Travel agent: Good morning.

Client: Hello. Could you help me with a quote for a visit to Australia?

Travel agent: Yes, have a seat. Now, if I could get a name from you first, then I can set up a quotation form.

Client: Great. The family name is 1Thorne. T-H-O-R-N?

Travel agent: Yes. Right. Now, we'd be looking at going during the school holidays, the mid-year ones. That's June then, is it?

Client: No, it's July this year.

Travel agent: OK. And what dates are you thinking of?

Client: Let me see. 2We want to go for five days and we could go any time from the 1st to the 14th.

Travel agent: Right. And whereabouts in Australia are you thinking of?

Client: We were thinking of flying to Brisbane and then staying somewhere near there.

Travel agent: 3So, the Gold Coast then. That's a lovely area.

Client: Oh yes. I have some work to do in Brisbane, so we thought we'd combine that with a family holiday.

Travel agent: And now, what sort of accommodation are you thinking of?

Client: Well, 4we had in mind an apartment, thinking that hotels are too expensive, and even motels not perhaps as child-friendly as having your own space.

Travel agent: Yes. I'll have a look at what we've got. And will this brochure you're going to give me detail what sightseeing there is to do?

Client: Oh yes.

Travel agent: There's lots of information in there about the amusement parks. The three main ones are Dream World, which has some scary roller coaster rides, as well as zoo animals. So, that one sounds OK for all ages. Right. Well, there's also 5Water World, which is full of hydra slides and wave pools. They like that better.

Client: They're all keen on swimming.

Travel agent: Yeah. And then there's also Movie World, which has actors dressed up as famous film characters.

Client: My kids don't watch much TV or video. I don't think they'd be so into that. And while we're talking about entertainment, I can recommend the local Wildlife Sanctuary.

Travel agent: You can see all kinds of creatures there and get some good photographs.

Client: Do they have koalas?

Travel agent: Yes, but they're usually asleep and hidden in the treetops during the day. But 6the crocodiles are amazing. It's easy to get right up to the fence to get close-ups of them.

Client: I suppose there are kangaroos.

Travel agent: Yes, but they're kept in a distant paddock, so can be quite hard to spot.

Client: Certainly sounds as if you know the place well.

Travel agent: Yeah, I've been many times. Now, I'm searching on my computer here for a suitable place for you to stay. Um, what amenities would you like to be near?

Client: Well, 7we don't want to be close to any bars or clubs because of the noise at night. We'll need to be within walking distance of a shop to buy food and so on.

Travel agent: And I guess most people tell you they want to be in beachfront accommodation, do they?

Client: But it's going to be in winter, and I doubt the sea will be warm enough to swim in. So for us, that doesn't actually matter.

Travel agent: Okay, that's fine. And now, what facilities are important to you? Would you like a babysitter for the evenings?

Client: I don't think that's necessary this time. We don't plan to go out without the children, but 10we would want someone to come in to tidy up and wash the dishes and so on every day. What else? It doesn't have to be too flash, like we wouldn't use a gym or anything. And none of us really like saunas or spas, so we don't need one of those.

Travel agent: What about a parking space?

Client: No, that's not important. Anything else? 9There must be facilities available for washing clothes, either in the unit or a communal one. It doesn't matter which.

Travel agent: Mm-hmm. 8Quite a lot of places have indoor rooms with play equipment for the little ones. Would you be interested in that?

Client: Yes, that would be useful, especially if it's a rainy day.

Travel agent: Oh, I'll have a look on the database. That is the end of part one.

Manager (Cathy Meredith): Hello and welcome to Reynolds Electrical. I'm Cathy Meredith and I'm in charge of your training programme during the month you're going to spend with us.

Let me start by telling you a little about the company. The name Reynolds comes from Tony Reynolds. He was a local man born in 1905. When he was only 19, he started 11a small company that manufactured cars. This was a failure, though, and he gave up in 1927. He then trained as an electrician and in the following year rented a small workshop and set up a new company, Reynolds Electrical.

So 12the company dates back to 1928 and I'm pleased to say we've been successful more or less ever since and we moved to our present site in 1955. 13There was a cinema here which had to be demolished and new buildings were put up. Of course, in those days, it was quite common to have factories close to town centres.

