Part 1
You will hear a telephone conversation between a caller and a receptionist at a company that arranges rooms for parties.
Receptionist: Good morning, the Function Company. Can I help you?
Caller: Hi. A friend told me that you can arrange rooms for hire for parties and things like that.
Receptionist: That's right. We have about 10 hotels on our list and we hire out function rooms on their behalf. Are you having a party?
Caller: Yes, it's for my birthday, my 21st.
Receptionist: Okay. First of all, can you tell me how many people you're inviting?
Caller: I'm not sure yet. It depends on the cost.
Receptionist: Okay. Well, the Exchange Hotel might be a good choice for you. They have a room which will seat up to 45 and will take 75 people standing. Are you going to have a meal or just a buffet?
Caller: Uh, I think a buffet. It doesn't have to be a sit-down meal. I don't know the Exchange Hotel. Can you tell me a bit more about it?
Receptionist: Well, it was built about 150 years ago. We regularly arrange parties there. They have a room for hire on the fifth floor. It's not the most central hotel, but it's very easy for people to find. It's very popular for wedding parties, so I'll have to check if it's available.
Caller: Okay. Is the room nice? Have you seen it?
Receptionist: I have. It's quite big and very light, but the best thing is that it has a wonderful view. On a fine evening, you can see for miles.
Caller: Oh, sounds good. How much is it?
Receptionist: It's 32 pounds a head. That includes the hire of the room and the standard buffet, but not drinks. And you have to have at least 35 guests.
Caller: Well, that won't be a problem. We're likely to be more than that. Can you tell me when it's available?
Receptionist: I can check that for you. Which dates are you looking at?
Caller: Uh, ideally the middle to end of April, weekends.
Receptionist: Let me see. Um, they can do any Saturday in April, but not Fridays or Sundays.
Caller: Okay. But if I want something bigger, what would you recommend?
Receptionist: There's the Limerick Hotel.
Caller: How do you spell that? I'm taking notes.
Receptionist: It's L-I-M-E-R-I-C-K. There's a large room there which seats up to 75 people, or there's room for 125 standing.
Caller: Oh, I expect we'll be standing. Where is it?
Receptionist: It's in the business district, so public transport's good. It's got a large car park too, though. The room's on the ground floor and it's recently been refurbished.
Caller: Is there a garden we could use if we're on the ground floor?
Receptionist: There's a small one that would be available.
Caller: Oh, sounds nice, especially if it's a warm evening. And the cost?
Receptionist: The buffet is 36 pounds per person. Shall I check availability in April for you?
Caller: Yes, please.
Receptionist: Okay. You said weekends, didn't you?
Caller: Yes.
Receptionist: No Fridays again, and it's not free on the first Saturday, that's the 6th, but it's free on the 13th and 20th.
Caller: Thank you.
Caller: I think the first hotel looks best for me, but I need two or three days to think about it.
Receptionist: Okay. Well, if I take your booking today, I can hold it for a week. So if you want to change your mind or have a look at other possible hotels, we can do that. To confirm the booking, I then need a deposit of 35%. You pay the other 65% 10 days before the party.
Caller: Okay. And when do I have to confirm numbers?
Receptionist: The number of guests needs to be confirmed five days before the party, and you also have to decide which menu you want then.
Caller: That sounds okay. I'll ring you on Monday. Is this your direct line? Um, 368207?
Receptionist: I'll be out of the office on Monday, but you can call me on my mobile phone on 044298611.
Caller: All right. I've got all that. I'll ring you back later. Thanks.
Receptionist: Bye then.
Part 2
You will hear a radio presenter describing a new cycle route called the Amsden Way.
Presenter: Welcome to our holiday special. Today, I'll be talking about a new cycle route in this area called the Amsden Way. It's well signposted, so you can see exactly where to go, and it's an easy route with no steep hills. It's 35 km long from Amsden to Lowington and consists partly of cycle paths and partly roads.
Presenter: Let me outline the route briefly, starting at Amsden railway station. The first part is a cycle path running eastwards, roughly parallel to the rail track. Almost immediately, the railway curves away and goes around the southern side of a little lake, but the cycle path takes the northern route around the lake — keep your eyes open for the swans that nest there.
