Woman: Good morning. Country Comfort Albury.
Man: Oh, hi, I'd like to ask for some information, please. I want to find a double room to stay for the weekend. What kinds of rooms do you have?
Woman: Well, we provide a variety of accommodation depending upon your likes. The family room costs $30 per night and the Guesthouse Room costs $45 per night. It provides air-conditioning and shower. And Waterfront Room costs $80 per night.
Man: It sounds good. What facility is there for Waterfront Room? Balcony, I think?
Woman: Yes. It has its own balcony overlooking the foreshore of the lake. The view from there is really terrific.
Man: Good. We've got a kid. How do you charge for a child?
Woman: Extra bedding is available if you require that. If the kid is aged 12 and below, the cost is $10 per night for Guesthouse Room and $15 for Waterfront Room.
Man: Do you have a swimming pool, tennis court or something like that?
Woman: Yes, we've got a swimming pool, which is free for all the guests. But the tennis court charges $8 each hour, including the rent of rackets.
Man: How about other facilities?
Woman: We provide free off-street car parking and of course Internet access, but that costs $4 per hour.
Man: Oh, I think that's good.
Woman: Well, we also offer ironing equipment in the room. That's useful, I think.
Man: Great. Could you tell me the address? How do we get there?
Woman: Yes. It's Country Comfort Albury, at 648 Dean Street, New South Wales.
Man: 648 Dean Street, D-E-A-N, is that right?
Woman: Yes.
Man: Well, I wonder what activities are available there in this season. You know, we want to have an indulgent weekend in the boring winter.
Woman: Oh, you'll not get bored here! First, we have installed in-housing movies, which provide excellent plays and dramas.
Man: Well, we don't think we need that, because of the kid, you know. We don't want him to see movies on the weekend.
Woman: Then, Albury is the perfect base for alpine skiing. Besides that, winter's frosty alpine air encourages walks through mist-laden valleys. You can walk alongside rushing streams and waterfalls. After returning to the warm and comfortable lounge, you can sit by an open fire. I think this is the ideal time of year to nourish your body at the Salus Spa.
Man: The idea of skiing doesn't appeal to me very much, but it sounds good to have a relaxing walk through the valleys. Maybe after that I'll have a massage and some soaking in the spa.
Woman: And you know this hotel is perfectly located in a quiet position off the main highway in central Albury. It is within walking distance of licensed clubs, restaurants, shops and the central business district. It is known for its excellent cuisine and warm Australian hospitality.
Man: Good. It's a good idea to savour the tasty dishes in one of the restaurants. My wife may be interested in shopping. She's always keen on that! I think I'll contact you later. Thank you very much.
Presenter: Have you imagined paddling around on a river in small boat? Canoes, which are narrow boats and usually hold one or two people at the most, are particularly well-known for being unstable and turning over in the water. But more and more people enjoy this dangerous sport. Today, Cynthia Bocci, an adult education teacher, and an addict of canoeing as well, will share her experience of canoeing with us. Cynthia, when did you begin this sport?
Cynthia: Well, I started it 6 or 7 years ago and soon I got attracted by the exercise. I have to admit that it brings me great fun. It has become part of life.
Presenter: So, could you describe how you do it?
Cynthia: At first, I think you need some like-minded friends, the friends who share the same interest with you. It's no fun at all if you canoe alone. Usually we assemble in a parking shelter near Island Lake Recreation Area. We pull our canoes from inside vans, lift them from atop cars and trucks by employing wheels to help transport them to the shores of the lake.
Presenter: What equipments do you need for the sport?
Cynthia: Well, first and foremost, a canoe, of course. The price ranges from £300 to £700 depending on the material they're made of. The more you pay, the better you'll get. Personally, I wouldn't look at anything under £500, but that obviously depends on your budget. You also need a hard helmet to protect yourself against rocks when you fall out of the canoe and believe me that is very likely to happen. Because of this, it's a must for a beginner to wear a wet suit. Oh, bathing suits don't work really. Sometimes a life jacket is a necessity, in case you fall into water and no one else is nearby.
Presenter: Maybe many can't understand your passion for the dangerous sport. Do you think it's all worth it?
Cynthia: Absolutely! I just love it. It's exciting; it's exhilarating, yet it's peaceful and it's calm. You can work as hard as you want to or you can take it easy. In addition to having fun, canoeing offers a workout without realizing you're working out. Besides being a great exercise which is good to heart and lungs, you gain strength and mobility. You build strength not only by paddling, but also from lifting and carrying your canoes, and exercise your mobility. Frankly, I never had upper body strength until I started canoeing. Now I can pick my canoe up and carry it on my shoulder with no problem. However, it's not just a workout of upper body, but also a total-body workout if you're doing it correctly. It's a great calorie burner.
And more important to me, paddling isn't strictly about exercise. It's as much about the peace and relaxation that comes from being out on the water. I saw it described on a brochure as "liquid medicine for the soul" and that is so accurate. It allows you to take a mental break from your ordinary routine. It's a lot of fun and you meet a lot of great people. We connect on the waterways by responding to e-mails invitations, posting on websites and club announcements.
Also, it's a great way to get an up-close view of nature. You can sneak up on wildlife. I've been right next to ducks, deer and all kinds of birds. You just get a different view than you can get on land. I especially enjoy camping by canoe. It's like backpacking without having to carry a pack on your pack. You can put everything you need in the hatches of the canoe. Have you experienced this kind of camping?
Well, whatever you say about this sport. It's never dull. I think on one level it's a serious activity and you can become a real champion but it's a small group who take it that far. But for most it's a fantastic sport for anyone who likes adventure.
