English Recordings

The night is calm in Gotham City.
In Batman's hometown, a blue and red object flies in the sky.
It's...Superman !
........
"It is a great night", the hero says.
"I love flying through Gotham City. I go home to Metropolis."
........
BOOM
An explosion !
"Ugh, my ears!"
"What was that ?" he asks.
"I want to know!"
........
Superman lands on the street.
Someone is destroying the city.
It's...Batman !

Topic: In cities and towns all over the world the high volume of traffic is a problem. What are the causes of this and what actions can be taken to solve this problem?

Model essay:

It is undoubtedly the case that urban areas around the world increasingly suffer from congestion. In this essay, I examine the reasons for this trend and suggest some practical policies the authorities could implement to reduce the level of traffic in our cities.

The first step is to understand why traffic has increased in towns and cities. Broadly speaking, there are three main reasons for this. One is that cars have become more affordable for the average consumer and they are no longer a luxury item, but something that most families expect to own. A second reason is that public transport has become increasingly unreliable in recent years, not least because many bus and train services have been reduced because of the difficulty in funding them. The third reason is that society has in general become more mobile and this means more people are prepared to commute to work by car than they were before.

There is almost certainly no one solution to this problem given the complexity of its causes. However, one option has to be to improve the reliability of public transport to encourage people to take the bus or the train rather than get in the car. It would also be possible to discourage people from driving to work by introducing special tariffs for using the roads, especially during peak periods. A successful example of this is the congestion charge scheme in London which has certainly reduced the level of traffic in inner-city areas.

In conclusion, there are a variety of different factors that have led to rising levels of traffic in urban areas. While it may not be possible to find a complete solution, any action should probably involve encouraging greater use of public transport and making it more expensive for the motorist to drive in urban areas.

Topic: Differences between countries become less evident each year. Nowadays, all over the world people share the same fashions, advertising, brands, eating habits and TV channels. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this?

Model essay:

It is undoubtedly the case that the world today has become a global village. One of the effects of this is that increasingly people in all corners of the world are exposed to similar services and products and adopt similar habits. My view is that this is largely a beneficial process and in this essay I will explain why.

The first point to make is that there are some downsides to this process of cultural globalisation, but these are relatively minor. The most significant of these disadvantages is that it can weaken national culture and traditions. For example, if people watch films and television programmes produced in the United States, sometimes they adopt aspects of the lifestyle of the American characters they see on television. Typically, however, this only affects minor details such as clothing and does not seriously threaten national identity.

When we turn to the other side of the argument, there are two major points to make in favour of this process. The first of these is that the more we share habits, products and services, the better we understand each other and this reduces prejudice against other nations. The other point relates to modernity. It is a sign of progress in a society that people no longer are restricted to brands and advertisements from their own society but are able to access more international goods. If, for example, there were unable to drink Coca Cola or wear Nike, then that would mean their society was not part of the international community.

In conclusion, I understand the point of view of people who worry about cultural globalisation because it is a threat to national traditions. However, this is outweighed by its positive impact on international understanding and the fact that it represents progress within a society.

Two years ago I bought a mobile/cell phone and the screen was scratched. To be honest, I was at fault in part, because I should have checked before taking it with me, but I didn’t take the time.
When I noticed it, I went to the shop and they said I should use the guarantee, but they couldn’t change it because they didn’t know if I'd scratched it myself.
I was not satisfied, because that solution made things difficult for me. I had to send the mobile to a place outside Madrid and I had to wait for five weeks before I got a new phone back. I’ve learn one thing: check everything you buy before you pay for it, even if it’s packed and sealed.

The early history of Canada is a story of fish and fur. But after the World War II, Canada began to develop its own industries, such as producing cars and airoplanes. Today, Canada is the largest producer of nickel. It supplies the world with iron and copper as well as wood, paper, oil, gold and silver. Canada now has moved swiftly with research and development in fibre optics and communications.

