Listening Practice Test 5

SECTION 1 Woman: Good afternoon, Apex Car Rentals, this is Claire speaking. How can I help you today? Man: Hi there. I'd like to book a car for a family trip next month, if that's possible. Woman: Certainly, I can sort that out for you now. Could I start by taking your name? Man: Yes, it's Marcus Webb. That's spelt W-E-B-B. Woman: Thanks, Mr Webb. And could I take a contact number, in case we need to reach you before the pickup? Man: Sure, it's 07822 561 903. Woman: Perfect. Now, which branch would suit you best for collection? We've got one near the airport, and one at Riverside, close to the city centre. Man: The airport one looked closest on the map, but which is actually more convenient if I'm staying in the centre? Woman: The Riverside branch would be much easier for you — the airport branch is about twenty minutes further out by taxi. Man: Ah, I'll go with Riverside then. Woman: Good choice. And what sort of vehicle are you looking for? Man: We're a family of four with quite a bit of luggage, so I think an SUV would suit us better than a compact car. Woman: That's no problem, we've got several SUVs available. When would you like to collect it? Man: We're hoping to pick it up on Friday the ninth of October, and bring it back on the Monday. Woman: So that's four days in total, then — Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Man: That's right. Woman: Lovely. Now, before I can confirm the SUV category, I do need to check — how long have you held a full driving licence? Man: About six years now. Woman: That's fine, we require drivers to have held a licence for a minimum of two years for that vehicle class, so you're well within that. Man: Great. Woman: In terms of cost, the SUV works out at forty-five pounds per day. Man: And that would be the same for all four days? Woman: Yes, it's a flat daily rate, so for four days that comes to a hundred and eighty pounds in total. Man: Okay, that sounds reasonable. Is there anything else I need to pay? Woman: Yes, we also take a refundable security deposit at the time of collection — that's two hundred and fifty pounds, which is held on your card and released once the car's returned undamaged. Man: Understood. Woman: When you come to collect the car, please bring your driving licence and a credit card in your name — we can't accept debit cards for the deposit, I'm afraid. Man: No problem, I've got a credit card I can use. Woman: Perfect. I'll get this booked for you now, and I'll send a confirmation email with all the details shortly. Man: Thank you very much. Woman: You're welcome, Mr Webb. We'll see you at Riverside on the ninth. SECTION 2 Woman: Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Greenwood Botanical Gardens. My name's Elena and I'll give you a quick overview of the gardens before you head off to explore on your own. If you look at the map you've been given, you'll see the gardens are divided into four zones. Zone A, right here by the main entrance, is where you'll find the visitor centre, the ticket office and our gift shop, and just past the gift shop is the Sculpture Garden, a small lawn with rotating outdoor art installations. If you head north from here into Zone B, that's where the Tropical Glasshouse is — it's kept at a constant temperature of twenty-six degrees, so it can get quite humid in there, but it's home to some remarkable orchids and carnivorous plants. Moving to Zone C, to the east of the entrance, you'll find the Rose Garden, which is at its best in June but still has plenty in bloom now. And finally, Zone D, to the south, is where the Herb Garden is located, right next to our small lake. Now, a few practical details before you head off. The gardens are open from nine in the morning until six in the evening during the summer months, though last entry is at five. If you'd like to join one of our guided tours, they run twice a day and meet at the visitor centre, not out by the glasshouse, so please gather back here if you're interested. The tours themselves last around forty-five minutes and take you through the highlights of all four zones. Do feel free to take photographs anywhere in the gardens, but we do ask that you don't bring tripods into the Tropical Glasshouse, since the paths in there are quite narrow and a tripod can easily block the way for other visitors. If you visit regularly, it might be worth considering annual membership, which costs thirty-five pounds and gives you unlimited entry for a year, plus a ten percent discount in the gift shop. And finally, entry is free for children under five, though we do ask that older children are accompanied by an adult throughout the gardens. SECTION 3 Tutor: Come in. So, how's the Cliffwood Bay project progressing? Jack: Good, I think. We've decided to focus specifically on the erosion happening along the eastern stretch of the bay, rather than trying to cover the whole coastline. Tutor: That's a sensible way to narrow it down. Just to remind everyone, the report needs to be exactly three thousand words — that's strict, even if the data section feels like it needs more space. Ruth: Understood. Actually, I wanted to suggest we try to interview some of the residents whose properties are closest to the cliff edge, rather than just relying on the council's published erosion figures. Tutor: What's the thinking behind that? Ruth: It would give us a more human perspective on the impact, rather than just numbers on a graph. Tutor: That's a fair point, and it would add real depth to your report if you can arrange it. Callum: I can try contacting the residents' association this week, I found their details online. Jack: Great. For my part, I've been looking at the different types of sea defences used along the bay — the rock groynes and the concrete sea wall — and honestly that's the part I find most interesting. Tutor: Good, that fits with what you're planning to write. How are you dividing the sections between you? Ruth: I'll take the introduction and background to the erosion problem, since I've already gathered most of that. Jack: And I'll cover the sea defences case study, as I said. Callum: I'll handle the data analysis — comparing the erosion rate measurements from the last twenty years. Tutor: And the recommendations section at the end? Jack: We thought all three of us should contribute to that together, since it needs input from every section. Tutor: That makes sense. When's your draft due? Callum: A week on Wednesday, so we've got just over a week. Tutor: Right, that's coming up quickly. One more thing — for the erosion rate data, I'd strongly recommend using the Environment Agency's coastal monitoring reports as your main source, rather than newspaper articles, since they'll be far more precise and reliable. Ruth: We'll make sure to include that, thanks, that's really helpful. Tutor: No problem. Good luck with the draft, I'll see you all a week on Wednesday. SECTION 4 Lecturer: This afternoon I want to turn to the search for planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. The first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star was made in 1995, and since then astronomers have identified thousands more. One of the main techniques used to detect them is called the transit method, which involves measuring the tiny dip in a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it. A second widely used approach is the radial velocity method, which detects the slight wobble in a star's position caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. The Kepler space telescope, launched in 2009, was responsible for the majority of exoplanet discoveries made in the following decade, using the transit method to monitor over a hundred thousand stars simultaneously. Astronomers are particularly interested in planets found within what's called the habitable zone — the range of distances from a star where conditions might allow liquid water to exist on a planet's surface. This matters because liquid water is considered essential for life as we understand it. Many of the exoplanets discovered so far, however, are what astronomers nickname hot Jupiters — massive gas giants that orbit extremely close to their star, making them far too hot to support life. More recently, the James Webb Space Telescope has allowed scientists to analyse the atmospheres of some exoplanets directly, searching for what are called biosignatures — chemical traces, such as certain combinations of gases, that could indicate the presence of living organisms. One challenge researchers face is that even the closest known exoplanets are so distant that a signal would take years to reach us, so confirming any potential biosignature requires extremely careful analysis to rule out non-biological explanations. Looking ahead, upcoming missions plan to focus specifically on rocky planets similar in size to Earth, rather than the gas giants that dominate current detection methods, since these are considered the most promising candidates in the search for life beyond our solar system.