Unite 1
Practice one
Tom: Hey, Bill. Do you have any plans for this weekend? Bill: Yeah, Tom. Cindy and I are going ice-skating on Saturday. Tom: Oh.
Bill: Why do you ask?
Tom: Well, I thought you might want to come over and study for next week's chemistry test. Bill: Study?! No way. Hey, what if I try to fix you up with Cindy's sister, Kristi. We could double-date. She's really outgoing, bright, and funny too.
Tom: Hey, I still remember the girl you fixed me up with last time. She was very moody and self-centered. She couldn't stop talking about how great she was. I'm not sure if I can trust you, \"Mr. Matchmaker\".
Bill: Oh come on. So I made a mistake last time. Cindy's sister is really different. Tom: Well, what does she look like?
Bill: Ah. Looks aren't important. She has a wonderful personality. Tom: Right.
Bill: Okay. She has long wavy blond hair and blue eyes. She's of medium height, just a little shorter than you are.
Tom: Go on.
Bill: She has a great figure, a nice complexion, and she has a sexy voice. Oh, and she has a tattoo of an eagle on her arm. Tom: A what?
Bill: No, just kidding. By the way, she was the runner-up in the Miss California Beauty Pageant two years ago. Well, you're probably not interested. Tom: No, wait!
Bill: Ah, just forget I ever mentioned it. Tom: No, I'm interested!
Practice 2
David: Barbara, before you go, could you tell me about these students that are coming into my class?
Barbara: Oh, yes. Now, let me think, well, there's...er...Paul. He's a tall, slim lad with fair hair. Very friendly face, lovely smile... He's particularly good with group activities, and he's a very helpful person to have in the class and very helpful with the other students. He speaks fluently, but does make a lot of mistakes! He doesn't seem to mind making mistakes. He asks a lot of questions...er...he tends to speak first and think later. But he's got lots of interesting ideas. David: Good.
Barbara: Ah...Susan...Susan. Now, she's very lively, quick, and very bright. She talks all the time but not always in English.
David: What? Is she difficult or anything?
Barbara: No...she's quite young but she does behave in quite a grown-up way really for her age. It can be a bit difficult to actually shut her up sometimes and make her listen to you. David: Ah, right.
Barbara: She's very nice. She has dark hair and dark eyes. David: Right, well...are there any other girls in the class? Barbara: Yes, there is Maria. She's Susan's sister. David: Yes.
Barbara: Actually it's quite difficult to tell them apart although...er... Maria is slightly older. She's a bit plumper and has longer hair than Susan. She's not quite as bright as her sister and I think that makes her feel a bit inferior really. Well, you know, she sulks a bit when she gets things wrong or she misunderstands you. But on the whole, a very sensible girl. David: OK.
Barbara: And then there's Peter, who's older than the others. He's got a sort of moustache, spectacles and wavy dark brown hair. He usually wears a jacket and sometimes a suit. He's very smart and takes notes all the time. He's also very serious and determined to learn as much as possible. He asks quite difficult questions but he doesn't mean to be nasty.
David: Well, thanks, Barbara. It's all up to me now, isn't it? Have a good holiday, won't you? Barbara: Thanks. David: Bye.
Practice 3:
1. Pedro sleeps only six hours a night. He goes to school full-time and works part-time in the afternoons. At night he plays soccer or basketball. He's seldom tired and his favorite way to relax is to jog two or three miles.
What kind of person is Pedro?
2. Mr. Miller was teaching his fourth grade class how to divide. The students didn't understand. He had to repeat his lesson and explain the idea more slowly. Over the next few days he explained and explained the lesson until almost the whole class understood and knew how to divide. What kind of teacher is Mr. Miller?
3. People in the High Street neighborhood don't buy their fruits and vegetables in the supermarket. They buy them from Mr. Smith's truck. You can trust Mr. Smith. He never tries to sell any bad or unripe fruit. His prices are fair. What kind of person is Mr. Smith?
4. Jake and Charles ran into the classroom. Each one saw the chair he wanted to sit on. Unfortunately, it was the same chair. They both sat down at the same time. Each of them had half a chair. Charles said he was there first and tried to push Jake off the chair. Jake said he was first. Both boys refused to move.
\"All right, boys,\" said the teacher. \"If you won't move, then you can sit like that for the whole period.\" Jake and Charles sat like that for the whole period until the bell rang. When they stood up they were stiff and sore.
\"I don't care,\" said Jake. \"I was there first.\" What kind of person is Jake?
5. Room 46A at Travis High School was always the dirtiest room in the school. Many of the
students threw paper on the floor. One day, Mrs. Duke had an idea. She fastened a basketball hoop over the wastebasket. Now the students love to practice throwing their paper into the basket. When they miss, they pick the paper up and try again. And that was the end of the problem. What kind of person is Mrs. Duke? Practice four:
A number of visitors to the UK, who had traveled throughout the British Isles, were asked by a newspaper reporter what their impressions of the British people were. Here's a brief summary of what they thought.
