Johns ranch IELTS Listening
Tapescripts The part of the text containing the answer is underlined with the question number given in square brackets []. If you still struggle with IELTS Listening tests, please refer to IELTS Listening tips. IELTS Listening Section 1Peter: Hello, Joan. Im glad you could come. Guide: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the Roman Baths. My names Amanda and Im your guide for today. Before we begin the tour, Id like to point out that we have child carriers, free of charge of course, for those of you with young children [11], and I can see that there are one or two of you here this morning. It might make things a bit easier for you than using a pushchair. If you dont want to carry your coats and bags around with you, there is a cloakroom behind reception where theyll be quite safe. Also, should anyone want to use the bathroom, theres one here in the reception hall opposite the ticket office and another one by the shop where we end our tour, right by the exit. Having mentioned the shop, I should tell you that its full of interesting things for you to remember your visit by. Posters, postcards, replicas of the gorgons head, the haruspex stone and the statues that youll be seeing on your tour. [12] There are also games, books and videos for children, and other souvenirs. Our first stop will be the Terrace, where you will get your first view of the baths. Now, the statues that line the Terrace here are of Roman Emperors, Governors of Britain and various military leaders. These arent from Roman times either. In fact they were sculpted in 1894 especially for the grand opening of the Baths in 1897. [13] But what you can see from here is only a fraction of the whole Roman Baths site, which stretches below ground level under the surrounding streets and squares of the town. While were here on the Terrace getting our first look at the baths, let me fill you in on a bit of the history. This site, with its hot springs, has long been seen as a sacred place, and the first people to build here were the Celts, and the shrine they built was dedicated to the goddess Sulis. Of course, back in those days they had no way of explaining how hot water came to be bubbling out of the ground, so they believed it to be the work of the gods. When the Romans came, they too built a temple here and dedicated it to their goddess, Minerva. [14] The bath you can see from here is called the Great Bath not very imaginative, I know, but it is the biggest. Impressive, isnt it? At one time it was housed in a huge vaulted hall 40 metres high, which for many people of the period must have been the largest building theyd ever seen in their lives. The bath itself is 1.6 metres deep [15], ideal for bathing, and has steps leading down to the water on all sides. The niches or alcoves you can see all around the bath would have had benches and possibly small tables for drinks and snacks. [16] Not a bad way to spend your free time, relax, and tell yourself its all good for your health. Lets move on to our next stop, the Sacred Spring. This is the heart of the site, where the hot water bubbles up from the ground at a temperature of 46 degrees centigrade. [17] The water comes up from a depth of between roughly two and a half thousand and four and a half thousand metres, where geothermal energy raises the water temperature to between 64 degrees and 96 degrees. Over a million litres of this hot water rise up here every day, and as well as being hot, the water is rich in minerals and it was thought it would cure various ailments and illnesses. [18] In fact, people came here from all over the Roman Empire to try out its healing powers. [19] Before we take a look at the changing rooms and saunas, which are known as the East Baths, and the plunge pools and heated rooms of the West part of the bath house, well pass through the site of the Temple and the Temple Courtyard. Here we are. This temple is one of only two known classical Roman temples in Britain. The other is the Temple of Claudius at Colchester. This temple is said to date from the late first century AD, being built between 60 and 70 AD. [20] But the original temple has been knocked about and added to over the centuries, and what you can see here arc just bits of the original temple. Okay, shall we move on? IELTS Listening Section 3Mr Taylor: Come in, John, come in. Hows the paper going? Lecturer: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the science faculty. As you may know, my field of study is neurobiology, so you may be wondering what I have to say to those of you who are studying physics or chemistry or geology even those of you who intend to become doctors. In fact, what I have to say is aimed especially at those who wish to enter the medical profession, though the main point applies to all of you. [31] And what is my main point? Basically, it is that you shouldnt get stuck in too narrow a specialisation. What I mean is, too often doctors and scientists become experts on one small aspect of their subject and neglect the rest. [32] Perhaps you have heard the joke about a doctor being introduced to another doctor as an expert on the nose: Oh, yes? said the other doctor. Which nostril? I know that more and more it is necessary to specialise, because when you finish your studies you have to find a place in the job market. But I do believe that it is damaging both to you personally and to the profession. You may be surprised to know how many physicians in the past were men of wide culture. Many were interested in the humanities, from the arts to literature to philosophy. A surprising number of them, from Rabelais to William Carlos Williams, became poets, novelists and playwrights. [33] Men of science have written clearly and intelligently about society, psychology and politics. This tradition is not dead. Today such eminent scientists as Stephen Jay Gould, Jared Diamond and Richard Dawkins are well known as popularisers of science, while maintaining high standards. But more of them in a minute. Im not saying that while you are studying anatomy you should sign up for a course in English literature, but reading a few works of fiction in your own time will show you the human mind just as your anatomy classes show you the human body. Science faculties and medical schools, it seems to me, now largely ignore this human dimension. [34] Furthermore, the study of medicine, and psychology for that matter, is largely about what has gone wrong with the body and the mind. That is, it mostly deals with the abnormal. So, to try and correct this situation, if only in a small way, I have come up with some extra reading for you to do. Dont worry. I wouldnt have chosen them if I didnt think they were enjoyable as well as interesting. The first on my list Im sure youve all heard of, even if you havent read it: its Bill Brysons A Short History of Nearly Everything. Now dont turn your noses up at it just because its now officially a school book and is written to entertain as well as inform. [35] In fact, Ive found it a very good bedside book. Next come a couple of the writers I mentioned earlier. Any collection of essays by Stephen Jay Gould is worth reading. He writes clearly in a language non-scientists can easily understand in fact, a lot of his essays are responses to questions about science from the general public. Hes also entertaining on the subject of baseball. Perhaps you should start with Goulds Wonderful Life: he writes brilliantly about natural history and shows how much imagination and excitement there is in scientific discovery. [36] Then theres Jared Diamonds The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, which shows us how close we are to the apes and forces us to look at some of the darker aspects of human nature. [37] After reading it you wont forget your animal ancestry. But dont let that put you off its very readable. Youre probably saying to yourselves, Just a minute, these are all science books. What about the fiction? Ill come to those in a later lecture. At the moment Im just trying to get you to read away from your chosen field of study. However, I will recommend one work of fiction now, though it might come as a bit of a surprise. If it does, it means you havent read it. The book is The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. I can see I have surprised you. Well, it is in fact the first fictional response to Charles Darwins On The Origin of Species. [38] Yes, it is a childrens book, but full of surreal fantasy and wit. The fourth, no, the fifth book on the list is a biography: The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr. To my mind its not particularly well written, but it is a fascinating story. It is about Luca Turin, a biophysicist who becomes an expert on perfume, and about how he missed getting the Nobel Prize. If any of you are thinking of a career in scientific research, this book might make you think again. [39] Its a very tough, dog-eat-dog business. Which brings us to the book that inspired Kingsleys Water Babies, that classic of the genre, Charles Darwins On The Origin of Species. [40] If you havent read it already, perhaps you shouldnt be here, if you have, it wont hurt to read it again. Or if you prefer, read his The Voyage of the Beagle, which as well as being of interest to any natural historian, or anyone interested in scientific method, also makes a great travel book. Well, I think thats enough to be going on with. And I can see that its time to finish up. So please bear in mind throughout whatever course you are studying not to neglect other aspects of your wider, non academic, education. Thank you. Print/Save in PDF Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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