Hey.How was your vacation?
Oh, good. Really good.
Well,tell me about it.
Sure. We travelled all over the country. We also went hiking in the mountains. Unfortunately, we didn’t have our hiking boots, so we had to wear regular shoes. It wasn’t very comfortable.
Oh, really?
Wanna see my pictures? I have some good shots on my laptop.
I’m sorry, I don’t have much time. Did you have any problems during the trip?
Yeah. I lost my passport.
Oh, my Gosh! It’s pretty serious! What happened?
I left it in our hostel under the bed, but the receptionist found it and mailed it to me!
Wow. That was lucky! So, do you think you’ll go back to South Korea again?
Sure. You should go too. It’s kind of expensive, but it’s a wonderful country!

A Queen's Guard wears a red tunic with dark blue trousers.
He carries a rifle.
He wears a bearskin hat.
This tall black hat is a bearskin, made from artificial fur or the fur of the Canadian bear.
When is the Queen's birthday?
The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year.
Her actual birthday is in April because she was born on 21st April 1926.
Her official birthday is on the second Saturday in June.
Can you think of a reason why the Queen would have two birthdays?
The Queen's birthday is officially celebrated on the second Saturday in June by the ceremony of "Trooping the Colour" on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, in London.
The Queen's birthday parade is the biggest royal event of the year.
The ceremony dates back to the 18th century when the Colours (the flag) of the regiment were carried or 'trooped' in front of the soldiers to make sure they could recognize their flag in battle.
The Queen has taken the salute every year of her reign.
Everybody watches a fly-past by the Royal Air Force.

I’m going to talk about my favourite chair. It’s a big, leather armchair that sits in my living room at home, just under my living room window.

I didn’t actually buy the armchair. One of my friends was moving house and was going to buy some new furniture. I had always liked his leather armchair, so he said I could have it if I managed to move it. The chair wouldn’t fit in my car, and it was tricky to get it out of my friend’s apartment. I had to hire a small van to take the armchair home.

Obviously I use the armchair for sitting! It’s my favourite place in the house to relax, read a book, watch TV or even do some work; the chair’s arms are quite wide and flat, so my laptop fits nicely on either of them. Last night I fell asleep in my armchair while I was watching a film.

The main reasons why I like this piece of furniture are that it’s comfortable and it’s in the perfect position in my living room. The only drawback might be that I enjoy sitting in the armchair too much, and sometimes I think it makes me lazy!

I’m going to describe a very famous building in New York: the Empire State Building. People might not think of it as an old building, but the Empire State Building was built in 1931, so I don’t think it can be classed as new. It’s located on Manhattan island and it’s probably the most distinctive and recognisable building when you look at New York’s skyline.

As far as I know, the Empire State Building is an office building, but visitors can go up to an observation deck on the top floor, which is the 102nd floor. There’s also a 360-degree observation area on the 86th floor. Apparently, the building makes more money from the sale of tickets to the observation floors than it does from office rentals.

I think the Empire State Building is still one of the most impressive skyscrapers in the world. It’s such an iconic structure, and it’s amazing to think that it was built around 80 years ago. The best thing about the building is the viewing deck on the top floor, which offers spectacular views of the city; it’s definitely the best vantage point in New York. I’d recommend anyone who visits the city to go there and experience the view.

I rarely watch traditional television channels nowadays; I much prefer searching for interesting programmes or videos online. So, although it’s not a normal TV channel or programme, I’d like to talk about a website which I think is kind of a modern version of a TV channel. It’s called TED, which stands for ‘Technology, Entertainment, Design’, and it’s a great place to watch short talks and presentations about all sorts of interesting topics.

The good thing about the videos on TED is that I can watch them whenever I want. I have ted.com saved as one of my favourites on my laptop, and I tend to visit the website every few days to check whether there is anything new. I often watch TED videos on my phone while I’m travelling to work on the train.

The reason I like watching online videos on TED is that I learn something new every time I watch one. The tagline for the TED website is ‘ideas worth spreading’, and this really sums up the appeal of the site for me. Instead of watching meaningless soap operas and talk shows on TV, I’d much rather spend 10 minutes watching someone talk about a breakthrough in technology, science or healthcare.