DIFFERENT TOPICS 2

Click HERE

to hear six people talking in different situations. Read the headings and listen carefully to the recordings and then match them. 2 headings do not match any of the recordings. The answers must be based exclusively on the information in the recordings.

A is example 0. Then check the KEY and the transcript below.

HEADINGS
A.	A city this person enjoys visiting
B.	A bus driver talking about his/her job
C.	Watching  films online
D.	A person talking about his/her new job
E.	Buying something on the internet
F.	Talking about reading
G.	A competition for writers
H.	Talking about his/her computer
I.	Cycling to work

KEY

Ex.0	1	2	3	4	5	6
A	E	H	G	I	D	B

SCRIPT

EXAMPLE     You hear a woman talking about a city she enjoys visiting.

I go there most summers, when the sun is shining and the restaurants are full of visitors enjoying the wonderful local dishes they serve. Eating out is certainly something I’ve always looked forward to when planning a trip there, but even so the real highlights are still the ancient city walls and the magnificent medieval castle. I love being there during the carnival, although with so many tourists in town the atmosphere has changed, and the local people are perhaps a little less willing to talk to strangers than they used to be, unfortunately.

1.You hear a woman talking about buying a clock on the Internet.

 As soon as I saw it on the website it knew it was exactly what I wanted, even though it wasn’t what you’d call a bargain. So I clicked on ‘buy it now’ and was about to pay by debit card when I noticed that having it sent from abroad added a lot to the total, which hadn’t been clear in the item description. But I went ahead anyway and I’m glad I did, because when I unwrapped it five days later I could see that if it hadn’t been so carefully packed in such a large box it would probably have got broken.

2.You hear a woman talking about her computer.

 I only had ten minutes before I had to go out and I needed to email Sarah. I was getting nervous and it took me three goes to log in because I kept hitting the wrong keys when I saw ‘enter password’, but eventually I was able to get in and write my message. I clicked ‘Send’ but nothing happened. With time running out I began to panic, wondering whether my laptop was the latest victim of that bug which was going round, but then I noticed a little icon on the screen that meant I wasn’t connected to the Internet. At that I gave up and rushed out of the house.

3.You hear a radio announcer talking about a competition for writers of short stories.

 We’re looking for good short stories to read out on next week’s programme, so if you think you’re capable of writing an interesting tale in less than 750 words, either send it in as an email attachment or post it to us and you may be one of the lucky five prize-winners. Unlike in some competitions, as long they are original pieces of writing you can send in as many as you like, and there’s no upper or lower age limit. In fact, last year’s first prize was won by a seventeen-year-old, and the winner of the second prize was just sixteen

4.You hear an office worker talking about cycling to work.

 I sometimes think back to when I used to drive to work in the morning, looking at my watch and worrying in case the traffic made me late, and though I still have to ride through it and I still get held up by the lights, I much prefer going on two wheels. By the time I arrive I feel pleasantly tired, almost as if I’d been for a light workout at the gym, and that’s a good way to start the day. I hardly give any thought to my work until I actually sit down at my desk, because nowadays I feel much more relaxed

5.You hear a man talking about his new job.

 When I first saw the ad in the employment section of the paper, it wasn’t the fact I’d be earning far more than I am now that caught my attention, it was the chance to achieve my full potential doing something relevant to the experience I’d gained before I took up my current post. In fact, though the job description in the ad talked about good prospects of rising within the company structure, that’s never really been an ambition of mine.

6.You hear a bus driver talking about his job.

From spring until early autumn, I really enjoy being one of the first people up and about in the morning, though in the darker months it can get me down. I suppose it’s the same for everyone including passengers, but chatting with them always cheers me up, and I hope I have the same effect on them. Of course, in a big city like this there are terrible traffic jams in the morning and you can see car drivers looking at their watches and getting really stressed out. But they can’t use bus lanes, which make life a lot easier for people like me during rush hours.