Tapescripts
The part of the text containing the answer is underlined with the question number given in square brackets []. If you still struggle with CAE Listening, please refer to Listening tips.
Part 1
Extract One
Man: I’m a terrible ham when it comes to reading to my kids. I like to do all the voices so I look for books with lots of dialogue and different characters. [2] My kids are totally unimpressed and probably prefer having their mother read to them. She reads in a very soothing voice, and she’s not trying to act or show off. It reminds me of listening to my own mother read when I was a kid.
Woman: Yes, I always claim that I read aloud to our three children for their benefit. That it’s good for their educational development to sit and listen last thing at night. That somehow, through hearing a story, their creative juices will be stirred. But it is, of course, for me. Nothing can beat the delight of disappearing into a new thrilling chapter. And I bet I’m not the only parent who, having turned out the light and said goodnight to their grateful offspring, sits down on the stairs and reads on to find out what happens next. [1,2]
Extract Two
Host: Lots of people set up their own businesses and in many cases they do so in partnership with a friend, rather than going it alone. The reasons for this often aren’t purely practical, for example because of complementary skills and experience. It often comes down to fear. Starting and running a business on your own can be a daunting prospect. [3] No wonder people often prefer to share the burden with a friend. It doesn’t always go according to plan, though, as Dean Ransom discovered when he started a business with a friend. What went wrong, Dean?
Man: Well, I’d known my partner for years and I felt we had a lot in common. What I hadn’t realized about him was how indecisive he was, but I’d had no reason to notice that aspect of his personality before. He just wasn’t prepared to take responsibility for any decisions at all. He just sat back and expected me to do it all. [4] I didn’t want to carry that burden alone. I wanted some sense of shared responsibility, but instead I felt as if I was making all the big decisions on my own.
Extract Three
Man: Some people think there’s only one way to become a better runner – and that’s to run. But I’d argue that by confining your sessions purely to running, you are missing out on lots of fitness attributes that could contribute to improving your technique, your running economy – that’s your ability to run faster without using up more energy – and your injury resistance.
Woman: Absolutely. Running is a perfectly natural activity but the body was designed to move in all directions, using a variety of muscle groups, not just in a forward direction using only the lower body, often on unforgiving, hard surfaces. If running is all you do, some muscle groups get flabby and lazy through under-use, while others become tight and short through overuse. If you can strengthen the neglected muscles, stretch the tight ones and make the most heavily used ones more resilient, you’ll be on the way to a more balanced body and this will translate into better running. [6] And by better, I don’t just mean faster – I mean more comfortable, less strained and altogether more enjoyable.
Part 2
Speaker: I am standing in the middle of a group of people at an event and someone asks the inevitable question ‘What do you do?’ When I say that I am a Life Coach I often encounter a puzzled stare followed by the comment ‘What’s that?’ I tell them that I am really in the ‘construction business’ [7] and that I partner with people to discover what they truly want in their personal lives and how to build profitable businesses.
Most people know what they do not want and often make the mistake of focusing on the ‘don’t wants’ to the detriment of their real desires. [8] Make no mistake, we get what we focus on, so it is up to you to focus on your true goals. With the help of a coach, you are held accountable for your actions in a non-judgemental way.
The first step is to identify a specific goal. Think of the goal as a destination and our plan to reach it as a road map. [9] Together we devise an action-oriented strategy to achieve results much faster than you can do alone. Goals can include personal changes such as getting fit or losing weight, increasing self-confidence or improving time management skills. [10] Business goals can be identifying your target market, attracting new clients and innovative marketing ideas. [11]
The two most important skills that a Life Coach has are intensive listening and incisive questions. On your own when dealing with problems you ‘may not see the wood for the trees’. Sometimes the coach’s questions may elicit only surface answers, but with further questions the coach can get to the true issue. Sessions are conducted on the telephone which allows for full concentration on what the client is saying without any physical distractions. [12]
As a Life Coach, I do not deal with your past – that is a therapist’s job. [13] My primary concern is where you are at the moment and where you want to go in the future. What do you want to change about the here and now? Coaches do not act as problem solvers, but serve as the catalyst for the client to find their own solutions. [14] I will point out your strengths and not just your problem areas. Sometimes the client has the answers; sometimes the coach does. It really doesn’t matter where the answers come from as long as they are found.
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