Тексты аудиозаписи
There are 3 parts to the test. You will hear each part twice. For each part of the test there will be time for you to look through the questions and time for you to check your answers. Write your answers on the question paper. You will have time to copy your answers onto the answer sheet.
Part 1
Task B1-B8
You will hear part of a radio programme about how offices may be designed to suit different types of workers in the future. For questions B1-B8, complete the sentences by writing a word or a phrase that you hear (of no more than 17 symbols) in the spaces provided. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 45 seconds to look at the questions.
Now we are ready to start.
Hello, in today's programme, we're talking about the office of the future. The technological revolution has led to many changes in office work. Offices now look very different to how they did fifty, thirty, even twenty years ago, because the kind of work that people do in them has changed along with all the hardware that office life now calls for.
A few years back, people were looking forward to what became known as the paperless office; something that seemed to be just around the corner. But today demand for paper seems to be as strong as ever, despite so much work being done on screen. So it's hard to plan for the office of the future - who knows what the future will bring, and which of today's wild predictions will become reality.
One person who has given some thought to office design, however, is the architect Francis Duffy, who has suggested that workplaces could be divided into four distinct categories, each with a different kind of design which would reflect the kind of work done in them, be it accountancy, general administration or design work, and the kind of people who work there.
The first type of office design he describes he calls “The Hive”. The reason for the name lies in a comparison with a beehive occupied by busy worker bees. The type of office is suitable for individuals doing work which is characterised by routine. Typical hive organisations include telesales, data-entry banking and basic information services.
The second type of office he calls “The Cell”. This is because it reminds him of the tiny room allotted to each monk in a monastery. Cell offices are ideal for people doing individual work where concentration is needed; people who have relatively little need to interact with colleagues. These are often highly autonomous people who occupy their workspace only occasionally because they often work elsewhere, at home for example, or in a client's office or perhaps on the road. According to Duffy, typical occupiers of cells include lawyers and computer scientists.
The third type of office is “The Den”. These are busy, interactive places, where it’s easy to work informally with colleagues. Dens are associated with highly interactive, but not necessarily highly autonomous jobs. Den spaces are specifically designed with teamwork in mind and usually have an open-plan layout to facilitate this. Typical occupations requiring dens include a range of jobs in the media and in advertising.
The final category Duffy refers to as “Clubs”, because they suit a rather small group to which membership may be restricted. These offices are for what Duffy defines as creative work, as opposed to the simple handling of data. Individuals occupy a space on an 'as needed' basis, moving around to take advantage of a wide range of facilities. If Duffy is right, this kind of office would be suitable for people working in information technology, for example, or perhaps in management consultancies.
So what kind of office would you like to work in? Do Duffy's ideas make any sense to you? We'd love to hear …
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds.)
Now you will hear the text again. (Repeat)
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds)
This is the end of the task.
Part 2
Task A1-A6
You will hear part of an interview with the comedian Kevin Burke. For questions A1-A6 choose the answer (1, 2, 3 or 4) which fits the best according to what you hear. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 1 minute to look at the questions.
Now we are ready to start.
Interviewer: My guest today is the Irish comedian Kevin Burke, now a familiar face on our TV screens. Kevin, welcome.
Kevin Burke: Hi.
Interviewer: And it's generally a smiling face we see too, isn't it Kevin? But are you really like that, or is there another you 'behind the painted smile', as it were?
Kevin Burke: Well, I'm always being asked that. The cliche that every comedian carries within a black heart is fundamentally untrue. I'm afraid my childhood unfolded without major incident and to date there's been very little trauma in my life. So I'm sorry to disappoint everyone, but I'm a fairly well-adjusted human being. People wrongly tend to assume that comedians will be prone to depression. It's probably because the comedian is always finding humour in everyday misery, that's how comedy works. It's what makes it funny. I know these things. I've read about them in books.
Interviewer: Yes, tell me about the books - because you really mean that, don't you?
Kevin Burke: Indeed I do. There's one particular book I admire. It’s called Laughter, and it's by a neuroscientist called Robert Provine; he's the world's leading expert on laughter. It wasn't his intention, but it reads like a kind of 'How To' book for comedians. Did you know, for example, that in the comfort of your own home, you rarely laugh out loud, no matter how funny a joke or situation might be? But in a cafe, chatting amongst friends, you'll laugh at almost anything without fail. Most of the time, laughter's simply a nervous mechanism, a breaking of tension. Audiences laugh at comedians because those around them are laughing too. It's a social thing, according to Provine. And so as a stand-up comedian, all I do is break their collective tension. I lift the audience up and then drop them.
Interviewer: It's probably safe to assume that not all comedians approach comedy quite so theoretically, isn't it? I mean, you're university educated, aren't you?
Kevin Burke: You're probably right, but then, that's me, I'm afraid. I'm not particularly proud of the fact but, there you are. Yes, I did mathematical science as my degree subject. I've always loved words, adored English at school, but was drawn inexorably towards numbers and I loved every minute of it. But the trouble with maths at university level is it attracts some incredibly clever, focussed people, which doesn't exactly make for a fun social life. That's how I came to join the debating society, and that kind of got me noticed because I have a way with words as well as with numbers. And before I knew it, I was writing for the university newspaper as well, doing orientation meetings for new students - I loved anything with an audience, you see. I couldn't help myself.
