Dạng bài trắc nghiệm

KEY

Exercise 1:

Exercise 2:

1C 2B 3A 4B 5A

Exercise 3:

1B 2B 3A 4B 5C 6D 7B

Exercise 4:

1C 2C 3B 4B 5B 6C 7B

Exercise 5:

1A 2C 3B 4A 5A 6B

Exercise 6:

B) To decide on a topic for their upcoming project
C) It’s been running for a long time and doesn’t allow for in-depth analysis.
B) It is still in the planning stages, allowing them to track its progress.
C) In a desert camp in Arizona
B) He believes it’s interesting but less suitable than the Mars expedition.
B) Observing how a group of people live together in challenging conditions
B) Next Wednesday

Exercise 7:

1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 C 6 A

Exercise 8:

B. To the sports centre
C. £40
B. It has modern equipment
B. They are too expensive
C. Group exercise classes in the park
C. £20 per hour
B. Advice on diet
A. She wants advice on her diet
C. To try both the gym and a personal trainer
B. Her personal trainer’s email address

Exercise 9:

c) Thurlestone
c) By car
b) A bit cold and sometimes rainy
c) Malaysia
b) Finding a room easily without booking
b) Take a tour guide
c) It’s dark all the time
c) Summer
c) By cruise ship
b) It’s a bit warmer than winter

Exercise 10:

B. Monday at 7:30 PM
C. Channel Three
B. History and French
C. Working at an Italian restaurant
B. He couldn’t speak Italian
B. 2005
A. The Lemon Grove
C. Jack’s Best Dishes
C. The birth of his third child
D. Doing maths

Exercise 11:

b) The transport system in the town
c) The unreliable bus service
c) Support the train service financially
b) It has been falling because traffic moves slowly
b) Asthma and bronchitis
c) The Arts Centre
b) By the Starview Cinema
b) Heavy lorries from the industrial estate
c) Stopping lorries from entering in the morning
b) A few kilometers down the Scotsfield Road

Exercise 12:

c) The British education system
d) Wales and Northern Ireland
b) From 5 to 16
c) Reception
b) At age 11
c) Teachers assess students directly
b) To provide personal qualifications
b) Modern Foreign Languages
c) A levels
c) They combine work experience with part-time study

TRANSCRIPT

Exercise 1:

Presenter: Good afternoon everybody and welcome to the travel show. Today, I’m talking to Anna Cox from Cambridge, who has recently taken part in the Summer Cultural Exchange Programme. Good afternoon, Anna!
Anna: Good afternoon!
Presenter: Anna, where can students go on the Summer Cultural Exchange Programme?
Anna: Well, students can travel to France or Spain on a language exchange, or to the USA on a sports or music exchange. I didn’t go to the USA because I’m not very good at sports. However, I study French and Spanish at school, so I had two options. I’ve been to France before, so I decided to go to Spain instead.
Presenter: Where did you stay on your summer cultural exchange programme?
Anna: I stayed with a host family in a small village just outside the city of Seville. Most people in the city live in apartments, but my host family lived in a big house. The family had a daughter who was my age called Carmen, so we had lots of fun together. We also visited Carmen’s grandparents who live on a farm in the countryside. As I love animals, it was a really good experience for me.
Presenter: How wonderful! How long are exchange programmes usually?
Anna: Well, most of the language exchange programmes last for two weeks but the sports and music exchange programmes last for four weeks. If you go on a language exchange programme in August, you can go for three weeks because it’s the school holidays. I went on a language exchange to Spain in July, so I could only stay for two weeks, unfortunately.
Presenter: Who can take part in the programme?
Anna: Well, there are some age requirements for the programme. You must be over the age of fourteen to take part in the language exchange programme and sixteen for the sports and music exchange programme. If you want to take part in the sports and music exchange programme, you have to be on a school sports team or play in the school orchestra. You can only take part in the language exchange programme if you study French or Spanish.
Presenter: I see – so would you recommend this programme to other students?
Anna: Yes, definitely. I had a great time staying with Carmen and her family. I felt a bit homesick when I first arrived, but they were so friendly and welcoming. Carmen spoke really good English, so I was worried that I wouldn’t improve my Spanish, but I always tried to speak Spanish with her parents. My language skills have improved a little bit, but I think that it’s better to stay for three weeks because you have more time to practise the language.
Presenter: The whole programme sounds really interesting, Anna – thank you for telling us about it.

