IELTS Mock Test 2024 March

Part 2

Welcome to all of you...Can everybody see and hear me?... Good...I’m Sarah Conor, an HR representative of Earn and Learn. I have been asked today to talk to you about our company. So, for those of you who don’t know very much about the company, let me start by giving you some basic information about it.

Earn and Learn started nearly twenty years ago. It is not a charity but a forprofit company that enables promising entrepreneurs to make money while traveling. During the past ten years, it has grown rapidly and has gained great influence in most countries of the world.

We have a partnership with the school and take a large number of recent graduates from the business school. So if you are a recent graduate I’d say you can consider applying to our company.

Before your application, you might be curious about what sort of places you could go to. There are four main locations, but you also have the freedom to submit a different location and if they can make the necessary arrangements, you can go. The first country Earn and Learn established locations in was the U.S., where you may choose from multiple locations, as long as you can commit to their more rigid schedule of August to December.

Also, you could do the Australia internship. That one is really cool – you work at a wildlife shelter and learn about the business practices of nonprofit organisations. You do have to be willing to commit 8 months for that one, though. Perhaps that’s a long time to be so far away, but I would say it is really an amazing opportunity.

I don’t know whether some of you are in decent physical shape. If so, the South Africa internship is another exciting one - you learn a lot about sustainable farming - but you would be doing some of Q15 the manual labor involved in maintaining a farm. Indeed, it’s hard work, but I think you would definitely be able to do it. It may be wise to wait until after their summer is over so it’s not so terribly hot.

In addition, there is a most recently established location in India. This one gives you more of a study abroad feel, given that they arrange a host family for you to stay with. In the other locations, you live in an apartment with other interns, so this is definitely a unique experience.

Regardless of where you go, at the end of the program you get a Global Traveling Certificate, as long as you can explain your experience. You can provide a written log of what you did. I recommend writing journal or blog entries about what you do every day, or a weekly summary of each day. Of course you don’t have to write up a formal report or anything like that. And you need to apply for it once you have returned.

Some students may want to know whether this is a paid internship. Actually you have to pay for the flight there yourself. But you have the opportunity to create your own small business, which could earn you money if it’s successfi.il. So basically you pay for it all up front, but when you’re there you can find ways to make money. That is to say, you pay for two thirds of the cost up front as a deposit, and then give the final installment one month prior to your return.

Finally, I have to remind you that you need a health check before you go, to make sure you’re not going to spread any communicable diseases. In addition, before you go, you don’t have to attend any meetings or workshops. You’ll meet everyone you’ll be working with once you get there.

Okay, well, that’s all I’ve time for today. Thanks for listening and I’m happy to take any questions if you have them...

Part 3

STUDENT: Hi, Professor Timmons? Do you have a few minutes? I was hoping to talk about what I missed on Thursday.

PROFESSOR: Hello, come in. Sure, sit down. Could you tell me your name please?

STUDENT: Margaret, sir. Margaret Parkinson. I apologise for missing your class but I had to go to the hospital.

PROFESSOR: I’m sorry to hear that! Everything is OK now though, I hope?

STUDENT: Yes, thanks.

PROFESSOR: Glad to hear it. So on Thursday I outlined the research project that will account for 30% of your grade. All students will be divided into groups and will give a well-researched presentation to the class covering a specific topic relevant to student life.

STUDENT: Oh, that sounds interesting - can we choose just any topic that pertains to life as a student, like how to start your own student organisation?

PROFESSOR: Well, though Em sure that would be an informative presentation, I have already chosen a list of topics which I will assign. As an example, I assigned one group the topic of student loans. They are to research not just the prevalence of students who have loans to pay for their tuition, but information as to how best to manage these loans and possible scholarships that could alleviate some of the financial burden.

STUDENT: That one sounds particularly interesting to me - could I request that topic? I could easily find out a lot about it by stopping by the Finance Office on my way to class.

PROFESSOR: Unfortunately, that one is already taken by another group. I have, however assigned you to a group and given you all one of two choices.

STUDENT: Oh, I see. What are the choices?

PROFESSOR: The first is discussing smoking. Trends in the number of student smokers compared with the general population, popular reasons students take up smoking, and more healthy alternatives to smoking.

STUDENT: Hm, that one could be interesting. I’m not a smoker myself, but will see what my group thinks. If we did choose this topic, we would rather not put our fellow students on the spot to interview them - where else could we gather information?

PROFESSOR: How about where the cigarettes are sold?

STUDENT: Oh, that’s a great idea. I could interview the manager of a supermarket and find out the average age of people buying cigarettes, or how much they buy, that sort of thing?

PROFESSOR: Precisely.

STUDENT: Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. And what was the other topic?

PROFESSOR: The other topic is the practice of natural medicine. It sounds far more specific than the others, but it is more an exercise of outlining a career path. If your group chooses this, you would cover the specifics of becoming a Doctor of Natural Medicine, how to become licensed to practice natural medicine, what the career outlook is, etc. you could find much of the information you need on this in the Careers Office.

