Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving
You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman in a clothing store. The man is a salesperson, and the woman is a shopper.
Section 1:
Now answer questions 1-3.
Section 2:
Now answer questions 4-6.
Section 3:
Now answer questions 7-8.
You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman in a clothing store. The man is a salesperson, and the woman is a shopper.
Section 1:
| WOMAN: | Can I ask your opinion? Both these shirts fit me . . . but which one suits me better? |
| MAN: | I think they’d both look great on you. |
| WOMAN: | Mmmm. But I’m going to buy only one of them. I can’t decide. On this one, the neckline really suits my height, and the light colour goes well with my hair. But this other one’s darker and more formal, which I like, too. |
| MAN: | Hmm. Where will you be wearing the shirt? |
| WOMAN: | The office. I’ve been promoted and I’ll need some clothes for meetings with clients. |
| MAN: | Then maybe . . . dress to fit the situation and go with the more formal one? |
| WOMAN: | Yes . . . but I want to make an impression. I need something that looks really good on me. |
| MAN: | Hmm. Tough decision. They’re both good picks. |
| WOMAN: | I think I’ll take the lighter one. I like it better. I like the price better, too. |
| MAN: | I’ll ring it up for you. |
Now answer questions 1-3.
- What did the shopper buy?
- What best sums up the salesperson’s advice?
- Which style did the shopper choose?
Section 2:
| WOMAN: | Excuse me, I bought this shirt here recently, but I’m bringing it back. Here’s the receipt. |
| MAN: | Thanks . . . [pause] I’m sorry, this receipt is from last month. You bought the shirt almost two weeks ago. I’m afraid we give refunds only within one week of the date of purchase. But we could still give you store credit. |
| WOMAN: | No, actually, all I want is to swap this shirt for one I like better. |
| MAN: | Oh! You want to exchange it. In that case, by all means. You can exchange the shirt for an item of equal or lesser value. |
| WOMAN: | Well that works out well. I know exactly which one I’m after. I think it was a bit more expensive, though. |
| MAN: | Which shirt was it? Was it over here? |
| WOMAN: | That dark one over there. Size 32, please. |
Now answer questions 4-6.
- Why did the shopper come back?
- What is one of the store’s policies on returned items?
- What did the salesperson do?
Section 3:
| MAN: | Here you go. Oh, look, this shirt’s on sale. Now it costs less than the one you’re bringing back! |
| WOMAN: | Really?! That’s a good deal. |
| MAN: | But remember, it’s an exchange, so I can’t give you any money back. You may as well pick up something else, too. How about a belt? |
| WOMAN: | Uh, let me think . . . I really don’t need anything else. |
| MAN: | Earrings, perhaps? Or a scarf? |
| WOMAN: | I think I’ll just get . . . these socks here. You can never have too many socks. |
| MAN: | All right then. With the socks, the difference is $3.45. How would you like to pay? |
| WOMAN: | By cash: toonies and quarters. |
Now answer questions 7-8.
- What did the shopper buy?
- Which statement is true of the shopper?
Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation
You will hear a conversation about a very busy weekend.
Now answer questions 1-5.
You will hear a conversation about a very busy weekend.
| MAN: | Good morning, Sue. How was your weekend? |
| WOMAN: | Ugh, it’s all a blur. It started on Friday night with my younger son’s baseball award ceremony. It was nice to see him get his trophy, but I have to confess it was tough sitting through 3 hours of trophy presentations. |
| MAN: | I’ll bet. Did you get to relax a bit after that? |
| WOMAN: | Saturday morning, I was up at 6:00 a.m. to take my other son and his friends to hockey practice. It was my weekend for carpool duty. Hockey’s not really my thing, you know, but we have to show our support for the kids. |
| MAN: | Well, at least the arena’s indoors. My wife and I used to freeze to death on the soccer field watching our kids’ matches in the rain or snow. How was the rest of your weekend? |
| WOMAN: | We spent what was left of Saturday getting ready for my daughter’s birthday party—baking the cake, preparing the games, stuffing the pinata, filling up loot bags, blowing up a zillion balloons, decorating the living room... So Sunday was utter chaos. It took 3 hours to have the party... and 6 hours to clean up the mess! |
| MAN: | When my kids were little, I always felt lucky they were born in summer. Their birthday parties were always outdoors—the park, the carnival, the beach, the go-cart track, the campground... That way, the kids never wrecked my house. |
| WOMAN: | Lucky you! My kids’ birthdays are in January and February. Maybe next year instead of letting them wreck my house, I should send them outside to play in the snow. |
| MAN: | Or the ice arena... Maybe you should learn to play hockey with them. Anyway, here you are back at the sweat shop to do some “real” work, eh? |
| WOMAN: | Trust me, coming here feels like play compared to what I do at home. |
Now answer questions 1-5.
