[3-minute light music]
The Listening Test for Government sponsored Candidates
January 5, 2012
Section 1
Listen to the following talk and fill in the blanks as you listen. You will listen to the talk once only. You now have 60 seconds to read questions 1- 10. [pause 60 seconds]
[tone]
Australia is one of the oldest and flattest continents. It has an area of over seven million square kilometers and lies between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. About a third of Australia is hot desert. The better quality soils in the higher rainfall areas are intensively farmed. This explains the concentration of population along the east coast of Australia and the south-west of Western Australia and Tasmania.
The first settlers to arrive on the continent were the Aboriginal people who are believed to have come from Asia at least 38,000 years ago. By the time European settlers arrived, the Aboriginal population was about 300,000. Some Arab, Portuguese and Dutch sailors made early visits to Australia, possibly to fish off the coast.
In 1770 Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay. He claimed the whole of Australia for Britain. His report of his discovery caused considerable interest in England; no attempt was made to send settlers until the American War of Independence. Britain needed alternative overseas settlements for lawbreakers sentenced to transportation and for relieving the inhuman overcrowding of its prison along the Thames River.
On 26 January 1788, now commemorated as Australia’s national day, Captain Arthur Phillip established a penal settlement at Port Jackson, as the first Governor of the British colony of New South Wales. This small convict settlement grew to become Australia’s largest city, Sydney.
Over the next 80 years, there was much exploration in Australia. Settlements were set up in Hobart, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne and these settlements were to become the capital cities of the states, forming starting points for further exploration and settlement inland. Transportation to Australia ended completely in 1868. In 1901 the population of Australia was 3,370,000.
You now have TWO minutes to check and transfer your answers to the answer sheet. [pause 2 minutes]
That is the end of Section 1. Section 2
Part A
You are going to hear a conversation between Professor Smith and his secretary, Liza. As you
listen, complete the following notes by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. You will listen to this part ONCE only. You now have 30 seconds to read questions 11 to 15.
[pause 30 seconds]
[tone]
Smith: Hi, Liza, it’s me. Can you do a few things for me?
Liza: Sure.
Smith: Could you call the Airline and reconfirm my flight? My flight number is BA 965 to Germany.
Liza: OK, let me write it down. Your flight is BA965 to Germany.
Smith: Yes, and make sure they’ve given me an aisle seat, they messed it up last time.
Liza: All right. To make sure they’ve given you an aisle seat. Yes, what else?
Smith: Could you make a reservation in the Mercure Hotel for me? It is a real nice hotel and I stayed there last time.
Lisa: Sorry, what’s the name of hotel?
Smith: It’s Mercure Hotel. It spells M-E-R-C-U-R-E.
Lisa: M-E-R-C-U-R-E, Mercure Hotel. Yes, I’ve got it. Well, how long would you plan to stay there?
Smith: Oh, I will get there on Monday evening, and then, next morning I will participate a two-day’s conference on global warming there. I guess I could probably leave next day.
Liza: You mean you are leaving on Thursday?
Smith: Um Thursday? Wait a minute, let me check my itinerary. Oh, no! I can’t leave that day. I’m invited to a concert that night, and I don’t want to miss it. I think I’m leaving on Friday morning.
Liza: I see. So it will be four nights in the hotel?
Smith: Yes, you are right, four nights in the hotel.
Liza: Oh, do you have the hotel phone number?
Smith: Yes, I’ve got their card. Here it is: 0-0-4-9-5-1-1-5-4-0-7-0.
Liza: 004951154070.
Smith: Yes, that’s right.
Liza: Great, anything else?
Smith: Well, I think that’s all for now. Thank you, Liza.
Lisa: With pleasure.
You now have ONE minute to check and transfer your answers to the answer sheet. [pause 1 minute]
That is the end of Part A. Part B
Now listen to the news from BBC. As you listen, write T for the correct statement and F for the incorrect statement. You will listen to the news ONCE only. You now have 30 seconds to read questions 16 to 20.
[pause 30 seconds]
[tone]
F: In Bangladesh （孟加拉国）at least 60 people were killed when a ferry collided with cargo vessel and sank in River Surma. The accident occurred Friday night near the industrial town of Chatak. Police officials say many of the victims were women and children. Many of the men
managed to swim to safety, while the women and children inside the boat were trapped.
