SECTION 2

STUDENT:    Hello, umm, my classmates and I, umm, we are travelling from Asia. We are staying here in London for a couple of days and we need to know about the local bus or sightseeing bus services. Actually, we’re hoping to do a few excursions in London.

GUIDE:    OK. Well, I can give you lots of details about all sightseeing buses going from Leicester Square in the centre of London. This leaflet will be very helpful for you but I can tell you some of the main things. We’re here on Tottenham Court Road. You can save some money and do a bit of exercise by walking down Charing Cross Road for about 15 minutes. There are movie theatres and many souvenir shops around there.

STUDENT:    Are there any local buses that go there? Actually, we’re exhausted and have lots of unpacking to do.

GUIDE:    Sure, you can take the 381 or 108 bus from across the road. It takes about 5 minutes. Or you could take the tube and head south on the Northern Line but remember the tube is more expensive than the bus. It’s up to you.

STUDENT:    Thanks; by the way, is the British Museum around here? A friend of my friend recommended it to me. It is a great building in the UK, isn’t it?

GUIDE:    Yes, it’s so big. It’s just around the corner, three minutes by foot. There are a number of interesting exhibitions. Basically, the Great British Museum is a museum of splendid heritage, human history and culture in London. So its collections, the number of which is more than seven million objects or so, are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world, and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.

STUDENT:    Amazing... seven million objects. How much is the entrance fee?

GUIDE:    It's free of charge.

STUDENT:    Really? Why? I’m just wondering.

GUIDE:    Because the British government manages the national culture policy for educational tourism and culture services.

STUDENT:    OK. I see... So, I’ll go there first.

GUIDE:    Anything else?

STUDENT:    Every year our university runs an international backpacking contest as part of a scholarship so we are travelling across Europe. Our team won the contest last year. So, our project plan is to understand and learn something about European countries’ culture. After travelling we should hand in a report to the authority of the university.

GUIDE:    Great, I will give you my company email address; if you need help, contact me anytime. You got a pen?

STUDENT:    Thank you so much indeed.

GUIDE:     Jonathan.rose@londontravelguide.co.uk.

STUDENT:    Say again, please, how do you spell your name?

GUIDE:    OK. J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N.

STUDENT:    Right, I got it. I really appreciate your kindness, Jonathan.

GUIDE:    No problem, anytime. Bye, enjoy your trip.

STUDENT:    Cheers, bye.

SECTION 3

TUTOR:    Hi, Tom. How have you been getting on with your coursework on the “marketing-mix”?

TOM:    So far, so good... and I’ve been trying the varied approaching of the targeting last group for studying.

TUTOR:    Can you tell me how the coursework is going?

TOM:    Well, we agreed on four main targets for the marketing-mix, such as Product, Price, Place and Promotion to find out about how to do suitable data analysis in various markets.

TUTOR:    OK. Go on, Tom.

TOM; At first, we separated both tangible services and intangible services.

TUTOR:    Can you give me some examples of tangible and intangible business models?

TOM:    Umm. A tangible model is mass-produced or manufactured on a large scale with a specific volume of units. On the other hand, an intangible model is service based such as the culture and tourism Industry, or electronic products such as the mobile phone companies.

TUTOR:    That’s right.

TOM:    But I got several questions about that. Actually, I need to talk to a lecturer.

TUTOR:    Oh right. I’ll help you. Who do you want to meet?

TOM:    Catherine March. Do you know her? She’s in the Business Centre.

TUTOR:    Yes, of course, she’s the head course leader there.

TOM:    Yes. She was very helpful and so kind.

TUTOR:    Oh, that’s good. Did she give out anything in particular?

TOM:    Yeah. She recommended a marketing textbook called “Marketing-Mix and Strategy” written by Robin Kelly. And she also suggested I should book a couple of practice sessions using marketing practical system.

TUTOR:    OK. I’m sure you’ll find them useful.

TOM:    And, of course, do you know what Is related to “marketing-mix”?

TUTOR:    Sure... It’s the “Four Cs.”

TOM:    I was just wondering about that, actually.

TUTOR:    Umm... It’s for a customer focused marketing-mix known as the “Four Cs,” Commodity, Cost, Channel and Communication.

TOM:    So, what is the actual meaning of them?

