from abroad. It was cheaper and of better quality. An economic depression came to the
town and it was hit hard. Unemployment reached nearly sixty per cent. In the 1930s there were even
plans to abandon the town altogether. The authorities wanted to move the population to places where
they could find work. World War II changed that, and after the war the government decided to bring
new industries to Merthyr. Today Merthyr Tydfil, the former iron capital of the world, does not even
have one iron or steel works. Most signs of its past prosperity are gone. But visitors can still discover
the fascinating story of how the town contributed to the Industrial Revolution. One place particularly
worth visiting is Cyfarthfa Castle – a grand gothic mansion set in a spectacular park. It was built in the
nineteenth century as the family home of one of the owners of Cyfarthfa Ironworks. Now it houses a
display of the town's history. Visiting Merthyr Tydfil is essential for railway enthusiasts. They come
from all over the world to walk at least part of the route which was taken by the first-ever locomotive.
Next time you visit Wales, remember Merthyr Tydfil. It’s a town that has shaped the history of the
modern world.
Listening 3
Do you give money to beggars in the street? Recently, the British government has been asking us to
refuse. Here in London you’ll see dozens of people hanging around railway stations for example. They
say they’re homeless and hungry, but the Government say that many of them are not homeless at all.
Just drug addicts. So, if you really feel sorry for people who are really homeless, you can give food,
you can give clothes. Just don’t give money. That’s the Government’s advice. But suppose you’re in
London and you come face to face with one of the many beggars living rough. What do you do? Well
you can buy a magazine from him or her. It’s a weekly magazine. It’s called The Big Issue. When you
buy it, you’re giving money to help the homeless and you can have a good read at the same time. The
magazine was published first in 1991. At that time, the number of homeless was growing fast, and
many people had begun to beg for money on the streets. Run for the homeless, The Big Issue has
been a success in many ways. In 1993, it won a Magazine of the Year award, and today it sells
270,000 copies week. This means that over a million people read the magazine. Many better-known
weeklies such as The Observer or The New Statesman would be happy to have this number of
readers. Part of the profit from these sales is reinvested into the magazine, and part goes to The Big
Issue foundation – a charity which helps the homeless. What makes The Big Issue more than just a
well-written magazine? Well, it’s actually sold by the homeless themselves. They get identity cards,
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their own place to stand and sell the magazine, and they get training. They learn what to do, what
not to do to be a successful seller. They keep 60 pence in every pound they take, giving the rest back.
Is that a proper wage? Well, it’s certainly enough to buy something to eat. They get money in return
for a service. They don’t have to beg, and so they get to feel better about themselves. The success of
The Big Issue hasn’t passed unnoticed. In other European countries, journalists have followed its
example. Now, you can find seventeen similar titles throughout Europe, from La Rue in Paris to The
Depths in St Petersburg. In dozens of cities, in all weathers, homeless people go out and sell their
magazine on the streets. And now, the Big Issue has arrived in Poland as well, under a title which
translates as We The Giants. The magazine went on sale in Poland’s main cities last autumn,
distributed by MONAR, an organisation to help the poor, sick, and people in difficulties. At present, the
number of copies printed is 10,000 per issue. The Polish version of The Big Issue has a lot in common
with the one sold in Hungary. That’s because they’re printed in the same place and run by the same
person, Kenderssy Attilla. He is happy with the numbers that have been sold so far. But he also says
that they’re not as high as in Great Britain. In Poland, We The Giants is much less popular than its
British version. Why so? Well, for a start, the street-sellers say the price – 3 zloty – is simply too high.
Another problem is that most of the money the magazine earns comes from advertising. But so far
not many firms have wanted to advertise their products in the magazine. Most companies say they
like the design and they like the articles. They’d be happy to advertise in it if it was sold by somebody
else. They just don’t want their products associated with the homeless.
Listening 4
So, you want to know how I became a taxi driver. Well, you have to do the knowledge, which
is getting to know all of London. Basically what it is, is you've got to learn every road in London,
almost of by heart. Well, when you think you’ve got the knowledge, what happens is you go up to an
office to take the first part of a test to get the license. You go up there and, after you’ve filled in a
form, they ask you five or six questions like, “How do you get from A to B?” and what you’ve got to do
is tell them how to get between these two points in a very direct line, take them through all the
streets. Now, that’s not everything. There’s a second part, which is a driving test. You have to do
some very special maneuvers and, what’s more, you’ve got to learn how to handle the customers.
When I did it, the whole business of getting the license, from start to finish, usually took two years,
though I did it in a year and half. Nowadays, it takes three years. So, what’s my work like now? Well,
there are quiet days when you don’t earn much money, but money isn’t everything. I actually enjoy
the job. I like talking to the people I get in the cab. And we talk about everything: politics, religion,
even philosophy – just as if we were friends. And I learn. It’s great. To be honest, I think I've learnt
far more from driving a taxi than I ever did at school. Oh, yeah, and a lot of interesting things happen
when you’re driving a taxi. For example, we are quite often hired by private detective agencies. Why
do they choose taxi drivers? Well, we’re not like James Bond. We don’t do a hundred mile an hour car
chases, but when a bloke is driving around London he doesn’t expect to be followed by a taxi. After
all, there are twenty two thousand of us. I’ll tell you about one case I was on. I was working with this
woman private detective. Well, one day we were in the taxi, following a husband because we thought
he was going to meet his lover. He was driving this brand new Range Rover, really nice car. Anyway,
we were following him for ages and he was driving around and around in circles. Well, to cut a long
story short, he suddenly stopped. The woman detective got a bit excited by this. '”Quick!” she
shouted, “he's getting out. You follow him in the taxi, and I'll follow him on foot.” Well, as she got out
of the taxi, and was just about to follow him, he turned around and got into the taxi. We were both
really surprised. Anyway, it worked out quite well. He went to his girlfriend, and I gave the name and
address to the detective agency and obviously they gave the pictures and everything to his wife.
Things aren’t always fun in a taxi, there can be some scary moments as well. I remember, well it was
maybe 10 years ago, I was just helping this passenger with his bags, when he threatened me with a
knife and demanded all my money. And it was a busy street. There were all these people standing
around, and they just did nothing. There wasn’t a policeman in sight either. Luckily, a taxi was just
passing. The diver stopped, jumped out and scared him off. Well, most scary things happen at night,
when I do most of my work. But I do work during the day sometimes. And there is a difference
between the two shifts. During the day, things are quite safe. Businessmen and tourists mostly. But at
night, you get some really strange characters.
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Listening 5
Good morning. My name is Michael Connor. I’ve been asked to talk to you about my job. Well, I’m a
foreign journalist. I work mainly in Latin America. I did a degree in Spanish and I’ve always been
interested in that part of the world, so it seemed natural to want to write about it. I’m a freelance,
which means I work independently. I sometimes get articles published in the Irish Times and I do
some radio work; brief interviews on developing situations in foreign countries, that sort of thing. One
of the good things about my job – well, I think its good anyway – is that I have to travel a lot. I don’t
like spending too much time in one country. In the past year, I’ve been to Mexico, Central America
and Colombia. The year before that, I was in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. I’m always on
planes. Out to a country, write the story, back to Dublin, out to another country, write another story,
back again. It’s a good thing I’ve got no wife and family. They would never see me. Well, what sort of
things do I write about? Well, I don’t really like to stick to one topic, politics or economics or things
like that. I like to meet interesting people, writers, singers, dancers, whatever and hear their stories. I
end up writing about all sorts of things. And it can be quite a dangerous job too. I remember when I
was in Colombia I was interviewing a farmer there. He was growing poppies for the cocaine trade,
when suddenly I heard these shots and I realised they were aimed at me. Bullets were flying past my
ear. The farmer had got into trouble with some local gangsters, and they wanted to kill him. I was
lucky to escape that one. And then there was another time in Guatemala. The army was fighting a
really nasty war there. I was in this refugee camp, when suddenly this military helicopter came out of
nowhere, swooped down and started firing at the people in the camp. I ran for cover. The attack only
lasted a few minutes but they were the longest minutes of in my life. Well, there are good things
about the job. One of the best is the friendships you make with other journalists. You may think that
we compete against each other to get the best stories. Well, we do. But we also spend a lot of time in
the same hotels and bars and, quite naturally, we spend a lot of time drinking together. And most
journalists can tell a good story, always about themselves and always about how heroic and brave
they are, how they are always taking risks. Of course, I don’t believe half what they say. Journalists
always like to make stories sound bigger than they are. Well, I’ll tell you about the last story I wrote.
It was a big story, one of the most important I’ve covered. A member of the Cuban intelligence
service escaped to Mexico. I managed to interview him as soon as he arrived in the country. He
started to tell me about how the Cuban Intelligence service operates. He told me about safe houses
they use, disguises, false identities, everything. And he told me he could name people who were on
death lists – human rights people were really interested in that. That article was put on the front page
of the Irish Times. I’m really proud of that. Well, what do I intend to do in the future. Well, every time
I get back from Latin America I say to myself I’ll never go there again. It’s just too dangerous. And I
have such good friends in Dublin that I think I should stay here forever. But, after a while, the old
journalist bug comes back again, and I want to be off hunting another story. I think I’ll just carry on
with what I’m doing now.
Listening 6
For British students starting university the first week of October is the time when they don’t study,
they party. Exams are behind them. They have their place in university. Time to relax. It’s Freshers’
Week. Freshers are first-year students, and Freshers’ Week is designed to allow new students to meet
each other and start their new social life. For many teenagers who are away from home for the first
time this can be quite a disturbing experience. For others it’s the most wonderful week in their lives.
Starting a new college or university is not easy, especially when it also means moving to a new town.
You may not know anyone there. So, after you’ve discovered where you’re going to live, the first task
is to make some friends. Well, you meet some people and you call them friends, but they’re not your
real friends and they never will be. They’re the people to go to those first parties with. As the months
go by, you will be shocked that you ever allowed yourself to be seen with these people. But you have
to be seen with somebody, or else you will look like a looser. The wonderful thing about student
parties is that it doesn’t really matter who you go with, because you’ll almost certainly leave with
somebody else. The only question is when? Some people like to be the last to leave, strolling home as
the sun comes up. Others think it’s better to leave very early. This suggests that you’ve got more
interesting places to go to. Everybody will notice you leaving, and they’ll wonder where you’re going.
This approach is more effective if you really do have somewhere else to go to. If you don’t, you may
spend the rest of the evening alone arranging furniture in your new room. Aside from the parties, one
97
of the main events for new students in Britain during the first week is Freshers’ Fair. It gives students
a chance to meet members of every society, club and organization in the university. Every imaginable
interest, political opinion or sport has its own society. Some of them are devoted to very strange
things such as cheese eating or juggling. And anybody can join. Though, having joined, most
members never go to a single meeting. Most usefully, however, the fair gives you a chance to meet
nice-looking people. You see, to attract new members, each society chooses its prettiest girls and
best-looking men to sit at a desk and chat to everyone. Unfortunately, as October drags on, it’s time
to start thinking about work. Not academic work, of course. That doesn’t start until three weeks
before the exams. No, I mean real paid work in restaurants, bars, supermarkets or anywhere else that
will employ somebody with no experience and no skills whatsoever. For most of their university life,
more and more students have to do paid work just to feed themselves. But those serious things come
later, in October. Now, there’s still money in your pocket, and there are no essays to be written. You
are surrounded by a mass of excited young people like yourself looking for entertainment. And adults
allow you to behave in ways your parents have never permitted. “They’re students” adults say. “Let
them enjoy themselves while they’re young”. And so, you do enjoy yourself. And years later, when
you’re successful and middle-aged you remember that your student days were wonderful. And most
wonderful of all were those very first days in early October.
Listening 7
Good morning and welcome to our programme, “Strange Experiences”. Today’s “Strange Experiences”
concern a Russian man called Dmitri Jaszczenko and his rather unusual wife. Dimitri is not the kind of
person who would believe in magic or the supernatural. He is a well-educated man. In fact he
graduated from all three of Russia’s leading universities and has three different scientific degrees. It is
this scientific training that has made him sceptical. He only believes in things that can be proved by
the real world. He is not superstitious at all. Though his believes were challenged when he met his
future wife, Olga. He first met Olga at a party. He was attracted by her good looks. She was slim,
blonde-haired and blue-eyed. They soon got talking and he found her conversation very entertaining.
However, he discovered something interesting. He knew what she was going to say before she said it.
