Listening 2 — Homework

Librarian: Good morning. You'd like to volunteer for the children's section. Is that right?

Tessa: Yes, I spoke to you on the phone yesterday.

Librarian: That's right. Tessa, isn't it?

Tessa: Yes. Tessa bridges.

Librarian: Thank you for coming in today, Tessa.

Before we discuss what a volunteer does in the library, I'll need to get some details from you.

Tessa: No problem. What would you like to know?

Librarian: Where'd you live, Tessa?

Tessa: I still live with my family in Northwood, 51 Matthew Drive.

Librarian: M-A-T-H-E-W Matthew Drive.

Tessa: Actually, there are two T's, M-A-D-T-H-E-W.

Librarian: Oh, thank you. And the postcode for Northwood is?

Tessa: Oh, I'm still confused about that.

It used to be 2614, which of course I still remember, but the post office has recently changed it to 4126.

Librarian: So, 4126. Now, you're a university student, aren't you?

Tessa: Not exactly. I go to Northwood Polytechnic. I'm in my final year.

Librarian: In your final year. So, what are you studying? I'm in your main subject.

Tessa: Oh, I'm majoring in creative writing.

Librarian: And are you enjoying that?

Tessa: Very much so. I love it. When I graduate, I want to write children's books.

Librarian: That's great. Now, I can see why you're keen to volunteer at the library.

We're always grateful for the extra help, but I still have to ask you some more questions about your previous experience.

Tessa: That's fine, but I haven't had a full-time paid job yet.

Librarian: Not to worry. Part-time work or voluntary work gives you the experience most employers are looking for.

Tessa: Well, to start with, when I was 16, I had a babysitting job.

Librarian: And who did you work for?

Tessa: Oh, just family friends.

Librarian: How long did you babysit for family friends?

Tessa: Oh, about two years, on and off.

Librarian: After those two years were up. What did you do then?

Tessa: Well, I was still working as a babysitter on the occasional evening and weekend when I became a peer tutor at school.

I did that for one year. My last year at senior high.

Librarian: And what does being a peer tutor involve?

Tessa: Mostly, it means staying behind after school one or two afternoons a week to help fellow students in the subject that they're having difficulty with.

Librarian: And what subject did you tutor in?

Tessa: English, actually.

Librarian: I see. Do you have any other experience?

Tessa: I worked at the Ace Sports Academy as a tennis coach, but that was only for about 12 weeks over the summer before I enrolled at the Polytechnic.

Librarian: So you're good at sports?

Tessa: Not everything, just tennis.

Librarian: And are you currently working?

Tessa: Yes, well, unpaid work that is.

I'm a volunteer at the local hospital where I visit sick children who would otherwise not have any visitors.

Librarian: Well, it certainly seems as if you like children.

Tessa: Yes, I do.

Librarian: Well, Tessa, what I need to know now is what your schedule is like so that we can fit you into the roster here.

Can I assume that you're not able to work Monday to Friday during office hours?

Tessa: Right. I'm very busy with lectures, workshops and assignments during the week.

Librarian: How about week nights, say 5-7 in the evening?

That's a very busy time in the children's section.

Tessa: Well, I couldn't commit to more than 3 evenings a week and even then it would depend on my schedule.

Librarian: Yes, I understand. If possible, we could make arrangements a week in advance. Would that help?

Tessa: Yes, that might work.

Librarian: Oh, we can, OK.

Tessa: Well, Sundays are out. Actually, only every other Sunday, because that's when I'm usually needed at the hospital.

But I'm free on Saturday afternoons.

Librarian: All right. We could roster you for the odd weekend then. What about school holidays?

Tessa: Definitely. No problem whatsoever. I don't have any other commitments during the holidays.

Librarian: That's good to hear. We have droves of children here in the holidays as you can imagine.

Thank you. Well, Tessa, we'll send you a letter of appointment in the mail and we look forward to having you join us as a volunteer.

Tessa: Thanks very much. Now, as for your duties.

Dawn: Good morning. My name is Don Buffett. How can I help you?

Gavin: Good morning, Don. I'd like to join the club.

Dawn: Wonderful. Now, have you ever been a member before?

Gavin: Yes, I joined after I left college, and I was a member for seven years, before I let my membership lapse when I went abroad.

Dawn: Do you have your old membership card?

Gavin: No, sorry. I threw it out when I moved.

Dawn: Have you got any other form of identification on you?

Gavin: I've got my driver's license, and my passport, and a couple of bank cards.

Dawn: The license will be perfect. Here you are.

Thank you. Oh, the photo is not a very good likeness, is it?

Gavin: No, I've shaved off the beard, and cut my hair since that was taken.

Dawn: I'm going to have to make a note of some of these details, and I'd like you to correct me if any of them have changed.

Obviously, the number here will be the same.

AY916310

Gavin: Look, you've copied it down wrongly. It's AY196310.

Dawn: Thank you. I'm glad you picked that up.

Now, family name, black and other names, Gavin Raymond.

Gavin: Yes.

Dawn: And you were born on the 22nd of January 1973.

Gavin: That's correct.

Dawn: Can I just remind you that you'll need to renew your license by the 19th of May 2012?

You wouldn't believe the number of people who get caught out with an expired license.

Gavin: Thank you. I must admit, although I carry it around in my wallet, I wasn't really aware of that.

Dawn: Not many people are. I've been caught out myself.

Now, I can see that you're one of those who has opted out of having an address printed on the card, and I can understand that.

Personally, I think it's better security not to have it, in case your wallet gets stolen, for example.

Gavin: I agree.

Dawn: Can you give me your current address for our records?

