Listening passages	

Enquiry: Language School
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Receptionist	Good Morning, City School of English
Oh, good morning. I am calling because I would like some information about your summer courses.
OK. Which city did you want to study in?
Oh, do you have more than one school?
Yes. We have schools in London, Oxford and Cambridge.
I see. I would like to study in London. What are the dates of the courses in London?
Right. Well, our General English summer course starts at the end of May and goes on until the end of September.
Oh, that is very long. I am only available for two weeks.
That's no problem. You can join the course any Monday and leave any Friday
So I can choose how long I study for?
Yes, that's right. However, if you want the City School summer certificate, you will need to study for at least two weeks.
And how many hours do I have to study every day?
The morning class is three hours , from nine to twelve, and the afternoon class is three hours from two to five.
I see. I think I need to go to the upper intermediate or advanced class.
Well, actually we don't let students choose the level of the class. All students have to take an entry test before they enroll and then we decide which class you can go into on the basis of that.
I have to pass a test, you mean?
You don't really pass or fail it. The test is simply to find out which class will be best for you.
And what is this test? Is it a grammar test?
There's a grammar and a listening test. The listening test takes five minutes and the grammar test takes about half an hour.	

Enquiry Accommodation

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Receptionist	How can I help you, Sir?
Oh good morning, I am looking for some short-term accommodation
Right. Could you give me an idea of the areas you were thinking of?
Well, it would have to be close to the city centre as I need to come there every morning for meetings.
And how much were you hoping to pay?
Well, I don't mind about the money too much. The important thing is that it's near the centre. But I don't need a big place. It is only for myself.
I see. And how long do you need it for?
For one month, starting around the beginning of August.
We have some serviced apartments in Marble Arch - that is right in the centre - about ten mintues' walk from here, actually. They have a sitting room, one bedroom and a small kitchen.
Excuse me, but what do you mean, serviced apartments?
It means that the apartment is cleaned every day. 
Oh I understand. That sounds very good.  What sort of facilities are there?
Well all the apartments have a cooker, refrigerator, air conditioning and heaters a telephone and a TV.
Is there a computer?
There isn't I'm afraid, but there is a broadband Internet connection though, if you have your own computer.
I see. That's OK. I have a laptop. Could you tell me how much are these apartments?
They start at three hundred pounds a month - and we also have some for four hundred and fifty pounds a month and for five hundred pounds.
What is the advantage of the more expensive ones.
They are slightly larger and they're on a higher floor so you have a better view. The views are very nice actually as the building overlooks the park.
And are there any other costs?
Everything is included except overseas telephone calls. And you have to pay one month's rent in advance and two weeks' rent as a deposit, which of course you get back when you leave.
And do I have to move in on the first day of the month?
No, no. You can move in any time. But if you stay less than a month, you are charged for a whole month as a month is the minimum rental period.
Right, well. that sounds very interesting. Do you think I could see one?
Yes of course. If you could wait about five minutes, and my colleague will take you to have a look now.	

Informal conversatin: English course

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Mikhail	How long have you been back, Mikhail?
Oh just a couple of days. I got back on Monday.
So how was your English course?
It was good. I really enjoyed it. 
Do you think you improved?
Well, my listening and speaking certainly improved as I had to speak every day while I was in England. I'm not sure about my grammar, though.
What were the teachers like?
Oh they were very nice. They were native speakers of course. My teacher was called Tim and he came from Australia but he is living in London now.
And what about the other students?
They were from many different countries, and as we all spoke different languages, we had to communicate in English in class every day. And we also went out together sometimes after class.
Did you make any friends?
Yes, I made a friend from Japan. His name was Hiro and he was an engineering student at Tokyo university. And I also made a friend from Spain. He was also a student, studying Business at university in Spain. We often went for dinner together and of course, we had to speak English. 
Did they teach you any Japanese or Spanish?
Yes, a few words. And I taught them some Russian too.
And was it difficult to find somewhere to stay?
No it was quite straightforward. The school arranged some accommodation at London university. The university students are on  holiday so they use their rooms for foreign students during the summer. It was quite good and very near to my school so I could walk to my classes every day. It only took ten minutes.
That must have been handy. What about the food?
Well you can find all kinds of food in London so I when I was homesick I could eat the kind of food we have at home and I also tried some new kinds. I went to a Japanese restaurant a few times with Hiro and we ate sushi.
What's  sushi?
Oh it's kind of little rice snacks mostly with fish. Very tasty.

	

Conversation: Trip to Cambridge

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Manuel	What did you do at the weekend, Manel?
I went on the trip to Cambridge
Oh, was it any good?
Yes, it was quite interesting. It's an old city and there are lots of beautiful buildings. And there's a river running through the centre where you can hire boats, so we took a boat trip and had a picnic lunch by the side of the river.
Sounds great. How many of you went?
Well, there were about thirty altogether but just four of us took the boat trip. We hired a boat ourselves.
Wow. Isn't it dangerous? I mean, do you know how to sail a boat?
Not really, but it's quite easy and the river is not very deep.
It sounds fun. Does it take long to get there?
Not really. We went on the bus and it took just over an hour. There isn't so much traffic at weekends.
Can you go into the university?
Yes, you can visit some of the historic parts of the university during holiday time as the students aren't there. So we took a guided tour after lunch.
I suppose there must be a lot of museums there too.
Yes, but I didn't go in. I'm not very interested in museums and I wanted to do some shopping.
What did you buy?
I got these shoes - do you like them?
Yeah, they're nice. They really suit you.
Thanks. And I bought a pair of trousers and some shirts too. It isn't as crowded as London so it's good for shopping.
Is it cheaper?
I guess the prices are about the same. But I liked it because it's easy to walk around the shops as it's quite a small place. You can find everything easily.
You didn't get lost then?
No, I had a map which I got at the tourist office but you don't really need it. 
It sounds really good. I wish I'd gone now. Are they organizing another trip there?
Yes, there's one every two weeks, so there'll be another one in two weeks' time.
I'd better sign up then.