Transcript
Part 1
Woman: Good morning, Star Insurance. How can I help?
Man: Oh, good morning. I’m calling to make an insurance claim. It’s for damage to my house.
Woman: All right. I’m just going to get a few details down first. What’s your name, please?
Man: It’s Greg Williams.
Woman: Okay. Thank you. And what’s your policy reference, please?
Man: Is that the long number with the letters in the middle?
Woman: That’s right.
Man: It’s 05443CHI771.
Woman: Okay, right. Yes. I’ve got your details on the computer now. So can I confirm your address? According to our records, you live at 102 Market Street in North Bridge. Is that right?
Man: That’s correct.
Woman: All right. Good. And the last thing I need to check. What’s the best phone number to get you on? Is it the number you’re calling on now?
Man: No, I’m calling from work. Let me give you my mobile phone number. It’s 01866925.
Woman: Thanks. So, can you give me a description of the damage? When did the incident occur?
Man: Sunday, the 17th of June.
Woman: I see. And what was the cause of the incident? How did the damage happen?
Man: Right. No one was home at the time, which was fortunate, I suppose. There was a big storm and I guess it blew down one of the trees at the back of our garden and it smashed through the window in our daughter’s bedroom.
Woman: Yes. A good thing you were all out. So have you got the window fixed?
Man: Not yet.
Woman: All right. And so, apart from the window, what are you claiming for?
Man: Okay, like I said, it was my young daughter’s room. Anyway, right below the window is her desk. That’s all right. But she left her glasses on it and they got really badly scratched. She’ll need a new pair. Luckily, she hadn’t left her headphones there like she normally does.
Woman: Is there anything else?
Man: Yes. Because the window was broken, the rain got in and what’s really annoying is that just last month, we’d gone shopping and bought a carpet. We’d only had it for a couple of weeks, and it got soaked. We had to remove it.
Woman: Oh, dear. Are there any other items you’d like to claim for?
Man: Yes. I suppose we should be grateful that the rain didn’t reach her computer, but when the tree came through the window, it tore a hole through the curtain that was hanging there.
Woman: Okay, I’m making a note of all this.
Man: And one more thing I need to claim for.
Woman: Yes?
Man: We’ve had some repairs done already.
Woman: For a door you can’t open?
Man: No, it’s for the garage. The tree hit that as well.
Woman: Okay. So, have you contacted a professional builder yet?
Man: Yes. It’s the same builder we always use. Do you want his name?
Woman: Yes, please.
Man: Okay. It’s Stephen Honeywell. H-O-N-E-Y-W-E-L-L.
Woman: All right. Now, apart from damage to the house itself, what else do you think the builder will be looking at? Because we’re going to need photographs.
Man: Oh, yes. Well, he’ll be putting up a fence for us between our house and the neighbors, because the one we’ve got now was smashed by the tree. So I’ll take some pictures before he does the work.
Woman: Please do that. And then you can send them in with your claim.
Part 2
It’s good to see so many people came to participate in our Young Explorer program. I think that at this meeting we have groups from 12 different high schools. I can promise you that while it’s challenging, it’s also going to be a lot of fun. The Young Explorer program offers some unique opportunities to participants. During the program, you’ll be tracking through forests or maybe mountain tracks or perhaps kayaking along the coastline. It can be a tough few days, but this part of the program really gives your group an occasion to work as a team. Some kind words and encouragement can go a long way, whether it’s convincing someone they can walk the last 5 miles or helping them fit everything back inside their backpack. No one’s in charge. It’s all about cooperation, and please don’t see it as a race. There are going to be moments when there is disagreement about which way to go or where to camp for the night, but here’s the chance to listen properly to the opinions of others and reach a decision that’s best for everyone. It’s an opportunity not many other programs provide.
Later this morning you need to choose a weekend when you can attend some preliminary training. A number of practical subjects will be covered to ensure you get the most out of your four-day trek. Now, everything you eat and drink you’ll have to take with you. You’ll also have to use a portable stove and the fuel it requires. We’ll make sure you know how to use that safely during the training session. We don’t want you or the food to get burnt or for you to accidentally set alight to any trees. Training will also include learning how to read a map and use a compass so you can head in the right direction. You’ll also need to know how to put up a tent and where to put it. For example, putting it next to a river or a stream might seem like a good idea, but there are plenty of reasons not to.