There were many different opinions among those interviewed: Some were very flattering, others very critical. The distinction between the English and the British wasn't always understood, but, on the whole, it seemed that the Scots were very popular with visitors. They were thought to be very friendly, even though one Dutch visitor confessed she'd found it hard to understand their English.
A great number found the British generally reserved, particularly the English, although one Australian visitor called the English \"the friendliest people in the world and most hospitable\". But she did admit that speaking the same language was a great help.
Some Asian businessmen, who had traveled widely throughout England, said quite openly that they found North country people \"much nicer\" than people in the South. When asked what exactly they meant by \"much nicer\h nicer I mean much more like us!\"
A few continentals praised \"English courtesy\but the majority found it dishonest and dull. \"You're forever saying 'please' and 'sorry' when you don't feel pleased or sorry,\" one explained. A young student from South Africa had no views on the matter. He hadn't met any Englishmen, he said. The country appeared to be full of foreigners like himself. Part four Testing yourself
Section two:
Tom; oh, that Mr. Taylor. He is so boring!
Mother; what do you mean?
Tom: his lessons put me to sleep. And he’s so quick-tempered, mum. Mother: quick-tempered? Mr. Taylor? Are you sure darling? Tom: yes, he gets angry very quickly.
Mother; that doesn’t sound like Mr. Taylor at all!
Tom: and do you know, he spends all the time looking at his reflection in the window, admiring himself.
Mother: really/. And why does he do that/
Tom: because he’s vain, that’s why! And conceited. He thinks he knows everything.
Mother; oh, Tom. Be reasonable. I’m sure you’re exaggerating. Mr. Taylor seems such a nice, kind man.
Tom: well, he isn’t. he is mean and cruel.
Mother; cruel/ no how can a foreign teacher be cruel/
Tom: because he only gave me two out of ten points in my history test.
Mother: oh, now I understand. Tom, I think you’d better get on with your homework.
Unit 2
Practice one
At one time animals and people lived together in peace and talked with each other. But when mankind began to multiply rapidly, the animals were crowded into forests and deserts.
Man began to destroy many animals for their skins and furs instead of only for food. Animals became angry at this treatment by man and decided that mankind must be punished.
The animals held a meeting, but they could not decide how to punish mankind. Finally the animals agreed that because deer were the animals most often killed by man, deer should decide how man should be punished.
Deer decided that any Indian hunters who killed deer without asking pardon in a suitable manner would be made to suffer with painful stiffness in their bodies. After this decision was made, the leader of the deer sent a message to the nearest people, the Cherokee Indians. \"From now on, your hunters must first offer a prayer to the deer before killing him. You must ask his pardon, telling the deer you are forced to kill him only because your people are hungry and need meat. Otherwise, a terrible disease will come to you.\"
The spirits of the deer would run to the place where a deer had been killed and these spirits would ask the dead deer, \"Did you hear the hunter's prayer for pardon?\" If the answer was \"yes\deer spirits would track down the hunter to his house and strike him with the terrible disease of stiffness in his body, making him crippled so that he could not hunt deer again.
Soon all of the animals agreed that this was a fair and just punishment. Each type of animal decided that they would also cause a disease in people who mistreated them. When the friendly plants of the world heard what the animals had decided as
punishment for mankind, the plants decided that this punishment was too harsh. They had a meeting of their own. Finally they decided that each type of plant should provide a cure for one of the diseases which animals had caused for mankind. This was the beginning of plant medicines from nature among the Cherokee Indians a long, long time ago.
PRACTICE 3:
Every March, a flock of buzzards returns to the town of Hinkley, Ohio. No one really knows how long this event has taken place, but according to local legend the annual buzzard migration began nearly 200 years ago with a massacre.
\"The first legend of buzzards in Hinkley, Ohio, goes back to the Great Hinkley Hunt on December 24, Christmas Eve, in 1818. The local settlers deciding that the
township needed to be made safe for their livestock, gathered together about 400 men and boys, with guns and clubs and completely surrounded the township of Hinkley.\" As the story goes, the townsfolk began marching toward the center of town, driving all the game in front of them, and killing virtually every wild animal they encountered.
\"The settlers took some of the deer and the wild turkeys for the holiday dinners, but left all of the other dead animals out in the snow. When spring came, the remaining dead animals attracted many buzzards, and since 1819 they've been coming back here in March.\"
Hinkley locals have come to appreciate the buzzards' annual return. In mid-March, on Buzzard Sunday, they celebrate the birds' arrival with costumes, exhibits and songs.
PRACTICE 4:
Almost seven centuries ago, in Central Asia, there lived a great king called Tamerlane. He was a mighty, powerful, conquering soldier, and his greatest ambition was that one day he would rule a massive empire stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. He made his imperial capital in the oasis city of Samarkand, which he planned to make the most beautiful city on earth. Many
magnificent mosques were built and they were decorated with exquisite blue ceramic tiles on the outside, and with pure gold on the inside.
Tamerlane, like the great oriental king that he was, had many wives, including a Chinese girl called Bibi Khanym. Now Bibi Khanym was the most beautiful of all Tamerlane's wives, and she was also the youngest. She was his favorite wife and was deeply in love with him.