Gavin: Yes, of course. I live at 29 Sunset Street, Meadowbank.

Dawn: Thanks. Actually, my uncle live in the same street. It's a very nice area, isn't it?

Gavin: Yes, pretty good.

Dawn: Now, you've got three classes of license, motor car, motorbike, and heavy vehicle. Do you want to be covered for all three?

Gavin: Oh, not anymore. I had a motorbike when I was a student, and then before I went abroad, I worked as a truck driver for a while.

But I never want to do that again. These days, you'll only find me behind the wheel of a car.

Dawn: Well, that's all done. Now, for one final question.

Gavin: What's that?

Dawn: I need to ask you whether you've ever had any driving or other convictions or endorsements on your license.

Gavin: Well, I've had a few parking tickets.

Dawn: We don't count those.

Gavin: And I haven't had any endorsements, but I do have a dangerous driving conviction from back in 1993.

I was young and inexperienced, and going too fast in wet weather, and I slid off the road and hit a power pole.

Dawn: Well, I have to make a note of that, but you're lucky, because it's over 15 years ago. It won't be held against you.

We've changed quite a lot here at the Royal Car Club since you were last a member.

Gavin: Oh?

Dawn: We now have four different levels of membership starting at blue than moving through bronze to gold.

Gavin: What does that mean exactly?

Dawn: Well, you get a different level of service and different benefits depending on what you choose.

Of course, that is reflected in the annual fee, the more benefits the higher the fee.

Gavin: I see.

Dawn: The standard club care comes with a 5% discount at bronze level and a 7.5 discount at silver level.

Gavin: And gold?

Dawn: If you own more than one car, I'd recommend the gold level, because you only pay half the fee on your first vehicle.

Gavin: I'm not sure I need that.

Dawn: Well, bronze and silver have ten and twenty dollars off the insurance fee, but with the gold membership?

Say you had an accident and your car was badly damaged or off the road for any length of time.

You'd be eligible for a car hire at no extra cost.

Gavin: Hmm, that's good.

Dawn: There's one more thing.

If you need to borrow money to purchase a new car, we offer personal loans at a reduction off the general applicable rate.

These start at 0.25%.

Go up to half a percent at bronze level and increase to 0.75% at the next level.

Gold has a whopping 1.25% reduction on the applicable rate.

Gavin: Well, that is something I should consider, perhaps.

Thanks for your help.

I'll think it over and let you know.

Travel agent: Good morning, world tours. My name is Jamie. How can I help you?

Andrea: Good morning. I want some information on self-drive tours in the USA. Could you send me a brochure?

Travel agent: Of course. Could I have your name please?

Andrea: Andrea Brown. Thank you. And your address?

24. Ardly Road. Can you spell that?

ARD L-E-I-G-H Road.

Travel agent: Postcode?

Andrea: B-H-5-O-P.

Travel agent: Thanks. And can I have your phone number?

Andrea: Is a mobile alright?

Fine. It's O-Double-7-8-6-64-3-091.

Travel agent: Thank you. And can I ask you where you heard about world tours from a friend or did you see an advert somewhere?

Andrea: No. I read about you in the newspaper.

Travel agent: OK. I'll get the brochures in the post to you. But can I give you some information over the phone?

What kinds of things do you want to do on your holiday?

Andrea: I'm interested in going to California with my family. I've got two children and we want to hire a car.

Travel agent: OK. We have a couple of self-drive tours there visiting different places of interest in California.

The first one begins in Los Angeles and there's plenty of time to visit some of the theme parks there.

Andrea: Oh, that's something on my children's list so I'd want to include that.

Travel agent: Good. Then you drive to San Francisco. From San Francisco, you can drive to Yosemite Park where you spend a couple of nights.

You can choose to stay in a lodge or on the campsite.

Andrea: I don't like the idea of staying in a tent. It'd be too hot.

Travel agent: Right. And the tour ends in Las Vegas.

Andrea: OK.

Travel agent: The other trip we can arrange is slightly different. It starts in San Francisco. Then you drive south to Cambria.

Andrea: Someone told me there's a really nice castle near Cambria. Will we go near that?

Travel agent: Herced castle is on that road so you could stop there.

Andrea: Good. I'd like to do that. Does this trip also go into the desert?

Travel agent: No. It continues to send a moniker where most people like to stop and do some shopping.

Andrea: We have enough of that at home so that doesn't interest us.

Travel agent: OK. Well, you could go straight on to San Diego.

Andrea: That's good for beaches, isn't it?

Travel agent: That's right. That's a good place to relax and your children might like to visit the zoo before flying home.

Andrea: I don't think so. We want some time for sunbathing and swimming.

So how many days are the trips and how much do they cost?

Travel agent: The first one I told you about is a self-drive tour through California,

which lasts twelve days and covers two thousand and twenty kilometres.

The shortest journey is two hundred and six kilometres and the longest is six hundred and thirty two kilometres.

The cost is five hundred and twenty five pounds per person.

That includes accommodation, car rental and a flight but no meals.

Andrea: OK. And the other trip.

Travel agent: That lasts nine days but you spend only three days on the road.

You cover about nine hundred and eighty kilometres altogether.

Andrea: So is that cheaper then?

Travel agent: Yes, it's almost a hundred pounds cheaper.

It's four hundred and twenty nine pounds per person which is a good deal.

Andrea: So that covers accommodation and car hire. What about flights?

Travel agent: They aren't included but these hotels offer dinner in the price.

Andrea: OK, well thank you very much.

I'll be in touch when I've had a chance to look at the brochure.

Travel agent: I'm pleased to help. Goodbye.