Presenter: Tonight we continue talking with Dr Strait. So far we’ve looked at various aspects of staff selection and I think by now you should all be beginning to see how much more there is to it than just putting the applicants through a short interview or asking the ‘right’ questions. So I think you should be ready for today’s talk on ‘matching the person to the job’.

Dr Strait: We’re going to talk today about the importance of choosing that allround ‘right’ person.

Presenter: You mean we have to put ourselves into the role of the manager or supervisor?

Dr Strait: Yes. And then we are going to imagine how different applicants would fit into the team or group they have to work with. So, we’ll look at some examples later.

Presenter: It’s just theoretical at the moment…

Dr Strait: Yes. The point is you can select someone — even a friend — who has all the right qualifications… degrees… certificates, whatever. You can also check that they have a lot of experience… that they’ve done the sort of tasks that you want them to do in your office already, in a similar environment. But if they start work and you realize that they just don’t get along with everybody else, that… say they’ve got sharply contrasting views on how something will work… well, with the best intentions you may be backing a loser.

Presenter: Wouldn’t it be just a question of company training though?

Dr Strait: Not always. Particularly in a team situation and I think it’s important to think in terms of that type of working environment. People have to have faith in each other’s ability to carry out the task their boss has set them. They have to trust that everyone will do their part of the job, and you can’t necessarily train people for this.

Presenter: But it’s like trying to find out what someone’s personality is like in a job interview... I mean you can’t just do that. Even if you try, you won’t find out what they are really like until they actually start work.

Dr Strait: Well, in most interviews you usually ask candidates questions about their hobbies and what they like doing in their spare time… that sort of thing… so employers are already involved in the practice of… well, doing part of the task.

Presenter: But it doesn’t tell you anything. It doesn’t tell you if they are easygoing or hate smokers or whatever.

Dr Strait: Well, arguably it does give you information about an applicant’s character, but also … more and more employers around the world are making use of what is called ‘a personality questionnaire’ to help them select new staff and…

Presenter: Sorry, what’s it called? Dr Straight: A Personality Questionnaire. They have to be filled out by the candidates sometime during the selection procedure, often just before an interview. The idea is actually quite old. Apparently they were used by the ancient Chinese for picking out clerks and civil servants, and then later they were used by the military to put people in appropriate areas of work. They’ve gained a lot of ground since then and there are about 80,000 different tests available now and almost two thirds of the large employers use them.

Presenter: Which makes you think that there (fade out)

Presenter: Today in our studio we have a Brazilian-born actress Alice Jones, who made her film debut at the age of 18 in the Oscar-nominated «City of God». Good afternoon, Alice!

Alice Jones: Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Presenter: Your biggest achievements are connected with Hollywood and even your surname now is English. Do you still have any connections in Brazil?

Alice Jones: Well, my roots certainly remain firmly in Brazil. I own a production company in São Paolo, the city in which I was raised. Many of my family members are in the film and television industry, and my aunt and mother are both actresses there and my sister is a producer.

Presenter: What inspired you to become an actress?

Alice Jones: I can’t say I’ve always been interested in stardom. Once as a teenager I saw a performance at a theatre, and I loved the play. For me, it changed my perspective on acting and theater. I was 14, and I was enchanted; I completely fell in love. Then I finished school in São Paolo and started attending a university for the performing arts. When I got the invitation to come to an audition, I remember exactly when they told me who was going to be in the film. These were the same actors as in that play. I thought it was written in the stars.

Presenter: Are you currently into any project?

Alice Jones: I am. It is based on a novel by a wonderful Spanish writer. I read the book eight years ago. A really good friend of mine gave me the book, and she said, “You need to read this book because it’s a beautiful, strong story about this woman. Maybe she’s a nice character for you to play, so just read it”. Years went by, and now they want to make a version of it in Spanish, and I was happy when they called me because I always thought it was such a beautiful character for a woman to play. When they called me, I couldn’t believe that eight years after I read the book and fell in love with the character, they came to me. It was very special.

Presenter: As far as I remember, it’s not the first time you’ve worked on a book you love.

Alice Jones: So true! One of my films, «Blindness», is also based on one of my favourite books, so when they invited me, I had the same feeling. For «Queen of the South», again, my main reason to sign up for it was the character and the book, because that was a role I really wanted to play. So right after I got cast, I went straight to the book and made notes, getting all the little details about what people say about her, who she is, what type of woman she is in the world that she’s born into, how she manages to survive — all that. I was just trying to honor the book and have a better understanding of it.

Presenter: How do you prepare for your roles?

Alice Jones: I have an acting coach that helps me. He works with me on preparing — running lines and having ideas and developing different ways of approaching characters. When it’s a story, based on a book, I basically work off the book. The book is my main source of material.

Presenter: I think now you’ve worked more in English than in Portuguese. Is it still difficult for you to work in another language that’s not Portuguese?

Alice Jones: Even now, it’s still a challenge. Because I’m so close to my family and friends and I always speak Portuguese, my heart and mind go to Portuguese. Once I’m on the set, after three or four months doing the series working hard every day and only speaking English, it becomes easier. Your mindset is there and you’re dreaming in English. But it is hard; in a way you keep translating from one language to another.

Presenter: Thank you, Alice.

Presenter: Today I’m in the old English city of Salisbury and talking with the local secondary school teacher Jerry Lewis. OK, tell me first a few words about yourself.

Jerry Lewis: Well, I’m a 44 year old unmarried American who moved to England over 20 years ago, and I teach English in a local secondary modern school. I own my own house — a smallish terrace house just outside the centre of the city, with three bedrooms and a small garden. I've got two younger brothers. One of them, Julian, also lives in Salisbury. He's a teacher too, but he works in a private language school teaching English to foreign students.

Presenter: Secondary modern schools like Jerry's take children who have not passed the entrance examination for a grammar school. They attend the school between the ages of 11 and 16. Jerry explained that his school day begins at 08:30am and ends at 4:00pm. How much extra-curricular work do you do?

Jerry Lewis: Quite a lot, actually. There's always marking to be done and evenings when I meet the parents and so on. And then I take on extra duties, mainly in the areas of sport and drama. I’m a keen cross country runner myself, and I train the school cross country team, which means taking groups of children out running during their lunch breaks, usually a couple of times a week. And then, on the drama side, I produce the annual school play. We normally have to start preparing this in the spring term to have it ready by the summer.