It was almost like reading her mind. He couldn’t understand it. They met several times after that and
soon they were married, even though Dmitri had sworn he would always remain a bachelor. In fact,
getting married very much surprised him. It was after their marriage that his wife explained how this
happened. She told him she had put a love potion – a special magic mixture – in his drink that would
make him marry her. So, he had had no choice in the matter. It was very soon after the marriage that
Dmitri noticed some strange differences in his life. Before marriage, he had always been careless and
was always losing things. Just small things like keys or pens. And he always spent hours finding them.
However, after his marriage, though he still lost things, he seemed to find them again in just a few
minutes. How did this happen? All he had to do was just think of the thing that he had lost and he
would immediately know where it was. Stopping Dmitri from losing things was not the only special gift
Olga had. Olga never broke anything. Not even a plate. Why was this? One day, Dmitri found out the
answer. Olga was in the kitchen. She was washing the dishes. As she was putting a wet cup onto the
draining board, it slipped and fell to the ground. Just before the cup reached the floor she caught it
with her eyes. It stopped falling, turned over slowly and gently landed on the floor, just like a leaf
falling to earth. Unbelievable. There was not a crack, and the floor was made of hard stone. These
were strange things indeed. But nothing was as strange as the events that happened in a village in
Belarus. Dimtri and Olga were there on holiday. They were staying on a local farm, and during their
visit the farm had some terrible problems. The cows stopped eating and no longer gave milk. The
horse became ill and could no longer pull the cart. The farm dogs seemed nervous and barked all
night. Olga decided to do something about this. She went around the village gathering different types
of herbs. When she had a large bunch of herbs she went back to the farmhouse where she and Dimtri
were staying, boiled them in water and whispered some strange words over them. After that, she
sprinkled some of the water in a corner of the main room. An instant later Dimitri could hear a loud
squeaking sound as if there were hundreds of mice or insects all running away from the corner. Olga
sprinkled water in the other corner of the house and every time the water touched the walls, Dimitri
heard the same sounds, although he did not see anything. All those sounds moved from the walls to
the ceiling and then suddenly stopped. After this, the farm’s problems stopped immediately. The cows
started eating and giving milk. The horse walked well again and pulled the cart, and all the dogs were
peaceful once more. Dmitri really wanted to know how his wife had done this. After all, he was a
98
scientist and he had to find a scientific explanation. He did some experiments on what was left of the
special water his wife had used, but found nothing unusual. He read about animal illnesses, but
couldn’t find any explanation there. Finally, he begged his wife to give an explanation, but she didn’t
answer. He never did find out how she managed to cure all the animals. Olga died a few years ago
now, and Dmitri is a widower. He misses her a great deal, but he says he still feels her near him.
Sometimes he thinks he hears her singing. His clothes seem to tidy themselves up, and her favourite
flowers keep growing, even if he forgets to water them.
Listening 8
If you're not afraid of the weather, Scotland can be one of the most beautiful and fascinating of travel
destinations. The wonderful landscape and rich history could keep a holidaymaker happy for months,
so long as he or she isn't the type that likes doing nothing but lying on a beach. Even so, Scotland
does have more than its fair share of sea and sand; it's just a little short on the sun. So, if you don’t
mind the weather, think about it. A great way to see the highlands and islands of Scotland is by bike.
Scottish roads are reasonably free of traffic, especially if you keep off the main routes, and because
it's not a vast country you can get around quite a lot of it by bike in a couple of weeks. A friend of
mine and I did just that at the age of sixteen. And though it rained for ten out of the fourteen days
we were there, we had a marvellous time nonetheless. But the weather isn't always so bad. We made
the mistake of going in September – the height of the 'rainy season' - apparently the weather's
generally better in spring and early summer. The route we cycled along was more or less the same as
taken by the Scottish hero, Bonnie Prince Charlie, when he escaped from the English in 1746. We
stayed in campsites or youth hostels. We also took a straight course along the roads, so that we didn’t
get lost and we spent most of our time wearing waterproofs to keep out the incessant rain. We began
our journey as Bonnie Prince Charlie had done at the Culloden battlefield, now a museum, and we
gradually pedalled the length of Loch Ness, to the town of Fort William, passing Britain's highest
mountain, Ben Nevis, on the way. It's not actually such a high mountain, and we wanted to climb it,
but we didn't because it was raining. At Fort William, we turned west and soon came to the lovely
village of Glenfinnan on the edge of a loch. There is a famous statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie here,
because this was the place where he actually arrived in Scotland and started the war against the
English that ended at Culloden. After that, we visited the Island of Skye. We brought our bicycles for
this, too. I don't know what my friend thought of Skye, but I remember thinking it was rather a wet
place. Whenever I walked off the road, my feet sank into the mud. I had wet shoes for the whole four
days I was there. And it was good I brought my raincoat. But it really is a beautiful island. The Cuillin
Mountains are particularly popular with hikers and climbers. Since this bicycle tour I've been back to
the highlands of Scotland many times and I look forward to my next visit. The weather may sound
threatening, but it's very suited to the dramatic scenery, and the fog and the mountains together can
really set off your imagination. And anyway, the sun does come out sometimes.
Listening 9
And welcome back to Forces Radio. We now move on to one of our most popular features. And that is
our personal stories section. Our personal story today concerns Warrant Officer Mick Fraser who
serves with Three Regiment, Army Air Corps at Wattisham, and I can tell you that Warrant Officer
Mick Fraser is a real hero, but not in the way that most soldiers are heroes. Last Christmas, Mick was
told he had pneumonia. But that wasn’t true. He really had cancer. And this came as a surprise to
Mick as he was a very fit man in his mid-thirties. Fit men in their mid-thirties don’t get cancer, or so
that was what Mick thought. He had just spent that November and December preparing with his
mates for possible conflict in Iraq. He was feeling great and raring to go. But Mick never got to go
with his mates to Iraq. Mick was busy doing Christmas shopping and getting ready to celebrate the
festive season, when he had breathing difficulties. It was then he went to the doctor and was told he
had pneumonia. He was given medication but he didn’t get any better. So, when the new year
started, the doctors decided to send him for more tests. Mick spent a few anxious days waiting for the
results. The results showed he had cancer. In fact he had non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer, which
can normally be spotted as a lump in the neck or under the arms. This wasn’t the case with Mick. The
doctors informed Mick he had cancer by showing him the X-ray of his chest. The X-ray showed that
Mick had a cancer the size of a small football and this was squashing against his left lung and pushing
against his heart. That would have scared most people. It would have scared me. But it didn’t frighten
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Mick. He was actually quite pleased to discover what was wrong. Knowing the truth is better than not
knowing at all. And he was right ,too. Most people, when they hear the word cancer, think it’s a death
sentence. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, with most forms of cancer, if they are noticed early
enough, they are treatable and curable. A few months have passed since Mick heard the news. During
those few months he’s had chemotherapy. Mick is feeling better and better everyday. He thinks he will
make a full recovery. And Mick believes his strong desire to get better has helped him as well as the
treatment. But Mick didn’t like the chemotherapy. Everyone who has it says it’s terrible. Mick says that
you feel polluted for days. He said it was like drinking ten beers and eating three kebabs. There are
other problems as well. Your immune systems are lowered, you feel exhausted and you lose hair. Not
pleasant. Mick is really happy about the Army and the National Health Service. They helped him a lot
while he was recovering, especially the senior officers in his unit. But there is one thing that surprised
Mick. His mates in his unit didn’t know how to approach him. They didn’t know how to speak to him.
So, they avoided him. A single visit or a phone call would have been a great help for his morale.
Today, Mick is determined to tell everyone that cancer is not just an old man's illness. It can affect
anyone at any time. In fact, there are a lot of different kinds of cancer and each one attacks men’s
bodies at a particular age. In fact, Mick has started a campaign telling people about this. And he is
right to warn us. Cancer is more common than we realise. A third of the population could be affected
in their lifetime. That’s a lot of people. While he was having treatment, Mick didn’t have a lot to do
and stayed home a lot, so he followed the Iraq war on TV. As he was a soldier he had a professional
interest. His one big disappointment was that he was not there. He had trained for 17 years for this
and thought he was going to do the job for real. He didn’t see any of his mates on TV, but did see his
helicopters. He also kept in contact with them by sending and receiving e-mails through military lines.
Now he expects he’ll be listening to years of boasting in the soldiers’ club. He wants to hear all their
war stories, but once only.
Listening 10
Peter Marlow, hello. Oh, Jenny! Hi, how are you doing? Fine, fine. How am I doing? Oh, not too bad.
You know, I saw some of my old university friends recently. Yeah, yeah. We had a class reunion. Last,
month. Yeah, I know it was supposed to take place two months ago. But plans change, don’t they.
You know, at one time, somebody even came up with the idea of putting it off until the last week. But
nobody liked that. How many people came? Well, we expected twelve. Yeah, yeah, I know my group
wasn’t that small. In fact, in the last year, there were twenty of us. Of course, I knew that everyone
wouldn’t come. But, I thought at least half of them would turn up. In the end, six people came. Guess
what! One of our friends from London went to hospital the day before the meeting. Yeah, we visited
him. Ooh, the hospital, it was terrible. Really boring, I must say. Poor Jack, I hope he’s all right now.
No, no, we didn’t meet in York. Yeah, I know we studied there. Well, we met in London instead. You
know, capital city and all that. The thing is, those who organised the meeting work and live there, so
it was very convenient for them to ask the others to go there. Yeah. What did we do? Well, at the
beginning we thought we would stay at our friend’s place, have some beer and chat until late at night.
But we decided not to. You know, the flat was very, sort of, tiny. Though, it was very nice and cosy.
Then we thought we’d go to a disco. But, you know, discos are very noisy, and we wanted to talk. We
ended up in a pub. Very nice place, on the Themes. Oh, no, no. I didn’t stay in a hotel. Too
expensive. Actually none of us did. As I said, it wasn’t in York, so we couldn’t stay in our old college.
In fact, Tom, one of my friends put me up. It was really kind of him to let me stay the night. I had my
own room with a TV. I just hope I just wasn’t too much of a problem for him. We had a great time
the next day. He took me on a great tour around the town. Saw all the famous places. Yeah, you see,
at first I was planning to go there by train. You know it’s cheap for me. I’m an officer and I get tickets
half price. And, you know, you don’t have to bother with driving such a long distance. Also, Tom said
he could pick me up from the station. But the trouble is, if you go by train you can’t travel when you
want to, but you have to travel when the timetable tells you to. It’s the same with buses. So I went by
car. Yeah. The weather? Well, it’s funny but whenever I go to London it usually rains. It was raining
last time I was at the Ministry. But, when I went to meet my friends, the weather was fine. Maybe a
bit too cold. Snow? No, it didn’t snow. But, Jenny, what have you been doing recently? You went
skiing to Austria?! Really? Tell me about it.
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Listening 11
Have you ever thought about living in a foreign country? What would it be like? What would you do
there? What would make you leave your own country? Today, we’ll be talking about a family who do
live in a foreign country and finding out their answers to those questions. Cherry and Tom Cashin
decided to leave Ireland twenty-six years ago. They told their friends that they wanted to give their
six children a broader education, and that they also wanted to give them the possibility of learning to
speak foreign languages, but in reality, as Cherry now says, what they really wanted was a new
environment, adventure, new experiences. They went first to Germany because Tom had a job offer
there. They settled in Freiburg in the south-west of Germany and rented a house. They only planned
to stay there for two years. After that, they would return to Ireland. But they enjoyed life so much in
Freiburg that they decided to stay for two more years. At the end of those two years, Tom was asked
to stay on in his job, so it was possible to stay for two more years. But they decided not to. Their
children already spoke very good German and they thought it time that they learnt another language.
So, they left their home and friends behind them and set off for France. Why France? Well, Freiburg is
close to the French border, and when they lived there they quite often took short holidays in the
Vosges region, a picturesque mountain area in eastern France. On one of those trips, they came
across a hotel and a restaurant for sale. It was such a charming hotel in such a pretty village, and the
thought of being hotel owners was so appealing, that they decided to buy it. However, they almost
didn’t buy the hotel because the price was far too high, or so they thought. Later on, when they told a
French friend about their desire to buy a hotel and the price, he explained that the price must have
been given in old Francs. You see, they had just changed the currency and the old Franc was 100
times higher than the new Franc. No wonder the price was so high. Realising that they now could
afford the hotel, they sold their house in Ireland, bought the hotel and settled down to the life of hotel
owners in the sleepy village of Obrey. Well, Orbey may well have been a sleepy village once, but not
anymore. The Cashins have Irish Days at their hotel. On such days, Irish music is played and Irish
dances are danced. And what do the local people think of the “newcomers” amongst them? Well,
though they may complain about their noise, secretly, they are very fond of their Gaelic neighbours.
