Part 1: Registering for a Science Fair
You will hear a father phoning the organisers of a science fair to register his daughter's project.
Lời thoại bài nghe (transcript)
Receptionist: Good morning, Westbrook Young Scientists Fair, Carla speaking. How can I help you?
Paul: Oh, hello. I'm calling to register my daughter's project for the fair. Her teacher told us the online form had already closed, but that we could still do it over the phone.
Receptionist: That's right. The website stopped taking entries last Friday, but we accept phone registrations until the end of this week. Could I start with the student's name?
Paul: Yes, her name's Leah Delacourt.
Receptionist: Could you spell the surname for me?
Paul: Sure. It's D-E-L-A-C-O-U-R-T.
Receptionist: D-E-L-A-C-O-U-R-T. Thank you. And how old is Leah?
Paul: She's thirteen.
Receptionist: So she'll be in the junior section. Which school does she go to?
Paul: Ridgemont Academy. That's R-I-D-G-E-M-O-N-T.
Receptionist: Ridgemont Academy, lovely. Now, which category is the project in? We have physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science.
Paul: Well, she originally put it down as chemistry, because she was going to compare different types of soil. But she changed her plan halfway through, so now it's environmental science.
Receptionist: Environmental science, fine. And what is the project actually about?
Paul: She's been looking at the effect of road salt on bean plants. We live on a busy road that gets salted every winter, so she wanted to see whether it harms garden plants.
Receptionist: Road salt on bean plants. That sounds like a very practical idea. Now, will she need anything extra at her table? Some students ask for a sink, for example.
Paul: Actually, she did ask for a sink at first, because she wanted to water the plants during the day. But her teacher suggested bringing photographs of the plants rather than the real ones, so that's no longer necessary. What she does need is a power socket, because she'd like to show a short video on her laptop.
Receptionist: No problem, I'll note down a power socket. The tables along the walls all have one, so we'll put her there.
Paul: Great. And when do we set everything up? The fair itself is on the Saturday, isn't it?
Receptionist: Yes, Saturday the seventeenth of May. Set-up is on the Friday afternoon. It normally starts at three, but this year the school hall is being used for a sports event until four, so set-up will begin at half past four.
Paul: Half past four. That's actually easier for us, because Leah doesn't finish school until half past three.
Receptionist: Good. Everything must be in place by seven, though, because the caretaker locks the hall then.
Paul: Understood. And what about the fee?
Receptionist: The standard entry fee is fifteen pounds. But as you're registering before the end of April, you get the early registration discount, so it comes to twelve pounds.
Paul: Twelve pounds. Can I pay that by card now?
Receptionist: Yes, I'll take that at the end of the call. Before that, there are a few things you might find useful. First, display boards. Every table comes with a folding board, so there's no need to buy one. You'll see them for sale in stationery shops, but honestly, don't bother. Some students make their own out of cardboard, but those tend to fall over halfway through the day, so we don't really recommend it.
Paul: That's good to know.
Receptionist: The second thing is the judging. A lot of parents assume the judges care most about how attractive the display is, and they spend hours on decorations. But what the judges really want is to hear the student explain clearly how they carried out the experiment, step by step. The results don't need to be surprising or original. Even if an experiment didn't work, a student can still do very well by explaining why.
Paul: That's reassuring. To be honest, Leah's results were a bit disappointing.
Receptionist: Then she's in good company! And finally, prizes. We used to announce the winners at a ceremony at the end of the Saturday, but it went on far too late for the younger children. So now every student gets an email on the Monday after the fair telling them how they did. We don't publish the results online, because some families prefer to keep them private.
Paul: That makes sense. Right, shall I give you my card details now?
Receptionist: Yes, please. Whenever you're ready.
