Ielts Higher

IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 IELTS HIGHER GENERAL TRAINING PRACTICE TESTS TEST 09 ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 Many thanks for using IELTS HIGHER! Everyone at IELTS HIGHER would like to wish you all the very best for your next IELTS test. Good Luck!
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Listening ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Questions 1 – 10 SECTION 1 Questions 1 – 5 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Interview Notes Department applying for: Name: Qualifications: Related work experience: Duration of work experience: Notes: 1 ……………………………
Richard 2 ……………………………. 3 ……………………………. John Scott and Partners 4 ……………………………. Found it interesting to see diploma studies in 5 ……………… applications Questions 6 – 10 Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. Notes (continued) Aspect of diploma / most interested in: Interested in Anderson Lee because: computer-based 6 ………………….. – Would enjoy working inside 7 …………….. – Hopes to gain 8 …………….. – Thinks there would be opportunities for promotion in the future Diploma Grades: Accounting Theory – B, Basic Economics – B,
Computer-based Business Modelling – A, Corporate Accounting – A and 9 …………….. – B Contact number: 10 ……………………………. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Questions 11 – 20 SECTION 2 Questions 11 – 16 Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Notes Strategy for dealing with several 11 …………….. .
One option – simply 12 …………….. job offers which are not your first choice Advice 1: Don’t 13 …………….. . Ask the company for 14 …………….. . Advice 2: Ask the company to give you the offer 15 …………….. . Advice 3: If an offer is unclear, don’t be shy about asking for 16 …………. . Questions 17 – 20 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Notes continued Regarding your 17 …………….. – Tell them about any 18 …………….. – this can 19 …………….. your application – 3 possible results you get the job! you don’t get the job! you get the job with better 20 …………….. 2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER SECTION 3 TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Questions 21 – 30 Questions 21 Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. 21 At the end of the workshop, the students should understand the idea of a year off ………….. . Questions 22 – 24 Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Common reason for taking a year off Speakers comments
To relax and do very little too long doing nothing you would not be very 22 ………….. by the end To travel a lot of benefits need to choose 23 ……………….. carefully To make a difference or give something back try to match your voluntary work with your 24 ………………… Questions 25 – 30 Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer. Notes on the best approach Take time to establish what you want to 25 ……………. Can learn skills which are 26 ……………. Taking time away from everything can be a 27 ……………. use of time No matter what you do, you should try to write a log 28 …………….
The log is 29 ……………. in order to get the most from any experience The year off needs to be structured and 30 ……………. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER SECTION 4 TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Questions 31 – 40 Questions 31 – 37 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer. History of Telecommuting 1831
Michael Faraday: vibrating metal to electricity 1876 Alexander Graham Bell: acquired 31 ……….. for the telephone 1877 Established the Bell Telephone Company First city 32 ………………. in Hartford, Connecticut. 1878 First telephone directory – one page containing 33 ……….. 1883 Speak on the phone between cities – New York and Boston 1912 Navy – 34 ………………. radio using Morse Code 35 ……….. Detroit Police, one-way mobile voice service 1933 New Jersey Police, first 36 ……….. system 1946 A driver in St. Louis made the first mobile telephone call 37 ……….. Wireless telephone service in nearly 100 cities
Questions 38 – 40 Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 38 The PicturePhone was not a success due to high prices and ……………. . 39 The problem with many early collaboration devices was that they were not ……………. . 40 Telecommuting is now widespread due to the cost of services being ……………. . ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER
TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Answers ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM SECTION 1 Practice Test 09 / Listening SECTION 2 SECTION 3 SECTION 4 1 accountancy 11 job offers 21 more clearly 31 patent 2 Arkwright 12 refuse 22 satisfied 32 telephone exchange 3 Diploma in Accountancy 13 rush in 23 destinations 33 50 names 14 more time 24 future / chosen career 4 air to ground 4 6 1/2 months 5 real world 6 business modelling 7 companies 15 in writing 16 clarification 17 first choice 8 wide experience 18 offers you receive 9 Financial Planning 19 improve 10 0676 201210 20 benefits and perks 25 achieve 26 transferrable 27 good 28 regularly / frequently 29 essential 35 1921 36 two-way 37 1948 38 poor picture quality 39 intuitive 40 more affordable 30 monitored ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form.
If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Tapescripts ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening SECTION 1 MAN: Good morning. WOMAN: Good morning. Please come in. MAN: Sorry, I’m not sure if I’m in the right place.
