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not just technology specialists, they also
find out about the rest of the company so
they can help our employees when they
have problems. So don’t forget, you’ll need
to answer questions about all our systems
in different departments.
C:
Right, that’s good advice. By the way, I’ve
noticed no one wears any kind of uniform
in this department. Most people seem to be
wearing casual clothes. Is that your policy
then?
M:
Yes. We have no rules about uniforms. Staff
can wear whatever they like. You see, we
think that people work better when they
feel comfortable. We picked up this idea
last year in New York when we visited the
headquarters of the company.
C:
So you travel abroad?
M:
Yes. I used to do all the trips on my own
with no help, but last year I took some of
the assistants along with me. It’s good
Training for them.
C:
Wow! I didn’t realise you did that. No
wonder you keep your staff for years!
M:
We believe in treating staff well, it’s very
important. Actually, we need to start
thinking about next year’s upgrade to our
computers – but we’ve got plenty of ideas
and we’ll get some information from head
office soon.
C:
Do you have any other tips for me, like how
to approach employees? I don’t have a lot of
experience.
M:
I know, but you’ve got the right personality.
Look, the best piece of advice I can give
you is to give our employees enough time
to explain their difficulties without any
pressure. Give them a lot of attention and
plenty of advice. People can get very
frustrated when things go wrong and they
need patience. OK? Never leave an
employee until you know everything is
working properly and they can get back to
work. We have enough technical support
assistants to do the job properly.
C:
Thanks very much. That’s very helpful.
M:
Good, well Chloe, I must be off to my
meeting. I’ve enjoyed chatting to you. Well
done, you’ve had a very good first week.
LESSON 10.3 RECORDING 10.2
1
These days I only buy proper books. Why?
The quality of the print is better than the
pages in digital books.
2
I haven’t bought any books in ages. I mainly
read articles online. There are lots of great
sites to chose from and they’re all free.
3
I get all my books from iBooks and
download to my iPad. I love being able to
carry an entire library around with me. And
I can carry my iPad anywhere.
4
I get all my books free from the internet. I
don’t see why anyone would pay for them
when you can download everything for free.
5
Well, I’m 40 and over my life I’ve bought
hardbacks and paperbacks and now I buy
my books from Google. I love being able
to carry my Galaxy around, but for print
quality I think hardback books are best.
6
I buy my hardback books from Amazon. I
hardly ever download free books from the
internet. I love reading in my bedroom. I
also like the artwork on the cover, and also
they way they look on my bookshelf.
LESSON 10.4 RECORDING 10.4
C = Claire Maxwell, M = Michael Harvey,
B = Brenda Fisher, P = Patrick Riley,
D = David Jenkins
C:
OK, our first caller is on the line – Brenda
Fisher.
M:
Go ahead, Brenda. What would you like to
ask me?
B:
Good evening, Mr Harvey. I want to talk
about the parking problem. I’m very
unhappy about it. I use my car a lot in the
city and it always take ages to find a space. I
go round and round searching, it’s a
nightmare. And if I do get a space, and go
just a little over the time limit, some guy
rushes up and sticks a huge parking fine on
my window. And you know, your parking
attendants, they’re awful people, so rude.
They seem to enjoy giving us fines.
M:
Mmm, I understand how you feel, Brenda.
It’s true, a lot of motorists are unhappy
about the parking facilities. It’s a serious
problem and we’re looking at various ways
of dealing with it. Thanks very much for
your comment.
C:
Thanks Brenda. Now a call from Patrick
Riley.
P:
Evening, Mr Harvey. It’s about the litter left
behind by some visitors to our town. You
see, I have to walk through the centre of
town to get back home. I can tell you, it’s
not a nice experience. There is a lot
rubbish in the streets, especially near the
fast-food restaurants. And when people do
use the bins, they are usually so full that
rubbish just falls out of them. I tell you, our
town looks horrible these days! What are
you going to do about it, Mr Harvey?
M:
Mmm, I have to agree, our city is becoming
a messy place to live these days. Some
people just don’t think about what they’re
doing when they throw their rubbish away.
And perhaps we need to collect the rubbish
from bins more often. We’re very
concerned about this problem. We’re
taking it seriously and thinking about
various options to deal with it. We’ll be
considering solutions at our next council
meeting.
C:
OK, time for one more call before we have
the news report. David Jenkins, you want to
talk to our mayor about air pollution in the
town, I believe?
D:
Hello, Mr Harvey. Good evening. Perhaps I
should say ‘Goodbye’! M: Oh?
D:
I want to talk to you about pollution. I’m
moving away from here pretty soon. The air
is so polluted, it’s really bad for my health.
You know, I’ve been here for over thirty
years, but recently I’ve been in very bad
health, it’s all because of the bad air, too
many fumes from the cars, I think. Anyway,
I’m getting out, I’ve had enough. M: Well, I
don’t know what to say to you, David. I’m
sorry that you’re thinking of leaving our
town because of your health. I can tell you,
our environment officer is preparing a report
on reducing pollution levels. I’ll make sure
you get a copy.
D:
Thank you. I hope you publish it soon.
M:
Could I just say, Claire, before our break?
We’re having a public meeting in the town
hall next week. Everyone is welcome to
come and raise any issue that’s bothering
them. I’ll be there and also a colleague from
the council. We want to have an open
discussion and decide what our priorities
are. We can’t change everything
immediately, we need to think about what
the most important issues are.
LESSON 10.4 RECORDING 10.5
M = Marilyn, F = Frieda
M:
So, what are you going to ask about at the
meeting, Frieda?
F:
Well, there are plenty of things I’m not
happy about, but it’s the beaches that really
bother me. I want to know what they’re
gonna do to clean them up and keep them
clean.
M:
Yeah, know what you mean. There’s always
loads of plastic rubbish on them, bags, cups,
empty bottles, it’s really disgusting.
F:
Exactly. Why do they let people have
barbecues on The beaches? I’ve seen
families have picnics on the beach and not
clear anything away. I want to get some
answers from the mayor and the council.
Not just, ‘OK, I’ll look into it’, that’s what
he usually says, and then does nothing.
How about you? What are you going to ask
about?
M:
I’m really angry, well, that’s putting it
mildly, about the development they’re
proposing at Sandy Cove.
F:
Sandy Cove? That lovely little beach where
we used to go at lunchtime to have a quick
swim?
M:
Yeah, but it won’t be lovely much longer.
They’re planning to develop the area there.
Didn’t you read about it in the paper?
F:
No I missed that. Tell me about it.
M:
Well, they want to use most of the beach
to build a two-storey restaurant and a big
visitors’ centre. And at the side, they want to
put a car park.
F:
Really?
M:
Yeah, the development will ruin the area.
No one will want to go to the beach
because there won’t be much of it left. I’m
so angry about it. And I’m not the only one.
But the mayor and council think it’s a great
idea. There are even reports about it in the
national press, I believe. The mayor will be
on national TV next, with a big smile on his
face, no doubt.
F:
Oh, another thing I’m unhappy about is
student accommodation. My son would
like to move out and live with some of
his college friends, but they can’t find any
flats at the right price. Everything’s just too
expensive. I don’t think the council is doing
enough to keep rents low for students.
M:
I agree, it’s a really serious problem.
Something needs to be done for them. But
you know, the council isn’t doing much
about it.
F:
Does it surprise you? I’d like to see a lot
more action to solve our problems, but I’m
not holding my breath.
M:
Mmm, well, let’s see what happens at the
meeting. It’ll give us a chance to tell the
mayor how we feel.