Exercise 2:

Jim: When I need to relax, I usually read a book. I believe that reading can also change your mood. For example, a good novel can make you forget about all of your worries and a funny story can make you feel happy. If you’re feeling sad, you shouldn’t read a sad story though, as this will make you feel worse.

Elena: For me, doing yoga is the best way to relax. You don’t even have to spend a long time doing it to feel the benefits – even five minutes of breathing exercises can make a difference. Doing yoga will help you breathe deeply, which is the fastest way to feel more relaxed. You can do yoga classes in many different places. It isn’t expensive either! Many sports centres offer yoga classes at a low price. You have to find a good teacher though – that’s really important.

Kate: I think that doing regular exercise is the best way to relax. It’s good for the body and also for the mind. After a short run or work out we feel more relaxed and happier. Often a person’s reason for not doing regular exercise is they don’t have enough time. However, you can always find ways to do more exercise, like walking instead of getting the bus or driving.

Mike: When I am feeling stressed at work, I go straight outdoors for a walk in the park. Breathing fresh air and looking at nature helps me to deal with my problems. Being active for just twenty minutes outside is enough to make you feel healthier, but the longer you spend, the better. I try to spend half an hour every day exercising during my lunch break. I can’t spend the whole hour outside because I don’t always have time. Everyone should give it a try.

Mark: When I want to relax, the first thing I do is make myself a cup of tea. I think green tea makes me feel calmer than black tea, but all types of tea can make you feel less stressed. A recent study found that people who drink tea during stressful times are much more relaxed than those who don’t. You shouldn’t drink tea at night though or you may find it difficult to sleep.

Exercise 3:

Sofia: Oliver, we need to discuss about how to start our project. Remember that our teacher wants us to write the report on two things. One, how many students in college already speak more than one language…
Oliver: …yes, and two, what level their English is. It’s a big project so I think we’re going to have to speak to a lot of people.
Sofia: Yes, I know! Do you really think it’ll be possible to speak to everyone? I’m not sure. There are over two hundred students in total.
Oliver: I know, but I guess only half of them speak just a single language.
Sofia: That’s still a lot. I don’t think we have enough time to go around and have a chat with the whole college. How are we going to show the results?
Oliver: I think it’ll be a problem if we only include numbers. We need more than that.
Sofia: Yes, I agree. Maybe including some graphs or tables is a good idea. Let me think… First, we need to find out how many students we have here in the college in total. Then we can work out how many of them speak two or more languages.
Oliver: Can I make a suggestion? I think we can ask for that information from the college office first. I remember that, on my first day here, I put information about my second language on the registration form. So, I think it’s the same for everyone.
Sofia: That’s a good idea. That’ll save us some time. I’ll make an appointment to go and speak to somebody there after class. Who do I need to see? Is it Miss Wainwright?
Oliver: No, she works in the student services room. You need to see Miss Smith. She’s in the college office.
Sofia: Can you remind me where that is? Is it next door to the IT services offices where Mr Black works?
Oliver: No, Mr Black is in the student administration office so you need to go to the floor above.
Sofia: Oh, OK. I know where that is now.
Oliver: Great. OK, I’m going to have lunch. Do you want to join me?
Sofia: No, sorry, I can’t. I need to study for my maths test. Enjoy your lunch. I’m going to study in the library. Bye!

Exercise 4:

Good morning, I’m here today to talk about the design and the success of smartphones. They are convenient, and they allow us to keep control of our lives. One important reason why I think smartphones are so successful is because of their simple, clean design. Of course, there are many different brands, but let’s look at a common example on this picture. First of all, on the front of the phone, we have the glass touch screen, also known as the display. It’s very easy, you only need to press your finger on this when you want to use an app. Next, on the top right side of the smartphone, is the power button. You use this to turn the phone on or off again.

