ANSWER KEY

TASK 3

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TASK 5

104

TASK 6

105

TASK 7

Test № 15

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TASK 8

Test № 1

Ted Turner (founder of CNN) joined his father’s billboard advertising business full-time in his early 20s. His father, Ed Turner, was a child of the depression and his parents almost lost everything during that dark time. This only strengthened Ed’s resolve to succeed and he promised his parents to work hard and one day be a millionaire and own a plantation and a yacht. By the time Ted joined the billboard company his father had all those things and Ted remembers clearly his father taking him aside and saying, “Son, you should be sure to set your goals so high that you can’t accomplish them in one lifetime. That way you’ll always have something ahead of you. I made the mistake of setting my goals too low and now I’m having a hard time coming up with new ones.”

Test № 2

In October 2001, a fire crew was fighting a fire in a disused bingo hall in Leicester in the UK. Even though it was big, the fire chief decided it was safe enough to send the crew into the building. They were starting to make progress in knocking the fire down when the fire chief decided something was wrong, and ordered his team out of the building. The team protested, unwilling to give up the progress they had made. But the fire chief insisted and as they exited the building it exploded in a massive fireball. If the decision to evacuate hadn’t been made the entire team would have been killed. It turns out that the fire was one of the rarest and most dangerous phenomenon in firefighting – a backdraft. The fire chief had never experienced a backdraft before, he just knew that something was wrong and they needed to get out. In the ensuing investigation it turns out there were three things that were unusual: the smoke was more orange than usual, air was rushing into the building rather than out of it, and the fire was unusually quiet. The fire chief was right in his decision, he just didn’t know why at the time.

Test № 3

On Monday morning I took my Mum to the airport for her flight back to Melbourne. We arrived at about 9.15 am – the airport was as quiet as I have seen it. We had 30 minutes before the flight and Mum wanted a cup of tea. “No worries. We’ll nip into the Qantas Club for a cuppa”. At the entry desk, I showed my gold club card and explained that I wasn’t travelling that day, but wanted to come in to get Mum a cup of tea. “The rules say that if you’re not travelling you can’t come in” was the reply from the Qantas lady behind the desk. I asked if they were particularly busy at that time and the answer was ’No, but we have had to turn other people away so we can’t let you in”. I left. Furious.

Shawn’s experience yesterday was very different.

Shawn took his daughter Georgia to the airport to collect a relative who was arriving. Georgia needed to go to the bathroom and Shawn noticed they were right next to the VirginBlue lounge. He went in, showed his card and explained. The response was “It’s against the rules to use the lounge if you are not travelling, but it’s pretty quiet, so go ahead”.

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Test № 4

A troubled teenager named Bobby was sent to see his high-school counselor, John Murphy. Bobby had been in trouble so many times that he was in danger of being shipped off to a special facility for kids with behavioral problems.

Most counselors would have discussed Bobby’s problems with him, but Murphy didn’t.

MURPHY: Bobby, are there classes where you don’t get in trouble? BOBBY: I don’t get in trouble much in Ms. Smith’s class. MURPHY: What’s different about Ms. Smith’s class?

Soon Murphy had some concrete answers: 1. Ms. Smith greeted him at the door. 2. She checked to make sure he understood his assignments. 3. She gave him easier work to complete. (His other teachers did none of the three.)

Now Murphy had a roadmap for change. He advised Bobby’s other teachers to try these three techniques. And suddenly, Bobby started behaving better.

Test № 5

The second Tuesday of every second month the Strathmore Unicorns Junior Basketball Club’s committee meets. I’m the club Secretary and last Tuesday we were discussing the perennial topic of how to encourage our players (and their parents) to pay their registration fees on time.

Each year the Treasurer send a letter to laggards warning them that if they don’t pay their fees they will not be insured and wont be able to play. This letter might have worked in the past but over the years coaches rarely stop their players from playing because of outstanding fees. So unless we become more draconian, the threatening letter approach has run its course.

As everyone was chatting I was recalling Influencer’s six sources of influence and based on that model I suggested an alternative that appealed to personal and social motivation of an important person on every team: the team manager.

