PART 1

Woman: Hello. I’d like to become a member of the gym.
Man: Certainly. Have you filled out an application form?
Woman: Not yet. Do you have one?
Man: Yes. I’ve got one right here. Or I could just enter your details directly into the computer. It would be quicker.
Woman: OK. Go ahead.
Man: Could you tell me your name, please?
Woman: My surname is 1 Pierce -P-I-E-R-C-E- and my given name is Sharon -S-H-A-R-O-N-.
Man: Thank you. And your address?
Woman: 2 70 Welcome Lane , Tipton, TP3 4MB.
Man: Could I just note your date of birth?
Woman: 3 13 July 1980 .
Man: Are you just applying for membership of the gym or would you like to join the health spa as well? There’s a special price of £'50 a month or £130 for three months.
Woman: I’d just like to join the gym, thanks.
Man: OK. That’s £20 a month, £50 every three months or 4 £190 a year.
Woman: I’ll pay for the year.
Man: Will you be paying by credit card?
Woman: Yes. Here you are.
Man: Thank you. Card number ... 4673 9702 0361 ... expiry date ... 5 September 2009 . OK. I’ll just print out a form for you to sign and you’re a member. ... There you are. Sign here, please.
Woman: Great. Thank you. Could you just show me around very quickly?
Man: Certainly. Mike? Could you take over here for a few minutes? ... Come this way. 6 Right by reception, we have a refreshment area , serving healthy food and drinks - no coffee or chocolate!
Woman: What a good idea!
Man: Beyond that, as you can see, there’s the main gym area. 7 The treadmills are by the window, so you get a great view across the river. Opposite them are various machines and 8 at the far end you can see the tree weights area. 9 If you look at the far end, you’ll see two doors. The one on the left is the ladies’ changing area and the one on the right is the men’s.
Woman; And the swimming pool?
Man: There’s a door in each changing area that leads to the swimming pool.
Woman: The health spa is upstairs, isn’t it?
Man: Yes, there’s a flight of stairs leading from each changing room to the spa area. Oh, I forgot to mention that there’s a sauna beside each changing area. Our members love using those after a workout.
Woman: How many members are there?
Man; 10 About 300 people, of which 200 are members of both the gym and health spa. Only about half of those people come regularly.
Woman: Does it ever get crowded?
Man: It can get a little cramped at the weekends and occasionally in the evenings during the week. A lot of people like to use the treadmills. There are no rules about how long you can use a particular machine, but we ask. people to be considerate. The swimming pool rarely gets crowded.
Woman: Are most of the members men or women?
Man: 10 I’d say that there are a few more women than men. Ladies are more likely to join the gym and spa, whilst men usually just join the gym.
Woman: Well, thank you very much. I’ll be along tomorrow for my first workout. You open at 7, right?
Man: Yes, we’re open from 7 in the morning to 10 in the evening. See you tomorrow!

PART 2

Accommodation officer: We understand the importance accommodation plays in student life. Which is why we aim to provide you with not only the best possible range and standard of housing, but also advice and assistance on the whole accommodation process. With our help, you should find yourself somewhere you want to live and get settled in with as little hassle as possible. Throughout the 11 guide that I have just handed out, you will find details of the wide range of accommodation available at the university and how you can apply for it.
We hope that the information we provide will assist you to make your choices, but please contact us at any time if you have any questions. Our accommodation ranges from the catered to the self-catered, the modern to the traditional, and is based over 25 sites across the city, all of which are located within a short walk or bus ride of the 12 city centre.
First, let’s look at catered accommodation. Moving away from home for the first time can be as scary as it is exciting. 13 Our traditional catered accommodation makes things easier for you, with meals included in the rent and a comprehensive support network to help you adjust. And with around 2,000 students in catered accommodation, you’ll have ample opportunity to make new friends.
14 If you like choosing what and when to eat, self-catering will be ideal . 15 More than half of our new students live in self-catered accommodation , which offers a taste of real independence plus the benefits of a sociable and supportive environment. You can choose from either self-catering flats, larger occupancy residences or university-managed accommodation for one-person flats, couples or families.
Then there’s private accommodation. University accommodation isn’t for everyone. 16 If for some reason you don’t get a place or would prefer to rent privately, we also have a register of university-approved accommodation and can offer advice and support if you want to rent private flats or lodgings in the city.
Now, here you can see a map of the university accommodation nearest to the campus. 17 Malvern Halls are located on Humber Road, between Severn Road and Thames Road. This is the tallest halls of residence, being a 25-storey block of student flats. You can get a good view of the campus from here. 18 Grampian Halls are also located between Severn Road and Thames Road, where Liverpool Road, sorry, Lane, joins the two. Don’t get Liverpool Road confused with Liverpool Lane as I just did! It’s on the south side of the street. 19 Brecon Halls are between the South Gate and the West Gate. They’re very slightly nearer the
West Gate, actually. These halls are popular because they are never and the rooms are somewhat larger than in older halls. 20 Sperrin Halls are nearest to the North Gate ... er ... South Gate, on Avon Road, but not opposite it.
Well, whichever type of accommodation you go for, I hope it suits you. Now, I’d like to mention ...

