TPO 11 Conversation 1
Narrator
Listen to a conversation between a student and a university employee.
Student
Hi, I need to pick up the gym pass.
Employee
OK. I’ll need your name, year, and university ID.
Student
Here’s my ID card. And my name is Gina Kent, and I’m first year.
Employee
OK. Gina. I’ll type up the pass for you right away.
Student
Great! This is exciting. I can’t wait to get started.
Employee
Oh, this is a wonderful gym.
Student
That’s what everybody has been saying. Everyone is talking about the new
pool, the new indoor course. But what I love is all the classes.
Employee
The classes…?
Student
Yes, like the swimming and tennis classes and everything.
Employee
Oh yeah, but this pass doesn’t entitle you to those.
Student
It doesn’t?
Employee
No, the classes fall into separate category.
Student
But, that’s my whole reason for getting a pass. I mean, I was planning to take a
swimming class.
Employee
But that’s not how it works. This pass gives you access to the gym and to all
the equipments, into the pool and so forth. But not with team practicing, so you
have to check the schedule.
Student
But what do I have to do if I want to take a class?
Employee
You have to: one, register; and two, pay the fee for the class.
Student
But that’s not fair.
Employee
Well, I think if you can think about it. You’ll see that it’s fair.
Student
But people who play sports in the gym… they don’t have to pay anything.
Employee
Yes, but they just come in, and play or swim on their own. But, taking a
class---that is a different story, I mean, someone has to pay the instructor.
Student
So, if I want to enroll in a class.
Employee
Then you have to pay extra. The fee isn't very high, but there’s a fee. So, what
class did you say you want to take?
Student
Swimming…
Employee
OK. Swimming classes are thirty dollars a semester.
Student
I guess I could swing that. But I’m still not convinced it’s fair. So, do I pay you?
Employee
Well, first, you need to talk to the instructor. They have to assess your level
and steer you into the right class, you know, beginner, intermediate…
Student
You mean, I have to swim for them? Show them what I can do?
Employee
No, no, you just tell them a little bit about your experiences and skills, so they
know what level you should be in.
Student
Oh, OK. So, I guess I’ll need an appointment.
Employee
And I can make that for you right now. And I’ll tell up you about your gym ID
card. You’ll need it to get into the building. Now about that appointment… how
does Wednesday at three sounds?
Student
Fine…
Employee
OK. Then you’ll be meeting with Mark Guess. He’s a swimming instructor. He
also coaches the swim team. And here, I’ve jotted it all down for you.
Student
Great! Thanks.
TPO11 Lecture 1 Biology
Narrator
Listen to part of a lecture in a Biology Class. The class has been learning
about birds.
Professor
Ok, today we are going to continue our discussion of the parenting behaviors
of birds. And we are going to start by talking about what are known as
distraction displays. Now if you were a bird and there was a predator around.
What are you going to do? Well, for one thing you are going to try to attract as
little attention as possible, right? Because if the predator doesn’t know you are
there, it is not going to try to eat you. But sometimes certain species of birds do
the exact opposite when the predator approaches they do their best to try to
attract the attention of that predator. Now why would they do that? Well, they
do that to draw the predator away from their nests, away from their eggs or
their young birds. And the behaviors that the birds engaging in to distract
predators are called distraction displays. And there are a number of different
kinds of distraction displays. Most of the time, when birds are engaging in
distraction displace they are going to be pretending either that they have injury
or that they’re ill or that they’re exhausted. You know something that’ll make
the predator thinks Hum… here is an easy meal. One pretty common
distraction display was called the broken wing display. And in a broken wing
display the bird spreads and drags the wings or its tail, and while it does that, it
slowly moves away from the nests so it really looks like a bird with a broken
wing. And these broken wing displays can be pretty convincing.
Another version of this kind of distraction display is where the birds create
same impression of a mouse or some other small animals that running along
the ground. A good example of that kind of display is created by a bird called
the purple sandpiper. Now what’s the purple sandpiper does is when a
predator approaches, it drags its wings but not to give it the impression that its
wings are broken but to create the illusion that it has a second pair of legs. And
then it raises its feathers, so it looks like it got a coat of fur. And then it runs
along the ground swirling left and right you know like running around a little
rocks and sticks. And as it goes along it makes a little squeezing noises. So
from a distance it really looks and sounds like a little animal running along the
ground trying to get away. Again to the predator, it looks like an easy meal.
Now what’s interesting is the birds have different levels of performance of
these distraction displays. They don’t give their top performance, their prime
time performance every time. What they do is they save their best
performances they’re most conspicuous and most risky displays for the time
just before the baby birds become able to take care of themselves. And the
time that way because that when that make the greatest investment in
parenting their young. So they are not going to put their best performance just
after they laid their eggs because they have to invest that much more time and
energy in parenting yet. The top performance is going to come later. Now you
have some birds that are quiet mature, are quite capable almost as soon as
they hatch. In that case, the parent will put on the most conspicuous
distractions displays just before the babies’ hatch because once the babies are
hatch they can pretty much take care themselves, and then you have others
birds that helpless when have hatch. In that case, the parents will save the
best performance until just before the babies get their feathers.
