General Reading Test - 02

AUSSI WALK BOAT EXPERIENCE

Go behind the scenes at Auckland Zoo and come eye to eye with some of our Australian neighbours. Come to the zoo before opening hours and experience the morning sights and sounds. Help the keepers feed the emus, wallabies and kangaroos in the Aussie Walkabout and take breakfast to the cheeky rainbow and musk lorikeets.

Tour features
• A small group fully escorted by an experienced guide.
• Your guide will photograph you immersed in your tour. The photos will be recorded onto a complimentary CD, which you will receive at the tour conclusion. A fantastic visual record of your unforgettable experience.

Price
Adult/Child – $75 per person.

Tour dates and times
The Aussie Walkabout tour runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays – departing from the Information Centre at 8.00 am. This tour is approximately an hour and a half in duration – finishing at 9.30.

Important things to know
• Group sizes vary from two to four people.
• The minimum age for this tour is six years and if you are under fifteen years of age you must be accompanied by a paying adult.
• Wear flat, enclosed shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.
• Please do not wear any loose jewellery or red clothing.

Arrival details
Participants must arrive at the zoo by 8.00am. If you arrive after this time there will be no opportunity to join the group, so please ensure you allow ample time for travelling and parking in the car park near the entrance. Your guide will give the group an initial personal safety briefing before the tour starts. Participants should note this is compulsory.

VOLUNTEERING AT MUSEUM VICTORIA

A

A volunteer is someone who freely gives their time and skills to an organisation in order to help it further its goals. Volunteers are unpaid for their contribution to the organisation but are highly regarded for the assistance they give.

B

People choose to volunteer with Museum Victoria for a number of reasons including a desire to help preserve and promote Victoria’s cultural and natural heritage. They may also wish to share their talents with museum staff and visitors or develop new skills.

C

Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and are aged between 17 and 90. They include students, retirees, full-time and part-time workers, parents and job seekers. For over a century the volunteer program has encouraged a wide range of participants in Museum Victoria activities. Everyone has something to offer.

D

Most ‘Front of House’ roles such as assisting visitors when they arrive are available every day that the museum is open. Behind the scenes or ‘Back of House’ roles such as providing assistance with administration tasks including cataloguing and photocopying are usually available on weekdays. There are no regular evening voluntary positions though some special events may occur in the evening.

E

Volunteers cannot undertake core business. There are no voluntary positions that involve the handling of money, such as ticketing, working in the museum shop or finance department, or which involve a duty of care for visitor or collection safety.

F

Most volunteers commit to a weekly or fortnightly rostered position but this is flexible. A shift can be between two and six hours long. Our guidelines are at least 24 hours per year or an average of two hours per month and no more than 832 hours per year or an average of 64 hours per month.

G

We have an extensive professional development program that volunteers can take advantage of. It is part of the volunteer agreement with Museum Victoria that development opportunities will be provided on an ongoing basis to support volunteer roles.

 

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ANTI-FATIGUE MATS

Anti-fatigue mats are designed to lessen tiredness caused by standing for long periods on hard surfaces. When considering their use, there are several factors that should be considered at the same time. Work should be organised so that the worker has some choice about his/her working position and an opportunity to change position frequently. A workplace that includes a footstool increases the variety of body positions and encourages frequent changes between them.

Footwear is a factor which may further reduce the harmful effects of prolonged standing. Shoes should provide cushioning for both the arch and heel while providing comfort to the wearer.

The type of flooring used in the workplace has an equally important influence on comfort, especially on tender feet. Hard, unyielding floors, like concrete, are the least comfortable surfaces to work on. Wood or cork – anything that provides some elasticity – is gentler on the feet. More than that, softer floor coverings reduce fatigue and improve safety by reducing slips and falls on slippery floors.

Anti-fatigue mats absorb the shock due to walking and this cushioning effect reduces foot fatigue. However, it is important to understand that for oily or greasy areas some mats are more suitable than others. Mats with smooth surfaces are suitable for dry areas. Mats with drainage holes are designed primarily for wet areas and mats made with rubber are the best option for areas where grease is present. The use of matting also requires caution because mats can lead to tripping and falling accidents when installed improperly.

Another type of floor covering, namely anti-slip matting, is useful in increasing foot comfort and safety. However, workers may experience a feeling of burning in the feet because the non-slip properties of anti-slip matting causes their shoes to grab suddenly on the flooring, making their feet slide forward inside the shoes. Friction inside the shoes produces heat which creates soreness. Shock-absorbing insoles can minimise this discomfort.

