Part 1. You will hear a conversation between an Australian accommodation agent and an English woman who wants to rent a property in Sydney.

Hi Jessica, nice to meet you, have a seat. — Thanks. — So you're looking to rent an apartment in Sydney. — That's right, like I said on the phone, I'm going to be working in a bank here for the next year. — Well, I've had a look around for you and there's one apartment I think might just suit you. It's in central Sydney, not out in a suburb.

Ok, so what sort of apartment is it? — Well it's a 1studio, so basically it's designed for a single person or a couple. You're looking at a total area of about 34 square metres.

And then every two apartments in the building share a separate 2laundry. So that's almost as if you've got your own. But it means that's not using up space in your apartment. And of course you don't have the noise of the machines.

Is it a modern building? — Sure, and the apartment's nearly at the top of the building. I think it's on the 12th floor. No, the 14th. — Oh, you must get a good view from up there. — Yeah, and the great thing about this apartment is that you look right out over the 3harbour. It's a pretty awesome view. And the apartment's got huge windows, so you really appreciate it.

One thing I'd really like is a garden so I can sit outside. Does the apartment block have one? — No, but your apartment has a 4balcony, so there's room to sit out there.

OK, well, it all sounds good. Now does the apartment block have any special facilities for tenants, like a 5gym? — Yeah, it does. That's on the first floor, and all residents have access to that free of charge. And if you like swimming, you've got an indoor pool.

And one special feature of the building is it even has a couple of 6cinemas. They're on the ground floor, so you can even take in a movie without leaving the building. Of course, they're open to the public, but I think residents get a reduction.

Right. And what happens about 7parking? Is that underground? — That's right. Do you have a car? — Not yet, but I'll probably need one. — Well, one big plus of this location is that it's in an excellent situation as far as transport is concerned, so a lot of residents don't bother to run a car.

But talking of money, you haven't mentioned the rent yet. I did say I didn't want anything above $600 a month. — Well, I'm going to surprise you because this comes in at $8580. So you're within your budget there.

Yeah. And when you're looking at the rent in a lot of places, you have to add on the cost of 9electricity, but in this case it's all included. So you're saving money that way.

Right. Well, I'd definitely be interested in the property. When's it available from? — Well, the current tenant moves out on the 8th of August, so let's say it'll be free from the 1013th. I'll need to get the cleaners in on either the 10th or the 11th. — Right, and what's the address? — It's number 220.

Part 2. You will hear an employee of a driving school answering a telephone inquiry about training to take a driving test.

Safety Driving Center, hello? — Hello. Can you give me some information about driving lessons? — Yes. There are two courses, one on theory and one practical course. The first part of the theory course consists of a series of lessons, and you can do these either at the center in one of our classrooms or via the internet.

At the second stage we 11review (Revision — E) what we've covered so far. We do this in the classroom, we don't deliver it online, so you have to come into the center. At the end of this lesson there's a 12test, but this is just for practice (Trial test — I). It's not a proper RTD test. If you're satisfied you can go on, and if not, you can go back to stage one.

The third stage is the real test, the one set and administered by the RTD (road traffic department). Provided you pass that test, you then get your 13provisional driving license (Provisional licence — C), which you need before you can venture on to public highways.

The practical course starts off here at the test center, and it consists of training and assessment on our specially designed 14circuit (Circuit-based — B). This allows you to get driving experience immediately, but in a safe environment. At the next stage, you continue with training and assessment, but on 15public highways (Road-based — F). Obviously, you can't do this until you've obtained your provisional license.

Then, when both you and your instructor think you're ready, you do a trial test, and if that goes well, you go straight on to do the official test run by the RTD. Finally, provided that you're successful in both parts of the course, you get your driving license. You're then on 16probation for a year (12 months' probation — A), and as long as you don't have any problems in that time, your license will be endorsed for future use.

Can you tell me how to enroll? — For the theory course, there's no need to book, and if you're going to do classroom-based lessons, you can just turn up here and pay as you go. We run six sessions a day, and 17if you go to our website, you'll find the start times for each session (B). If you don't have internet access, you can pick up a leaflet from the center.

As for the classes themselves, all our theory classes are run by experienced tutors, and 18they're offered in a number of different languages, as well as in English (A). We deliver the content using PowerPoint, but there's still a place for pen and paper tasks.

What about enrolling on the practical course? — That's a bit more complicated, and you do have to book in advance. But you can do that via our website, or at the customer service desk here, or you can 19book at one of our self-service kiosks. You'll find them in some of the big stores in the city (C). Some driving schools allow you to drive your own car, but for safety and insurance reasons, we don't.

You can cancel lessons in the same way that you book them, but 20in order to avoid incurring a penalty, you have to do that at least 72 hours in advance (required notice given — B). When you make a cancellation in less than the required period, you can try and transfer your session to someone else. If another trainee then agrees to take the session over, your payment can be credited back. Otherwise, we can't give a refund for any reason, and even a medical certificate isn't accepted.

Part 3. You will hear a business study student called Edward talking to his tutor about some research he is doing on product development.

