Listening 3 — Homework

You will hear a member of the Active Outdoor Club talking to a group of interested potential members.

I'd like to welcome you all to our Active Outdoor Club.

I'll start by telling you a little bit about the history of the club and all that it can offer and there will be a chance for you to ask questions over tea and coffee in the lobby afterwards.

You'll also be able to pick up pamphlets from the table at the back of the hall and if you wish to purchase any of our products Bill will serve you at the front counter.

As most of you probably know the club was founded by Nick Noble about 30 years ago.

He thought of placing an advertisement in the local newspaper or erecting a billboard somewhere but it was the radio that he decided on to reach the most people.

You know other people who might be interested in outdoor pursuits.

Just basic activities like walking or tramping.

Anything active that could take place in some of the beautiful outdoor settings that this country has to offer.

Nick was overwhelmed by the response he got and the club soon grew from a dozen or so friends and enthusiasts to around 200 members 20 years ago and steadily since then to reach a membership of over 2,500 now.

You don't have to be a hard and athlete or extreme adventurer.

On the contrary it's a group that encourages friendship and fellowship through social and recreational activities.

The club tries to cater for all levels of maturity and both genders.

In fact anyone who has the physical ability and a moderate level of health and fitness to participate in open air activity on a regular basis.

I think our youngest member is a 5 year old boy and our oldest member is a 75 year old man.

Of course we have more challenging opportunities for those who are up to it but all excursions are graded according to level of difficulty and there will always be something for those families with small children.

More about that later.

I'm sure you realise that it's part of the focus of the club to ensure that our natural environment is kept as pristine as possible.

We all have a keen interest in conservation and many of our members contribute their time or give a monetary donation to organisations that work to enhance and beautify our natural heritage.

Okay now going back to the grades of activity first of all tramping.

This is very popular with singles and couples without children but is certainly not restricted to those groups.

Tramping is arranged for Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year.

Most tramps are of a duration of 3 to 5 hours depending on the weather and the terrain and of course the time of year.

You would need to check the newsletter or the website to find out place and time and if you wish to participate phone the coordinator who can give you more information.

I'll move on now to walking which is very popular with families but open to everyone and walks are arranged for every Thursday and every Sunday over the course of the entire year.

Walks last no more than three hours although the Thursday walks might be shorter and again you would have to check the newsletter for details of the time and area to meet and get in touch with the walking organiser to confirm your participation.

Now the wanderers are what you might call a subgroup of the active outdoor club.

This group was set up to cater for the less active, more elderly or families with very young children who still want to enjoy the great outdoors but without quite so much exertion.

Bear in mind that the length of these activities is variable but we're always home before dark.

Any member of the club is welcome to join in their activities on a Sunday which include visiting some of our more beautiful parks and botanical gardens, beach walks, picnics and even boat trips to visit some of the small islands off the coast.

Often guided tours can be arranged if there is enough interest.

If you'd like to see what the wanderers are up to, check the website and then phone the leader for more information.

I'll bet you're all ready for that cup of tea now but before I finish I really must mention something that can be a lot of fun, a great opportunity to form new or strengthen existing friendships and a chance to explore a part of the country that you may never have seen before.

These are our mystery weekends.

The committee puts a lot of time and effort into the organisation of these weekends away, not only for health and safety reasons but also to ensure that everything runs smoothly and everyone has a good time.

There will be a charge to cover travel and accommodation costs but apart from that it's an affordable and exciting weekend away from the city.

For more information call the chairman of the committee, you'll find his phone number in the newsletter.

So that's all I have to say at this point.

Please enjoy the refreshments, chat with the others and feel free to ask questions.

All the committee members are wearing large red name badges so they're easy to find.

That is the end of section two.

You will hear a restaurant manager talking to a small group of new staff who are starting work as kitchen assistants in a restaurant.

Good morning everyone.

My name's Joy Parkins and I'm the restaurant manager and I understand that none of you have had any previous experience as kitchen assistants.

Well, you might be feeling a bit nervous now but most of our kitchen assistants say they enjoy the work.

Okay, they might get shouted at sometimes but it's nothing personal and they're pleased that they have so many different things to do which means they never get bored.

And I'll tell you straight away that if you do well, we might think about moving you up and giving you some more responsibility.

Right, well, you've all shown up on time which is an excellent start.

Now, I'm glad to see none of you have unsuitable footwear so that's good.

You need to be careful as the floors can get very wet and slippery.

Those of you with long hair have got it well out of the way but some of you will need to remove your rings and bracelets.

Just put them somewhere safe for today and remember to leave them at home tomorrow as they can be a safety hazard.

Now, it's going to be a busy day for you all today.

We don't have any tables free for this evening and only a few for lunch.

Fortunately, we've got our head chef back.

He was away on holiday all last week which meant the other chefs had extra work.

Now, I'll tell you a bit more about the job in a minute but first some general regulations.

For all of you, whatever your age, there's some equipment you mustn't use until you've been properly trained like the waste disposal system for example, the health and safety reasons.

Then, I think there are two of you here who are under 18.

That's Emma and Jake, isn't it?

Right, so for you two, the meat slicer is out of bounds and of course, none of you are allowed to use the electric mixer until you've been shown how it works.