In order to demonstrate her great love of Tamerlane, she decided to build a
magnificent mosque to honor him, while he was away fighting in a distant war. She engaged the best architect, who designed for her the most magnificent mosque you could imagine. And then she found the best master builder, who began work
immediately. But as the weeks and months passed by, the master builder began to fall in love with Bibi Khanym. She resisted all his advances, but at last he threatened to leave the mosque unfinished unless she allowed him to kiss her just once. Bibi Khanym wanted the beautiful mosque finished more than anything else. She was
expecting Tamerlane to return any day. So at last she agreed to let the master builder kiss her, just once.
But that was her terrible mistake, for so powerful was the master builder's love for Bibi Khanym that when he kissed her he left a permanent mark on her face. King Tamerlane returned and saw the guilty mark on his wife's face. The master builder was executed immediately, and then, thinking that a woman's beauty can be a dangerous thing, Tamerlane ordered that from that day on all the women in the kingdom should never be seen in public without a veil to cover their face.
PART FOUR
Section 1
long long ago, there was a pretty girl named \"Red Riding Hood\" becasuuse she was always wearing a red hood. One day her mother asked her to take some snacks to her grandmother because her grandmother was ill. Her mother told her, “Don’t hang around on your way. Don’t leave the main road.”
On her way, she saw a wolf. The wolf asked her where she was going and she told him that she was going to her grandmother’s hous. The wolf thought to himself how delicious she would taste. Red Riding Hood danced in the woods, picking flowers for her grandmother and forgetting what her mother had said to her.
The wolf went to the grandmother’s house and ate up the poor lady. Then he waited in the bed for Red Riding Hood.
As Red Riding Hood came into the grandmother’s house, she found her grandmother looked rather strange with very large ears, eyes, hands and mouth. And suddenly the wolf jumped out fo the bed and devoured the little girl.
At that time, a hunter passed the house and heard loud snores made by the wolf. He went in and carefully cut the wolf’s stomach open because she thought the wolf probably eaten the grandmother. Then both little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother escaped from the wolf’s stomach. After that, Red Riding Hood remembered the importance of the mother’s words and never left the main road again.
SECTION 2
Moon was sad. She had spent many years looking at the people on Earth and she saw that they were afraid. They were afraid of dying. To make them feel better she decided to call on her friend Spider to take a message to them.
\"Spiderell them that they will all die sooner or later but it is nothing to be scared of.\"
So Spider slowly made his way back to Earth, carefully picking his way down on moonbeams and sunbeams. On his way he met Hare.
\"Where are you going Spider?\
\"I am going to give the people of Earth a message from Moon.\
\"Oh, you'll be far too long. Tell me the message and I'll take it there for you\ \"OK! Moon wants the people of Earth to know that they will all die......\
\"Right! Tell the people of Earth that they will all die\said Hare. And with that, Hare disappeared off to Earth.
Spider gloomily made his way back to Moon and told Her what had happened. Moon was very cross with Hare and when he came back to tell them that he had given them the message, she hit him on the nose! And that is why to this day, the Hare has a split lip.
\"You had better take the message yourself\
And to this day, Spider is still carefully carrying Moon's message and spinning the web in the corner of our rooms - but how many of us listen?
SECTION 3:
We don’t often know how a word or a legend associated with that word started; however, in the case of the American “cowboy” we do. The cowboy legend began in 1867 when the first transcontinental railroad was being built across the American West.
A branch line of the new railroad went to Abilene, Kansas. In Abilence, a 29-year-old cattle merchant, Joseph McCoy, had a plan that made him a millionaire and put his name in dictionaries. His plan was simple. He knew that in the high grasslands of southern Texas ther were large herds of cattle. If these cattle could be brought to Abilene, they could be put on trains and shipped to cities in the North and East, where they would bring good prices. He bought a lot of land close to the railroad in Abilene, where cattle could be kept before being shipped, and put his plan into action.
McCoy advertised for ranchers and cow-handlers to bring their herds of cattle to his new railway cattle yard in Abilene. He offered $40 for each of the cattle, ten times more than anyone else did. One hundred days after his offer was made, the first herds arrived from the South. Each heard had two or three thousand cattle in it. In the next four years, McCoy shipped more than tow million cattle to the North and East. He soon became a millionaire.
McCoy referred to the men bringing the cows to Abilene as “cowboys”. Soon there were at least 5,000 cowboys bringing cattle up to Kansas from Texas. Because the camera had recently been developed, many photos were taken of the cowboys and their long trips with the cattle. These photos were published in eastern newspapers and the cowboy became an Americans folk hero. Soon writers, such as Zane Gray, were writing books about the cowboys and their adventures. Thus the legend of the cowboy grew and developed into the 20th century.