I was looking for the walk-in interview room for the jobs with Anderson Lee. WOMAN: That’s us. You’re in the right place. Please come in. Have a seat. MAN: Oh, good. Right, thank you. WOMAN: So you’re interested in a position with us. Was it for the accountancy department or sales department? MAN: Accountancy. WOMAN: OK, well, first things first. My name’s Jane Southwell. And you are? MAN: Richard Arkwright. WOMAN: Well, pleased to meet you Richard. MAN: Yes, please to meet you, too. WOMAN: Can I just check the spelling of your surname? I think I’ve got it right. It’s A-R-K-R-I-G-H-T … MAN: No, actually it’s A-R-K-W-R-I-G-H-T.
WOMAN: Oh, yes, OK, thanks. Well, let’s make a start. MAN: Actually, I brought a short, summary CV with me, if that helps. WOMAN: Yes, that may help. Let’s have a look at it. … Aha … OK … so in fact you studied Accountancy at Diploma level and you already have some experience working in the accounts department of one of our competitors, John Scott and Partners. MAN: Yes, that’s right. WOMAN: OK, well, the first question is, how long were you with them exactly? MAN: Let me see. I started in February and left in at the end of June. So that’s about 5 months. No, I’m sure it was longer than that. Sorry, that’s not right.
I started in mid-January and left at the end of July. Yes, that’s right. So that’s 6, 6? months to be exact. WOMAN: OK, and … what were you working on mainly during that time? MAN: Well, I was helping … several auditors … and mainly it was checking though delivery dates and invoicing dates to make sure they were … as they should be. WOMAN: OK, and anything else while you were there? MAN: A short spell with one of the bosses. That was more interesting to be honest. I was asked to help him with balance sheet entries for one of their larger clients … I’d better not say which one of course. WOMAN: OK. No problem, at all, and … nd that was about it was it? MAN: I also went out on a few customer visits, again with the auditors and that was the best part for me. Seeing inside the companies and how the accountancy departments worked … well, I found that really interesting … I think I could see quite a lot of my diploma studies in practice … in the real world. WOMAN: I see. Interesting well, I would like to continue with a few more questions if I may … —————————————————————————————————————-WOMAN: OK, so you were talking about seeing what you studied in real world situations.
Let’s talk a little about your studies. Which aspect, or aspects, of the diploma did you find most ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: MAN: WOMAN: TM Practice Test 09 / Listening interesting?
I think probably the computer-based business modelling. I see, and why was that so interesting for you? Well, I just found it quite fascinating really being able to input what-if type scenarios and being able to see immediately the impact on the other financial aspects of the business. OK, Richard, and … what attracted you to Anderson Lee. Why did you decide to come here today? Well, I noticed in the job advertisement that you have a number of vacancies for trainee auditors and, as I mentioned before, going out into companies and working quite closely with them … um … that’s something I’d really enjoy doing.
Also I think it would give me a very good start in the industry because I know Anderson Lee has a very broad client base, so presumably I’d be gain experience in a wide range of organisations. OK … And, also … Yes, please go on. The fact that your company is quite large, I think means that there will probably be opportunities for advancement in the future. OK, Richard. That’s interesting. Can I just ask you about your grades – final year grades for the diploma? Yes, of course. Could you just go through them quickly for me subject by subject? Please start at the top with Accounting Theory.
OK, so Accounting Theory – B, Basic Economics – B, Computer-based Business Modelling – A, Corporate Accounting – A and Financial Planning – B. I see, very good. Well done! Thank you. Well, I can tell you right now, Richard, that we would be interested in taking this to second interview. If you would like to do that? Oh really! That’s great news. I’m a bit shocked, I didn’t expect to … That’s OK. So you would like to go ahead? Oh, yes definitely. OK, well I’ll discuss this with one of our managers, and I’ll get back to you in a couple of days. Is that OK? Yes, that’s … that’s great. Thank you so much.
I’ve got your telephone number, have I, on your CV? Actually, no, sorry, I think I forgot to put it on there. No problem. Could let me have it now? Of course. It’s 0676 201210. OK, 0676 201210. That’s it. OK, Richard, very nice to meet you and I’ll give you a call … ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening SECTION 2 Hello again everyone.
So we’re now into our fifth session on ‘successful job hunting’, and today we going to look at multiple job offers … what to do … how to handle them … and what the best strategy is. Well, first of all, we have to say this would be a nice problem to have, right? Well it could be, but what should you do if you receive an offer for a position which is not your first choice? You might like the job but at the same time prefer another job at a different company. How do you strategically ‘wait it out’? Your first option would be to simply refuse the offer and hope, with all your heart, that your number one choice will end up being successful.