Test № 6

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, ’I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would Love to spend some time with you.’

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. ’What’s wrong, are you well,’ she asked?

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. ’I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,’ I responded ’just the two of us.’ She thought about it for a moment, and then said, ’I would like that very much. ’That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.

Test № 7

Earlier this year our group conducted a ’Switch-off Blitz’. After hours, the group assembled and went through every floor and checked every workstation

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to check computers, and monitors, were switched off. Everyone who had done the right thing was rewarded with a note from the “green ninja” saying well done and a block of fair trade chocolate. Those who have not switched off their computers properly received a note saying, “no chocolate for you, the green ninja is not happy”. The energy monitoring system recorded a significant drop in energy consumption following the switch off blitz which has been maintained. It’s a great example of how the informal system can make a difference. It was inspiring to see this group in action.

Test № 8

800 miles off the Hawaiian coast, an oil tanker was caught on fire, and the blaze moved so quickly that the captain didn’t have time to radio for help. Fortunately an American cruise ship was nearby, and the entire crew was rescued. But as the cruise ship began sailing away, someone heard barking coming from the tanker. The tanker’s captain realized that his dog, a small brown and white terrier named Hokget, had been left on board. When the cruise reached the port, passengers immediately alerted the Humane Society about the missing dog. Soon the news media was winging the story all around the world, and checks began pouring in. One check was for $5,000. Public pressure was so great that the US Navy and Coast Guard sent ships and planes to find Hokget. Eventually he was rescued alive and returned safely to Hawaii. It has been estimated that millions of dollars were spent in recovering that one little terrier.

Test № 9

Clare (not her real name) was obviously a driven woman. She was in her midforties and had the figure of a marathon runner. Her black hair matched her black outfit. She started her story by telling her graduates that she experienced a turning point in her career because of one particular nightmare project. She was performing a quality assurance role on an engineering project and the client didn’t like her. In fact they were hurling abuse at her but she kept telling herself that she was tough and could take it. With every insult she worked harder.

One weekend she decided to visit her parents in the country. As she was walking down the hall of her parents’ house she could see her mother’s silhouette at the end of the hallway. As she emerged into the light her Mum turned around to see her gaunt and exhausted daughter.

Test № 10

But there was a glitch. Whenever I travel overseas with my trusty iPhone I get hit with ridiculous global and data roaming costs by my provider.

So on this trip I decided to get thrifty and went down to Starhub (local telco) and bought a 5-day mobile broadband SIM card (don’t forget your passport) for $25. It has up to 2GB of data downloads, a bunch of free text messages and cheap calls.

So I popped my sparkling new SIM into my iPhone and nothing happened. It couldn’t find the Starhub signal. I restarted the phone, still nothing. Then it occurred to me that my phone was probably locked.

Ready for a fight I called my provider and asked for my phone to be unlocked and the nice call centre man said “sure thing,” punched some numbers into his computers and said, “it’s done.”

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So I synced my iPhone and got a message saying my phone had been unlocked. I’m now a happy camper.

Test № 11

In the first few weeks of the fires I was in Birthwitch at the Blue Spur Inn. I met a team from the Personal Service Help who were helping people with lost glasses and other sight problems. They told me about one elderly couple that had come to see them. The man was technically blind from diabetes. The lady had smoke damaged eyes. The PSH team examined them both and decided the man should see an opthalmic specialist for a fresh opinion on his eye problems. Technology had changed considerably since he lost his vision and new procedures were available. They arrange the visit and ultimately this resulted in surgery that dramatically improved his vision, so much that care was no longer needed.

Test № 12

Guy de Maupassant brought the subject matter of the story down to an everyday level which shocked readers at the time – and can still do so now. He also began to downgrade the element of plot and suspense in favour of character revelation. Friend of Flaubert, novelist manqué, and bon viveur who died at fortythree in a madhouse, he nevertheless left behind him an oeuvre of more than 300 stories.

His tone is objective, detached, and often deeply ironic; and he is celebrated for the exactness and accuracy of his observations, and the balance and precision of his style. Although most of his stories appear at first to be nothing more than brief and rather transparent anecdotes, he best succeeded in giving impressionistic but truthful insights into the hidden lives of people caught amidst the trials of everyday existence.

