[0:06]Part 1. Now open your question paper and look at Part 1.
[0:16]You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, choose the answer A, B or C, which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.
[0:33]Extract one.
[0:50]Dubai's transformation over the past four decades has been quite incredible. It has gone from being a small Gulf trading center to one of the most glamorous, futuristic, and most significantly, popular tourist destinations on the planet. Many see it as a panegyric to capitalist living and a consumerist mentality. After all, the city is the pinnacle of indulgent luxury and decadence, where money does not talk, but rather bellows brazenly until its yielders every demand has been satisfied. There is nothing in this Emirati state that money cannot buy. And Western tourists are the greatest proponents of the paradigm, flocking in their millions each year to the states busy beaches and gold clad shopping malls. But what is disturbing is not so much their eagerness to embrace the paradise they called Dubai, but rather their shocking ignorance of the injustices that are hidden barely beneath the surface. Indeed, so close are they, that in truth, it must be that rather than being ignorant, most tourists choose to turn a blind eye. For example, ask your taxi driver about his living conditions, and you will soon discover that he lives in a room with seven other occupants, on average, and has little, if any status and protection afforded to him by the law of the land. Foreign building workers go months without being paid, often having their passports confiscated so as to be trapped by their employers. Surely you've noticed their state of ill health as you've passed them by. Or were you looking the other way at the time? Every time?
[2:29]Dubai's transformation over the past four decades has been quite incredible. It has gone from being a small Gulf trading center to one of the most glamorous, futuristic, and most significantly, popular tourist destinations on the planet. Many see it as a panegyric to capitalist living and a consumerist mentality. After all, the city is the pinnacle of indulgent luxury and decadence, where money does not talk, but rather bellows brazenly until its yielders every demand has been satisfied. There is nothing in this Emirati state that money cannot buy. And Western tourists are the greatest proponents of the paradigm, flocking in their millions each year to the states busy beaches and gold clad shopping malls. But what is disturbing is not so much their eagerness to embrace the paradise they called Dubai, but rather their shocking ignorance of the injustices that are hidden barely beneath the surface. Indeed, so close are they, that in truth, it must be that rather than being ignorant, most tourists choose to turn a blind eye. For example, ask your taxi driver about his living conditions, and you will soon discover that he lives in a room with seven other occupants, on average, and has little, if any status and protection afforded to him by the law of the land. Foreign building workers go months without being paid, often having their passports confiscated so as to be trapped by their employers. Surely you've noticed their state of ill health as you've passed them by. Or were you looking the other way at the time? Every time?
[4:03]Extract Two.
[4:21]What could we learn from the recent scandal that has damaged the reputation of some of the UK's largest banks? Well, I think the first thing is a stark reminder that no institution, no matter how well respected, is beyond suspicion. After all, there have been high level failures here resulting in, effectively, banks turning a blind eye to money laundering. The US report has revealed that all the major UK banks are culpable too. This has not been an isolated case. Literally, billions of pounds have been laundered by corrupt regimes and organizations in places like Iran and North Korea. Should those in charge face criminal prosecution? I think that question is somewhat irrelevant. The reality is, whether court proceedings are taken or not, guilt would be nearly impossible to prove. I mean, a court would have to find clear evidence of a deliberate attempt to deceive, rather than just gross incompetence. I don't think it can be done. If you're asking me, should they face a judge, then I would have to say yes, they should. But it isn't going to happen. All we can hope for, at best, is that those in charge of these banks are forced to step down. What could we learn from the recent scandal that has damaged the reputation of some of the UK's largest banks? Well, I think the first thing is a stark reminder that no institution, no matter how well respected, is beyond suspicion. After all, there have been high level failures here resulting in, effectively, banks turning a blind eye to money laundering. The US report has revealed that all the major UK banks are culpable too. This has not been an isolated case. Literally, billions of pounds have been laundered by corrupt regimes and organizations in places like Iran and North Korea. Should those in charge face criminal prosecution? I think that question is somewhat irrelevant. The reality is, whether court proceedings are taken or not, guilt would be nearly impossible to prove. I mean, a court would have to find clear evidence of a deliberate attempt to deceive, rather than just gross incompetence. I don't think it can be done. If you're asking me, should they face a judge, then I would have to say yes, they should. But it isn't going to happen. All we can hope for, at best, is that those in charge of these banks are forced to step down. Extract three.
