Part V Do you know…?

A. In this section you are going to hear an interview during which an expert is talking about the trend of people moving out of the city into the countryside. After that some statements will be read to you. Decide whether they are True or False. Put “T” or “F” in the brackets. While you listen, don’t forget to take notes.

  1-7  T  T  F  F  F  T  F

Tapescript:

Interviewer: Now, if we could turn our attention to home, what about the trend of people moving out of the cities like London?

Expert: Ah! We should be a bit careful about saying people are moving out of London. Another way of looking at it is to say London itself is moving into the country.

Interviewer: How do you mean?

Expert: With improved transport and better living standards, people can actually afford to spread out far more than they did before and commute into town from greater distances. People can travel to work from distances that would have been inconceivable even 20 years ago.

Interviewer: All the same, isn’t there a drift away from the capital?

Expert: Oh, certainly, but it shouldn’t be exaggerated. Lots of people have got fed up with the dirt and the hassle and the higher levels of crime, and have moved to the country because it’s more peaceful and less stressful. And it’s true companies have moved out to escape high rents and office costs, particularly in the service industries like insurance.

Interviewer: Are there any specific things which have allowed this to happen?

Expert: One of the things which has given people more choice in where they live is the new technology. People can communicate with each other through computer networks from anywhere in the country and so work from home in the spare bedroom.

Interviewer: And how has business coped with this kind of change?

Expert: Well, to give you one example, a company selling office equipment took the brave step of closing down its London office and allowing its ex-employees, its sales people, to set up businesses on their own account from home but using the old company just as their supplier. What happened was that turnover increased dramatically, doubled in fact and everyone was happy. And in this case the new technology was crucial for fast and efficient ordering.

Interviewer: Finally, what about the impact of this trend on agriculture? Assuming that people are moving into the country, doesn’t this mean that there is less land to farm?

Expert: Yes, indeed. And there’s no doubt that we’re losing fields for housing. But this doesn’t matter too much as we have in recent times been overproducing and also yields from the land have increased with modern, scientific farming methods. So what’s happening is that we are getting more from less.

Statements:

1. The city of London is quite dirty.

2. The speed of life in the countryside is relatively slow.

3. Companies remain in the city despite high rents and office costs.

4. The company selling office equipment had no choice but to close down its London office.

5. Shortly after the company closed down its London office, it went bankrupt.

6. More and more fields in the countryside are being used for housing.

7. With less land to farm, people now get fewer farming products.

B. Now try this: Listen to a more authentic version of the interview.

Part VI Reminder of key points in this unit