Practice English Listening A2 Exercises – Discovery and invention

1

There are flying cars (but very expensive and you need a licence).

There aren’t robots that can love their owners yet, but there are robots that appear friendly.

There are cyborgs – doctors often give people robotic hands and arms. There is even an ‘Iron Man’ suit which allows people who can’t use their legs to stand, walk and climb stairs and also makes people ten times stronger – only for use in hospitals but possibly in development for rescue workers.

Police can’t exactly predict crimes but a computer program can say where and what kinds of crime might occur.

Personalised advertising is possible: it recognises the age and sex of a person and when you look at one, it chooses an advert for something it thinks you will like. It also records how long you look at the advert and how close you stand.

2

1 T

2 F – You have to have a pilot’s licence.

3 F – It was designed as a friend for astronauts.

4 T

5 T

6 T

7 F – Crime has gone down by 30%.

8 T

There aren’t any road signs in the sky yet, but just like in Back to the Future II, flying cars are real. The Terrafugia Transition is a car which can fly for 800 kilometres at a speed of 185 kilometres an hour. It has two seats and wings that fold up, so it can be driven on a road, too. But it isn’t cheap – it costs about €220,000. And to fly the Terrafugia, you have to have a pilot’s licence.

People who have seen AI might be happy to hear that no one can make robots that love their human owner yet. But scientists are trying to make friendly robots: One example is Kirobo – a Japanese robot that was designed as a friend for astronauts. Kirobo goes with the astronauts into space. It recognises their faces and says “hello” in Japanese when it sees them. It also gives them messages from people on Earth.

You might not know it, but there are already many cyborgs – doctors give people robotic hands and arms every week. And, these days, ‘Iron Man’ suits are also available … well, almost. In Japan, Cyberdyne have created a suit which allows people who can’t use their legs to stand, walk and climb stairs. The suit also makes the person who wears it five to ten times stronger. At the moment, the suit is produced for use in hospitals, but Cyberdyne also want it to be used by rescue workers to lift heavy objects and get to injured or trapped people more quickly after an accident or disaster.

In the United States, the Memphis Police Department is trying to predict the future, just like in the film Minority Report. They don’t have psychics, but they do have a computer program called Blue CRUSH. The program can’t tell the police exactly who will break the law, but it can tell the police where it might happen and even what kind of crime it might be. Crime has gone down by 30% since they started using the program. … The Japanese company NEC has invented billboards which are similar to the ones in Minority Report. The billboards know how old you are and if you are male or female. And when you look at one, it chooses an advert for something it thinks you will like. It also records how long you look at the advert and how close you stand. This measures your interest in the advert. The billboards are already used in train stations in Tokyo.

1

Annie can’t remember the receptionist’s directions to Mark’s off ice.

2

1 first   2 up   3 left   4 door   5 right   6 down

7 first   8 right

Part 1

ANNIE   Excuse me. Can you tell me where the reception is?

PERSON   It’s over there, by the trees. Can you see the doors? And the sign that says reception.

A   Oh, yes. Thanks very much.

P   You’re welcome.

RECEPTIONIST   Good afternoon.

A   Hello. I’m here to see Mark Riley.

R   What’s your name, please?

A   It’s Annie Morton.

R   OK, I’ll let him know you’re here. Oh, hello Mark, it’s Sandra here at reception. I’ve got Annie Morton here to see you. OK, thanks. Bye. Yes, he’s expecting you. He said you can go up to see him. Have you been to his off ice before?

A   No.

R   OK. It’s on the first floor. So, go up the stairs and turn left. Go through the door and turn right. Then go down the corridor and it’s the first door on the right.

A   Fine. Thank you.

A   Sorry, I got lost. Could you tell me where the off ice is again, please?

R   Yes, of course. So, first go up the …

She goes back to (the) reception (and asks again).

Part 2

ANNIE   Sorry, I got lost. Could you tell me where the office is again, please?

RECEPTIONIST   Yes, of course. So, first go up the stairs to the first floor and turn left. Then go through the door and turn right.

A   So go up the stairs to the first floor and turn left. Then go through the door and turn right.

R   Yes. Then go down the corridor and it’s the first office on the right.

A   Sorry, the fourth office?

R   No, the first.

A   Right, I think I’ve got that.

R   Good.

A   So can I just check? Go up the stairs and turn right …

R   No, turn left.

A   Left! Then go through the door and turn left … no … right.

R   That’s it.

A   Thanks very much

Mark thinks Annie has a good chance.

Part 3

MARK   Obviously, I can’t promise anything. But I think you’ve a really good chance of getting a job here.

ANNIE   Thanks, Mark! That’s great. You’ve helped me so much.

M   Not at all. You’ve got a really good CV and lots of experience. I’m sure my boss will be very impressed.