The company has been more and more successful in the last few years. The main reason is a change in the pattern of sales. Another reason for our success is that despite strong competition from cheaper competitors, 14our customers are happy to pay a higher price for the quality of Reynolds goods.

Because of this success, we're feeling confident about the future and we've got some exciting plans. 15We're now constructing a second factory so that we can increase production. We're also replacing our existing production machinery and making improvements to all the offices.

One more point I'd like to make is that ever since Tony Reynolds started the business, we've always tried to be the best in our field. So earlier this year, 16we were delighted when we received an award for making a big reduction in waste. Our policy is to recycle as much as we can.

Right, now I'll give you an idea of what you'll be doing in the next few days. You'll spend most of this week with different members of our staff, working alongside them so that you can learn what their job involves. And we'll get together at three o'clock every afternoon to focus on a different part of our work. Every Monday, we have a meeting of people from different parts of the company and I'd like you to take part in this afternoon's meeting.

17Today, we're going to discuss ways of getting higher levels of safety and we'll be interested in any suggestions you might make. So think about it while you're going around the factory today. Tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, I'll introduce you to the IT department and 18they'll update you about the changes to our website. This is important because a growing number of people want to buy online.

Then on Wednesday, we'll talk about our contact with those very important people, 19customers. Without them, of course, we'd soon go out of business. And that discussion will cover all sorts of things, from advertising to research into what sort of people buy our products.

The next afternoon, Thursday, we'll focus on recruitment and how we try to make sure we have the best staff to meet our needs. We seem to be doing well because mostly they stay with us for several years.

And finally, for this week at least, on Friday, something that I think you'll find more interesting than it sounds. And that's how we ensure we have sufficient 20money coming in to pay our bills and other expenses, such as wages. Right, now, are there any questions before I go on? That is the end of part two.

You will hear two art students called Charlie and Sandra discussing their portfolios, which are collections of their best work to be handed in for assessment.

Charlie: Hi, Sandra. Have you got time to talk through a few things about preparing our art portfolios? I've got some ideas for what to include in mine, but I'd like to hear about yours. I'm going to include an interpretation of a famous picture and then pieces from each of my years of studying fine arts, because I think it's crucial to show progression, even if some of them aren't representative of my best work now.

Sandra: 21Oh, I was going to pick out the works that I think show creative thinking, but maybe you're right. What are you going to include to show your understanding of design?

Charlie: I think I'm going to include that flyer I did.

Sandra: That publicity flyer for the music festival? Yes, that was great.

Charlie: 22I'm hoping to use my health and safety poster.

Sandra: The design element's strong. Some people are including photos of modern buildings, but I'm not so sure about photos.

Charlie: Anyway, we've also got to show we've explored one medium in depth.

Sandra: Well, what about choosing drawing? That series we both did of the human body would be good, you know. 23The set of pictures showing a man running? Yes, they demonstrate that we can show a human body in action. I think they'd be more impressive than those drawings we did of household objects.

Charlie: Yes, I agree. The household objects would show we can draw details precisely and position things on the paper effectively, but they were just static. OK, now, do you think I should include my work on deserts?

Sandra: To be honest, I don't think so. You've got a huge amount of work on that subject, and I think 24the problem is that a lot of it will need extensive notes so the tutor can understand the thinking behind the pieces. Pity, because you've dealt with it in a very unusual way.

Charlie: You're right. Right. Now, we need to think about the portfolio as a whole, how we organise it. Did the tutor say anything about that?

Sandra: I can't remember.

Charlie: 25I thought his most useful suggestion was to make sure similar pieces are put together so the portfolio has a clear structure, but he said we shouldn't worry about making a dramatic impact at the beginning. Some students recommend saving the best piece till last, but I don't agree.

Sandra: No, nor do I. But everyone says it's a good idea to get someone else to look at the portfolio just before we submit it.

Charlie: Of course, our art teacher will comment on it as we go along, but who else are you going to ask?

Sandra: 26There's a sculptor who lives near me, and my parents know him, so that's who I'm going for.

Charlie: I've got a friend who writes articles for the arts section of a national newspaper, and I was going to ask him, but I decided he lives too far away.

Charlie: OK. Now, our tutor said it's important to make sure the reason for including each piece in our portfolio is clear. I think I've more or less decided about that for my portfolio.

