Part 1: Accommodation request

SECTION 1
Questions 1 – 10

Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Accommodation request

Example
Name: Anna Black

• Type of accommodation: a house
• Preferred location: the 1 ____________________ of the town
• Facilities required: furnished property – with a 2 ____________________
• Period of time required: one year
• Start date of rental period: 3 ____________________
• Present address: 56, Stone Street
• Phone number: (mobile) 07942 326584
• Reference from: her 4 ____________________
• Maximum rent: 5 £ ____________________ per month
• Applicant’s job: 6 ____________________

Documents to be supplied

• ID check: applicant’s passport
• Credit check: a 7 ____________________

Viewing arrangements

• Address of property: 33, 8 ____________________ Street
• Viewing day and time: Saturday 4 p.m
• To check:
  • Is there a 9 ____________________ in the house?
  • Is there a 10 ____________________ nearby?

 

KEYS

1southeast

2.washing machine

3.15th May

4.employer

5.675

6.translator

7.bank statement

8.Ainsworth

9.telephone

10.bus stop

Section 1

Agent: Good morning, how can I help you?
Anna: I’m interested in renting somewhere to live in town and was wondering what you had available.
Agent: Excellent, I’ll just need to find out a bit more about what you’re looking for and then we can see what we’ve got. So your name is…
Anna: Anna Black.
Agent: Good, got that. And what sort of accommodation are you looking for, ideally?
Anna: Well, I don’t know if this is going to be possible but ideally a house. I live in a flat at the moment and I’ve got really noisy neighbours. That’s the reason I want to move.
Agent: Oh dear, and I’m afraid most of the accommodation for rent in the city centre is flats. Would you be prepared to look elsewhere?
Anna: There are a lot of nice properties in the south-east.
Agent: Oh yes, that would be really convenient for me.
Anna: Quite a few of my friends are there and it would be really close to my work.
Agent: And there’s more chance of finding what you’re after there. I’d take it you’d be looking for a furnished place, would you?
Anna: Yes, and I know it’s not always included but I’d like to have a washing machine. I hate going to laundrettes and if I’m a bit further out of the city it might be a problem to find one.
Agent: I’ll see what I can do. Now, how long would you need the property for? Bearing in mind that the minimum is six months.
Anna: One year. I don’t want to chop and change too often, and that’d give me the chance to see how things work out. And then I could reassess the situation after that.
Agent: Mm-hmm. And when would you like to move in?
Anna: I’ve got to be out of my present place by the 30th of April. Then I’m going to visit my parents for a couple of weeks, so let’s say 15th of May.
Agent: And what’s your current address? I’d better make a note of that for our files and I’ll put that you’re there only until the end of April.
Anna: 56 Stone Street.
Agent: Mm-hmm. And is there a phone number I can get you on?
Anna: Yes, the best one to use is my mobile, and that’s 07942-326-584.
Agent: Now of course we’ll need a reference before we’re able to proceed with any contract. Who would be able to supply you with a reference?
Anna: I’m pretty sure my employer will do that for me, I don’t really know my doctor or anyone like that here.
Agent: Good, now let’s see what we’ve got that might suit you. Oh, first, how much are you looking to pay?
Anna: I’m paying £650 a month at the moment and the most I can go to is £675. I really can’t go over that.
Agent: That shouldn’t be any problem, it’s a realistic figure, and can I ask what it is you do for a living?
Anna: Since I came here, I’ve been working for various bodies within the city as a translator, you know, for the police and the hospital.
Agent: Okay, good. Now if we do find something we’ll need to check your ID, so we’ll need to see your passport and of course to do the credit check, we’ll need to see a bank statement in order to complete all the paperwork.
Anna: No problem. I can bring those in tomorrow.
Agent: Good. Now we’ve got a small house to rent that I think might be just what you’re looking for. 33 Ainsworth Street. That’s A-I-N-S-W-O-R-T-H Street. Here are the details.
Anna: This looks great.
Agent: Right size, right price? Well, I could arrange for you to view it on Saturday, around 4pm if that’s convenient.
Anna: Sounds good. I can’t see any mention of a telephone in the details, though. I’d need that.
Agent: Hmm, I’ll look into that and I can double-check when we’re at the property.
Anna: And, sorry, there’s another thing. Do you happen to know if there’s a bus stop reasonably close to the house, so that I can get around easily?
Agent: Again, if I can’t find out before Saturday, I’ll check it out when we’re there.
Anna: OK, so I’ll drop by tomorrow with those papers you need and then see you at the property Saturday at 4pm.
Agent: Excellent.