This of course could be risky. It’s kind of like being asked to a college dance by your ‘second choice’ when you’re still hoping to be asked by your dream date! What do you say? How long can you put them off without losing the offer? Handle this poorly and you could end up without any offers at all. No date for the college dance! The first piece of advice I’d like to offer you is don’t rush in. Buy time to make a good decision. Because, as we all know, starting a new job is a major decision and it would be foolish to take it lightly.
So, the first step in buying time is to thank the company for their offer, and when you do this by the way, be excited, tell them how happy you are to receive such a great offer. Remember this could be the best offer you get! At this time, it’s also perfectly acceptable to tell them you’d like some time to think it over, to make sure you make the right decision. This is something they’ll understand and respect. They have, no doubt, taken their time in making the decision to offer you a position, and they should grant you the same privilege.
It’s not uncommon to ask for 5 days or a week, although much more, 10 days or two weeks, might be asking too much. The other thing to do, which may also buy you time, is to ask them to put the offer in writing if of course they have not yet done so. In most cases, this is going to take a working week to arrive which gives you 5,or maybe 7 days thinking time. One word of warning here, you should read offer letters carefully, it’s not uncommon these days for companies to include a timeframe for acceptance of the position offered. So, whatever you do, don’t miss the deadline!
Just one more point before we move on, on receiving an offer over the phone or in writing, if something is not clear, you don’t have to just accept it that way. It’s perfectly OK to follow up an offer with a question or several questions for that matter. Again, as long as your questions are valid ones, the company can only respect you for wanting things clear. One example, where you may need clarification is with respect to the remuneration package. Remember, once you’ve signed on the dotted line, the opportunity for negotiation has gone! —————————————————————————————————————- ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening So we’ve talked about your strategy with your second or third choice offer but you’re still waiting for a call or a letter from your first choice company.
Is it just a question of waiting? Or, is there anything you can do? Well, more often than not in life, there are always things we can do and in this case, like many others, it pays to be proactive. So the first thing to do with respect to your first choice company is to inform them of the other offer, or offers, you’ve received. There are two reasons why you should do this. Your first choice company will be pleased that you’ve brought them up to date with your situation. So they are now fully aware of your situation, and that can help them. It also helps you.
The very fact, that you have received other offers is something to be proud of, and something which also improves your application. The fact that these other companies are offering you a job must mean that they can see the value of what you have to offer. There are probably three possible outcomes of doing this. One, they offer you the job! Two, they tell you they are no longer considering you for the position. Or three, they up their offer with improved benefits and perks! The thing is that applying a little pressure on your first choice will not do any harm because you need to know where you stand so you can move forward … 2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening SECTION 3 GUEST: Good afternoon. Today we’re going to look at the pros and cons of taking a year off. You’re only a few months away from finishing your courses here and some of you, if not most of you, are I’m sure, considering this option … ut you may all have quite different reasons for considering it, and quite different expectations of it. By the end of the afternoon then, I hope you’ll go away with a clearer idea of what taking a year off can do for you, what benefits there are to be gained and also … and this is equally important … what a year off cannot do for you … that is to say, it’s not the answer to every problem that graduates face on leaving university. So let me make a start. Let me just ask you what you think are the main reasons why people take a year off? STUDENT 1: They don’t want to find a job!
GUEST: Yes, that could be a reason! STUDENT 2: They want to relax for a while after studying. GUEST: OK, yes, that’s another very possible reason. There are in fact many reasons and many which are … let’s say questionable … and I’d like to address some of the common ones first, along with some of the pitfalls you may like to avoid. Now, many people feel they just want to take time out when they finish, after studying so hard for so long. While this is natural enough, first off, I’m not sure you’ll need a full year to do so … and secondly, re you really going to be satisfied with yourself, at the end of a year, of having done basically nothing? STUDENT 2: Sorry, so just chilling out for a year is not really a good idea. GUEST: Well, probably not. Chilling out for a couple of weeks might be OK but then after that I’m sure you’d want to achieve more in the time you have … on this planet. Another common reason people cite for taking a year off is to travel … to see the world. Again, I would offer a word of caution. While few people would argue against the merits of travel, it does of course depend on where you go and what you do when you get there.
Drifting from one holiday resort to the next, for example, can prove to be expensive, and is unlikely to broaden your mind in the way some travel experiences can. STUDENT 2: So, sorry again, but are you saying travel is not a good idea? GUEST: I’m saying you should plan it carefully and try to seek out destinations and experiences which are very different from what you have become used to. STUDENT 1: Something new? GUEST: That’s right, something new. So, moving on, another common reason is that people want to ‘make a difference’ or ‘give something back to society’, and of course these are worthy motives.