Now, you may have heard that this can be a stressful job and I have to say that can be true.

You'll be working an eight-hour day for the first week though you'll have the chance to do overtime after that as well if you want to but however long the hours are, you'll get a break in the middle.

What you will find is that you're on your feet all day long lifting and carrying so if you're not fit now you soon will be.

You'll find you don't have much chance to take it easy when someone tells you to do something you need to do it straight away but at least we do have a very efficient air conditioning system compared with some kitchens.

Now let me tell you about some of the people you need to know.

So as I said, I'm Joy Parkins and I decide who does what during the day and how long they work for.

I'll be trying to get you to work with as many different people in the kitchen as possible so that you learn while you're on the job.

One person whose name you must remember is David Field.

If you injure yourself at all, even if it's really minor, you must report to him and he'll make sure the incident is recorded and you get the appropriate treatment.

He's trained to give basic treatment to staff himself or he'll send you off somewhere else if necessary.

Then there's Dexter Wills.

He's the person you need to see if you smash a plate or something like that.

Don't just leave it and hope no one will notice.

It's really important to get things noted and replaced or there could be problems later.

And finally, there's Mike Smith.

He's the member of staff who takes care of all the stores of perishables.

So if you notice we're getting low in flour or sugar or something, make sure you let him know so he can put in an order.

Okay, now the next thing we need to That is the end of section two.

Now turn to section three.

You will hear a parent educator talking about childhood accidents.

I'm sure you are all aware that babies, infants and children are exposed to an enormous number of potentially serious accidents all the time.

Accidents where vehicles are involved are always awful, but particularly so when children are injured.

Now, of course, most should never happen, but unfortunately the casualty lists increase every year.

It still surprises me that so many youngsters fall from shopping carts, for example.

With small children, however, the highest proportion of accidents will occur inside the house or in the backyard.

Many of the risks are obvious, but are often ill-considered, even in well-organized homes.

Older children are exposed to a greater number, for they are also open to the hazards of the adult world.

This should be kept well in mind by parents.

Education is vital.

There are some very good television shows which do the job quite well, but children should be educated from the moment they learn to crawl.

And so I'd say the best teachers are parents who can instil safety habits in the responsive minds of their children by constant repetition.

In this way, they will gradually learn to avoid the danger zones.

Of course, if they go to preschool, there'll be fewer hazards there, but I'm going to cover a few of the important household areas now.

Firstly, kitchen hazards.

The family kitchen is actually no place for a child, although children may spend a lot of time there with their mothers.

All I can say is never leave saucepans on stoves with their handles jutting out.

It's easy for little hands to seize a hold of them, and adults can even catch themselves on them too.

Scalding is a serious issue for grown-ups and children alike.

If you are transporting dangerous items about the kitchen, always look to see where children are standing.

Hot items are naturally high risk.

Cooking with an infant at your feet can be very dangerous.

Be careful with sharp and heavy objects as well.

And not the least of dangers is treading on the child.

Or their hands or feet at any rate.

Let's move on to poisoning now.

An amazing number of household items are potentially lethal to babies but are often carelessly left around.

Bleach, drain cleaner and similar items should be kept out of reach of infants who have no idea of their risks.

And a word of warning here.

Never reuse juice bottles as containers for lethal fluids and never leave these items within access of infants.

Playground equipment deserves a mention too.

Even in the most skillfully designed playground, accidents occur.

We all enjoy the seesaws, but do make sure that they are evenly balanced.

Personally, I don't understand the attraction of the roundabout.

It makes me feel sick to my stomach, but the little ones enjoy the ride.

Swings are great fun, but children just don't understand the danger of a swing suddenly coming back and striking a standing child.

The results are often big bruises or even broken bones.

Fractured skulls are the worst playground injuries I've seen, and these are common when young ones fall from a height such as the top of a climbing frame.

I think the slides are much safer.

Whatever your preference though, be sure to keep a watchful eye on your children in the playground.

We're up to bath time now.

You know that you should never leave a baby alone in a bath because it's possible for babies to drown in a few centimeters of water.

But how many of you have been tempted to go and grab the phone when it rings?

My advice to you is to let it ring.

And remember when you're filling the bath to put cold water in before the hot to prevent severe scalding in case baby climbs in before it's ready.

Moving on to electrical dangers, first of all, power points.

These have a fascination for toddlers, and they'll shove things into the holes like hairpins, nails, screwdrivers, you name it.

Points should always be fitted with protective plugs to prevent this.

Teach children to respect all electrical appliances because they are all potential hazards.

Do I need to mention cigarettes?

Unfortunately, I still see parents smoking in spaces where their children have to inhale the cigarette smoke.

We all know the dangers of secondhand smoke.

But even leaving a packet of cigarettes within reach is dangerous because eating just one cigarette may poison a small child.

If quitting the habit is too difficult, please ensure all tobacco products are kept out of reach and smoke outside.

Lastly, given our cold winters, I need to warn you about heating systems.

Open fires and heaters must be covered by protective devices.

Even radiators and other sources of heat, which are attractive to children, can cause a nasty burn on sensitive young skin.

Remember, there is never a good time to leave infants by themselves in a room where there is an unprotected source of heat.

That is the end of