UNIT9 Section One Part 1 Spot Dictation As the bulge of the baby boom pushes into (1) middle age - the 30-to-50-year-olds are now the (2) largest age group in this country - our outlook on getting older is (3) changing. In fact, experts are finding today that getting older is getting better, in very (4) real ways. Most people in their middle years are at the (5) peak of their working lives. This is the time of (6) competence when people get a great deal of (7) satisfaction and security out of realizing they have something to (8) offer others. As you get older, you're more (9) secure in your relationships. The longer you've been married, the more likely it is that you are going to (10) stay married. It takes a long time to become a (11) person. The older you get, the more (12) unique you become. You become (13) clearer about what you think, what you like and don't like. You know who you are. One of the things we fear about growing older is increasing (14) isolation. If you let it, your world can (15) shrink. But if you make the effort, (16) midlife can be a time of more personal relationships. If you (17) nourish your relationships, by the time you've reached midlife you have a rich network -lifelong friends, (18) acquaintances, colleagues, an extended family. While older people are free to spend their time the way they want, they also know they have (19) less of it. That makes them more aware of how precious time is and more (20) discriminating about how they use it. Part 2 Listening for Gist Unlike air travel, which is regulated internationally, rail travel is in many cases controlled nationally. The degree of safety of rail travel is therefore highly variable fro...