Okay, there are six tracks on your list, and your group can decide which track it wants to take. Each of them is about the same distance, but very different in other respects. The first one, North Face. That’s one of my favorite tracks. It takes you high up into the mountains, and the view is stunning. But we’ve just heard that the maintenance work is taking place, unfortunately, and so people aren’t allowed to use it at the moment. But the other tracks are very interesting, too. You’ve got Blue River, which I’d thoroughly recommend, but you need to keep an eye out when you’re walking that track. It’s easier to slip on the rocks when you’re crossing the river, and you do have to cross it several times. Then there’s Pioneer Track, which takes you through some native forest. You follow the track for about a day and a half, and then it comes to an end at a town called Richmond. It starts up again on the other side of town, and the rest of the route is along the coast. You might also consider Edgewater. You get to see some beautiful lakes and bird life. The only thing I’d say, though, is that it’s very popular, and you’ll probably come across a number of other groups out walking on the way. Number five on the list is the Murrayi Track. That one is certainly quite challenging. There are some very steep sections, and at some point you’d be walking right next to the cliff edge on a very narrow path. That’s definitely a track where caution needs to be taken. Great views, though. And last but not least is Lakeside Track, which, as the name suggests, takes you along one of our biggest lakes. It has some terrific camping spots, but that also means it’s a bit of a tourist attraction, and you could well be sharing the track with many other visitors. Anyway, it’s up to you which track you decide to take.
Part 3
Tutor: Okay. Kiara and Finn, can you tell me how your project is going? Your general topic was the future of work, wasn’t it?
Finn: Yes. We’ve read a lot of articles on it. Some were more interesting than others. There were a couple of writers that just made some strong statements without really backing them up.
Kiara: The problem is, it’s such a big topic. Some of the articles were aimed at graduates, and some of them were targeting people who’ve been in work for years. We should have narrowed down our topic before we started searching.
Finn: But anyway, the focus was always the changing nature of jobs. How it’s all happening so quickly?
Kiara: Exactly. Every single article said we can forget the way things used to happen. Like you started out as an apprentice and then you stayed in the same company for years. That’s over.
Tutor: I see that you’ve highlighted the job title in your notes. Why is that?
Kiara: I think for some people, a job title used to define them. It was their identity. They worked their way up from the bottom, and eventually, one day they became manager or head of department. And even in their social circle outside of work, they wanted other people to know how long they’d been in a job.
Tutor: And now?
Kiara: It looks like we’re moving away from the term job title. So, you know, instead, a lot of businesses are hiring people to work on a project and lead a team. But the contracts are temporary.
Tutor: Finn, do you think that’s a big issue for young people?
Finn: Having to move on once the project’s finished? Not necessarily. It can be interesting to work in different places. People aren’t always looking for a job that pays really well. It’s more about gaining experience and creating a network.
Tutor: So money is not important?
Finn: Well, I haven’t started work myself, but according to all the articles I read, it’s more about the different rates of pay. If you have a good salary, you probably have enough to enjoy life. But if you’re only earning the minimum wage, how do you get by? That’s my biggest worry.
Kiara: I looked at that Richards-Greeves survey on work-life balance.
Tutor: Oh, good.
Kiara: Only 48% of people believe that their work-life balance will improve.
Tutor: Is that a statistic that surprises you?
Kiara: It’s hard to say. I wonder what the survey actually asked. Was it just “Will your work-life balance improve?” or did the interviewers break that down? I mean, did they actually ask the people who took part: “Do you enjoy spending more time at work than home?”
Tutor: Good point. See if you can find out more. And Finn, what else have you been researching?
Finn: Learning new skills. The general view is that employers are just going to want their workers to constantly upskill, and apparently employers will expect them to attend courses at weekends or after work, not as part of the working day.
Tutor: I don’t think that’s a bad thing as long as the company pays for it. And think about it. If you were smart, you’d study things that would help you if you had to change companies.
Kiara: I hadn’t thought about that.
Tutor: Yes, good thinking. What about mobile technology? How might employees be affected now that phones and tablets make it possible to stay connected to work at all times?
Finn: It’s great you can use mobile technology, your device to work where you like, on the way to class or the office.
Kiara: The media often focuses on the negatives, but as far as I’m concerned, having a tablet I can carry with me means I can manage my studies and my family commitments more easily. I actually think that in the future, mobile technology will reduce employees’ stress.
Tutor: So let’s focus on the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs. To what extent do you think it’ll help people in their professions or be a threat?
