SECTION 1
1. Answer: races
JIM: If you’re pretty serious about cycling, there’s the Full membership. That costs 260 dollars and that covers you not just for ordinary cycling but also for races both here in the city and also in other parts of Australia.
Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (races):
all over = in other parts of
Explanation:
the man says that the Full membership covers both ordinary cycling and races in all parts of Australia.
The answer is races.
2. Answer: insurance
JIM: Now both types of membership include the club fee of 20 dollars. They also provide insurance in case you have an accident, though we hope you won’t need that, of course.
Explanation:
The cost of membership, therefore, includes the club fee plus insurance.
The answer is insurance.
3. Answer: Jerriz.
JIM: …And once you’re a member of the club, you’re also permitted to wear our kit when you’re out cycling. It’s green and white.
WOMAN: Yes. I’ve seen cyclists wearing it. So, can I buy that at the club?
JIM: No, it’s made to order by a company in Brisbane. You can find them online, they’re called Jerriz. That’s J-E-R-R-I-Z…
Explanation:
The man spells the name of the company that makes the club kit. The name includes some less common letters to test your spelling ability.
The answer is Jerriz.
4. Answer: 25
JIM: Sure. So we have training rides pretty well every morning, and they’re a really good way of improving your cycling skills as well as your general level of fitness, but they’re different levels. Level A is pretty fast – you’re looking at about 30 or 35 kilometres an hour. If you can do about 25 kilometres an hour, you’d probably be level B, and then the level C are the novices…..
Explanation:
The speed for each level is mentioned, and the speed for level B is about 25 kilometres per hour (kph).
The answer is 25.
5. Answer: stadium
WOMAN: So when are the sessions for that level?
JIM: There are a couple each week. They’re both early morning sessions. There’s one on Tuesdays, andfor that one you meet at 5.30 am, and the meeting point’s the stadium – do you know where that is?
Explanation:
For the Tuesday morning session, the man explains that the meeting point is the stadium.
The answer is stadium.
6. Answer: park
WOMAN: …and how about the other one?
JIM: That’s on Thursdays. It starts at the same time, but they meet at the main gate to the park.
Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (park): entrance = gate
Explanation:
For sessions taking place on Thursday mornings, club members will meet at the entrance (“the main gate”) to the park.
The answer is park.
7. Answer: coffee
WOMAN: So how long are the rides?
JIM: They’re about an hour and a half. So, if you have a job it’s easy to fit in before you go to work. And the members often go somewhere for coffee afterwards, so it’s quite a social event.
Explanation:
We need to listen for an activity that club members often do together. The man says that they often have coffee together after the session.
The answer is coffee.
8. Answer: leader
WOMAN: And does each ride have a leader?
JIM: Sometimes, but not always. But you don’t really need one; the group members on the ride support one another, anyway.
Explanation:
The man replies that there is sometimes a leader with the group, but not always, because the group do not really need a leader.
The answer is leader.
9. Answer: route
WOMAN: How would we know where to go?
JIM: If you check the club website, you’ll see that the route for each ride is clearly marked. So you can just print that out and take it along with you.
Explanation:
The man says that you can check and print out the route from the club website, so
The answer is route.
10. Answer: lights
JIM: And in winter, it’s well before sunrise when we set out, so you need to make sure your bike’s got lights.
Explanation:
Because they begin cycling in winter when it is still dark, you must have lights on your bike.
The answer is lights.
SECTION 2
11. Answer: C. 8 hours per year
Participating doesn’t necessarily involve a huge time commitment. The company will pay for eight hours of your time. That can be used over one or two days all at once, or spread over several months throughout the year. There are some staff who enjoy volunteering so much they also give up their own free time for a couple of hours every week.
Explanation:
The speaker talks about the volunteering projects in which the company is involved. The speaker says “the company will pay for eight hours of your time”, meaning it allows 8 paid hours of volunteering per employee. The permitted hours can be spread “throughout the year”, so each person will get 8 hours per year. The reference to some staff who enjoy volunteering and do this “for a couple of hours every week” is irrelevant, because the question is about the time allowed by the company for volunteering. Therefore,
The answer is C.
12. Answer: B. job satisfaction
Feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Because they felt they were doing something really useful, nearly everyone agreed that volunteering made them feel more motivated at work. They also liked building relationships with the people in the local community and felt valued by them. One or two people also said it was good thing to have on their CVs. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (B): almost all employees = nearly everyone
Explanation:
The speaker said almost all employees “felt they were doing something really useful” and “volunteering made them feel more motivated at work”. This means they feel satisfied with the job.
The answer is B.