Listening 12
My husband and I were traveling in Africa. And we were staying in a government guest house which
was sort of like a small hotel, but it wasn't a very fancy place. Anyway, it was a very hot night. And
we wanted to have the windows open. But the problem was the windows didn't have any screens or
anything. Not that we were scared of mosquitoes, not at all. We simply had everything we owned
right there in the room. And anybody could just come in and steal our things. But if we shut the
windows, it would be impossible to sleep, it was way over forty degrees centigrade. So we decided to
put a lot of pots and pans like that under the window. Then if a thief came in, the pots and pans
would fall down and we we'd wake up. So that's what we did. Anyway, we were asleep. All of a
sudden, in the middle of the night, I hear the pans crash. I sat up in bed. My heart was beating like
anything. I could see that there was a man in a white robe standing up next to the bed. I tried to
scream and I had laryngitis which means my voice wasn't working very well. Suddenly, the man
came over and he shoved me down on the bed. And then he says in English; "Be quiet." And then I
realized it was my husband huh. And when I was able to speak, I said; "What're you doing?". He said
"Well, I had a headache and I wanted to get up and get some aspirins."
Listening 13
There are some people who should never go on a hike in the mountains. Take Sarah George for
example. Last year Sarah, a twenty-two year old student nurse, went on a hiking holiday in North
Carolina. On the very first day she fell and broke her leg. This year Sarah went on another hiking
holiday, this time in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, famous for its grizzly bears. Foolishly,
on the very first day she went out on her own and half way up a mountain she fell sick. It must have
been something she ate at the hotel the night before. She felt so bad she couldn’t walk and had to
stop. She waited to see if she would get better, but she only got worse. Night was coming on and she
was afraid of being attacked by bears. She needed help. She took out her mobile phone and phoned
the air medical rescue team. She had to wait a long time, but eventually a helicopter arrived carrying
the medical team. Sarah couldn’t believe it when she saw the pilot of the helicopter. It couldn’t be,
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but it was. It was Harrison Ford. Yes Harrison Ford, the famous star of such films as Star Wars and
the Indiana Jones films. What was Harrison Ford doing flying with an air medical team? Had he
trained to be a doctor? No. The answer is much simpler than that. The helicopter that the air medical
team normally used was in for repair. They needed to find another helicopter. They looked in a
directory of owners of helicopters and found a Mr H Ford, who lived near the place of the accident.
They phoned Mr H Ford and Harrison agreed to help. He not only offered the use of his helicopter, he
also offered to fly the helicopter himself. Perhaps Sarah George is not so unlucky after all. It’s not
every day a young woman gets rescued by a handsome film star.
Listening 14
Hi! My name is Anthony. Two years ago I took part in the program Amigos de las Americas which
means friends of the Americas. It's a volunteer organisation based in Houston Texas. It's similar to the
Peace Corps but it's for a shorter time, and it's basically for people in high school or the early years of
college. Of course, you are not left alone, ‘cos there are always some doctors, some professionals who
show you how to do things and who organise the work. What it is is they send out those students
who know Spanish or Portuguese, depending on what country you go to. They send them to different
countries in Latin America to do some work for the local community. They have different … there are
many different projects. For example, they have projects concerning hygiene in which the volunteers
build latrines and do some talks educating people. They also have projects in which volunteers
actually give vaccines to people. I think the headquarters of the project is based in Paraguay. The
project I was involved in was about rabies vaccination which is in Ecuador. It's actually kind of
interesting how I decided to take part in this. At the time I was very interested in human medicine. So
I really wanted to do human vaccinations, and that was the project in Paraguay, but it happened that
there was no more free places, and so I had to choose another one. Well, ever since my early days at
school I've been interested in animals, so I wanted somewhere where they had good wildlife. So
Ecuador looked good and so did Peru, but I wasn’t quite sure which one. But then, I remembered that
when I was in sixth grade, I wrote a report on Ecuador and I absolutely fell in love with it, and that
was basically it, that was what made me want to go to Ecuador. So, Ecuador it was and I worked
there for eight weeks. We did rabies vaccinations and I also taught English for a little bit and gave
some talks on lots of different things. Medical things like for example, how to clean your teeth
properly and how to maintain hygiene and how to prepare food. To tell you the truth, they weren’t
really interested in those topics. What they really liked was when I told them about life in America. I
also planted some gardens and did some talks about that. We also talked about rabies, the dangers of
smoking. Oh, and we made a big wall painting at the elementary school, and we got to meet a lot of
nice people. Yes, I’m totally enchanted with the place. At one point I even wanted to stay there for
good. And it was there that I met the woman who's now my wife, so I highly recommend the program
for you but not for that reason, but it's a very good program. Anyone who's interested in going to
Latin America, and has a... has a strong interest in community service I would definitely, definitely
recommend they participate.
Listening 15
My name is Ben and I'm involved in a group called the Friends of Tibet. What this group tries to do is
raise awareness of the situation going on in Tibet, and we also collect money to send to refugee
camps and schools for refugee children in Nepal, Ladakh and in Lhasa. There's a lot of problems going
on over there. There is political fighting about the boundaries of the country and who owns it. But the
real big problem to me is that an entire ancient culture is being destroyed. Tibetans have a unique
culture, a unique religion, and it's forbidden for them to live this anymore. It’s forbidden for them to
speak in their own language. They can't wear their traditional clothing. So they're concerned because
the school children learn in Chinese and they don't understand their own language. Tibetan people
have to retire at about age forty or so and they are more and more demoralised. The young people
now are on the streets of Lhasa, and they don't care about studying, and they drink too much, and
just totally waste themselves. It’s the saddest thing for people to go there, is to see that the people
seem to have given up their spirit and that's the most dangerous thing. So we are trying to raise
awareness in the United States. People say, "Oh, it's so trendy and popular." But I don't care what
they call it because if people learn more about this little country it becomes real to them, and it will
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become outrageous to them for it to be destroyed. I think that public opinion can change political
situations, so that's what we are hoping for.
Listening 16
Travelling is my obsession. I save up every penny and once a year go somewhere exotic. If I run out
of money I try to find a part-time job. Last year in February I went to Australia. I was leaving behind
a sad life in London for the sunshine of the tropics. I flew with British Airways. I didn’t get a direct
flight. It was too far. I had a mid-landing in Singapore. And then the same airline took me via Brunei
to Darwin in Australia. There were Royal Brunei Airlines in Singapore, too. But I didn’t fly with them.
They had some problems with their workers. In Darwin, after booking into a hostel, I realized I
needed some cash quickly as my reserve was very low. I spent two days looking for work in Darwin,
with no success. The city was in the middle of a recession, and jobs were even difficult to get for the
local people. That’s why employers were suspicious about people who didn’t live in Darwin. They also
kept asking me if I had a Northern Territory driving licence! Each state and territory in Australia issues
its own driving licence. I didn’t, so I didn’t get a job. Maybe it was better for me. After all, I am not an
experienced driver. When the weekend came I decided to move on, as I needed to find work quickly.
I started hitch-hiking. My destination was the south of the country. I was to travel some 3000
kilometres. Several short lifts took me only 150 kilometres or so into the bush outside Darwin. Then, I
got lucky. I met a driver who was going to Queensland. He told me that the best job prospects were
in Queensland, so I decided to go there. But distances are huge in Australia, and by nightfall we were
nowhere near our destination. Unfortunately the old car started to have engine trouble. The driver
frequently stopped, when the car finally broke down. We were in the middle of nowhere in the desert
– miles away from civilization. Luckily, after only 10 minutes or so a van pulled up driven by Swiss
tourists. They pulled us to the next service station. There, I left my unfortunate driver and took a lift
with the Swiss, then two Danish girls took me to Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland.
Listening 17
George C. Page was a famous American businessman who made money on fruit. As a small boy he
ate an orange for the first time. The orange tasted so sweet to the boy from Nebraska that, when he
had to leave home at the age of sixteen, he headed west to where oranges grew. Page went to
California and after a few years he created his first company, Mission Pak. It specialized in packaging
and sending fruit to places in colder climates. George is also known for his fascination with fossils,
that is very old parts of animals or plants that can be found in the ground. Page liked them so much
that he decided to build a spectacular museum. It was named after him. The Page Museum, that’s
how it is called, is a place for research and education, and it’is often visited by children. Some exhibits
have been designed with them in mind, for example they can see an animated model of a young
mammoth, or they can watch a film about prehistoric times. However, there is one thing that makes
this place very special, different from other museums. That is parts of the museums where fossils are
kept and the laboratory are in full public view. In other words, visitors can observe everything that is
happening inside; the cleaning, preparation, cataloguing, and study of fossils. The skeletons of
animals that are in the museum were all found in the area called Rancho La Brea. The fossils range in
size from microscopic to extremely large. There are also remains of one human. Studies show that the
bones, the skull and skeleton, belonged to a woman who lived about 9,000 years ago, stood about 4
feet 10 inches tall, and was between 20 and 25 years old. Most of the fossils, whether plants or
animals are from 10,000 to 40,000 years old.
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Part Two
Listening 18
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Can I get you a beer, Frank? You must have had a rough day.
Actually, I’d prefer a whisky, thanks. I need one. I’m exhausted after what happened today.
Here you go…. Now, you’ve got to tell me all about it.
Well, first it seemed like a nice journey. I left Krakow by coach at three a.m., got to Warsaw
airport just in time. But then things started to go wrong. I was supposed to leave Warsaw at
half past nine, get to London at ten thirty, and then go on to Manchester, but I almost
couldn’t make it to London.
How come? What happened?
Well, we were delayed for two hours by fog in London. We couldn’t even leave Warsaw. The
only thing we could do was wait. Anyway, eventually got to Heathrow and, would you believe
it?, the whole airport was paralyzed. The thousands of people everywhere because they’d
missed their connections just like me. And what’s worse, I had to wait in an endless queue to
get rebooked.
Oh, what a drag!
Tell me about it. I finally got my new tickets, after an hour and a half of waiting. Had a bit of
time before boarding, so I decided to grab something to eat. I was just dying for a slice of
pizza. You know what the food on flights is like. So I dashed to the bar, but they only had
these fish sandwiches, something I never even touch. So, even though I was starving, I just
had a coke. I thought things couldn’t get any worse. Just then they announced another delay.
We were told to wait yet again. Anyway, to cut a long story short, finally arrived in
Manchester after a bumpy flight which made me feel really sick. I was longing to get here to
the hotel, take a shower and have a drink or two. And, can you believe it?, my luggage was
missing. Both suitcases had disappeared.
Oh, gosh! They’re probably in Melbourne by now. So what did you do about it?
Well, you know, the usual stuff. I just filled in a couple of forms. They promised me my bags
would be delivered as soon as possible. Hopefully, they’ll come tomorrow.
Oh, it must be terrible to arrive without your luggage.
Well, luckily, I still have my hand luggage with all the essential stuff.
Oh, good. At least you don’t have to bother about buying a new toothbrush. Anyway, I’m glad
you made it here. How about another drink?
Yeah, that’d be great.
Listening 19
Well, yeah. As I said before, I am sergeant Dick Turner and this is my statement about the accident I
saw yesterday. Now, yesterday was my day off. I’m stationed at the Hillhead base near Holby and I
was visiting my girlfriend here. Yesterday, now, today is the 6th of March, so yesterday was the 5th,
yes the 5th. I was in the centre doing some shopping. It was my girlfriend’s birthday and we were
meeting at one o’clock, so I was looking around the shops in the centre trying to find a present. Now,
it was 10.00 hours, ups sorry, that’s army speak. It was 10 am. I’d just arrived on a 9.45 train.
