University of Central Lancashire

Certificate in English C1 Level 3 Proficient User

LISTENING Part 1 and Part 2 Transcript

Contents of this Paper Transcript for C1 Listening Part 1 Section A Section B Transcript for C1 Listening Part 2

Instructions Press play on the CD player, all instructions for the Listening section are on the CD. Any problems with the CD player or the CD must be reported to the Head Examiner. This script may only be read out in the examination with the permission of the Head Examiner and noted on the incident report form.

C1 2008B

Page 1

C1 Listening Part 1 Section A Im going to give you the instructions for this part of the test. You are going to hear the first part of a radio programme about the life of the former British Prime Minster, Winston Churchill between Sarah Jones, a professor of modern history, and Tim Graham, who has written a biography of Churchill. For questions 1 to 5, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D according to what you hear. You will hear Section A TWICE. Open your question paper and look at Part 1 Section A. You have one minute to read the questions. (Wait for one minute) NOW LISTEN Interviewer: Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of Rethinking the Past. The subject we will be discussing this week is the life and times of Winston Churchill. He is best known as the British Prime Minister during the Second World War, and in 2002, in a poll for the BBC, he was voted as the greatest Briton of all time by the British public. However, this sudden increase in popularity for Churchill comes after many years in which his reputation has been rather tarnished. Here with me today to reappraise the life of Winston Churchill is Sarah Jones, Professor of Modern History at Central Midlands University and Member of Parliament, Tom Graham, who has recently published a book on the life of this famous and influential statesman. Perhaps if we could start with you, Sarah. Churchill was a very controversial individual throughout his lifetime, wasnt he? Sarah: Oh yes. In fact, it would be fair to say that he was someone about whom it was almost impossible not to have an opinion. It is true that he was almost universally admired at some points but he was, at times, absolutely detested by members of the political establishment and even unpopular with large sections of the public. It is also worth remembering that despite his impressive achievement in leading the country to victory in the Second World War, in the general election of 1945, he and his party were actually voted out of office. Thats not something that you would expect to happen to a triumphant leader.

Interviewer: Its certainly surprising. What do you think might have been behind this rejection of him in 1945? Sarah: Well, I think simply it was people feeling that although he had been an exceptional leader in war time, he was not the man to lead the country in peace. Some of his policies were also unpopular. Churchill opposed the establishment of public health care, and also the improvement of public education. Page 2

C1 2008B

Tim:

If I could come in here for moment. Its not quite right to suggest that Churchill was never regarded as being a suitable leader for peace time. He was elected Prime Minister again in 1951, so one has to be very careful about depicting Churchill as someone who was unpopular. I mean, his funeral, in 1965, was the only state funeral for someone who was not a member of the Royal Family since 1914, and the affection shown for him by the public at that time was truly astounding. Yes, but doesnt that, in a sense, bring us back to the idea that Churchill has been, in some ways, rehabilitated since his death? To some extent I would have to agree with that. Sarah is quite right when she says that Churchill, throughout his life, was someone who often divided opinion. Well, if we could turn now to look at his early political life, which is perhaps where he started to court controversy. Indeed. He was originally elected to Parliament in 1900, and was a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party, which is the political part that he is largely associated with in peoples minds today. What is not widely realised now, is that in 1904, Churchill actually defected to join the Liberal Party and remained a Liberal MP until 1925 when he returned to the Conservatives. It would be true to say that these defections earned him enemies throughout Parliament and gave him a reputation for being something of an opportunistic politician. Which I dont think is particularly deserved. Churchills changing of parties tended to coincide with shifts, either in Churchills own thinking and views, or with changes of direction in the political parties, which Churchill did not agree with. So, in some ways, it could be said that despite the move from Conservative to Liberal, and then back again, Churchill was being honest and true to his own beliefs. Well, Im not sure everyone would agree with that view. There were accusations that Churchills first defection to the Liberals was motivated partly by the fact that he would receive an official salary as a member of that party. At the time, Members of Parliament were not paid.