At the bottom, there is a USB input. This is where you plug in and charge your phone. You can also connect to a laptop and upload your files and photos from your phone. You will see just above this is the microphone. Whenever you make a call, you speak into this. At the opposite end of the touch screen, you can see the power bar, which you can look at to check the
battery. If the bar is low, you will need to plug it in and charge it again soon.

Around the phone on the outside, keeping all of this in place is the case – sometimes made from plastic, but now more often made of metal. Many people think that the reason for the case is so that they can have a different design and colour and make it more personal. Actually, every phone needs a good, strong case to protect the phone from breaking.

Smartphones are becoming more popular every day, all around the world. In 2010, 38 percent of the world’s population owned a smartphone. Most of these people were from developed areas of the world, like North America and Europe. Five years later, that figure was a to a lot higher. In 2015, 62 percent of all people had one. And, in the future, these amazing little devices will probably be even more popular. So popular that, by 2020, 78 percent of the population will own one, and by 2025 many scientists believe that this number will be even higher still. Not as high as 100%, but close. This is mostly because, in the less developed parts of the world, people will be richer than they are now. So, in that year, when 86 percent will own one, what will smartphones look like? Will they look the same as they do now? I’m afraid I can’t say for sure, but I do know that they won’t look the same as the one in the picture that we’re looking at today.

Exercise 5:

Hello everyone. So can you all hear me and see me? OK, my name’s David Edwards and I’m your tour leader for your shopping tour today. Now, as you can see, we’re parked just in front of the main theatre. If any of you would like tickets for tonight’s performance, we can arrange that for you. We’re just round the corner from the railway station. If you want to come on our Historic Buildings tour tomorrow, the coach will leave from just outside the station. And if you want to go for a drink at the end of our tour today, there are plenty of cafes just behind the station. We’re still waiting for a few people, but while we wait I can tell you a little about the theatre. Although the building is very modern, in fact a theatre has existed on this site for over 200 years. The original theatre used to be very popular because of the musicals it put on. However, it had to be rebuilt after a fire. Some people love the striking modern design, others hate it. These days, its popularity is mainly due to the fact that it attracts a lot of well-known performers.

Now, in a few minutes’ time – at 9.30 -we’ll be starting our tour. First we’re going to make our way down to Market Place, which is one of the most famous squares in the city – that should take us about ten minutes. There’s not too much traffic on the roads, so we should get there at quarter to ten at the latest. Market Place was the city’s old food market. People used to come in from the countryside to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables. Remember that these were the days before supermarkets! You won’t find any food here now though. It’s now a craft market and I think you’ll find lots to interest you – especially if you want to take presents home. You’ll see all kinds of things like hand-painted local pottery and leather goods. Personally, I suggest that you visit the jewellery stalls. You really won’t find anything like it anywhere else! But if you’re looking for clothes, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. Wait for this afternoon’s visit. We’ll stop at Market Place for an hour and a half and then continue the tour with a visit to the Regional Food Centre. Here you can find over 50 types of local cheeses! There is also fresh fruit juice on sale -orange juice, peach juice, pomegranate juice, produced in the villages of the region, and local jam too. You’re welcome to buy things to take home with you, but the real reason for our visit is lunch. The idea is that you buy food and drink from the stalls and take it to eat in the lovely open-air dining area.

And finally, in the afternoon we will be visiting the Fashion Fair in the exhibition center on the outskirts of the city. This is a huge venue, so try not to get lost. There is a whole hall devoted just to footwear -every kind of shoes and boots you can imagine. You can easily find it because it has a green roof. Just don’t go through the blue doors at the entrance of the centre -you have to pay for that part of the exhibition. And if all that shopping has exhausted you, there’s a cafe where you can rest your weary feet! That’s in the building with a redesign. But don’t worry, I’ll remind you all about that later. Right, everyone’s here now, so, if you’ve all got your shopping bags, let’s go!