Interviewer: So that was the beginning of your career as an entertainer really.
Kevin Burke: Well, sort of. After graduation, I began working for a local newspaper, writing a weekly column that was seven hundred words of whimsical nonsense. It was fun, but I wasn't set on journalism, so I started dabbling in stand-up comedy - just testing the water in various clubs at first. I hustled and gigged wherever possible, gradually building up my act, and always on the look-out for the next opening. Then, one day I landed a TV spot in Ireland, hosting a children's programme. From there, I kind of hopscotched over to comedy.
Interviewer: Is that the way to do it, then?
Kevin Burke: Yes, once your name's known, you get asked to do a few different kinds of programmes, which I did. After that, doors start opening up, in all directions, you learn what to accept and what to avoid. I once did a quiz show and it was disastrous, I won't be doing that again, but it was useful experience at the time. But TV feels comfortable for me and I'm happy to go along with most of whatever comes along. But I'm definitely happiest when I am on stage. It's certainly where I think I'm best, and TV can't capture that somehow, although the TV work is just as challenging in its own way.
Interviewer: How do you account for your success on stage, then?
Kevin Burke: The game of comedy's all about owning the stage, and from a physical point of view, it's beneficial that I'm a larger man. From my lumbering presence alone, I can't really help but dominate the stage. People think I’m older than I am actually, which also helps - people feel uncomfortable if comedians look too young or vulnerable. I've always looked like everybody's dad. When I was nine, I looked eleven, and so on. Once, I based an entire show on me looking older than I was. I asked the audience to guess my age: the average turned out to beI was 29 at the time. Sad, eh? But as someone who applies scientific logic to much in my life, I've come to see the positive side of that too!
Interviewer: Kevin, there we must leave it. Thanks for being with us today.
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds.)
Now you will hear the text again. (Repeat)
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds)
This is the end of the task.
Part 3
Task B9-B18
You will hear five short extracts in which employees are talking about what they do for lunch each day. You will hear the recording twice. And while you listen you must complete both tasks.
For questions B9-B13, choose from the list (A-H) the person who is speaking.
For questions B14-B18 choose from the list (A-H) what each person says about lunch.
You now have 40 seconds in which to look at the questions.
Now we are ready to start.
Speaker 1
I really look forward to my lunch, and after being on my feet all morning, I'm ready for it - especially if I've been on cosmetics or on the till which is quite tiring. I mean, we have to take it in turns, because of course we're still open at lunchtime, but there’s a staff canteen where we can go and it’s a chance to get to know people working in other departments which I really like. We get the same food as in the public restaurant which the customers use, and there's always a choice of soup, salad or a cooked meal, but we have our own room to eat in, so it's quite sociable really.
Speaker 2
I really like to spend lunchtime on my own. After you've spent all morning talking to customers, trying to sort out problems with their gas bills, a bit of peace and quiet is really welcome. Not all of my colleagues agree, though, and most go to the staff canteen. But they only do pizzas and pies and stuff like that there, and when you're basically sitting down all day looking at a screen, you don't want too much stodge in the middle of the day. I prefer to grab a sandwich, I couldn't even tell you what's in it most of the time because I'm not really interested as long as I have something. I cook myself a nice meal in the evening.
Speaker 3
You're lucky if you get the full hour here, because lunchtime appointments are really popular and you've got to be flexible. Clients sometimes turn up late, you get behind, but you've still got to be ready for whoever's coming after your break. Some of the girls bring in stuff they've made at home, but I've got a friend who works in the travel agency opposite and I usually go to a cafe with her. I hate being rushed at meal times, so that suits me and I enjoy the chat. She's really useful for getting cheap flights when I need them too. Because let's face it, although you do get tips, the only person making any money at the salon is the owner.
Speaker 4
Basically, when I'm on an assignment, the last thing I think about is lunch. I generally have something when I get back to the studio, but it's never at a regular time. But I've got a little fridge there, so I can knock myself up something at any time, which is what I like to do. My receptionist laughs at me - but at least I do have something - which is more than can be said for her! Sometimes, if I'm doing a wedding or a function in a hotel, I might be offered lunch, but you have to eat whatever's provided and I'm a bit of a fussy eater, so I usually say no.
Speaker 5
In theory, lunch is provided for us - you know we can have ours once we've served everybody else if it's long-haul, or once we've reached our destination if it's short-haul. To be honest, I rarely bother because you soon get fed up with the food and I like to have something different each day - and that's just not on offer. You usually get a decent stopover, however, and so I get to try some of the local food as well as going shopping or even getting my hair done. I mean, I chose this job because I wanted to travel, so I like to make the most of it. Though I must say not all my colleagues do that, actually.
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds.)
Now you will hear the text again. (Repeat)
You have 15 seconds to check your answers. (Pause 15 seconds)
This is the end of the task.
This is the end of the listening test.
