Part 1: Booking a Home Water Check
You will hear a woman phoning a water company to book a free home water check.
Lời thoại bài nghe (transcript)
Daniel: Good morning, Brookvale Water, home efficiency team. Daniel speaking. How can I help?
Joanna: Hello. I picked up a leaflet about free home water checks, and I'd like to book one, please.
Daniel: Certainly. The visits are free for all our customers this year. Can I start with your name?
Joanna: Yes, it's Joanna Hallworth.
Daniel: Could you spell the surname for me?
Joanna: Of course. H-A-L-L-W-O-R-T-H.
Daniel: So that's two Ls in the middle?
Joanna: That's right, two Ls.
Daniel: Thank you. And what's the address?
Joanna: It's 27 Ashgrove Close. That's A-S-H-G-R-O-V-E.
Daniel: Lovely. And how many people live in the house? It helps us work out what your usage ought to be.
Joanna: There are four of us. Oh, wait, actually, my son's just moved back home after finishing university, so it's five now.
Daniel: Five, OK. When would suit you for the visit? Our engineers are in your area on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Joanna: Tuesday would be ideal. Oh no, hang on, I've got a dentist's appointment on Tuesday morning. Could we make it Thursday instead?
Daniel: Thursday's fine. Morning or afternoon?
Joanna: Morning, please. I usually go to the gym in the afternoon.
Daniel: No problem. Now, during the visit the engineer will fit a couple of free devices. You'll get a water-saving shower head, and also a shower timer. That's a little gadget that lights up after four minutes to remind you to get out.
Joanna: Oh, my teenagers will love that! Do you also replace old toilets? Ours is ancient.
Daniel: I'm afraid we don't replace toilets, but the engineer can adjust the flush so it uses less water. Is there any particular problem you'd like him to look at?
Joanna: Yes, actually. Our bills have gone up quite a lot, and I noticed something odd. Even at night, when nobody is using any water at all, the meter keeps going round.
Daniel: That does sound like a leak somewhere, possibly underground. The engineer will definitely check that. Can I take a contact number, in case he's running late?
Joanna: Yes, my mobile is 07946 318552.
Daniel: Let me read that back: 07946 318552.
Joanna: That's it. And how long will the engineer be there? I'll need to arrange to work from home.
Daniel: Most visits take about an hour. The old leaflet says thirty minutes, but now that we test for leaks as well, you should allow an hour. If there's a big job to do, he won't stay longer; he'll book another visit instead.
Joanna: An hour's fine. Oh, and is there anything we can do about the garden? It's quite large, and we water the lawn a lot in summer.
Daniel: Well, plenty of people ask about sprinklers. Using one in the evening rather than in the middle of the day does help a little, but what the engineer will mainly recommend is a water butt. That's a large container that collects rainwater from your roof, and you can use it for the plants. We can fit one for a small charge. Some customers replace their lawns with gravel, but we don't usually suggest that, because it's bad for wildlife.
Joanna: A water butt sounds sensible. And what happens after the visit?
Daniel: You'll receive a written report by email within a few days, listing everything the engineer found and what else you could do to cut your water use.
Joanna: Will we get any money off our bill? My neighbour said she got a discount.
Daniel: There was a discount scheme last year, but I'm afraid that's finished now. And some people confuse us with the energy company, which is offering vouchers towards new washing machines, but that's nothing to do with us.
Joanna: Oh well, the report will still be useful. Thank you so much for your help.
Daniel: You're welcome, Mrs Hallworth. The engineer will see you on Thursday morning.