M: Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached nine billion by twenty-fifty and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around twenty twenty-five. F: Generations of newcomers have brought their tastes and sometimes their farming skills to American soil. These include refugees who have gotten help from government agencies and private groups to grow crops on community farms. Many of them can learn how to grow foods from back home as well as traditional American crops. The growers sell some of their produce at a marketplace and to restaurants.
M: Heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death. Yet most causes can be prevented. Doctors say reducing deaths from heart disease will require not only changes in the way people live. It will also require changes in public policy, and better public knowledge about differences in heart disease between men and women.
F: The United Nations estimates that each one of us uses nearly 140 kilograms of plastic each year. At least 6.4 million metric tons 公顿of that plastic has ended up in the oceans. Environmental activist Captain Charles Moore has found that in some areas, plastic outweighs zooplankton浮游生物 - the ocean’s food base - and is entering the food chain. He calls this ‘the age of plastic’.
You now have ONE minute to check and transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
[pause 1 minute]
That is the end of Section 2.
Section 3
You are going to hear an interview about the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. As you listen, answer the following questions by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. You will listen to this part TWICE. You now have 60 SECONDS to read questions 21 to 30. [pause 60 seconds]
[tone]
F: Today we are honored to have Will Gardener from the National Health Service (NHS) to tell us how the health care system works. Welcome, Mr. Gardener.
M: Thanks, it’s my pleasure to be here. First let me talk a little about the National Health Service as we call it --- the NHS. Well, NHS is the treatment from the British Medical Scheme and is funded by taxation. If you are entitled to get NHS, you can receive free medicines, dental treatment, eye tests and some glasses.
F: Free of charge? Sounds great. How do I get help with my health?
M: If you are ill, you should go to see you local doctor, called a General Practitioner (GP). The GP’s clinic is called a Surgery or a Health Centre. You should register with a GP as soon as possible so that you can get medical care if you need it. To register you will need to give your name, date of birth, address and telephone number if you have one.
General Practitioners often ask all new patients to have a health check. This will usually be carried out by a nurse. It is important that you go to this appointment even if you are well.
F: How can I make an appointment with a local doctor?
M: Before you visit your doctor or one of the nurses at the surgery you will usually need to make an appointment either in person or by telephone. You may have to wait a few days for a non urgent appointment. If you think you need to see the doctor urgently tell the receptionist when you make the appointment, and you will be seen that day if appropriate.
Appointments with the doctor will be for five or ten minutes. You need to make a separate appointment for each member of the family that wishes to see the doctor. Please make sure that you arrive on time for your appointment and if you are unable to attend your appointment please make sure you cancel it.
F: Is there anything I should have with me to see a General Practitioner?
M: Yes, you should take a Patient Record with you. Take this with you every time you have an appointment with the doctor or nurse. The information in this book is for yourself and NHS staff only.
F: Can I get medicines from my GP?
M: No, if your doctor wants you to take medicines, he/she will write you a prescription. Take the prescription to a pharmacy or chemist shop, you can get your medicines. The pharmacist can give advice on the treatment of minor health problems. Some medicines can be bought from the pharmacist without a prescription, such as some cough medicines or pain killers.
F: Oh, I see, it saves a lot of trouble. Can I go to visit my GP at any time?
M: I’m afraid not. GP surgeries are generally open from about 08:30 to 18:30 Monday to Friday. At all other times you can telephone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for health advice or for medical support when your surgery is closed. It will cost much less to use a landline, for example in a telephone kiosk, than a mobile phone.
F: That is very convenient, now, Dr. Gardener, one more question, what should we do in an emergency?
M: In an emergency, if you or someone with you becomes seriously ill and cannot wait until the GP surgery is open, you can telephone 999 for an ambulance, or go to the Accident and Emergency Department of you local hospital. However, this service is only for emergencies. Do not use the Accident and Emergency Department for minor medical problems.