13. Answer: C. communication skills
One particularly successful project last year was the Get Working Project. This was aimed at helping unemployed people in the area get back to work. Our staff were able to help them improve their telephone skills, such as writing down messages and speaking with confidence to potential customers, which they had found quite difficult. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (C): communication skills = telephone skills
Explanation:
The speaker said last year some staff helped unemployed people with their communication skills (“telephone skills, such as writing down messages and speaking with confidence to potential customers”). All of these are different types of skills for communicating with other people. Therefore,
The answer is C.
14. Answer: B. park
We’ve got an exciting new project starting this year. Up until now, we’ve mainly focused on projects to do with education and training. And we’ll continue with our reading project in schools and our work with local charities. But we’ve also agreed to help out on a conservation project in Redfern Park.
Explanation:
The speaker mentions some volunteering projects like the reading project in schools, the work with local charities and the conservation project in Redfern Park. Of these three projects, the reading and the charity ones are not new since they’re the company’s main focus and continued by the staff. The conservation project in the park, on the other hand, is a new one, starting from this year. Therefore,
The answer is B.
15. Answer: B. at a college
I also want to mention the annual Digital Inclusion Day, which is coming up next month. The aim of this is to help older people keep up with technology. And this year, instead of hosting the event in our own training facility, we’re using the ICT suite at Hill College, as it can hold far more people. We’ve invited over 60 people from the Silver Age Community Centre to take part, so we’ll need a lot of volunteers to help with this event.
Explanation:
The speaker says that this year, the Digital Inclusion Day will be held in the ICT suite at Hill College, not at the company’s training facility. Older people from a community centre have been invited, but the training will not take place at a community centre. Therefore,
The answer is B.
16. Answer: A. fill in a form
If you’re interested in taking part, please go to the volunteering section of our website and complete the relevant form. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (A): fill in a form = complete the relevant form
Explanation:
The speaker says that no training will be provided and that, after they have completed the form, volunteers should tell their manager. The key point is that staff should fill in the form on the website.
The answer is A.
17-18. Answer: C. Their phones were mostly old-fashioned; E. They initially showed little interest
The participants on the Digital Inclusion Day really benefited. The majority were in their seventies, though some were younger and a few were even in their nineties. Quite a few owned both a computer and a mobile phone, but these tended to be outdated models. They generally knew how to do simple things, like send texts, but weren’t aware of recent developments in mobile phone technology. A few were keen to learn but most were quite dismissive at first – they couldn’t see the point of updating their skills. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answers (C and E): old-fashioned = outdated showed little interest = quite dismissive
Explanation:
The speaker says the majority of the participants, not all of them were in their seventies, so A is incorrect; “quite a few owned both a computer and a mobile phone”, and “generally knew how to do simple things, like send texts”, so D is wrong as well. B is irrelevant since the speaker just says that those who attended owned computers, but he does not mention whether they used their computer or not. The speaker says that the participants used “outdated models”, so C is correct. It is also stated that “most were quite dismissive at first”, meaning they showed little interest in the Digital Inclusion Day, so E is correct, too.
The answers are C, E.
19-20. Answer: B. communicating with family, D. playing online games
The feedback was positive. The really encouraging thing was that participants all said they felt much more confident about using social media to keep in touch with their grandchildren, who prefer this form of communication to phoning or sending emails. A lot of them also said playing online games would help them make new friends and keep their brains active. They weren’t that impressed with being able to order their groceries online, as they liked going out to the shops,…One thing they asked about was using the tablets for things like reading newspapers – some people had been given tablets as presents but had never used them. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answers (B and D): communicating = keep in touch family = grandchildren
Explanation:
A is incorrect because although people asked about tablets for reading newspapers, some had never used them. C is incorrect because people often preferred to go out to the shops, rather than shopping online. E is also wrong because they preferred to communicate with their family using social media, not sending emails.On the Digital Inclusion Day, people said they now felt more confident about using social media to communicate with family members (especially grandchildren), so B is correct. D is also correct because people say that playing online games keeps their brain active.
The answer are B, D.
SECTION 3
21. Answer: B. his uncertainty about what he should try to achieve
RUSS: …And I’m really struggling. I chose the topic because I didn’t know much about it and wanted to learn more, but now I’ve read so much about it, in a way there’s too much to say – I could talk much longer than the twenty minutes I’ve been allocated. Should I assume the other students don’t know much, and give them a kind of general introduction, or should I try and make them share my fascination with a particular aspect? Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (B):difficulty = struggling
Explanation:
His lack of knowledge about the topic is not a problem for Russ since he has “read so much about it, in a way there’s too much to say”, hence A is incorrect. C is also incorrect. He says that he has “read so much about it”, so he has clearly had time to prepare his presentation on the topic. The correct answer is B. Russ is uncertain because he cannot decide if he should give a general introduction to the topic or to focus on one interesting aspect of it.