Presenter: What plays have your pupils performed?

Jerry Lewis: It varies from year to year. We’ve done an adaptation of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, and we’ve done Shakespeare — A Midsummer Night's Dream. Last year the boys wrote and produced their own play.

Presenter: I can see from Jerry’s house that he takes running very seriously. His shelves are covered with medals and cups that he won over the years in various races. Since he is now over 40 he is classified as a ‘veteran’ — a term he doesn’t like — but he still continues winning. To keep himself fit, he usually runs from forty to fifty kilometres a week and more if he's training for a race. What else do you enjoy doing?

Jerry Lewis: As well as running, I love walking. The countryside around Salisbury is magnificent, and there are some wonderful walks. My idea of a perfect day is to walk out of town and stop for lunch and a drink at a small village pub — in the summer you can sit outside, or in the winter by a log fire. Then there's my garden, and I'm very fond of gardening. Every year I add to my collection of roses, and it's very satisfying to sit outside on a summer’s evening doing my school marking, surrounded by wonderful colours and scents.

Presenter: Jerry also likes cooking. On a Saturday he goes down to the market early in the morning to catch the best of the produce, and frequently invites friends and relatives to dinner in the evening. When not at home he is often to be found at his local pub, the 14th-century ‘Haunch of Venison’, where he has many friends.

Jerry Lewis: I've been teaching in Salisbury so long that many of my ex-pupils are now friends that I meet in the pub. It's strange, sometimes to think to myself: I remember when this chap was just a boy!

Presenter: Occasionally he goes to the cinema, but, he explained, he prefers the theatre.

Jerry Lewis: I go by myself, with friends, or with groups from school. Last week we went and saw Noel Coward's Relative Values, I'm not very keen on Coward myself, but the kids loved it.

Presenter: One last question. Jerry. You've lived and worked in Salisbury for over 20 years. What keeps you here?

Jerry Lewis: That’s a difficult one. My job, I suppose. I often complain, but who doesn’t. On the whole, though, I’m happy with it. Then most of my friends live here or nearby. And the city itself, it’s a beautiful place, full of history, surrounded by amazing countryside and within easy reach of some of my favourite places. No, I wouldn’t change it.

Presenter: Good evening everyone. We are happy to welcome you to our weekly program “Animal world”. Today is a very special day as we have a great opportunity to hear from an amazing woman who knows a lot about wild life and wild animals. Sarah Thomas, it is very good to see you today. Thank you so much for coming.

Sarah: Hello, it is good to be here, thank you for inviting me.

Presenter: So, before we start talking about your experiences with the animals, let me ask you how it all started. Where were you born and were you interested in animals from childhood? How did it all start?

Sarah: Well, I was born in London and my fascination with animal behavior began in early childhood when we moved to York. We lived in a cozy thatched cottage in the most picturesque part of the city and in my leisure time, I observed native birds and animals, making lots of notes and sketches, and I also read a lot in the area of zoology. From an early age, I dreamed of traveling to Africa: I was eager to observe exotic animals in their natural habitats.

Presenter: We know that your dream came true and that you spent quite a bit of time in Africa.

Sarah: Yes, when I was 18 I left school and got a job as a secretary at Oxford University. In my spare time, I worked at a London-based documentary film company because I wanted to make some money for my trip to Africa. One day, completely out of the blue, my childhood friend invited me to visit Kenya, and so I did. There I met an anthropologist Thomas Wild who wanted to perform a study about chimpanzees to see if it would throw more light on evolution. You know, some of my friends and relatives thought that was a crazy idea because I had no college education to do these studies but Thomas believed I had the right kind of character to be able to live in the wild for a long time. Since it was actually my childhood dream, I agreed. That was my very first attempt to study the monkeys. Unfortunately, it wasn’t successful.

Presenter: Did you try again, then? I know you have written several books and filmed a few documentary films about your experience with the chimpanzees.

Sarah: That’s true. I started all over. In 1960 I went to Africa again together with my mum and an African cook. We established a camp on a lake shore. Can you imagine: crystal clear water, sand banks … Anyway, it took me two long years to get close to the monkeys, to the point when they allowed me to be a part of their group.

Presenter: Two years! You’ve got more patience than I have! How did you make them like you in the end?

Sarah: Bananas! For two years I offered them bananas until they actually began to accept me as their own. I came to the same spot every day at the same time and fed them bananas. After one year they stopped running away, after the second year they allowed me to climb trees with them and eat their food.

Presenter: What? Are you serious? You climbed trees with the chimps? That was probably lots of fun!

Sarah: You bet! I had to learn to use my arms and legs like never before. It only looks easy when you observe the animals. We as people are very limited in our abilities to use our limbs: our legs and arms aren’t designed to hang onto tree branches and plant leaves. The monkeys, on the other hand, don’t even have to think about what they are doing when they move. So, there was a lot I had to learn not to fall off those tall trees. That was a real challenge!

Presenter: Was it all worth it, though?

Sarah: Definitely, I still think of that time as one of the best periods of my life. I got so close to these animals that I was able to understand them. I was able to experience what it is like to be inside an animal world.

Interviewer [female]: Good afternoon, listeners. With us in the studio today is Bruce Boyle, director of an Anti-Bullying Foundation. He's here to talk to us about bullying, particularly at schools. Welcome, Bruce. Could you start by explaining what bullying is?

Bruce [male]: Good afternoon and thanks for having me on the show. Well, to answer your question, bullying is repeated, nasty behaviour towards a victim. This could be anything from saying hurtful things to physical violence such as punching and kicking. And I must stress, it must be repeated, so a single act of meanness or violence, though also unpleasant, is not considered bullying.

Interviewer: You mentioned hurtful comments and violent behaviour, which I suppose are the signs we are most familiar with, but there are other types of bullying as well, aren't there?

Bruce: Yes, the examples I gave are very obvious forms of bullying known as direct or face-to-face bullying; it's the type of behaviour that a teacher can see and try to stop. But there is also indirect bullying, which isn't as obvious. It can include the bully giving the victim threatening looks, spreading rumours, making fun of the victim's clothes or personality, and not including the victim socially at school or at after-school events. This kind of bullying harms the victim's relationships with their classmates. I suppose it's more psychological than face-to-face bullying. And finally, there's cyberbullying.

