IELTS Listening Exercise #5
Listening Tip
You will hear one speaker talk about a topic related to tourism. First you have some time to look at Questions 1-5.
Now Listen carefully and answer Questions 1 to 5:
Questions 1-5
Listen and answer the questions.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Star Travel Agency
1What should staff do when they first arrive at work?
2When is the busiest time of year for Star Travel Agency?
3Where in Fiji do people like to go to at this time of year?
4What must staff see before confirming a booking?
5Who should staff contact if they have a problem with the computer?
OK, so what will a typical day be like for you? Let’s start with when you first arrive at work – I mean, before the agency opens in the morning. You’ll need to answer emails before you do anything else. And that can sometimes take up to half an hour. So you start work at 8.30, and we open the doors to customers at 9 a.m.
Of course, some times of the year are busier than others. If you’ve worked in Europe, you’ll know that the peak season is August. But for us, it’s more like January. We probably get the least number of customers around December, as that’s when it costs most to fly.
Now of course some destinations are more popular than others. You’ll find a lot of customers coming in who want you to find them a cheap flight and a holiday deal in Taveuni, one of the islands of Fiji. I’ll just spell that for you – it’s T – A – V – E – U – N – I. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s very beautiful and people like going there for the diving and the snorkelling.
So when you’re organising a booking, and it doesn’t matter whether the customer is sitting in front of you, or whether it’s on the phone, you can’t confirm the booking until you’ve had a look at a passport. The customer must either bring one into the agency, or scan and email one. And that’s before you take any credit card details. And although there’s no obligation for the customer to buy insurance, obviously that’s something we recommend.
What should you do if you have a problem with the computer? Well, first of all, don’t panic. It happens to everyone. We have an IT specialist who comes and deals with all our software problems, and her name is Ofelya. That’s spelt O – F – E – L – Y – A. She’s been working with us for the last few years.