The answer is B.
22. Answer: A. to concentrate on how nanotechnology is used in one field
TUTOR: OK. Now, one way of approaching this is to work through developments in chronological order. RUSS : Uh-huh. TUTOR : On the other hand, you could talk about the numerous ways that nanotechnology is being applied. RUSS : You mean things like thin films on camera displays to make them water-repellent and additives to make motorcycle helmets stronger and lighter TUTOR : Exactly. Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area, say medicine, or space exploration. RUSS : That would make it easier to focus. Perhaps I should do that. TUTOR : I think that would be a good idea. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (A):concentrate on = focus one field = one particular area
Explanation:
Although all of the choices are mentioned, the tutor and Russ both agree on discussing the impact of nanotechnology in one field. (Russ says: “Perhaps I should do that”, and the tutor thinks it would be a good idea). Therefore,
The answer is A.
23. Answer: C. consider omitting slides altogether
RUSS: Right. How important is it to include slides in the presentation? TUTOR: They aren’t essential, by any means. And there’s a danger of tailoring what you say to fit whatever slides you can find. While it can be good to include slides, you could end up spending too long looking for suitable ones. You might find it better to leave them out. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (C): omitting = leave out
Explanation:
The tutor advises Russ against including slides as he could “end up spending too long looking for suitable ones”, so she thinks he’d better omit them altogether (“leave them out”).
The answer is C.
24. Answer: C. to provide an example
RUSS: Another thing I was wondering about was how to start. I know presentations often begin with “First I’m going to talk about this, and then I’ll talk about that”, but I thought about asking the audience what they know about nanotechnology. TUTOR: That would be fine if you had an hour or two for the presentation, but you might find that you can’t do anything with the answers you get, and it simply eats into the short time that’s available. RUSS: So, maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used, to focus people’s attention. TUTOR: That sounds sensible. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (C):example = a particular way
Explanation:
A is incorrect because the tutor tells Russ that encouraging the audience to talk is too time-consuming: “ …it simply eats into the short time that’s available”. B is also wrong, because they do not discuss the option of starting the presentation by telling the audience what Russ intends to talk about. C is correct, because the best choice to start the presentation is to provide an example (“mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used”).
The answer is C.
25. Answer: A. summarise the main point he wants to make
RUSS: What do you think I should do next? I really have to plan the presentation today and tomorrow. TUTOR: Well, initially I think you should ignore all the notes you’ve made, take a small piece of paper, and write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation: it can be something as simple as “Nanotechnology is already improving our lives”. Then start planning the content around that. You can always modify that sentence later, if you need to. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (A):summarise = tie together
Explanation:
The tutor suggests that Russ should not read the notes he’s already made (“you should ignore all the notes”). Therefore, B is incorrect. Neither of the speakers refers to the idea of listing the topics that Russ wants to cover, so C is also incorrect. Instead, he should summarise the main point of his presentation (“write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation”).
The correct answer, therefore, is A.
26. Answer: structure
TUTOR: …With regard to the structure, I felt that you ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off. Be careful not to do that in next week’s presentation. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (A):lacked a conclusion = without rounding it off
Explanation:
The tutor thinks in his previous presentation, Russ “ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off.” This means he lacked failed to conclude by bringing all the arguments of his presentation together.
The correct answer is A.
27. Answer: eye contact
TUTOR: And you made very little eye contact with the audience, because you were looking down at your notes most of the time. You need to be looking at the audience and only occasionally glancing at your notes. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (C):not enough = very little
Explanation:
The tutor says Russ “made very little eye contact with the audience”. In other words, she thinks he didn’t make enough eye contact with them.
The answer is C.
28. Answer: body language
TUTOR: Your body language was a little odd. Every time you show a slide, you turned your back on the audience so you could look at it – you should have been looking at your laptop. And you kept scratching your head, so I found myself wondering when you were next going to do that, instead of listening to what you were saying!
Explanation:
The tutor says Russ’s body language was “a little odd”. She adds “you kept scratching your head, so I found myself wondering when you were next going to do that, instead of listening to what you were saying!” This means she was distracted by Russ’s gesture – scratching his head, and as a result she found it difficult to focus on what he was saying.
The answer is D.
