Listening Comprehension Transcript This is the school district calling with an important message regarding the chicken flu. At this time, there are three students in the district who have been diagnosed with the chicken flu or have displayed symptoms of it. Those three schools -- Sunrise Elementary, Kennedy Middle School, and Clinton Elementary -- will be closed today and tomorrow as a precautionary measure. All other district schools are open and operating on regular schedule. If your child displays flu-like symptoms, you must keep them home from school. Symptoms include a fever of 102 degrees or higher, sore throat, diarrhea, and persistent coughing. To prevent the flu, make sure your children wash their hands frequently, blow their noses into tissues or handkerchiefs, and get plenty of water and rest. For more information on the chicken flu, contact school district headquarters at 555-9909, or the city public health office at 554-6872. Thank you.

Listening Comprehension Transcript On your right is the old town hall building, which was built in 1884 and used until 1952. The tall white building behind that is the Ricks Tower, which was the tallest building in the city for almost 100 years. Coming up on the left-hand side is the oldest building in town. Constructed in 1835, it was originally the county courthouse. It's gone through several reincarnations since then, and is currently the Pit Stop, one of the city's finest watering holes. Ahead on the right is the Gazette Building, home of the city's largest newspaper. OK, now we're leaving downtown and headed for the University District, to check out some historic architecture at the state's most prestigious institute of higher education. After that, we'll have lunch at 12 o'clock at the historic Rose Inn, prior to our afternoon cruise on the lake.

Listening Comprehension Transcript I'd like to focus a little bit on the year ahead. Starting in January, we will place increased emphasis on retaining customer deposits. We will be raising the rates on our certificates of deposits from 3 percent to 3.5 percent, and offering customers incentives, including free ipods, for opening new checking accounts with direct deposits. This is in response to the aggressive push by online depositories and credit unions, which are enticing customers with higher interest rates. This is squeezing our interest margin and decreasing our profitability. We can't lend money that we don't have, right? At the same time, we will be switching the title of "loan officers" to "relationship officers." A large part of their job now will be to recruit, and retain, new deposits.

Listening Comprehension Transcript It's my great pleasure to be standing before you today. This is something that 20 years ago I never imagined I'd be doing. I came from a poor family, and when I finished high school I didn't think I'd be able to go to college. But I kept applying to universities, and finally, I found one -- Carver University -- that offered me a scholarship. This changed my life. Without that experience, there is no way I'd have ever gotten a job at the Cornerstone Company, let alone be standing here as company president. Now it's overwhelming to be back at Carver, looking at the faces of so many eager men and women who are anxious to get out there and make a difference. My message to you is: never give up. Ever. Dreams can come true. I'm living proof.