ANNOUNCER:Section 1.You will hear a woman phoning a hotel about holding a party there.First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 7.You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.

ANDREW:Good morning, Clare House Hotel, Andrew speaking, I'm the Events Manager.

ANNOUNCER:Andrew is the Events Manager, so Events has been written in the space.Now we shall begin.You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time.Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.

ANDREW:Good morning, Clare House Hotel, Andrew speaking, I'm the Events Manager.

SAMANTHA:Good morning, Andrew.My name is Samantha.I'm arranging a party for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.And I'm ringing to ask about hiring a room sometime next September, also my parents and several of the guests will need accommodation.

ANDREW:OK, I'm sure we can help you with that.Will you be having a sit down meal or a buffet?

SAMANTHA:Probably a sit down.

ANDREW:And do you know how many people there'll be?

SAMANTHA:Around 80, I think.

ANDREW:Well we have two rooms that can hold that number.One is the Adelphi room, that can seat 85 or hold over 100 if people are standing for a buffet.

SAMANTHA:Right.

ANDREW:If you have live music, there's room for four or five musicians in the gallery.Overlooking the room, our guests usually appreciate the fact that the music can be loud enough for dancing, but not too loud for conversation.

SAMANTHA:Yes, I really don't like it when you can't talk.

ANDREW:Exactly.Now the Adelphi Room is at the back of the hotel, and there are French windows.Leading out onto the terrace.This has a beautiful display of pots of roses at that time of the year.

SAMANTHA:Which direction does it face?

ANDREW:Southwest, so that side of the hotel gets the sun in the afternoon and early evening.

SAMANTHA:Very nice.

ANDREW:From the terrace, you can see the area of trees within the grounds of the hotel.Or you can stroll through there to the river.That's on the far side, so it isn't visible from the hotel.OK, then another option is the Carlton room.This is a bit bigger.It can hold up to 110 people, and it has the advantage of a stage, which is useful if you have any entertainment.Or indeed a small band can fit onto it.

SAMANTHA:Hmm. And can you go outside from the room?

ANDREW:No, the Carlton room is on the first floor.But on one side, the windows look out onto the lake.

SAMANTHA:Lovely.I think either of those rooms would be suitable.

ANDREW:Can I tell you about some of the options we offer in addition?

SAMANTHA:Please do.

ANDREW:As well as a meal, you can have an mc, a master of ceremonies, who'll be with you throughout the party.

SAMANTHA:What exactly is the MC's function?I suppose they make a speech during the meal, if we need one, do they?

ANDREW:That's right.All our MCs are trained as public speakers, so they can easily get people's attention.Many guests are glad to have someone who can make themselves heard above the chatter, and they're also your support.If anything goes wrong, the MC will deal with it, so you can relax.

SAMANTHA:Great, I'll need to ask you about food, but something else that's important is accommodation.You obviously have rooms in the hotel.But do you also have any other accommodation, like cabins, for example?

ANDREW:Yes, there are 5 in the grounds, all self contained.They each sleep 2 to 4 people, and have their own living room, bathroom, and small kitchen.

SAMANTHA:That sounds perfect for what we'll need.

ANNOUNCER:Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 8 to 10.Now listen and answer questions 8 to 10.

SAMANTHA:Now you have various facilities, don't you?Are they all included in the price of hiring the room?The pool for instance.

ANDREW:Normally you'd be able to use it, but it'll be closed throughout September for refurbishment, I'm afraid.The gym will be available though, at no extra charge.That's open all day from 6 in the morning until midnight.

SAMANTHA:Right.

ANDREW:And the tennis courts but there is a small additional payment for those.We have four courts, and it's worth booking in advance if you possibly can, as there can be quite a long waiting list for them.

SAMANTHA:Right, now could we discuss the food?This would be dinner around 7 o'clock...

ANNOUNCER:That is the end of section 1.You now have half a minute to check your answers.