Exercise 6:

Maria: Hello Simon.
Simon: Hi Maria.
Maria: OK. What topic do you think we should choose for the project we’re starting next week? I think we need to make sure that it’s going to last over the next few months so that we can complete the project.
Simon: Well, there are several possibilities. Have you heard of the Pluto expedition? The spacecraft is about to arrive there and it’s going to send back pictures that we’ve never seen before. It should be really interesting.
Maria: That sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Dr Thornton?
Dr Thornton: Well, I’m not so sure about that one. I mean, it’s already been going for ten years and I think we should look at something which is planned for the future but hasn’t started yet. It would give you a better chance to study it in depth and do far more analysis for your monthly update reports.
Simon: I don’t think that’s a problem. There’ll be a lot of coverage on the news over the next few weeks.
Maria: Hmm …that’s true …but we really need something to last for a few months. On second thoughts, maybe Dr Thornton’s right.. Perhaps we should look at something which hasn’t started yet. Isn’t there something I heard about a new Mars expedition? I think there’s a group of people out in America somewhere who are preparing for a trip to Mars.
Simon: Yes. It was in the news last week. They’ve built a sort of camp in the desert in Arizona. There are ten people living there for six months, just like they would be together on the trip to Mars and after they arrive there.
Dr Thornton: That’d be ideal. Six months is just right for you. You could follow their progress and how the project develops. From what I know, the Pluto project is already a success, but with the Mars one you can assess how successful it is as it progresses and you can write it up for your final report.
Maria: Hmm …yeah … that sounds promising.
Simon: OK, but before we decide, I’d just like to mention one more. I heard that the Chinese are planning an expedition to the moon.
Maria: What? Another man or woman on the moon? That’s already been done. I don’t think the moon’s particularly interesting these days.
Dr Thornton: Simon has a point. I mean, the Chinese are coming up now and they’ve got some new ideas. I don’t think they’re sending any astronauts. I think it’s just an expedition with robots and machines to find the best place to start a colony.
Maria: Yes, but I don’t think that’s particularly interesting. I mean, no one has ever seen Pluto close up and no one has tried to go to Mars, so I think they’d be more interesting expeditions to do.
Simon: You have a point. Perhaps it would be better to focus on one of the other two.
Dr Thornton: OK, if you ask me, I’d prefer to see how a group of people get along living together in a difficult situation, like they’ll be doing in Arizona in preparation for their trip. I think you’d get far more out of that, but the final decision is yours. What do you think?
Maria: I agree. I’d prefer to go for that one.
Simon: So that’s agreed then. Good. Let’s make a start.
Dr Thornton: Excellent. I’ll make a note of that. We’ll meet again next Wednesday and you can give me your project outline. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Exercise 7:

Dr Thornton: So now that the project has ended, we need to review it and I can help you plan your final assignments.
Maria: Yes. I never thought that of the ten who started only six would finish in the end, and it was really hard for them to get through the whole programme. So, what have we learnt?
Simon: Well, I’ve got lots of data on the environmental systems and life support, and that’s the key focus ofmy project report, especially considering the events last week, when the whole system came close to failing.
Maria: Right. When the life support system went offline for four hours, they had to really race to fix it. If that happened on a real trip, it’d be a disaster! They could all die.
Simon: I know. It’s good that they weren’t actually in danger in this project, but I agree, in a real situation people could have been killed. Who would’ve thought that it’d be on the front page and the first item on the evening bulletin? It shows how much interest there’s been in the project. Anyway, I’m hoping to use the data to design a new system if it’s not too difficult.
Dr Thornton: That would be challenging but fascinating at the same time. I think you’ll do well with that, Simon. Personally, I’d love to focus on the particularly interesting and useful data on the health of the participants. I think it’d be worthwhile writing about the physical effects of the project, you know, how they kept healthy in the long term, even though they became ill sometimes, but also about the psychological effects of living in an enclosed group like that. It’d be interesting to see if any of them will have any long-term health changes. Would either of you like to take that on?
Simon: Well, I’m not sure if I could take that on as well as producing an assessment of the life support issues. I feel that those are more significant in view of the current developments in technology to support this kind of expedition. I’ve already looked at the latest reports in the popular science magazines, though there are some fascinating articles due in the next Journal of Space Studies. Maybe I could beat them to it!
Maria: That’dbe a great idea, Simon – to write an article – but for me, the main thing is the efficiency of the crew and how well they managed to perform their duties. I’m focusing specifically on their abilities to work under the stresses of living in an enclosed environment. I’m going to analyse how well they managed to maintain their effectiveness over time.
Dr Thornton: That’s interesting. Maybe you could include a section on
the psychological effects of long-term isolation. Remember the incident early in the project? It’d be very interesting to follow that up with the latest developments and results. I can give you some of the latest research on the subject from other studies for you to compare. I think it would significantly enhance your research and findings.
Maria: OK. That sounds like a good idea. It shouldn’t be too difficult to develop a wider theme to include the psychological studies. I’ll work out a structure for next week.
Dr Thornton: That’s great, Maria. We can meet again next Wednesday and I can help you structure it. And what about you, Simon? Do you think you have enough?
Simon: Yes, thanks, Dr Thornton. I’ve got plenty to think about, especially as the study of life support was the main aim of the whole project. I could include some observations about the effects on the physical and mental health of the participants, as it’s relevant.
Dr Thornton: That’s fine, then. Is there anything else you want to discuss?
Simon: One thing I’m really surprised about is that they managed to complete the project without any extra costs. Everyone was expecting it to go over the original $10 million. I personally thought that it might even go up to something like $12 million.
Dr Thornton: Well, actually, it says here that the final cost was $9.5 million, so they saved half a million in the end.
Simon: They could give that to us to fund our projects! Is there anything about future developments?
Dr Thornton: Well, I heard that they’re going to share their research results with government and private organisations. There are a few other organisations planning trips to Mars that would love to study the results. I’m not sure the government is planning anything, but they’d be interested anyway.
Maria: What about a follow-up? Are they planning another project?
Dr Thornton: Well, depending on the results from this one, they’re going to decide whether to have another one that will last a year. Obviously, they’ll have to find some more participants. Would either of you be interested in taking part?
Maria: It depends. I wouldn’t say no, but I’d have to think a long time about it. I don’t know if I’d want to be cut off for so long.
Dr Thornton: I think you should bear it in mind. It would be so interesting to see how staying in a situation like that for a year affects physical and mental health. I’d love to follow your progress myself. I might even volunteer! What about you, Simon?
Simon: Oh, you wouldn’t catch me inside one of those places! I’ll be happy to follow what goes on and see how the whole system works over a year, but definitely from the outside, not the inside … I wouldn’t mind working for the company, though. It’d be great to study it and get paid at the same time!
Dr Thornton: Well, thank you, both of you. You’ve produced excellent results and I’m looking forward to seeing your final submissions.

Exercise 8:

Samantha: Hello, Tom.
Sarah: Hi, Tom. Where are you going?
Tom: Hi, Sarah. Hi, Samantha. I’m going to the sports centre.
Sarah: Oh, great. I’m thinking of joining the gym there.
Tom: Really? Why don’t you come with me and get some information
about it?
Sarah: Ok, thanks. Did you join the gym?
Tom: Yes, I did. It’s got really great equipment – all very modern and new. However, it is a little bit expensive almost forty pounds a month, and that’s with a student discount…But I’ve been every day since I joined.
Sarah: £40 a month! That is expensive. However, if you think it’s a good gym, maybe I’ll try it.
Samantha: Well, I think £40 a month is way too much. I don’t know why people spend so much money on a gym membership, when they can exercise in the park for free.
Tom: I’ve tried running in the park, but it was really boring! I prefer to exercise with friends because it encourages me to work harder.
Sarah: I prefer to do exercise with friends as well – it’s much more fun than exercising alone.
Samantha: But it’s not just running. They have group exercise classes there in the park in the morning. Exercising outside is better because you get lots of fresh air. And you can exercise with a personal trainer, too.
Sarah: That sounds good. I think I’d like to have a personal trainer.
How much does one cost?
Samantha: I pay £20 an hour.
Tom: £20 an hour! Doesn’t that work out to be more expensive than joining the gym?
Samantha: It is expensive, but I think that it’s worth the money. You can find out which type of exercise is best for you, and you can get some really useful advice on diet, too.
Sarah: That does sound useful. I need some advice on my diet – it’s not great at the moment. And I know that a healthy diet helps you get fit.
Samantha: I can give you the email address of my personal trainer if you want.
Sarah: That’s great! Thanks Samantha.
Tom: What about the gym? Do you think you’ll join it?
Sarah: Yes – I think I’m going to try both.