PART 3

Jenny: Hi Tom! How are you? Have you been here long?
Tom: Hi Jenny! I’m fine. I arrived yesterday, on Sunday. How about you?
Jenny: I got here last week, on Wednesday. No, sorry - just a minute, what day is it today? 21 Thursday , not Wednesday.
Tom: Why did you come so early? We don’t have to be here until tomorrow. Couldn’t wait to be free from your parents, I bet.
Jenny: Very funny! I know I came a bit earlier than most people, but I wanted to move my things into my flat and take a look around the campus and the town. So, did you decide to take English Literature in the end?
Tom: No, I changed my mind and decided on 22 European History instead. At school, you said you were going to take 23 Geography , right?
Jenny: Yes, although I was also considering Geology.
Tom: Sounds the same to me!
Jenny: Well, I guess there are similarities, but they’re not quite the same. What kind of information have you been given about your courses?
Tom: Well, not much. I’ve got my 24 timetable and a basic reading list.
Jenny: Yeah, me too. I’ve been given a list of books to start reading. I think there are 5 or 6 of them.
Tom: Yeah, I’ve got a similar list. They’re just books that provide the basics for the courses during the first year.
Jenny: So, what’s your timetable like? I get Wednesday and Friday afternoons off, but the rest of the days are fairly full.
Tom: Me too. Do your lectures and seminars start next week too?
Jenny: Yes. I think everyone’s do. This week is just orientation, isn’t it?
Tom: That’s what I gathered. My first class on Monday morning is ... wait for it... oh, Modern British History - I’m looking forward to that! How about you?
Jenny: Erm ... Human Geography - also on Monday morning.
Tom: It says here that the title of the first lecture is “The Victorian Legacy” -sounds good! How about you?
Jenny: I’ve got “Global Population Distribution”. Intriguing! ... Where are you living?
Tom: I got a place in the Halls of Residence at 25 Wish Lane Hall.
Jenny: Wish? As in ‘make a wish’.
Tom: Funny name, eh?
Jenny: I’m at Bridge Road Halls of Residence.
Tom: That’s very close to the university campus, isn’t it? My place is a bit
further away.
Jenny: Can you walk or do you need to take a bus?
Tom: Erm ... 26 I can walk, but it takes about 30 minutes . There’s a bus. I guess I’ll walk if it’s not a bad day and take the bus if it’s raining.
Jenny: I’ll think of you when I am taking the five-minute walk from my hall to the lecture theatre!
Tom: I’m sure you will! At least I’ve got somewhere to stay if I don’t want to walk home!
Jenny: Cheeky!
Tom: Is your hall near the main gate or the north gate?
Jenny: The 27 north gate . Hey, I’m on my way to the shops. Coming?
Tom: Sure. What are you going to buy? Food?
Jenny: Well, I might pick up a few things, but 28 I was really going to buy some notebooks for taking lecture notes, seminar notes, and some printer paper.
Tom: That’s a good idea. 29 I need a few binders to put my notes in.
Jenny: 30 That’s a good idea . I’ll get a couple too. Pencils? No, I’ve got a few.
Tom: Oh, some pens -I always seem to lose them! Well, you’ve been here the longest. Where do we go?
Jenny: There’s a shop here on campus, near the main gate. There’s a cafe next door, so we can stop there too, if you like.
Tom: Great idea -I could do with a coffee and a cake!

PART 4

Presenter: Welcome to this presentation on the results of our survey of Asian students in Australia, the UK and the US. Australia is growing in popularity among Asian students, while the UK and the US are losing ground as the place to study for a degree, according to our international survey. Our research is based on the views of 1,500 undergraduates from 10 Asian countries studying in Britain, the USA and Australia. 31 60% of the students were aged between 18 and 21, and 30% were between 22 and 25 . 32 Four in ten students cited a better quality of education as their main reason for studying away from their home country. About 27% said they were doing it to broaden their experience and because they were attracted by the cultural experience of living in a foreign country. Business, commerce and marketing are still by far the most dominant field of study, attracting almost two fifths of students. 33 Three quarters of Asian students polled in Australia said it was their first choice, compared to less than half when we conducted the same survey in the year 2000. From an Australian perspective, it’s very positive because more and more students are consciously choosing Australia rather than it being a second choice. The UK and American parts of the survey show that they are no longer the preferred destinations they were, despite still being seen as offering the best education in the world. Australian universities have done a really good job of promoting Australia as well as their own universities. Australia is seen as good value for money and is attracting the more price-sensitive students.
34 Australia’s overseas student enrolments have doubled since the year 2000 to 200,000 in 2006 at a time when they have declined in the US and the UK’s share of the global market is declining. Reflecting this increase, Australia’s education exports rose 35 17.8 % last year and were valued at more than $5 billion for the first nine months of 2006. In the United States, a clampdown on foreign students following the terrorist attacks on September 11 has made many Asian students feel unwelcome. As a result, applications to American universities have declined. This could happen in the UK. If students find it hard to get 36 visas , they could question whether the country really wanted them. Another factor in Australia’s growing popularity was the wish of some members of the growing Asian middle class to settle in the country after studying there.
The cost of study and value for money also featured highly on the list of reasons students gave for choosing Australia as a study destination: much higher than in Britain. 34% said they selected Australia because they thought living expenses were relatively less expensive and 37 20% made their decision because tuition fees were cheaper. Quality remained the biggest draw-card for students wanting to study in Australia, reinforcing the critical importance of its reputation overseas, according to new research. Asian students still ranked the US and
Britain as having the highest quality universities but Australia rated 38 third , but ahead of other destinations like Canada, New Zealand and Germany. Despite the emergence of 39 transnational education programmers, 81% of students did not consider undertaking a foreign degree in their home country. It seems that the concern that these programmers are going to diminish the number of foreign students is a bit premature.
Only 4% of those enrolled in Australia had studied overseas before, a figure we attribute to an emerging middle class of Asian students wanting to study offshore. In the past, many Asian students had come from their home country’s elite, high-income families whose parents had studied abroad. What we’ve got now is an emerging middle class who maybe haven’t travelled before and whose parents were not educated overseas. Our study also shows that students rely more on 40 education agents than in the past, with implications for universities that plug direct enrolments online. Whilst our findings are good for Australia, which is increasing in popularity as a study destination, they do not mean that Australia can rest on its laurels as competition is increasing from a growing number of institutions and study destinations.