**Speaker:** Now look at part one. Part one. First you have some time to look at questions 1 to five. Now we shall begin. You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time. Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5. Most people probably don't realize what a clever thing a boomerang is. People think they're just toys or something used for sport. In fact, they were the very first objects made by human beings that were heavier than air and could fly. They were used for weapons and for hunting. The oldest Aboriginal boomerangs date back to 10,000 years ago. At that time they would have been very advanced in terms of technology. The remains of boomerangs have been found in North Africa, India, and parts of America. But it's the Aboriginal boomerang that everyone knows about. When it's thrown correctly, it follows a curved path and comes back to where it was thrown from. Some boomerangs are only about 10 cm long, but the biggest can be over 2 m. Not all boomerangs are decided to come back to the thrower. Hunting boomerangs, some of which are still used by Aboriges in Australia, are designed as flat throwing sticks and are used for hunting. These boomerangs that followed a straight path and flew very fast were actually more difficult to make. And it could be that the famous returning boomerang was actually invented by accident as attempts were made to develop a faster hunting weapon. Nowadays, boomerangs are made mainly for tourists. It can be quite difficult to learn to throw one so that it comes back to you and you may need a few lessons before you can do it properly. Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6 to 10. Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10. Of course, it's not really clear who exactly invented the television. A number of different scientists and inventors were working on similar projects at the same time. But a man from my country, John Loi Baird, is the man who created the first working television system. He first demonstrated his invention to the public in 1925. At one of London's most famous department stores, Loi Beard demonstrated how silhouette images could be seen to move on a screen. In 1926, he demonstrated his invention again. This time at his laboratory to the Royal Institute and to reporters from the Times newspaper. The quality of the projected image had improved greatly and the event is considered to be the first real demonstration of a television system. In 1928, Loibe developed his invention and demonstrated the first transmission in color. That is the end of part one. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now turns to part two. Part two. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16. Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16. ---
**Interviewer:** I'm here today with Helen Warner who has been a vegetarian for many years and is going to talk a little about vegetarianism. Helen, the concept of vegetarianism seems to have interested a number of our listeners who have sent in some questions. To begin, what made you want to become a vegetarian? **Helen:** Well, when I was 16, I had friends who were vegetarian and they introduced me to the idea. My parents were typical of their generation and ate meat at least three or four times a week. So, I didn't really think about it too much until a few years later. It was while I was at university that I really thought about it and decided that it was unfair to eat meat when there are so many alternatives available. **Interviewer:** Is there anything you miss about not eating meat? **Helen:** Um, no, not really. As I said, there are so many substitutes available these days. Perhaps the most important of which comes from the soya bean. Soya is so versatile and is the staple substitute for most vegetarians. **Interviewer:** So, what about the nutritional value of vegetarian food? Isn't it true that there are some vitamins that you can't get from soya or vegetables alone? Surely people need these vitamins. **Helen:** Yes, that's correct. But actually, there is only one vital vitamin that is only present in meat. That's vitamin B12. Most vegetarians are aware of the implication of this and actually take B12 supplement in the form of tablets. Of course, the way you cook vegetables is also very important in preserving vitamins. Many countries, particularly the UK, have a reputation for overcooking vegetables. Water-soluble vitamins, you know, where the vitamins are dissolved into the water, are often lost. Vitamin C is a common example. However, the loss of vitamins can be avoided by microwaving or steaming vegetables, which is what I do whenever I cook. Some people don't want to change their cooking habits too much. So, if you do boil them, simply cut down on the cooking time. **Interviewer:** So, a vegetarian diet is fairly healthy then. **Helen:** Oh, yes. A lot of people believe that vegetarianism is unhealthy, but that's actually not the case. Vegetarians are actually considerably healthier than many meat eaters. Consider for a minute the health aspects of the incredible amount of meat this country and others like it consume. The statistics for beef eating, for example, are quite frightening. The world figure for beef consumption is slightly less than 11 kg per person each year. Yet in Europe, the average consumption is nearly double that at 21 kilos per person. And in the USA, it is even worse with the average person eating 44 kg of beef every year. Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20. Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20. **Interviewer:** So are you suggesting that people stop eating meat altogether and everyone adopts a vegetarian lifestyle? **Helen:** No, not at all. Even in the healthiest diets, there is still a place for meat, but it should be eaten in moderation. Many nutritionists think of foods in terms of a pyramid with the foods we can eat relatively freely at the bottom and the foods we should carefully restrict at the top. The majority of our diet should be composed of cereals which would go on the bottom row of the pyramid. In this category could also be included such things as rice and pasta. Next, a good diet is followed by a roughly equal amount of vegetables and fruit. I have at least two servings a day of fruit and vegetables whenever possible. In decreasing quantities, you can then eat dairy foods, eggs, cheese, etc. Almost at the top of the food pyramid comes fish, carefully prepared, of course, not dripping in oil or batter, and white meat. Chicken, for example, is a comparatively healthy meat. But again, a lot of this comes down to preparation methods. Right at the top of the pyramid come the ingredients of far too many Western meals, red meat and potatoes. It is particularly in that area that I would suggest moderation. **Interviewer:** Well, thank you very much, Helen. I'm sure that a lot of listeners are interested in your views. How could they find out more about the health benefits of vegetarian options? **Helen:** Well, there are lots of websites and books on healthy eating and vegetarianism, but it is always important to remember to consult your doctor before making any radical changes to your diet or lifestyle. That is the end of part two. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part three. Part three. ---
**Narrator:** You will hear a discussion between two work colleagues and their manager about the restructuring of their company. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25. Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25. **Manager:** Come in both of you. I believe you wanted to talk to me about something. Is that right? **An:** Yes. Basically all the staff are concerned about what the restructuring of the company is going to mean for them. None more so than myself and Nam as we are the newest members. **Manager:** Oh, as I said to all staff at the meeting last week, there's no cause for concern. There will be no compulsory redundancies. All redundancies will be on a voluntary basis. **Penny:** Yes, we we understand that. But to tell the truth, we just want a little reassurance that our jobs are safe. **Manager:** Look, An and Penny, the company isn't going to be shortsighted and let it bright young minds go. Besides, we've already met our target for the number of voluntary redundancies we want to secure. In fact, there's a waiting list. You know as well as I do that the age profile of staff at this company needs to come down. A lot of our employees are close to retirement age and are just going through the motions until they can take their pensions. That's why we decided on this redundancy initiative. We want to encourage those that would be happy to leave to do so and employ younger, more motivated staff. **Penny:** I guess that makes us feel a little better, but we're also worried about the upcoming salary review. What would it mean for us? **Manager:** Given the fact that the company's motivation for this restructuring initiative is not to cut costs, one again, you needn't be worried that there will be a negative effect on your salaries. We are running a very profitable business and we will reward our top performers in the upcoming review. Both of you fall into that category. So you can expect a healthy bonus and salary increase. Simple as that. **An:** That's good to know. Another thing on our minds was the fact that with all these voluntary redundancies happening in the next few months, there will be a lot of positions opening up higher in the company. What we were wondering is will the recruitment tribe be an internal or an external one? **Manager:** Obviously, we will recruit internally where possible. That has always been company policy. So, if you're asking me, will there be opportunities to gain a promotion in the near future? Then the answer is very definitely yes. The type of candidate we would be looking for has a proven track record and is performancedriven. **Penny:** How can we improve our chances of getting promoted then when the opportunity arises? **Manager:** Well, in the meantime, be prepared to take on additional responsibilities, especially those relating to the management of other members of staff. Obviously, the higher up you go in the company, the more involved you'll be in managing people. What the management team is looking for then is proof that you can work effectively with and manage other members of staff. Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30. Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30. **Penny:** One more thing. **Manager:** Go on. **Penny:** This project you've given us to manage, is it a test of our abilities? **Manager:** I guess you could say it is a test of sorts, but look at it more as a chance for you to prove yourselves. Actually, now that I have you both here in private, can we talk about that a bit? **An:** Of course. **Manager:** Okay, Penny, let's start with you. Has the time scale been agreed yet? **Penny:** Yes. You said we have a total of 8 weeks to bring the product to launch. So we've decided to allocate 3 weeks at the beginning to product research and prototype testing. **Manager:** Very good. **Penny:** Then after that we are going to spend a further 3 weeks formulating our marketing strategy and doing some research and testing on a sample of the target market itself to get some feedback. **Manager:** And presumably the last two weeks will be devoted to the launch. **Penny:** Exactly. **Manager:** Now let's talk estimated costs. **Penny:** Well, you've given us a total budget of £100,000. Of that, we're allocating 50% to product development and testing, a further £25 to marketing, and £25,000 will be spent on the launch. **Manager:** Penny, give me a breakdown of the launch costs, would you? **Penny:** Sure. £10,000 will be spent on hiring and decorating the venue. £10,000 will be spent on promotional work. and the remaining money will be used to pay for catering and administrative costs. **Manager:** I'm very happy with that to be honest. As I said, you guys should stop worrying. You're doing a fantastic job. So, keep it up. That is the end of part three. You now have half a minute to check your answers. Now it turns to part four. Part four. ---
**Narrator:** You will hear a talk on seasonal effective disorder. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. **Lecturer:** In the past few years, a new condition has been identified and given a name, SAD, short for seasonal effective disorder. This is now recognized as a distinct kind of clinical depression where people become depressed at the onset of winter accompanied by a craving for sweet things causing weight gain. Each spring and summer would then bring on almost maniacal highs and feelings of boundless energy and happiness. Experiments to combat this depression showed that increased exposure to bright light in humans could suppress their production of a darkness related hormone called melatonin. The light needed to induce this change was about 2,000 lux or about four times brighter than ordinary household lighting. It was then calculated that if bright light could suppress melatonin secretion, then it might have other effects on the brain, including the reversal of symptoms of depression. While melatonin's precise role in SAD has not been pinned down, the theory led to effective treatment. Not surprisingly, SAD affects more people where winter nights are longer and days shorter. In the UK, an estimated half a million adults develop a full-blown SAD in winter and twice this number suffer the milder condition called subs syndromeal SAD. About 80% of sufferers improve when given light therapy and improvement usually comes within 2 to 4 days. Scientists are still unsure why winter depression happens, but more than a decade of research has turned up some surprising findings. Nearly 80% of SAD victims are women. Researchers are uncertain why this is so. SAD can affect people at any age, but typically it begins around the age of 20 and becomes less common between 40 and 50. SAD is comparatively rare in children and adolescence, but so far researchers have been unable to come up with a logical reason for this. As many as half of SAD sufferers have at least one family member with depressive illness, suggesting that the depression has a genetic component. Some patients experience shifts in their body clocks when they're depressed in winter. They are morning people at one time of the year and become evening people at another. What is the underlying difference between sad sufferers and others? A clue can be found in carbohydrate craving, a common symptom. People often become obsessed with chocolate, for example. Carbohydrates alter brain chemistry by increasing the level of a soothing chemical called serotonin, a neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells. Sad sufferers crave carbohydrates because they may need serotonin to lift their mood. This craving can be intense, in fact, an addiction. It may be that the serotonin system of the brain has problems regulating itself during the winter. Some sad sufferers respond well to the drug Prozac, thought to influence the brain serotonin using system. Other brain chemicals and hormones probably play a role in winter depression. Another neurotransmitter, dopamine, for example, may be inadequate in certain cases. Researchers hope to uncover clues to SAD secret by probing similarities between SAD and hibernation. Though no valid link between the two has been established, some sad patients say they feel like hibernating animals. Sad sufferers tend to put on fat in autumn and early winter, roughly the time when such hibernators as bears and squirrels do. That is the end of part four. You now have half a minute to check your answers. --- *End of Test*