La matrilocalidad y las formas de habitar

In Part Three of the Listening Test, you hear a longer recording which may be a conversation, an interview or a discussion between two or more people. There are eight multiple choice questions with three options for each to choose from (A -C ). The questions test your ability to understand the main points, attitudes and opinions expressed by interacting speakers. You will hear the recording twice.

A DETAILED STUDY

In the Reading Test, you can check the text as many tim es as you need in order to answer the questions. In the Listening Test, however, you will only hear the information twice so you need to focus on the key points. You m ay find it helpful to underline the im portant words in the options to help you do this. Remember that the information will not be expressed in the sam e way in the question as in the recording.

So, as in the other parts of the Listening Test, you need to listen for paraphrases. Look at this example.

1 What is Clare's attitude to today's communication channels?

A concern about the increasing insistence on the use of em ails B reluctance to give up discussing complex matters face to face C irritation at the poor sound quality of voicemail m essages Look at the beginning o f Ihe tapescript on pl59.

1 What does Clare actually say about em ails?

2 Is she concerned about the increasing use of em ails? 3 What does she say about face-to-face discussions?

4 Is she reluctant to give up having face-to-face discussions? 5 What does she say about voicemail messages?

6 Is she irritated by the poor sound quality of voicem ail messages? Check the answers to these questions on pl42.

2 Now look at Question 24, underline key words and check the tapescript on p i 59. 1 Which of the options is mentioned by Jam es?

2 Which of the options is mentioned by Clare?

3 How' does Clare indicate that she shares Jam es's view?

4 What other ways do you know to indicate agreem ent and disagreement?

Agreement Disagreem ent

Now check your answers to these questions and look at your answers to Part Three o f the Listening Test.

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B E C T E S T ^

PART ONE

Conversation between the examiner and each candidate

(about 3 minutes)

In Part One of the Speaking Test, the interlocutor asks questions to each of the candidates in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions.

Here are some questions you m ay be asked:

1 Why did you choose to work in your area of business?

2 W hat aspect of your work do you think you are particularly good at? 3 W hat disadvantages are there to your present work situation? 4 Do you prefer to work alone or in a team?

5 How important is English in your work?

6 W hat would you most like to achieve in your working life? 7 How important is the m anufacturing industry to your country? 8 How do you think working life is changing in your country?

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PART TWO

Mini-presentation (about 6 minutes)

In this part of the test, you are asked to give a short talk on a business-related topic. You have to choose one of the topics from the three below and then talk for about one minute. You have one minute to prepare your ideas.

A: M eetings: the factors involved in chairing meetings efficiently

B: Training: the im portance of allow ing junior staff to attend trade fairs

C: Corporate culture: the importance of keeping all staff informed about possible developments in an organisation

W hen you have given your presentation, your partner will ask you a question about what you have said. Here are some questions they m ay ask you:

Can you explain what you m eant b y ...? Could you go into a bit more detail ab o u t...?

A • How useful do you think it is it to follow an agenda? • Do you think it's important to try to keep to a time limit?

• How can the chair prevent a participant from dom inating the meeting? B • W hat is the m ost im portant skill that staff can learn at a trade fair?

• Do you think trade fairs are effective in m arketing new products?

• What effect do you think technology will have on the future of trade fairs? C • Do you think there is some inform ation which staff should not be told?

• W hat is the best method of keeping everyone informed?

8 8 S p e a k i n g

BEC TEST J|

PART THREE

Discussion (about 7 minutes)

In this part of the test, you are given a discussion topic. You have 30 seconds to look at the prompt card and then about 3 m inutes to discuss the topic with your partner. After that the exam iner will ask you some more questions related to the topic.

For two candidates

Inform ation Technology

The clothing com pany you w ork for is changing to a com pletely new com puterised system which will control all aspects of the operation from purchasing to delivery. You have been asked to prepare a proposal for staff induction to the new system

Discuss and decide together:

• what methods should be adopted to ensure all staff are trained effectively

• what steps should be taken to prevent any initial problems from disrupting normal operations.

For three candidates

Inform ation Technology

The clothing com pany you work for is changing to a com pletely new computerised system which will control all aspects of the operation from purchasing to delivery. You have been asked to prepare a proposal for staff induction to the new system

Discuss and decide together:

• what methods should be adopted to ensure all staff are trained effectively • what steps should be taken to prevent any initial problems from disrupting normal

operations

• how the introduction of the system might affect staff morale.

The exam iner will then ask you some follow-up questions. Here are som e questions you may be asked: • W hat benefits do you think a company gains from a com puterised operating system?

• How far should a company take into account the difficulty som e people experience in adapting to new systems?

• Do you think that computerised system s are alw ays the best way forward for a company? • W hat do you think the long-term effects of com puterisation will be on the job market?

:_C T E S T 3 F u r t h e r p r a c t i c e a n d g u i d a n c e 89

Further Practice for Speaking Part Three