Extra felicity O’Dell fce

That is the end of Part 3.
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TEST 1
Paper 1
Recording scripts
26
© 2010 Cideb Black Cat Publishing
Now turn to Part 4.
You will hear a teacher talking about the South
Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. For questions 24 to 30,
choose the best answer (A, B or C).
You now have 45 seconds in which to look at Part 4. 
F
Right, class, I’d like to talk to you today about
Tonga, After I’ve introduced the country to you,
we’re going to watch a video based on a famous
Tongan short story. You’ll be able to appreciate this
much better if you already know a little bit about
the country. So here goes. There’s no need to take
notes – I’ll give you a handout later.
The South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga is a group of
171 islands – 45 of which are inhabited – in the
South Western Pacific about 1,400 miles north
east of New Zealand. It is situated just west of the
international dateline, and is close to the Tropic of
Capricorn. The islands are 13 hours ahead of
Greenwich Mean Time and are proud of their claim
to be the first country to see the dawn of each
new day. 
The population of the islands is estimated at about
100,000. There are almost as many Tongans living
abroad as on the islands themselves – mainly in
New Zealand, Australia and the US. Economically,
the country relies predominantly on remittances
from abroad and on foreign aid. There is some
exporting of agricultural products. Tourism and
cottage handicrafts are small but growing
industries. 
The island group was discovered by the British
explorer, Captain James Cook, who named them
as the Friendly Islands. Today tourist brochures
emphasise the aptness of this name. They became
a British protectorate under its own monarchy in
1899. It gained independence in 1970. The
constitutional monarch still enjoys considerably
more economic and legislative power than in most
other modern monarchies. The official language in
Tonga is English although of course there are a
number of other native languages spoken on the
islands.
Tonga features in the 
Guinness Book of Records
on two counts. Firstly, the royal family of Tonga
was given a tortoise by the explorer, Captain
James Cook, which, amazingly, lived for over two
hundred years, dying only about thirty years ago.
Secondly, the country has boasted the world’s
heaviest monarch, King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV. He
used to weigh 209.5 kilos but on medical orders
has now slimmed down. 
His weight is undoubtedly partly due to the Tongan
style of eating. Tongan feasts are renowned
throughout the area for their variety and their size.
They are traditionally served on a ‘pola’ or long
tray made from plaited coconut fronds and there
can be up to 30 different dishes including steamed
pork, suckling pig, fish, shellfish, beef, octopus,
and a wonderful variety of tropical fruits. With the
exception of suckling pig, which is roasted over a
fire, most Tongan foods are cooked in an
underground oven called an 'umu'.
Right, I think that is enough to be going on with.
Does anyone have any questions at this point?