[6:53]The choice of running mate is one that seldom makes the news. But, truth told, this can be one of the most crucial decisions a candidate makes during the race to the White House. Take, for example, John F. Kennedy's decision to choose Lyndon Johnson. On the face of it, this must have seemed a ludicrous choice. After all, Kennedy and Johnson had zero trust for one another and were of pretty different mindsets politically. But you see, Kennedy's decision was a tactical one. He knew that Johnson could win him the key swing states of the South, especially Texas, and so it proved. But sometimes, these kinds of political gambles don't pay off. John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was a PR disaster and more or less buried his campaign. McCain had chosen her in the hope that by nominating a female as his vice presidential candidate, he would appeal to moderates, swing voters and women. Instead, all three of these categories were left less than impressed by Palin's political expertise. And her infamous public speaking gaffs made her look a far from credible candidate. The public turned on McCain because by association, he too appeared incompetent. After all, he had endorsed this woman in the first place.
[8:23]The choice of running mate is one that seldom makes the news. But, truth told, this can be one of the most crucial decisions a candidate makes during the race to the White House. Take, for example, John F. Kennedy's decision to choose Lyndon Johnson. On the face of it, this must have seemed a ludicrous choice. After all, Kennedy and Johnson had zero trust for one another and were of pretty different mindsets politically. But you see, Kennedy's decision was a tactical one. He knew that Johnson could win him the key swing states of the South, especially Texas, and so it proved. But sometimes, these kinds of political gambles don't pay off. John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was a PR disaster and more or less buried his campaign. McCain had chosen her in the hope that by nominating a female as his vice presidential candidate, he would appeal to moderates, swing voters and women. Instead, all three of these categories were left less than impressed by Palin's political expertise. And her infamous public speaking gaffs made her look a far from credible candidate. The public turned on McCain because by association, he too appeared incompetent. After all, he had endorsed this woman in the first place. That is the end of Part 1. Now turn to Part 2. Part 2. You will hear a journalist talking about the life of a famous Scottish poet. For questions 7-15, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase. You now have 45 seconds in which to look at Part 2.
[11:00]Born in the quaint little village of Alloway, two miles south of Ayr on the 25th of January 1759, Robert Burns came from very humble beginnings indeed. With both his parents, William Burns and Agnes Broun, working as tenant farmers at the time of his birth. But the young Burns was a fortunate child because his parents determined to ensure that he received a good education. With their encouragement, he was soon immersed in his studies and quickly became an avid reader. The works of Pope, Mackenzie and Sterne, being his main literary inspiration at the time. Nevertheless, Burns's upbringing was far from privileged, and the hard physical labor he was required to perform soon began to take a heavy toll on the young man, who, as he grew up, and perhaps in frustration at his plight, increasingly turned his attention to the bottle, and the opposite sex. Passions which would remain with him for the rest of his days, together with a love of poetry and nature. Despite fathering twins with his soon to be wife, Jane Armour at the age of 26, something of a scandal for both the Armour and Burns families, on account of the children having been conceived out of wedlock. Burns was of a mind to emigrate to the West Indies with a mistress by the name of Mary Campbell, not long after. In part at least, due to a rift in his relationship with Jane. But Ms Campbell's sudden death put paid to that idea, and the unprecedented success of his first published collection of verse in his homeland, ensured that Burns would remain there. Only 27, Burns had already become one of Scotland's most famous and beloved bards. Burns soon relocated to Edinburgh, there to be welcomed with open arms into high society, where he would quickly make a number of wealthy and important friends. But where Burns went, controversy was never far behind, and his time in the city was marked as much by tales of his illicit affairs and accusations of his fathering illegitimate children, as it was his prolific and at times inspired writing. Burns's fling with high society was short-lived, however. And it was little more than a year and a half before he had spent almost his entire fortune, earned from the popularity of his published poetry. By 1789, he was forced to take up employment as an excise officer in Dumfries, at which point he resumed his relationship with his wife Jane. As time passed, an embittered Burns became more and more radicalized in his political views, a fact that was reflected in his writings. He continued, however, to produce a huge body of work, and indeed, some of what would later become his most famous pieces, such as For A That and A That. But by the mid-1790s, the strain of Burns's job and his wild lifestyle had begun to catch up with him, and combined with the toil he had endured in his early life, they proved his eventual undoing. Burns's health deteriorated rapidly, and he died aged just 37 on the 21st of July 1796. He was buried with full civil and military honors on the same day as Jane gave birth to his last son, Maxwell. A memorial edition of his work was released with a view to raising funds with which to support the wife and children he had left behind. And though he is best remembered for the legacy he left to Scottish poetry, the fact that Burns had 12 children, resulted in a legacy of another sort. An estimated 600 descendants of his are thought to be alive today.