Interviewer: It's been in the news a lot lately. There have been some very serious cases.

Bruce: Unfortunately, that's true. Modern technology can be an enemy, not a friend. Bullies can send mean texts and emails, they can take and share insulting photos, and post unkind messages on social networking sites. They can pretend to be the victim online and behave badly or in a way that may harm the real victim's relationship with others . It's a very cowardly form of bullying. In some ways, it's worse than real life bullying. Cyberbullying can happen 24-hours a day and the victim can't escape it. Embarrassing or harmful material can reach many people very quickly.

Interviewer: You said earlier that cyberbullying is cowardly. Would you say that's because the bully can hide their true identity and not face their victim at all?

Bruce: Yes, exactly. For the bully, it's an anonymous and safe way to hurt their victim. In fact, they might not act that way at all in real life because they would be scared of the consequences. You know, bullying is now a crime and bullies can get into very serious trouble.

Interviewer: I see. Let's go back to bullying in the school environment. Apart from actually seeing a face-to-face episode, are there signs of bullying that a teacher can look out for? Anything that will let a teacher know someone is being bullied?

Bruce: Yes, there are definite signs. Victims of bullying are often alone or not included in social groups at school; if asked what is wrong, they refuse to talk about it; they lack the confidence to speak in class and generally seem insecure and frightened; their schoolwork is badly affected and they start getting lower marks.

Interviewer: I imagine there are things parents can look out for, too.

Bruce: Oh yes. There are changes in eating and sleeping patterns; they may have bruises and scratches as well as … (fade).

Interviewer [female]: What comes to mind, listeners, when you think of rabbits? Is it the Easter bunny? Or Bugs Bunny? Or maybe you think of cute, furry little creatures with long ears and funny teeth? Rabbits are popular pets in many coun-tries, but in one they are really dangerous. Here to tell us about these rabbits is Si-mon Hurn, a research scientist. So, Simon, it's almost too silly to be true. Are there really vicious rabbits somewhere in the world?

Simon [male; Australian accent if possible]: [laughing] … Well, not in the way you might be thinking. They're not bloodthirsty monsters that physically attack an-yone, but they are responsible for major economic and environmental effects in Australia.

Interviewer: How is that possible? They look so innocent!

Simon: Well, let's start at the beginning, shall we, with the history of Europeans in Australia, and then we'll move on to discuss the arrival of the rabbits there. Now, in the 17th century, a number of European explorers sailed the coast of Australia, which was then known as New Holland.

Interviewer: New Holland? Really? I had no idea! I suppose the obvious question is 'Why?'

Simon: Ah yes, that's because the first European to explore the land was Willem Janszoon, a Dutchman. Not surprisingly, he named it after his own homeland. The explorers who followed were from Spain, England, France, Sweden and many more from Holland. But they didn't stay there to colonise the land. It wasn’t until 1770 that Captain James Cook claimed it for Britain. Eight years later, the British began sending their criminals there for punishment. The first group arrived in Syd-ney on 26 January 1788. It consisted of 11 ships carrying 1,500 people and their supplies, including European rabbits.

Now, these rabbits were not wild and did not spread to other areas. They were probably kept in cages — for food. But in 1859, 24 wild rabbits were released by a farmer in Australia's south for hunting. He had no idea what that would eventually lead to. Forty years later, the rabbits had spread to the rest of the country, except for the wet tropical forest areas in the north, and had become a major pest and a huge problem.

Interviewer: But Australia is massive! Surely the rabbits couldn't cover such a large area.

Simon: Oh, but they can. Rabbits increase their populations very quickly indeed. Did you know that one female rabbit can produce 30 to 40 young a year?

Interviewer: Oh my goodness! There would be billions of rabbits in no time at all.

Simon: Yes, that's exactly what happened. And as their numbers increased, they began competing for food and so they had to move to other areas in order to eat. Those billions of wild rabbits caused a lot of economic damage as they crossed the land. They destroyed farmland for crops such as wheat and cotton, and grazing ar-eas for sheep and cows. As I'm sure you know, Australia's biggest exports are wheat, beef and wool, so the rabbits have had a major impact on the economy.

Interviewer: And the environmental damage?

Simon: That's equally bad. Rabbits destroy the land by creating underground tun-nels known as burrows, and by eating plants. They can completely stop plants from regrowing. Because of this, many plant species have become extinct. Rabbits even compete with cows and sheep for grass.

Interviewer: I imagine Australia has tried to control the problem.

Simon: Oh yes. One of the earliest methods was to build long fences to keep the rabbits away, but that didn't work. Since then, scientists have resorted to other measures … (fade)

Presenter: Good afternoon, and here we are with our special program for teens where we explore advantages and disadvantages of all sorts of professions. Today we have Carl Fox, a travel agent. Hello, Carl!

Carl Fox: Good afternoon.

Presenter: So Carl, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Carl Fox: Well, as you already know, I’m a travel agent, and I work for one of the major chains on High Street. I’ve been with them for about 10 years and while I’ve been working I’ve studied for a number of qualifications.

Presenter: What inspired you to become a travel agent?

Carl Fox: People often ask me why I decided to become a travel agent. As a young adult I loved travelling and worked for a while as a rep in Spain. When I came back to the UK I decided to stay within the travel industry, and my experience of working in resorts abroad helped me to get a job as a travel agent. I have to admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to be a travel agent was that we get cheap flights and holidays. It’s a great perk!

Presenter: I see. What are your responsibilities at your job?

Carl Fox: Basically, I’m a sales person. I advise people on the holiday options available to them, you know, different destinations, types of holiday, ways to get there, and so on. When customers have decided what they want, I book it for them and make any other arrangements they might need, such as car hire or tours. My responsibility doesn’t end there, though. I have to make sure that clients know if any visas are necessary, or if they will need accinations, and how to get them. If they are flying, I need to tell them what time they have to check in, and make sure they know what time they will be arriving. I also give information on likely weather conditions and anything else I think will be useful for them.

Presenter: That’s a lot to do! And I bet it’s getting more and more difficult to work in your sphere because of the rivalry.