Now listen to the interview again. You now have THREE minutes to check and transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
[Pause 3 minutes]
That is the end of Section 3. Section 4
You are going to hear a lecture on retirement. As you listen, complete the following statements by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. You will listen to this part TWICE. You now have 60 SECONDS to read questions 31 to 40. [pause 60 seconds]
[tone]
The title of my talk is financing retirement. First, let me begin with a story about the watch I’m wearing. It was given to one James Johnson, who served as a driver for 50 years at the Somerset Railway. In 1966, Johnson retired and was given this watch. Why do I cite all this? Johnson would have been very pleased to join the railways for two reasons: firstly, it was very secure employment; and the second reason was that they were early adopters of pensions. The railway companies were the first to begin providing pensions for the majority of their employees, and a pension, in 1916, would have been something to treasure
It will be useful now to take a step back to have a short history of retirement. First of all, we have got to remember that the idea of retirement is relatively recent. Actually the idea of a number of years’ comfortable retirement is a post-War idea. It was an idea that only really took root with the
end of the Second World War. If we look back to that period of time, it is a time when Britain and Europe were industrial powerhouses: they made steel, they mined coal, they built ships – they did all sorts of things that we do not seem to do today. So, we had the economic base to make a range of promises about pensions, about the welfare state, that maybe, going forward today, we are going to find very hard to sustain.
Now, when we look around the world, we typically see a two or three tier pension system in terms of retirement-funding architectures. That will typically be the state system, compulsory private saving, and voluntary private saving.
State systems in Europe are typically social insurance, which differs slightly from contributory-based system that we have got in the UK, but in fact, to some extent at least, both are pay- go systems. In other words, the contributions made today go to pay the pensions of the people
who are retired right now. We call those pay-go systems.
In the UK, we spend 5.1% of GDP on all state retirement benefits. That makes us the cheapest in the EU 25. France spends 12.5% of GDP on state retirement benefits. Germany spends 16.5% of GDP. This is not sustainable. It is arguable that it is sustainable at 5.1%, but there are at least some global commentators, such as the IMF, who would argue that the pension and healthcare promises made forward by the UK Government to its population effectively make the UK bankrupt today.
Next, let’s look at private savings. Private saving varies widely across the planet. In France, until recently, private saving for a pension was a rare event, but reforms in 2003 have put in place architectures which mean that, increasingly, company and individual pension saving, and certainly employer-based pension saving, are taking off. And they need to take off, because you cannot carry
on spending 12.5% of GDP in France on retirement benefits.
Workplace pension schemes are on the march in Europe, but the irony is that they are in decline in the UK. In 1967 in the UK, three-quarters of the workforce were saving into a good pension or having a pension provided for them. That figure today is 45%. Ironic, is not it? Only ten years ago, we were the best pension nation on the planet. Now, the best pension nation, per capita, is Australia. The most worrying thing is there are at least 4.7 million people who are eligible to join a pension scheme and receive an employer contribution who are not doing so.
There has been a structural switch to group personal pension plans. They are contract-based plans. They require a lot less administration by the employer, and they have been a success story, with 6.7 billion per annum going into them. At least that shows some hope.
The second reason why pensions are important lies around longevity and healthy aging. This is because, if you have a pot of X amount of money, and you want to draw an income from that pot over Y years, clearly, the lower the number that Y is, the bigger annual income you can expect. So longevity and healthy aging are at the core of some of the issues that we are going to face in retirement.
Now listen to the lecture again. You now have THREE minutes to check and transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
[pause 3 minutes]
That is the end of listening comprehension. Key
Section 1
1. third
2. concentration
3. Asia
4. early
5. discovery
6. along
7. established
8. grew
9. capital
10. ended
Section 2
11. BA965
12. Mercure
13. to (a) concert
14. 4/four nights
15. 1154070.
16. T
17. T
18. F
19. T
20. F
Section 3
21. taxation// tax
22.surgery //health center
23.( a) health check
24. in person // by telephone
25. 5-10 minutes
26. patient record
27. pharmacy// chemist shop
28. cough (medicines) // pain (killers)
29. telephone NHS Direct// call NHS direct
30. (an) ambulance
Section 4
31. secure
32. Second World War// WWII
33. economic
34. pay-go
35. 16.5%
36. rare
37. decline
38. Australia
39. less
40. healthy aging
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