Prepare for IELTS General Training Volume 1

Section 2

You will hear a tour guide talking to some tourists. First you will have time to look at questions 11-16. [Pause 30 seconds] Now listen carefully and answer questions 11-16.

Tour Guide:

Hello and welcome to Edelworn Palace Estate! The map I'm just handing out... there you go ... you're welcome ... please pass the rest of those around for me, would you?... thanks ever so much ... now, where was I? Yes, the map James was kind enough to pass around shows the entire grounds of the estate. The bus is parked just here at the entrance gate to the estate, where the two guards are standing either side, see? We'll make our way in on foot as no public vehicles are allowed beyond this point. We're going to head straight up the main road towards the palace itself, and on our wav there, we'll stop to have a look around the gallery, which is about halfway up. You see it there on your map, I'm sure. Then, onwards to the palace, and we'll watch the changing of the guards. As the off-duty guardsmen make their way back to the residence of the guards, so too will we, by following the road just right of the palace on your map. The residence is on the corner, just before you come to the maze. We're privileged in that the guards have kindly opened up their doors to us so we can get an insight into how they live. After we spend about half an hour there, it's off to the maze we go - where we might spend a good deal longer! Well, where some of us might anyway! Opposite the maze, on the other side of the road, down a lane leading off the main road, is a delightful animal sanctuary. Oh! I do beg your pardon, that's not the animal sanctuary at all, but the archery range. Yes, the archery range, and we'll stop there next. Most of the sports and activities are on the other side of the estate. See, you have river-fishing, the cricket pitch and the golf course over there. That's the golf club by the way, at the end of the lane. We'll be lunching there a little later this afternoon. It's a beautiful area overlooking the forest and lake, and you can see the golf course itself right beside it. But back to the archery range now, and on from there we'll be stopping off at the observatory, which is more than 100 years old; it's on the way back to the main gate just after the animal sanctuary - yes, there's the animal sanctuary, and the birds of prey exhibit, which is, unfortunately, closed at present. We might take in the animal sanctuary after lunch if we've time, but I think we'll avoid the petting zoo, which is up that lane towards where the deer graze. Now, on our way to lunch at the golf club, we'll cross over the main road to the opposite side to the observatory and visit the botanical gardens. I think you'll agree that by lunchtime we'll certainly have worked up a hunger! Don't worry! It's only a short walk from the botanic gardens up the lane to the golf club, no more than 5 minutes, I'd say. Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the discussion you have some time to look at questions 17-20.

[Pause 30 seconds] Now listen and answer questions 17-20.

Now, after lunch you will have a choice of activities. Should you want to play golf, there's the nine-hole par-three course, which is good for intermediate players who have some experience, but I strongly recommend the pitch and put course for the complete novices among you. If golf isn't your cup of tea, you could partake in a game of cricket. Designed for people of all fitness and ability levels, our cricket matches are all about fun and having a good time -please don't take it too seriously; I guarantee first-timers will love it. For those of you who just want to relax and let the world pass you by, you can come fly fishing with our expert fisherman, John, though only if you have been fishing before. And depending on how long we spend doing activities, as I said before, we may or may not have time to visit the animal sanctuary after lunch, too. For those of you who are less than keen on sports however, and determined to see the animals, you can go there straight away and spend the afternoon in the company of some furry friends. Your final alternative is a cruise on the lake. The boat takes you on a journey all around the circumference and then back to the north-eastern side, where you can don your togs and take a dip in a specially heated section designed to make swimming there as pleasant and relaxing an experience as possible for you.

Narrator: That's the end of Section 2. You have half a minute to check your answers. [Pause 30 seconds]

Now turn to Section 3.

Section 3

You will hear a discussion between three students of business. First you have some time to look at questions 21-26. [Pause 30 seconds]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21-26.

S1: Did you have a chance to look at that case study yet?

S2: Yes, I had a read over the data last night. And you?

S3: I had a close look at it and made some notes actually.

S1: John! Are you feeling okay? It's unlike you to be such a conscientious student.

S3: Ha ha, very funny. No, I think it's an interesting project and I'm not going to pretend I don't enjoy researching something when I do.

S1: Well then John, in that case, let's start with you; what conclusions did you draw?

S3: Well, it's obvious for a start that both the departments responsible for car sales and car repair are struggling.