Anyway, I was walking along High Street, between Station and West Road, when I heard a really loud
noise and turned around. There was a motorbike behind me, travelling really fast. It must have been
going over 40 miles and an hour, about 45 I’d say, in a busy street. Can you believe it? Well over 40
miles an hour and the speed limit there must be 30 miles an hour. I couldn’t see very much. It was
dark, raining heavily, typical March day. But I could see the bike behind me and I could see in front of
me there’s this zebra crossing, the one at the corner of High Street and West Road. And there was a
red ford just coming up to the crossing. Now, on the zebra, there was an old man just starting to
cross. As I say, he was an old man. He was wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick. He didn’t
look right or left. He probably couldn’t hear anything either. Just walked out in the road. And there
was this car coming up to the crossing. The driver saw the old man and put his brakes on, stopped as
quickly as he could. The old man was OK, but the motor bike was travelling so quickly the rider
couldn’t stop. He hit the back of the car and fell off. Now the car driver must have panicked. He drove
off without waiting. But I did see the licence number. Just like mine. My car is DIY 122E, an easy
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number to remember. And this one’s ever easier – DIY 222E. Red ford escort it was. Nice car. Didn’t
see the driver, though. So, I went to help the motorbike rider. He had a broken leg, which is bad
enough but nothing worse. He was wearing a helmet, so he had no head injuries. And that old man,
can you believe it?, he didn’t even look round. He just crossed the street. Didn’t look round. Didn’t
notice anything. I really do think he was deaf.
Listening 20
Yes, hello. My name is Robert Brown of the British Immigration Service. I’m here cooperating with the
Polish Border Guard and I can tell you about this operation yesterday morning. That’s when some
people were caught trying to enter Poland illegally, by crossing the river Buk. You see, the Border
Guard use these special cameras which can detect things at big distance, 7 kilometres in good
weather. At 5 o’clock yesterday morning, the camera operator lieutenant Nowak was making a routine
check of the Polish bank of the river. Then the camera showed a group of people heading north-west
of this check point. They were about two kilometres away at the time. Now, lieutenant Nowak was a
little surprised. You see, earlier that morning, he was checking the Ukrainian side of the river and the
camera didn’t detect any movement. Probably, that was because of the weather. There was heavy
snow yesterday and strong wind. So, lieutenant Nowak radioed the Border Guard patrol in the area
and two hours later they found the group and arrested them, in a forest about 10 kilometres from the
border crossing here. In the group there were five Chechen asylum seekers and one Ukrainian woman
who was their guide. The patrol was pretty serious – four armed men and two dogs. So, the illegal
entrants didn’t resist arrest. The were put in a car, brought to the check point here, where the border
guards questioned them. And they discovered that they were trying to get to Germany. So, after this,
the border guards took the people to the local police station and there the police took away all their
money and their personal belongings. So, the border guards have finished their job. The police are
holding the group, and they’ll be tried in the Polish courts. The penalty for illegal entry is a fine or a
prison sentence. The fine is based on an average day’s wage in Poland. It can be up to ninety day’s
wages. The prison term is usually three months.
Listening 21
Right, OK, so first thing I’d like to do is to thank the Polish Coast Guard for rescuing me. Now, you’ve
asked me to tell you what happened, so I’ll do the best I can. I was sailing in my yacht, my yacht
Evening Star. It was built in Southampton. She was a wonderful yacht – Evening Star. All right. So,
we’d started out in Gdynia. I think that’s how you pronounce it. We went sailing. The sea was a little
rough to begin with and I was a little worried. But later on, the wind died down, and the sea became
really calm. It was almost like being on a village pond. Everyone was relaxed; we cooked dinner,
watched the stars and then went to bed. Now, round about 1.40 am – I remember the time because I
looked at my watch – I woke up. I woke up to the smell of burning. There was smoke in the cabin
and I could here the crackle of wood burning. Well, I jumped out of bed and went to the galley to find
it on fire. Me must have left a candle burning or something. Anyway, I rushed back into the cabin. By
this time, the rest of my family, that’s my wife and two children, they were awake by this time. I tried
to fight the fire with a fire extinguisher we have but I couldn’t. We had to abandon ship. I radioed for
help. I told them our position. It was 20 kilometres north of Gdynia. We threw a life-raft into the sea,
and all the family jumped in, jumped into the sea. Well, luckily the sea was still calm, so we all
managed to climb into the raft. Well, we were on the sea for about forty minutes, you know. We got
quite cold, actually, and we were a bit scared and all we could do was just sit there and watch the
yacht sink. Well, you know, about 40 minutes later the Coast Guard came and rescued us. Nobody
was hurt. As I said we were a little bit cold, but nobody was really hurt. But, unfortunately, I lost my
yacht. It was worth about 250.000 dollars, so I’m a little upset by that. Well, you know, I’ve got
insurance, so things aren’t so bad, and we are all alive and well. Well, yeah, it was a pretty scary
adventure. Well, what I’d like to do at the end is I’d like to thank again the Polish Coast Guard for
rescuing me. They were very efficient and very pleasant to be rescued by.
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Listening 22
OK. Well. This is private Fred Green. I was driving the car that had the accident yesterday and this is
what happened. Yesterday evening, sergeant Brown and I were taking supplies to the military
hospital, Black Hill, on the edge of the base there. And I was the driver as I said. We were going
slowly. The weather was pretty bad. It was only eighteen hundred hours when we left but it was
already dark. And then, just as we got to the village, you know, where the post office is, we both
checked our watches again. It was 18.10 exactly. And we thought we’d be there in five minutes. But
then, just as we got to the traffic lights, sergeant Brown shouted. He says, “Green!” he says, “Watch
out!”. There’s something lying on the road. I jammed the breaks on. But the road was covered with
ice and the car started skidding. Now, I wasn’t ready for this. I was a pretty good driver when I joined
the army. If fact, I’ve never had an accident in my life. Still, I’ve never driven such a heavy car in such
bad conditions. I tried to stop. But the breaks were no use on that slippery road. I tried to steer, but I
just couldn’t. The car skidded to the side and hit a big road sign, just by the traffic lights. Well, it’s
lucky we were going so slowly. Neither of us was hurt, not a scratch. The car was a bit damaged
though. One of the headlights was broken, the left hand one. But that was the only serious damage.
Otherwise, the car was working fine. I was a bit shook-up though. I’d learned the hard way how
careful you have to be with these heavy cars when there’s ice on the road. It was just five minutes
later, when you turned up at eighteen fifteen. We were really glad to see you. Glad you could drive us
to the hospital and glad we weren’t hurt in the crash. Well, that’s all I can remember. Is there
anything else you want to ask me?
Listening 23
Right. OK. I’ll tell you abut this accident. Well, I wasn’t involved in the accident. I was just a witness.
It was horrible. All right. I’d better start by telling you where it was. Well, I can tell you exactly where
it was because there was a road sign just where the accident happened. It was exactly 5 miles out of
San Francisco. And the time? Oh, now let me think. I left home at six o’clock. It didn’t happen much
longer after that. About fifteen minutes later, I think. I must have been about 6.15. So, how did it
happen? Well, it’s a long story, so I’ll start at the beginning. Just left San Francisco. I was driving, you
know, not too fast, about 50 mph. I had to keep within the speed limit. All of a sudden, this car came
out of my rear view mirror and he went screaming past me. And a couple of minutes later this police
car went screaming past me as well. Well, I thought they are going really fast. Well, I just carried on
driving and about four or five minutes later I saw the same car parked by the side of the road with
the police car behind it. I thought Oh he’s been caught, yeah. He’s gonna get a ticket for speeding.
Well, you know, I thought I’ll take a look at this. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I pulled over onto the hard
shoulder. I got out and I had a cigarette. Do you mind if I have a smoke now actually? OK. Oh, thank
you. So, I got out and had a cigarette and I thought well I’ll see what happens here. Now, the
policeman, he was standing on the driver’s side of the car and he was talking to the driver. Well, he
seemed to go on taking for quite some time. And I saw come past me this green pick-up truck. And
he was going quite fast too. All of a sudden, the tire blew out, and the green pick-up truck went
swerving across the road, straight into the policeman and straight into the car. You know, I was just
stunned. I was shocked. You know there was blood everywhere. And it looked horrible. Well, I started
running towards the accident to see what was going on. And while the driver of the car was OK, but
the green pick-up truck had just disappeared. It just drove off as fast as he could. The policeman,
well, he looked really bad. I thought he was dead. You know. But I listened to his heart and I felt his
pulse. He was still alive. So, I went to his police car and I phoned the ambulance. And the ambulance
came, well, the ambulance came about fifteen minutes later. And I thought my God he’s gonna die. It
was terrible. But another policeman came and the ambulance came and they took him away. I heard
about it later because I followed the news. I heard he was still alive but he had just some back
injuries and head injuries. I’ll tell you it was a horrible accident. I mean I was really scared,
frightened. Well, that’s what happened really.
Listening 24
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is captain Robert Jones from the Norwood’s Army
Base. This is Chief Fire Officer, Brian Smith and on my right, police superintendent Rogers. Now, firstly
I will explain in general what happened this morning. Then the Chief Fire Officer and the
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superintendent will give a technical report from their point of view. Finally, we will answer your
questions. Very well. At around 9.30 this morning, there was a traffic accident on the London road,
the A439. As a result, all traffic going west was directed into Baker Street. One of our tankers carrying
propane gas was travelling from the Army depot at Midwell to the Norwood Base. The police directed
this tanker along with the other traffic into Baker Street. This was at approximately 9.55. The driver of
the tanker was corporal Fred Gordon. Corporal Gordon is a reliable, experienced driver. He was
ordered to drive only on main roads, of course, but the police instructed him to drive along with the
other traffic into Baker Street. At 10.01, corporal Baker was passing Greenway School, when the
driver of a car behind lost control and crashed into the tanker. This crash caused the gas to leak. We
are quite sure of that. We’ve examined the tanker carefully and we are quite sure that the gas leak
was caused by the crash not by any fault in the tanker. Corporal Gordon realised at once that there
was damage to the tanker and that the gas was escaping. He thought very quickly and drove the
tanker onto the school football pitch with his headlights on and his horn sounding as an alarm to
everyone. Thanks to this timely action there was no damage to the houses in Baker Street and none
of the people in Baker Street were injured. When he got into the middle of the field, corporal Gordon
switched off his engine, jumped out of the vehicle and ran for cover. As you know, the gas did
unfortunately explode. But the only damage was to the tanker itself and, of course, to the football
field. Corporal Gordon was cut by flying glass but was otherwise uninjured. The driver of the car, ford
fiesta, ran away. Police are now trying to identify him but so far we do not know his name. Thank
you.
Listening 25
My name? Tucker, John Tucker. Yeah, it was really awful. I don't know how or why it happened. It
just happened so quickly, I was at the pub the one in High Street, Boot and Shoe its name is. I was
with some friends and we were really having a good time. Then the barman called ‘time’. So we just
finished our last drink and decided to go home. We live in different parts of the city, so we decided to
go as far as the corner together and then go our separate ways. So we said good-bye and I walked
on alone. I was just passing the Flying Horse pub, when these two men came out. You could see that
they were drunk by the way they were swaying. The time? Well. We left just after closing time, just
after 11.00. We finished our drinks, went out, said goodbye and then I walked as far as the other
pub. So, that must have taken what? fifteen minutes. Yes fifteen minutes. So, these two men walked
up to me and asked me to give them some money for a taxi. I said sorry I don’t have any money to
give you and tried to get past them. And then one of them just hit me. I don’t know exactly how I
came to lose consciousness. I do remember the punch was so hard I fell straight to the ground. When
I fell I suppose I must have hit my head against the curb. When I came to, there was a man kneeling
over me against asking me how I was. He must have called you because you came like five minutes
later. Luckily, it seems as nothing serious is wrong with me. I’ve got a cut on my forehead and I’ll
probably have a lovely black eye tomorrow, but otherwise I am not hurt. Just before you came, I
checked to see what was missing. They took my wallet with all my credit cards and money in it. Oh,
yeah. I have to tell the credit card company and freeze the accounts. And my cash, well, there wasn’t
too much in the wallet. Just two tens and for fivers, I think. I had some change as well but all
together they couldn’t have been more than ₤45. Oh, and the wallet was worth about ten pounds.
They didn’t even take my watch and that was worth a lot. I guess they were in a hurry as there were
people not far away. Oh, yes. So, you want to know something about the men. It really happened too
fast and I didn’t look at them carefully. They were in their 30’s. And they looked normal, not punk or
anything like that. Decently dressed and yeah they were tall, not much taller than me but still tall. And
they were drunk as I said before. That’s all I can remember right now. Tomorrow morning, when I get
over the shock, you see, I’m a bit confused at the moment. I reckon I might remember more. I’ll
come and give you another statement tomorrow, if that’s OK.