[15:14]Now you will hear Part 2 again.
[15:19]Born in the quaint little village of Alloway, two miles south of Ayr on the 25th of January 1759, Robert Burns came from very humble beginnings indeed. With both his parents, William Burns and Agnes Broun, working as tenant farmers at the time of his birth. But the young Burns was a fortunate child because his parents determined to ensure that he received a good education. With their encouragement, he was soon immersed in his studies and quickly became an avid reader. The works of Pope, Mackenzie and Sterne, being his main literary inspiration at the time. Nevertheless, Burns's upbringing was far from privileged, and the hard physical labor he was required to perform soon began to take a heavy toll on the young man, who, as he grew up, and perhaps in frustration at his plight, increasingly turned his attention to the bottle, and the opposite sex. Passions which would remain with him for the rest of his days, together with a love of poetry and nature. Despite fathering twins with his soon to be wife, Jane Armour at the age of 26, something of a scandal for both the Armour and Burns families, on account of the children having been conceived out of wedlock. Burns was of a mind to emigrate to the West Indies with a mistress by the name of Mary Campbell, not long after. In part at least, due to a rift in his relationship with Jane. But Ms Campbell's sudden death put paid to that idea, and the unprecedented success of his first published collection of verse in his homeland, ensured that Burns would remain there. Only 27, Burns had already become one of Scotland's most famous and beloved bards. Burns soon relocated to Edinburgh, there to be welcomed with open arms into high society, where he would quickly make a number of wealthy and important friends. But where Burns went, controversy was never far behind, and his time in the city was marked as much by tales of his illicit affairs and accusations of his fathering illegitimate children, as it was his prolific and at times inspired writing. Burns's fling with high society was short-lived, however. And it was little more than a year and a half before he had spent almost his entire fortune, earned from the popularity of his published poetry. By 1789, he was forced to take up employment as an excise officer in Dumfries, at which point he resumed his relationship with his wife Jane. As time passed, an embittered Burns became more and more radicalized in his political views, a fact that was reflected in his writings. He continued, however, to produce a huge body of work, and indeed, some of what would later become his most famous pieces, such as For A That and A That. But by the mid-1790s, the strain of Burns's job and his wild lifestyle had begun to catch up with him, and combined with the toil he had endured in his early life, they proved his eventual undoing. Burns's health deteriorated rapidly, and he died aged just 37 on the 21st of July 1796. He was buried with full civil and military honors on the same day as Jane gave birth to his last son, Maxwell. A memorial edition of his work was released with a view to raising funds with which to support the wife and children he had left behind. And though he is best remembered for the legacy he left to Scottish poetry, the fact that Burns had 12 children, resulted in a legacy of another sort. An estimated 600 descendants of his are thought to be alive today.
[19:29]That is the end of Part 2. Now turn to Part 3.
