Now turn to section 2, track 21. Section 2. You will hear someone talking on the radio about a running event. First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 17.
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 17. Now, we're grateful to Fred McKinnon for coming into the studio today to give everyone a few tips about the City Marathon that's taking place next Saturday. Thanks, Shweta.
Yes, we're all very excited about the big event. Let me just remind listeners that a marathon is a 26-mile or 42-kilometre race and this year we have 12,000 runners taking part. So, if you're thinking of going out to support the runners, and I know that many of you are, here are some tips to help make your day more enjoyable.
First of all, be certain to plan your day. Don't leave everything to the last minute. Many roads are going to be closed.
We don't have exact times for these closures yet, but my big advice to you is don't rely on your car to get you anywhere. In fact, the best way to get around the town will be on foot. You may choose to cycle, but you still won't be able to go on roads near the runners' route.
Now, we did a broadcast last week in which we told all our runners to wear the right kind of shoes, and I'm going to tell you to put on sensible clothes. A lot of visitors will be coming to the city. You may be hunting for someone in the race that you want to support.
The weather may be hot or it may be wet. Which leads me on to another thing. Make sure you look at the forecast on Friday night.
If it's going to rain, take an umbrella, and if it's going to be hot, take some drinks. However, please don't try to pass these to the runners. We already have hundreds of volunteers who'll be standing on the roadside, so let them give out the drinks.
When you get into the town, find yourself a spot to stand in. You may well want to walk up and down the route, but please don't cross the road. There could be thousands of people running towards you, some very tired and not able to focus clearly.
We don't want any accidents, and runners don't want obstacles like you in their path. What they do need is your support, particularly when their energies are low, so cheer them on, and for once, don't worry about noise. The louder, the better.
Lastly, if you have friends or relatives who are taking part in the run, please don't say that you'll see them at the finish line. If everyone does that, the whole area will be terribly congested, and you won't be able to find anyone. Well, that's most of the advice, but... Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 18 to 20.
Now listen and answer questions 18 to 20. Now, I mentioned transport earlier, and I've just got a few more bits of information about travel on the day. As I said before, roads in the town centre will be closed, but if you need to be picked up at your home, then you could take a taxi some of the way.
Unlike the trams and trains, however, they'll be held up on the roads, so passengers shouldn't expect them to be as punctual as they normally are. Don't be put off by this, though. There'll be extra drivers working that day, and you'll get one eventually.
If you're meeting up with friends and want to be around when the runners set off – that's 9am, by the way – whatever end of the city you're coming from, I'd say use the trams. They still have routes that cross roads, and this will inevitably lead to some problems, but they're likely to have more reliable timetables than buses at this time of day. And, as you know, unlike taxis, they can carry plenty of passengers.
Lastly, the buses. Quite a number of bus routes will be altered slightly, and it's already been decided that some will be closed. There won't be fewer drivers, but they will be operating on different routes, and some will have longer breaks than they normally do.
We'll be including a full list of all the bus routes and numbers, and where they'll be going, in this week's local paper, so look out for that. Well, that's it from me. Back to you, Shweta.
Thanks very much, Fred. That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.