Listening 26
So you wanted me to talk about the air-crash, right? Because I’m one of the thirty nine survivors of
the recent plane crash. I’m not sure if I can do that again. I can’t stop thinking about the accident you
see, I do that even in my dreams. That’s funny, I thought you the press people had already described
everything. No, not yet? Well, I’ll try but it’s not going to be easy to tell you what I remember about
this terrible adventure, you know. I can still hardly believe I made it. But you want to know what
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exactly happened on that day, don’t you? OK, back to the story then. My girlfriend and I were on a
week long holiday in Beijing, China. Beijing, a wonderful place. Have you ever been there? No? Well,
you should, it’s worth it. On the last day we were supposed to fly back to Seoul by Air China, flight
CA129. Our plane took off from Bejing as scheduled at 11:45 local time. It was a big modern aircraft,
a Boeing 767. Very comfortable and spacious. There were over a hundred and fifty passengers on
board and I guess ten crew members. No not ten, eleven. I learnt that later from the news. The
journey seemed to be an enjoyable one at first. You know comfort, nice service, good food. I enjoy
that sort of thing. We saw a movie and then the crew served us drinks and lunch. Some time later the
captain told us in a short announcement there might be problems with landing in Seoul because of
bad weather so our flight would be diverted to another airport near Pusan. He explained the weather
was terrible in the capital. On the other hand, we were happy it was just the weather, not say a strike
at the airport, or to make the matters worse, a terrorist attack. My girlfriend and I weren’t very happy
because of that change, I mean the new route to Pusan, but there was nothing we could do about it.
Well, some time later some turbulence started and you can imagine what that means especially soon
after lunch. Many people were feeling bad. My girlfriend felt really sick, too. But she couldn’t go to
toilet because first the airhostess, and then the captain asked us to remain seated with safety belts
on. The captain also asked the crew members to sit down. Then the aircraft started moving down
rapidly. I knew we must be flying over the Pusan mountains. Like other passengers I just trusted in
the pilots and the equipment on board. Then we started going down with greater speed. Suddenly we
felt a strong bump. The impact was great and this horrible noise of something cracking. We’d hit the
mountain slope. Funny, it’s usually people sitting at the back who survive such accidents. But this time
it was different. It was us sitting at the front who didn’t die instantly because it was the tail of the
plane that hit the mountain. There was a small explosion and fire broke out. I heard somebody
scream, somebody else was crying, yet another person was moaning but luckily there was no panic.
Somebody had already pushed out the emergency door and we got out. We were in the middle of the
forest. The plane had destroyed many trees. There were bits and pieces of the aircraft all over the
place. I realized we were amongst the few who’d survived. Then someone used a mobile phone to call
for help, I mean the rescue teams and emergency units. After some time we heard the helicopters.
But they were not the rescue teams yet. It was a TV team that arrived first…Would you believe it?
The TV hyenas were there fist. I can still see the aircraft, the bodies, the rescue team people trying to
get them out and the TV guys filming everything and everybody to make their stupid reports ‘on the
spot of the disaster’ as they called it.
Listening 27
Gestures are a form of communication. You shake your head in the presence of another person and
he or she will know that what you’re saying is ‘no’. If you want to say ‘yes’ you simply nod your head.
Isn’t that simple and obvious? Well, not quite. A gesture may mean one thing in one country and
something completely different in another. Sometimes this can lead to great confusion, and even
embarrassment. So it’s good to have some introduction, especially if you want to travel. Take for
example Bulgaria. Life there is not easy for a foreigner, at least at the beginning. Be aware, if you see
somebody nodding his head, what is universally accepted as a sign of agreement in Bulgaria means
‘no’. And to the contrary, if you shake your head there, this will mean ‘yes’. In Greece, to signal ‘yes’,
just lift your eyebrows. ‘No’ you express by leaning your head to either side. If you want to make it an
even stronger ‘no’, raise your hands and show your palms to the person you are talking to. Then you
will be sure that he or she won’t try to make you change your mind. In Saudi Arabia you have to
exercise even more if you want to show ‘no’. Tip you head backwards and click your tongue. In Japan,
you will not see the ‘no’ gesture. For the Japanese it is difficult to say ‘no’ definitely. What they say
instead is “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand”, and wave a hand in front of their face. Similar
confusion may take place if you are invited to a dinner party. What is normal for you may be funny or
even offensive to your host. Be careful how much you eat. In Egypt it is polite to leave something on
your plate. It is a compliment to your host. In Guatemala however, you should eat everything to show
you liked the meal very much. Watch out for gestures that are impolite. Sometimes you may not be
aware that what you do is not correct. And this could lead to many problems. I’m sure you know what
an ‘OK’ gesture looks like. This is a thumb and a forefinger forming a circle. This is a nice gesture for
us but it is very offensive in Latin America. Why? Because in this culture it symbolizes the part of the
body on which people sit. Also, there’s the opposite situation. Somebody wants to offend you, and
you don’t realize it. You may be surprised how offensive it is to show somebody the soles, that’s the
108
bottom of your shoes in Turkey. That is because that part of your ‘clothes’ are usually dirty.
Sometimes when you see a gesture you may not realize that it has a meaning. In a pub in Australia
when you have finished your beer and turn your glass upside down it’s a signal that you want to have
a fight with anyone in the pub. This gesture may be very dangerous if you do not realize its meaning.
Luckily our foreign friends usually realize we use incorrect gestures not because we want to be rude
but because we don’t understand those cultural differences.
Listening 28
-
-
And our next news item concerns a missing person, a missing girl to be exact. We have Inspector
Morris in the studio who would like to make an appeal. Inspector Morris.
Thank you. We are looking for a thirteen-year-old girl known to her friends as Charlie, though her
real name is Charlotte Smith. Charlotte comes from the village of Swinton and is quite well known
in the area. Now we are quite anxious to find this girl as she doesn’t usually stay away from home
without telling her parents. So, please listen carefully and we would appreciate any assistance you
can give us. Charlie was reported missing at half past five when she didn’t arrive home from
school. She left school at 3.45 pm, and was expected back home at 4.00. When she didn’t show
up her parents phoned around to see if she was at her friends, and not being able to find out
where she was, they notified us. Charlie is quite tall for her age, 1m 40 cm, slightly built, and with
shoulder length blonde hair parted in the middle. The thing you really can’t miss about her is her
broken arm which is in a plaster. The plaster is very colourful as there are many drawings on it
made by her friends. Charlie is a student at the St John Fisher School, and as usual she was
wearing her school uniform. I guess everybody knows what that looks like. She was carrying a
blue and white backpack and an umbrella. Now, we have been able to trace her steps after she
left school. She left school with three friends and caught the bus with them. After she had got off
the bus and had said goodbye to her friends, she walked along Church Lane in the direction of
Swinton. She was actually last seen in Betty’s sweet shop. The owner clearly remembers her
coming in to buy some chocolate. She has not been seen since. Charlie should have continued
along Church Lane and taken a left to her home. But, because it was raining heavily, she could
have taken a short cut across Rose Woods. We ask anyone who was in Church Lane or in Rose
Woods any time after 3.45 today, to think carefully and try to remember if you saw a girl fitting
the description we’ve given. If you did, could you please call the Police on 342 8879? The number
is appearing on the screen now. The police would also like to organise a search party, now we are
not suggesting anything serious may have happened to her, but, because of the bad weather, she
may have fallen and got hurt. Anyone who would like to join the search party should meet at the
Red Bull on Church Lane at 7.00 pm. Thank you for your help in this and I know that Charlie’s
parent would also wish to thank you.
Thank you Inspector Morris, and now the sports news.
Listening 29
And now in our local news programme we’ll focus on the report of a dangerous event which happened
in our city recently. Last Saturday, in the afternoon, our inhabitants were terrified by a sudden
explosion which took place outside a very popular Italian restaurant. The Milano Restaurant, located in
Green Street, central Bristol, is a famous lunch meeting place both for businessmen and local
residents. The incident happened at 2.15 when, as usual, there were a lot of customers in the
restaurant. Luckily, the explosion wasn’t a powerful one, so there were not many victims. Fourteen
restaurant customers suffered some slight injuries. The ambulance was called immediately and they
were all given quick medical help. Additionally, one passer-by was hurt in the head and had to be
taken to hospital. The doctors say that his life is not threatened. After arriving at the scene of the
event the police started the investigation. First of all they were looking for the causes of the incident.
In the beginning, they thought that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. During the previous
week, there had been some gas system repairs in the street just in front of the restaurant. However,
it later turned out that the explosion was caused by a small bomb left in a plastic bag near the table
outside the restaurant. Although there weren’t very serious injuries amongst people, the explosion led
to a lot of damage. The whole restaurant is completely in ruins now. All the chairs and tables were
broken into pieces. The windows were smashed and there was glass all over the place. Moreover, two
cars which were parked in front of the restaurant got damaged as well. The police have not finished
109
the investigation yet. However, the public has already been informed about the real reason for the
explosion. At first, the police suspected that the incident was an act of the local Mafia’s revenge on
the restaurant owner as he had refused to pay for so-called protection several times. The
investigation, however, showed that the restaurant owner had planned the explosion himself. He had
been in debt for a long time, and in this way he tried to get the money from the insurance company.
The restaurant was insured for a very large sum of money; unfortunately, we have no details about
the amount. As soon as the police had found enough proof, the restaurant owner was arrested. He is
being questioned now but for the time being he refuses to answer any questions. All the time he
claims he is innocent. The police have also found out that the owner was helped by one of his waiters.
The man has a criminal record and it was he who got the explosives from the black market. He also
made and planted the bomb. Sadly, before the police managed to arrest him, he disappeared and has
not been seen since. The investigation is still being continued and if any new details of the case are
revealed, we’ll report on them in our further programmes.
Listening 30
And now in our local news we'll come back to the incident, which has happened in our town lately. As
most of us have probably heard the local factory producing pesticides caught fire two days ago at
about 7 p.m. Although the fire brigade came immediately, it wasn't easy to put out the fire. There was
a strong wind and the fire, which started in the main building, spread quickly burning more and more
parts of the factory. Finally after two hours the firemen put out the last flames and all the danger was
defeated by about 9 p.m. During the whole operation one fireman got hurt in the chest. When he got
inside the main hall, a burning board fell onto him and hit him hard. Luckily he was immediately pulled
out by his colleague. Fortunately, no other people suffered any injuries as the employees had already
gone home. The only man who could have been in danger was a night guard who had luckily left the
main building to check the area and the fence outside just before the fire. As the causes of the fire
are concerned, the first thought was that some unsecured flammable materials caught fire. There had
been reports that the factory did not meet safety requirements and it had been given time to improve
safety conditions. However, one of the firemen discovered a hole in the fence beside the main
building, which gave a suspicion of arson. After a careful investigation it was confirmed that
somebody had broken in and set fire on purpose in the main building. The factory was damaged so
much that the police had difficulty in establishing where the fire started. At first they were sure that
the fire had been set in the main hall. Yet it turned out that the arsonist had got to the chemical
laboratory. That man spilled petrol, lit it and from there the fire easily spread to the rooms on other
floors. Practically, the police have already finished the investigation. However, a special team of
inspectors is working on the scene. Their initial evaluation of the damage is approximately 1.5 million
Euros. The inspectors are also going to look into the safety measure which should be improved. Their
final report will be presented on July 30th, even though they are expected to finish their inspection by
July 13th. After the report has been published, the decision about rebuilding the factory will be taken.
We’ll keep you informed.
Listening 31
You’re listening to Hellenic Radio at 106.3 FM. I’m George Harris and you’re going to hear the latest
news. On Monday, a Greek convoy was attacked on its way to Baghdad. The convoy was carrying
humanitarian aid. According to the Foreign Ministry, it was attacked some 90 kilometres away from
the Iraqi capital. In this convoy, there was Greek Foreign Service Officer to Iraq, Glaridis. The
attackers were trying to immobilise his jeep and fired upon it twice. However, they failed and no one
was injured. The other three cars were not attacked. It is unknown who carried out the assault, and
whether the convoy was just a target of opportunity. Glaridis reported the event to Deputy Foreign
Minister Andreas Loverdos. He told him that in the group there were three members of the Greek
rescue team and that the Greek mission managed to reach Baghdad safely. Yesterday, the Police said
they had stopped a pair of suspected drug dealers. They were transporting 56 kilos of cannabis into
Greece in a private car. While the police were searching the car they also found five hand grenades.
One of the grenades was armed and ready for use. Additionally, they also found five detonators and
55 9mm bullets. The police managed to identify the man and the woman. The woman, who was
driving, is a 32-year-old Maria Anastassiades. The man is a 34-year-old Albanian Costas Vekios and it
was him who was holding the armed grenade. Police believe that the drugs and ammunition had been
110
picked up by the pair on the Greek-Albanian border shortly before their arrest. The pair will soon
appear before a public prosecutor. The police are still searching for other members of the group in
Athens and Albania. Stay with us for more news just after this short commercial break.