Carl Fox: Well, not because the rivalry is too high, it’s the same everywhere. The point is that more and more customers want a tailor-made holiday, not just a package from a brochure. However, I love the challenge! It’s a lot more interesting for me if I can organize the whole thing — make out an itinerary, book flights, ferries, trains, accommodation and everything. I love providing a personalized service, especially if it’s to places that I know. I can really help customers get a great holiday that will be ideal for them.

Presenter: People who are going on holiday must be relaxed and easy to deal with, right?

Carl Fox: Generally yes, but not always. Sometimes I get difficult customers. One man came in wanting a flight to Venice the next day. I checked out times and fares on the computer, and found a very reasonable flight at a suitable time, so we booked it there and then. A week later he came in and he was absolutely furious. He wanted to know why I had flown him to Venice, in Italy, when he had had an important meeting in Vienna, which is in Austria. I didn’t know what to say, but since then I’ve always been careful to check that people really know where they want to go.

Presenter: That’s a case which is funny and sad at the same time and it’s hard to believe it after all.

Carl Fox: Don’t I know!

Presenter: Any downsides to your job?

Carl Fox: There must be some but I love my job so I simply don’t notice them.

Presenter: I see. Thank you very much, Carl.

Carl Fox: My pleasure.

Woman: Welcome to Talking Point, the daily radio show that discusses the stories you may not have heard about. On this morning’s show, my guest is government minister, Jonathan Pelham, who is heading a campaign to reintroduce national service in this country. Welcome.

Minister: Thank you.

Woman: Before we look at why you want to reintroduce national service, can you remind listeners of what it was and when it came to an end?

Minister: Of course. After the Second World War, the national service act forced every healthy young man between the ages of 17 and 21 to spend a year in the armed forces. The time was later increased to two years and the only people who were able to avoid national service were those in essential occupations such as mining or farming. The last year that people were called up to do National Service was 1960.

Woman: And you’d like to reintroduce this again.

Minister: Yes, although with a few differences.

Woman: Such as?

Minister: Firstly, there would be a choice between joining the armed forces or doing a kind of community service. Those joining the armed services would not be sent to war zones. They would benefit from army discipline and training but in a safe environment. Young people doing community service would work in hospitals, schools, with the unemployed or homeless. I believe they should be given a range of tasks to do. This would ensure that they would work with a variety of people and find out more about the needs of the community in which they live.

Woman: Do you think your ideas are popular?

Minister: Amongst young people? No! No-one likes to be told that they have to do something for two years. However, I think that when they realise what they are gaining from the experience, they will begin to appreciate it and understand the importance of it. They will feel valued, which young people often aren’t at the moment. Of course, after a few years, it will become natural and accepted and then there won’t be so much resistance to doing it. In my opinion, national service will also reduce youth unemployment and, hopefully, reduce anti-social behaviour.

Woman: I know there is one more big difference between your idea and the original

National Service.

Minister: Yes. My idea is for this to apply to everyone, male or female, at the age of eighteen. I would also ensure that no-one could avoid doing it, whether rich or poor. For those going to university, it would mean that they would start their studies two years later. This would be very beneficial in my view as students would be much more independent and mature than they are now. National service would be a wonderful opportunity to allow people from different parts of the country, different ethnic backgrounds and different religions to learn to get on with each other and to understand each other. That can only be a good thing in a society such as ours where most people tend to interact socially with people of similar backgrounds to themselves.

Woman: Well, good luck. Do you think you have a chance of seeing your idea happening?

Minister: To be honest, it’s doubtful. People don’t like to take backward steps, even when it may be a good idea. However, I haven’t given up and anything is possible.

Woman: That’s true. Well,… (fade)

(Man aged about 30): My guest today on The Morning Show is Jennifer Spright who is here to talk about gap years and a few problems that people have had while doing them. Welcome, Jenny.

(Woman aged about 23): Sorry, but I prefer to be called Jennifer. Only my family call me Jenny.

Man: Sorry, Jennifer. Tell me about these problems.

Woman: Well, as you know, a lot of young people nowadays take a gap year be¬tween school and university. Some work, some travel and a lot combine the two by volunteering abroad. The problem is that there are a lot of places which take ad¬vantage of these volunteers. They have official looking websites but almost all the information on them, apart from the country the volunteers will go to, is often false.

Man: Can you give some examples?

Woman: Yes, I can. I did my gap year when I was eighteen. As I was interested in animal conservation and had been accepted by a university to study zoology the following year, I chose a position on what was described as an animal sanctuary in Central America. It turned out to be a zoo. I came home after one month. It was an expensive lesson.

Man: Expensive?

Woman: Yes, I paid two thousand pounds for my six months placement. I didn’t get any of it back, of course. The price included my flights, a place to stay, which was a small, dirty hut with no bathroom, and food.

Man: I guess that wasn’t very tasty!

Woman: Actually, it was. I’m a vegetarian and almost all the food consisted of beans and rice with spicy sauces. I sat and ate on my own and read a lot. There was no-one to talk to. They were all really unfriendly.

Man: So what happened after you returned?

Woman: Well, I had a lot of free time before I started university so I decided to set up a website with advice for volunteers. I didn’t have much time for it while I was at university but I kept it going and, since I left university, it’s been a full time job.

Man: It must be very useful.

Woman: I hope so. Interestingly, I’ve started noticing older people coming to the site for advice. More and more retired people who are still fit and healthy are doing voluntary work. Also a few well-off, middle-aged people, often married couples whose children have grown-up and left home. Although young people still make up the majority of volunteers, they only account for about fifty percent of the peo¬ple using my site. I think this is because they have access to more advice at school and from people they know whereas older people are on their own.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Our program about extreme sports is on and today we’re going to learn about scuba diving. Our expert is Barbara Green who owns a diving school.

Barbara: Hello everybody.

Presenter: Barbara, what’s the difference between diving and scuba diving?

Barbara: The word scuba stands for a self contained underwater breathing apparatus. That’s the basic difference. Knowing how to scuba dive opens up an entire underwater world of corral, fish and other creatures. You can even say hello to a shark! That’s a joke though.

Presenter: People say when they trying scuba diving they’ll never forget it. Is that true?