But here again, I would encourage you to be quite focused in your approach if you’re going to do something like this … despite the fact that you probably ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening feel, right now, that you have all the time in the world, that’s still not a good excuse for wasting time … there are no excuses for wasting time … t’s an extremely valuable resource … so why not kill two birds with one stone if you’re going to do some voluntary work. Try to find something which will satisfy your desire to do some good, with something which will link to the career you’re hoping to pursue in the future … —————————————————————————————————————-STUDENT 1: So, what kind of approach would you recommend we take? GUEST: You should start with your aims. Give yourself some time to sit down and ask yourself what you want to have achieved by the end of your year off.
Now, these achievements are, as I mentioned at the beginning, going to be different for everyone. And they don’t have to be work related. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do and perhaps you need to be young and fit to be able to do it … like climb a mountain … then this would be a valid use of time … you would have a great achievement to put on your resume at the end of the year, and what you will have learned, and the skills you will have picked up, not only from climbing the mountain, but from your time spent preparing to climb it, will be transferable and will serve you well in the future …
But nor does your aim have to be so adventurous … If for example, you really have no idea of what to do with a year off and you also have no idea of what career you’d like to have in the future, then perhaps the best solution would be to simply get away from it all and try to find yourself, understand who you are, and hopefully arrive at some conclusion as to what you’d like to do in the future … if anyone were to do this, well, that would also be time well spent. STUDENT 1: So could you tell me the difference between your last example and basically chilling out for a year? GUEST: The difference is the very point I’m making.
In my example, you have a very clear aim, not only in your mind but hopefully written down somewhere to remind yourself what you’re trying to achieve. In my last example, you’d be expected to keep a weekly, or even daily, log of your progress … this is an essential component and will have a profound effect on what you manage to take away from whatever experiences you have … So you can see that even when your aim is not work or sport related it still has a structure and it is something you monitor. That’s very different from just taking every day as it comes and going with the flow. STUDENT 1: I see, thank you. GUEST:
OK, now let me get you all a little more involved. I’d like you to … ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening SECTION 4 Undoubtedly, the printing press changed the world in the 13th century by spreading the written word. But the telephone was the first technology that made working together at a distance possible in real time.
Telegraph and semaphore flags, you might argue, made that possible too but you’ll have to admit the bandwidth was pretty low, and the bits per second transmitted were just that, bits per second! Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this, our first session on telecommuting. Today the focus is mainly on the history and briefly on how things are looking today. Let’s make a start. So it was back in 1831 that Michael Faraday proved that vibrations of metal could be converted to electrical impulses. Forty-five years later, around 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied the discovery, and was issued a patent for the telephone.
The following year he formed the Bell Telephone Company, and installed the first city exchange in Hartford, Connecticut. Then, in 1878, the world’s first telephone directory was published, very different from the massive paperbacks we have today, it was a single sheet of only fifty names … yes names because numbers were not then in use. And that year President Hayes installed the first telephone in the White House. The first outgoing call from there went to Alexander Graham Bell himself, who apparently had to be told to speak more slowly. It was then six years, 1883, before you could talk to someone in another city …
New York and Boston were the first to be connected. In 1912, the Navy experimented with air to ground radio using Morse code. And, in 1921, the Detroit Police Department, began experimentation with one-way mobile voice service, so-called radio-telephone communication, and in 1933 the New Jersey Police Department made it possible to call a police vehicle and expect an answer over the first two-way system. In 1946 a driver in St. Louis, placed the first mobile telephone call, and in two years wireless telephone services were available, at a high price I should add, in almost 100 cities.
An engineer by the name of Ring, yes, really, at Bell Labs dreamed up the idea for cell phones, but in 1947 the technology to do it simply did not exist … —————————————————————————————————————-So, when did the cellular phone start to take off? Well, in fact, it wasn’t until 1973, when Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first cellphone call, interestingly to his rival Joe Engel of AT&T Bell Labs! And he did this using a phone about the size and weight of a brick! Ten years later, the first commercial cellular service was launched. 2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Listening Bell Lab’s PicturePhone was test marketed in the early 60’s, a big hit at the Seattle World Fair, and a commercial service for this started in Pittsburgh in 1970. This, however, turned out to be a resounding flop because of steep prices and poor picture quality.