[19:38]Part 3. You will hear part of a discussion between two well-known business people, Sam Boland and Jimmy Glynn, and a radio current affairs shows host about a recent newspaper article on the subject of jobless graduates. For questions 16-20, choose the answer A, B, C or D, which fits best according to what you hear. You now have a minute in which to look at Part 3.
[21:09]I have Sam Boland and Jimmy Glenn here with me today to discuss an astonishing article that appeared in the Herald yesterday about how job center staff are actually advising graduates to dumb down their CVs to stand a better chance of gaining employment. Your thoughts, gentlemen. Jimmy? Hmm, yes. I have to admit that my initial reaction when I read this article was, well, you've got to be kidding me, right? I mean, why in heaven's name would job center employees, who are supposed to be helping job seekers to showcase their skills and find a job, be trying to deter them from highlighting their achievements? It sounds, well, ridiculous, actually. But then I thought about it some more. And I could see where they were coming from on this. I mean, in its present state, the economy is in dire straits, and all most graduates can hope to secure is a survival job. One that they are probably overqualified for, but which they desperately need to pay the bills. Their qualifications are largely irrelevant, and these advisors may be trying to do them a favor. Exactly, Jimmy. I have to be honest with you, as an employer myself, I would be very wary of hiring someone who is overqualified for a position. It can lead to all sorts of headaches for HR. The employee might consider themselves above the role, and if that sort of sense of entitlement is detected in their work colleagues, the work environment can become very hostile, indeed. Moreover, if that is their attitude, they are likely to resent what they do, and this will inevitably lead to motivation issues and issues with poor productivity. I would rather have someone less skilled who is grateful for the opportunity and that attitude any day. There are no doubts that there is a stigma around graduates. But it is odd, isn't it? That they are being asked to dumb the old CV down. I mean, when we were fresh out of college, the trick to landing a job was always to embellish your achievements. How times have changed. I agree with Sam that the advisors are probably trying to be helpful and do graduate job seekers a favor. And goodness knows they need all the help they can get. Nearly a quarter now remain unemployed for at least a year after they graduate. While one in ten is still on benefits 18 months later. The situation has hit crisis point. It's sad actually, really heart-rending to see a generation who grew up fed on ideas about the importance of getting a degree, and how it would open all sorts of doors up to them in later life, and, more or less, make success a foregone conclusion. Well, to see them being humiliated, and to see their hopes being crushed, is just tragic. I agree that some probably do feel a sense of entitlement and are bitter, but I can emphasize with them in the sense that it is the government that built up their hopes promoting the degree route as a highway to success. And now there is nothing for them out there. In good faith, many of these kids have slogged their guts out to get these paper qualifications, only to discover that, in the real world, they count for nothing anymore. That's a very good point. We do need to help these people and not ridicule them and paint them as privileged and spoiled failures, which the vast majority are most certainly not. And we should also remember that it is because of our generation's mistakes that they are in the precarious situation they find themselves. The new generation is paying for our incompetence. Graduates were not complicit in the banking crisis. Our banking peers were. Graduates did not enact the misguided policies which burdened this nation with debt for generations to come. Our political peers did. And we, the members of the ordinary public, voted for them. So we have a hand in the chaos too. In truth, we owe them something. So their sense of entitlement, although very unbecoming, is not entirely misplaced. Agreed. We need to help them, not criticize them. Personally, I'm in favor of some sort of scheme where companies are encouraged to take on unemployed graduates interns on a temporary basis. Very nice. Here, here. I would also suggest a shift in focus for future education campaigns. This generation was duped by the government into believing that any old degree would do. But the truth is, college goers need to be very selective in this competitive age about what course they study. We need to be encouraging people to get into IT, maths, the sciences and so forth. The Arts and Humanities are all very nice, but in the present job climate, they won't take you too far. Know what I mean? Besides, we should be trying to turn Britain into one of the world's leading centers of excellence in the fields of science, technology, and research and development. But at present, we have a dearth of qualified persons capable of filling these kinds of roles. And companies, foreign ones especially, recognize that and are slow to invest.