Int:

Tim:

Int:

Tim:

Sarah

Tim:

Sarah:

NOW LISTEN AGAIN

That is the end of part 1 Section A of the Listening test. Now turn to Part 1 Section B

C1 2008B

Page 3

C1 Listening Part 1 Section B Listen to the second part of the radio programme about Winston Churchill. For questions 6 to 10, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D according to what you hear. You will hear Section B TWICE. You have one minute to read the questions for Section B. (Wait for one minute.) NOW LISTEN Interviewer: Id like to talk a little bit about Churchill the man now. I understand that he had a rather unhappy childhood. Tim: Yes, certainly by modern standards. His father was a very distant figure and Churchill himself said that he and his father hardly ever spoke to each other. Churchill was sent off to boarding school at a very early age and he hated it. He was a rebellious child and not particularly academically gifted, and as a result he was frequently punished. He was so unhappy at school that he constantly sent letters to his mother begging her to either visit or let him come home. For all that, Churchill did develop a very close relationship with his mother later on in life, but it was more like a sibling relationship than a maternal one. She became a sort of adviser to him and they would spend a lot of time talking about the politics of the day. As a child though he was closest to his nanny, Elizabeth Anne Everest. He called her his favourite friend. And when he was twenty one, Churchill actually came all the way back from Cuba, where he was serving with the army, to be with Elizabeth when she died. What would you say was Churchills greatest achievement? Theres no shortage of achievements he was Prime Minister three times as well as holding many other high offices in various governments. I would have to say though that his greatest achievements were in the Second World War, when he led Britain to victory. Despite pressure from his colleagues, he refused to enter into peace talks with Hitler and Nazi Germany, even after the defeat of France, when Britain had no notable allies and was under the threat of imminent invasion and suffered constant air attack. He travelled to Washington to seek American support as well as visiting British troops stationed around the world notwithstanding the threats to his own safety. In many ways, it can be said that everyone in the free world owes him a debt for his unswerving faith in democracy and opposition to dictators.

Sarah:

Tim:

Int: Tim:

C1 2008B

Page 4

Sarah:

I think its right that we dont take his importance in the Second World War away from him, but it is a bit too tempting to romanticise Churchill if one focuses too much on that part of his career. There are darker sides to him that tend to get rather brushed aside these days. Such as? Well, throughout his career, Churchill displayed a tendency to favour military solutions to problems. In the General Strike of 1926, when workers all over Britain refused to work, Churchill is said to have wanted to turn machine guns on the striking miners. His suppression of the rebellions in Malaya and Kenya involved quite ruthless military action and public executions. He even suggested using poison gas on rebel tribes in Iraq. He was also one of those behind the disastrous 1915 attempt to capture the Dardanelles which cost thousands of lives and ended in failure and in fact, forced Churchill to resign from the government at that time. We also shouldnt forget some of the extreme views weve already talked about with regard to education and social welfare. Well, Im afraid were going to have to leave it there for now. Thank you both very much.

Int: Sarah:

Int

NOW LISTEN AGAIN

That is the end of Part 1 of the Listening test. Please turn to part 2 of the Listening test in your question paper.

C1 2008B

Page 5

C1 Listening Part Two Listen to three conversations and answer questions 11 to 20 by choosing A, B, C or D according to what you hear. You will hear each conversation TWICE. You have two minutes to read the questions. (Wait two minutes)

NOW LISTEN Conversation 1 Joe: Shall we go camping this weekend Megan? Megan:Yeah, why not? The weathers supposed to be hot and we havent been anywhere for ages. Where shall we go? J: M: Lets go down to the coast. What do you think? Hmmm. We went there last time. I think we should go to the lake. We could go swimming and rowing and have barbecues. OK. That sounds like a good plan. Is there anything going on there this weekend? I think theres a music festival on. We could go to that. Whos playing at the festival? Anyone we know? Some local bands I think. Oh, yes, I think the Tin Dog Band are playing, that should be good. Ive never heard of them. Yes, you have Joe! We saw them in that band competition last year at Castletown. You must remember you thought they were so good you danced on the table in the bar! Oh yeah! Theyre the metal band arent they? Yeah...theyre great. Shall we invite Pippa and Carl? Awww not Pippa! Shes always complaining about everything .the waters too cold to swim...I dont like barbecues...I think theres a spider in my bed. Yeah I know. Well, we could invite Margaret and Sam to come too, then we can take turns to listen to Pippa and it wont be so bad! But Sams so posh and Margarets REALLY boring! I think Id rather go with Pippa. At least she can be funny sometimes and make us laugh.

J:

M: J: M:

J: M:

J: M: J:

M:

J:

C1 2008B

Page 6

M: J:

Make your mind up! You either like Pippa or you dont! Shes ok for a little while. Ok then, lets just go with Pippa and Carl. We can see Margaret and Sam another time. Yes ok. But we dont have to go with them. We could go alone if you like? No, its better with a group of friends. I am your friend!