- How are the speakers related?
- How was the woman’s weekend?
- What do the woman and the man agree on?
- What does the woman say about her job?
- Overall, what is the woman expressing?
Part 3: Listening for Information
You will hear a conversation about a massage service for office workers.
Now answer questions 1-6.
You will hear a conversation about a massage service for office workers.
| WOMAN: | Hi there! Welcome to Wellness Massage and Spa. How are you today? |
| MAN: | Very well, thank you. I’m organizing a corporate event for my company and my boss has requested something a little different this time. A co-worker said she gets massages here, and she recalled that you offer on-site workplace massage therapy. Is that right? |
| WOMAN: | Absolutely! You’ve come to the right place. We specialize in providing mobile effective stress relief and therapeutic chair massages. Studies of ongoing office massage programs have shown that regular massage sessions result in better performance and decreased job stress and anxiety. |
| MAN: | Sounds like what every workplace needs! I’ve always thought that massage would be a good component of a company’s success strategy. It’s good to keep workers happy. Is it like a normal spa massage? |
| WOMAN: | No, it’s quite different. Our practitioners come to your workplace with portable ergonomic massage chairs. You stay fully dressed, but of course you can remove your suit jacket and tie to be more comfortable. We never use oils. We do, however, bring music to set a soothing atmosphere for relieving tension. |
| MAN: | What’s an ergonomic chair? |
| WOMAN: | It’s designed so that the client’s chest and head rest on support cushions, which reduces pressure on the hips and spinal column. One of the biggest complaints of office workers is tension in the neck and shoulders. Our practitioners work on these areas to relieve stress symptoms. |
| MAN: | Great. Now, I should inquire, is office chair massage covered by an extended health care plan, and are your practitioners fully insured? |
| WOMAN: | Yes, our practitioners are fully certified and insured. However, unless your health care plan includes individual discretionary funds, which usually cover things such as fitness memberships, it won’t be covered by your plan. We are certified massage practitioners, but not massage therapists. We focus on relaxation and stress reduction, rather than treatment of specific injuries. |
| MAN: | I see. Well, that’s not a problem. I’d like to book your company. Anything else I need to know? |
| WOMAN: | Wonderful! Fees and prices are listed in our booklet right here. There’s quite a range of options, depending on how many practitioners you would like to hire. Let me show you. |
Now answer questions 1-6.
- What does the man want from the woman?
- How did the man meet the woman?
- How will the man’s company use the massage services?
- What will workers need to do for the massage?
- Why does the man ask about health plan coverage?
- What does the man expect to result from massage services?
Part 4: Listening to a News Item
You will hear a news item about a lost ring.
Sarah Hunter is smiling again, now that her engagement ring is back on her finger where it belongs. Last Saturday, Sarah was attending an art class when she decided to remove her engagement ring and put it in her jacket pocket. After her class, she took a box of old clothing, including the jacket, to be sold in the local second-hand store. Later that day, Sarah suddenly realized her mistake. She immediately called the thrift store only to discover that her jacket had just been sold. “I honestly never expected to see my engagement ring again,” said Sarah. Surprisingly, the young girl who purchased the jacket soon discovered the ring and promptly brought it back to the thrift store. Sarah was astonished and thrilled at the return of the ring, which is valued at five thousand dollars. Sarah immediately contacted the young girl, a music student at Fairmont College, and thanked her for being so honest. The young girl quietly explained, “I knew that I’d feel devastated if something like this had happened to me, so I had to return it.” Fortunately for the young girl, Sarah’s fiancé performs in a popular rock group and has given her front row tickets to his sold out concert scheduled for next month.