Part 2: Fire Procedures Talk

SECTION 2 

Questions 11-20

Questions 11-14

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Information for fire wardens

11. The company is having this meeting about fire procedures because
    A. employees did badly in the last annual fire drill.
    B. there have been changes in the building layout.
    C. new staff have joined the company.
12. There has been a recent upgrade to
    A. the sprinkler system.
    B. the fire extinguishers.
    C. the alarm system.
13. During the minor fire in January, some staff working in the factory
    A. were unable to read fire notices.
    B. left fire doors open.
    C. were unwilling to start the fire alarm.
14. In the fire in January, the problem with office staff was that they
    A. refused to leave personal items behind.
    B. moved too slowly during the evacuation.
    C. did not move far enough away from the building.

Questions 15 – 20

What comment does the speaker make about each of the following aspects of fire safety?

Write the correct letter, A, B or C, next to questions 15-20

Comments

A: It should be a priority for fire wardens

B: It will be dealt with by an external specialist

C: It does not require attention

 

Aspects of fire safety

1. ensuring there are no obstacles in fire escape routes: …………

2. checking that fire doors are easily opened: …………

3. showing staff how to look after each other: …………

4. training staff to use fire extinguishers correctly: …………

5. checking that staff are aware of evacuation points: …………

6. checking that flammable liquids are properly stored:

…………

 

KEYS

11.B

12.C

13.C

14.C

15.A

16.A

17.C

18.B

19.A

20.C

Section 2 – Fire Procedures Talk

Hello, and thanks to everyone for being on time.
The meeting will be fairly short and we’ll only be looking at fire procedures. I had a similar meeting with the senior fire officers earlier today, but you’re all here because you’ve volunteered to act as fire wardens for your own particular department, and for some of you this will be your first time in the role, although you’ll probably have taken part in several fire drills since you’ve been here.

But now the construction work is finished and we have a couple of new corridors and stairways, we need the meeting to update everyone. And before I forget, you might have noticed a bit of upgrading last week. The handheld fire extinguishers, the standard ones on the wall, the report says they’re all working well, as is the overhead sprinkler system. But the old alarm system has been replaced and should be a lot more reliable.

Anyway, as fire wardens, you have a number of responsibilities. OK, those wardens responsible for the factory buildings, you’ll remember we had a minor fire back in January. Luckily, the fire doors around the room stopped most of the smoke from getting out, but the alarm should have been pressed a lot earlier. From what I understand, staff felt somewhat reluctant to activate it themselves, were looking for someone senior, so please ensure that everyone knows it’s their responsibility to take action immediately.

Can you also make sure that if anyone new has been hired since then, they’ve read the fire notices? And wardens for office departments, you’ll also have to have a word with your staff. When the fire alarm went off in January in that minor fire, people got out of the office building pretty quickly. That was fine, but once they were out, they stood right in front of the doors. So if the fire crews had needed to access the offices, they would have been prevented. Good to see that everyone had left their bags and stuff behind, though.

OK, next on the agenda. There are a few aspects of fire safety that we need to go through with all you wardens. Firstly, we want to make sure that when we have the next fire drill there’s nothing blocking the way in the escape routes. No obstacles, I mean. So please have a look at that as soon as possible. We want to be able to get outside very quickly.

One thing that should definitely be on your to-do list is making sure no one’s locked the fire doors and that it’s easy enough to get through them. Now, you might remember that last year we had a fire officer come and visit and show us what to do if we see a colleague starting to suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation. Well, the same officer’s coming back to lead another session.

Another issue is how to handle the fire extinguishers. Someone from the local fire department has booked in to teach people how to do that. I think it would be a good idea if fire wardens and department staff attended those sessions.

Let’s see, what else is on the list? Oh yes, the evacuation points: the green area behind the main car park, the pavement on Hunter Street, and the unused area behind the factory car park. Fire wardens need to make sure all staff are familiar with these locations for evacuation. So please send out emails directly after the meeting.

And the last point is to do with flammable liquids. I believe there have been a few concerns about where they were being stored in the warehouse, but that’s been resolved now. However, if anyone has anything else to report, do let me know.

Part 3: Conversation between Jennifer and Adam

SECTION 3

Questions 21–25 What comments do the speakers make about each of the following types of pigeon?

Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A–H, next to questions 21–25.

 

Comments

A          eats meat

B          communicates with its wings

C          is found in a variety of locations

D          feeds on a particular type of plant

E          sings to attract a mate

F          is endangered

G         is brightly coloured

H          avoids the ground

Types of Pigeon         

21        Australian crested pigeon      …………

22        Rock pigeon                  …………

23        Black-banded pigeon  …………

24        Galapagos pigeon       …………

25        Nicobar pigeon           …………

Questions 26 – 30 Choose the correct letter, A, B or C

Pigeons

26 When people feed city pigeons, it causes them to

A breed more successfully.