Test № 13

There is no fixed length for a short story. Readers generally expect a character, an event of some kind, and a sense of resolution. But Virginia Woolf got most of this in to one page in her experimental short story ‘Monday or Tuesday’. There are also ‘abrupt fictions’ of a paragraph or two – but these tend to be not much more than anecdotes.

There’s an often recounted anecdote regarding a competition for the shortest possible short story. It was won by Ernest Hemingway with an entry of one sentence in six words: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

There are also quite long stories – such as those written by Henry James. If the narrative sticks to one character and one issue or episode, they remain stories. If they stray into greater degrees of complexity and develop expanded themes and dense structure – then they often become novellas. Examples of these include Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice.

Test № 14

There was a boy who was born without a right arm. On his ninth birthday he asked his parents if he could join a karate club. They were delighted by the idea and the boy quickly became a regular at the local dojo. The boy wanted to compete

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in a tournament and asked his master if this was possible. The master said he could but only if he listened carefully to his master and trusted him.

The master taught the boy one move and one move only. The boy practised it diligently and won the first round of the tournament and then the next round and the one after that until he found himself winning the entire tournament. The boy was baffled. How did he do it? He asked the master how a boy with only one arm and only one move could win a karate tournament against these other boys. The master smiled and told the boy that there is only one defence against the move the boy learned and that defence involves grabbing the attacker by the right arm.

Test № 15

A few weeks ago my youngest daughter was kidnapped by her school bus driver. Actually it wasn’t just my daughter, it was every child on the bus that day.

It all started a few weeks before the kidnapping. Every day on the way home from school the bus would reach the first stop and one of the boys would ring the bell to get off. The bus would stop but no one got off. And every time this happened the bus driver would admonish the kids. His frustrations grew. The last time it happened before the kidnapping he cracked it and warned everyone on the bus that if it happened again he would lock the doors and not stop until he got to the end of the route – in some cases that meant the kids would be miles away from their homes.

TASK 9

Test № 1

John: Hi, Miyako. What are you up to? Mike: I’m reading.

John: What are you reading? Mike: It’s a book about education. John: What’s it called?

Mike: It’s called Education is Ecstasy. Ecstasy is a drug, isn’t it?

John: Yeah, but it’s also a feeling. It means really happy. ‘Ecstatic’ is the adjective. Are you reading the book in English?

Mike: Yeah, it’s really hard too. I have to look up a lot of words in the dictionary.

John: Do you write the new words down?

Mike: Yes. I write them down on a piece of paper then I put the paper in the book.

John: That’s a good idea. Oh, I have a class. I better go. See you. Mike: See you later.

Test № 2

Mark: Hello.

The Travel Agent: Good afternoon, Sir. Can I help you?

Max: Yes, please, I just quit my job. I am finished here. I want to get out of China. I want to go and live in Mexico City. Can you sell me a ticket to Mexico City?

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The Travel Agent: Wait a minute. Let me just check on the computer…. Hi John, have you heard anything about Mexico City? What? Oh! Have you got some tickets? Yes, John has got some tickets. I haven’t at the moment because it is a very popular place, but we can get you a ticket.

Max: Ok. Is it a direct flight?

The Travel Agent: Yes, a direct flight.

Max: I only want a one way ticket. I am not coming back. The Travel Agent: No, you have to come back.

Max: Can I throw away the other half of the ticket? Can I buy a return and then stay there? How can you stop me? I can do what I like. I am free. Once I get to Mexico City, I can do what I like.

The Travel Agent: Well there are certain rules before you go … obviously by what you are saying and the way you are dealing with the situation, Sir, we are going to have to deny you…

Max: You won’t sell me a ticket? Oh no I should have kept my big mouth shut. The Travel Agent: You are a bit of an extremist.

Max: How can I get to Mexico City? If only I had kept my big mouth shut!

Test № 3

M.: Well. I am hungry. I am going to go outside and get something to eat. LG: Hello. How long have you been here?

M.: Hello. Hello.

LG: Hi there. Are you having a good time? M.: Hi. Who are you?