You will hear a news item about a lost ring.
Sarah Hunter is smiling again, now that her engagement ring is back on her finger where it belongs. Last Saturday, Sarah was attending an art class when she decided to remove her engagement ring and put it in her jacket pocket. After her class, she took a box of old clothing, including the jacket, to be sold in the local second-hand store. Later that day, Sarah suddenly realized her mistake. She immediately called the thrift store only to discover that her jacket had just been sold. “I honestly never expected to see my engagement ring again,” said Sarah. Surprisingly, the young girl who purchased the jacket soon discovered the ring and promptly brought it back to the thrift store. Sarah was astonished and thrilled at the return of the ring, which is valued at five thousand dollars. Sarah immediately contacted the young girl, a music student at Fairmont College, and thanked her for being so honest. The young girl quietly explained, “I knew that I’d feel devastated if something like this had happened to me, so I had to return it.” Fortunately for the young girl, Sarah’s fiancé performs in a popular rock group and has given her front row tickets to his sold out concert scheduled for next month.
Part 5: Listening to a Discussion
You will watch a discussion between three people who belong to a singles’ social club. They are planning a group trip to Montreal.
You will watch a discussion between three people who belong to a singles’ social club. They are planning a group trip to Montreal.
| WOMAN: | So, as of today we have six members signed up for our Montreal trip. I’m still waiting to hear back from four others. Everyone wants to keep round-trip travel costs to $100 a person. |
| MAN 1: | The cheapest weekend train fare you can get this time of year is $300 a person, round trip. And that’s the seniors’ rate for ages 55 and up! Only some of us fall into that age group. |
| MAN 2: | Well, $300 is a lot more than I intended to pay. Is that a group rate? |
| MAN 1: | No, that’s the individual rate for up to six seniors . . . We only have six people signed up so far. If ten or more people sign up, we qualify for the group rate. |
| WOMAN: | Now, the problem with the train is that it leaves from Central Station. And with all the downtown traffic congestion, it can be hard for people to get to, especially if they’re not one of the few urban dwellers among us . . . or unless they live near public transit. Is it possible that we can catch the train somewhere near our homes? |
| MAN 1: | I’ll have to get back to you on that. I do know that in order to qualify for the group discount, we’d all have to board and disembark at the same station! |
| WOMAN: | Hmm. That’s not so great. Would we be able to rent a van? That way, we can pick up and drop off people right at their doorsteps. |
| MAN 2: | Well, for seven to fifteen people, we could rent a passenger van. You wouldn’t have to pay me to drive it. But I would have to get back to you with a quote about the rental cost. But if we had, say, sixteen to twenty-four people, we could charter a small tour bus and hire a driver. |
| MAN 1: | But wouldn’t a bus take longer than the train? We’ve only got a three-day weekend! |
| MAN 2: | Well, a nonstop train gets you there in five hours; we know this for sure. The bus would only take longer if we decided to take breaks along the way. But sightseeing breaks are a bonus. We all agreed on that. I mean, that’s one reason we chose not to go by air in the first place. |
| MAN 1: | One of the downside of chartering a bus is it would cost thousands of dollars, and we’d have to pay the driver. We’d have to fill every seat to make it cost effective. |
| WOMAN: | Okay, so . . . highway or railway? In terms of price, it sounds to me like six of one, half a dozen of the other. It really depends on how many people we can get. Once we know that, we can firm up pricing. |
Part 6: Listening for Viewpoints
You will hear a report about urban chicken bylaws.
Sarah Chang, manager of the Vancouver Animal Shelter, says it’s time for the feathers to fly at City Hall over the issue of backyard chicken farming. Chang is petitioning the city to revoke a two-year-old bylaw allowing city residents to raise poultry. The law was initially brought before city council by ecologically-minded Vancouverites ultimately seeking to help the environment by producing a homegrown alternative to factory-farmed eggs. While most residents supported the initiative, critics were concerned about the potential for excessive noise, predatory wildlife, poor sanitation, and even bird flu. But Chang’s primary concern was the birds themselves. She feared backyard poultry farming would cause an influx of abandoned chickens on animal shelter doorsteps—a prediction which she confirms has come to pass.
