IELTS Listening Test 1

SALLY: Good morning. Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Sally speaking. I'm one of the rangers. JOHN: Oh hello. My name's John Chapman, and I'm a teaching assistant at a local primary school. I've been asked to arrange a visit to the park for two of our classes. SALLY: OK. What would you like to know? JOHN: Well, I'm new to this area, so perhaps you could tell me something about the park first, please. SALLY: Of course. Altogether the park covers 170 acres, that's [sixty-nine | 69] hectares. There are three main types of habitat: wetland, grassland and woodland. The woods are well established and varied, with an oak plantation, and other areas of mixed species. JOHN: Right. SALLY: The wetland is quite varied, too. The original farmland was dug up around 40 years ago to extract gravel. Once this work was completed, the gravel pits filled with water, forming the two large lakes. There are also several smaller ones, ponds and a [stream] that flows through the park. JOHN: OK, so I suppose with these different habitats there's quite a variety of wildlife. SALLY: There certainly is – a lot of different species of birds and insects, and also animals like deer and rabbits. JOHN: And I understand you organise educational visits for school parties. SALLY: That's right. We can organise a wide range of activities and adapt them to suit all ages. JOHN: Can you give me some examples of the activities? SALLY: Well, one focus is on science, where we help children to discover and study plants, trees and insects. They also collect and analyse [data] about the things they see. JOHN: Uhuh. SALLY: Another focus is on geography. The park is a great environment to learn and practise reading a [map] and using a compass to navigate around the park. JOHN: Do you do anything connected with history? SALLY: Yes, we do. For instance, the children can explore how the use of the land has changed over time. Then there's leisure and tourism. JOHN: That focuses on your [visitors], I would imagine. SALLY: Yes, mostly. The children find out about them, their requirements, the problems they may cause and how we manage these. And another subject we cover is music: here the children experiment with natural materials to create [sounds] and explore rhythm and tempo. JOHN: That must be fun! SALLY: Most children really enjoy it. SALLY: And of course, all the activities are educational, too. Learning outside the classroom encourages children to be creative, and to explore and discover for themselves. OHN: I would imagine they get a sense of [freedom] that might not be a normal part of their lives. SALLY: That's right. And very often the children discover that they can do things they didn't know they could do, and they develop new [skills]. This gives them greater self-confidence. JOHN: It sounds great. So, what about the practical side of it? How much does it cost for a full-day visit? We would expect to bring between 30 and 40 children. SALLY: If there are over 30, it costs £[4.95] for each child who attends on the day. We invoice you afterwards, so you don't pay for children who can't come because of sickness, for example. There's no charge for [leaders] and other adults – as many as you want to bring. JOHN: That sounds very fair. Well, thanks for all the information. I'll need to discuss it with my colleagues, and I hope to get back to you soon to make a booking. SALLY: We'll look forward to hearing from you. Goodbye. JOHN: Goodbye, and thank you.

It’s great to see so many members of the Twinning Association here tonight. Since the twinning link between our two towns, Stanthorpe here in England and Malatte in France, was established, the relationship between the towns has gone from strength to strength. Last month, 25 members of the association from Stanthorpe spent a weekend in Malatte. Our hosts had arranged a great programme. We learned how cheese is produced in the region and had the chance to taste the products. The theme park trip had to be cancelled, but we all had a great time on the final [boat trip] down the river – that was the real highlight. This is a special year for the Association because it’s 25 years since we were founded. In Malatte, they’re planning to mark this by building a footbridge in the municipal park. We’ve been discussing what to do here and we’ve decided to [plant a poplar tree] in the museum gardens. We considered buying a garden seat to put there, but the authorities weren’t happy with that idea. In terms of fundraising to support our activities, we’ve done very well. Our [pancake evening] was well attended and made record profits. And everyone enjoyed the demonstration of French cookery, which was nearly as successful. Numbers for our film show were limited because of the venue so we’re looking for somewhere bigger next year. We’re looking forward to welcoming our French visitors here next week, and I know that many of you here will be hosting individuals or families. The coach from France will arrive at 5 pm on Friday. Don’t try to do too much that first evening as they’ll be tired, so have [dinner in the house] or garden rather than eating out. The weather looks as if it’ll be OK so you might like to plan a barbecue. Then the next morning’s market day in town, and that’s always a good place to stroll round. On Saturday evening, we’ll all meet up at the football club, where once again we’ll have Toby Sharp and his band [performing English and Scottish country songs]. Toby will already be well known to many of you as last year he organised our special quiz night and presented the prizes. Now on Sunday, we’ll be taking our visitors to Farley House. You may not all be familiar with it, so here’s a map to help you. You can see the car park at the bottom of the map. There’s an excellent farm shop in the grounds where our visitors can buy local produce – it’s in the old stables, which is the first building you come to. They’re built round a courtyard, and the shop’s in the far corner on the left. There’s also a small café on the right as you go in. I know that one or two of our visitors may not be all that mobile. The main entrance to the house has a lot of steps so you might want to use the disabled entry. This is on the far side of the house from the car park. Children will probably be most interested in the adventure playground. That’s at the northern end of the larger lake, in a bend on the path that leads to the lake. There’s lots for children to do there. There are a number of lovely gardens near the house. The kitchen gardens are rectangular and surrounded by a wall. They’re to the north-east of the house, quite near the smaller lake. They’re still in use and have a great collection of fruit and vegetables. The Temple of the Four Winds is a bit more of a walk – but it’s worth it. Take the path from the car park and go past the western sides of the stables and the house. Then when the path forks, take the right-hand path. Go up there with the woods on your left and the temple is right at the end. There are great views over the whole area. OK, so that’s . . .