IELTS Recent Actual Test 5 General Training Listening Test 5 (Online Test)

Well, good evening everyone, and thanks for coming tonight. As you all know, I've been asked to report to local School Committees in the new Grace's Creek Activity Camp, which is in the final stages of construction as we speak. So, let's first of all have a look at a sketch of the overall layout. I'll point out the major features and show you a few slides of the facilities as we go. Remember that some of them are a work in progress.

Well, as you see, the site is roughly rectangular, and... emm... it's bordered on the South by Grace's Creek. This is a narrow and fairly slow-moving stream that's been cleaned up a lot in recent years, actually. Now, if you approach from the South, you cross Grace's Creek and turn right into the camp.

So, coming from the north, you'll see a bus stop just before you get to the camp itself. From the main gate, the driveway turns immediately left around the edge of the camp and while you're on the driveway, if you look right, down to the opposite end of the space across the lake, you can see the student dormitory, the largest building on the site.

Emm... You'll see that there's a shared jogging and walking track which runs next to the driveway and in fact runs all around the perimeter of the camp, next to the wall.

Now, going back to the driveway, just before the drive turns right, there are a couple of tennis courts, but they're not quite ready for use yet. And in the corner there, opposite the tennis courts, is the basketball court. It seems to be more popular with the kids than tennis these days.

OK, so the path turns left into that large rectangular space, which is the car park obviously, with space for about 80 cars and up to 5 coaches. So, coming back out of the car park, you can turn left onto the jogging track, to walk around to the student dormitory. And as you go, you pass a couple of small chalets on the right, which are the permanent staff houses.

While we're on the topic of accommodation, there is also a guest hostel, in the centre of the south side. That's directly overlooking the lake, and it's for business groups. The climbing wall is just to the left of it.

The lake, by the way, is arterial, but it is just deep enough for kayak training and even windsurfing or paddle boarding. That small building on the edge of the lake is the boat house, for the storage of all the water sports equipment. Now, the stream can also be used for kayaking, and there's a small gate in the south wall leading out to it. It's a great spot for picnics, too, so there's a picnic shelter just there.

Emm... there are a few facilities which were in the original plans, but haven't so far made it into the final design phase. We do have one building next to the dormitory, which we're a bit unsure how to proceed with.

The favourite suggestion is a gym and pool, though frankly that's a bit optimistic, given the cost of those facilities. The most likely outcome will be some kind of food outlet, because that could contribute towards the overall running, costs, with another option being a conference room.

The facility will, of course, be partly funded by visits from the general public during school terms, and we've already had some interest from companies who could use it for corporate events and retreats. That will contribute a lot to the upkeep and development because council funding won't cover everything, though it does cover the bulk of the ongoing expenses.

Well, the site might seem a little far from most of the schools in the Council area, but I should just mention that one of the attractions of this location was the easy road access and proximity to transports hubs. But not only that, the nearby Parkdale forest has some excellent walking tracks and mountain biking trails. If there's a drawback, I'd say it's the lack of grocery stores within walking distance. It's going to be a great addition to the facilities available to everyone in the area, and it's the end result of a long consultation process with schools and the public.

Now, we haven't been able to do everything that we're wanted, not particularly because of budget constraints, but more because of the extent to which we were limited by the existing structures from previous commercial use, but we have listened to both the parents and the students who are going to use the facility.

Now, I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions, so let's take a short break, and when we come back we can open up the meeting for discussion.

Joanne: Hi, Howard. Haven't seen you for a while.

Howard: Hi Joanne. Yeah, they are keeping us really busy on the postgraduate program, but how are you? You'll be starting your dissertation soon, aren't you?

Joanne: Yeah, tutorials start next week. I've got Dr. Peterson. You'll remember still from last year, of course.

Howard: It's not something you forget easily. But seriously, although I didn't expect to enjoy writing my dissertation, and in fact, I didn't really find it much fun, I wouldn't miss the experience. I found it really improved my understanding of the whole degree program, you know, from the first year on.

Joanne: Right.

Howard: So what are you doing yours on?

Joanne: Glaciated landscapes. Although I haven't decided exactly what aspect yet.

Howard: I did mine on climate systems, so I can't help you much, I'm afraid. But you'll be fine once you start your tutorials. Dr. Peterson will help you focus.

Joanne: I know, and he'll set me deadlines for the different stages, which is what I need. My concern is that I've got tons of material on the topic, and I won't be able to stick to the word limit, you know?

Howard: I remember I had different concerns when I was doing my dissertation.

Joanne: Last year?

Howard: Yeah, before my first trial, I did a lot of fairly general reading because I haven't fixed on my topic at that stage. I actually enjoyed that quite a lot, and you know, it improved my reading speed. I had gotten through a lot of material, but I was frightened I wouldn't remember it all, so I got into the habit of making very detailed notes.

Joanne: So, did you find your tutor helpful in getting you started?

Howard: Yeah, we certainly had some interesting discussions. But it's funny I saw a brilliant program about climate change, and it was that that fired me up. It was talking about some recent research which seemed to contradict some of the articles I've been reading.

Howard: So you see your tutorials start next week.

Joanne: Yeah.

Howard: Well, the first month was crucial. You've got to meet your tutor and decide your focus, but don't become too dependent on him. You know you don't see him every week, only when you want to check something.

Joanne: Right.

Howard: Once you got the focus, you've got to get reading. It's helpful to look through the bibliographies for all the course modules relating to your topic and get hold of any books you think you'll need.

