CEPT Practice B2 Level Listen and select about an Australian sheep farmer

 

1 What does Gina say about sheep farming in Australia? 

A It is a growing source of employment. 

B It takes place all over the country. 

C It is restricted to cooler areas. 

2 What is the main challenge facing farmers who produce wool? 

A competition from artificial materials 

B falling production levels 

C increasingly dry weather 

3 Gina says that in the future wool will have most  potential in 

A manufacturing carpets. B insulating buildings. C making clothes. 

4 What alternative form of energy is Gina investigating? 

A solar power B water power C wind power 

5 What made Gina become interested in a new source of energy? 

A She wanted to help other farmers in her area. 

B It fitted in with her green view of life. 

C She hoped to make money from it. 

6 What does Gina say about the advice she has received in England? 

A It has encouraged her to lead a more ecofriendly lifestyle. 

B It has taught her to analyse  financial issues. 

C It has convinced her that she has to give up farming. 

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Audioscript

Interviewer: And on today’s Green Magazine programme, we have Gina Ellis, an Australian sheep farmer. 

Welcome, Gina.

Gina: Thank you.

Interviewer: So Gina, tell our listeners something about sheep farming in your country.

Gina: So I’m from New South Wales, where over 30% of sheep farming takes place. But in fact there are large sheep farms right across the country, and it doesn’t only go on in the places where the temperatures are lower. But the number of sheep farmers is in decline and some farmers are moving over to cattle instead. 

Interviewer: I see. And I believe sheep farmers are experiencing problems at the moment?

Gina: Yeah, that’s right. There are two: one to do with markets and the other with the environment. There’s a good market for meat, but the wool industry is struggling. Although Australia still produces about 10% of the world’s wool, including nearly half of the top quality merino wool, demand is falling – consumers often prefer synthetic clothing, like fleeces, which are cheaper than woollen jumpers and equally warm. But the biggest issue for all of us farmers is climate change – there are major water shortages in farming areas, so it’s becoming harder to find enough for our animals.

Interviewer: Let’s talk about the market problems a bit more. Are you looking for new uses for your wool?

Gina: I am, yes. It’s been put to many different uses over the centuries. Of course carpet manufacture still takes a high percentage of our product, as it always has, and now we’re looking for other domestic uses. The most promising seems to be the idea of using it in buildings as a form of insulation. Companies developing this have found it very effective. And there’s also interest in eco-clothing – you know, clothing made from all natural products and produced organically. But it’s a specialised market and may turn out to be uneconomic in the end …

Interviewer: And why are you over here in the UK at the moment? Are you looking for solutions to your business problems?

Gina: Well, yes. I’m working in co-operation with ten other large farms to see if we can develop an alternative energy system which will produce enough electricity to sell as well as meeting our own needs. Clearly hydro-electricity isn’t for us, given the lack of rain and the water shortage, so I’ve been looking into ideas for using wind power. Britain has a lot of expertise in that area, so that’s why I’m here. Of course, we have potential for solar power, but I don’t think we could produce enough to sell on top of our own needs.

Interviewer: That’s interesting. What made you consider these options?

Gina: Well, if the predictions about global warming are correct, farmers in Australia will have to diversify – that is, look for other ways of earning a living. That’s my reason for looking into wind power as a form of income, generating enough energy to sell some. Of course, since then I’ve begun to realise that being self-sufficient, producing enough energy for ourselves and not having to rely on other power sources at all, is attractive, and I’m starting to think in a greener way.

Interviewer: I see. And what do you feel about the advice you’ve been given?

Gina: It’s certainly given me a lot of food for thought and, er, taught me the advantages of a more ecologically aware approach to life and work. And now that I have the information, I’ve worked out that the financial investment is possible. We should be able to cut back on the number of animals we raise and still make a living, which as you can imagine is good news.

Interviewer: Great. So how would you sum up your feelings about your project?

Gina: Well, to my delight, it seems our basic plans are good and we can carry on very optimistically, without making any major alterations to them. And fortunately, the costs involved do seem to be lower than we’d feared. 

Interviewer: Gina, we wish you luck, and thanks for coming in today.

Gina: Thank you

Long Listening Answers

l B 

2 C 

3 B 

4 C 

5 C 

6 A 

7 C

CEPT Practice B2 Level Listen and select about a woman's call

 

You overhear a girl leaving a voicemail message. 