B become overweight.

C get sick.

27 The Melbourne city council are tackling their pigeon problem by

A removing the pigeons from the city.

B scaring away pigeons.

C providing homes for the pigeons.

28 Jennifer and Adam agree that the second stage of the council scheme is

A expensive.

B cruel.

C ineffective.

29 What method of pigeon control was most successful in the city of Basel?

A trapping the pigeons

B educating the public

C building nesting sites

30 Adam and Jennifer decide to do some more research on how pigeons can

A affect our health.

B damage buildings.

C cause local flooding.

KEYS

21.B

22.C

23.H

24.D

25.G

26.A

27.C

28.A

29.B

30.A

Section 3 – Conversation between Jennifer and Adam

Adam: Hi, Jennifer.
Jennifer: Hey Adam, are you ready to compare notes for our presentation on pigeons for next week?
Adam: Yes, I think so. I found some really good sources describing all the different kinds of pigeons for the background section.
Jennifer: Me too. I knew they were a common bird, but didn’t realise there were so many types.
Adam: I found an interesting new study on the Australian Crested Pigeon. It makes a special sound to warn the rest of the flock of danger.
Jennifer: But a lot of birds use calls or songs to find a mate or to sound the alarm. What’s special about this one?
Adam: Well, it uses its wings.
Jennifer: Really?
Adam: Yes. If the pigeon is startled, it makes a whistling sound when it flies off. This sound warns other pigeons in the flock that there’s danger.
Jennifer: Interesting. I found a lot of stuff on the rock pigeons — they’re the ones with the widest distribution of all the pigeon species. They’ve been the most successful at adapting to different environments, haven’t they?
Adam: In contrast to the rock pigeon, there’s a pigeon in the north of Australia, the black-banded pigeon, which is restricted to one very small patch of forest. Another interesting thing about it is that unlike the typical pigeons we see on pavements and roads, it stays way up in the trees in the rainforest.
Jennifer: That’s unusual. They’re varied in terms of diet as well. The Galapagos pigeon, for example, gets all its nutrients from this one kind of cactus that grows on the island where it lives.
Adam: Really? So is there anything that pigeons can’t eat?
Jennifer: Yes actually, they should stay away from meat because it contains bacteria that is dangerous to them.
Adam: Oh right. You know, I thought pigeons all looked the same, but their plumage is really variable too. The Nicobar pigeon from Indonesia is very attractive — it has beautiful metallic green feathers. They’re not hunted.
Jennifer: Now, in the second part of our presentation, we plan to look at why pigeons are seen as pests nowadays, and what is being done to control them.
Adam: A lot of people in the city like to feed pigeons, don’t they?
Jennifer: Yes, some people think that it’s kind, but in fact it’s not a good idea.
Adam: I suppose human food isn’t very healthy for birds, especially fast food.
Jennifer: Actually, because the pigeons don’t have to spend time looking for food, they have more time to mate and reproduce — and so it results in population explosion.
Adam: I see. So the city becomes absolutely overrun by pigeons. That’s bad for the city and for the pigeons.
Jennifer: Now I read that here in Melbourne we have a pigeon problem in the centre of the city and the city council is trying to deal with it.
Adam: Yes, they’ve built some special nesting places in one of the parks in the city centre. They’re designed to house pigeons so they stop creating nests on buildings.
Jennifer: But isn’t that just changing the location of the problem?
Adam: Well, that’s just the first step. In the second stage of the council scheme, they exchange the pigeons’ eggs for dummy eggs. It’s like a form of birth control.
Jennifer: A very elaborate one — someone would have to go in and replace those eggs by hand.
Adam: Well yes, the program does work as a means of controlling the population, but the financial burden on the taxpayer is quite high.
Jennifer: Yes, I imagine it would be. The most successful pigeon control program in recent times was in Basel in Switzerland.
Adam: And what did they do?
Jennifer: Well, the City Council found that teaching the public about the negative effects of feeding pigeons was more effective than trapping the pigeons, or providing alternative nesting sites for them. These were both methods they had tried previously.
Adam: Really? We’ll have to include that finding.
Jennifer: Do you think we’ve got enough for our presentation, or should we do more research?
Adam: Well, I was thinking that we should also make it clear to the audience why pigeons in cities are undesirable.
Jennifer: Yes, we haven’t really done that yet.
Adam: Right, I’ve got some information on the damage their droppings do to buildings.
Jennifer: I’ve got something related to that — on how their feathers can block gutters and pipes causing water damage. But I haven’t found anything yet on the health risks that urban pigeons pose.
Adam: Neither have I. Let’s look for some information about that and add it.
Jennifer: Okay, can we meet again tomorrow in the computer lab too?