Joanne: I haven't got much money.

Howard: I mean get the books from the library, far better.

Joanne: And I suppose I should prepare a detailed outline of the chapters.

Howard: Yeah, absolutely. But don't feel you have to follow it slavishly. It's meant to be flexible.

Joanne: Okay. Now I'm someone who likes to get writing quickly. I can't just sit and read for a month.

Howard: Not like me then. But if that's what suits you, you know, your natural approach, then you want to start immediately and write the first chapter.

Joanne: Right.

Howard: Now, Joanne. About the library, it's not worthwhile getting on good terms with the staff; they aren't always helpful with undergraduates.

Joanne: I suppose they focus on post-grads more.

Howard: Maybe. But show them you are serious about wanting to do good work.

Joanne: And what if I can't find what I need?

Howard: Well, there're inter-library loans.

Joanne: Borrowing books from the libraries. But I've heard it isn't all that reliable.

Howard: Hmm, you're right, but you probably won't need it anyway, be positive! The library is likely to have most things you need, and during the dissertation writing period, you can take out 15 instead of the usual 10 books.

Joanne: Should I look at previous years' dissertations?

Howard: You can do.

Joanne: But I don't know which are the good ones.

Howard: The library only keeps the best, and the staff can advise you.

Joanne: Are they willing to do that?

Howard: Oh yeah!

Joanne: And I'm worried about getting journal articles from the electronic library.

Howard: Well, have you tried to find any yet?

Joanne: No.

Howard: Well you should; it's really straightforward.

Joanne: That's obviously something I'll have to look into.

Howard: Dr. Peterson will help.

Joanne: Yeah, I know I can go to him if I have any worries.

Howard: Except he will be away in the second month. It's the holidays. You should ask him what to do while he's away.

Joanne: Gosh yeah, but I suppose I can get a lot of support from a couple of people who are thinking of doing the same topic as me.

Howard: Take care, collaboration can become dependency! I think you'd better see how it works out, what the people are like.

Joanne: You're probably right. About the reading, I suppose Dr. Peterson would recommend plenty of articles to get me started.

Howard: One thing I find out is what his attitude is to internet sources.

Joanne: Surely not in this day and age. I'd better get that sorted out right at the beginning.

Howard: I would if I were you.

Joanne: And I've also got some questions about the research sections. How much time should I spend explaining the process?

Howard: Well, I think that's up to you. You can see how it develops as you're writing.

Joanne: Okay.

Howard: It's the same with things like time management. That's something a tutor can't really help you with.

Joanne: I agree.

Howard: So is there anything else you need me to go over.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the second lecture in our series on chain stores in the UK. Today, I will be focusing on a very successful global petrol company called Telsa, paying particular attention to their expansion and future development. There will be time for questions at the end, so please refrain from interrupting during the talk.

When it was founded, the company was a family-run organization with only one shop open in a small town in southern England. The family was able to compete with other local companies by offering special discounts for returning customers, which resulted in a massive expansion of their client base. This strategy was so successful that they were able to open petrol stations across the country, subsequently increasing their market share in England.

Within a decade, Telsa was running establishments throughout the UK, including Wales and Scotland. By comparing the sales income from all of their stores, they were able to collate data that highlighted which areas were the most profitable stations in the south of Scotland. They discovered that by closing the less useful stations in the south of Scotland, they could increase the income from their other more profitable stations. This example demonstrates the importance of continually monitoring and maintaining a clear view of the finances of the company.

Once the expertise required to run the company had exceeded the abilities of the family, they needed to hire professional consultants. After assessing the company's financial statements, the consultants advised that Telsa close the head office of the convenience stores in Oxford. They deemed the head office unnecessary and identified it as a financial drain on the company as the premises were expensive to run and generated no income. To avoid firing any employees, they transferred over 200 staff to other offices and retrained them to carry out their new roles.

Now that Telsa had conquered the petrol market in the UK, they were able to branch out into other niche areas that offered prospects for profits. They realized that they could establish a new environmentally-friendly brand image by selling fresh food in their convenience stores that had been grown by local farmers. This strategy would not only broaden the scope of the company but also help to strengthen its relationships with local communities.

Every year, Telsa holds a meeting in London where all of the consultants and managers meet to discuss plans for development and improvement. These meetings are essential to the evolution of the company, as feedback is heard from all level of the organization, from the sales staff to the CEOs. They did this by assigning every manager the task of holding staff discussions, at which ideas and concerns would be passed on for evaluation at the meeting.

Telsa decided to accommodate the individuality of each of their stores instead of forcing them to conform to one overriding company identity. They realized that by increasing the flexibility of the profit-making strategies of each of the retail stores, they subsequently became more commercially successful. The level of staff satisfaction also doubled as a result, as the individuals felt that they were not being constrained to one way of thinking. To avoid misunderstandings and mistakes, any future changes were introduced in stages to familiarize the staff with the new regulations.

Now, it's time to conclude the lecture for today, so I will leave you with some food for thought before you go. To run a successful business, one cannot underestimate the importance of maintaining open-minded when deciding on strategies for expansion. Sometimes it's necessary to employ an independent consultant who can offer an objective and unbiased view on the running of your company. Emotion will only ever cloud your ability to make business-related decisions.

Research suitable case studies and look at how department stores, for example, were able to alter their organizational structure while minimizing costs and staff redundancies. Precedents are an essential resource when it comes to making decisions for your own business, so don't undervalue them!

Well, that wraps up our lecture for today. If there are any questions...