AUDIO SCRIPTS
170
P:
Supposing we let each floor of the hall play
music one night per month? That’d reduce
the noise a lot.
M:
Maybe, but there would still be quite a lot
of noise when each floor had their night.
No, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.
Let’s see, what other options do we have?
MC:
I’ve got an idea. How about letting the
students book a room in the main building
to play music? You could charge a small
fee, and tell them that they have to book,
say, four weeks in advance. I think most
people would accept that.
M:
Yes, good idea. That’s the best solution, I
think. OK, Palba?
P:
I don’t know. I’d like to discuss it with the
other reps first. They may come up with
some other ideas.
M:
All right, I know there are other things you
want to talk about. The best way is to
discuss the matters at our Management
Committee meeting. Why don’t you send
me notes on all the problems and I’ll
include them in the agenda?
P:
Right, we’ll do that.
LESSON 7.2 RECORDING 7.2
A:
Let’s brainstorm some ideas for our new
project, the folding chair. So first, who
exactly is our target consumer?
B:
Well, we need to reach as many people as
possible. The chair could be useful for all
kinds of people, you know, people going
camping or fishing, or even going to outdoor
concerts. In fact, it could be suitable for
anyone who has to sit outside for a long time.
A:
OK, what about the materials for making it?
B:
Well, it must be light and easy to carry if we
want to gain market share. We can’t use
steel – that’s too heavy. We can use
aluminium for the frame and canvas for the
seat. And to keep costs down, maybe we
should make it in just three colours.
A:
Yes, that’s important. Also, it must be cheap
if we want to be competitive. There are one
or two chairs on the market that sell at
under €50. We can produce something
similar – it doesn’t have to be very different
for this market. But we can have a second
more expensive model too, if that’s what
people want.
B:
Mmm. Good point. OK, another thing: the
rules say it has to be strong enough to
support a heavy person.
A:
Absolutely. OK, in terms of timing we don’t
need to rush, but we could launch it just
before the summer – there’ll be a big
demand for it then. In fact, we really mustn’t
miss this opportunity.
B:
You’re right, but we shouldn’t launch it until
we’re really ready. Look, I think we should
wait for the results of our market research
before making any decisions.
LESSON 7.3 RECORDING 7.3
1 A:
Wow, look at that. What is it?
B:
It’s a drawing. I think it’s a sort of flying
machine.
A:
Yes, it could be that. Who do you think
it’s by?
B:
Mmm, it might be by da Vinci, I believe
he did that sort of thing. Have a look at
the sign. What does it say?
A: Erm … yes, you’re right, it is da Vinci.
B: Goodness! It’s in very good condition …
it says here he was born in 1452, so it
must be over 500 years old.
A: Yes, and it’s an amazing drawing.
B: Yeah, I read somewhere he was
fascinated by birds and flying. Perhaps
that’s where he got his ideas for the
drawing.
A: Yeah, you’re probably right.
2 P = Pablo, I = Ian
P:
Oh look at that, Ian. That must be the
famous Anna G. corkscrew.
I:
Yes, it can’t be anything else. Oh look,
there’s a full range with all the different
colours. How long have they been
around for?
P:
I think since the early 1990s.
I:
No, they can’t be that old. What does it
say here? Oh, you’re right. It first
appeared in 1994.
P:
Mmm, it was a classic design. I think you
can still buy them.
3 G = Georgina, S = Sally
G:
What’s that?
S:
I’ve no idea. What could it be?
G:
It might be a spaceship. Well, a toy
spaceship. It’s the right shape.
S:
No, I’m certain that it’s not that. It
wouldn’t really be in a museum of
design.
G:
Mmm, I see what you mean. And maybe
it’s too heavy to be a toy. What else
could it be?
S:
Mmm, I don’t know really. What does it
say on the notice?
G:
It says it’s a lemon squeezer. Apparently
it’s the designer Philippe Starck’s
best-known design.