Still, it did suggest that the day would come when you could visually bring people together. High-end teleconference centres were built, and executives across the country and around the world could meet eye-to-eye, if not face-to-face. And it wasn’t long before web-based conferencing systems allowed one-to-many presentations, albeit without any facility for interaction and exchange. Other systems designed to allow collaboration also came along, but were often hard to use because they weren’t intuitive … designed for geeks by geeks … and in many cases they were more limited than the technology they tried to replicate.
Online whiteboards, for example, cost tens of thousands of dollars, but had all of the limitations of real whiteboards and none of the advantages that could have been added such as highlighting, or presentation and mark-up of existing content. Meanwhile, computers and networks were evolving from centralized systems with dedicated terminals to distributed networks of personal computers. Mobile workers, otherwise known as road warriors, with laptop computers began to make hotel reservations based on the availability of internet access. The Marriott Hotel group responded to the demand and now has over 100,000 wired rooms.
And nowadays even airlines are investigating airborne internet access, with Luftansa and American leading the way. One reason telework is coming into its own is that all this and more is now available at more affordable prices, and even free. Today Apple ships their Macintosh computers with built in webcams and free iChat software, for example, so people can videoconference while sharing photos, documents and presentations. Google, some believe, is preparing to blanket the U. S. with free Wi-Fi to make access to their click-though ads more ubiquitous.
When sharing information from anywhere is as easy as meeting face-to-face, telework will become the standard way of working. And we’re going to look at the implications of this … ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Reading ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. ttp://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading SECTION 1 Questions 1 – 13 Read the text and answer Questions 1 – 7 Reduce Stress at Work Here’s How: A Improve your time management and organization skills. Of the many things you can to in this area the best ones include getting a to do list that works, learning to say “no”, asking for help when you need it, and stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself.
B Relax and breathe deeply. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount or work you have to do or if someone is “in your face”, a good thing to do is to “breathe through your nose”. You can’t get as worked up if you force yourself to breathe through your nose. Your body simply can’t maintain the same level of energy without that extra oxygen you get when breathing through your mouth. C Take more breaks from your work. Even a five-minute break will help. Get away from your desk. Go for a walk – outside is better, but up two flights of stairs and back down is good too.
Getting more exercise in general will help you reduce your overall stress levels and that will make it easier to reduce your stress level at work. D Lighten up. Smile more. We all know laughter reduces stress. You will be amazed at how much more pleasant the people around you are when you make an effort to be pleasant yourself. E Learn to listen better. Rather than getting upset when others disagree with you, listen actively and find the areas of agreement. Be assertive and stand up for yourself, but don’t be rigid. F Fix your environment.
Make whatever adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, noise level, and other controllable factors in your office. G Don’t sweat the small stuff. Realize that there are some things that just aren’t worth worrying about and there are some things you just can’t change. Don’t waste time stressing over the things in either category. H Get more sleep. This is another of the things you can do to reduce your overall stress that will have benefits at the office as well. In addition to reducing your stress, it will increase your energy level and your ability to concentrate. I Find a mentor. If not a mentor, a friend will do.
Having someone to talk to can take a lot of stress off you. J Spend more time with optimistic people. Negative people will pull you down to their level. Choose to work with people who have a positive attitude instead. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Questions 1 – 7 The text contains ten sections, A – J.
Which section contains the following information? 1 understanding other people better 2 making yourself more comfortable 3 making sure you get sufficient rest 4 find someone who will listen to you and help you 5 getting things in perspective 6 keeping upbeat 7 turning down some requests ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading
Read the text and answer Questions 8 – 13 Part time Job Legal Assistant – Litigation Job Reference: JSVC-6012 Employer Agency Name: Charterhouse Group Location: Perth Category: Legal Date Posted: 12/01/2011 Job Description: CBD Location, top tier firm. This renowned well respected legal firm who is a market leader has a requirement for an experienced Legal Assistant with a background in litigation. As the Legal Assistant your duties will include but not be limited to: ;; Preparation, editing and formatting of legal documents and correspondence ;; Liaising with clients and internal departments gt;; Diary and file management ;; Monthly billing ;; Typing of documentation (dictaphone and copy) ;; Providing general administrative support to legal team To be considered for this Legal Assistant role you will have experience in a similar role, with a background in litigation, a certificate in legal secretarial studies, excellent communication skills written and verbal, the ability to problem solve, a positive a “can do” attitude and be able to work in a professional and flexible manner. This together with your professional, proactive outlook will see you secure this rare opportunity.