[26:20]Now you will hear Part 3 again.
[26:26]I have Sam Boland and Jimmy Glenn here with me today to discuss an astonishing article that appeared in the Herald yesterday about how job center staff are actually advising graduates to dumb down their CVs to stand a better chance of gaining employment. Your thoughts, gentlemen. Jimmy? Hmm, yes. I have to admit that my initial reaction when I read this article was, well, you've got to be kidding me, right? I mean, why in heaven's name would job center employees, who are supposed to be helping job seekers to showcase their skills and find a job, be trying to deter them from highlighting their achievements? It sounds, well, ridiculous, actually. But then I thought about it some more. And I could see where they were coming from on this. I mean, in its present state, the economy is in dire straits, and all most graduates can hope to secure is a survival job. One that they are probably overqualified for, but which they desperately need to pay the bills. Their qualifications are largely irrelevant, and these advisors may be trying to do them a favor. Exactly, Jimmy. I have to be honest with you, as an employer myself, I would be very wary of hiring someone who is overqualified for a position. It can lead to all sorts of headaches for HR. The employee might consider themselves above the role, and if that sort of sense of entitlement is detected in their work colleagues, the work environment can become very hostile, indeed. Moreover, if that is their attitude, they are likely to resent what they do, and this will inevitably lead to motivation issues and issues with poor productivity. I would rather have someone less skilled who is grateful for the opportunity and that attitude any day. There are no doubts that there is a stigma around graduates. But it is odd, isn't it? That they are being asked to dumb the old CV down. I mean, when we were fresh out of college, the trick to landing a job was always to embellish your achievements. How times have changed. I agree with Sam that the advisors are probably trying to be helpful and do graduate job seekers a favor. And goodness knows they need all the help they can get. Nearly a quarter now remain unemployed for at least a year after they graduate. While one in ten is still on benefits 18 months later. The situation has hit crisis point. It's sad actually, really heart-rending to see a generation who grew up fed on ideas about the importance of getting a degree, and how it would open all sorts of doors up to them in later life, and, more or less, make success a foregone conclusion. Well, to see them being humiliated, and to see their hopes being crushed, is just tragic. I agree that some probably do feel a sense of entitlement and are bitter, but I can emphasize with them in the sense that it is the government that built up their hopes promoting the degree route as a highway to success. And now there is nothing for them out there. In good faith, many of these kids have slogged their guts out to get these paper qualifications, only to discover that, in the real world, they count for nothing anymore. That's a very good point. We do need to help these people and not ridicule them and paint them as privileged and spoiled failures, which the vast majority are most certainly not. And we should also remember that it is because of our generation's mistakes that they are in the precarious situation they find themselves. The new generation is paying for our incompetence. Graduates were not complicit in the banking crisis. Our banking peers were. Graduates did not enact the misguided policies which burdened this nation with debt for generations to come. Our political peers did. And we, the members of the ordinary public, voted for them. So we have a hand in the chaos too. In truth, we owe them something. So their sense of entitlement, although very unbecoming, is not entirely misplaced. Agreed. We need to help them, not criticize them. Personally, I'm in favor of some sort of scheme where companies are encouraged to take on unemployed graduates interns on a temporary basis. Very nice. Here, here. I would also suggest a shift in focus for future education campaigns. This generation was duped by the government into believing that any old degree would do. But the truth is, college goers need to be very selective in this competitive age about what course they study. We need to be encouraging people to get into IT, maths, the sciences and so forth. The Arts and Humanities are all very nice, but in the present job climate, they won't take you too far. Know what I mean? Besides, we should be trying to turn Britain into one of the world's leading centers of excellence in the fields of science, technology, and research and development. But at present, we have a dearth of qualified persons capable of filling these kinds of roles. And companies, foreign ones especially, recognize that and are slow to invest.