Exercise 9:

I = Interviewer, J = Jan

I: Hello and welcome to your weekly podcast from indietravelinfo.com. With me today is travel writer Jan Lanting with more suggestions for the independent traveller. Jan, today I want to start with your advice for travellers this year. Can you give us some suggestions for good places to visit?

J: Yes. First of all, you don’t have to leave England. Last week I took a short break on my own to Thurlestone on the south-west coast. It’s a beautiful place.

I: What’s the best way to travel there?

J: You can take the train but I think you should rent a car. Then you can drive along the coast.

I: What’s the weather like at this time of year?

J: A bit cold, and sometimes it rains, so you should take a coat.

I: I think I’d prefer to go somewhere warmer!

J: OK, well you should fly to Malaysia. It’s hot at this time of year.

I: Sounds great. With a place like Malaysia, should I book accommodation before I go?

J: In the big cities, hotels are often busy so you should book in advance. But in the countryside it’s no problem. You can always find a room. I also recommend taking a tour into the jungle.

I: The jungle?!

J: That’s right. You can see lots of amazing animals and plants.

I: Should I go with a tour guide?

J: Yes, you should! It’s dangerous on your own.

I: Sure. Now for our final destination. The Arctic?

J: That’s right. The Arctic.

I: Isn’t it cold?

J: Yes, it is. Also, you shouldn’t go in the winter because it’s dark, but in the summer the days are longer and it’s a bit warmer, so you should go then.

I: But how do you get there?! Should I go on my own or with a tour?

J: You have to go with a travel company. When I went, I took a cruise ship from Norway and slept in a nice cabin on the ship.

Exercise 10:

Jack: Good evening! Hello, my name’s Jack Riley. I worked in a restaurant when I was younger, but now I’m a famous chef. You can listen to my cooking show on Mondays at half past seven. This Wednesday, you can see me on the TV show Before They Were Famous. I’m going to tell you about my life before I became a TV chef. You can see the programme on channel three and they will show it at eight o’ clock. People often ask me how I became so successful, and I tell them that it wasn’t always that way. Most of my friends left school when they were eighteen and went to university, but I left school when I was sixteen. At school, I was a really bad student. I only passed my exams in History and French. I couldn’t understand maths easily and I couldn’t write very well, so I failed my exams in both maths and English.

I always enjoyed trying different foods, especially on holidays in Spain with my family, but I first discovered my love of cooking when I got a summer job working in the kitchen in an Italian restaurant near my home. The chefs there could make these amazing dishes out of really simple ingredients. I wanted to be like them, but I lived in a small village near Cambridge and it wasn’t possible to train to be a chef there. I applied for jobs in Rome, but I couldn’t speak Italian so in the end, I decided to move to London and train to be a chef. Today, my career is more successful than I could have ever imagined. I first appeared on TV in The FoodShow in 2005, and I started presenting my radio show, Dinner with Jack in 2006. I wrote my first bestselling cookbook, Jack’s Best Dishes in 2004. And I worked as head chef at two top London restaurants: The Olive Tree in 2001, and The Lemon Grove between 2002 and 2005. I’m married with two beautiful children – and my third child will be born in December! When I was 16, I could only cook soup from a tin and I couldn’t write a sentence without making lots of mistakes. Now, I can cook over 100 dishes and write books. I can’t work for really long hours any more like I did at The Lemon Grove. That was the hardest I have ever worked in my life! And I still can’t do maths!

