Audioscript

Progress Test 1

Hello everyone. Today we are talking about the spice routes and how they changed the world. I am sure you
are all familiar with spices… they are often used today to give flavour and colour to our food… but they are not
just another ingredient. Especially in the past, they were also a way to display wealth and were in great
demand, and for this reason they cost a lot of money.

In actual fact, spices played a great part in the history of trade over thousands of years. The word ‘spice’
originates from the Latin ‘species’, which, incidentally, also gave us the word ‘special’, and spices were indeed
items of special value thousands of years ago.

Early travellers would take spices from Asia, countries like China and India, and introduce them to other
countries. People then started using them for cooking and medicine. This, in turn lead to higher demand for
spices and the development of the spice routes.

The spice routes are two sea routes where spices travelled from the Far East, to the Middle East, and finally to
Europe. At first, the routes only went as far as the Middle East, where the spices were then sold and taken to
Europe. As long as four thousand years ago, some sections of the routes were already in place, as spices like
cinnamon were transported from country to country by sea.

These routes expanded in the late 1400s. Many European explorers made journeys by sea in an attempt to
reach the spice countries of Asia. However, there were many problems associated with this… maps were not
complete, and long journeys made sailors suffer from seasickness. Besides these problems, the main issue
affecting explorers were the dangerous seas. The first person to make a successful trip was Vasco de Gama,
who sailed from Portugal around the bottom of Africa to India. Another explorer, Christopher Columbus,
intended to do the same and find a spice route, but he lost his way and found the Americas instead.

So, trade routes developed from the demand for spices, but the spice trade changed our world in other ways.
An interesting point about the spice trade is that it can also be seen as the start of globalisation. People’s diets
changed around the world, and, as traders came and went with spices, people mixed with the traders in the
ports and learnt about other cultures. When we think of port areas, they are usually different from other parts of
the country. We often consider them to be multicultural places, and this is true… because the local inhabitants
of port towns are descendants of those people who bought and sold goods from ports in the past.

Now, I think you’ll agree, the effect that spices have had on the world really has been incredible. So, what about
nowadays? Spices are still important today, although they are now usually flown in a few hours to other
countries, and they are still valuable for economies. Many spice farms are small businesses, belonging to
families, instead of large companies… which I think is a good thing, because the profits go directly to local
people. But spice farms are now under increasing pressure. Whereas the price of Madagascan vanilla is rising
due to issues arising from climate change, in comparison, black pepper prices are dropping because of
competition around the world.

These changing conditions in spice markets are challenging for owners because they struggle to earn enough
money. It doesn’t seem to matter that they have a valuable resource, they cannot change the weather or stop
competition.

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 1

Audioscript

Progress Test 2

Part 1, Speaker A

A new sports centre opened here last week. It’s behind the shopping centre so it’s easily
accessible, which I think is great. Getting to this new centre is really easy – there are two buses
and a cycle route. There’s only one downside for me and that’s the size of the car park. It’s quite
small, but I suppose it’s to encourage people to cycle more. I read an article online recently that
said the cost of the centre was three million pounds. Personally, I don’t think the council should
have spent that much because it’s only a small town and there are other things which need
improving too. Also, the centre hasn’t got a swimming pool, which I don’t understand. Not everyone
wants to play tennis or go to the gym. In my view, they definitely should have included a pool.

Speaker B

Well, as far as I’m concerned, the new sports centre couldn’t have come any sooner. We’ve
needed some new sporting facilities in this town for a long time, so I’m delighted. I went to have a
look and to sign up last week. You know, it really is very impressive – new fitness studios, tennis
and badminton courts, indoor football pitches, and everything is high quality too. It looks like the
council spent a lot of money, but in my view, it’s totally worth it. I think teenagers are going to love
going there. There are special discounts for them, and lots of clubs and teams to join too, so I
expect they’ll be the main users. One thing that’s a little strange for me though is the lack of a
swimming pool. I can’t give it ten out of ten without a pool because swimming is so popular with
people young and old.