S:
OK, I see it now. Would you like
something like that?
G:
No way! It just doesn’t look practical.
LESSON 7.4 RECORDING 7.4
I think this is by far the best entry. It’s a
lightweight travel jacket, designed by an
Bahraini student, Zainab Haya. As you can
see, it looks very modern and stylish. In my
opinion, it’s aimed at young people. It will
appeal to people who are on the move, people
who want to carry lots of things on them when
they make trips abroad or go to sports events or
music festivals. They’re the kind of people who
would love this jacket. But it’s also suitable for
students and for people commuting to work.
It has several special features. There are three
extra-large pockets for carrying clothes, shoes,
and other items like that, and four smaller
pockets. All of them zip up for extra security.
One of the jacket’s best qualities, I’d say, is that
the zips have a lifetime guarantee, so they must
be very sturdy.
The jacket has two unique features. Firstly, it’s
made from a new material which is very strong,
waterproof and heat resistant. And secondly,
it’s got a pocket with a lock, so you can keep
money and valuables in it safely. Not even a
pickpocket could open it! Another strong point
is the logo on the sleeve – a unique, one-off
design by the famous street artist, Miki Panos –
so it looks really cool.
OK, this is the design that gets my vote. The
jacket’s durable, functional, easy to use and,
above all, innovative. I think we should give it
our first prize.
LESSON 7.5 RECORDING 7.5
L = Lecturer, S = Salman
L:
So, you’d like me to give you some advice
on editing your work, Salman?
S:
Yes, if you could give me a few tips, it
would be very helpful. I know I need to
check my written work more carefully.
L:
OK. I’ll try to keep it simple. What are the
most common mistakes students make
when they write? These are the sort of things
you should be looking for. And everyone
should think about them when they check
their written work.
S:
Exactly.
L:
OK. I’ll give you five or six points to think
about. First of all, check your spelling and
punctuation carefully. If you’ve typed your
work, don’t forget to use a spell-checker.
S:
Oh, yes. Good idea.
L:
Of course, you’ll make mistakes with
difficult words, like, oh, erm …
‘accommodation’ or ‘receive’, but students
often make mistakes with simple words, like
spelling ‘writing’ with two Ts! And of course
you need to punctuate your work correctly.
Many students seem to forget that we use
full stops when we write English!
S:
I know what you mean. My teacher is
always telling me to use a full stop instead
of a comma!
L:
Right. And don’t forget about capitals.
Check your written work to make sure that
you have used capital letters where they’re
appropriate.
S:
OK. Got that.
L:
My next tip is to check your work for
grammatical errors. In particular, check
your verb tenses and verb forms. Make sure
you’ve used the right tense or form. You
have problems using the present perfect
tense. Think carefully before you use that
tense. It’s easy to make a mistake with a
verb form, especially with the past tenses of
irregular verbs. Don’t use ‘gone’ when you
mean ‘went’ and don’t use ‘catched’ when
it should be ‘caught’. OK?
S:
Right. I often make mistakes with irregular
verbs – they’re very difficult to learn and
then I write the wrong form in an essay.
L:
Yes, they’re difficult and so are prepositions.
Check that you’ve written the correct
preposition after an adjective or verb. For
example, don’t write ‘depend of’ when it
should be ‘depend on’. So many students
make that error, you wouldn’t believe it.
S:
OK. Be careful with prepositions. I’ll check
them in a dictionary if I’m not sure.
L:
Good. Word order is important, too. Check
that you’ve used the right word order in your
sentences. That’s especially important for you.
S:
Yes, that’s true – I often make mistakes with
word order. It’s a real problem for me.
L:
My final piece of advice is, after you’ve
written something, always ask yourself the
questions ‘Is my meaning clear?’ and ‘Will
someone reading my work understand what
I’m trying to say?’ That’s it, really, I hope my
tips will help you.
S:
I’m sure they will. I’ll put them into practice
when I write my next essay.
