CELPIP Listening Part 5 · Discussion · set 3 of 10

Ending Library Late Fees

A CELPIP Listening Part 5 practice set (Discussion): the transcript, 8 questions and the answer key with an explanation for each answer. No sign-up needed. This page prints the transcript and has no audio; on the real test you hear the recording once and cannot replay it.

The task

You will watch a video of a discussion. You will hear it only once. Listen carefully, then answer the questions.

You hear the discussion only once.
Choose the best answer for each question.

Questions: 8
Time: 4 minutes
Practice set: 3 of 10

Transcript

The test plays this once, as audio. For real practice, answer the questions first, then check the transcript.

Gregory: Thanks for staying late. The board wants our recommendation on overdue fines by the end of the month, so let's see if we can agree tonight. Tunde, you've got the numbers? Tunde: I do. Last year fines brought in about thirty-eight thousand dollars. That's not huge, but it pays for most of our weekend programming, the story times and the homework club. Mei: Sure, but look at the other number. Almost twelve hundred cards are blocked right now because people owe more than ten dollars. And when I checked, most of those belong to kids. A child loses a card over a couple of late picture books and just stops coming. Gregory: That's what worries me too. We're punishing exactly the people we want in the building. Tunde: I'm not against change. I'm just saying if fines disappear completely, I need to find thirty-eight thousand dollars somewhere, or the homework club goes. Mei: Other cities that dropped fines found books actually came back faster. People who were embarrassed about owing money started returning things. Tunde: Maybe, but I've also read about places where items stayed out for months. I'd want proof from our own branch before we go all the way. Gregory: What if we start with children's and teen materials only? That's where the blocked cards are. Tunde, how much of the fine money comes from those? Tunde: Let me see... roughly nine thousand. The rest is adult items, mostly DVDs and new releases. Mei: Nine thousand is manageable. The Friends of the Library group raised more than that at the spring book sale alone. Tunde: That's true. If the Friends could commit to covering it for a year, I'd be comfortable. Mei: And could we at least cap adult fines? Some people owe forty or fifty dollars on old DVDs. Gregory: A cap of five dollars per item seems reasonable. Tunde? Tunde: That would cost us a little, but not much. Fine. Gregory: So, our recommendation: no fines on children's and teen items starting in January, a five-dollar cap per adult item, and we unblock any card that's blocked only because of youth fines. We review it after twelve months with real data. Mei: I'm happy with that. I'd still like to go fine-free for everyone eventually, but this is a good start. Tunde: I'll talk to the Friends group about the nine thousand this week.

Questions and answer key

1The speakers are meeting in order to ___.
1. Aplan the library's weekend programs
2. Bset a date for the spring book sale
3. ✓agree on a recommendation about overdue fines
4. Ddecide which new DVDs to buy
Answer: C
Gregory says "The board wants our recommendation on overdue fines," and the meeting ends with that recommendation. Weekend programs and the book sale come up only as ways to fund it.
2According to Tunde, money from fines mainly pays for ___.
1. Anew releases and DVDs
2. ✓weekend programs like story time and the homework club
3. Cstaff overtime on weekends
4. Dthe spring book sale
Answer: B
Tunde says the fines pay "for most of our weekend programming, the story times and the homework club." DVDs and new releases are where adult fines come from, not what they pay for.
3Mei says that most of the blocked library cards belong to ___.
1. Aadults who borrow DVDs
2. Bnew residents
3. ✓children
4. Dseniors
Answer: C
Mei says "most of those belong to kids." DVDs are linked to adult fines later, but not to the blocked cards.
4Tunde's main concern about removing fines is ___.
1. ✓losing money that supports existing programs
2. Bgiving staff more work at the front desk
3. Cthe board rejecting any change at all
4. Dchildren damaging more books
Answer: A
He says "I need to find thirty-eight thousand dollars somewhere, or the homework club goes." He also states "I'm not against change," and staff workload and damage are never raised.
5Why is Tunde unsure about Mei's example from other cities?
1. ✓He wants evidence from their own branch first.
2. BHe thinks those cities are much smaller.
3. CHe believes those cities brought fines back.
4. DHe has worked at those libraries himself.
Answer: A
Tunde says "I'd want proof from our own branch before we go all the way." He does not say anything about the size of the cities or about fines being brought back.
6How much of the fine money comes from children's and teen materials?
1. AAbout $38,000
2. BAbout $1,200
3. CAbout $5,000
4. ✓About $9,000
Answer: D
Tunde says "roughly nine thousand." $38,000 is the total from all fines, twelve hundred is the number of blocked cards, and five dollars is the proposed cap.
7What is Mei's attitude toward the final plan?
1. AShe thinks it goes too far, too fast.
2. BShe strongly opposes the five-dollar cap.
3. CShe sees it as the final policy, with no further changes needed.
4. ✓She accepts it but hopes it will go further later.
Answer: D
Mei says "I'm happy with that. I'd still like to go fine-free for everyone eventually." She proposed the adult cap herself.
8What will the speakers recommend?
1. ANo fines on any items from January
2. ✓No fines on youth items and a cap on adult fines
3. CHigher adult fines to cover lost income
4. DKeeping all fines but forgiving blocked cards
Answer: B
Gregory sums up: "no fines on children's and teen items starting in January, a five-dollar cap per adult item." Going fine-free for all items is only Mei's long-term hope.

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