ANNOUNCER:Section 2.You will hear a holiday company representative talking to a group of tourists in a large hotel about things they can do during their holiday.First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

JAKE STEVENS:Hello, everyone.I'm Jake Stevens, and I'm your rep here at the hotel.I'm sure you'll all have a great time here.So, let me tell you a bit about what's on offer.I'll start by telling you about some of the excursions that are available for guests.One thing you have to do while you're here is go dolphin watching.On our boat trips we pretty well guarantee you'll see dolphins.If you don't, you can repeat the trip free of charge.We organize daily trips for just 35 euros.Unfortunately, there aren't any places left for this afternoon's trip, but come and see me to book for later in the week.If you're energetic, I'd recommend our forest walk.It's a guided walk of about 7 km.There'll be a stop halfway, and you'll be provided with a drink and sandwiches.There's some fairly steep climbs up the hills, so you need to be reasonably fit for this one.With good shoes, though, and bring a waterproof in case it rains.It's just 25 euros, all inclusive, and it's every Wednesday.Then on Thursdays, we organize a cycle trip, which will give you all the fun of biking without the effort.We'll take you and your bike up to the top of Mount Larna.And leave you to bike back.It's a 700 meter drop in just 20 kilometers, so this isn't really for inexperienced cyclists, as you'll be going pretty fast.And if it's a clear day, you'll have fantastic views.On our local craft tour, you can find out about the traditional activities in the island.And the best thing about this trip is that it's completely free.You'll be taken to a factory where jewelry is made, and also a ceramics center.If you want, you can buy some of the products, but that's entirely up to you.The trip starts after lunch on Thursday, and you'll return by 6:00 pm.If you're interested in astronomy, you may already know that the island's one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky.We can offer trips to the observatory on Friday for those who are interested.They cost €90 per person, and you'll be shown the huge telescopes, and have a talk from an expert who will explain all about how they work.Afterwards, we'll head down to Sunset Beach, where you can have a dip in the ocean if you want, before we head off back to the hotel.Finally, there's horse riding.This is organized by the Equestrian Center over near Playa Cortino, and it's a great experience if you're a keen horseback rider.Or even if you've never been on a horse before, they take you down to the beach, and you can canter along the sand and through the waves.It costs 35 euros.And it's available every day.

ANNOUNCER:Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20.Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

JAKE STEVENS:So, there's plenty to do in the daytime, but what about night life?Well, the No. 1 attraction's called 'Musical Favorites'.Guests enjoy a three-course meal and unlimited free drinks, and watch a fantastic show, starting with a musical set in Paris, and then crossing the Atlantic to Las Vegas, and finally Copacabana.At the end, the cast members come down from the stage still in their stunning costumes.And you'll have a chance to chat with them.It's hugely popular, so let me know now if you're interested, because it's no good leaving it until the last minute.It's on Friday night.Tickets are just 50 euros each, but for an extra 10 euros, you can have a table right by the stage.If you'd like to go back in time, there's the Castle Feast on Saturday evening.It's held in a 12th century castle, and you eat in the great courtyard.With ladies in long gowns serving your food.You're given a whole chicken each, which you eat in the medieval way, using your hands instead of cutlery.And you're entertained by competitions where the horseback riders attempt to knock one another off their horses.Then you can watch the dancers in the ballroom.And join in as well if you want.OK, so now if anyone has...

ANNOUNCER:That is the end of section 2.You now have half a minute to check your answers.

ANNOUNCER:Section 3.You will hear Stephanie, who is thinking about taking a one year course in children's literature, talking to Trevor, who is currently taking the course.First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25 now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.

STEPHANIE:Hello, Trevor.

TREVOR:Hello, Stephanie.You said you wanted to talk about the course I'm taking on literature for children.

STEPHANIE:That's right.I'm thinking of doing it next year, but I'd like to find out more about it first.

TREVOR:OK, well as you probably know, it's a one year course.It's divided into 6 modules, and you have to take all of them.One of the most interesting ones for me at least, was about the purpose of children's literature.