In return, your experience will be rewarded with a great team working environment and a salary to match your experience. If you meet the above criteria and are an experienced Legal Assistant that enjoys a challenge and want to work with a busy, dynamic team, then this is the role that you have been waiting for. Apply by sending your Resume. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form.
If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Questions 8 – 13 Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this 8 The position is with a well known law firm. 9 The successful candidate will be expected to attend weekly meetings. 10 The job involves working with and helping several lawyers. 11 The firm has this kind of opening on a fairly regular basis. 2 The firm is offering a high salary for the right person. 13 The work environment appears to be quite relaxed. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading SECTION 2 Questions 14 – 27 Read the text and answer Questions 14 – 21 The Paper Clip When were bent-wire paper clips introduced?
The first bent-wire paper clip was patented by Samuel B. Fay in 1867. This clip was originally intended primarily for attaching tickets to fabric, although the patent recognized that it could be used to attach papers together. We have found no advertisement or other mention for the Fay paper clip before 1899, and it therefore appears unlikely that it had significant, if any, sales prior to the late 1890s. However, beginning in 1899 and for decades thereafter, the Fay design was widely advertised under many brand names for use in fastening papers.
The Gem paper clip, which was never patented, but which eventually became by far the best selling paper clip in the U. S. , has been advertised since 1894, and may have been introduced in 1892. A patent application filed at the end of 1896 indicated that a number of different paper clips were in use. A flood of paper clip patents were issued beginning in 1897. This evidence indicates that bent-wire paper clips came into widespread use in offices in the late 1890s. A 1900 trade publication stated that “The wire clip for holding office papers together has entirely superseded the use of the pin in all up-to-date offices. Why weren’t bent-wire paper clips marketed earlier? According to Petroski, “Steel wire was still new in the second half of the nineteenth century. The widespread manufacture and use of the paper clip had to await not only the availability of the right wire but also the existence of machinery capable of tirelessly and reliably bending it in a flash into things that could be bought for pennies a box. ” (Henry Petroski, “From Pins to Paper Clips,” The Evolution of Useful Things, Vintage, New York, 1992, p. 60) With what products did paper clips compete most closely?
The two earliest patents indicate that bent-wire paper clips could be used in lieu of pins, sewing, “pointed bent-over paper fasteners,” and eyelets. In 1904, Clinch Clips were advertised as “Cheaper than Pins. ” Around 1910 advertisements compare paper clips to straight pins for temporary attachment of papers. By contrast, early paper clip advertisements do not refer to staples. Why were bent-wire paper clips sold in so many different designs? Many designs were initially protected by patents. As a result, other manufacturers had to come up with different designs.
Also, no single paper clip design is optimal for all purposes. In marketing paper clips, suppliers emphasized the superiority of their designs on one or two of the following characteristics: 1. Does not catch, mutilate, or tear papers 2. Does not get tangled with other clips in the box 3. Holds a thick set of papers 4. Holds papers securely 5. Is thinner and takes less space in files 6. Is easily inserted 7. Is light weight and requires less postage 8. Is cheap (e. g. , because it uses less wire) ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Questions 14 – 21 Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS and/or a NUMBER from the text for each answer. 14 The patent filed by Fay in 1867 included the application of keeping papers together and fastening _____ . 15 Post 1899, Fay used different __________ to market his paper clips. 6 The number one paper clip in America was called ______ . 17 A trade magazine seemed to recognise the success of the paper clip around __________ . 18 Production of the paper clip was held back until the _____ became available. 19 In 1904, paper clips were sold on the basis of them being _________ alternatives. 20 The __________ on paper clip designs forced competitors to be more creative. 21 Some paper clips were marketed as being able to keep a lot of pages together more __________ . ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. ttp://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Read the text and answer Questions 22 – 27 Body Language at Work News of the world’s largest experiment to investigate telepathy last week set staff tongues wagging. How wonderful it would be to know what Sandra in accounts really thinks of Susan in systems, and what’s behind the faux niceness of Rachel at reception.
But while mind-reading is a skill we’re unlikely to use in the office, the ability to read people’s bodies is not so unfathomable. Understanding Body Language In A Week, published this month by The Institute of Management, aims to show how body language in the workplace betrays your true attitudes, hints at what others really think and can help you become a more effective communicator. The existence of a body language speaks for itself through the statistics. Less than 10% of the messages we communicate occur through our speech; a surprising 40% are conveyed by our tone of voice and 50% simply from our gestures.