LG: My name is Alec.

M.: Alec. Mark. How are you? LG: Nice to meet you.

M.: Nice to meet you too.

LG: Are you having a great time? M.: I am having a great time. LG: It is a nice day, isn’t it?

M.: You are one of the locals here, are you? LG: That is right. I am one of the locals. M.: Ok. Ok. Maybe you can help me.

LG: I will try.

M.: I am hungry. I am looking for a place to go…like a restaurant. LG: Well, if you just turn around, behind you is a restaurant.

M.: Right Ok. Right.

LG: What do you want to eat though? M.: What is nice to eat around here?

LG: Traditional Mexican cuisine. It is the best you can imagine. You want to try it. Check it out.

M.: Ok. What kind of food?

LG: Anything. You know. It is all delicious. Are you a vegetarian? M.: No, I eat anything.

LG: You like to eat a bit of meat.

M.: I eat anything. I like vegetarian food.

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LG: For the vegetarian or meat-eater. They cater for everyone. M.: This place here?

LG: That is the place.

M.: I am going to go in. Thanks a lot. LG: Thanks a lot. Bye.

Test № 4

Max: Gee! The people are friendly here. This is a really nice place. Well. I am hungry. Here we are. I am in the restaurant now. Excuse me. Could I see the menu please?

The Waiter: Certainly Sir. Here you are. Max: Thank you very much.

The Waiter: Take your time.

Max: Thank you. Ok. They have got a lot of different food here. This looks good.

The Waiter: Can I recommend today’s special, Sir? Max: Yes, please. What is it?

The Waiter: Well it is vegetarian. Vosges Quiche. Max: Vosges Quiche?

The Waiter: Vegetarian style. Max: Ok. I will have that.

The Waiter: Locally grown vegetables. Organic vegetables, Sir. Max: Sounds great. Sounds great. And do you have any wine?

The Waiter: Certainly Sir. We have locally grown…I mean locally made wine. (embarrassed laugh)

Max: Could I have a glass of red wine and a piece of quiche? Does that come with salad?

The Waiter: Yeah. That’ll come with salad. It all comes together. Max: And bread?

The Waiter: In fact you don’t have to pay because you are staying at the hotel over the road.

Max: Oh, it is free?

The Waiter: It certainly is.

Max: Well, I will have salad and quiche and wine. The Waiter: Certainly, Sir.

Max: Thank you.

Test № 5

A.: OK. There is the Local Post. I have just finished reading The Local Post. There is the building. Well! The Local Post! There is a sign in the window. It says: “journalist wanted”. They want a journalist. They need a journalist. I used to work on the college newspaper and I have written a couple of articles on the internet. I am going to try and get a job.(Knocking)

NM: Come in. A.: Hello.

NM: Hello. How are you doing? A.: Good thanks. How are you? NM: Very well thank you.

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A.: Good. I was just walking by and I saw the sign in the window: “journalist wanted”.

NM: Yeah, that is right.

A.: Are you still looking for somebody? NM: Yes, we are.

A.: Well, I don’t have a lot of experience but I worked on the college paper when I was a student and I have written a couple of things on the internet.

NM: What did you write on the internet?

A.: Yeah.

NM: Where was the village? A.: In Thailand.

NM: Oh Thailand. That is very interesting.

A.: And another one was about a trip that I did in Australia. NM: Mm. Where was it? Did you go into the desert or? A.: Yeah. Through the desert. Yeah.

NM: That sounds fascinating. So you have a bit of experience. So yes, why

not?

A.: Ok. So, I have got the job? NM: You have got the job.

A.: How much is the pay?

NM: Well the pay is pretty good actually. It is about.. Gosh.. Well the starting fee is twelve thousand dollars every month.

A.: Twelve thousand dollars a month! Wow! This city is a really good place. Free food. Free hotel. Friendly people. Twelve thousand dollars a month! Great! What is your name?

NM: Frank.

A.: Nice to meet you, Frank! NM: What is your name again? A.: Mark.

NM: Hi Mark. How are you doing? Welcome. Welcome to the team. A.: Wow! This is great. This is great! Good stuff!

