Conversation One

W: Well, it’s the South Theater Company. They want to know if we’d be interested in sponsoring a tour they want to make to East Asia.
M: East Asia? uhh… and how much are they hoping to get from us?
W: Well, the letter mentions 20,000 pounds, but I don’t know if they might settle for us.
M: Do they say what they would cover? Have they anything specific in mind?
W: No, I think they are just asking all the firms in tongue for as much money as they think they’ll give.
M: And we are worth 20, 000 pounds, right?
W: It seems so.
M: Very flattering. But I am not awfully happy with the idea. What we get out of it?
W: Oh, good publicity I suppose. So what I suggest is not that we just give them a sum of money, but that we offer to pay for something specific like travel or something, and that in return, we ask for our name to be printed prominently in the program, and that they give us free advertising space in it.
M: But the travel bill would be enormous, and we could never manage that.
W: I know. But why don’t we offer to pay for the printing of the programs ourselves on condition that on the front cover there's something like This program is presented with the compliments of Norland Electronics, and free advertising of course.
M: Good idea. Well, let’s get back to them and ask what the program they want will cost. Then we can see if we are interested or not.

Questions 19-21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. What do we learn about the South Theater Company?
20. What benefit does the woman say their firm can get by sponsoring the Theater Company?
21. What does the woman suggest they do instead of paying the South Theater Company’s travel expenses?

Conversation Two

W: Rock stars now face a new hazard --- voice abuse. After last week's announcement that Phil Collins might give up touring because live concerts are ruining his voice, doctors are counseling stars about the dos and don'ts of voice care. Here in the studio today, we have Mr. Paul Phillips, an expert from the High Field Hospital. Paul, what advice would you give to singers facing voice problems?
M: If pop singers have got voice problems, they really need to be more selective about where they work. They shouldn't work in smoky atmospheres. They also need to think about resting their voices after a show. Something else they need to be careful about is medicines. Aspirin, for example, singers should avoid aspirin. It thins the blood. And if a singer coughs, this can result in the bruising of the vocal cords.
W: And is it true that some singers use drugs before concerts to boost their voices when they have voice problems?
M: Yes, this does happen on occasion. They are easily-available on the continent and they are useful if a singer has problems with his vocal cords and has to sing that night. But if they are taken regularly, they cause a thinning of the voice muscle. Most pop singers suffer from three things: lack of training, overuse and abuse of the voice, especially when they are young. They have difficult lives. When they go on tour, they do a vast number of concerts, singing in smoky places.
W: So, what would you advise the singers to do?
M: Warm you voice up before a show and warm it down after.

Questions 22-25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22. What does last week's announcement say about rock star, Phil Collins?
23. What does Paul Philips say about aspirin?
24. What does Paul Philips say about young pop singers?
25. What are the speakers mainly talking about?