Listening 32
This is John Smith reporting from post-war Iraq. Now, that the fight’s over, what is life like there?
Well, I’ve been talking to the Iraqi people and I’ve also interview some Irish soldiers. In fact, I’ve
been talking to Irish soldiers from A Company of the Royal Irish Regiment. They are stationed near
the isolated village of Mahaha. They came to Iraq three months ago and are going to stay here for
three months more. Now, first of all, I asked them where they lived. Well, this might be a surprise for
you, but they are accommodated in the place that used to be the Iraqi Army Headquarters. The Irish
had to renovate the building completely because the Iraqi soldiers had completely destroyed it before
they left. Once they had made sure they had good accommodation, the soldiers form A company
quickly organised foot and vehicle patrols through the streets of the village. But they wanted to be
seen by the villagers as friends not enemies, so they decided not to wear their combat helmets but to
wear berets. They wanted the locals to feel their presence and because of that they patrolled the
streets four times a day. At first, the cooperation between the Irish soldiers and the leaders of the
local communities wasn’t that good. The local people simple didn’t listen to what the Irishmen said.
But the soldiers skilfully solved the problem and both sides began to cooperate. Also, they announced
a weapons amnesty. As a result, the Iraqis handed over more than 100 hundred rifles. What else are
the soldiers trying to do? Well, they are trying to provide law and order. But they are using methods
that are completely different from those used by Husain’s people. For example, they’re helping the
local community to reopen places and they are being successful in opening the local school. They
would like to reopen the factory, too, but this may be a tougher task. Another thing is that during
Saddam’s rule, the villagers were not allowed to do many things. They can do them now. For
example, in the narrow streets, one can hear the villagers pray again. Praying was stopped 15 years
ago. What successes have the Irish soldiers had so far? Well, the best success they’ve had happened
a few hours after they moved into the area, when they were searching local houses. The saw some
suspicious characters, acted quickly and arrested them. These characters were senior members of the
Bath Party and of the local militia. A great success. And why was it a great success? It was because
the soldiers didn’t have to fire a single shot. This is quite unusual. And there are many dangerous
incidents during such searches, and quite often soldiers need to use their fire arms. As you can see,
the Irish soldiers have been very busy since they arrived three months ago and they have had some
success. And life in Iraq has improved a great deal.
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Part Three
Listening 33
Ah Hello, so good to have so many visitors. I’m so glad you could come. Welcome to Northwood Hall.
Northwood Hall is the home of the Wilkes family, or it was until the last member of the family Cornelius Wilkes - died here 200 years ago. Cornelius Wilkes was probably one of the most evil and
sadistic men who ever lived. The stories of his terrible acts are told in story, and it's difficult to know
where truth ends and imagination begins. But, perhaps you'd like to hear about Cornelius Wilkes as
we go through the house. Please follow me. The house was built in 1587, and has been empty since
March 1767, 200 years ago. Why? The answer is simple, Northwood Hall is haunted. This is the Great
Hall where Cornelius played as a boy. The decoration on the walls is nearly all gone and the staircase
is falling apart, but the floor is still in good condition, for few people have entered the Hall since 1767.
When Cornelius was 25 his parents died. Some say it was the wish of the devil. He inherited this great
house, 400 acres of land, a cellar containing over 2,000 bottles of rare wine, 20 servants, 5 carriages
and a great deal of money. And now we are in the huge panelled dining room. It was in this room
that Cornelius Wilkes lived, ate and slept. He so disliked the 20 great bedrooms. The vast curtains of
this room remained closed, night and day. In this dining hall Cornelius gave huge and frequent parties
for all his friends – idlers, drunkards and no-goods. But all were rich and all were weak. The winds of
hell blew round the Hall at night. People say they still hear them on the anniversaries of his more evil
parties. By 1767, Cornelius was 35 years old. For ten years he'd been living like a madman but now
his money, his wine and his lands had all gone. Gone too, were many of his friends, like rats deserting
a sinking ship. Cornelius looked 50 with the eyes of a madman. He developed a quavering voice, and
a stammer, which he could scarcely control, a stammer which ended in a crazy laughter. On the 11th
of March 1767, Cornelius Wilkes gave his last party. His last five friends came as darkness was falling,
to drink the last few bottles of wine. The six of them drank until midnight. When the clock struck the
hour Cornelius got to his feet, waving an empty bottle around above his head. With a terrible cry, he
threw the bottle at a wall. His friends watched in horror. The bottle smashed against the stone. The
sound of thunder crashed through the room. A great flash of lightning shot out from the wall and
stabbed Cornelius through the heart. Cornelius Wilkes was dead. His friends, out of their minds with
fear, ran for the door. They never reached the safety of the outside world. One by one, they dropped
dead. But that is not the end of the story. There is still one strange and unexplained fact. The next
morning, when the Hall was broken into, there was no sign whatsoever of Cornelius Wilkes or his five
friends. What had happened to their bodies?
Listening 34
And now a report about a change in the law and a big argument about it. Should your past life be a
secret? If you were a law-abiding citizen today, does it matter that you broke the law many years
ago? It the past, our law protected the secret of law-abiding people. Employers couldn’t ask you
whether you had ever committed a crime but now that has changed for one group of employees –
care workers. Women and men who look after sick people or young people or people who need
protection. Under the new law, employers can ask about crimes committed in the past. In fact they
must find out about anybody who wants to become a care worker. Of course, there’s a good reason
for the new law. Not long ago the public were shocked and angry when a local newspaper reported
stories of workers in nursing homes who actually attacked the patients in their care. But some people
are not happy with the law and they’ve been explaining their objections at a series of public meetings.
One problem is the text of the law. May people say that it isn’t clear. Another problem is cost. It
would be very expensive to check the past live of all employees. The law says that they must check
everybody. Including janitors and others who were simply not involved in the care of patients. And
there have been personal problems for some unlucky individuals. Take the case of Paula Fisher. She
used to support her family by working, not as a nurse but as a nurse’s assistant. Her employers
checked her past and found that eleven years ago she was found guilty of a crime. A violent crime.
Paula was a violent young woman. But then she changed her life, and she’s never been in trouble
since. Good worker and a responsible mother. But the law says she must loose her job. And listen to
Sam Clark. He’s the manager of the Mark Talbot Recovery Centre which tries to help drug addicts.
Sam says that the new law will force him fire most of his workers. Why? Because they’re ex-addicts,
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which means they are ex-criminals. In fact, many ex-addicts make excellent care workers Sam says.
They understand better than anyone the problems of the centre’s patients who are trying to brake
their drug habit. I’ve been reading the details of the new law and it’s full of numbers. Twenty five for
example. That’s the number of so-called serious crimes. Crimes such as murder, sexual assault, drug
dealing and so on. Anyone who has committed one of these serious crimes can never work in a care
centre. Then there’s one hundred and fifty eight. That’s the number of so called lesser crimes.
Anybody who’s committed one of these can try to get a care worker’s job or try to keep the job they
have. They must go to the Department of Health and Family Services and try to prove that they have
changed their lives. If they make a good case, their department may allow them to work. So, these
are some of the problems which people are discussing at these public meetings. The idea of the
meetings is to help Parliament when they consider how to change the law. And everyone agrees there
will be changes. Everybody wants to protect helpless people in care centres but nobody wants to
destroy the lives of good law-abiding care workers.
Listening 35
I was 17 and I was living with my parents in Taiwan. It all began in the middle of the night. It was
around 2 a.m., but I wasn't in bed. My parents had gone to Canada on a trip, so I was on my own.
When the quake came, I was so scared. I didn't know what was happening, I didn't know what to do.
I ran and hid under a big desk until the earthquake was over. I heard the fish tank fall down and
shatter. Everything in the house was falling: books, cupboards, glasses, everything. It lasted about 30
to 40 seconds, but it seemed like forever. And at last they stopped and everything was quiet. I tried to
call my friends to find out if they were OK, but I couldn't get through. The phone wasn't working, and
there wasn’t any electricity. I looked for my little radio, but it took me hours. At last I found it and
listened to the news. The announcer said: "Earthquake 921 measured 7.3 on the Richter scale. In
Taipei a 12-story building has collapsed and more than seventy people were killed. Many cities have
been badly damaged." This news was amazing; the building which collapsed was very near my house,
only 15 minutes away. I think I was very, very lucky. Next day, I started to clean the house. My
mother's friend came to help me. She lived near the house and she knew that my parents were in
Canada, so she came to check that I was OK. My parents saw the news on TV and they were really
worried about me, so they called my cell phone to make sure I was all right. I tried to use my cell
phone to call my friends because the ordinary phone wasn't working. Most of my friends were all
right, but I couldn't get in touch with some of them. I didn’t stay in the house; I lived with my aunt
until my parents came back from Taiwan. My aunt went to the disaster area to help the people there.
She told me, "You can't imagine! There were bodies lying in the street because there were no more
body bags to put them in. Everywhere there was a terrible smell. We are so lucky. We’re safe. We live
in this safe district here, not in the disaster area. We are all right." One of my friends lived in another
city. Her building collapsed. Almost all of the buildings in his city were damaged. In the end, the
newspapers said that a terrible number of people died in this earthquake, about 2340. I think the
people of Taiwan have recovered from the sadness of earthquake 921, but we must never forget what
happened. I learned many things from this terrible experience. I realised, for example, that wherever
I live, I have to be prepared for earthquakes. I also learned that other people can be really helpful
when you need them. Thank God I am alive today.
Listening 36
So, you arrive at a TV studio, expecting to find it’s a busy, noisy, messy place. Right, that’s what you’d
expect to see inside a TV studio just before a show goes on, wouldn’t you? Well, you couldn’t be more
wrong. During the final moments before going on air, all is quiet. What you can see are the
cameramen waiting, the lights ready, the program guests taking their seats, and the hosts flipping
through his notes before the start of the discussion. There are only thirty seconds left. Silence, please!
And action. But how do they get to that stage? How is a television programme made? Well, let’s take
as an example a current affairs programme. If a journalist has to create a piece for a current affairs
programme, the work starts with finding a good story. Now, what makes a good story? Well, anything
of public interest, for example a corruption story, an environmental issue, or a criminal or political
investigation. Once the story has been decided on, the journalist needs to find out as many facts
about it as possible. He or she makes phone calls, meets people, reads newspaper cuttings and
watches library pictures. Sounds like the research-work stage is tough, doesn’t it? And not that
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exciting after all. But it has to be done. Once the research has been done, it’s time to decide what to
do with the material and plan the shooting stage. That is to decide who to interview, where to
interview them, and what questions to ask. But in order to do this, the journalist needs to know
exactly how much air time he or she has. That is, how long the viewers will see the material on the
screens of their TVs. The length of time on air decides how deeply the journalist can develop the story
line. Obviously, for TV, it’s not only the story that matters. The pictures are just as important. And
here the journalist has to use his imagination. Looking at two people talking all the time is not very
exciting. The journalist has to think of ways of introducing other images, maps, diagrams, film of
people and places in action. So, good picture selections matters a lot. Making a good interview is not
all that easy, too. First, you must make sure you talk to the relevant people. The interviewee should
not only be experts in their fields, but also good speakers. A television audience will not want to listen
to one person who speaks for five minutes, with frequent pauses, before getting to the conclusion.
There’s no time for it. TV is fast, so the journalist will not be able to use more than a minute-long
sound bite in the program. Once the journalist has made all the interviews, and shot all the film he
wants, he has to edit this material, that is put it all together. The right sound bites have to be
accompanied by well-written voice-overs to link them into short and logical pieces. The picture
covering the voice-over should complement whatever is being said. After it’s all done, the package is
ready to go on air and face the criticism of millions of viewers. So, you’ve gone through the whole TV
production process and a programme is ready now to go on air. There are only thirty seconds left,
silence please, and action.
Listening 37
In Zambia, in the Luano Valley, there is the Chingombe Mission. It is run by Polish priests. I spent
some time there helping its boss, Father Marcel. He was a Pole like myself. During my stay, there
were a few nervous situations. One day a man was attacked by a hippo on the Lukasashi River. He
desperately needed to get to the mission to get medical help. Unfortunately, the only transportation
available was a wheelbarrow. The injured man was pushed for 10 hours until they finally reached our
mission and clinic. The nurses quickly took him in and began treating him. Now, how did this happen?