Test № 6

Thomson: Ok. It’s my first day on the job. I’m a new reporter for the city paper. Hello, Brad.

Brad: Hi, Mark. How are you doin’ there? Thomson: Good. Good. How are you?

Brad: It is really good to see you. Are you having a good time? Thomson: I am having a good time.

Brad: Wonderful. Thomson: I got a new job.

Brad: You got a new job. That is terrific. Terrific. Thomson: I am a journalist.

Brad: A journalist!

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Thomson: Yep.

Brad: Oh. That is fantastic. I didn’t realize.

Thomson: I was an English teacher before but now I am a journalist at the Local Post.

Brad: Oh. You have blown me away. Thomson: Today is my first day.

Brad: First day. What are you going to do then?

Thomson: I am going to interview Mark Goodluck, the richest man in this city. Brad: Oh Mark Goodluck. He is a really nice guy.

Thomson: Is he?

Brad: Oh, he is a wonderful person.

Thomson: I’ve heard different things about him. Brad: What have you heard?

Thomson: Some people say he is a nice person and some people say he is a great bloke and some people say he is ok. I haven’t heard anything bad.

Brad: Oh that is right. You will never hear anything bad about Mark Goodluck. Never. He is a wonderful person.

Thomson: A wonderful fellow. Good. Ok, well I better get to work. I have got to be there in half an hour. I’d better hurry up.

Brad: OK. Great. Have a good time. Have a great interview. Thomson: See ya later, mate.

Brad: See ya later.

Thomson: See ya.

Test № 7

Jim: Hey, Myinoko. How are you?

Myinoko: Not so good. I burned the pancakes. I was making Korean pancakes and I burned them.

Jim: That’s a pity. Can you make some more?

Myinoko: Yeah. I’m making some more now. First I have to make the batter then I’ll fry them. I’ll watch them more carefully this time. What did you do today?

Jim: I went to university. I had two classes this morning. Myinoko: Did you see your friend, Hironoki?

Jim: Yeah, I saw her in the cafeteria. She was reading. Myinoko: Oh really. What was she reading?

Jim: She was reading a book about education. Myinoko: Did you talk to her?

Jim: A bit. You’re not still worried about me seeing her, are you? Myinoko: Of course not. I was just feeling insecure and jealous before. I was

wrong. I was unfair. You are from Australia and all your old friends are back there. Of course you want to make new friends in Japan and some of those friends are female friends. It’s natural. I am really sorry about what happened before.

Jim: I’m glad you see it that way. What did you do today?

Myinoko: Oh, I just stayed home. I went shopping after lunch. I studied a bit. Jim: Didn’t you have any classes today?

Myinoko: No, I had a free day, so what did you talk about with Hironoki?

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Jim: Actually we talked about education. The book she was reading was about education and we talked about education.

Myinoko: What did she say?

Jim: She said education is fun. Learning things is fun. Myinoko: Do you agree?

Jim: Yeah, but not all the time. When I was at school, I did Chemistry. That wasn’t fun. The teacher was boring and there was too much Maths. It was pointless. I didn’t like it. I didn’t enjoy it at all. It was terrible. It was really really boring.

Myinoko: Really? I had a good Chemistry teacher. I liked Chemistry. I thought it was interesting.

Jim: Everybody is different. Everybody has different likes and dislikes. Everyone has different taste.

Myinoko: What else did you talk about with Hironoki?

Jim: Well, we talked a bit about the future. I said I wanted to be a writer and she said she liked education and I said she should be a teacher but she said she was not sure.

Myinoko: Are you ready to eat?

Test № 8

Heidi: John! Where are you going? John: I have a class. I’m late. Heidi: But, it’s lunch time.

John: Oh, you’re right. My watch must be wrong. Heidi: Let’s have lunch.

John: All right.

Heidi: What did you do last night?

John: I went to Lucy’s place. She made Korean food. It was really tasty. Have you ever had Korean?

Heidi: Yeah, I have. I’ve had it lots of times. It’s really nice, isn’t it?

John: Yep. What about Thai? Have you ever eaten Thai food? Or Mexican food? Have you ever had that?