HEARING PROTECTORS

Hearing protectors are designed to reduce exposure to loud noise and there are three main types available.

Ear plugs are inserted to block the ear canal and are sold as disposable products or reusable plugs. Custom moulded ear plugs are also available.

Ear muffs consist of soft ear cushions that fit around the ear and hard outer cups. They are held together by a headband.

Canal caps have flexible tips that act as caps which plug the ear canal. They do not extend into the ear canal, only close the ear opening. Therefore they do not offer as much protection as ear plugs or ear muffs.

The choice of hearing protectors depends on a number of factors including the level of noise, comfort and the suitability of the hearing protectors for both the worker and his environment. Most importantly, the hearing protector should provide the desired noise reduction.

Ear muffs are more desirable for intermittent noise, since the removal and reinsertion of ear plugs may be inconvenient. Canal caps are also ideal for situations where hearing protection must be taken on and off frequently. They are not designed for continuous wear.

Ear plugs are lightweight and portable, less expensive than muffs and more comfortable in hot, humid work areas. However, they provide less protection than some muffs and should not be used in areas where noise levels exceed 105 decibels. They are not as visible as muffs and a supervisor cannot readily check to see if workers are wearing them. They must be properly inserted to provide adequate protection.

Ear muffs can vary with respect to the material and depth of the dome and the force of the headband. The deeper and heavier the dome, the greater the low-frequency attenuation provided by the protector. Ear muffs can usually provide greater protection than plugs, although this is not always true. They are easier to fit, generally more durable than plugs and they have replaceable parts. However, they are more expensive and often less comfortable than plugs, especially in hot work areas.

The human aspects of hearing protection are particularly important. It is therefore a good idea for the employer to provide a number of different types of hearing protection from which workers can choose, keeping in mind any safety or hygienic reasons for not providing a particular kind of protector. For example, ear plugs which are used in the plant setting where people reuse them throughout the day, often reinserting them with dirty fingers, can introduce dirt and bacteria into the ears, causing ear infections.

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GUIDED BUS WAY

A

A guided bus way is a dedicated buses-only route with buses running on a purpose-built track. The bus is guided along the route so that steering is automatically controlled and, like a tram, the vehicle follows a set path. The bus driver controls the speed of the vehicle.

B

Kerb-guided buses are normal, everyday buses with a driver at the wheel. What makes them different is small guide wheels attached to the front wheels of the bus that run along the vertical face of kerbs on a purpose-built track called a guide way. The guide wheels steer the bus whilst it is in the guide way. Guide ways can be used for part or all of a bus route. Guided buses can either be low-speed operations, introduced to relieve congestion in busy towns, or high-speed operations which provide light rapid transit (LRT) over longer distances.

C

Like a railway line, the guide way excludes all other traffic, giving the bus a clear road ahead, even in congested areas during rush hours. Therefore the service is fast and reliable: at peak periods, guided buses can arrive at frequent intervals. All these factors mean guided buses can deliver a high standard of public transport akin to a metro, light rail or tram system. Unlike a train or tram, though, the bus can leave the bus way at certain junctions and drive on normal roads, giving it the flexibility to provide on-road services too and allowing passengers to get on or off close to their homes or at any key location in the area.

D

Bus lanes and bus-only roads are open to illegal use by other road users for queue jumping and parking. This abuse slows bus journeys and drains resources as breaches of bus lanes have to be monitored and fines have to be issued for misuse. With its kerbs and narrow width, a guided bus way is not accessible by most vehicles, virtually eliminating the abuse of the bus route. Guided bus ways can also be built in areas too narrow for standard bus lanes, including disused railway lines with embankments – land that could never be made into a road.

E

Guided bus systems are less expensive than light rail or metro systems. Like light rail, a guided bus service can be high speed, reliable and comfortable. It also has the advantage of the transport not being fixed to the rail with the bus being able to leave the guide way and drive down any road as does a standard bus, enabling bus stops to be located within the community. Guided bus ways do not require the overhead electrification or signalling systems usually needed to operate light rail or metro systems.

F

A guided bus way has a number of advantages over a traditional tarmac road. A guided bus way can offer better drainage than a solid tarmac road, as water can drain away between the guide way tracks. The guide way also takes up less space than a standard road lane. The route can be landscaped and planted alongside and between the tracks, making the bus way very green to the eye, absorbing engine noise and allowing the biodiversity of an area to exist alongside the transport system. Such landscaping also makes the bus way look very different to a road, discouraging other road users from accidentally entering it.

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