B1Community12 min
A radio interview with a volunteer
A local radio presenter talks to a volunteer about a monthly event in her town.
Before you listen
You are going to hear an interview from a local radio programme. The presenter, Jamal, is talking to Mina, who gives some of her free time to a community project. Before you listen, think about what you usually do when something you own breaks.
- volunteernoun
- a person who works without being paid, usually to help othersThe park is cleaned by a team of volunteers.
- tearverb
- to damage cloth or paper by pulling it so that it has a hole (past: tore, torn)I tore my shirt on a nail.
- sewverb
- to join pieces of cloth with a needle and threadCan you sew this button back on?
- patientadjective
- able to wait or keep trying without getting angryYou need to be patient when you learn an instrument.
- queuenoun
- a line of people waiting for somethingThere was a long queue outside the bakery.
Listen · 1:37
Community Corner
Show the transcript (try the questions first)
Jamal: Good morning, and welcome to Community Corner. With me in the studio is Mina Haddad, who volunteers at the Riverside Repair Café. Mina, what exactly is a repair café?
Mina: It's a free event where people bring things that are broken, and volunteers help them fix them. We see lamps, kettles, bikes, torn jackets, all sorts of things.
Jamal: How did you get involved?
Mina: Three years ago, my favourite coat tore at the pocket. A neighbour told me about the café, so I went along. A volunteer showed me how to sew it, and by the end of the morning I was helping other people with their clothes.
Jamal: So you're not an engineer?
Mina: Not at all. I work in a bank during the week. You don't need to be an expert, just patient and a bit curious.
Jamal: When and where does it happen?
Mina: On the first Saturday of every month, from ten until one, at the community hall on Mill Street. We usually get around forty visitors.
Jamal: And does everything get fixed?
Mina: About two thirds of things, which I think is pretty good, really. Our one rule is that owners stay and help. We want them to learn, not just collect their things.
Jamal: Do you have a favourite moment?
Mina: Last spring, a young man brought in a radio that belonged to his grandfather. When it played music again, he was so happy he nearly cried. Moments like that make it all worth it.
Jamal: And are you looking for more volunteers?
Mina: Yes, especially people who can repair bikes. There's always a long queue for those!
Exercise 1 of 2
Understand the interview
Listen to the interview. Choose the best answer.
Exercise 2 of 2
Listen for details
Listen again and type the missing word or number. You can write numbers as words or digits.
The repair café takes place on the first of every month.
It is open from ten until .
The community hall is on Street.
They usually get around visitors.
About of the things people bring get fixed.
The young man's radio belonged to his .
Source
Original script by Joy English, read by open-source text-to-speech voices (Kokoro-82M, Apache-2.0).
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