TUTOR:    Right. Commodity is the product for the consumers. And cost is normally spending money or expenses, like selling cost, producing cost, and purchasing cost. And channel means a flow or doing process. The last one is communication which smoothly operates as “give and take” during marketing. Are you following me, Tom?

TOM:    Yes, it’s still a little unclear. Actually, I need to do some further reading on the concept    of marketing.

TUTOR:    Oh yes, well I got hold of a copy of the McCarthy and I thought it was great, but the campus    bookshop said it was out of stock. The library has an old version but it is not as useful and I’m afraid I’ve lent my copy to another student. I’ll give it to you next week when I get it back. OK, Tom?

TOM:    Thank you.

TUTOR:    No problem. Anyway, your writing style is very clear and you’ve included lots of interesting person alised explanations of your target area. And you’ve just got a couple of solutions for some additional cases on targeting. They are not too bad.

TOM:    I see. Could I just ask: which reference book would you recommend?

TUTOR:    Well, I’d go for something like “Critical Analysis Review.” Have you heard of it?

TOM:    Well, it’s the first time I’ve heard that title.

TUTOR:    It’s about markets within different zones and contains statistics on their specific areas of work.

TOM:    Oh, well, I can get them from the online journals too.

TUTOR:    Great... clearly... I think you should aim to cite more research data published later than 2005.

TOM:    OK. That’s not so difficult. When do you want that done by?

TUTOR:    Oh, relax, Tom. Take your time. Um, you should complete It by the end of this term. And I think you should note down Its main draft proposal.

TOM:    Yeah. Well, I’ll certainly try. When would the deadline be for that?

TUTOR:    My advice would be to get it done before you begin the research.

TOM:    OK. I’ll do that then. See you soon.

TUTOR:    Good for you, Tom.

SECTION 4

Tonight, I’m going to talk to you about the history of tea. These days, there are lots of chances to drink tea. Perhaps, you enjoy drinking ready-made tea. Tea has been an important part of traditional hospitality rules all over the world for several centuries.

Tea originated in China and was so popular that hundreds of people operated ceremonies in Eastern Asia. In Europe, tea was first imported by British sailors through North Western Europe. It was then delivered by Dutch maritime traders in the 16th century. At that time, tea became available via Moscow from the Far East to Europe. Tea also stood for independence as shown by the symbol of the American eagle from the Boston Tea Party.

In the last 400 years, tea leaves became available and practical throughout Asia and Europe. But the way people drank tea was changed a little. The Chinese regarded the quality of the leaves and utilised them as a vital part of their medical care. Other people added hot water, milk, sugar, spices like cinnamon and herbs like mint or sage to their tea. The variations of tea are unlimited. For instance, sesame oil is added to milky tea on chilly mornings in Western Sudan. Unlike coffee, English tea has acquired a good reputation as a therapeutic drink that enhances the body condition. Actually, in European and Arabic countries as well as in the Middle-East and Russia, tea was considered a restorative and health-giving plant for a long time. According to Cornelius Blankaart, a physician from Holland, mentioned that to keep good health, people should drink at least eight cups a day. However, over 50 cups a day could cause severe health problems.

While European coffee houses were frequented by men for things such as business meetings, middle-class women spent the tea time with guests in the house. With the arrival of the 19th century the price of tea decreased and the common people took the chance to drink tea with enthusiasm. Luxury tea was sold in tea bags which were made of cotton to suit the upper classes.

Nowadays, although tea and coffee consumption has become a significant part of society, a few Islamic groups prohibit drinking tea because it contains the stimulant caffeine.

From the Middle Eastern tradition of the nomadic Bedouin, guests are served with tea topped with cardamom and glasses of sugared tea refilled by the host in the guest tents. For over 1,000 years, Arab traders have been bringing the tea culture of Islamic customs to northern and western Africa. The tea was boiled with a lot of sugar for a long time.

In India, tea drinking keeps an important custom of daily life going. The Indians are accustomed to drinking It with milk. “Chai” as they call it means boiling milk adding tea, sugar and some spices. This process of making tea has spread throughout the world. Surprisingly, the custom of making tea mixed with “milk or water” in cafés has been carried over to the preparation of instant beverages. Today, at conferences and seminars in Britain, tea remains the most commonly served beverage.

OK, that’s the end. Are there any questions so far?