This is the claim of the book’s authors, Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson, who say that “communication without body language would be like writing without punctuation. ” Such an analogy may ring true for the bumbling fools among us, who can’t get the gist of how to conduct a good office relationship with our peers. While Ribbens and Thompson argue that our ability to interpret others’ behaviour is inherent, they acknowledge that not everyone knows how to use that 90% of unspoken communication for the best. For the growing number of support staff, the art of body language is a talent worth nurturing.
With technology liberating them from the more time-consuming chores, PAs and secretaries are able to pursue more social responsibilities – managing staff, attending meetings and handling clients. But to milk these social settings, their body language has to say “confident and capable” – otherwise they will amount to no more than wasted opportunities. Judi James, business consultant and author of Body Talk: The Skills of Positive Image, offers some advice to the shy secretary. “In America, PAs will give out business cards as a matter of course, but if I suggest this in the UK it tends to provoke nervous laughter,” she says. People in support roles in this country are terrified that being assertive will be misinterpreted as arrogance, which it won’t. ” Recognising that the nation’s confidence is somewhat lacking, an increasing number of British organisations are encouraging staff to learn how to use body language to communicate better. “I don’t like to portray body language as a bag of tricks, but in terms of marketing yourself more effectively at work, there are tips that make a massive amount of difference,” says James. “Always enter offices and meeting rooms confidently, as if you’re meant to be there.
It’s amazing how many people have difficulty going up to someone and confidently shaking their hand with just enough eye contact to make them realise you’re worth speaking to. Once you’ve made that initial impact you can probably afford to let it drop a little during the meeting, but that first impression is really important. Always avoid tiptoeing into meetings looking apologetic and trying to be invisible. It looks awful and – although it isn’t fair – people will probably question your credibility, however brilliant you might be at your job. ” James cautions against being too reticent with our bodies. If you have to approach a senior colleague at ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading their desk, try to do so with as much purpose as possible. Many people find it very irritating to have someone lurking at their desk, timidly waiting to speak to them, and it can get your conversation off on the wrong foot.
I think you can afford to move with a degree of authority without looking like the young pretender. ” It can also help to slightly mirror the other person’s body language, although obviously it pays to judge this sensitively. But let’s not kid ourselves too much with all these career-furthering intentions. The really appealing thing about analysing body language is the idea of interpreting other people’s behaviour. From now on, never believe a colleague who has a habit of rubbing his eyes or touching his nose. He is lying, according to the gospel of body language, and should not be trusted.
All of which doesn’t bode well for poor unfortunates struck down with conjunctivitis or for those who can’t resist fingering a snotty nose. The authors’ get-out clause for this little discrepancy is to argue that “it is seldom one gesture or posture, but a combination of body signals that convey the clues. It is also important to put the body language in context. ” So next time someone picks at their clothes while talking to you don’t automatically assume – as the textbook has it – that they privately they disagree with you.
They might be trying to remove traces of the morning’s toothpaste from their lapel. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Questions 22 – 27 Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. 22 Geoff Ribbens and Richard Thompson state that A we understand about half of other people’s body language
B a significant portion of a message is delivered through intonation C the major part of any message is sent through our body language 23 More technology means A staff are using their body language less effectively B some staff have developed more confidence C admin staff carry out more people-related tasks 24 James believes that A PAs in America are more confident than in the UK B PAs in the UK are arrogant C PAs in America are concerned about appearing to be arrogant 25 James believes there is much to be gained from A maintaining strong body language throughout a meeting
B making a high level of eye contact C entering a meeting with confidence 26 When addressing senior staff, James thinks A you should use your body language to show the required level of respect B you should always try to mirror their body language C you should not be too timid 27 When attempting to interpret body langauge, we should remember A that it is not difficult to misinterpret the meaning B that a single gesture often tells us all we need to know C to pay more attention to facial gestures ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. ttp://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading SECTION 3 Questions 28 – 40 Read the text and answer Questions 28 – 40 Life Beyond Pay A A new magazine was published in America this month. Success is the resurrection of a title first published in 1897 by Orison Swett Marden, an entrepreneur and author of a series of self-help books, including “Getting the Most Out of Life”.
The magazine’s publisher, Joseph Guerriero, wants today’s Success to reflect the contemporary workplace, where, he says, success is measured less by money and titles, and more by what is sweepingly referred to as “work-life balance”. The first issue contains an article about men leaving work to become full-time fathers. B Improving the balance between the working part of the day and the rest of it is a goal of a growing number of workers in rich Western countries.
Some are turning away from the ideals of their parents, for whom work always came first; others with scarce skills are demanding more because they know they can get it. Employers, caught between a falling population of workers and tight controls on immigration, are eager to identify extra perks that will lure more “talent” their way. Just now they are focusing on benefits (especially flexible working) that offer employees more than just pay. C Some companies saw the change of mood some time ago. IBM has more than 50 different programmes promoting work-life balance and Bank of America over 30.