Sandra: Have you? I haven't thought about it at all. What have you decided?

Charlie: Well, like my design for a book cover. I just had a very simple design based on the book's title in this unusual handwritten script, so 27my reason for including that is it's a piece which shows the presentation of writing in design.

Sandra: Right.

Charlie: Then I did some work on designing jewellery, and I'm including that in my portfolio too.

Sandra: So is that to show how well you can express yourself using different media, like metal?

Charlie: That's not why I'm including it, no. 28What I actually learned from doing the jewellery was the importance of precision, getting each little thing just right. So that's the reason I'm giving for including it.

Sandra: Oh, I see. And are you going to include that wood carving you did, the one of a fish you made from a piece of wood your sister picked up by the sea?

Charlie: Yes. At first I was going to include that because I like the smooth scales of the fish, but in the end 29I decided it's an example of something that was completely my own idea.

Sandra: OK, good. Then there was the advertisement. I did an ad for a hotel, a warm, cosy scene with an illustration of an open fire.

Charlie: I remember. 30We had to show we could convey a feeling that matched the image of the product, didn't we? I did one for a fruit juice drink, trying to give an impression of vitality and energy.

Sandra: Right. Well, now, shall we get on with it? That is the end of Part 3.

Lecturer: Welcome to today's lecture about hospital gardens and their medical benefits. Recently, a group of architects were interviewed about health care facilities. 82% of them agreed that the planning of outdoor space should be one of the most important considerations in the design of hospitals.

Of course, the idea that a garden can be good for our health is not exactly new, but a 1984 study by an environmental psychologist, Roger Schwartz, was the first to use the standards of modern medical research to demonstrate that 31gardens can sometimes speed recovery from surgery and also help the healing of infection. In his study, Schwartz reviewed the medical records of people recovering from surgery at a suburban hospital. All other things being equal, 32patients with bedside windows looking out on leafy trees healed, on average, a day faster than those looking at a wall, and they needed significantly less pain medication and had fewer complications after their surgery.

In fact, at the time, studies carried out in Europe showed that the conditions in hospital can have serious physical consequences. 33These studies showed that hospitals contributed to people's levels of stress. Fortunately, as the evidence implicating hospitals increased, the amount of data suggesting that gardens can encourage healing grew, too.

According to various studies of healthy people, just three to five minutes spent looking at views of trees, flowers or water can begin to reduce anger and pain and to increase relaxation. This is shown in 34physiological changes in electrical activity, most obviously in the heart. Now, it's important for me to state clearly that gardens can't cure you, but there's good evidence they can reduce your levels of pain and by doing that 35boost your immune system in ways that help you heal.

Importantly, as research into this field has grown, it has shown that not all gardens are equally effective in the healing process. In 1995, Marcus Cooper and landscape architect Mark Bennett analysed the physical layout of several hospital gardens and carried out observations of their daily use. They then conducted 36interviews with the people who used the gardens, and they discovered that the users mostly visited gardens looking to relax and recover from mental and physical tiredness.

37They also found that what people liked most were gardens that had a fountain. These results are consistent with Schwartz's findings of the healing power of a window view, and also correspond with the theories of evolutionary biologists that people prefer views that are similar to the fields where humans evolved. What you can do in the gardens is as important as what you see.

The results of behavioural map studies, in which researchers observed visitors' actions while in a garden, suggested gardens need several different things to be effective. They need to provide areas for private conversations, flat shady paths that people would like to walk along, and that won't trip wheelchairs. That's important in hospitals.

Another thing that researchers found was that people also wanted somewhere to rest, so 38lightweight furniture that can be placed in the shade or sun with a minimum amount of effort was important. And lastly, they also wanted 39naturalistic landscaping that would also bring birds into the area. Of course, hospitals have patients from a wide range of age groups, and it's been found that while different generations seem to value the same things in gardens, some differences in preferences have turned up too.

Middle-aged adults look for peace and quiet, while older adults are more likely to seek stimulation. At one residence for seniors, the researchers noticed that every afternoon the elderly residents would sit at the front of the building, 40so they felt that they were active members of society by talking to people passing by. To help ensure that outdoor areas promote as much healing as possible, gardens should be planned, taking science and aesthetic design into account.

That is the end of part four.