Heidi: I’ve had Thai but I have never eaten Mexican. What’s it like?

John: It’s great. It’s my favourite. It’s spicy with beans and meat and salad and cheese and tortillas.

Heidi: What are tortillas?

John: A tortilla is a kind of bread. It’s a kind of bread that you get in Mexico. It’s flat.

Heidi: Have you ever been to Mexico? John: Nope. But I’d love to go.

Heidi: So where did you have Mexican food?

John: Well, I’ve had it in Australia and I had it in Japan once too. Heidi: Where did you have it in Japan?

John: I had it in Kyoto. There is a nice little Mexican Restaurant in North Kyoto. It’s called La Cucaracha. I found it one night. It was really good and it wasn’t very expensive. It was really authentic too. The cook had studied in Mexico City.

Heidi: I want to go there. Will you take me?

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John: Mmm, yeah, well, I’d like to, but what about Lucy? Heidi: What about her?

John: Well, if she finds out that we went to a restaurant together, she will get jealous again.

Heidi: Are you sure? I thought she was okay about that now? John: Maybe you’re right.

Heidi: Can we go then?

John: I guess so. But, don’t tell Lucy, just in case it makes her jealous. John: Oh, hello, Lucy. This is my friend, Heidi. Heidi, this is my girlfriend

Lucy.

Heidi: It’s nice to meet you, Lucy.

Lucy: It’s nice to meet you too. Where are you guys off to? John: We’re going to eat. Do you want to come?

Lucy: Yeah. Thanks a lot. Where are you going to go? John: We’re just going to go to the cafeteria.

Lucy: That sounds good.

John: Yeah. It’s not too expensive. In fact it’s quite cheap. Lucy: Let’s go.

Heidi: What are you going to do in the future, Lucy?

Lucy: In the future? Do you mean when I graduate? Do you mean what am I going to do when I graduate?

Heidi: Yeah, what are you going to do when you graduate?

Lucy: I’m not sure. I might become a teacher, but I don’t know. It’s hard to decide.

Heidi: Yeah it’s hard to decide. It’s really hard to decide what to do in the future.

Lucy: What are you going to do?

Heidi: I don’t know. I can’t decide. I really like education but I don’t know what to do.

Lucy: Do you want to be a teacher?

Heidi: Not really. I didn’t like my teachers at school. I don’t want to be a teacher.

Lucy: What do you study?

Heidi: I study education. People who study education usually become teachers, but I don’t really want to be a teacher. I just don’t know what I want to do. I don’t know what I want to be.

Lucy: John knows what he wants to do. He wants to be a writer.

Heidi: Yeah. He knows what he wants to be, but I don’t know what I want to be. Not yet. One day I will decide, though. One day I will know. Maybe I will wake up one morning and I will know what I want to do; what I want to be.

Lucy: I’m sure you will.

Test № 9

Max: Hello there, Brandon. How are you?

Brandon: Just a moment there.

Max: What are you eating there?

Brandon: I am eating this delicious apple.

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Max: Wow!

Brandon: Sorry about this. Max: That is all right.

Brandon: It is a very special apple. It is a …Greenpark Bay apple… Greenpark apple.

Max: Right. Ok. How are you today? Brandon: I feel great. How about yourself?

Max: I feel ok. I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed that Frank… that my boss Frank was my friend Peter…

Brandon: That is right. I know who you are talking about.

Max: And Peter was Frank and Peter’s sister, Stephanie was Peter.. was Frank. It was kind of strange.

Brandon: What do you mean? What are you talking about? A dream or reality?

Max: Yeah I had a dream where everybody was everybody else.

Brandon: Well that happens to me all the time. I have so many absolutely strange dreams. But the thing is with the strange dreams…how do you feel? How does it make you feel?

Max: After your dream? Brandon: Yeah. After your dream. Max: Right ok.

Brandon: How does it make you feel? Max: That is the important thing? Brandon: Well for me it is.

Max: Right Ok.

Brandon: And for you if you stay in Greenpark Bay, it will become. Max: Calm?

Brandon: Become.

Max: It’ll become? Brandon: It’ll become. Yeah.