Presenter: Welcome to orientation week. This is the Physics School's session. And we'll welcome Prof. Smith, the head of the School, to introduce you to the tutorial system. Welcome, Prof. Smith.
Prof. Smith: Thank you. You may have noticed life at university is totally different from that of school. For you, tutorials are an important part of the teaching programme. Tutors are the primary contact between undergraduate students and the School. A tutor is the student's personal tutor as well as their academic tutor.
Tutorials for Physics undergraduate consist of 6 students who meet each week with their tutor for at least 50 minutes. For radiography students, tutorials will normally consist of a group of about 10 students who will meet fortnightly with their tutor, for a period of at least 50 minutes.
In the first semester, the tutorials are during weeks 1 to 11; for semester 2 they are during weeks 14-24. Everybody involved is expected to be present and on time. And the tutor will also be available in week 12 and 25 to discuss problems that arise during revision, but attendance by students is optional.
Now I'm going to introduce you the stages and activities of the tutorials. The Induction Period is from week 1 to 3. I know that a significant minority of you experience culture-shock during your first few months at University, and the important function of this stage is to identify students who are having difficulty integrating into the academic programme. In particular, tutors should check your attendance of lectures, tutorials, laboratories, and this sort of things. Tutors also help you tackle work in a systematic and effective manner.
Stage 2 begins from the fourth week. Some tutorials of this period are to be devoted to discussion or going over the students' lecture notes, but approximately 50% of tutorial time is to be devoted to coursework. You should finish the weekly homework assignments of two hours duration with at least 50% involving written work. At least eight homework assignments during the year should involve answering problems set on coursework.
The written work collected by the tutor should be marked within a week of handing in. And generally the assignments should be graded.
The third stage starts from the 8th week till the 10th. During the period Math and four core physics programmes are included. The majority of tutorial time should be devoted to work which supports the lecture programs, and laboratory work. At least 60% of homework assignments should involve written work. The assignment may involve writing an account of or notes on a specified range of topics. The written work should also be marked and graded. Short oral presentations by students should be included. They are possibly on general physics topics or essays.
The last week's Personal Development Planning is a structured and supported process. The primary objective for PDP is to help you to become more independent and confident self-directed learners, and encourage a positive attitude to learning throughout life. It is undertaken by yourselves to reflect upon your own learning, performance and achievement and to plan for your personal, educational and career development.
Finally, if without evidence of good reasons, you miss more than two sessions during a semester, or if the tutor is not satisfied with your progress, the matter must be immediately referred to the Program Director who will normally issue formal warning, verbal and written. This will inform you that your place at University is under threat of withdrawal if no improvement is made.
Presenter: Do you fancy diving in the wonderful world of coral reef? Green sponges, colorful fish, and red crabs... It is a rich garden beneath the waves. But how much do you know about the corals? Are they animals or plants? What are the threats to coral reefs? Today Mr. Tim Harford, Executive Director of the Coral Reef Alliance, is going to introduce the facts about coral reef.
Mr. Harford: Good afternoon, everyone. Coral reefs are one of the nature's most magnificent creations. They are filled with thousands of unique and valuable plants and animals. Over one-quarter of all marine species depend on healthy coral reefs. Humans also depend on coral reefs. These marine ecosystems are the primary source of food and income for millions of people, a vast repository of valuable chemical compounds and medicines, and a natural wave barrier that protect beaches and coastlines from waves and storms.
Coral is actually the exoskeletons of coral polyps. Made of limestone, these skeletons build up over time, forming the reef. New corals are born each April. At a certain hour, on a certain night, mature corals suddenly release clouds of eggs and sperm into the sea. After the fertilized eggs take root on the seafloor, they can grow up to 15 centimeters per year.
Coral reefs are present in the waters of over 100 countries. These are warm (18-29°C), shallow, sunny regions primarily between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Only clear, warm salt water can support a coral reef. And because sunlight is crucial to the reefs survival, the water must also be shallow. The algae that grow on coral provide much of the corals' food. In deeper water, algae cannot get the sunlight they need to grow. Most coral reefs are in the tropics because natural conditions there are perfect.
In their modern form, coral reefs have thrived on earth for over 50 million years. In recent years, however, more than 11% of the world's reefs have been lost, with another 16% severely damaged during the El Nino event in 1998. Up to 32% of coral reefs may be destroyed by human activities in the next thirty years if we do not take action now.
Corals and coral reefs are extremely sensitive. Slight changes in the reef environment may have detrimental effects on the health of entire coral colonies. These changes may be due to a variety of factors. One of the greatest threats to coral reefs is human expansion or development.
As human population increases, so does the harvest of resources from the sea. Due to overfishing, reef fish populations have been greatly decreased in some areas of the world. The removal of large numbers of reef fish has caused the coral reef ecosystems to become unbalanced.
As we know corals are also very popular as decorations. A large amount of the most healthy corals are selected by commercial collectors. They sell the corals to the souvenir shops, where a large number tourists wait to purchase them as decorations or souvenirs.
Coral reefs also receive much damage from both commercial and private vessels. The leakage of fuels into the water and the occurrences of spills by large tankers are extremely damaging to local corals.
Although much of the coral reefs degradation is directly blamed on human impact, there are several natural disturbances which cause significant damage to coral reefs. The most recognised of these events are hurricanes, or typhoons, which bring powerful waves to the tropics. These storm waves cause large corals to break apart and scatter fragments about the reefs.
Home to a diverse community of creatures, coral reefs are underwater treasure chests of colour and activity. Predators and prey swim and crawl among the coral in nature's never-ending dance of life and death. This lively, fascinating world beneath the waves is just waiting to be explored.