Unit 3 Practice 1
I took a trip recently into the heart of the Amazon Basin where one of the big issues facing our planet stands out: the balance between economic development and the conservation of natural resources. There is strong pressure in the country to harvest natural riches for short-term financial gains. Then there is intense international
concern about the control of such development. The problem, of course, is that this is a one-way street. Rapid development, and wholesale harvesting of timber, oil, and the like, will soon lead to the Amazon desert, which would mean the extinction of half
our planet's animal and plant species and the depletion of much of the oxygen we breathe. This clearly impacts every one of us.
The local people of the Amazon understand the delicate balance of nature. They've survived for thousands of years by making good use of it, not abusing it??something we can all learn from. And now tourism is playing a positive role in the equation. Travelers from more developed countries are increasingly interested in the natural world. As a result, they are fueling a boom in eco-tourism. This is in turn bringing valuable income into the region, raising awareness of critical issues and helping slow down the otherwise uncontrollable development
Practice two:
It isn't strictly true that one half of the world is rich and the other half is poor. It is one-third that is very rich and two-thirds that are very poor. People in the rich third don't realize the enormous difference between them and the other two-thirds. A very simple example is that a dog or a cat in North America eats better than a child in many of the poorer countries. A fisherman in South America may be catching fish which are processed into pet food and yet his own children are not getting enough protein for their bodies to develop properly. Although a lot of the world's natural resources come from these poorer countries, people in the richer countries are probably using much more of these resources than people in Asia or Africa. The richer countries are in a position to dictate to suppliers what kind of prices they are prepared to pay for these natural resources. In some cases the prices have gone down. In others they have remained steady. But the prices the richer countries get for their own exports have continued to rise. So, they are getting richer and richer, and the poorer countries are getting poorer and poorer.
Practice 3:
I kept seeing the news pictures in my mind. What could I do? I was only a pop singer --- and by now not a very successful pop singer. All I could do was make records which no one bought. But I would do that, I would give all the profits of the next Rats record to Oxfom. What good would that do? It would only be a little money but it was more than I could give just from my bank account. Maybe some people would buy it because the profits were for Oxfam. And I would be protesting about this disaster. But that was not enough.
Practice 4:
Marsha and Ed Gibson are sitting at the kitchen table. Ed is nervous and upset, and he's smoking. Marsha's eyes are red. She looks tired. Their children, two boys, eight and ten, are sitting with them. Tony and George know that their parents are having problems. Now, their parents are telling the boys that they're going to get a divorce. Their mother is talking first. She's telling them that she loves them and their father loves them, too. But she and their father are having problems. They aren't going to
live together as a family anymore. It has nothing to do with the boys. The boys are going to live with her. They're going to stay in the same house, go to the same school, and be with all their friends.
Now, their father is talking. He's going to leave the house this weekend. He's not going to move far away; he's going to be in the next town. Two weekends a month, the boys are going to stay with him. And, they're going to be with him one month in the summertime. He'll take his vacation then and they'll go to the beach. The boys can call him anytime. He's going to be nearby. It'll be better this way.
Tony and George don't really understand what's happening. On the one hand, they know that their parents aren't happy. On the other hand, they want everyone to stay together.
Section 2:
Last month, the Wilsons went to Green Trees Park. Jim and Sally sat under the trees and talked and read. The children played ball.
Sally decided to take a picture of the chidren. She took her camera and walked over to them. She focused her camera. Then, she heard a scream. Sally looked up. A man was stealing a woman’s purse. He was running in her direction.
Sally thought fast. She took three pictures of the man. When the police came, she gave them the film.
The next day, one of Sally’s photography was in the newspaper. Under it was the story of the robbery. In a few hours, the police knew the man’s name and address. They went to his house and arrested him. The man is now serving three months in jail.
Section 3:
In many countries in the process of industrialization, overcrowded cities become a major problem. Poor conditions in these cities, such as lack of housing, inadequate means of keeping places clean and healthy and lack of employment, bring about an increase in poverty, disease and crime.
The over-population of towns is mainly caused by the drift of large numbers of people from the rural areas. These people have become dissatisfied with the traditional life of farming and have come to the towns hoping for better work and pay.
One possible solution to the problem would be to impose registration on town residents. Only officially registered inhabitants would be allowed to live in the towns and the urban population would thus be limited. In practice, however, this causes a great deal of resentment, which would ultimately lead to violence.
The only long-term solution is to make life in the rural areas more attractive, which would encourage people to stay there. This could be achieved by rewarding people for going and working in the villages. Facilities in the rural areas, such as transport, health and educaiton services, should be improved. Educaiton should include training in improved methods of farming
and other rural industries, so as to foster a more positive attitude to rural life. The improvement of life in the villages is doubly important, because the towns themselves cannot be developed without the development of the rural areas.
Unite 4
Practice 1
W: Look. Here's a job that might interest you.
M: What is it? Are you sure? The last job interview you sent me off to was a disaster.
W: Well, look. It says they want a sales manager, and it looks like it's a big international company.
That'd be good. You might get to travel. M: What kind of company is it, though?
W: Um, let's see. Yes, it's a textile company that seems to import from abroad. They say the salary
is really good. They operate a system of paying you a basic salary and then offering you a sales commission on top of that. They say it is high. And oh, look! They give you a car to travel round in. That's not bad, is it?