Presenter: The path then joins the road and the next landmark is a group of massive rocks which tower over the countryside. You will see them to the east of the road just before the road goes under the railway. Soon, you'll come to a fork in the road where you're going to leave the road and head off toward the river — but if you want to make a detour to Coline Nature Reserve, go straight on instead of leaving the road here.
Presenter: Continuing along the cycle path, you'll reach the River Cleve. The cycle path follows the river southwards. After a bit, you'll see the Ashington China factory, which closed in 1962. When you get there, there's a bridge over the river and you carry on with Langton Forest to the south and farmland to the north. The route ends at Langton village, where you'll find a railway station, so you can either catch the train here or cycle back to Amsden.
Presenter: One point to remember when you're cycling on the Amsden Way is that you should keep your eyes open for sheep which occasionally stray onto the cycle path from adjoining fields. The path is well constructed, so it's not affected by wet or muddy conditions. There might be the odd car or tractor when you're cycling on roads, but most traffic has been diverted to the main road that bypasses the whole area.
Presenter: Now, a bit more about some of the places you'll see. The starting point, Amsden Station, was quite busy in the early 20th century with services to several major cities, but it was closed in the 1950s. A small company was set up to turn it into a sort of railway museum, maintaining it in the style of the 1950s, and the station was ready for trains to start using it again earlier this year — though it's only used by a few local trains now.
Presenter: There's a visitor center at the station which has a small exhibition about the history of railway transport all over the world and a facility for hiring bikes if you don't have one of your own. There's also a small shop just across the road from the station that sells refreshments.
Presenter: As I said, you can cycle to Langton and return to Amsden by train, or the other way around, because you can take your cycle on the train — there's no need to book, there's plenty of room and no extra charge. However, the service is very limited and the trains between these two places don't run on weekdays.
Presenter: If you want to see the River Elm, there's a footpath from Amsden station and you can safely leave your bike in the car park there. Leave yourself plenty of time, though — going down's easy, but the climb up is very steep. The scenery is wonderful and the footpath runs right next to the river down to a waterfall.
Presenter: Finally, if you'd like to do some more cycling in the area, there are lots of other cycle paths. We'll be talking on the radio about them and you'll be able to get full details in the Saturday edition of the local paper. The National Cycle Network also has some details on their website, although they don't have many local ones yet.
Part 3
You will hear a professor discussing the Willows furniture company with two students, Tom and Bella.
Professor: Before we start, Tom and Bella, thanks for coming in today to talk about the key case studies that will help you to understand your classwork better. Now, I hope you've read the notes I gave you last week on the furniture company Willows, as this will be the focus of our discussion today. Let's begin. Who can tell me what the current focus of the company's business is?
Tom: The company used to be very large with many retail outlets across the country. However, since the recession, there have been fewer people spending money on furniture, and so the company was forced to close all of its outlets and now only operates online.
Professor: Well done, Tom. Bella, can you add anything?
Bella: Willows used to produce a very large number of products such as tables, chairs, and light fittings. However, through market research, they realized that most of their profit was made from the sale of bookcases, so they now specialize in this one product.
Professor: Very good. Does anyone know how our department began its contact with Willows?
Tom: Did you contact the company, Professor?
Professor: No, Tom, it wasn't through me.
Bella: Our headmaster saw an article that the manager had written in the newspaper and became very interested in the company. He contacted Willows and arranged for a student to work there full-time during the summer.
Professor: Yes, exactly. Does anyone know what the student thought of their time working at Willows?
Tom: Yes, he is a friend of ours. He worked as a member of the design team, creating technical drawings of the furniture using a computer. There was a special software that he used, which he said had a bad interface and was very difficult to predict. However, it was very efficient and helpful for quickly drawing up furniture designs.
Professor: How interesting.
Bella: Yes, it was. We both visited him whilst he was working there and he showed us around. Unfortunately, visitors were not allowed to access the IT department, but it was great to chat with his colleagues.
Professor: Did you meet his manager?
Tom: His manager is a very busy man, so he didn't have time to meet with us. However, we were allowed to inspect the accounts, which really helped us to understand the effects of the software on the company.
Professor: Well, what an exciting experience. Now, before I forget, next week I'll be conducting face-to-face interviews with each of you to prepare for job interviews.
Bella: Can we do it as a group?
Professor: I'm afraid not, Bella. I want to give each of you my undivided attention, and there will be too much disturbance if I interview you all together. Plus, it will be more realistic if I interview you alone.