STUDENT: Wow, that would be really helpful not just in learning about natural medicine, but in how to approach researching any career path.

PROFESSOR: That’s the idea. I want groups to really think outside the box to find information on their topics. They should interview multiple sources.

STUDENT: Okay, now I think I have the general idea.

STUDENT: When is the presentation due?

PROFESSOR: I expect each group to send me an email attachment of the plan ahead of time - by October 10th - so that I can ensure that you are on the right track.

STUDENT: Oh, that’s actually really reassuring. I would hate to spend so much time on a presentation only to find we had taken it in the wrong direction! So when is the presentation?

PROFESSOR: I let groups choose from the list of time slots I have between November 1st and November 5th.

STUDENT: Okay, how about the 3rd? I’ll have to check with my group, of course, but maybe we could write a tentative time?

PROFESSOR: Sure, let me take a look. I’m actually booked completely through the 3rd and 4th now. How about sometime in the afternoon of the 5th?

STUDENT: Great! How about 2 o’clock?

PROFESSOR: No problem. I’ll pencil your group in.

STUDENT: Okay, thanks. And to clarify, what exactly is due in the first phase?

PROFESSOR: Before the October deadline, I want your group to have compiled resources and then to provide some initial data analysis to support your claims.

STUDENT: Okay, so data analysis is due the 10th of October, and then the um, the

PROFESSOR: - Presentation? Yes. The final phase is simply giving the presentation on the 5th of November.

STUDENT: Alright, I think I have all the information I need. Thanks!

PROFESSOR: You’re welcome. See you in class tomorrow.

Part 4

Today I’d like to tell you about how U.K. architects are playing their part to address the issue of global warming. You have seen many of these iconic buildings while going about your everyday life, but you may not know how they are affecting your tomorrow.

In 2003, construction was completed on the famous Swiss Re Building, or more informally called the Gherkin, a true masterpiece commissioned by the law offices of Foster and Partners.

This is not the first ambitious endeavor of the firm - they are renowned for their various philanthropic, environmental efforts. The Gherkin, with its cutting edge green initiative and sharp design, is gaining recognition as an icon in modern architecture. You can pick it out of the London skyline by its unorthodox cigar shape.

While its appearance is the obvious attribute at which to marvel, there is far more to this building than meets the eye. And let’s face it - there’s a lot about this building that meets the eye. The building helps reduce the city’s carbon footprints in a number of ways.

Just a quick note - in case you’re not familiar with the term ‘carbon footprints,’ get used to it! It’s a buzzword you’ll hear relentlessly to talk about reducing emissions. Think of it as the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that are given off into the environment by a single person, organisation, or product.

So going back to the Gherkin Building - perhaps the most obvious as well as the most significant eco-friendly feature is the glass windows, which allow light to pass through the building, both reducing heating costs and brightening up the workspace.

The ingenuity behind the various eco-friendly aspects of the Gherkin has seen its fair share of publicity both from serious and silly sources. In a recent April Fool’s Day edition, one e-publication printed a story detailing plans to replace 50% of the current exterior with grass, which would not only make large steps in the name of sustainability, but also give the building the green hue that would truly earn it the nickname of the Gherkin. The only drawback is, as you may have guessed, that this story was an April Fool’s Day joke and completely made up.

In all seriousness though, the building is setting a new standard of design that other architects and city planners just cannot ignore. The building’s bold and cost-efficient design has won a number of architecture awards, including the Stirling Prize, the London Region Award, and the Emporis Skyscraper Award among others. The design comfortably accommodates a large number of offices while keeping maintenance and operation costs down, striking a superb balance between nature and the workplace.

Nature is well arid good, as long as the weather is nice outside. Given London’s notoriously bad weather, the architects knew they must devise a quality temperature regulation system, and that they did. A special system designed to reduce the building’s reliance on air-conditioning was devised that cuts consumption in half compared to standard office buildings. There are atria that link each floor vertically to one another, forming spiraling spaces up the entire building. They serve not just as social common spaces but also act as the building’s lungs, distributing clean air from the opening panels in the facade through the entire building.

The building isn’t all business though - it has its fair share of fun as well. At the very top, a clubroom offers a picturesque entertainment spot for company functions, private parties, etc., with a breathtaking panoramic view of the city.

The creation of such an innovative structure has many wondering what the future of urban planning and architecture may be. Well, if the other projects currently commissioned by Foster and Partners are any indication, the entire city constructed with similarly eco-friendly buildings is not far in the distance. The Masdar City development aims to create a desert city that produces zero waste and removes as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it puts in - a huge feat in protecting our earth.

The Gherkin is a truly impressive feat, yet it is not the only one worth noting. Now to move on to another green initiative, I’ll tell you about the Eden Foundation Building, found in Cornwall...