Max: Become? Become calm? Become calm. Brandon: Oh definitely. Calm.

Max: I want to be calm. Brandon: You will be calm.

Max: Oh my god! I have got to get to work. It is Monday morning. See you later, Brandon.

Brandon: Have a nice day. Max: You too, mate.

Test № 10

Tom: Well, here I am on Jack’s banana boat and we are speeding across the ocean towards the city. We will be there soon. I am going to go into the wheelhouse and have a yarn to Jack.

Tom: Gidday Jack.

Jack: How are doing? All right? Tom: Alright.

Jack: Are you having a good ride?

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Tom: Yeah, I am having a great time.

Jack: Ah. It is a lovely day, isn’t? All those black clouds above us. Tom: Yes. Did you see the dolphins and the flying fish before? Jack: No. You saw them, didn’t you?

Tom: Yes, at the bow there.

Jack: Wow! Have you seen this tattoo? I’ve got a dolphin on my tattoo. Tom: Wow! Dolphins are great, aren’t they? I love dolphins. So. How? When

will we be there? So how far is it now?

Jack: Well, what do you think? You can see it in front of you. Tom: Right. Ok. How long will it take?

Jack: Maybe about another two and a half hours. Tom: Right.

Jack: If we don’t run out of fuel. We could run out of fuel actually. I forgot to load the fuel on.

Tom: Oh no! What are we going to do?

Jack: I have got some fishing rods. Do you like fishing? We could do some fishing.

Tom: Yeah, I like fishing. If we run out of fuel, what will we do? Jack: Fishing.

Tom: Fishing?

Jack: Yeah, you can catch a fish for me.

Test № 11

M: Yes, good morning. Er, we’ve come to register for the conference. I’m Marian Hudson and this is my colleague, Timothy Thomson.

CA: Can you wait please? The queue is over there.

M: Well, we’ve been queuing for half an hour already, actually. CA: What’s the name of your company?

M: ’Comfort Tours’

CA: I’m afraid I can’t find any registration papers for that name. Could you please fill out some more, and then I can register you.

T: What a pain! Can’t you tell us the number of our stand? Where is it exactly? CA: I can give you number 56, sir. You can see it on the plan. It’s the small one at the back near the toilets. Here are your badges and here is your

conference pack. Thank you.

M: But that’s a terrible position! Can’t we get a better stand?

CA: I’m afraid you’ll have to speak to the conference manager about that madam. He’s over there …

T: Come on Marian, let’s sort this out.

CM: Yes, hello? Can I help you? I’m John Smyth, the conference manager. T: Hello. I’m afraid we are not happy at all with our stand. It is too small,

too far from everywhere and near the toilets. We requested a medium-sized stand near the entrance. Can’t you find somewhere better for us?

CM: I’m afraid all stands are already taken, sir, it’s not possible to change now. Your booking was probably late.

M: Well, we’re very unhappy with this. I’m sure our boss will have something to say about it too.

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T: And look at those boxes, there should be many more than that. Half of our brochures and order forms are missing! And these two boxes are damaged as well!

M: What a disaster. We’ll have to phone head office tomorrow to tell them what is going on. They’ll be furious!

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T: Thanks. Have you been here before, Anita?

A: No, I haven’t, but it’s quite well known in Manchester. It’s famous for its ’sizzling Chinese steak’, very hot!

T: Shall we order an aperitif? What would you like Anita? A: Em, sherry for me please.

A: So, have you enjoyed your time in Manchester, Tony?

T: Very much. It’s been great. We haven’t stopped for a minute! A: You had time to see the city then?

T: Yes, we saw masses of things. We went to the disco, restaurants, all the shoe shops in the city, Castlefield, the Lake District...

A: And time for some work as well!

T: [laughs] Huh! Now and again! In fact the exhibition was a great success, wasn’t it, May?

M: Yeah, it was brilliant. …

W: Er, can I get you anything else, madam, sir? T: No, no, thank you, just the bill, please.

A: That steak was delicious! Thank you very much for inviting us. T: It’s our pleasure. Here’s to a long and fruitful partnership!

A: Thanks and see you back in Manchester next year, I hope! T: Me too!

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