But plenty of other firms remain unconvinced and many lack the capacity to cater to such ideas even if they wanted to. Helen Murlis, with Hay Group, a human-resources consultancy, sees a widening gap between firms “at the creative end of employment” and those that are not. D The chief component of almost all schemes to promote work-life balance is flexible working. This allows people to escape rigid nine-to-five schedules and work away from a formal office. IBM says that 40% of its employees today work off the company premises. For many businesses, flexible working is a necessity.
Globalisation has spread the hours in which workers need to communicate with each other and increased the call for flexible shifts. Nella Barkley, an American who advises companies on work-life balance, says that large firms are beginning to understand the value of such schemes, “but only slowly”. For most of them, they still mean little more than child care, health care and flexible working. E Yet some schemes go well beyond these first steps. American Century Investments, an investment manager in Kansas City, pays adoption expenses and the cost of home-fitness equipment for its employees.
Rob Marcolina, a gay consultant with Bain & Company based in Los Angeles, was allowed time off to marry his partner in Canada, and another break to look after their daughter when she was born to a surrogate mother. Mr Marcolina, who has an MBA from the high-ranked Kellogg business school, says his employer’s understanding makes him want to be “part of Bain for some time”. F Businesses have other good reasons for improving employees’ work-life balance. Wegmans Food Markets, a grocery chain based in Rochester, New York, frequently appears near the top of lists of the best employers in America.
It has a broad range of flexible-work programmes, which gives it one of the lowest rates of employment turnover in its industry-8% a year for full-time workers, compared with 19% across the industry. G Simple programmes can be surprisingly cost-effective. IBM, for instance, is spending $50m over five ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. com/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM
Practice Test 09 / Reading years on “dependant-care” facilities for its employees. Although that sounds generous, it is the equivalent of little more than $30 for each IBM employee every year. That is far cheaper than a pay rise and probably a better way to retain talented mothers and fathers. Ernst & Young, a global accounting firm, has a low-cost range of initiatives called “People First”. It provides breaks for people to provide care and has over 2,300 flexi-time employees in the United States. James Freer, a senior executive, says he is “absolutely convinced” the initiatives help produce better financial results.
H DeAnne Aguirre, a mother of four and a senior partner in San Francisco with Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), says “it is easy to make the business case” for work-life balance programmes at the consultancy by looking at attrition rates. BAH calculated that it was investing more than $2m in turning a raw recruit into a partner, an investment it should be reluctant to write off. Corning, an American glass company, reckons that it costs 1. 5 times a worker’s salary and benefits to replace him. If it can retain just 20 workers a year who would otherwise have left, Corning reckons it would produce annual savings of $2. m. I Business schools are now climbing on the bandwagon, too. In October Tuck School at Dartmouth, New Hampshire, will start a course on returning to corporate life after an extended absence. Called “Back in Business”, the 16-day, $12,000 re-entry programme is open only to students with “work experience in a high-potential career”. The majority will inevitably be mothers wanting to rejoin the workforce. But fathers are also asking for sabbaticals. Work-life balance “is not just a women’s issue” any more, says Ted Childs, who is in charge of workforce diversity at IBM. “Men, too, are very concerned about it. J The demand is being stoked by the “Generation Y”, the under-28s. They look sceptically at the idea of lifetime employment within a single organisation and they are wary of the commitment they believe too often drove their parents to the divorce courts. Hay’s Ms Murlis says that today’s business-school graduates are “looking for a workstyle to go with their lifestyle”, not the other way round. They are happy to binge-work for a while, but in return want extended sabbaticals in which to chill out. ©2000 – 2012 IELTS HIGHER, A member of COTTON ON TO Ltd. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. http://www. ielts-higher. om/ The contents are for your own individual study only and may not be shared or transmitted in any form. If you breach this copyri ght you could face legal action against you. IELTS HIGHER TM Practice Test 09 / Reading Questions 28 – 40 The text contains ten paragraphs, A – J. Which paragraph contains the following information? 28 how one company helps families 29 two serious problems for employers 30 one reason why employees need to work flexible hours 31 a new publication to mirror changes in the work environment 32 how a division between companies is developing Classify the following statements by person
A James Freer B Rob Marcolina C Helen Murlis D Joseph Guerriero E Orison Swett Marden F Nella Barkley 33 was given a break from work after the birth of his ch