Part 4: Presentation about the Lontar Palm

SECTION 4

Questions 31-40

Complete the notes below

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

The Lontar Palm

The tree

• grows on Roti, an Indonesian island
• is known as the ‘tree of life’
• produces delicious juice
• has a fruit resembling a 31 ____________________ (female trees only)

People climbing the trees

• fix 32 ____________________ to the tree trunks to help them climb
• keep their tools attached to a 33 ____________________
• often own particular trees
• contribute to the upkeep of the communal fence

Using the juice

• It quickly becomes 34 ____________________ if left unprocessed.
• A concentrated form of it is drunk in the rainy season.
• It can be made into sugary 35 ____________________

Using other parts of the tree

The leaf is used:

• to make containers, bags and roofing
• as garden 36 ____________________
• for brightly decorated hats worn at a 37 ____________________
• for a musical instrument which sounds like a 38 ____________________

The stalk is used to make 39 ____________________
The trunk is used in the construction of 40 ____________________

 

KEYS

31.coconut

32.stones

33.belt

34.sour

35.biscuits

36.fertiliser

37.celebration

38.harp

39.roads

40.houses

Section 4 – Presentation about the Lontar Palm

As part of this semester’s geography project, I’m going to talk about a tall palm tree called the Lontar, which mainly grows on the island of Roti in the south of the Indonesian archipelago. Now, the Lontar is a truly amazing example of how one tree can sustain human life. The locals call it the tree of life, and with good reason, because the tree provides them with virtually everything they need in the way of food, drink, utensils, and shelter.

The Lontar juice is the most amazingly refreshing juice you’ll ever taste. The juice is collected from high in the tree in a process known as tapping. Basically, a slice is cut into part of the tree, and the sap flows slowly from it into a container. It’s then collected twice daily.

Male and female Lontar trees are different. Male Lontars can be tapped all their lives, so they are preferred. If the female tree is left untapped, a large fruit develops, like a coconut in appearance. The watery interior of the fruit can be drunk, but these fruits are often left to fall to the ground as animal feed.

Men and older boys climb to the tops of the trees to do the tapping. They don’t use safety equipment, but make things easier for themselves by tying stones to the trunk. What is amazing is that so much of the equipment they use in the tapping process is actually made from the tree itself. The men attach all the tools they need to a belt that they wear when climbing the tree.

In most cases, climbers own particular trees within their family. Ownership involves not only care of the trees themselves, but also a share in the maintenance of the fence, which belongs to the local community.

Anyway, more about this incredible juice. Tapping reaches a peak at the end of the dry season, which runs from September to October, as villagers work frantically to get their harvest in before the rains come, and it gets too wet and windy to climb. Whatever juice isn’t drunk immediately has to be processed as quickly as possible, as it turns sour very rapidly.

In the rainy season when no fresh juice is available, the locals drink a concentrated form with water added. The locals also use this rainy season version of the drink in other ways. For example, it can be used to make biscuits of brown sugar.

But the Lontar palm supplies much more than sustenance for the Rotanese. The broad Lontar leaves are woven into a huge number of things. Containers for watering the garden, and bags for transporting chickens to market. People also use them to cover the roofs of their homes. When the leaves are replaced every five years or so, the old ones are burned on the garden as a fertilizer. So you see, the leaves are never wasted.

The Rotanese also make a distinctive hat out of the leaf. Design-wise, they were inspired by 16th century Portuguese helmets. There are many for different occasions, ranging from simple ones for everyday use, to larger and more elaborate hats used for a celebration, which are painted in bright colors.

The Lontar leaf even provides the Rotanese people with a unique musical instrument known as the sousando. The leaf is made into a sounding board and has strings attached, which are plucked in the manner of a harp. And the sound produced is also similar.

But even that isn’t all. The stalks of the Lontar leaves can also be used. They are really strong and grow up to 1.5 meters long, and local people produce ropes from them.

Even when a Lontar tree becomes old and unproductive and no longer can be used for tapping, the whole tree is cut down and the thick trunk is utilized for building houses. Their immense strength means that they are highly valued for this purpose.

 

Part 1: Accommodation request

Part 2: Fire Procedures Talk

Part 3: Conversation between Jennifer and Adam

Part 4: Presentation about the Lontar Palm