M: Um, do they say anything about experience?
W: Um, let's see. No, they want someone young with ambition and enthusiasm. Oh yes, they want
graduates, so that's OK. You've been to university. Now what else? Let's see. M: There must be some catch.
W: No, the only thing is you have to travel, but then that's what the company car's for. Oh, and you
have to be able to get on well with other people because it says you have to be good on a team. M: Um, perhaps I'll have a closer look at that one.
Practice 2
W: Now what do you want to see me about, Janet?
J: Well, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Mr. Womack. Can you give me some information about secretarial jobs?
W: Yes, of course. First, let me get your file out. Now you're 16, aren't you? J: That's right.
W: Well, what would you like to know?
J: About the opportunities in general and the basic training, and things like typing speed and shorthand speed.
W: Before we go any further, Janet, when you said secretarial work, did you only mean typing or
more general things?
J: Well, I suppose I'd have to start as a word processor operator, wouldn't I?
W: If you left school at sixteen, yes. But if you wanted to have a better chance of getting a more
interesting secretarial job more quickly, it would be better if you stayed on and took A levels. According to your file, your English is good, and you've done French and economics, haven't you?
J: Yes, they're my best subjects. If I stayed, what A levels would I need to be a secretary? W: That depends, but those three subjects are all very suitable.
J: And then I suppose I'd have to do a secretarial course, wouldn't I? Um, what sort of speed do they expect?
W: I've got the typing speed here, I think. Oh, yes, it should be 65 words per minute. J: And would I have to learn shorthand?
W: Yes, you would. You'd need a speed of 90 to 100 words a minute.
J: Oh, it sounds a lot, doesn't it? Would I have a chance to use my French? W: Oh, yes, if you were a secretary with languages. J: What sort of work would I have to do?
W: Well, you'd have to translate letters, of course, but you'd also have to answer the phone to
foreign callers and interpret if foreign visitors came to the firm. It would be useful if you learned a second foreign language. That would help a lot.
J: I think I'd like a job like that. But I'd better go away and think about it. You see, well, after all, two more years at school is a long time, isn't it?
W: I'm sure it seems so at your age. If you need any more help, please come back and we'll talk
about it again.
J: Thanks, Mr. Womack.
Practice 3
D: Hi! You're listening to Radio Southwest, the best in the southwest for music and up-to-the-minute news. Sue's here. Hello, Sue. S: Hello, David.
D: And we've got the Jobspot for you today. So, if you're looking for a new job, this could be the spot for you. So, let's have a look, and see what we've got today.
S: Well, the first one we've got is a cook. That's in a large, busy restaurant, so it's very useful to have had experience in cooking. Must be a high school graduate and the pay is $12 an hour. So that's not bad, is it? The hours are good too. That's Monday to Friday, 3:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m. D: Great. Thanks, Sue. So that's a cook. Now, how do you fancy working out of doors? How do you fancy being a gardener? So as long as you're fit and strong, and at least 16 years old, that'll suit you. The pay is $8 an hour. And the hours, Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., you have to work on Sunday once a month, but on Monday the Garden Center's closed. Now, the sort of work you'd be doing is potting, watering, things like that. So, how about applying for that? Pay, $8 an hour. Sue, what else have you got?
S: Right, Dave. Well, from outdoors to indoors. We've got a word processor operator job here. This job might suit a woman with school-age children, because the hours are only 15 hours a week. It's a small, friendly office, and they require a high school graduate with two years' experience operating a computer. Pay is $9 per hour. So, there you go. That's a nice job in an office. If you fancy any of those jobs, give us a ring here on Jobspot at Radio Southwest. And now back to the music.
Practice 4
A: Do you think anybody can be trained to be a teacher?
B: Well, I think there are probably some people that can be teachers but I think it's a gift that you
have. And not many people have that internal kind of thing. A: Can you define any of that? B: Oh...
A: What sort of specific uh...are there certain personality...
B: Well, I think that the best teachers are people that are fairly sensitive, and, er, extroverted, okay? A: Uh-huh...
B: The best teachers I know are kind of extroverted people, and they really like kids... A: Uh-huh.
B: But, by the same token, I know some teachers who really care about doing a good job and want those kids to like them and want to do well. A: Right...
B: But for some teachers, they just don't have it. And it's...it's sad when you see that happening, because there're some teachers who don't care, you know—they're just in it now because they've been in it so long and it's too late to move out...and...
A: Well, aren't there some very definable management skills involved in teaching that often are neglected in teacher training, maybe? I mean...
B: I don't know how you train somebody to do that. To be a good teacher, I think you have to have a high tolerance level for confusion—I think you have... A: Um...
B: To have that when you've got thirty kids... You have to have that. You have to be a very patient person, and I know it just sounds totally inadequate, but I don't know how to put my...my finger on it. It just...
A: But you do believe it is uh...there is a gift of some sort, or there is something... B: Yeah, I do.
Text 1
There are at least 100 million workers in the Unites States. Most of them are on the job 35 to 40 hours a week. Their typical day includes seven to eight hours of work. Usually, they have a 15-minute coffee break in the morning and in the afternoon. But work schedules vary from job to job.