STEPHANIE:You mean whether it should just entertain children, or should be educational as well?

TREVOR:Right, and whether the teaching should be factual, giving them information about the world, or ethical, teaching them values.

STEPHANIE:Hmm.

TREVOR:What's fascinating is that the writer isn't necessarily conscious of the message they're conveying. For instance, a story might show a child who has a problem as a result of not doing what an adult has told them to do, implying that children should always obey adults.

STEPHANIE:I see what you mean.

TREVOR:That module made me realize how important stories are.They can have a significant effect on children as they grow up.Actually, it inspired me to have a go at it myself, just for my own interest.I know I can't compete with the really popular stories, like the Harry Potter books, they're very good.And even young kids like my 7 year old niece love reading them.

STEPHANIE:Hmm, I'm very interested in illustrations in stories.Is that covered in the course?

TREVOR:Yes, there's a module on pictures.And how they're sometimes central to the story.

STEPHANIE:Hmm, that's good.I remember some frightening ones I saw as a child, and I can still see them vividly in my mind years later.Pictures can be so powerful, just as powerful as words.I've always enjoyed drawing, so that's the field I want to go into when I finish the course.I bet that module will be really helpful.

TREVOR:I'm sure it will.We also studied comics in that module, but I'm not convinced of their value, not compared with books.One of the great things about words is that you use your imagination, but with a comic you don't have to.

STEPHANIE:But children are so used to visual input on TV, video games, and so on.There are plenty of kids who wouldn't even try to read a book, so, I think comics can serve a really useful purpose.

TREVOR:You mean it's better to read a comic than not to read at all?

STEPHANIE:Hmm.

TREVOR:Yes, I suppose you're right.I just think it's sad when children don't read books.

STEPHANIE:What about books for girls and books for boys?Does the course go into that?

TREVOR:Yes, there's a module on it.For years, lots of stories in English at least, assumed that boys went out and did adventurous things, and girls stayed at home and played with dolls.I was amazed how many books were targeted at just one sex or the other.Of course, this reflects society as it is when the books are written.

STEPHANIE:That's true.So it sounds as though you think it's a good course.

TREVOR:Definitely.

ANNOUNCER:Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

TREVOR:Have you been reading lots of children's stories to help you decide whether to take the course?

STEPHANIE:Yeah, I've gone as far back as the late 17th century, though I know there were earlier children's stories.

TREVOR:So does that mean you've read Perrault's fairy tales, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and so on?

STEPHANIE:Yes, they must be important, because no stories of that type had been written before.These were the first.Then there's the Swiss family Robinson.

TREVOR:I haven't read that.

STEPHANIE:The English name makes it sound as though Robinson is the family surname, but a more accurate translation would be the Swiss Robinsons, because it's about a Swiss family who are shipwrecked.Like Robinson Crusoe in the novel of a century earlier.

TREVOR:Well, I never knew that.

STEPHANIE:Have you read Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King?

TREVOR:Wasn't that the basis for Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker?

STEPHANIE:That's right.It has some quite bizarre elements.

TREVOR:I hope you've read Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince.It's probably my favorite children's story of all time.

STEPHANIE:Ah. Mine too.And it's so surprising, because Wilde is best known for his plays, and most of them are very witty, but The Happy Prince is really moving.I struggled with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, they are long books, and I gave up after one.

TREVOR:It's extremely popular though.

STEPHANIE:Yeah.But whereas something like The Happy Prince just carried me along with it, The Lord of the Rings took more effort than I was prepared to give it.

TREVOR:I didn't find that, I love it.

STEPHANIE:Hmm.Another one I've read is War Horse.

TREVOR:Oh yes, it's about the First World War, isn't it?Hardly what you'd expect for a children's story.

STEPHANIE:Exactly, but it's been very successful.Have you read any...

ANNOUNCER:That is the end of section 3.You now have half a minute to check your answers.

