Expert on Cambridge IELTS 09 Academic Listening Test 4 (Online Test)

Director: Hello everybody, and welcome to Parkson. I truely hope that you will enjoy working here, and indeed that some of you may take the opportunity to join our permanent staff.

Now, my purpose this morning is to give you a short overview of Parkson and a few pointers about working here. Then I'll hand over to Julia, Head of Human Resources, to begin the training. Right, now we've seen quite a mixed history in sales recently at Parkson. In 2005, sales climbed at an exciting rate, but then every company in the retailing industry suffered in 2007 as the global economy weakened and consumer confidence eroded. Parkson was no exception. Even with the significant amount of energy and newness we infused into our business, our financial results were softer than we had originally anticipated going into the year.

There were, however, some important positive outcomes - not the least of which is that Parkson outperformed most of its primary competitors in the crucial fourth quarter of 2009. We're delighted to see that sales have recovered to rise again in 2010, so the future looks bright. This indicates to us that our strategic priorities are on track and gives us confidence that we will continue to compete successfully when the economy bounces back. As a company, we have to watch and be proactive about where these sales are coming from. All of you here will be allocated to different departments, but you may be interested to know where your area stands in relationship to others. Parkson was traditionally basically an apparel retailer and apparel remains an important part of our business, but over recent years we've seen that reduces as furniture and home appliances have both grown, leaving us equally balanced on all fronts at the present time. This is a situation we'd be pleased to maintain, although the general increase in home appliances spending is predicted to affect all major players in our sector. Well, that's us. What about you, as temporary staff? Where do you fit in? Maintaining a happy and consistent workforce is going to need to be the primary aim. Failure to do so will result in an organisation being short quality people, which will spell its ultimate demise, and Parkson is no exception. Last year, we recruited temporary staff into every department, and this year we've done that again, actually increasing the numbers. And we expect to take on an even higher proportion in 2011. So, employees are the most valuable asset that a company has and you'll be playing an important part in our success.

We regard the Parkson approach to the retail business as something special. Our mission statement - the guiding idea behind everything we do - is "The Drive to Differentiate" and is phrased "pursuing ways to be more creative and distinctive in meeting customer needs", and this belief applies to every customer and every purchase, however large or small. Importantly, the core strategy for Parkson has not changed. Our decisions are guided by the company's 4 Priorities - compelling and distinctive assortments, simplified pricing, improving the shopping experience, and creative marketing that builds our brands and drives traffic. These priorities have resulted in Parkson successful emergence as a national retailer, and they are more relevant than ever moving forward.

Clearly, Parkson is distinctly different from other major retailers. Parkson embraces customers and provides an experience that transcends ordinary shopping. So, as an employee, you should keep customers informed - let them know about magical special events - the Parkson Thanksgiving Day Parade, Halloween Fireworks, celebrity appearances, cooking demonstrations and holiday traditions ranging from the arrival of Santa Claus to tree lightings and animated window displays. To keep yourself up to date about these and all the other aspects of the company, please look carefully through the newsletter that we publish each month. OK?

Right, just a few last things, and then I'll hand over. I think you were all asked for details of your certificates when you filled in your initial application form. Can you make sure that you submit them to the Human Resources Office the day after tomorrow? There's a pile of information brochures on the front desk, and I'd like you to take one each, and please make sure you read them carefully when you get home tonight. It contains lots of useful facts and advice which will help you to fit in the company quickly. Will you also pick up your security pass this afternoon from the office on the sixth floor, as you'll need it to get in tomorrow? Without it, I'm afraid you can't go anywhere, so, please don't lose it. Oh, and don't forget you'll need it to obtain your staff discount when you make any purchases. OK, that really is it from me, so now, Julia, if you'd like to...

Woman: Our design class is really interesting, don't you think so?

Man: Yeah, I like Professor Vargas, but sometimes he goes too fast, and I feel like I'm missing something. There's a lot we have to remember.

Woman: True. There are a lot of details about all the different styles.

Man: Yeah, there are Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, and Art Moderne... I have a hard time keeping it all straight.

Woman: I know what you mean.

Man: For example, it seems to me that Art Deco and Art Moderne are the same things.

Woman: Well, there is some overlap. They were both popular in the 1930s although Art Deco came a little before Moderne. I think Professor Vargas said Art Deco started at an exhibition in Paris in 1925.

Let me check out my notes. Right, Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern. Both Art Deco and its cousin, Art Moderne, were rarely used for houses; they were more common for commercial buildings and skyscrapers, and occasional institutional buildings.

Man: So, they were about the same time. That's one thing that gets confusing. Another thing is, they seem so similar that it's hard to see why they're considered different styles.

Woman: Art Deco has more decoration than Art Moderne. Art Deco is the style you see in a lot of movie theatres and hotels that were built in the twenties and thirties. It has facades with geometric designs including zigzags, chevrons... and uh... strips of windows with decorative spandrels. And it's polychromy, you know, often with vivid colours; Art Deco uses a lot of straight lines and slender forms. "Sleekness" is the word that comes to mind. Art Deco is often used in towers and other vertical projections, presenting a vertical emphasis. At the time, it was considered "modernistic".