He’d been fishing with his son, when suddenly, he saw some hippos. One of them was with a baby. I
think this is why it got so aggressive and attacked the poor man. The mother-hippo went after his
canoe, knocked it, and then grabbed his leg and tried to drawn the man in deep water. Luckily, the
man escaped but had a very serious injury. The sister who was in charge of the Chingombe Clinic
disinfected the man's leg. Then she told me it would have to be amputated. The clinic personnel
contacted the Flying Doctor service by radio. They asked for a plane that would take the injured man
to a hospital in the Copperbelt. The plane didn't arrive until the following day. Five people were loaded
into it, including the injured man. During take-off, the plane's wings snagged on some tall thick grass.
The plane lost its balance and went straight towards the bush. Fortunately, the pilot managed to stop
it before it crashed into some trees. The plane was damaged but did not explode. I said to the pilot,
'You were lucky'. He replied, 'It was not luck. It was the Lord's protection. The pilot was a Baptist
missionary. This accident wasn't the strangest thing that I witnessed. Soon after that something even
more scary happened in the area. A mother went with her daughter to do some washing by the river.
She left her there and went further along the river bank to a fishing place behind some trees. When
she returned she saw her daughter being attacked by a crocodile. Without hesitation she ran to
rescue her daughter. With her hands she forced the crocodile's jaws to stay open. The animal was
unable to grip the girl firmly in its mouth and gave up after a struggle. These are just a couple of
incidents that occurred during my stay at the Chingombe Mission.
Listening 38
In the last few months, there have been a number of near-misses in the air over the south of
England. Incidents were planes have come within seconds of a mid-air collision which would have
caused the lives of hundreds of people. To discuss this problem, I have with me squadron leader Bob
Tailor.
- Bob, good-evening.
- Good evening.
- Bob, the number of mid-air incidents must be worrying. Is there any reason why they are on the
increase?
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Well, obviously, the volume of air-traffic is increasing all the time. Heathrow is the busiest airport
in the world, and with three other airports around London, the sky over the south of England is
pretty busy.
But surely, with improved technology, it should be easier for air-traffic controllers to check where
planes are and to guide them safely.
Certainly, the technology helps. There’d be no hope of preventing accidents without it, but there
are problems. Air-traffic controllers are very over-stretched. It’s an extremely demanding, tiring
job. And, quite honestly, we don’t have enough staff. Especially during peak holiday periods,
when there are so many charted planes in addition to the scheduled flights. It’s also important to
remember that each air-traffic controller is responsible for just one area of sky. And he or she
may not be aware what is happening in the next area of air space.
It was suggested in the press that last week’s near-miss was caused by the poor English of one of
the pilots.
Ah, yes. And I’m glad to have the chance to comment on that. That particular report turned out
not to be true. But, if one looks at the problem of air-safety world-wide rather than just in Britain,
language is undoubtedly a problem.
Why is that?
Well, there are some countries where the air-traffic controllers give a lot of non-English
instructions. For example, when they are talking to pilots from their national airline they may use
their common first language rather than English.
But why is that a problem if they understand each other perfectly well? Surely, they will
understand each other better if they are talking in their own language.
The problem is the danger it creates for other aircraft. The pilot of the national airline will,
obviously, understand exactly what he has to do. But any foreign planes waiting to land or take
off may well not understand. And if pilots don’t understand the instructions given to other aircraft,
there’s a very great danger that an accident may occur.
Can you give us an example of that, Bob?
Yes. Take one of the major airports world-wide – Madrid, for example. Planes taking off and
landing all the time with the briefest intervals between them. A pilot coming to land will, of
course, be concentrating on the instructions being given to him by his air-traffic controller. But, if
he could also hear and understand the instructions being given to other planes nearby by other
air-traffic controllers, it may be possible to prevent, for example, two airplanes approaching the
same runway simultaneously. On the other hand, if the controllers were talking to other planes in
a language the pilot didn’t understand, the pilot could be completely unaware that he was being
given the same landing instructions as another aircraft, and a tragic accident might result.
Squadron leader, Bob Taylor. Bob, thank you for joining us today.
My pleasure.
Listening 39
Good morning, welcome to the programme "People in the World". Today, you'll hear the story of
Maria and her 15-month-old son, Carlos who were trying to find a new life in America. Why did they
do it? Well, Maria says she couldn't live in Cuba any more. She wanted to be free and she wanted this
freedom for her son too. The moment she made up her mind, she started saving almost every cent of
her salary and after two years she had five thousand dollars - the price of the whole journey. She was
ready. The next day she paid a smuggler half the cost of the voyage and her adventure started. A
week later, at dawn, when Maria came to a deserted beach, she met the rest of the people who were
to travel with her. Altogether there were nine of them. They didn't have much. Each of them brought
food and water as they'd been forbidden to take any luggage. Soon four smugglers appeared carrying
a five-meter aluminium boat. Maria looked at it and she felt anxious; she didn't see how it was going
to stay afloat with all of them on board. It was designed to seat six people and it wasn't equipped
with life jackets and a motor. The only good thing was that the smugglers had sailed to America many
times. They didn't need a compass or a map to find the way. Raul, the smuggler who was running the
operation, nodded to the group and shouted, "Get in." Then he and other smugglers started rowing
against the tide. Less than 24 hours later, the clear skies darkened. The tragedy started. The local
port issued a bulletin: a storm was moving to the coast of Florida. When the first gusts were recorded
to the Cuban Coast Guard station, officials ordered all boats back to the port. The people in the boat
did not hear the warning. Not realizing the danger they continued their journey. The wind was getting
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stronger and stronger and the waves became very high. Suddenly, one of them hit the back of the
boat and Carlos slipped out of his mother's arms. He fell into the water. Screaming, Maria rose to
jump in after him. Yet, one of the men pushed her back down. He reached overboard, caught the
child's arm and pulled him into the boat. Second later another wave broke the boat in half and the
passengers fell into the water. Three of them had no chance; they drowned immediately and no one
could help them. The rest hung to the floating parts of the boat desperately fighting for their lives.
After nearly five hours, when they couldn't hold on any more, they were spotted by a boat.
Unfortunately, it was a Cuban Coast Guard boat. The survivors were taken aboard and arrested.
Surely, you'd like to know the end of the story. Well, in a suburb south of Havana is the headquarters
of Cuba's State Security. The survivors were taken there after dark and 48 hours later the lucky ones
were allowed to go back home. Raul, the boss of the smugglers was left behind and his family still
doesn't know where he is. You may say that those people should feel discouraged by that tragic
experience. Well, maybe they should, but they aren't. Just hours after they were released, the
survivors reunited on the shore for a memorial service. They prayed for their drowned companions.
Then, one by one, they said they were more determined than ever to leave Cuba.
Listening 40
Welcome to the programme “Famous people of the 20 th century”. Today we are going to talk about
Amelia Earhart, a famous American pilot. Amelia Earhart was born in 1897, in Kansas, USA. Even as a
child she didn't behave like a typical girl. She climbed trees and hunted rats with her rifle - but she
wasn't particularly interested in flying. She saw her first plane when she was 10, and wasn't
impressed at all. But she was very interested in newspaper reports about women who were successful
in male professions, such as engineering, law and management. During the First World War she
worked as a nurse in a military hospital, and later started to study medicine at university. Then, in
1920, Amelia's life changed. She went to an aviation fair with her father and had a 10-minute flight in
a plane. That was it. As soon as the plane left the ground, Amelia knew that she had to fly. So Amelia
found herself a flying teacher and started to learn to fly. She took all sorts of strange jobs to pay for
the lessons. She practiced a lot on a yellow plane that was called “Canary”. She loved it and had to
have it. So she worked even more saving all the time and finally her dream came true. She bought it.
In 1922 she took 'Canary' up to a height of 14,000 feet, breaking the women's altitude record. In
1928, Amelia was working as a social worker in Boston when she received an amazing phone call. She
was invited to join pilot Wilmer Stultz on a flight across the Atlantic. Even though she was just a
passenger, she was still the first woman passenger to fly across the Atlantic. She became famous and
traveled around the country giving lectures. Later on she wrote a book, called '20 Hours, 40 minutes',
about her experiences during the crossing. At that time she also met George Putnam who became her
manager and after a few years her husband. Then, in 1932, once again Amelia flew across the
Atlantic. This time she did it on her own, something that only one person, Lindbergh, had ever done
before. She broke several records with this flight: the first woman to make the solo crossing, the
longest non-stop distance for a woman and the shortest time for the flight. When she was nearly 40,
Amelia decided that she was ready for a final challenge - to be the first woman to fly around the
world. She tried in June 1937, with her navigator, Fred Noonan. She’d decided that this was going to
be her last long distance record-breaking flight. In the beginning everything went smoothly and they
landed in New Guinea in July. The next stage was from New Guinea to Howland Island, a tiny spot of
land in the Pacific Ocean. But in the middle of her flight the plane, the navigator and pilot simply
disappeared in bad weather. A rescue search was started immediately but nothing was found. The
United States government spent $4 million looking for Amelia, which makes it the most expensive airand-sea search in history. A lighthouse was built on Howland Island in her memory. People today are
still speculating about what might have happened to Amelia and Fred Noonan. There are even
theories that they might have landed on an unknown island and lived for many more years. Whatever
happened, Amelia Earhart is remembered as a brave pioneer for both aviation and for women.
Listening 41
Have you seen the comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral? If you have, you’ll remember the star actor
Hugh Grant, in the first wedding making very funny mistakes in the role of the best man. It’s a
difficult role and an important one. And because it’s so important, the bridegroom, the poor chap who
is just about to get married, must be very careful in the selection of the right person for the job. Now,
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the bridegroom is the only person who can choose a best man. Not even the bride has the right to
interfere. No matter how much she would love to influence the final choice, it’s the groom who has
the last word. I the past, the bridegroom used to choose a single men. In other words, an unmarried
man. But nowadays, at most weddings the best man is a married man. Young men today are not so
serious and grooms prefer older, more experienced men who are more likely to be married. Grooms
themselves are getting married late in life and may prefer a best man who’s closer to their age. Most
often, the groom chooses the person who is nearest to him to be his best man – maybe a brother, a
more distant relative, or an old friend. But the choice is not always so obvious, because the
bridegroom’s closest friend may not have the right skills for such an important job. And the
requirements are many. First, there’s the preparation for the wedding. The best men must be willing
and able to help with the organisation and to deal with the practical problems. For example, he may
have to check that the right number of taxis has been ordered and that they’ll arrive on time. He may
have to show guests where to sit. The bride’s family and the friends on one side. The groom’s family
and friends on the other. Or he may have to tell the guests how to get to the reception. Then, during
the wedding ceremony, he must stand by the groom and produce the ring for the groom to put on the
bride’s finger. This means he has to keep the ring safe and remember to bring it to the wedding.
Nowadays, it can be twice as difficult. Often the bride also gives a ring to the groom, so the best man
has to remember two rings. And what cold be more embarrassing than to reach the climax of the
wedding and find there are no rings to exchange to show their family and friends that they are now
man and wife. Fortunately, this is the best man’s only worry. He doesn’t have to arrange the flowers,
pay the organist or hire a photographer. At last but not least, the reception – the party after the
ceremony. Here the best man must be able to make a speech without being a bore. It’s an old
tradition at English wedding receptions to make a speech before you propose a toast. The bride’s
father gives the first speech and then proposes the happiness and prosperity of the bride and
bridegroom. The bridegroom replies to the toast, makes his own speech and he proposes a toast to
the health and the happiness of the bride’s maids. Then, the best man replies to the toast on behalf of
the bride’s maids and makes the final speech. Because he’s the last to speak, his speech is expected
to be light and funny. At the end of the speech, the guests should be in a happy mood, but by this
time they also want to start eating and continue drinking. So, above all, the best man must make his
speech not only funny, but as short as possible.
Listening 42
Well, ladies and gentlemen that was the latest news service and our next programme is about fashion
and an art form that has become extremely popular recently, I mean tattooing. You can see tattoos
everywhere, on many parts of human bodies especially now on hot spring or summer days.
Technically the only places you can’t have them are on hair, teeth and nails. You might think it’s
mainly teenagers and young fashion victims who are wearing tattoos and feel proud because of that.
Well, you are wrong. These days age or profession doesn’t really matter – you would be surprised
how many respectable people have tattoos, and are happy to show them occasionally. However,
tattooing has not always been so common and associated with fashion and art. Not so long ago
tattoos were connected with people of dubious morality: prisoners, sailors, servicemen or prostitutes.
