Ielts mock Test 018 October Listening Practice Test how to use you have ways to access the listening audio

Section 4
Principal: Good morning, and welcome to Scholastic House. I am delighted to
see you here. It is my duty to explain to you some of the history of our college
and some of the traditions which I hope you will uphold.
The idea for Scholastic House was expounded by Samuel Wells in 1898. Wells
was a visionary whose ideas were well ahead of his time. He wanted a college
which would encourage Q31 friendship between people of different races and
nationalities. Wells died in 1900 before he could see the college in action.
Scholastic House finally began operating in 1903 with ten students. Those
students came from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. At that time Scholastic
House accepted only male students, although it has been co-educational since
1963. Nine of these foundation students went on to lead illustrious lives; the
only exception died tragically on his way home from Scholastic House to
Sarawak.
He had only recently graduated with an honours degree in Law, and he was
robbed of a brilliant future.
The other Q32 nine students, as I said, led very fulfilling lives. Three became
political leaders, three became doctors. Perhaps the most famous graduate
became a Q33 university teacher and was responsible for the introduction of
modern teaching training methods in his country. Two of the original group
became senior engineers and went on to Q34 deeply influence the way the
water systems of their country were exploited.
The college ran into hard times during the period of the Great War, 1914 to
1918, when the charter of the college was interpreted to mean that neither
students nor staff could take part in the war effort. Many people felt that this
indicated a lack of Q35 national spirit, and the walls of the college were
frequently marked with graffiti. Meantime, outside the college, tens of
thousands of young men went away to fight in Europe, never to return.
The college was building a reputation for learning and for Q36 tolerance of
opposing views. Scholastic House debate and discussion nights were opened to
the public in 1927, and have been available to anyone who wishes to
attend ever since. It is a proud tradition of the college that any view may be
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expressed provided that it can be defended intellectually. Over the
years topics which were Q37 controversial at the time have been discussed
and debated.
Principal: As I said, the college has a proud history of publicly examining
controversial issues. Why should we do this? The publicity we receive is often
sensational, and there is no joy in encouraging argument for its own sake; in
fact that sort of discussion just increases tension. Q38 The only legitimate
reason for our behaviour is that it casts light upon the topic in question and
informs the debate.
And controversial topics are the ones which most need informed
attention. Q39  As the world forges ahead we often find our scientists
have outstripped our philosophers. We frequently develop scientific marvels
without realising their full implications. Nowhere is this more obvious than in
medicine. We are now able to keep people alive far longer than before, but this
medical ability must be measured in relation to the quality of those lives.
I urge you to spend your time at Scholastic House wisely. You are the heirs of
an excellent academic tradition of which we can all be justly proud. Q40  It is
your responsibility to continue this tradition of querying where our world is
going. Progress is not always upwards.
I wish you every joy in your time here, and I hope that I will hear much well
informed debate from you.
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