White-collar workers—office workers and many professionals—usually have \"nine to five\" jobs. They begin at 9:00 a.m. and finish at 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Blue-collar
workers—mechanics, electricians, and laborers—often work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In many factories, blue-collar workers come to work in eight-hour shifts. Typically, these shifts start at 8:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and midnight. Finally, sales people and managers in retail stores work on Monday and Thursday nights, when the stores are open. Many retail workers also work on Saturdays, and some work on Sundays.
These are the normal schedules for most American workers. However, many businesses now use a new system called \"flex-time scheduling\". Under this system, the employees choose their own working hours. Some people work from 8:00 to 4:00 five days a week. Some work from 9:00 to 5:00. Other people work 10 or 12 hours a day four days a week. Employees and managers are both happy with the system. The employees like the freedom of choice, so they work hard. The managers, of course, like the hard-working employees.
What, then, is a typical work schedule? It depends on the job—and on the workers.
Text 2
M: How long have you worked for AM-ADMEL, Gill?
W: Only for a year. It's May now, isn't it? Yes, I joined last August in fact. M: August in 1996. W: Yes.
M: What did you do before that?
W: I used to work for a travel agency in London. M: It was interesting, wasn't it?
W: Not really. It was just secretarial work, rather like this job. And it wasn't too well-paid. But I took a secretarial course when I left school and I couldn't think what else to do. M: So you went straight from school into a secretarial course, didn't you?
W: Well, not quite. I left school when I was 16, in 1989, I think it was. And then I went to work in a hotel in Austria for a year, to learn some German. M: Austria? Why Austria?
W : I don't know really. Well, we used to go there on holiday quite often when we were younger, and, well, I like Austria actually. Anyway then I went back and did the secretarial course. That was a year's course.
M: And then you got the job at the travel agency I suppose. W: Yeah, that's right. That was in 1991. M: So you were there for five years!
W: Yes, it's awful, isn't it? Actually, I'm thinking of giving it all up to become a nurse. M: Really?
W: Well, I worked in a hospital in Twickenham during my last year at school. Just cleaning and helping to make beds and so on. It was part of our Practical Careers training. M: And you liked it?
W: Yes, it was interesting.
Text 3
M: Well, now then, one thing I'd like to ask is, er, exactly why you applied for the job. I mean, just looking at your application form, you're actually over-qualified...
W: Yes, I thought you might ask that. Um, the thing is, in my present job, although I'm actually in charge of a small team and I have a lot of responsibility, it's largely a desk job with a lot of paperwork...
M: And you're not too keen on being stuck in an office all day?
W: To be honest, no, I'm not. I much prefer being out on site where I can supervise things, and deal with problems as they occur. And this job should give me the kind of contact with other engineers, architects, builders and so on.
M: Mmm. You'd certainly have to do quite a lot of traveling in the local area, you know, visiting different sites. You do realize, though, that the starting salary isn't as good as the salary in your present job?
W: Yes, I realize that, but um, it does say in the job advertisement that the promotion prospects are very good.
M: That's true, and er, as this is a new project that we're working on, we think there'll be a very good chance of fairly quick promotion, depending on performance, that is...
W: Yes, of course. Well, you see, I've got very little chance of promotion in my present job. I mean it's a very small company and there's nowhere really for me to go; that's why I'm looking around for somewhere else.
Unite5
Practice 1
R: English Language Center. May I help you?
C: Yes. I'm calling to find out more information about your program.
R: Well, first of all, the purpose of our program is to provide language-learning opportunities for our part of the U.S. [Uh-huh.] For example, some students need to learn the basic functional language skills for their jobs. Others need intensive English so that they can enter a U.S. university.
C: Okay. I'm calling for a friend interested in attending a U.S. university.
R: We have a variety of courses that can help her, from basic communication courses to
content-based classes such as computer literacy, intercultural communication, and business English.
C: Great. What are your application deadlines for the next semester?
R: Well, we ask applicants to apply at least two months before the semester begins. This gives us time to process the application and issue the student's I-20. C: What is an I-20?
R: Oh, an I-20 is a form giving our permission for a student to study in our program. The student will have to take this form to the U.S. embassy in their home country to apply for the F-1 student visa.
C: I see. What's the tuition for a full-time student in your courses? R: It's two thousand thirty dollars. C: How does one apply?
R: Well, we can mail an application form which can be mailed back to us, or a person can fill out our application form that's on our Web site.
C: And are there other materials my friend would need to send besides the application form? R: Yes. She would need to send in a $35 non-refundable application fee [Uh-huh], a sponsorship form indicating who will be responsible financially for her while studying in our program, and a bank statement showing that she or her sponsor has sufficient funds to cover tuition expenses and living costs for study.
C: And how can she send these materials to you?
R: She can either send the application packet by regular mail or she can fax it. C: And the application fee?
R: We accept money orders, traveler's checks, or credit cards. C: All right. I think that's about it. Thank you for your help. R: You're welcome. C: Goodbye.