Barbara: Imagine swimming in clear blue waters as you look at brightly colored fish and striking shapes of coral organisms. The underwater world is quite, except the sound of your breathing. Can you ever forget it? Would you like to go back and see it again?

Presenter: I guess, that’s the answer to my question. I heard scuba diving needs a lot of… stuff and can be expensive.

Barbara: Scuba diving requires several pieces of important equipment which can be relatively expensive. Scuba-divers must wear a mask in order to see underwater. Te mask creates an air space that protects the eyes and nose. Divers wears scuba fins on their feet. Without them it’s impossible to move easily and quickly through the water. Any divers also wear a wet suit to stay warm underwater.

Presenter: Is scuba diving dangerous?

Barbara: Basically, no. But the ocean demands respect. Divers wear a BCD or buoyancy control devise to control how much they float or sink. A pressure gage devise tells divers how much air is left in the air tank. Or a dive computer can calculate how much air is left as well as the diver’s depth and the length of time, they can stay underwater. Scuba divers breathe with the regulator which brings air to the mouth when they inhale. The regulator is attached to the air tank that is placed on the diver’s back. There’s also an extra regulator called an octopus. It’s used in case of the emergency situations.

Presenter: I know the compression sickness is a great problem for divers.

Barbara: You are right. It is a major concern for divers. The deeper the diver goes, the more pressure the surrounding water puts on the volume on the air what is inside his or her lungs. And the deeper a dive the more nutrition gas goes into the divers blood.

Presenter: Do you teach it in your school?

Barbara: Of course. To learn how to use all this equipment it helps to go to dive school. Becoming a certified diver requires thee serious of lessons. New divers must learn about the physics and safety of diving. And practice the diving skills first in the closed water area and then in actual beginners dives. Several organizations offer official diving certifications.

Presenter: New people dive alone, far from the instructor?

Barbara: Another important aspect for diving is having a body system. Having a diving partner you can watch one another and help if there is an accident.

Presenter: Any final comment from you?

Barbara: One important diving rule: is to never touch any of the sea life. This rule is to protect both diver and the underwater environment. For example there is a reason fire coral received his name — he causes a painful burning feeling if touched. The diver can also be cut by touching the sharp pieces of coral. It may seem hard like stone, but it’s actually a very fragile organism. It can be damaged if divers touch or stand on it. To protect the beautiful coral reefs divers must treat them with care. Sorry to say tourists often forget about that.

Presenter: Thank you.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Hello everybody. I’m really happy to greet our new listeners today as well as our faithful audience. We continue to speak about different jobs and right now in our studio we have Nigel our pilot in training. Hello, Nigel!

Nigel: Hi, it’s great to be here.

Presenter: Thank you, Nigel. Well, first I’d like to find out how you keep to be a pilot in training and perhaps you can tell me about what lies ahead for you.

Nigel: Well, I grew up in a poor family in Manchester and I left school early. I wasted years before I realized that flying was what I wanted to do. From that moment and on worked really hard toward the day I would be a real pilot flying the mastic roots here in UK. When I achieve that I’ll be happy. I have no real ambition to make transatlantic flights and to fly any big time international roots.

Presenter: I guess, that’s an unusual background for a pilot. So, how did you get started?

Nigel: First I competed my high school education. While I was studying at school and at night I also started learning to fly. I had to work two jobs as well, just to afford it, but I wanted a commercial pilot’s license and I would have run through a brick wall to get there. I had to log 250 hours and all sorts of conditions, learn to do all the maneuvers and then do a written test. I then had to do a flight test.

Presenter: So, if that all you had to do to become a pilot?

Nigel: Oh no, you also need an instrument rating for your air craft type.

Presenter: What is that exactly?

Nigel: An instrument rating is about showing that you can fly by instruments alone. When the weather is really poor and you can’t see a thing. To do this you need to do ground training and then pass another flight test. I’m happy to say that I’ve just got my reading last week. And besides you also have to pass a medical test to show that you are fit to fly. Fortunately I’ve done this successfully too.

Presenter: And what’s left to do before you can fallow your dreams, Nigel?

Nigel: I still need to get experience. First, I’ve mainly flown single engine aircraft while I’ve been learning and I need to get some hours flying mutual engine planes. The days of getting hired just because you’ve got a license a long gone. You know, most successful pilot applicance at major airlines have thousands of hours of fly experience.

Presenter: So, is that just time in the air they want?

Nigel: Oh no, there’s more. Much more. The three main factors are the type of aircraft you flown the amount and complexity of flying you’ve done and which crew position you’ve held. But original or commuter airlines may not need as much. I work for Peanuts that’s what it takes for me to get my first flying job. Of course there is a lot of water to flown under the river before I get there. But I can say my training period has been really exciting, I’ve met lots of different people and learned so much.

Presenter: Well, Nigel. With the determination that you have, I’ve got no doubts, you gonna make it as a pilot. And I bet you end up doing exactly what you planed.

Nigel: Thanks, I hope so.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Hello everybody and welcome to our program “Five minutes with the star”. Today we have a well-known actor Greg Jones. Hello, Greg! So nice to see you today. Thanks for coming.

Greg: Hi everybody! It’s mi pleasure to be here with all of you today.

Presenter: So, your acting career is on another height at the moment. To what do you attribute this?

Greg: I think having a happy home really helps. It took a long time for me to archive that. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself and accomplished things: make money, gain experience. And I wasn’t a proper father and husband when I was younger. I learned a lot from my fallers in the past. Now, with my wife Dina I’ve been able to realize what really matters and devote myself to her and to raising our daughter Merlin.

Presenter: I see. And you keep in close touch with your older children?

Greg: Yes. Actually, Dina is the person who gets everyone together. She doesn’t have any resent of my previous marriage. She got anointment with my first wife and it’s been really wonderful for me to see her be very open and want everybody to appreciate that.

Presenter: Is it tough to raise a young daughter in your 60s?

Greg: Absolutely not! I have more time, I understand more about being a father and watching her grow-up has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. She is an amazing girl. Very bright, very spirited. It’s the first time when I’ve been really able to be a kind of father that I wanted to be, but because of my career ambitions I never allow myself a chance to spent that kind of time with my older children.