Finn: I was reading about architects using AI in the future. The writer was saying that one day architects will use holograms, then their clients could see a three-dimensional house rather than just looking at a flat plan.
Kiara: As soon as one architect starts to use AI, all the rival architects in the same area will have to use AI too. That’s the only way they’ll manage to keep their clients.
Finn: True. How about doctors? Imagine if they had to give urgent medical attention to someone, but they weren’t qualified to do it. Hospital specialists could use AI and virtual reality to guide a doctor through, like a complex procedure.
Kiara: Yes, in an emergency situation, AI could really make the difference.
Finn: And what about the law?
Kiara: Well, the lawyers I know are always anxious about the amount of work they have to get through, but AI could help them with a whole lot of routine tasks, and that should make some of that anxiety go away.
Finn: Yes, it probably could. Also, if you’re a sports referee, that could be a job that’s affected.
Tutor: In what way?
Finn: Using AI would mean there were no mistakes. It would know for sure if a ball was out, for example.
Kiara: And you can’t accuse AI of bias?
Finn: No.
Kiara: I can imagine that one day AI might do away with the need for human referees.
Finn: I think so, too.
Tutor: All right, let’s move on to our next point.
Part 4
Today, I’m going to talk about an incredible event in the history of Canada, the Klondike Gold Rush. Between 1896 and 1899, over 100,000 people set out to seek gold in the Klondike region, a remote area in Northwestern Canada. Only 4,000 people were actually successful.
Let’s start by considering the journey people had to take in order to reach the Klondike River and start looking for gold. For most gold seekers, their journey began in Alaska, in a town on the coast called Skagway. From Skagway, one option was to take the White Pass Trail through the mountains. It probably looked easy enough at the beginning of the trail, but rocks made it difficult to make progress. On top of this, the men and their horses got stuck in the thick mud that covered long sections of the trail. The other option was the Chilkoot Trail. Now, although this trail was only about 35 miles long, it took about three months for the gold seekers to cover this distance. This is because the trail was incredibly steep and people had to make the same trip multiple times in order to transport their equipment. Most people really had very little idea about how difficult the journey was going to be. So although 100,000 may have set out on those two trails, only about 300 got to the end. So yes, the majority gave up. Often they were suffering from starvation or disease. They also came to the terrible realization that their journey was likely to end in failure, and so they turned around. Anyway, for those gold seekers who did continue, they eventually reached Lake Bennet. They might have expected that their journey was going to become easier at this point. But no. Because the lake was frozen over, many people had to wait until spring before they could continue their journey. In the meantime, a tent was the only protection they had from the cold. While they were waiting, people cut down trees and made boats. Once the ice melted, they could sail across the lake and start down the Yukon River again. This wasn’t the end of their troubles. Once they reached a point of the river called Miles Canyon, things became very dangerous indeed. Many boats were destroyed in the rapids. In order to proceed down the Yukon River, the gold seekers needed to employ a real sailor, someone who could steer their boats and get through the canyon safely. From here on, the worst was over, and the gold seekers could sail to a place called Dawson at the mouth of the Klondike River.
So earlier on, I mentioned the gold seekers needed to make multiple trips up and down the two trails. This is because they had to transport an enormous amount of equipment. This equipment was set out on a very long list. It was actually the police who gave gold seekers the list, since they knew how unprepared many people were for the journey. People were obliged to take enough supplies to last them a year. So the list included clothing like boots and warm winter coats. There was also the food the gold seekers required. Perhaps items like tea weren’t too hard to carry, but 400 pounds of flour would have been very heavy indeed. The gold seekers had to take a lot of tools as well. Everything they needed for digging, for building, and so on. Things like rope were essential and could be packed away without too much difficulty. But imagine having to carry two or three buckets with you. All these things were compulsory.
So some people became very successful because of the gold rush and not because they had actually found gold themselves. Those who were business-minded saw many opportunities. They sold the supplies that the gold seekers needed. They established hotels and so on. And then there were people like Jack London. London was one of the gold seekers that actually survived the terrible journey, but he didn’t find much gold. Still, he was inspired to write. Through his vivid description, his readers could share the feeling of adventure even from the comfort of their armchair. Finally, it wasn’t just men that tried to seek their fame and fortune; many women also headed up the trails. Among them were Annie Hall Strong and Emma Kelly. In the US and in other parts of Canada, ordinary citizens were keen to read about life in the Klondike. Working for different newspapers, Hall and Kelly often described their firsthand experience of danger and hardship. Another thing that needs to be discussed…