Tom: Have you finished writing the feedback on our exam results, Professor?
Professor: Yes, I have, Tom. And I must say that I was not disappointed. I am glad to say that your performance has dramatically increased since you began attending this after school club, and you have both scored above the average. If you continue to work hard, your results should soon improve significantly.
Professor: Now, back to our discussion about Willows. Can anyone tell me what business decisions might benefit the company?
Bella: A new system would definitely benefit Willows. Their system is very outdated. I don't think it would help them to gain more profit. However, the system is capable of doing the work of hundreds of people. This would, therefore, significantly lower labor costs.
Tom: I agree. Unfortunately, unless they also replace the machinery in their workshop, the new system won't reduce the production time.
Bella: That is a shame. If they can't reduce their production time, they won't be able to increase sales. The answer is to hire more staff in order to increase the efficiency of the production line.
Professor: Yes, you have both made interesting points. Now for one final question before we finish this week's session. How will new clients be affected by the new system?
Tom: Unfortunately, the new system does not allow clients to connect to the Willow system from home, so they are unable to access their work online. This also means that the system presents no opportunity to attract more contacts since clients are unable to view it from their homes.
Bella: Yes, that's true. However, it could definitely benefit clients who visit the showroom. The system is very interactive and allows clients to easily browse the furniture catalog, which will save them a lot of time.
Tom: It's a shame that staff are still needed to guide clients through the online system, as it means that no savings can be made in labor costs. I think the major benefit of the new system is that it enables staff to design the furniture in front of the client, which allows them to get a lot more involved in the design.
Professor: Bravo. You've both contributed fantastic points to our conversation. That concludes our session for today. I'll see you next week.
Part 4
You will hear a lecture in the health sciences about photic sneezing.
Lecturer: Welcome to this lecture in the health sciences intended to inspire you and get you thinking about your research project. Today, I want to show you how even ordinary human behavior like sneezing, which normally happens when you get a cold, may be worth studying.
Lecturer: Have you ever been walking outside when a bright shaft of sunlight hits you between the eyes? The reaction of some people is immediate — an unpleasant prickling in the nose, an increase in their breathing rate, and an uncontrollable watering of the eyes. Then, almost as quickly, they sneeze and gain relief. This so-called photic or light sneeze is a reflex, which means it can't be controlled, and it's very common — anything between one in 10 and one in three people might be affected.
Lecturer: In fact, a sneeze is triggered by an irritation of some sort in the linings of the nostrils. The result is a cascade of reactions, beginning with the stimulation of the nerve endings all over the face and generating an explosive expulsion of air at up to 95 miles an hour, like an extremely localized personal hurricane. The body's coordination of such reactions is complicated and belongs to the subconscious control hardware that regulates other things, for example, tears in the eyes.
Lecturer: People have been interested in the phenomenon of photic sneezing for thousands of years. The Greek philosopher Aristotle asked why the sun prompts us to sneeze, whereas the heat of a fire does not. A partial answer came 2,000 years later when the English philosopher Francis Bacon showed that his photic sneeze had nothing to do with heat — if he closed his eyes when going into the sun, he didn't sneeze even though the heat was still there.
Lecturer: Henry Everett, a consultant psychiatrist at John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, was the first to make a systematic attempt to understand the condition, noting in 1964 that 30% of the staff employed in the medical department were photic sneezers. Everett did some further investigation. He found that while 80% of sneezers reported other sneezers among their relatives, only 20% of non-sneezers did.
Lecturer: Now, there are factors that are certain indicators of a photic sneeze. First of all, those with the condition almost always sneeze a set number of times on exposure to light. In addition to this, the sneeze depends on a contrast in visible brightness, such as when the sun moves out from behind a cloud. And the sneezing fit won't be repeated immediately — the body needs time before it can be recharged. So if you go back into a darkened space and then immediately re-enter bright light, you will not sneeze again.
Lecturer: Now on to possible applications of research in this area. The photic sneeze had long been overlooked because its effects are generally less than serious, although the government did once study it as a risk factor for pilots. Yet work on such a simple disorder might lead to important discoveries on more acute conditions such as migraine or epilepsy, which are also caused by cross wires in the nervous system. That is why I encourage you to select something similar for your first investigative medical project — it could be the beginning of something even more useful.