NARRATOR:
In part 3, you will hear two students discussing a presentation about housing in the future.
NARRATOR:
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 23.
NARRATOR:
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 23.
MIA:
Leo, you remember the presentation we're doing together this term?
LEO:
The one about homes in the future?
MIA:
I'm slightly worried about it.
MIA:
Do they expect us to invent completely new ideas for what those homes might be like?
LEO:
I don't think that's the aim.
LEO:
We're supposed to describe possible developments and assess them.
LEO:
The problem is, we can't just make broad claims.
LEO:
We'll need suitable real-life cases to back up every point, and finding enough of those could take quite a while.
MIA:
Yes, that's what concerns me too.
MIA:
When do we have to submit it?
LEO:
Not for another six weeks, so the deadline shouldn't be a problem.
MIA:
We should probably choose the kind of housing we're going to examine now.
LEO:
What about homes designed for several generations of the same family?
MIA:
Or we could look at housing for people who live alone.
LEO:
I heard another pair have chosen that.
LEO:
I was thinking of accommodations specifically for older people, since demand for that is likely to rise.
MIA:
True, but your first idea about relatives of different ages sharing a home gives us more to discuss.
LEO:
Most of the extra housing will probably be needed in cities.
LEO:
One possible response would be to turn existing office or industrial buildings into flats.
MIA:
Or designers could arrange the available space more imaginatively, allowing people to manage in smaller homes.
MIA:
Even so, I think the main answer is to build apartment blocks with many floors.
LEO:
So cities grow upwards rather than spreading out.
NARRATOR:
Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 24 to 30.
NARRATOR:
Now listen and answer questions 24 to 30.
MIA:
Let's move on to some particular features that future housing might include.
LEO:
We could start with gardens on the roofs of buildings, especially tower blocks.
MIA:
They wouldn't only work on tall buildings.
MIA:
A single-story suburban property could have one as well.
MIA:
But I think the people who'd gain most are those living high up in a city, because greenery nearby could make such a difference to their well-being.
LEO:
Particularly when their flat has no balcony.
MIA:
Another feature could be a communal work area within the building or shared by a small group of houses.
MIA:
Residents working from home would have somewhere better to go than their kitchen table.
LEO:
They'd avoid the journey to an office, but still meet other people.
LEO:
Conversations with someone in a completely different line of work can produce ideas you wouldn't have had by yourself.
MIA:
I've also read about apartments with internal partitions that can be moved.
MIA:
The layout could then be altered as the household changes over the years.
LEO:
That could be useful when adult children remain at home after starting work, or if an older relative later comes to live with the family.
LEO:
Both the people already there and anyone joining them could have a space arranged for their own needs.
MIA:
What do you think of bathroom mirrors that can check a person's health?
MIA:
They're meant to identify possible symptoms and contact a doctor automatically.
LEO:
I'm not convinced that's sensible.
MIA:
They might make people anxious about something that turns out to be harmless.
LEO:
We should mention transport, too.
LEO:
Housing developments could provide secure bike stores with charging sockets, so residents could leave electric bicycles there and recharge them.
MIA:
Yes, that might persuade more people to cycle instead of driving, which would reduce the environmental impact.
LEO:
I came across a development where residents had to leave their cars at the edge, making the whole central area pedestrian only.
LEO:
It sounded ideal for families with young children.
MIA:
But it could be a real disadvantage for an older or disabled resident who couldn't walk very far.
MIA:
There was another scheme with shared vegetable plots.
MIA:
Neighbors chose together what they wanted to grow.
MIA:
It could give retired residents a project to work on together and help them get to know each other once they're no longer meeting people through work.
LEO:
Yes, activities are usually more enjoyable when they're shared.
LEO:
Do you think we could perhaps investigate?