Part 2, Speaker A:

I went to look at the new sports centre and find out more about it last weekend. The receptionist
gave me a brochure with all their fitness classes, sports lessons and so on in it. There’s so much to
choose from. I don’t really like group exercise classes, but I’d like to take up badminton. I’ve never
played it before, but I think I might enjoy it. There are classes in the evenings so I could go after
work. And I think I’ll ask my friend Jane to come with me. She loves racket sports.

Speaker B

Now, when I went to sign up last week, I asked about their classes. They have classes for
beginners as well as advanced classes. They’ve got things like dance classes, pilates and yoga
and they’re free with the monthly membership so I’m definitely going to try some. I also want to join
the rugby club. I’ve wanted to try a new team sport for a long time, and there is a class on
Wednesday evening. I might have a little problem though – I think the rules are quite complicated.
I’m not sure if it’s suitable for someone with no experience like me. I’ll call and ask one of the
reception staff tomorrow and then decide.

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 2

Audioscript

Progress Test 3
Part 1

Kim: What have you got planned for the next week, Roy?

Roy: Not much. I wouldn’t mind going to the new restaurant in town this weekend. I wanted to ask you if
you fancy coming, Kim.

Kim: The Glasshouse Restaurant?

Roy: Yes, that’s the one! The reviews seem to be pretty positive.

Kim: Well, only the ones from the first week. I think it’s because they were trying their best at first. Since
then, the reviews have gone downhill.

Roy: Oh really?

Kim: Yeah! And my husband Pete’s workmate went there a few days ago and Pete told me that they
had a pretty bad experience.

Roy: Why? One of my friends said her parents went there and really enjoyed it.

Kim: Well, firstly, you know you can’t pre-book? You’ve just got to turn up! So, when they got there,
there was a queue around the restaurant. It wasn’t great for the people eating there or those
waiting for tables. Then, when they did get a seat, the restaurant had run out of the dishes on the
set menu and they had to order from the ‘à la carte’ which is way more expensive. The waiters did
their best, but really, they were overworked.

Roy: When did your friends go?

Kim: It was a Thursday night, so it’s not like it’s the busiest time of the week. It’s the poor staff I feel
sorry for… they’re the ones who have to deal with all the complaints. They need a better system if
you ask me.

Roy: Yeah, I can see what you mean, but if we go on Sunday, it should be easy enough to get a table.
We’ll not leave it late. We’ll get there just after they open! My friend said the vegetarian food was
really tasty. And I’m happy to pay a fair bit, treat myself and not stick to the set menu!

Kim: Hmm…. well I suppose we could try…

Roy: Great! We’ve got to try it after all. I’ve been desperate to find somewhere that has decent
vegetarian food and you’re the only other veggie I know. All of my mates are big meat-eaters!

Kim: My husband is too. He won’t go near any place that doesn’t serve some kind of meat!

Roy: Well, come on then!

Kim: Okay then. But if it’s terrible I get to choose where we go next, okay?

Roy: Sure. I’ll have a look online too and see if I can find any vouchers we can use. Always worth
saving a bit if we can.

Kim: Okay, and I’m sure we’ll have a unique experience – after all it is new. I’m not one to complain if it’s
bad, but there’s the classy Italian next door, so we have a backup if we need one!

Roy: Good idea. Well, let’s see what we get! I hope it’s nice… I don’t want to always go back to the
same old places… It’s nice that there’s something new in town for a change.

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 3

Audioscript

Part 2

Kim: Let’s look at the bill… Wow, it’s nearly 200 pounds!

Roy: Really? Let me look at that…. Well, we didn’t order that side dish… so that shouldn’t be on the bill.
And look… there’s a service charge of twenty percent! That seems a bit much.

Kim: That’s true, but I think everything else is okay, isn’t it?

Roy: Yeah, but I’m surprised they didn’t give us any money off. After all, it was a long wait for our
starters.

Kim: Yes, that’s true… AND they messed up our drinks order.

Roy: At least when the food did come, it was pretty good.

Kim: Yeah it wasn’t bad. We’ll tell them about the errors and see if we can get them to adjust the bill.