Presenter: Speaking about your career, what was your first big ambition?

Greg: Well, when I was younger, I wanted to become a jazz musician, which got somehow sided when I was dropped into the army. After that, it took a long time for me to get any good acting roles until I started to doing westerns. It took many years, even after I became quite famous, for me to understand what I really wanted to do.

Presenter: That’s interesting. And you have any thoughts of retiring?

Greg: Age is just a state of mind. And I’m lucky as retirement isn’t in force for actors and directors. I planed on not working after I was 39. But here I am at 69 and enjoy working on today and I’ve ever done. I think I shall go on while I have all these strength and energy.

Presenter: Do you feel you’ve learned any lessons about life that you would like to share with us?

Greg: Life really goes the way you plan it. There are good things and bad things that happen to you all the time. And you have to be able to admit that, deal with it and move on! When I was younger, I was angry at the world, always full of ambitions, but now, finally, I’ve been able to relax.

Presenter: Ok, and my final question: what do you see as your biggest accomplishment?

Greg: Well, my life now is exactly how I hoped it could be 20 years ago. Lots of things are important: my 4 children, professional success. But I’d say finding a good partner in life is true happiness for me.

Now we are ready to start.

Interviewer: I might not know her by name, but chances are you have seen her work. Especially if you look through glossy magazines or watch MTV, at least sometimes. Jane Dickson is a celebrity hairstylist who has worked on some of the biggest names of showbusiness. Hello, Jane.

Jane: Hello!

Interviewer: Jane, are you proud of working with the stars?

Jane: Who wouldn’t? My top list includes Whitney Huston, Regina Kean and others. My work has also appeared in “Vouge”, “People” and so on. Whitney is my favorite client. And I’m pleased to know that I’ve prepared her for her most successful comebacks on the stage. The fact is, I am ambitious, and have so many more plans to had.

Interviewer: That sounds very impressive. How long have you been working in the hairfashion industry?

Jane: I’m the ten year veteran of the beauty industry and believe me, it’s glamorous and hard at the same time. My job is a lot like psychologist job. A perfect hairstyle gives a client a sense of balance they desperately need. If you change your hairstyle — you change your life. I also must provide some ingenuity for a new transformation.

Interviewer: What’s your every days like?

Jane: I teach a lot. I love to mentor a young professionals. As a beauty educator teaching across the country. In addition, I’m a passionate advocate for women’s welfare. Working with varies nonprofit organizations. So, it’s not that I’m like that all the time. In fact, I’d love some more of it.

Interviewer: What’s the most rewarding part of your celebrity hairstylist career?

Jane: The most rewarding part about being a celebrity stylist is bringing out the inner beauty, transforming attitudes and looks. It’s a blessing being able to travel the world and live out my passion. Plus, you get to stay on top of all the latest trends.

Interviewer: I’m sure, listeners would like a piece of advice from you. What styles are in fashion this year?

Jane: Fall is upon us and cool natural colors like varies auburns, ambers and chocolate browns are always nice for the winter. And long full-body curls are a great textured look. Styles with flare and color are show-suppers and a great look for a holydays.

Interviewer: One more point: sometimes women look the hair magazines and want to achieve a certain look that are celebrity has, but find that it’s hard to do without extensions. Can you explain why extensions are such a huge part of celebrity looks?

Jane: Extensions accentuate the style, giving it the fullness or extralength necessary to create the desired look. So, celebrities use the extensions for the same reasons any women out there might.

Interviewer: All right. As far as taking care of hair, what are some simple thing anyone can do to pamper her hair on a daily bases?

Jane: I would recommend brushing your hair daily, buying a good daily shampoo and using a silk scarf at bedtime to keep you hair smooth and silky. It will first to both men and women basically. You also shouldn’t expose your hair to rain or smell.

Interviewer: OK. The pro has spoken. Thanks so much, Jane.

Jane: My pleasure.

Presenter: Today in our World Englishes programme we are going to discuss Indian English. Professor Barry Smith is my guest and my first question is: What is the role of English in today’s India?

Professor: In India, where more than 18 different languages coexist, English serves as the connector between people speaking different mother tongues. So the number of Indians who wish to learn and use English is not only continuing but increasing. The number of English newspapers, journals and magazines is on the increase too. In fact, Indian English is a recognized dialect of English, just like British Received Pronunciation or Australian English or Standard American. It has a lot of distinctive pronunciations, some distinctive syntax and quite a bit of lexical variation.

Presenter: What about grammar?

Professor: Linguists observe the following anomalies in the grammar of Indian English. The Indians, for instance, use the progressive tense with stative verbs, which is an influence of traditional Hindi grammar. There’re also variations in noun, number and determiners, preposition use, building tag questions, word order. Another example’s that Indians often use the indefinite article a before words starting with vowels, though it must be mentioned that usually this is just a slip of the tongue.

Presenter: Are these anomalies kind of accidental or can you explain them in some way?

Professor: For those aware of the grammar of Indian tongues, the logic behind the quirks of Indian English is quite transparent and readily explicable. In ddition to what I’ve already mentioned, Indians use the past perfect tense in verbs where International English speakers would use the past simple. There are lexical points as well — like using the words but and only as intensifiers or adding English affixes to local words. There are some funny cases like use of the plural ladies for a single lady or a woman of respect, use of open and close instead of switch on and off. Some idioms and popular phrases include the question “Where are you put up?” instead of “Where do you live?” or the phrase “tell me” instead of “How can I help you?” Strange as it may seem sentences like “Hello, what do you want?” as a beginning of a business conversation aren’t perceived as rough by most Indians.

Presenter: Have local Indian languages contributed to Indian English?

Professor: Internet research shows that Indians frequently inject words from Indian languages. Some of the more common examples are jungle or bungalow; others were introduced via the transmission of Indian culture, examples of which are mantra, karma, avatar and guru. There’re colloquial and slang words used in Indian English as well. Teenagers take an active part in modernizing the language. What younger generations devise may not be used or even understood by older English speakers in India. For example, youngsters use the expression hi-fi for cool or stylish.

Presenter: Thank you, Professor, for a very interesting talk. What would you like to say in conclusion? What is your — mmm — final diagnosis?