Man: But that's what gets confusing! Doesn't "modernistic" also apply to Art Moderne?

Woman: Art Moderne is simpler than Deco. Art Moderne style buildings are similar to Art Deco in appearance, but are even more austere and functional. It has...uh...things like more rounded corners, flat roofs, and... the walls are smooth and don't have any decoration. It's more streamlined than Deco. Art Moderne buildings remind me of boats. The walls are smooth, and the trim is usually stainless steel. A lot of the windows are round, kind of like the porthholes on a boat. Architects gave Art Moderne buildings a strong horizontal emphasis, often accented by horizontal banding, or "streamlining".

Man: Oh...I know a building like that. It's near here in town, on Second Avenue. It has a rounded corner and round windows. It used to be a gas station, but now it's a restaurant. We should go there sometime.

Woman: Yeah. I'd like to see that. My favourite building is the Maritime Building. It's downtown, right across from my father's office. It's Art Deco - built in 1927 - and I tell that from the cornerstone. You should see the lobby! It's just beautiful. There's a geometric pattern in the tile on the floor - kind of a big circle with lots of triangles. And you should see the elevator doors. They're gorgeous.

Man: You know we should go around and look at some of these buildings.

Woman: Yeah, that would be fun.

Man: And... you know what else... this is an idea for our project. We could take pictures of the buildings and do a slide show in class.

Woman: Oh, that's a cool idea! But don't we need to get permission to take photographs? Especially of the interior... we need pictures of the lobby of the Maritime Building.

Man: We could ask for permission. That shouldn't be a problem. Let's talk to Professor Vargas and see what he thinks.

Woman: OK. Why don't you do that? I'll go down to the Maritime Building and see if there's anyone there - like a building superintendent - who can give us permission. I'll let you know. Why don't we meet again on Thursday?

Man: OK. Fine with me.

Most people today are familiar with the Aztec empire. But it may surprise you to know that there is a great deal of disagreement over what kind of an "empire" it really was. This Aztec empire history may surprise you.

Now let's take a look at an Aztec timeline to get an overview of what happened during the times of this civilisation.

Collectively, the people of the allied Central Mexican and American city states between the 14th century and the 16th century Spanish invasion are commonly referred to as the Aztecs. The Aztec empire was controlled primarily by a political body called the Triple Alliance. The Aztec's capital city was located at Tenochtitlan, which is the site of the modem Mexico City, and their empire covered nearly all of the current country of Mexico, extending down into other regions of Central America as well.

Then, Progressing to the subject of food, Aztec food was a rich combination of many foods that we take for granted today. Not only is much of this rich diet still common in Mexico today, it's spread around the world. Let's look at some of what the ancient Mexica peoples ate. Maize was the staple grain of the Aztec empire. Maize has been domesticated for thousands of years, and it likely first came into common use in Mexico, spreading to the rest of the world from there. Mexico is still one of the world's top maize growing countries. Aztec food also included beans and squash. Of course, maize and beans are still a cornerstone of the Mexican diet, a healthy combination especially if you're not eating a lot of meat.

OK, now, moving forward onto the area of clothing. Ancient Aztec clothing, that is, the clothing worn by the tribes that made up the Aztec empire (such as the Mexica people), was rich in variety. And more importantly, it varied according to the social class that people belonged to.

Ancient Aztec clothing was generally loose fitting and did not completely cover the body. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the people were surprised to see them in their full armour, with only their faces exposed.

Aztec clothes were generally made of cotton - which was imported - or ayatefiber, made from the Maguey Cactus. Women would weave the fibers into clothing, a task girls were taught as young teenagers. Because of their vast trading network, the Aztecs were able to make use of a beautiful array of dyes, creating the brilliant colours still seen in Mexico today.

Next, let's look at the education situation of the Aztec. The Mexica people of the Aztec empire had compulsory education for everyone, regardless of gender or class. In the end, people in the Aztec society were generally well educated, though boys received a wider education than girls.

Girls were taught how to run a home, cook, and care for a family, but they were also taught things like crafts and ways to economically run the home. In this way women had a lot of power in society, though it was behind the scenes. Boys learned other trades and were also taught fighting skills and leadership skills.

Finally then, let's look at Aztec temples. Aztec temples were called, by the Mexica people of the empire, Teocalli-God houses. The priests of the Aztec religion went to these temples to worship and pray, and make offerings to the gods to keep them strong and in balance.

How did they send their tribute? Well, Aztecs collected tribute from the various parts of Mexico that fell under their control. Much of this tribute was in the form of agricultural produce such as cotton, maize and beans which supplemented the agricultural yield in and around Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Tribute-payers were also obliged to produce certain quantities of rare and precious goods. According to the tribute list preserved in the Codex Mendoza these included jaguar pelts, deer skins, rubber, feathers, gold, jade, turquoise, sea shells, warrior costumes, and even live eagles.