M:

J: M:

J: You know what I mean. Now, are you going to ring them or shall I? NOW LISTEN AGAIN

C1 2008B

Page 7

Conversation 2 Interviewer: So, take a seat Yana. Yana: I: Thanks. Right, so youre interested in the job we advertised here in the newsagents? Yes, Im looking for a weekend job so I can save up to buy my own clothes and music. Ok. Have you worked before? Not really. Im still studying at college so it would be my first job. But I have done some baby-sitting for our neighbours and I used to help my parents out at their guest house. Right, I see. What kinds of things did you do there? Erm...I used to help my mum in the kitchen with the breakfasts and I used to clean some of the rooms too and make the beds. Ok. Did you enjoy working there? Yes, but I didnt get paid, so I wanted to do something for myself. Did you ever have to deal with guests at the guest house? Sometimes I had to show them to their rooms or wait on them at the tables for breakfast. Did you enjoy doing that? Yes, I really like meeting people and they were usually nice to me and would chat to me about school and everything. I see. Have you ever handled money before? No, not really. Ive never used a till but I think it should be fine. Im quite good at maths and Im very reliable. Good, ok. What would you do if you had a difficult customer who wanted to make a complaint or didnt pay their bills for newspapers and magazines? Erm...I think first of all I would try to listen to them and find out what was wrong and see if I could help them. Then I would ask my boss to help. Ok, good. Now, sometimes we know that people steal things from the shop when they think were not looking at them. How would you deal with that kind of situation? Page 8

Y:

I: Y:

I: Y:

I: Y: I: Y:

I: Y:

I: Y:

I:

Y:

I:

C1 2008B

Y:

Hmm....thats a difficult question. Im not really sure but I would probably tell my boss quietly about it or maybe talk to him about it. Ok. What do you think you will enjoy about this job? Well, I dont mind getting up early in the morning and I like talking to people - I know almost everyone in the village. But I wouldnt let them distract me from my work. I think that the job would give me good work experience and will make me more independent. Well, thank you very much for coming today and Ill call you tomorrow to let you know if youve been successful in the interview. Thank you. Bye.

I: Y:

I:

Y:

NOW LISTEN AGAIN

C1 2008B

Page 9

Conversation 3 Woman: Man: W: Where are we? I dont think were going in the right direction. No, I dont either. I think were lost. Well thats just wonderful! I told you we shouldve brought a map. Now what are we going to do? Its going to be dark soon and I dont want to sit on top of a mountain all night with no food or shelter! Dont exaggerate, its only three oclock! Weve got plenty of time to get back to the hotel and take a bath before dinner. It wont be dark until seven. Hmmm. Well I wish I felt so confident about it. Now, which way did we come? I think we should go back the way we came so we dont get even more lost. Its too far. I think we should carry on this way and eventually well get back to the village. Yes, but we dont know which way to head and its getting quite cold now. What if it starts to rain? I didnt bring any waterproof clothing! Dont panic. Well get home, dont worry about it. Im NOT panicking but its really silly to come walking in the hills without the proper equipment. Well, I didnt stop you bringing a map or a jacket with you, did I? Why is it always my fault? YOU said it would only be a short walk and we would be back for lunch! Im very hungry and my feet are aching. It was sunny when we left the hotel and now Im cold. Oh, stop complaining. Come on, lets try that path over there, Im sure that will lead us back the right way. If we follow that waterfall down the hill, well have to come back to the village. Dont you remember seeing the river from our bedroom window? There are LOTS of waterfalls around here. Anyway, its dangerous and well get wet. What about the path through the trees over there? Well get MORE confused amongst the trees because we wont be able to see anything at all. I suppose we could go back over the hill and take the other turning by that farm we passed. But then well have to walk through that field of sheep again. I hate sheep. They scare me.

M:

W:

M:

W:

M: W:

M:

W:

M:

W:

M:

W:

C1 2008B

Page 10

M:

Ha ha ha! They wont bite you! What are you so worried about? I think it would be better if we went to the farm and asked for directions. I dont think anybodys at home. Maybe the waterfall WOULD be better. At least its going downhill. Oh, I said we should have just gone for a walk in the village! Wheres the fun in that? I think we should take the other path by the farm. Then well be back in plenty of time to have a rest before we eat. Youll see. Well, okay. But dont complain if we end up back where we started. But thats what we want, isnt it?!

W:

M:

W: M:

NOW LISTEN AGAIN

That is the end of the listening section. Do not forget to transfer your answers to the optical answer sheet before the end of the examination. You will not be given extra time to do this. You may continue with the rest of the exam

C1 2008B

Page 11

THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK

C1 2008B

Page 12