Exercise 11:

Sophie: So the main focus of the project is the transport system in the town. We need to look at the problem carefully and then discuss possible solutions. We have to decide which one we could recommend to a transport committee.
Robert: OK, Sophie. I think the problem is not a simple one as there are various causes that we have to discuss. I think the first one is to do with the bus service in the town. In my view, the lack of buses has meant that too many people are using their cars. The service isn’t reliable enough.
Sophie: Yes, you have a point there. It would be good if we could have more buses on the road all the time, but I don’t think that’s the main reason for the heavy traffic and the problem won’t go away just by improving bus services.
Robert: You could be right. More buses would be useful, but that’s not enough to put things right. We have to remember that many people come into town by rail and the rail company has been talking about reducing staff and services because of financial problems. If that happens then more people will use their cars to come in. We need to take that into consideration when deciding on a solution.
Sophie: Of course. I think the town council can find some extra money to support the train service because, if anything, we want to increase the service to reduce the traffic on the roads. The more people travel by rail, the less they’ll use the road. And we would have the added benefit of safer roads, especially at school travel times.
Robert: True, but one good thing is that the road accident rate has been falling recently, partly due to the high volume of traffic on the roads. After all, when there’s too much traffic, it moves more slowly and fewer people, especially children, are in danger.
Sophie: I realise that, but that’s exactly what we have to deal with: the problem of too many vehicles coming in. I know children are safer, but the air quality is much worse. We don’t want to have more medical problems like asthma and bronchitis, especially for children and older people.
Robert: True, and when I think about it, I can see that the heavy traffic means that businesses lose money, people are late for work and drivers get more stressed. So, let’s think about how we can deal with that and look at the possible solutions.
Sophie: So where are the worst affected places in town?
Robert: I would say one of the worst is by the Arts Centre.
Sophie: I’m not sure about that. Statistics show that the worst place is by the townhall.
Robert: Well, as most of the traffic comes in from the east of town, that would be the Arts Centre. The town hall is further over.
Sophie: Actually, Robert, that’s not quite right. The traffic gets quite bad along East Road, further out of town. It’s been getting worse over the last year or so, especially by the Starview Cinema.
Robert: The Starview?
Sophie: Yes, haven’t you ever been there?
Robert: No, I haven’t. I thought it was by the main roundabout.
Sophie: Well, in actual fact, it’s by the junction of East Road and Station Road. That’s where the traffic has been getting really bad, especially in the mornings. It’s especially bad for the buses coming from the station as they can’t turn right into East Road to get to the centre.
Robert: OK. So that’s the first bad spot, then.
Sophie: Yes. Sometimes the traffic backs up for almost a kilometre, and in the evening, when everyone is trying to get home, it gets bad all the way back to the main roundabout. It’s bad in the morning and the afternoon as the traffic also comes in from the north and the south. Remember, there’s Liverton to the north and Scotsfield to the south and a lot of people commute to both places for work.
Robert: That’s true. I live a few kilometres down the Scotsfield Road and I have a lot of trouble coming in during the morning rush hour. It’s especially bad just by the Arts Centre where the road comes into the roundabout. The buses have a lot of trouble getting through that as well. OK … so those are the two main hotspots, the Starview and the Arts Centre. I’ve marked them on the map. And that leaves the town hall.

Sophie: Hmm …yes. I mean, the whole area around Central Park is bad, but you’re right, the town hall side of Central Park is the worst in the area. It’s bad enough right by the shopping centre on the other side of Central Park, but it’s particularly bad on the town hall side, with all the heavy lorries coming into the centre from the industrial estate on the west side of town. They usually make their deliveries in the morning rush hour.
Robert: So you’re saying that if we stopped them from coming in early to the area by Central Park where the town hall is, that would make the traffic a lot lighter?
Sophie: I’m sure it would. Now that we’ve established where the worst places are, let’s have a look at the proposals.

Exercise 12:

Lecturer: The British education system is not the same everywhere in the UK. Scotland has its own system, and while Northern Ireland has the same basic system as England and Wales, there are some differences. Because of this, I’m going to focus mainly on England and Wales.
The system in England and Wales is divided into three main levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. In the first part of my lecture, I’ll talk about the primary and secondary levels up to the age of 16, and in the second part, I’ll discuss the options between 16 and 18. Then, finally, I’ll talk about tertiary, or ‘higher’ level, education. As in most similar countries, education at school is compulsory between the ages of five and 16. Pupils can leave school at 16 but they must stay in an approved learning environment until the age of 18. This can be full-time education, a job or volunteering combined with part-time study, or an apprenticeship, sometimes called a ‘traineeship’. Before the age of five, children can attend nursery, though they don’t have to attend any educational institution at all before the age of five. However, when they reach the age of four, they usually start school in an early class called ‘Reception’, which helps them to adjust to regular schooling.