ANNOUNCER:Section 4.You will hear part of a lecture about a branch of archaeology called Marine Archaeology.First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.Listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

SPEAKER:In today's class, I'm going to talk about marine archaeology, the branch of archaeology focusing on human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers.It's the study of ships, cargoes, shipping facilities, and other physical remains.I'll give you an example.Then go on to show how this type of research is being transformed by the use of the latest technology.Atlit-Yam was a village on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean.Which seems to have been thriving until around 7,000 BC, the residents kept cattle, caught fish, and stored grain.They had wells for fresh water.Many of their houses were built around a courtyard, and were constructed of stone.The village contained an impressive monument, seven half-tonne stones standing in a semicircle around a spring, that might have been used for ceremonial purposes.Atlit-Yam may have been destroyed swiftly by a tsunami, or climate change may have caused glaciers to melt, and sea levels to rise.Flooding the village gradually.Whatever the cause, it now lies 10 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean, buried under sand at the bottom of the sea.It's been described as the largest and best preserved prehistoric settlement ever found on the seabed.For marine archaeologists, Atlit-Yam is a treasure trove.Research on the buildings, tools, and the human remains has revealed how the bustling village once functioned.And even what diseases some of its residents suffered from.But of course, this is only one small village, one window into a lost world.For a fuller picture, researchers need more sunken settlements.But the hard part is finding them.Underwater research used to require divers to find shipwrecks or artifacts, but in the second half of the 20th century, various types of underwater vehicles were developed.Some controlled from a ship on the surface, and some of them autonomous, which means they don't need to be operated by a person.Autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, are used in the oil industry, for instance, to create maps of the seabed.Before rigs and pipelines are installed.To navigate, they use sensors such as compasses and sonar.Until relatively recently, they were very expensive, and so heavy that they had to be launched from a large vessel with a winch.But the latest AUVs are much easier to maneuver.They can be launched from the shore or a small ship. And they're much cheaper, which makes them more accessible to research teams.They are also very sophisticated.They can communicate with each other.And for example, work out the most efficient way to survey a site, or to find particular objects on the seabed.Field tests show the approach can work.For example, in a trial in 2015 three AUVs searched for wrecks at Marzamemi, off the coast of Sicily.The site is the final resting place of an ancient Roman ship, which sank in the 6th century AD.While ferrying prefabricated marble elements for the construction of an early church, the AUVs mapped the area in detail.Finding other ships carrying columns of the same material.Creating an internet in the sea for AUVs to communicate is no easy matter.Wi-Fi networks on land use electromagnetic waves, but in water, these will only travel a few centimeters.Instead, a more complex mix of technologies is required.For short distances, AUVs can share data using light, while acoustic waves are used to communicate over long distances.But more creative solutions are also being developed, where an AUV working on the seabed offloads data to a second AUV, which then surfaces and beams the data home to the research team using a satellite.There's also a system that enables AUVs to share information from seabed scans and other data.So, if an AUV surveying the seabed finds an intriguing object, it can share the coordinates of the object, that is its position with a nearby AUV that carries superior cameras.And arrange for that AUV to make a closer inspection of the object.Marine archaeologists are excited about the huge potential of these AUVs for their discipline.One site where they're going to be deployed is the Gulf of Baratti, off the Italian coast.In 1974, a 2,000-year-old Roman vessel was discovered here, in 18 meters of water.When it sank, it was carrying medical goods in wooden or tin receptacles.Its cargo gives us insight into the treatments available all those years ago.Including tablets that are thought to have been dissolved to form a cleansing liquid for the eyes.Other Roman ships went down nearby, taking their cargoes with them.Some held huge pots made of terracotta.Some were used for transporting cargoes of olive oil.And others held wine.In many cases, it's only these containers that remain, while the wooden ships have been buried under silt on the seabed.Another project that's about to be...

ANNOUNCER:That is the end of Section 4.You now have half a minute to check your answers.