S2: Really? But surely the Motorcycle Department, which made, after all, the least profit is faring worse than any other.

S3: No Lisa; you're not taking into account last year's figures; both the Car Sales and the Car Repair Departments have seen their profits halve, while motorcycle profits, on the other hand, have remained steady, and may even have improved slightly. The fact that car sales generated at around a million in profits is neither here nor there if you ask me; that department performed the most poorly, relatively speaking.

S2: Yes, but it still brought in a huge amount of profit: as did the Car Valeting Department.

S3: I completely agree with you on that last point; a profit of just under 1.5 million is not to be sniffed at. Valeting had a good year this time out, not to mention the fact that, due to widening margins, the profit figure I just mentioned represented an increase of 100% on the year's before.

S1: Irrespective of what either of you say though, the bottom line is that the Car Repair Department was still the most profitable.

S3: True, very true. That's just quite a sharp drop from 3 million to just over 1.5, wouldn't you say?

S1: Of course. But let's look at why for a minute. I think it's something to do with the breakdown of costs. For example, take the Motorcycle Department; look at how high its fixed costs are - almost 75%. That's a formula for a steady, predictable and manageable business model with stable income and profits. On the other hand, Car Repair had huge variable costs, and relatively low fixed costs, accounting for only about 25% of its total costs incurred.

S3: And that's a recipe for unpredictability, which explains the dramatic fall in profits. The Car Repair Department has got to reduce its variable costs and increase its fixed costs if it's to start posting consistent returns.

S2:1 see what you're saying there and I completely agree. But what about the Car Sales Department - what explains the fall in profits it experienced?

S1: Look at the marketing expenditure; it spent most of its marketing budgets in the last quarter; that means the effects of the marketing push might not be felt until the next year, so maybe the figures are a little misleading. And perhaps that's why Car Valeting did so well: its marketing department spent most of its budget in the first two quarters, so sales and profits were noticeably up for the rest of the year. The question is, will Car Valeting continue to perform so well into the new year?

Narrator: Before you hear the rest of the discussion you have some time to look at questions 27-30. [Pause 30 seconds] Now listen and answer questions 27-30.

S2:I think there are several factors to consider when trying to answer the question. (1) Can it keep its variable costs low? (2) Is the economic recovery going to continue? And (3) Is the cost of equipment maintenance going to rise?

S3: In answer to your first question, yes, I believe that is one of the key strengths of the Car Valeting Department; variable costs are low and fixed costs are predictable in this market and that is not going to change. Furthermore, the margin is high, which makes valeting a very profitable activity.

S1: As for whether the economic recovery will continue though, that's an important question to ask. I mean people don't valet their cars as often when times are tough, so this is one of the department's greatest weaknesses; it's hard hit every time the economy goes through a rough patch.

S2: I agree with you, and I also think there is going to be an issue with equipment maintenance and replacement. Remember: this side of the business is only two years old and most of the machinery and equipment was purchased new. That means there were unlikely to be large repair and maintenance bills for the first while, but as the machinery gets older, these costs are only going to increase. I think Car Valeting will struggle to be as profitable next year for that reason. SI: Another question to ask is what to do with the profits - should the company reward its shareholders or reinvest?

S2: I think the profits should be ploughed back into the company to help it continue to grow. I would invest in the Motorcycle Department, as the company hasn't established itself in this market yet.

S1: Agreed.

S3: Yes, but it shouldn't put all its eggs in one basket.

S2: So where else do you suggest the investment should go?

S3: I would expand the Car Valeting business. The margins are so high that there is the potential to generate huge profits there. It's a no-brainer for me.

S1: I can see your point: the Car Sales and Car Repair don't need as much support as they are already well-established. I'll say this though; the company had better give its shareholders a return on their investment next year though, otherwise they will start to question the wisdom of purchasing shares; after all, what's the point in investing in a profitable business if you don't enjoy the fruits of your investment?

Narrator: That's the end of Section 3. You have half a minute to check your answers. [Pause 30 seconds]

Now turn to Section 4.

Section 4

You will hear part of a talk about the Great Pyramid of Giza. First you have some time to look at questions 31-40. [Pause 1 minute]

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31-40.