Why is she calling? 

A to issue an invitation 

B to ask for some advice 

C to change an arrangement

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Hi Nadia. Just wanted to talk to you about my birthday party on Saturday. We’re all going to the Mansion Restaurant, as you know, and I’ve booked for twelve. Well, Helena has just said she can’t come and I was wondering about inviting Niki instead. She’s fun but you know what I mean, don’t you when I say she can be a bit loud and not everyone gets on with her. I think I know what you’ll say but let me know what you think. Ring me back as soon as you can, won’t you? Hope you can still come.

Answer - B

CEPT Practice B2 Level Listening Gap fill about a geography trip in New Zealand

You will hear a tutor talking to a group of students about a geography trip to New Zealand. For questions 1-10, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP

New Zealand was chosen because of the range of (1) _________ which can be seen.

The first week concentrates on changes in (2) ________ over the last thirty years.

The second week is spent studying the (3) _______ on the west coast.

There is a limited chance of seeing a particular kind of (4) _______ on the boat trip.

People are often not prepared for the (5) ________ on the west coast.

Students should try to take a photograph of the (6) _________ if possible.

Students need to write a (7) _________ before they leave for New Zealand.

Most students choose to go (8) _________ on their free weekend.

Everyone needs to bring at least one (9) _________ with them.

Accommodation will be in (10) _________ for most of the trip

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 Good morning. I know you have a folder with all the information about our geography trip to New Zealand but I want to go over the main points. As you know, our flight departs at 10.30 so we need to be at the airport at 8.30.

Firstly, why New Zealand when it’s so far away? We could of course go to the European Alps to see mountains, but in New Zealand we can see a huge variety of landscapes, not only mountains but also volcanoes, and of course it’s surrounded by oceans. So that’s why we’ve chosen it – there’s plenty to keep us busy.

During our first week we’re staying in a very rural area on the South Island which has stayed much the same over the last thirty years – there is some tourism now but agriculture remains the main employer although the emphasis isn’t quite the same. Where most farmers used to keep sheep, there are now more cows and recently also deer. So we will be looking at why that has happened.

We are spending our second week in an even more remote part, on the west coast. There, our main focus will be the beaches. Many of them are surrounded by forests and are quite difficult to get to but there are roads or tracks down to all the ones we want to study.

While we are in that part of the island we’re going on a couple of boat trips. You’ll be able to see the amazing trees which cling to the cliff sides, and the birds of course. You might be lucky and catch sight of a penguin – the yellow crested ones which live round there and are not often seen.

The weather on the west coast is very changeable so it’s important to have clothes for every season – hats and sunglasses as well as waterproofs as I expect we’ll have some rain – but most people are aware of that. What they don’t expect is the insects – they’ll be waiting for us so you need a very good repellent to stop them biting. We’ll be working all day and we’ll go for a walk every evening. If it’s fine I hope you’ll get some good shots of the sunset – it’s one of the best places in the world for that. And if you’re interested in bird watching you’ll have time for that too. Maybe we’ll see some of the fishing boats too as they return after a day at sea.

Our last week is in Queenstown. It’s really important that you have a questionnaire ready so make sure you prepare that this week before we start travelling. You’ll be going out talking to visitors and businesses and when you get back you’ll write a report, which you can use as the basis for a dissertation about tourism later on.

There’s a free weekend when we arrive in Queenstown which is a very active place. Most tourists have a go at some of the extreme sports like sky diving and river surfing but our students usually decide to go walking, probably because it’s cheaper but also the scenery is stunning and you really get to see more of it on foot than if you’re jet skiing at top speed.

You all have a list of essential equipment. We’re staying in fairly remote areas so we probably won’t get a chance to buy much. Bring comfortable walking shoes and make sure you have a bag to carry everything in. You need a minimum of one notebook – ideally, one with a hard cover that won’t fall apart if it rains. And of course plenty of pens and pencils. We’re hiring everything we need for our overnight stays, the majority of which will be spent in tents – four people in each – but we are also spending the odd night in hostels and basic hotels.

Now, any questions?

1 landscapes 

2 agriculture 

3 beaches 

4 penguin 

5 insects 

6 sunset(s) 

7 questionnaire 

8 walking 

9 notebook 

10 tents