Practice Listening Business English Exercises for A2 – Environmental protection

A 3   B 2   C 4   D 1

Audioscript

1

We’ve got some rather unusual drinks machines in our office which recycle metal cans. They’re called reverse vending machines. When you’ve finished your drink, you just put the can back into the machine and the cans are collected once a week. It’s a great way to reduce waste and make us think about protecting the environment.

2

Someone in our company started an initiative to turn off lights. We have a lot of rooms that aren’t used very often. Our electricity comes from fossil fuels, so every time you leave a light on, you’re polluting the environment. We consume a lot less electricity now. You’d be surprised how much we save on our bill!

3

They’ve made two big changes in our work’s canteen. Firstly, they don’t throw away food at the end of the day. They keep it for the next day and sell it at a reduced price. Secondly, they’ve stopped using plastic knives, forks and spoons and they’ve gone back to metal. It’s the same for cups and glasses. It’s much better to have glasses you can reuse than plastic cups you have to throw away.

4

We’ve started a carpooling system in my office, and about half the staff do it now. At least two people travel in each car, which means we’re reducing our emissions by more than 50%. It’s nice to know that we’re not polluting the air so much, and it’s also nice to chat to colleagues in the car before and after work.

1

1 the whole company   2 next year   3 can’t

4 part of the day

2

1   Do you mean

2   Sorry, did you say

3   So, are you saying

4   What do you mean by

Audioscript

Teresa   Hello, Guido. You said you wanted to talk to me.

Guido   Yes, come in Teresa. I wanted to talk to you about the green initiatives proposed by Head Office. Which proposals do you think would be most effective?

Teresa   Do you mean in my department or in the whole company?

Guido   I mean in the whole company. Head Office wants us to cut our carbon emissions by 10% before the end of the year.

Teresa   Sorry, did you say by the end of this year? I thought the proposals said by the end of next year.

Guido   Yes, you’re absolutely right. We’ve got until the end of next year. I’ve looked at the different ideas, and I think it would be really easy for us to keep the windows closed when the heating is on.

Teresa   So, are you saying that we should tell people they can’t open the windows anymore?

Guido   Yes. At least not when the heating’s on. Also, perhaps we should turn the heating off for part of the day.

Teresa   What do you mean by part of the day?

Guido   Just a couple of hours in the afternoon, between two and four, let’s say.

Teresa   Well, I suppose that would work. The office does usually get very warm in the afternoons.

1

1 energy, profits   2 environment, business

3 employer   4 regulations

2

1 e   2 g   3 f   4 a   5 b   6 c   7 h   8 d

Audioscript

Hello and welcome. I’m Christophe Jansen and I’m here to tell you about the advantages of going green. If you take action now, you’ll be ready for the government’s new environmental laws. I’ll come to the new regulations later. But first of all, I’ll give you a quick overview of my talk. We’re going to look at the general benefits of a clear green policy and then discuss in more detail what it can do for your company.

Let’s start with the subject of profits. If you turn off machines when you’re not using them and turn the heating down in warm weather, you will reduce your energy costs significantly. We’ve calculated that you can achieve a 20% reduction, and this will significantly increase your company’s profits. You have all the figures for your company in the document I’ve given you. My next point concerns your company image. An increasing number of consumers and business customers today will only buy from or invest in companies who help protect the environment. If you reduce carbon emissions, you will attract more business. And yes, that means even more profits! In addition, you will improve your reputation as an employer. People don’t just want to buy from eco-friendly companies: they also want to work for them.

Finally, I want to talk about the importance of taking action now. As I said before, governments are going to introduce new regulations to combat climate change. Being prepared for these new regulations will save you time and money when they are introduced. Why money? Because companies that don’t respect the law in good time will have to pay heavy fines.

So, to sum up, cutting carbon emissions is good for your profits … and for your reputation. But it’s also good for your conscience. Do you want to be part of a company that is not making an effort to reduce global warming?

That brings me to the end of my talk. Thanks very much for listening. Now, are there any questions?