Listening Script Vocabulary
(Section 2: You will hear a member of the city council introducing plans to make improvements in the community of Pine Grove. First, you will have some time to look at questions 11 to 13 [20 seconds]. Listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 13.)
JANE: Good morning and welcome again to Our City Daily. Joining me is Joshua Lake, a member of the city council. He will be explaining more about the plans to make improvements in the community of Pine Grove. Good morning Joshua. We are so glad to have you here today.
JOSHUA: Good afternoon, Jane.
JANE: So, Joshua, I've heard that the community has had some input in making the new plan?
JOSHUA: That's right. We've been taking what we've heard from locals into consideration. It seems the main concerns of the people we've talked to are about traffic in the area, particularly with driving speeds in school zones. They are worried that it won't be long until an accident happens, because many children around there walk to school. So, we'd like to deal with that issue somehow.
Many are also wary of the power lines overhead. These lines are quite old, and several of the people we talked with wondered whether anything would be done about them. Well, I'm glad to say now that the power company will be moving the power lines underground for the price of $500,000. I think that will really make the surrounding area not only safer, but more beautiful.
JANE: That all sounds good, but won't that bring increased rates for the local businesses in that area?
JOSHUA: Well, the power company agreed to absorb the cost of this after discussing it with the council at length. This is wonderful news, as the council now has some surplus money to spend on other things like beautification projects. Now, we've also created a local map which we've delivered to all local residents here. And we've indicated the proposed changes on the map.
(Before you hear the rest of the talk, you will have some time to look at questions 14 to 20 [20 seconds]. Now, listen and answer questions 14 to 20.)
First, our plan is to plant fully-grown pine trees to give shelter and shade just to the left of the grocery store on Elk Road. In order to deal with the traffic problems, the sidewalks on the corner of Jamison and Orange Street are going to be made wider. Vehicles entering Orange Street will then need to slow their speed. We think it's essential to divide the local residential streets from the bigger road. That's why the roadway entering onto Manning Street from Elk Road will be painted yellow. This should make it more clearly marked as well as be a sign to traffic to slow down.
One way to ensure the safety of pedestrians is to post more signage at any intersections.
A 'keep clear' sign will be set up at the junction of Willow Street and Orange Street, to help traffic to always safely exit. Something we're making plans to do in order to help the flow of traffic around here is having traffic lights installed halfway down Orange Street where it crosses Elk Road.
Not only have we been considering the cars and traffic, of course, but there are also plans concerning the children. We're going to get school children in the area to learn more about a local story, maybe the life of a local sports star or artist. Later, those stories will be made into paintings on the wall of a building on the other side of Willow Street from the grocery store. And finally, we've decided to construct a new play area for kids, which will also be at the very end of Jamison Street, taking it away from any intersections.
JANE: Fantastic! Now, what happens next?
JOSHUA: Well, the next phase…