Professor: Indian English is changing and trying to be more universal and simpler. The shifts in modern Indian English are well explained by the famous local proverb “There’s nothing noble in being superior to some other person. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self”.

Presenter: John, you’re one of very few major designers who are publicly committed to being fur-free.

John: I haven’t used fur in my collections for over 16 years. I haven’t used leather for probably almost as long.

Presenter: What’s your opinion about using artificial animal products, like fur and leather, for example? They look so much like real fur that people might get the wrong idea.

John: You’re absolutely right. The technology has advanced so much that you’re able to get the look and feel of real fur. And also leather — with leather, even more than with fur, the technological alternative is so obvious that there is no argument about it. It’s more durable and the price..., well, it varies a lot, sometimes it can cost as much as real leather. But the problem is that you’re propagating the idea that fur is acceptable by wearing it, because a lot of people can’t tell what is real and what is not real. You know, I’d refuse to use even artificial fur, but I can’t because of my clients, for whom fur is a status symbol.

Presenter: Is fur still a big deal in fashion? It seemed to go out of fashion for a while.

John: I know. I just got back from an appointment uptown. The weather was so nice I decided to walk down Fifth Avenue. The amount of furs that I saw on people and the amount of fur trim — whether on men’s jackets or baubles hanging from hats to full length coats — is surprising. And as an expert in this field, I can tell what is fake and what’s not, and the amount of real fur out there is shocking.

Presenter: I think your fight for cruelty-free fashion is really tough. What about your opponents?

John: There are a lot of them. For example, the Scandinavian fur industry is one of many. It keeps trying to bring furs back into fashion. They educate young designers about the different animal furs available, giving them furs free, and helping them integrate fur into their designs. I’m actively engaging with young designers as well but in a different manner. In addition to my own participation in the ‘Cool vs. Cruel’ design contests, I’m a guest lecturer at some very prestigious city design schools. This semester I’m challenging students to create a collection ‘without any animal products’ at all.

Presenter: So are only industries like the Scandinavian fur one responsible for fur in fashion or are there any other reasons?

John: Of course, there’s a financial aspect to it. You know, I could have got millions of dollars in fur licensing by now. I could be rich. I would be able to live a much better lifestyle than I’m living right now if I had taken these offers. But I sleep in peace at night knowing that Pm not part of that. Then there's also this, you know, ‘well why should I worry about animals’ attitude with a lot of people who are in fashion. I think this is a major problem here. They only think about themselves, and their reputations. They are self-obsessed. They are the worst!

Presenter: What do you think are some ways we can get the fashion-wearing public and designers to care?

John: I think just constantly making them aware of the cruelty involved. Just a continuous bombardment with information. I believe in protesting without violence, of course, that’s exactly what we’re trying to fight against — violence against animals. It’s a slow process which could be compared, maybe to..., for example, to the long-lasting fight of black people for their rights. A hundred years ago people also thought that black people shouldn’t have the rights of white people. And 30 years ago people thought that smoking was okay for you. It’s all a matter of becoming a more advanced society and more caring individuals.

Presenter: John, are you a vegetarian?

John: You know, I’m trying to become a vegetarian. But having been brought up in a traditional way, it’s always a battle. I eat red meat once in a while. Now and then I also have chicken. I think today vegetarian food is available not only for well-to-do people but for everybody. The problem is dietary habits you have had since your early childhood. They are difficult to change. I know it’s a slow process, but I hope by the end of this year I’ll have completely cut meat out.

Presenter: John, what first made you aware of the cruelty involved in fur?

John: I think any intelligent person, no matter how old he or she is, realizes there’s death involved with this type of fashion. And you read about it and just become aware of how savage this industry is. When I was a young designer, I had a bunch of fur, which I used in one of my collections. And I thought, ‘Oh how beautiful, how fabulous!’ My clients also admired the collection. But then I became aware of what goes on, and I guess, more mature as an individual and a more of a caring person about the environment and the lives of helpless animals. It’s really depressing to realize that we aren’t doing enough to protect the environment. Maybe I even shouldn’t be showing fake fur. With the technology today artificial fur looks so real that by wearing it you are advertising it. I would like to help as much as I can with any of the organizations that want to help protect animals, including vocal protests as well as financially.

Presenter: For half a year, Sharon Trollope is a stay-at-home mother. But the rest of the time, she’s an aid worker in desperate situations around the globe. We asked her to describe how her family copes with the change.

Sharon: For every working mother, that moment when you open the front door at the end of a long, hard day, and see your children hurtling down the hallway towards you it makes your heart skip. But for me it’s extra special because by the time I reach my front door it is often more than a month since I saw them.

For almost three years, I’ve been on call as a British Red Cross aid worker. The phone rings and — sometimes within 48 hours — I’m on a flight to wherever my skills are needed most. For up to six months of every year, I’m on the other side of the world, working in desperate situations. Meanwhile, home alone in the Cotswolds, my husband Julian copes heroically with a sudden switch to life as a single dad to Rowan, who is 11, and Finnian, who is seven, and Orla, six.

Although I try never to be away for longer than five weeks, that is still a painfully long time to be separated from them all, and I know it’s very hard on them too. Julian does a fantastic job on his own with them — while holding down a job as a computer scientist — but five weeks is as long as any of us can manage, practically and emotionally.

At the most recent school parents’ evening, Orla’s teacher took me to one side and said that she had been very withdrawn during my last stint in Haiti. I thought I felt as guilty as it was possible to feel about it, but at that moment my heart sank to a new low.

Presenter: So, how do you feel about it?

Sharon: I do feel guilty about leaving them, about not being there and not talking to them every day.

Presenter: Then why do you do it to them, and to your poor husband, and yourself?

Sharon: The answer is because I have no doubt — on all but the most exhausting days in the field — that the benefits to us all far outweigh the downsides.

After my family, aid work is what I am most passionate about. I have a degree in development studies and a Masters in irrigation, and soon as I graduated I started working abroad. But then, later in my twenties, I met Julian and realised that I wanted to have a family, I decided I’d better switch from aid work to teaching, to make it possible. I taught for a short while but my heart was never in it. When Rowan, our eldest was about one, I got a job with the British government in Botswana, so we moved there as a family for a year.