Interestingly, it was sailors who brought them back from Polynesian islands some 200 years ago. The
word ‘tattoo’ comes from the Tahitan word tattu, which means ‘to mark’. At first the fashion spread
very slowly, but soon tattooing attracted artists who developed techniques and set high artistic
standards. Did you know that tattoos were also popular among people from more prominent social
classes such as the royalty and the aristocracy? Kings often had tattoos. Take for example the Danish
King Frederick IX. He sported a dragon, a Jerusalem Cross and his family coat of arms. Quite an
unusual combination, don’t you think? The kings of England liked their tattoos as well, for instance,
King George V had a tattoo dragon on his body, too. Even Charles, the Prince of Wales, has a tattoo.
Why do the royals decide on having tattoos? Is it just for fun or for some other secret reason? Well,
we can only speculate about that. And what about the motifs used for tattoos? Well, there’re no rules
about that. However, the major styles in tattooing include Tribal – bold, simple patterns in black ink,
Celtic – complex line drawings, again usually black, Oriental – fish, clouds, dragons, etc., and Portrait
– images taken from photos, usually in black and grey ink. In fact, nowadays almost any kind of
image can be turned into a tattoo, in a full range of colours and on almost all parts of the body. I
believe most of us realise that tattooing is quite painful and you need to have some courage to have
them made. So, what does the process of tattooing look like? Well, tattoos are created by injecting ink
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into skin by means of a tattoo gun. It consists of a needle attached to a machine. Surprisingly, it was
invented by Thomas Edison, but he never had the courage to have himself tattooed. The machine
moves the needle up and down very rapidly penetrating the skin to a depth of one millimetre. The
artist changes colours by dipping the tip of the needle into various colour ink just like a painter does
into a palette. As you may suspect, although not very pleasant, the process is not dangerous, if the
tattoo is applied by a qualified artist in a clean, well-equipped and registered studio. Even though, the
number of illegal studios has got smaller, in many places unregistered tattoo studios still outnumber
the official ones. But even in the best ones infections and complications can occur. Some of them are
very serious indeed such as AIDS for instance. This can happen, if you get tattooed by a ‘scratcher’,
that is, someone who bought a tattoo gun by mail order, and doesn’t know how to use it safely. The
main disadvantage of tattoos is that they are permanent. Although they blur, that is, become less
clear with age, they never disappear completely. You must have heard stories of how difficult it is to
get rid of them. And often extremely painful as well. Local anaesthetics may prove insufficient in
relieving pain. Therefore it has become more common to remove tattoos with a laser. But as you can
imagine, this is very expensive. Moreover, there is no guarantee it won’t hurt or that there will be no
scars. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you or your nearest and dearest are considering having a tattoo
think twice. And for a start stick to the temporary tattoos you can remove easily and painlessly.
Listening 43
Good morning. My name’s Phil and I would like to start by thanking you for inviting me on your radio
programme. You’ve invited me on the show because I’ve just come back from Japan and you want me
to talk about my experiences there. Well, I can’t talk about all my experiences but I will talk about
going to a Japanese public bath. Well, actually, I didn’t go very often, because they are very
expensive and I was only teaching English there, so I didn’t have a lot of money. So, what do you do
when you go to a public bath? Well, the first thing, and this didn’t surprised me, is that you have to
take your shoes off. The Japanese want to keep the dirt from outside out of the bath. Then you pay
the entrance fee to the woman at the front counter. Next you go into the dressing room to get
undressed. And here you might get embarrassed. The thing is that the woman who takes the money
sits on a raised platform where she can have a clear view of the men’s dressing room. Really, I’m
telling you the truth. They do this so the woman can keep an eye on your belongings while you are in
the bath. Make sure nothing is stolen. Oh, yes, and there is something else that may embarrass you if
you go to a Japanese public bath. And that is that you don’t wear a swimming costume. In fact you
wear nothing at all. Well, when you get into the main bathing area you have to wash your whole body
while sitting on a small stool about forty centimetres high. I found this really hard to get used to. It’s
not easy to wash yourself when you’re sitting down. Sometimes, people help each other out by
washing each other’s backs. Well, after that, after you’ve rinsed off all the soap, they usually have two
or three large baths where you can soak for a while. And you don’t bathe alone. There are other
people in there with you. You see, traditionally the bath played an important role in the community. It
gave neighbours a chance to meet and socialise. I know it sounds strange to us, but that’s what they
did. Well, after you’ve all done bathing, people relax in the dressing room. They watch TV, drink tea
or juice and just sit and talk to a friend. It’s quite relaxing really and quite, quite an experience. If you
do happen to go to Japan, you really should try out the public baths.
Listening 44
Professor George Brown, of the Institute of Human Genetics in Oxford says that up to three
million Britons may be wrong about who their real father is. He suggests that 6% of the population
may have a different father to the one they think they are related to. One way to find out whether
you are a father or not is to do tests on paternity in a paternity testing service. Professor Brown is in
charge of one such place. His center carries out 350 DNA tests a year. But he warns that men should
think twice before they try to find out, because the truth is often unkind. One third of the results are a
big surprise for those taking part in the test. “There is a real Pandora’s Box in these sorts of tests,”
says the professor. “Once you’ve opened the lid, you cannot close it again. And you must ask yourself
whether you are ready to cope with the truth because it can have a disastrous effect on your family.”
Professor Brown gives an example of a father who for three years from the birth raised a child as his
own. His beloved daughter. They were a happy family and nobody could really say that they would be
soon apart. The child had problems with her kidneys and she was waiting for a transplant. Her father
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volunteered to be a donor. After blood and DNA tests it turned out that the father and his daughter
were not related. Then he discovered that his wife was having an affair. Now, two years on, he is
divorced. And he is no longer a father. He has tried to stay in contact with the child of his marriage,
but with no success. He has lost his legal status as a father. Her biological parents want him out of
her life, and there is nothing he can do. Professor Brown is sure that to avoid such tragedy and pain
paternity tests should be done routinely on every newborn child. On each birth certificate should be
written both biological father, which will never change, and the social father, which may well change
more than once throughout the life of the child. “I am sure that such a system would bring clarity and
certainty to all,” - he says. “But to have those test on every newborn child in not realistic.”
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ANSWER KEY
Reading
Listening
Text 1
1B 2A 3B 4C 5B 6A 7A
Listening 1
1C 2A 3C 4A 5B 6B 7B
Text 2
1C 2C 3A 4B 5A 6A 7A
Listening 2
1B 2B 3C 4B 5A 6B 7C
Text 3
1B 2A 3B 4B 5C 6C 7A
Listening 3
1B 2A 3C 4A 5C 6B 7A
Text 4
1B 2C 3A 4C 5A 6B 7A
Listening 4
1B 2C 3A 4B 5B 6A 7A
Text 5
1C 2B 3B 4B 5C 6A 7C
Listening 5
1C 2C 3C 4C 5A 6A 7C
Text 6
1C 2B 3B 4C 5C 6A 7B
Listening 6
1C 2B 3B 4C 5B 6C 7B
Text 7
1B 2B 3B 4A 5C 6C 7C
Listening 7
1C 2C 3A 4C 5B 6B 7C
Text 8
1A 2C 3C 4B 5A 6C 7A
Listening 8
1A 2C 3B 4B 5B 6B 7C
Text 9
1C 2A 3C 4C 5B 6C 7B
Listening 9
1B 2C 3B 4C 5B 6C 7A
Text 10
1A 2C 3C
Listening 10
1C 2C 3C 4B 5C 6B 7B
Text 11
1C 2A 3A 4B
Listening 11
1C 2C 3C
Text 12
1B 2B 3B 4C 5C
Listening 12
1C 2 A
Text 13
1B 2C 3A 4C
Listening 13
1B 2B
Text 14
1C 2A 3A
Listening 14
1A 2A 3B 4C 5C
Listening 15
1C 2B
Text 15
1G 2E 3B 4D 5F 6C
Listening 16
1A 2B 3B 4C
Text 16
1G 2D 3B 4F 5E 6C
Listening 17
1B 2A 3A
Text 17
1B 2D 3F 4G 5E 6C
Text 18
1G 2D 3C 4B 5F 6H
Listening 18
Text 19
1D 2E 3G 4B 5C 6H
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Text 20 1G 2C 3D 4H 5E 6F
Text 21
1H 2C 3F 4D 5B 6G
Text 22
1D 2H 3B 4F 5E 6G
Text 23
1C 2H 3D 4B 5G 6F
Text 24
1H 2F 3D 4E 5C 6G
Text 25
1H 2B 3E 4F 5C 6G
Text 26
1F 2H 3C 4B 5D 6G
Text 27
1F 2H 3G 4B 5C 6D
Text 28
1E 2C 3G 4H 5B 6F
Text 29
1F 2F 3T 4F 5F 6T 7F
Text 30
1F 2F 3T 4F 5T 6T 7T
Text 31
1F 2F 3F 4F 5T 6F 7F
Text 32
1F 2T 3F 4F 5T 6F 7T
Text 33
1F 2F 3F 4T 5T 6F 7F
Text 34
1F 2F 3T 4T 5F 6T 7F
Text 35
1F 2T 3T 4F 5T 6F 7T
Text 36
1T 2T 3F 4T 5F 6F 7T
Text 37
1F 2T 3F 4F 5F 6T 7T
Text 38
1F 2T 3F 4F 5F 6T 7T
Text 39
1T 2T 3F 4F 5T 6F 7T
Text 40
1T 2T 3T 4F 5T 6F 7F
Text 41
1T 2T 3F 4F 5T 6T 7F
Text 42
1F 2T 3F 4T 5F 6F 7T
Text 43
1F 2T 3F 4F 5F 6T 7F
9.30
fog in London
1,5 hours
fish sandwiches
Manchester
two
Listening 19
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5th March
10 am.
45 mph
zebra crossing
DIY 222E
broken leg
Listening 20
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7 o’clock
heavy snow/strong wind
forest/10 kilometres from the border crossing
6/5 Chechen +1 Ukrainian
trying to get to/reach Germany
fine or prison sentence
Listening 21
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Evening Star
the see was calm
at 1.40 am
four
20 km north of Gdynia
250 000 dollars
Listening 22
1.
2.
3.
120
Private (Fred) Green & Sergeant Brown
18.10
near the traffic lights
4.
5.
6.
slippery roads or ice on the road(s)
none
broken (left) headlight
Listening 29
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Listening 23
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5 miles out of San Francisco
6.15
on the driver’s side of the car
tire blew out
green pick-up truck
back and head injuries
Listening 30
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Listening 24
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
10:01
Greenway School, or football pitch (field), or
Baker Street
car crash
(Corporal) Fred Gordon
tanker and the football field (pitch)
driver (Fred Gordon) cut by (flying) glass
outside the Flying Horse pub
fifteen minutes after closing/11.15
cut forehead
wallet/some money and credit cards
55 pounds (45+10)
male
decent(ly)
in their thirties
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
90 km from Baghdad
Nobody
Deputy Foreign Minister
A pair of drug dealers
Grenades (detonators, bullets)
Searching for other members of the group
Listening 32
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
tall
Listening 26
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
two hours
zero
somebody set fire on purpose
chemical laboratory
1,5 million Euros
July 30th
Listening 31
Listening 25
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2. 15
15
(small bomb)
two cars
getting money (from insurance)
restaurant owner
a journalist
CA 129
bad weather
Pusan Mountains (accept faulty spelling)
at the front
press people
six months
they didn’t have to shoot / didn’t fire a shot
local school
a hundred (rifles)
Iraqi Army Headquarters
four times a day
Listening 33
1F 2T 3T 4F 5T 7F 7F
Listening 34
1F 2T 3F 4T 5T 6T 7T
Listening 35
1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6F 7F
Listening 36
1F 2F 3F 4T 5T 6F 7F
Listening 37
1F 2F 3T 4F 5T 6T 7F
Listening 38
1F 2T 3F 4T 5F 6F 7T
Listening 39
1F 2T 3T 4F 5F 6F 7F
Listening 40
1F 2F 3F 4T 5T 6T 7T
Listening 41
1F 2F 3T 4F 5F 6T 7T
Listening 42
1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6T 7F
Listening 28
Listening 43
1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6F 7T
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Listening 44
1F 2F 3T 4F T5 6F 7F
Listening 27
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
lift your eyebrows
I don’t know or I don’t understand (one option is
enough)
eat everything
Latin America
they are dirty
your want to have a fight
5.30
broken arm (in a plaster)
school uniform
(Betty’s) sweet shop
342 887 9
at the Red Bull, on Church Lane
121