Wildlife Park Listening Comprehension (PDF)

LISTENING COMPREHENSION A WILDLIFE PARK MARK You will hear part of an interview with a man called Damon Walker, who works as the manager of a wildlife park in the north of England. Complete the se...

LISTENING COMPREHENSION A WILDLIFE PARK MARK You will hear part of an interview with a man called Damon Walker, who works as the manager of a wildlife park in the north of England. Complete the sentences. EXAMPLE: The wildlife park was originally a farm (0) when Damon’s father bought it. A year after the wildlife was opened, Damon’s father brought in different kinds of fish and (1) _______________________. As a child, Damon says his favourite animals were the____________(2) in the wildlife park. Damon chose to become a (3) ______________________after he left school. Damon’s experience with (4) __________________in Australia made him decide to work in the wildlife park. Damon says that when running a wildlife park, the (5) __________________are the most difficult aspect of the job. Damon gets satisfaction out of a recent (6) ____________________which he has started, to teach local schoolchildren about wildlife. Damon is planning to put in some (7) _________________which will increase the security of the animals. Damon is constructing a (8) ________________________for children, using profits from the wildlife park. 0. FARM 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8.  LISTENING COMPREHENSION (KEY) (Source: Cambridge English First 5. Test 3) (From Corpus, EOIAV, 1NA, Sept 2018, Task 2, 8 marks) 0.FARM 1.(TROPICAL) BIRDS 5.(LONG)(WORKING)HOURS 2.CAMELS 6.(WILDLIFE)PROJECT(WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS) 3.DIVER 7.(VIDEO) CAMERAS 4.(SEEING)DOLPHINS 8.PLAYGROUND Interviewer: I have with me in the studio a man called Damon Walker, who works as the manger of a wildlife park in the North of England. Damon, welcome. Damon: Hello. Interviewer: You’re working day and night looking after animals. What made you decide to do such a job? Damon: I was employed by my father. He originally worked as a gardener for a company that sold flowers to supermarkets, but had always wanted his own business. He bought here when it was a farm, but never made much profit, so he decided to develop it as a wildlife park for the public. He could see the existing land was suitable for animals such as lions and tigers –he just needed to construct places to keep them safe. Then, after the park had been open for a year, he built three lakes, in which he put several varieties of fish. And he also introduced many rare tropical birds(1). Interviewer: As a child, you must’ve enjoyed helping with the animals. Damon: I had to work in the park every weekend, but I didn’t want to. The lions and tigers looked beautiful but I was nervous of being near them. The monkeys made me laugh, but the animals I really loved were the camels(2) –especially riding them. After I left school, my parents wanted wanted me to become a vet, so I could work in the business, but the studying put me off. So I trained as a diver(3) and later I managed to get a job at one of the famous beaches in Australia –somewhere I’d always wanted to go. Interviewer: How long were you in Australia? Damon: Not very long, but it’s a wonderful country. At weekends, I went on camping trips and saw so much wildlife. And the beaches were superb. I wasn’t keen on the sharks though! But there were dolphins(4), and the experience of seeing them made a big impression on me, so I decided to return to England, and I committed myself to taking over the wildlife park from my father. Interviewer: It must be a very hard job. Damon: Yes. We have over two thousand species, which have to be cared for daily. First thing, we check all the animals, then we start with the cleaning out, which has to be done in all weathers. The job’s tough, you get dirty and cold, and the smell is awful! I’m used to that now. But for me the long hours are the worst part of the job(5). You could have planned some time off, but if there’s a problem with the animals, you can’t leave until you’re sure they’re OK. Interviewer: How many staff do you have? Damon: I have twelve park-keepers, but we have a very high turnover of staff. We get from ten to twenty applications for jobs here every month, because people think it will be a lovely job –looking after animals, just like their family pets. But once they realize how hard it is, they sometimes leave within twenty- four hours. Interviewer: You’re involved with the local community, aren’t you? Damon: Yes. This year we’ve started a wildlife project(6) with the local schools. The children each study the habits of a particular animal. They spend hours watching them in the enclosures and taking notes. I find it very satisfying, helping the children improve their understanding of wildlife. In fact, I plan to install several video cameras(7), so the animals can be observed more closely at any time day and night. This will also help me to check on the animals more easily. We have so many valuable animals, I don’t feel the existing alarm system is secure enough. Interviewer: Do you intend to expand the wildlife park? Damon: We’re making healthy profits now, so I’m planning extras for children –in fact, I’m creating a playground(8), which will be very popular. If we continue doing well, I might consider having a track laid for a little train to take children around the park; but that will have to wait for another two or three years. Interviewer: Thank you, Damon, we’ll have to leave it there…