A   I hope so! Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your work now.

M   OK.

A   Oh, and have fun at the gym with Leo tomorrow!

M   Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be good. Do you want me to walk down with you or …?

A   No, it’s OK – I know the way out. Thanks again.

M   Not a problem. See you soon.

A   Bye.

M   Bye.

1

Amir – new kind of car engine

Utta – artificial meat

Pierre – device to put in ear to translate languages

2

Amir – clean cars so no more pollution; yes (someone will invent something to solve the problem)

Utta – cheap, tastes good, fields used for growing food for cows can be used for something else; yes (I think it will happen and it’ll be really good)

Pierre – no need to study, would help people to communicate; no (it’s probably impossible or will take many years)

HOST   Hi, welcome to the show. Today we’re looking at great inventions for the future. What really useful inventions do you think we need? People have called in to the show to tell us their ideas. First up we have Amir. Hi, Amir.

AMIR   Hi.

H   So Amir, tell us about what invention you’d like to see.

A   I think the most important invention we need is a new kind of car engine that doesn’t need petrol. There are too many cars in the world already, and as countries become richer, more and more people will want a car. That will be terrible news for the environment. But imagine a world with clean cars and no more pollution to worry about! I’m sure it will be invented soon. We already have electric cars, but I think it will be something different, maybe something like a car that runs on air. I’m sure someone will invent something to solve the problem. I hope so, anyway.

H   Thanks, Amir. That’s a great invention. Next on the line we have Utta. Utta, tell us about your invention.

UTTA   Hi, well, one really useful invention would be artificial meat that’s cheap and tastes good and which doesn’t need cows, sheep or chickens to produce it. It sounds like science fiction, but in fact they’ve already invented it in a way. Amazingly, they’ve produced beef in a laboratory, but it cost thousands of pounds to make. But that’s the same with all new inventions; they’re always expensive at the start. So, I think it will happen and it’ll be really good, because all the fields we use to grow food for cows could be used for something else – to grow vegetables or plant trees, for example.

H   Thanks, Utta. Artificial meat! Wow, that sounds scary … Anyhow, last up we have Pierre. Hi, Pierre.

PIERRE   Hi.

H   So Pierre, tell us about your idea for a great invention.

P   Well, a really useful invention I read about was a device that you could put in your ear and it would translate languages for you. You wouldn’t need to study for hours and hours to learn a foreign language. You could just put it in your ear when you went on holiday to foreign countries and you’d understand everything everyone was saying to you. It would help people to communicate and would be very useful for business people or for politicians. But it wouldn’t be very good news for teachers. Fortunately, for them, it’s probably impossible to make such a device, or at least it will take many years.

H   Cool. I’d love that invention! Thanks for those great ideas. Who knows which of them will happen! We can only wait and see!

REPORTER   Police are looking for two men who stole money from a cash machine outside Western Bank in Harris Road, Bakersfield at midnight last night. The men arrived at the bank in a large car and crashed into the cash machine on purpose four times. Margaret Edwards is the woman who saw what happened.

MARGARET   I live opposite the bank and was in bed at the back of the apartment. But just before midnight, I got up to go to the bathroom. When I heard a car going very fast, I went into the front living room and looked out the window. I’ve never seen anything like it. The car drove up to the cash machine at about 50 miles per hour and didn’t stop. I thought it was an accident, but amazingly they did it again and again. I called the police immediately.

R   What did the men do next?

M   They got out of the car, put on some gloves and tried to break the cash machine open with a baseball bat which they got from the back of the car. Fortunately, they couldn’t open the machine but then, the driver got back into the car and drove into it again.

R   Can you describe the men?

M   Yes, I can. Fortunately, there were street lights on, so it was easy to see them. The man who was driving the car was about 20 years old, very tall and with very short hair. The other man was about the same age, was short and had dark hair, a hat and sunglasses.

R   Erm … how long did it take them to get the machine open?

M   Unfortunately, the second time the machine broke and they could steal some money. Luckily, the police also arrived at this time so the men only managed to take a small amount of money. They quickly jumped back into the car and tried to drive off. But they drove backwards into a road sign and then, unsurprisingly, the car didn’t start because it was so damaged. So they got out and ran away down Park Avenue.

R   Did the police go after them?

M   Yes, the police car followed them, but the men ran into the park and disappeared.

R   I hear that you found something nearby.

M   Yes, I found a key ring with the name Terry on it and a house key. It was next to the car. I think one of the men dropped it. I gave it to the police when they came back.

R   And what about the car?

M   The police think that the men stole it from a car park earlier in the day.

R   Thank you, Mrs Edwards. Photos of the two men which were taken by security cameras outside the bank will be on the TV programme Everyday Criminals on RBC1 tonight at 8. And now, over to Adam with today’s sports news.