AUDIO SCRIPTS
182
LESSON 12.1 RECORDING 12.1
1
I really detest GPS. Actually, I have one
myself. (laughs). I will admit they are
very practical – and they can stop a lot of
arguments, about which is the quickest,
or fastest way to get somewhere when
you are driving, but they can get people
into trouble. I think they are an example
of people putting too much faith in
technology. They don’t trust their instincts.
They would sooner rely on a state-of-the-art
gadget than what their own eyes tell them.
These people who end up driving through
rivers or get stuck in tiny, narrow streets –
ridiculous. And then there are the people
who mistype the destination and end up
going to a completely different place! Then
again, you could say GPS is dangerous,
when people try and race them, you know
by trying to get to the destination faster than
the arrival time the GPS says. There are
also those drivers who look at the screen
rather than the road ahead, but I suppose
this is people who are a danger rather than
the technology. Whatever happened to
maps and atlases? At least they gave you
an overview. I really think GPS has given
people a worse sense of direction, and
some people have just lost their common
sense! But, I have to agree that they are very
handy!
2
What’s my favourite piece of technology?
That’s easy, my tablet computer. It’s really
great. I know it’s cutting edge, the very latest
model and all that, but what I don’t like is
that it takes a long time to charge. Also, I
have other gadgets from the same company,
but they all have different chargers. I’ve got
so many – why they can’t just have one?
I’ve no idea – it’s a real pain. It’s really easy
to use and it seems durable. I did drop it,
but it didn’t break, unlike my last smart
phone. That wasn’t at all hard-wearing –
the screen cracked pretty soon after I got it
and I had to get a replacement. I suppose
I love gadgets – the trouble is that because
technology changes so fast these days they
go out of date very quickly – they become
obsolete almost as soon as you buy them. I
guess I am a bit of a slave to my machines,
as I panic if I don’t have them with me. Yes,
I’m a technology addict!
3
I suppose the last piece of technology I
bought was a shredder, you know, for
shredding documents and things like
that. Everyone kept telling me to buy one
because they, ... because of identity fraud –
other people finding out information about
you and using it to, I don’t know, to steal
from your bank account or get a passport in
your name, that kind of thing. So I’ve just
bought a shredder, and it’s all right. It was
cheap enough and it’s pretty user friendly,
but I don’t like it ... the idea, I mean. I don’t
like the idea of having to destroy important
documents so other people can’t use them.
It’s just that it shows what kind of a world
we live in now, I suppose, and I don’t want
to believe it. The other thing about the
shredder that I don’t like is the fact that it
isn’t very environmentally friendly – it uses
quite a lot of electricity, which isn’t very
green to start with, and apparently, you
can’t put shredded paper in the recycling
bin. I think it’s different from council to
council, but where I live, they won’t take
shredded paper because the pieces are too
small and can’t be sorted mechanically for
recycling.
LESSON 12.3 RECORDING 12.2
L = Lia, P = Paulo
L:
I think we all agree that the discovery of
penicillin changed the world and if Edward
Jenner hadn’t discovered vaccines, there would
be far more fatalities every year than there
actually are. And I think it’s vital that we move
forward with golden rice. If the authorities
hadn’t blocked the introduction of golden rice
we could have saved many from blindness.
P:
I think many people are uneasy about GM
foods, Lia. If wheat grew in the desert, we
wouldn’t have needed to develop GM crops
in the first place as we would have had
enough food. And another thing. I saw on a
TV programme the other day that a person
would need to eat seven kilos of cooked rice
every day in order to get sufficient vitamin A.
L:
Well Paulo, in the first place, GM crops are
about improving health as well as providing
enough food. And secondly, according to
the latest scientific evidence, it seems that a
large amount of vitamin A can be obtained
by eating sixty grams of cooked golden rice
and that’s grams not kilos.
LESSON 12.4 RECORDING 12.3
J = Jessie, C = Carol
J:
It’s pretty obvious the way the wind’s
blowing, isn’t it, Carol? I mean, why they
want to buy these new machines.
C:
Yeah, no doubt about it. They want to cut
costs and reduce the workforce – what other
reason would they have?
J:
That’s the way I see it too. They just want
to squeeze more work out of us and reduce
the labour bill. Then the profits will look a
bit healthier.
C:
Exactly, You know, I don’t fancy my chances
having a job here in six months’ time. Not at
my age, I’ll be one of the first to go.
J:
Well, I don’t know, you may be lucky. Both of
us may be able to survive. We work pretty fast
and we’ve got a lot of experience. But I must
say, I don’t like the idea of working on some
really complicated new machines. I’m not sure
I’ll be able to. I’m doing good work on the ones
we have now. Like you, I’m used to them and
no one’s complained about my work. But I’ll
take months to get the hang of these new ones.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it.
C:
I feel the same. I don’t want to spend weeks
on a training course to master the machines.
J:
We’re not the only ones who feel like that.
There are a lot of unhappy and worried
people here at the moment. Everyone wants
to know what’s going on and the rumours
are flying around.
C:
Yeah, it’s about time the management told
us exactly what their plans are – then we’ll
know where we stand.
LESSON 12.4 RECORDING 12.4
S = Stephanie, D = Don
S:
You know, Don, a lot of people, and I’m one
of them, don’t think we need to spend a load
of money on new machines at the moment.
We’re still making a profit, not as much as
before, true, but let’s face it, the economy’s
not in good shape at the moment. Everyone’s
suffering.
D:
It’s true what you say Stephanie, but we do
need to modernise our production line. Our
competitors are up-dating their equipment,
and we need to do the same. We don’t
want to be left behind. That’s a very strong
argument for spending some money on
the latest machines. Another reason is that
the new machines will enable operators to
produce a wider range of goods and earn
more money. Don’t forget, their pay depends
on how many items they produce.
S:
We won’t need as many workers, will we,
to do that?
D:
I would argue that we’ll be using our resources
more efficiently. Of course, we’ll have to
reduce our workforce, maybe by 20%, but
that’ll help to lower our costs and make us
more competitive. It’s a hard world out there.
S:
If some of our staff lose their jobs, it’ll
have a bad effect on production. Staff will
be unhappy and then we’ll begin to have
problems, serious problems. It’ll affect the
culture of our company. You know, one
happy family, the staff are our biggest asset ...
D:
That’s a fair point, Stephanie, but look at the
bigger picture. You know the saying, you can’t
make an omelette without breaking eggs. I’m
sure you agree with me, it’s our job to manage
change, to help staff to adapt to the new
situation, even if it’s painful for some of them.
S:
You know, some of our colleagues don’t think
we need the new technology. Who’s to say that
the new machines ... they’re very complicated,
can we be sure they’ll do the job for us?
D:
I’ve heard about these objections. My answer
is simple. The manufacturer has assured us that
the machines will increase the output of each
worker by 20–50%. That’s good enough for
me. Their equipment is reliable and they don’t
make claims they can’t back up.
S:
Yeah, but will the older workers, we’ve got
plenty of them, learn how to use the new
machines? I’m not so sure.
D:
Look, I think you’ll agree, we’ve got some
of the best and most experienced workers
in the trade. They’ll learn how to use the
machines if we give them plenty of time
to train on them. That’s the way forward
for us. We can’t compete with these cheap
imports unless we use the most up-to-date
technology. We don’t have any other option.
S:
I don’t know if I share your opinion. You
may be surprised by the resistance they
show. People don’t like change. In any
case, there are other options ...
D:
Oh?
S:
Yeah, Well, firstly, we could stay as we are,
we’re making a profit in difficult economic
conditions …