With just one, very small, child, it was possible to live that life. But as our second and third children came along, I felt as though I had to accept that aid work and motherhood simply don’t mix. I was unemployed for a number of years and although I loved being a mum, I felt that having lost my work I’d lost a really big part of who I was.

Presenter: Was it easy, to find yourself again?

Sharon: Well, even if you’re keen to return to the field, as a woman with children it’s very hard to find agencies willing to take you on. The job requires the kind of flexibility and commitment a lot of men and women with families would struggle to meet. But Julian saw how important it was for me to get back to doing what I do. I was qualified to do it and, until I became a mother I had relished the challenges that every assignment threw at me.

He saw the effect that not being able to do it was having on me. It changed me. My confidence was sapped and I felt so frustrated. Thankfully, he didn’t want having had kids to cut me off from such an important part of my life. We didn’t want to set that example for the kids. He wanted to find a way to make it work, and without his support it just wouldn’t have been possible.

Sabrina: Hi, Fred. This is almost the end of the year, so tell me, how was your year?

Fred: Oh, I’ve experienced a lot and undertaken a lot of new responsibilities. I’d say my life has changed fundamentally. I became a father and I feel proud and happy about that. I also tried a new job in the construction business. And, you know, I took part in a very unusual project — it was not connected with finance or business. But it was very rewarding.

Sabrina: What was it?

Fred: I tried working with children, actually, it was amazing.

Sabrina: What was it exactly that you did when you worked with children?

Fred: Basically, it was in ... a rehabilitation center for disabled children. I spent two days a week with them — actually I attended classes with them and just played with them, interacted with them during the day and supervised their weekend activities.

Sabrina: Oh, that sounds really great.

Fred: Yes. It was the first time I had done something like that. It was quite challenging because I was a bit afraid at first. I wasn’t sure how to treat them. I wasn’t sure what exactly I should do. There was something about those children that made them different. One minute they were depressed and the next they became very excited. But the instructors were very nice and they explained that, you know, I had to be myself and treat them like any other children, like normal children, and that’s what I tried my best to do.

Sabrina: So you must have learned so much. It probably changed your attitude to a lot of things.

Fred: Yes, it has. It has really changed me because I have more patience now. Earlier, I mean, I used to be quite stubborn and used to make decisions irrationally. But now I’ve calmed down and I always question myself before doing something, so I think, in that way I’ve completely changed.

Sabrina: Could you say that what you’ve learned through your experience of working with children has also helped you in other areas of your life?

Fred: Apart from developing a more patient side, I’ve mastered some nursing skills. You know, now I know how to take care of my baby son.

Sabrina: OK, I feel that I can learn a lot from you and maybe I should do the same thing — become a more rounded person.

Fred: You should.

Sabrina: Well, Fred. I’m just curious. What is it like being a father?

Fred: Ah, right. I think- I should first talk about what it was like not being a father, being me and not being a father. I was a very lazy person. I was an incredible time waster. I would have all this free time to make use of and I would probably just sit in front of TV, or I’d probably go to a pub — I loved spending time with my friends in the warm and friendly atmosphere of a pub. Anyway, I took time for granted. I had so much of it. Once I became a father, suddenly my time disappeared but strangely enough, it taught me to appreciate the time I have. My time is very limited now. I am a lot busier at work and I have more responsibilities than ever before. I also have to help- my wife at home and make some time for charity activities. I actually make much more use of my time now than ever before. And I still go to the sports centre and play paint ball with my friends.

Sabrina: Yeah, so when you first have a kid do you lose a lot of sleep?

Fred: Well, something that carried over from my previous lifestyle was an ability to sleep very well whatever the circumstances and, um, fortunately I have a very understanding wife so if the child wakes up during the night, she looks after him and doesn’t wake me up. I have to work hard during the day and need some rest, at least at night. I am never home before 8 in the evening. Anyway, I’m such a good sleeper that even if he cried for hours, it wouldn’t wake me up. I don’t think there are many fathers like me. I’ve spoken to some other fathers and they don’t have the same talent as I do.

Sabrina: What a lucky man you are!

Today I bought “The Ecological Calendar” that has peculiar formatting on its title. The calendar is apparently available in a few different formats. The one I’ve bought is a weekly planner for 2007, although it starts at the Winter Solstice, so it includes part of December too. It’s partly in the standard Gregorian format, so I don’t have to worry about making mistakes in it that take away from its usefulness. In 1997, I had a weekly planner where the week started with Monday instead of Sunday, as it does in some countries, and that little change caused a lot of havoc in any kind of scheduling that I tried to do.

However, it pairs the usual Gregorian calendar with a lot of information about the astronomical and seasonal changes that are happening at that time of year, so that you get the feeling of being connected to the grand cycles of nature. What the plants and animals are doing, when you can look for meteor showers, that sort of thing; it’s quite detailed.

This calendar concept is the one that is dear to me. It’s part of what I was trying to accomplish when I was working on my own calendar project called “The Book of Days”, which was supposed to give a sense of the passage of time so that each part of the year is meaningful. It would describe the patterns common among all cultures such as the psychological need for relief from the darkest part of winter, and most cultures say that the veil between our world and the other world is thinner at a certain time of the year, even though they don’t all agree on when that is. It would tell about the cycles in nature such as seasons, and any light-hearted contemporary events such as Rabbit Hole Day. It didn’t just list events, it drew connections between them so that you can get a feel for the significance of the current time.

However, “The Book of Days” was a very time-consuming thing to try and work on every day. I’d hoped that it would become a voluntary group project and thus would lessen the load of each contributing individual, but other people seemed to lack interest. I managed it for several months, but it was too much for one person to manage alone. Eventually I had to let them go off it for more important projects. I still want to see something like “The Book of Days”. That’s why I’m so glad to see that someone else has executed a similar project, “The Ecological Calendar”.

I also like the idea of redefining the scope of time that we humans perceive that I have found in “The Clock of The Long Now”, a book I’m in the middle of reading and which has already made a huge impression on me. That book argues that we need to expand our concept of time which looks not only at the present, back into the past and into the future at least a century each, but which also encourages us to learn from the past as well as consider our impact on future generations.

So for 2007, I’ll be completely redefining my perception of time to make it more meaningful, although that’s something I’ve been working on for a while now, since calendars fascinate me.