Primary school runs from the ages of five to 11. The first part of primary school, between the ages of five and seven, is traditionally known as ‘infant school’ and this is where children learn to manipulate numbers, read and write. Traditional infant schools offer an informal education using child-centred techniques. The second part of primary school, from seven to 11, is known as ‘junior school’. The education system has undergone various changes in the last 30 years, most notably with the National Curriculum, which was put in place in 1988 to specify a set of core main subjects that all school pupils have to study. These subjects have to be assessed at four key stages up to the age of 16. At certain stages, the children take exams known as ‘Standard Assessment Tests’, or ‘SATS’. These tests are designed to check the pupils’ progress against the national standards, as well as to provide teachers and parents with an assessment of their school’s performance.

Key Stage 1 assessment comes at the age of seven, when the pupils do their first ‘Teacher Assessments’. Key Stage 2 comes at the age of 11, when the pupils are ready to leave primary school. Although teachers assess their pupils’ progress throughout primary school, at the end of Key Stage 2, unlike in Key Stage 1, pupils have to take SATS. Key Stage 3 is reached after the first three years in secondary school, when the pupils are 14. However, this time, the students are assessed directly by the teachers and not by sitting national tests. These assessments help teachers, students and parents to decide which subjects the students should choose to prepare for Key Stage 4, when they take exams which will help decide their future career choices. Unlike SATS, these assessments, known as ‘General Certificate of Secondary Education’ exams, or ‘GCSEs’, are not primarily designed to assess progress or give schools an official statement of their performance, but to provide students with their own personal qualifications. The National Curriculum defined a set of compulsory subjects. These are subjects which the law requires all students to study. There are also some subjects which pupils and students have to study at different stages. For example, Modern Foreign Languages start in primary school, and continue up to Key Stage 3, after which they’re optional. In secondary school, students take Citizenship from Key Stage 3. When they enter Key Stage 4, pupils are allowed to make more choices. For example, all learner shave to take History and Design and Technology up to the age of 14, but then they can choose whether to continue them or not.

Now I’d like to turn to educational opportunities between the ages of 16 and 18. There are various choices open to pupils of this age. The first thing to decide is whether to start work or to continue studying full-time. Of course, starting work means going straight into employment, although young people aged between 16 and 18 will still need either to study part-time, as well as doing their job, or to join an apprenticeship or traineeship scheme. For those who want to continue studying full-time, there are two paths: academic and vocational. Academic qualifications, mainly Advanced level exams, known as ‘A levels’, are taken by students aiming for university study. Vocational qualifications, such as those offered by the Business and Technology Education Council (or ‘BTEC’ for short), prepare pupils for a specific profession, such as engineering or computing. Most of those who wish to continue academic studies will go to the sixth form in their school or a specialist sixth form college. Alternatively, they can study A levels at a further education college, also known as an ‘FE’ college. Either of these routes will take students to university. On the other hand, those who wish to study a vocational qualification will typically go to a Further Education college and, after qualifying, will be ready for employment.

There are other options for those who want to start work at 16. Since 2015, young people between the ages of 16 and 18 must continue to learn in a specified learning environment, in addition to working for an employer. The first option is to work for an employer and study part-time for a vocational qualification, such as a National Vocational Qualification (or ‘NVQ’ for short). The second is to apply for an apprenticeship or traineeship. With apprenticeships, young people get to work with experienced staff and gain job-related skills. They earn a wage, although this is typically less than a ‘regular’ employee, and get to continue studying part-time – usually one day a week. They study towards a qualification related to the job they are doing and their apprenticeship can last anywhere between one and four years. Almost always, they are offered a permanent job by the same employer at the end of their apprenticeship.