Practice 2
The ability to speak or write two languages well is called bilingualism. Bilingual education is generally a matter of public policy. In a country like the United States that has what may be considered a national language—English—bilingual education means teaching English to those who were brought up using other native languages. On the other hand, there are nations such as Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland that have two or more national languages. This does not mean that all citizens of these countries speak two or more languages, but they are entitled to
government services, including education, in the language of their choice. Some South American
countries, like Peru and Ecuador, have large populations of Indians who speak various tribal tongues. There are government programs to teach the Indians Spanish, the national language in most of Latin America.
Bilingual education in the United States dates back to the first half of the 19th century, when millions of immigrants who arrived needed to learn English in order to make economic and social adjustments to the way the majority of the population lived.
In countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Holland, whose languages are spoken by relatively few foreigners, bilingual education has long been a part of the school
curriculum. Educated persons in these countries normally learn a second language such as English, German, or French for use in international communication.
Practice 3
Identification of the factors that lead to fast, effective foreign language learning has become increasingly important because of the large number of people who are anxious, as adults, to learn a new language for a very specific purpose: travel, business, study, or international friendship. The requirements for effective language learning may be examined in terms of the learner, the teacher, and the curriculum.
The learner must be personally committed to investing the time, applying the concentrated effort, and taking the emotional risks necessary to learn a new language. In addition to motivation, the learner should have at least minimal language-learning aptitude. While it is likely that nearly everyone can learn a new language if he or she is given enough time and effort, the ease with
which you are able to acquire the language is related in part to specific language-learning aptitude. Other psychological factors that are important in picking up a new language include a sense of curiosity and a sensitivity to other people. Expectations also play an important role in determining the ease and speed with which you will learn your second language. Another factor is the learner's goals. If you are a serious adult language learner you need to write and clarify your goal in each specific area: understanding, speaking, reading, and writing.
Clearly, the learner and teacher are far more important than techniques, texts, and program design. The most crucial factor involved in determining a language teacher's effectiveness,
however, is probably his or her attitude toward the students, toward the language and toward the program. On the other hand, the language used in the classroom should be up-to-date and authentic. You need to learn not only words and structures but how to use them in a way acceptable to people from a different background. A good language curriculum will include practice in the nonverbal aspects of communication as well as discussion of cultural differences and similarities.
Practice 4
H: Welcome to today's program! Our guest is Dr. Charles Adams, language learning specialist. His book, Learning a Language over Eggs and Toast, is on the bestseller list. Welcome. A: Thank you.
H: Tell us about the title of your book.
A: First, it is important to establish a regular study program, like planning a few minutes every morning around breakfast time.
H: But, I took Spanish for four years, and I didn't become a proficient speaker of it.
A: Well, we can't become fluent speakers in a matter of a few minutes here and there. We should follow a regular course of study and remember that there is a difference between native fluency and proficiency in a language. I propose the latter. H: What are the basic keys you suggest?
A: People must organize their study by setting realistic and attainable goals. Some people think they can learn a language in 30 days and become discouraged when they can't. Small steps are the key. Learning five new words a day and learning to use them actively is far better than learning 30 and forgetting them the next day.
H: You mentioned individual learning styles. Can you explain what you mean by learning styles? A: Sure. People have different ways of learning. Some are visual learners who prefer to see models of the patterns they are expected to learn. Others are auditory learners who favor hearing instructions over reading them. Our preferences are determined by factors such as personality, culture, and past experiences.
H: What is your learning style? A: I learn by doing.
H: What do you mean by that?
A: I know it might sound unusual, but moving around while trying to learn material helps me. While I cut up tomatoes and onions for my breakfast in the morning, I might recite aloud vocabulary to the rhythm of the knife. H: What is my learning style?
A: You're going to have to read my book to find that out. H: Okay. Thanks for joining us. A: My pleasure.
Text 1
Language is the most important development in human history. The arts, sciences, laws, economic systems and religions of the world could not exist without language. Humans haven't changed biologically very much for some 40,000 years. However, our ability to communicate has led us from the cave all the way to the moon.
Little is known about the birth of language. Written records that are more than 4,000 years old have been found, but scientists studying human beings agree that humans were probably speaking thousands of years before that.
Today, most of us learn to talk by the age of three, and for the rest of our lives we rarely stop. Even while we are reading or just thinking, we are in a sense \"talking\Language is so much a part of human existence that we will be talking as long as we inhabit the earth. As linguist David Thompson notes, \"When language dies, so will man.\"
Text 2
Once upon a time there was an old man who had three sons. Calling them together, he said, \"Sons, my end is near. To my oldest son I give half my camels, to my second one-third, and to my youngest one-ninth.\" Soon afterwards he died.
Now, the old man had seventeen camels, and the three brothers were puzzled to know how to share them as their father had said. They thought a long time about the problem, and it seemed that they must either kill some of the camels and cut them into pieces, or disobey their father. At last they went to see their father's old friend and asked his advice. As soon as he heard their story, he said, \"I will help you. I honored your father. I am old. I have only one camel, but take it—it is yours.\"
Gratefully the three sons took the old man's camel, finding that it was now easy to divide the camels as their father had wished. The oldest took half—that was nine camels; the second took one-third, which was six; and the youngest took one-ninth, which was two.