Thank you for coming along today. Archaeology has been my life's work and it is an honour to be able to share that which I love with the wider public and to, hopefully, instil a similar passion in some of you here today, and, who knows, maybe inspire the next generation of archaeologists. Now, if you have researched my background, you will know that for most of my career I have worked in Egypt, so, unsurprisingly, it is a little bit of Egyptian magic that I want to share with you today.

Look at the screen above me here. What you see is one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the world; it is, of course, the Great Pyramid of Giza or, at least, a diagram thereof. Let me first take you on a little walk through the pyramid to show you what it contains ...

Leading down the passageway from the entrance takes you to the subterranean chamber. Now, for any of you taking notes, let me spell that: subterranean - S-U-B-T-E-R-R-A-N-E-A-N - spelling has always been a weakness of mine, too, so never mind! Now no one really knows what this was meant to be, but some speculate that the king may have originally built this burial tomb here and then changed his mind. If we wander back up towards the entranceway and then take two lefts, we find ourselves in another chamber, almost directly above the subterranean one. This is called the Queen's Chamber, but not as its name suggests because it was the burial place of the queen. In fact, many Egyptologists believe this chamber housed the Pharaoh's 'spirit'. If we wander back out of the Queen's Chamber, we re-enter the main passageway in an area where it gets considerably wider. This widened passage is the Grand Gallery, thought to have been built as a glorious entranceway to the king's tomb.  Have any of you noticed the three smaller passageways here, here and here - two of them leading out of the upper sections of the pyramid? These are not, in fact, passageways at all, but rather air shafts that were necessary to maintain a supply of oxygen for slave workers as the building work was going on. Two of the air shafts lead into the signature room of the structure: the King's Chamber. It was inside this tower-shaped room that the Pharaoh's body was laid to rest. Magnificent, isn't it? Such an amazing feat of engineering, and to think that it's more than 5,000 years old.

It's hard for us today to appreciate just how much of an achievement it was to build a construction of this kind so long ago, but, to put it in perspective a little, bear in mind that the Egyptians had no motorised equipment, no computers to make difficult calculations as to the structural integrity of the building, no lorries or trucks to transport building materials, etc. They relied to a large extent on hand-held tools, and the harnessed power of animals and indeed other human beings (namely their slaves). An estimated 2.3 million blocks of limestone are believed to have gone into the building. These giant slabs were, it is thought, sourced from nearby quarries. Some of the Tura limestone used had to be transported across the Nile. But getting the limestone to the building site was a piece of cake compared to the task of transporting the estimated 80-tonne granite slabs used in the King's Chamber there. After all, these came from the town of Aswan, some 500 miles away. In total, it is believed that 8,000 tonnes of granite from Aswan, 5.5 million tonnes of limestone and 500,000 tonnes of mortar were used in the construction.

The ingenuity of the Ancient Egyptians was demonstrated time and time again. In response to the challenge of having to somehow cut the giant slabs of limestone and granite, the Egyptians devised a novel method which involved hammering wooden wedges into the stone. Water was then poured onto the wedges until they were completely soaked. As the wedges absorbed the water, they expanded, causing cracks to form in the rock as they did so, effectively cutting the slaps into pieces for the Egyptians.

At completion of the main structure, white casing stones were added. Sadly, little evidence remains of these and we can only imagine how beautiful the pyramid must have looked with this white facade adorning it. A massive earthquake which struck in A.D. 1300 loosened most of the outer casing stones and these were removed at the wishes of the then ruling Bahri Sultan, who wanted them reused to build mosques and fortresses in Cairo. In fact, many of the original casing stones can still be seen on structures around the city today.

The precise manner in which the pyramid was constructed is still not known. Various theories suggest the huge slabs of stone were either pulled, dragged, lifted or even rolled into place. Indeed, due to recent findings, some have also begun to question the notion that slave labour was used at all. This notion was first put forward by the Greeks thousands of years ago and has remained popular ever since, but archaeologists have recently discovered evidence of huge workers' camps, which seem to suggest that the building may have been undertaken by 'armies' of highly skilled workers rather than slaves.

One Egyptologist, Verner, posited that the huge numbers of highly skilled workers were organised into a hierarchy consisting of two gangs, each of about 100,000 men. According to Verner, the gangs were further divided into five groups or tribes of 20,000 men according to their skills. What is certain is that (fading)...

Narrator: That is the end of Section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers. [Pause 30 seconds] That is the end of the listening test. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answer to the Listening Answer Sheet.