But Bruce Webster, an activist and poultry expert who spent 5 years battling city council to allow urban chickens, has no intention of seeing the bylaw overturned and his own pair of hens exiled from the city. While Webster admits the city has seen some predatory coyotes and abandoned hens, he stresses larger food issues. Ensuring access to food is a major concern throughout the world, and even Canada is not invulnerable to hunger and food supply problems. Webster points to the growing need for food banks in urban centres. One solution, says Webster, is local food production, and backyard chicken coops are a part of it.
Also a supporter of local food production, Chang argues that it shouldn’t come at the cost of animal welfare. Many well-intentioned city dwellers start raising chickens, only to discover they’re far more work than expected. Most chickens lay eggs for just two of their ten year lifespan, which, for many urbanites, amounts to too much work for too little payoff. The result, says Chang, is that hundreds of chickens end their lives in crowded, underfunded animal shelters. Many are euthanized. Chang also questions whether urban chicken farming actually aids those in genuine need of access to affordable food. After all, raising fowl generally requires a backyard. Vancouverites lucky enough to have one tend to be upper middle class homeowners who could afford to buy—and don’t really need to raise—organic free-range poultry products.
So, should the urban chicken bylaw be revoked? City councillor Rita Jones thinks the bylaw just needs more teeth. In addition to the existing limit of 4 hens and the ban on noisy roosters, Jones wants routine government inspections, fines for abandonment, and a requirement that wannabes first receive training. Educating prospective chicken owners about what’s involved, says Jones, would weed out negligent ones before their livestock meet the same demise as the city’s unwanted pets.
You will hear a report about urban chicken bylaws.
Sarah Chang, manager of the Vancouver Animal Shelter, says it’s time for the feathers to fly at City Hall over the issue of backyard chicken farming. Chang is petitioning the city to revoke a two-year-old bylaw allowing city residents to raise poultry. The law was initially brought before city council by ecologically-minded Vancouverites ultimately seeking to help the environment by producing a homegrown alternative to factory-farmed eggs. While most residents supported the initiative, critics were concerned about the potential for excessive noise, predatory wildlife, poor sanitation, and even bird flu. But Chang’s primary concern was the birds themselves. She feared backyard poultry farming would cause an influx of abandoned chickens on animal shelter doorsteps—a prediction which she confirms has come to pass.
But Bruce Webster, an activist and poultry expert who spent 5 years battling city council to allow urban chickens, has no intention of seeing the bylaw overturned and his own pair of hens exiled from the city. While Webster admits the city has seen some predatory coyotes and abandoned hens, he stresses larger food issues. Ensuring access to food is a major concern throughout the world, and even Canada is not invulnerable to hunger and food supply problems. Webster points to the growing need for food banks in urban centres. One solution, says Webster, is local food production, and backyard chicken coops are a part of it.
Also a supporter of local food production, Chang argues that it shouldn’t come at the cost of animal welfare. Many well-intentioned city dwellers start raising chickens, only to discover they’re far more work than expected. Most chickens lay eggs for just two of their ten year lifespan, which, for many urbanites, amounts to too much work for too little payoff. The result, says Chang, is that hundreds of chickens end their lives in crowded, underfunded animal shelters. Many are euthanized. Chang also questions whether urban chicken farming actually aids those in genuine need of access to affordable food. After all, raising fowl generally requires a backyard. Vancouverites lucky enough to have one tend to be upper middle class homeowners who could afford to buy—and don’t really need to raise—organic free-range poultry products.
So, should the urban chicken bylaw be revoked? City councillor Rita Jones thinks the bylaw just needs more teeth. In addition to the existing limit of 4 hens and the ban on noisy roosters, Jones wants routine government inspections, fines for abandonment, and a requirement that wannabes first receive training. Educating prospective chicken owners about what’s involved, says Jones, would weed out negligent ones before their livestock meet the same demise as the city’s unwanted pets.