Hello Edward, sit down. — Thanks. I need some advice on my presentation about product development. Have you decided what to focus on? — Yes, the product I've chosen is a particular type of mosquito net. — Any reason for choosing that? — I spent last summer travelling around Africa with a friend. He's studying medicine so when we're in a region where mosquitoes cause malaria we visited a medical centre. 21I chatted to an administrator (A) while my friend talked to one of the doctors and I found out they've had far fewer cases of malaria since these mosquito nets became available.

Mosquito nets have quite a long history, don't they? I believe they've been used in Japan for centuries. — That's right. Though apparently Queen Cleopatra slept under one in ancient 22Egypt. That was probably where they were invented (C) and much later nets were used in China. Originally they were made of silk but later cotton was used and nowadays they're mainly synthetic.

It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that they developed nets treated with insecticides for use by the military and that was a major step forward. They used an insecticide called DDT but 23it was later found that this could be harmful to people as well as mosquitoes (B — potentially dangerous to users).

Is that still a problem with modern nets? — Oh no. The chemicals used nowadays are safe even if people sleep under them every night. But they have to be treated fairly often with the chemical which the owners need to do themselves. — Presumably distribution of the chemical can be a problem in remote areas. 24People may not be able to get hold of it easily (C — difficulty obtaining the chemical). — That's right.

Tell me about this net. — Well the brand name is OliSet and the product was invented by a Japanese company. These nets are an improvement on the alternatives because the insecticide is contained inside the fibre and released gradually. And OliSet nets are also tougher and don't tear as easily. 25They give protection for at least five years compared with a year or two for other nets (A — remain effective for longer).

I thought I'd introduce my presentation by describing the background to the new product. — Well I was thinking I'd talk first about insect-borne diseases, particularly malaria. I've got some statistics about the numbers of people worldwide who get the disease. — It'd also be useful if you could find some statistical information on 26how malaria affects countries' economic output (national economies — G) and present that too.

After that I'll talk about mosquito nets. First the historical development just briefly and then I'll introduce the OliSet mosquito net. — Yes keep it simple. You could just present a bulleted list of 27its characteristics, the things that make it different from other types of net (unique features of the product — D).

Then I thought I'd outline the production process. Should I give some information about 28where the money for the project has come from? There are lots of government and private sponsors (sources of funding — B). — Definitely.

Where are the nets being manufactured? — Over half are made in Tanzania by a company called A to Z. — Well I'd say a bit about the company profile as well and then present figures about 29numbers of staff and the kinds of people they're employing (workforce — A).

You should provide some figures about output. Have you found out from the company's website 30how many nets they actually produce? Yes it's over 30 million a year (production figures — F).

Part 4. You will hear a lecture about earth-sheltered housing.

For my presentation on ecological environmental planning I have chosen to talk about how underground housing, or earth-sheltered housing as it's more commonly known, can meet the demands of ecological environmental planning. Perhaps the greatest merit of this building technique is the 31low impact it has on the environment, since houses built underground can hardly be seen from the surface.

If earth-sheltered homes are perfect for environmentally sensitive sites they are also remarkably efficient when it comes to energy use. This is because this kind of housing makes greater use of 32alternative technologies to improve energy efficiency.

Many earth-sheltered housing projects use natural non-toxic resources for building materials such as rammed earth which are surprisingly durable. Some of these houses have a predicted 33life span of 500 years or more. The extra protection means less exposure to the elements which keeps maintenance to a minimum.

Living underground also brings the advantage of a quieter environment, eliminating disturbances caused by 34traffic, an enormous problem these days and one of the most common reasons for people to consider moving home.

And lastly, despite the misconception that underground houses must be very damp, earth-sheltered housing offers significant health advantages. The sophistication of the 35ventilation systems installed in earth-sheltered houses brings enormous benefits to people suffering from asthma and other chest conditions.

I'd like now to turn to the situation in the UK. The British Earth Sheltering Association says that people shouldn't be put off by fears of too much red tape as it is getting easier to get planning permission. There is quite a lot of evidence that building development offices are more sympathetic to earth-sheltered projects, especially in 36conservation areas. And there are hopes that Britain's coastline will no longer be dominated by mobile homes.

I'd like to finish by looking at two quite different projects, Mole Manor and the Hockerton project. When it was first built, 37Mole Manor generated international media interest and was voted one of the 12 most desirable places to live... Hockerton also attracted wide publicity, winning several awards (favourable reaction — both — C) for its innovative environmental design.

However, at 38Hockerton, solar energy, wind power and rain are used to generate enough warmth, electricity and water for all the needs of the five families (self-sufficiency in energy — B) who live there.

39Hockerton also proves that earth-sheltered houses can be built on a modest budget. Each of the families contributed 80,000 pounds (low building costs — B), the cost of an average family house in this area.

Style, rather than cost, was more of an issue in the design of Mole Manor. The homely terraced cottage style at Hockerton contrasts with the 40grandeur and space of Mole Manor, which today is worth over 800,000 pounds (luxurious accommodation — A).