[31:40]That is the end of Part 3. Now turn to Part 4. what consists of two tasks. You will hear five short extracts in which athletes talk about how they got into their sports and what they put their success down to. Look at task one. For questions 21-25, choose from the list A to H, how each athlete became interested in their sport. Now look at task two. For questions 26-30, choose from the list A to H, what each athlete says is behind their success. While you listen, you must complete both tasks. You now have 45 seconds in which to look at Part 4.
[33:17]Speaker one. I sort of happened upon archery by chance on a summer holiday to Korea. The sport is like a national obsession there, and I had countless opportunities to give it a shot, which I duly did. I'd like to say I was a natural, but, truth told, I had to endure the humiliation of a club full of local Korean kids showing me up. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen to try again on that trip, but it wasn't a case of once bitten, twice shy. If anything, the taste of the sport I'd gotten in our brief stay there piqued an interest I didn't know I had, and soon this grew into a love and an obsession. I mean, I was proper die-hard and would have given any Korean a run for their money in that sense. So anyway, I continued to improve on my return to the states and made rather unexpectedly swift progress. I'm not someone who claims to just turn up and win, though. I've dedicated my life to the sport, and made many sacrifices in order to become what I am today.
[34:13]Speaker two. I didn't have the most orthodox of upbringings, you could say. And my parents were a bit zany. They pretty much gave me free rein to do what I liked. And, well, what I'd liked was the power, the thrill of speeding down the slopes at speeds the like of which I'd never felt before. I mean, there are much worse things an idle kid can turn to, such as alcohol or drugs. So I think I was lucky to find a positive way to fill the boredom. I had no coaching at all until my 12th birthday. One of the national coaches was over at Whistler with a bunch of these kids. I didn't know what they were up to, but they had this slalom course set out. Well, being a bit of a show-off, I invited myself to have a go, and he must have been pretty impressed because I was fast-tracked into the winter sports scholarship program. The secret to success for me has always been my love of the sport. It's not about competing with everyone else. It's about trying to be the best I can and pushing myself further and further in a discipline I love.
[35:19]Speaker three. I was four years old. My dad put a club in my hand and took me out onto the practice range, and just let me hit balls here, there and anywhere I wanted. He gave me no coaching and let me figure it all out for myself. By the age of six, I was the best junior in the club. But while I did find the game pleasant, I was never really that pushed to compete either way. My dad was the driving force behind all that. By my 16th birthday, I had become the youngest national champion in history. I put my success down to the aura that built up around me playing as a junior. Remember that all the guys I compete with now were out on the junior circuit at the same time as me. And well, I left them for dead every time. When I'm teeing off in the final round of a tournament, I expect to win. I think my opponents are convinced of that, too, by the way I conduct myself before play even commences. The battle is won before the round has even begun.
[36:29]Speaker four. My mother put a lot of pressure on me to be a ballerina and follow in her footsteps. Well, I was having none of it. Her insistence that I should train sort of put me off if anything. I found the discipline rather poncey and contrived performance-wise, if I'm honest. I just didn't get it. But that all changed when I met Mark. Mark was 15, the same age as me and gorgeous. And guess what, right? He was a ballerina. Well, I did my best to get his attention in the schoolyard, but he had eyes for nothing but dance. So I started to train seriously for the first time. The school had a talent contest at the end of the year, and I performed a piece from Swan Lake. And, well, suffice to say, I guess it must have done the trick. We've been together ever since, and he has been the driving force behind my success. We train together, and the chemistry is wild.
[37:20]Speaker five. I never really thought about it, if I'm honest. I mean, Taekwondo is a part of my culture, every kid does it. Sure I went to the States on what my parents called at the time an extended holiday, and it was hard back in those days to find somewhere to train, and other artists to spar with. But my dad solved the problem by setting up his own Taekwondo club and training the locals. Eventually, I had some decent sparring partners. I think what's behind my success is the association I make between my sport and my country. It's a matter of extreme pride for me that I'm the best Taekwondo practitioner in the world. After all, my people invented the sport, so I should be. It's in my blood. Every win for me is a nod to my background. It allows me to honor who I am.
