Conversation 1 

Recording

M: And you know one thing that I wanted to ask you. It is great that you have had this experience of teaching in Indonesia and following up on what you just mentioned, what would you recommend for students who do not live in an English-speaking country? And, you know, they want to learn. I don't know about perfecting but they want at least to be able to communicate decently. How can they go about this? 

W: Yeah, it is really hard. That’s the real struggle because right now I do live in Holland but I really don't socialize much with Dutch people. And my boyfriend's English is so good that we just basically speak English all the time. So I have to make a real effort to practice. There's as much listening exposure as I want. All I have to do is turn on the TV. 

M: And reading also, right? 

W: Yeah, reading. There's plenty I can get to read and listen to. But for speaking, there really is no substitute for trying to speak and use the language in a relaxed atmosphere. So I think that is really the challenge for people who live in a country where their target language isn't spoken. And for that, gosh, what would I do? If I didn't have people here, probably try to find a club? In Sweden, they have a really cool system called study circles where not…It's like a course, but really you just have a course leader, who is there, sort of, as a coaching guide and to help out. And you don't get grade, and you go just because you want to learn. 

Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 

Question 8. Where does the woman live right now? 

Question 9. What does the woman say is the real challenge? 

Question 10. What does the woman suggest doing to learn to speak a foreign language? 

Question 11. What does the woman say about the study circles in Sweden? 

Conversation 2 

Recording

W: OK, Nathan. So we are talking about driving and are there any rules or regulations that you'd like to change? 

M: I'm not sure I want to change rules. But I'd like the police to be stricter on the rules. Like if people jump the traffic lights, I don't know why there isn't a camera at the traffic lights to stop people doing that. Or like speeding. It is very easy to put speed cameras in certain places. 

W: Maybe car manufacturers should have some responsibility in limiting the power of their engines. What’s the point in producing an engine that is big and powerful enough to go like 200 km/h when the speed limit is only 100? 

M: Right. But do you know there are no speed limits in Germany? 

W: People there do drive responsibly, though. Often, people break laws simply because the laws are there. If the law isn't there, people will drive within their ability range. When you've got speed limit, this creates situation that actually presents dangers on the road. 

M: Do you think Germans have better education about personal responsibility when driving? 

W: Possibly. They also have very good cars. 

M: Right. 

W: If you’ve got a good car that can go at high speed, then it's really nice to do that. 

M: But still with care. 

W: So I think it is the restriction that creates the dangers sometimes. 

M: OK. 

W: Obviously, when driving through a residential area or where there is a school, you’ve got to have speed policeman. 

M: Speed bumps. 

W: Yes, speed bumps, those speed bumps that force you to slow down. I think they're good idea. 

M: So you don't think fining people is useful? 

W: Not really, because the police don't have time to police every single driver. 

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 

12. What are the speakers mainly talking about? 

13. What does the woman think car manufacturers could do? 

14. What can we learn about people driving in Germany? 

15. What does the woman think of the police fining drivers?