Roy: Good idea. And then I can put it on my card.

Kim: Hmm, let me see if I’ve got the cash to give you my half…. Mmm… No, I think we’ll have to both
use our cards.

Roy: What about I get it all this time and you can pay next time.

Kim: Okay, that’s a lovely idea! Thanks!

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 4

Audioscript

Progress Test 4
Part 1

Good morning. Today’s lecture is about friendship and health, and specifically the health benefits of friendship.
We all like spending time with friends and usually that puts us in a good mood, which is beneficial to our health.
It’s clear that this is understood by many people because they experience it daily. There may be times when we
have disagreements with our friends but overall, our time spent with friends is positive.

In fact, there is research which demonstrates the health benefits of friendship and there’s a very good reason
why it’s studied by health professionals. Our friends are connected to so many aspects of our lives - from our
family to our work life and free time activities. This makes friendship unique and ideal to study. Doctors and
researchers can analyse the effects of friendship on all these different areas. What they’ve noticed in various
studies is how closely related friendship and well-being are.

So, I’m going to explain some of these studies in more detail so that you can understand the connection
between friendship and health more thoroughly. Many of them have found that having strong friendships can
improve people’s overall health. One of the biggest issues in our lives besides serious illness is stress, which
can be caused by many factors in our lives. However, people with strong friendships tend to be able to cope
with stressful events more easily. According to one study, this is a result of people talking to their friends about
their problems, which can reduce the amount of stress in their lives. It seems that people who do this are less
likely to suffer from all sorts of health problems from the common cold to more serious illnesses.

It is important to point out though, that friendship is different for everyone. While some people like to have a lot
of friends or one large group of friends that all know each other, for other people who are more introverted,
having a few close friends is preferable. What does seem to be key for most people is to maintain regular
contact with their friends. A study of over 300,000 people around the world found that an active social life was
more important than exercise for keeping people healthy. The researchers also suggested that having an active
social life was as important as giving up smoking for helping people to improve their health.

These studies are useful because they can enable doctors to better understand how to diagnose patients. If we
know that socialising with friends or support groups can be used as a way to prevent or reduce health issues
then doctors are better equipped to discuss lifestyle changes with their patients. Friendship and social support
can be used in addition to medication and could result in better outcomes for the individual as well as for society
as a whole.

This connection between friendship and lifestyle habits has been widely researched in recent years. In
particular, scientists have studied how friends often influence each other’s healthy living behaviour. For
example, if someone is trying to exercise or eat more healthily, having sporty or vegetarian friends can increase
their likelihood of success because they have better role models.

Another aspect of this which is interesting is the role of technology and online social communities. Nowadays,
there are a large number of online forums which offer support to all sorts of groups of people who share the
same hobbies or interests. These online communities are important for two reasons. Firstly, they enable people
to increase the number of friends they interact with, but more importantly, they help people who are less able to
get out and meet others. So, we can see how technology and social media can contribute to the role of
friendship in healthcare. Okay, so those are some of the key points and research.

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 5

Audioscript

Part 2

Now, I’d like to move on and talk about friendship in relation to mental health. Before we look at some of the key
points, I’d like to briefly talk about how psychologists believe that friendship is an integral part of our
development from children into adults.

As children, we make friends based on shared time, space and activities with other children. It’s important for
children to understand that sharing is a key skill in our relationships with others. In addition, it’s interesting to
note that from an early age, children will automatically demonstrate a desire to be friends with other children
who have the same interests as them, but also those who are kind. This attitude and approach continue into
adulthood too. Adults often have friends that are interested in the same hobbies so that they can have fun
together. Sharing activities with friends boosts our confidence in our abilities to do things well and work with
others.

It’s therefore not surprising that friendships play an important role in promoting good mental health in adulthood.
As I mentioned earlier, we know that people with stable, supportive friendship networks in their lives are more
likely to manage stress more effectively. I’d like to finish by saying that people don’t always need to meet face-
to-face to benefit from friendship. Long distance friendships via email or social media are just as good at
supporting our mental health.

© 2020 Pearson Education PHOTOCOPIABLE 6