[38:06]Now you will hear Part 4 again. Speaker one. I sort of happened upon archery by chance on a summer holiday to Korea. The sport is like a national obsession there, and I had countless opportunities to give it a shot, which I duly did. I'd like to say I was a natural, but, truth told, I had to endure the humiliation of a club full of local Korean kids showing me up. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen to try again on that trip, but it wasn't a case of once bitten, twice shy. If anything, the taste of the sport I'd gotten in our brief stay there piqued an interest I didn't know I had, and soon this grew into a love and an obsession. I mean, I was proper die-hard and would have given any Korean a run for their money in that sense. So anyway, I continued to improve on my return to the states and made rather unexpectedly swift progress. I'm not someone who claims to just turn up and win, though. I've dedicated my life to the sport, and made many sacrifices in order to become what I am today.
[39:07]Speaker two. I didn't have the most orthodox of upbringings, you could say. And my parents were a bit zany. They pretty much gave me free rein to do what I liked. And, well, what I'd liked was the power, the thrill of speeding down the slopes at speeds the like of which I'd never felt before. I mean, there are much worse things an idle kid can turn to, such as alcohol or drugs. So I think I was lucky to find a positive way to fill the boredom. I had no coaching at all until my 12th birthday. One of the national coaches was over at Whistler with a bunch of these kids. I didn't know what they were up to, but they had this slalom course set out. Well, being a bit of a show-off, I invited myself to have a go, and he must have been pretty impressed because I was fast-tracked into the winter sports scholarship program. The secret to success for me has always been my love of the sport. It's not about competing with everyone else. It's about trying to be the best I can and pushing myself further and further in a discipline I love.
[40:12]Speaker three. I was four years old. My dad put a club in my hand and took me out onto the practice range, and just let me hit balls here, there and anywhere I wanted. He gave me no coaching and let me figure it all out for myself. By the age of six, I was the best junior in the club. But while I did find the game pleasant, I was never really that pushed to compete either way. My dad was the driving force behind all that. By my 16th birthday, I had become the youngest national champion in history. I put my success down to the aura that built up around me playing as a junior. Remember that all the guys I compete with now were out on the junior circuit at the same time as me. And well, I left them for dead every time. When I'm teeing off in the final round of a tournament, I expect to win. I think my opponents are convinced of that, too, by the way I conduct myself before play even commences. The battle is won before the round has even begun.
[41:22]Speaker four. My mother put a lot of pressure on me to be a ballerina and follow in her footsteps. Well, I was having none of it. Her insistence that I should train sort of put me off if anything. I found the discipline rather poncey and contrived performance-wise, if I'm honest. I just didn't get it. But that all changed when I met Mark. Mark was 15, the same age as me and gorgeous. And guess what, right? He was a ballerina. Well, I did my best to get his attention in the schoolyard, but he had eyes for nothing but dance. So I started to train seriously for the first time. The school had a talent contest at the end of the year, and I performed a piece from Swan Lake. And, well, suffice to say, I guess it must have done the trick. We've been together ever since, and he has been the driving force behind my success. We train together, and the chemistry is wild.
[42:13]Speaker five. I never really thought about it, if I'm honest. I mean, Taekwondo is a part of my culture, every kid does it. Sure I went to the States on what my parents called at the time an extended holiday, and it was hard back in those days to find somewhere to train, and other artists to spar with. But my dad solved the problem by setting up his own Taekwondo club and training the locals. Eventually, I had some decent sparring partners. I think what's behind my success is the association I make between my sport and my country. It's a matter of extreme pride for me that I'm the best Taekwondo practitioner in the world. After all, my people invented the sport, so I should be. It's in my blood. Every win for me is a nod to my background. It allows me to honor who I am. That is the end of Part 4. There will now be a pause of five minutes for you to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet. Be sure to follow the numbering of all the questions. I shall remind you when there is one minute left, so that you are sure to finish in time. Thanks for watching! VietFCE