29. Answer: choice of words
RUSS: What did you think of the language? I knew that not everyone was familiar with the subject, so I tried to make it as simple as I could. TUTOR: Yes, that came across. You used a few words that are specific to the field, but you always explained what they meant, so the audience wouldn’t have any difficulty understanding. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (G):technical = specific to the field
Explanation:
The tutor says that Russ’s talk contained some words that were technical (“specific to the field”), but he always explained them so that the audience were able to understand.
The correct answer is G.
30. Answer: handouts
TUTOR: I must say the handouts you prepared were well thought out. They were a good summary of your presentation, which people would be able to refer to later on. So well done on that. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (B):useful = able to refer to in the future = later on
Explanation:
The tutor praises Russ’s handouts. They were “a good summary of his presentation, which people would be able to refer to later on.” What she means here is the handouts would be useful in the future.
The answer is B.
SECTION 4
31. Answer: location.
Episodic memories allow us to mentally travel back in time to an event from the past. Episodic memories include various details about these events, for example, when an event happened and other information such as location. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (location): recall = mentally travel back in time the time = when an event happened
Explanation:
Episodic memory is the ability to recall details about an event, such as the time, or the place (“location”), and the speaker gives the example of having a meal at a restaurant, and then recalling many of the details of that event.
So, The answer is location.
32. Answer: world
Episodic memory is distinct from another type of memory called semantic memory. This is the type of factual memory that we have in common with everyone else – that is your general knowledge of the world. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (world): different = distinct information = knowledge
Explanation:
The speaker explains what ‘semantic memory’ means. It is the type of factual memory that everyone has – “general knowledge of the world”.
The answer is world.
33. Answer: personal
Unlike episodic memory, semantic memory isn’t dependent on recalling personal experiences. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (personal): involve = dependent on remembering = recallinginformation = experiences
Explanation:
Semantic memory is referred to as having no relation to personal information (“personal experiences”). So
The answer is “personal”.
34. Answer: attention.
The degree to which you can successfully encode information depends on the level of attention you give to an event while it’s actually happening.
Explanation:
The speaker talks about encoding. The more (“the degree to which”) attention that you pay to an event at the time that it happens, the more successfully you can encode it. Therefore,
The answer is attention.
35. Answer: name
Encoding of episodic memories is also influenced by how you process an event. For example, if you were introduced to someone called Charlie, you might make the connection that your uncle has the same name. Future recollection of Charlie’s name is much easier if you have a strategy to help you encode it. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (name): remember = recollection
Explanation:
The speaker now talks about the next step in encoding episodic memories, using the example of remembering a name (“future recollection of Charlie’s name”) as one strategy to encode information.
The answer is name.
36. Answer: network
Consolidation is most effective when the information being stored can be linked to an existing network of information. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (network): added = linked
Explanation:
The speaker now talks about the next stage in forming episodic memory – consolidation. Information is most effectively stored by adding it or linking it to a network of information that you already have, in other words “relating it” to existing information.
The answer is network.
37. Answer: frequency
Forming strong memories depends on the frequency with which you try to retrieve them. Memories can fade or become harder to retrieve if they aren’t used very often. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (frequency): affects = depends on the strength of memories = strong memories
Explanation:
The speaker still talks about consolidation. If you try to retrieve memories often (“frequently”), they become easier to retrieve. Therefore,
The answer is frequency.
38. Answer: colour/ color
Retrieving information from episodic memory depends upon semantic, olfactory, auditory and visual factors. These help episodic memory retrieval by acting as a prompt. For example, when recalling where you parked your car, you may use the colour of a sign close to where you parked. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (colour): left your car = parked near to = close to
Explanation:
The speaker explains the use of prompts in memory retrieval. These prompts may be of different kinds, such as remembering the colour of a sign near where you parked your car.
The answer is colour/color.
39. Answer: brain
…the symptoms of schizophrenia can be reasonably well controlled by medication; however, patients’ episodic memory may still be impaired and so they are often unable to return to university or work. Recent studies have shown that computer-assisted games designed to keep the brain active can help improve their episodic memory. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (brain): stimulate = keep active
Explanation:
Schizophrenia may damage the episodic memory of sufferers. However, computer-assisted games may help to improve episodic memory by stimulating (“keeping active”) the brain.
The answer is brain.
40. Answer: self
Episodic memories can help people connect with others, for instance by sharing intimate details about their past; something individuals with autism often have problems with. This may be caused by an absence of a sense of self. This is essential for the storage of episodic memory, and has been found to be impaired in children with autism. Here are some key words that help you to get the correct answer (self):concept = sense forming = storage difficulty = have problems with/impaired
Explanation:
The speaker talks about the concept of self (“a sense of self”), which is absent in children with autism. The absence of this sense of self makes difficult (“impairs”) the formation of episodic memory in autistic children.
The answer is self.