Only when each had received his share of camels did they discover that there was a camel to spare. So, out of gratitude to their father's friend, they returned the camel.
Text 3
T: Before we start our regular lesson today, we're going to take about 20 minutes for a short listening test.
S: Dr. Stark, why do we have to do it?
T: That's a good question, and I have a good answer. You see, I belong to the TESOL
organization—organization of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. I also occasionally help evaluate possible questions that might be on a TOEFL test. S: Do you mean you try to be sure they will be difficult questions?
T: Not at all. We try to be sure that they are fair. And we want the questions neither too hard nor too easy, and as much like standard English as possible. S: Well, after we answer the questions, what will you do?
T: I'll look at your answers, note which ones too many of you miss, and then perhaps give my opinion if I think it's a bad passage or dialog. All of your answers will go to ETS, the
Educational Testing Service and there they'll decide which questions can possibly be included in a future test. OK, are you ready? Do you have any questions? S: Do you get paid for doing this?
T: That's not considered a polite question in the U.S., but I'll answer it. No, I don't. I do this because I want to help to make good tests for international students. Now, no more questions. Let's listen.
Unite6
Practice 1
Many people around the world become friends with animals. Some call their pet animals by human names. They treat them like members of the family. Scientists are now proving what many pet owners already know—pets are good for your health.
The Delta Society is a research center in the northwestern state of Washington. They say animals have a healthy effect on people, especially people who are sick and lonely.
Several years ago, the Delta Society developed a program called \"pet therapy\". At least 2,500 people work in pet therapy programs throughout the country. They take animals to visit people in hospitals, prisons and private homes. Dogs and cats are taken most often. But other visitors include snakes, rabbits, horses and birds. Some of the animals stay with the people forever.
The dolphin also has a good effect on people. Scientists at the Dolphin Research Center in Florida introduce sick people to playful dolphins. People feed the dolphins, touch them, and ride on the dolphins' backs in the water. In this way, the animals help the patients feel better.
The head of the Delta Society, Linda Hines, says one reason for the pet therapy is that animals help sick people get better. Also, she says the animals have a calming effect on people, because pets can help people forget their own problems.
Practice 2
Pet-lovers who are on a budget should choose a cat rather than a dog. First, the initial cost of a cat is far less than that of a dog. Cats can be gotten for free from ads in the paper or, for a small donation, from the SPCA. Dogs, on the other hand, may cost anywhere from 20 dollars for a mixed puppy to hundreds for a pedigree dog. Second, cats are cheaper to feed than dogs. Cats are small and eat little. Dry cat food is especially economical. A dog, though, can eat his way through 50 dollars a month without even trying, if he's even close to being large. A final area where cat owners save is on vet bills. Cats do not require many annual shots, and are usually quite healthy. In contrast, a dog's vet bills can be astronomical. Dogs require numerous shots annually and are susceptible to more diseases than humans. Dollar for dollar, a cat is a far better pet for most people.
Practice 3
L: What a lovely dog! How long have you had her? R: Um...since July 1988.
L: Isn't it a bit unusual to have an Alsatian as a guide dog? Aren't they usually Labradors? R: Yes, you're right. I did have a Labrador before Raffles, but we were walking through London one day when a bomb went off and it frightened her so much that she became unreliable. L: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to her?
R: She's fine. She's leading a life of luxury with a family in Rye.
L: What about Raffles, then? Could you commute without her for instance?
R: Mm, yes...but much more slowly. On the other hand, people often overestimate what guide dogs can do.
L: Really? In what way?
R: Well, it's impossible to train them to cope with modern traffic, especially in London. The best she can do is warn me of a dangerous situation. L: How can she do that?
R: Simply by sitting down and refusing to move. I have to stand still and just hope that the driver misses me.
L: That must be a terrible experience... R: Yes, it's not much fun!
L: Can I ask how much you paid for Raffles?
R: 50 pounds. L: What?
R: 50 pounds... Any blind person can buy a dog for 50 pounds. Of course a lot of people pay more voluntarily, but the minimum price is 50 pounds. L: So public contributions are really important. R: Absolutely.
Practice 4
Over 450 wild horses have been killed in Nevada. The land they were on belonged to the government. Some people say it is worse than when all the buffaloes were killed. Many of the horses were shot while running.
Wild horses are protected by law. 28 thousand wild horses share the land with six million cattle. Cattlemen say the horses are crowding the cattle out. It is said that there is a war going on. Both the cattle and the horses need the water and grass that is on the land.
The president of the Nevada cattleman group also helps to protect the horses. He says that he does not like what is happening to the horses. He does want the government to help keep the number of horses low.
Some people think the Navy used the wild horses for target practice. Pilots flew over the area where the horses were found. The Navy said that they did not let their pilots do that.
The horses were found far from the nearest road. The killings happened over a large area. It has been happening for the last two years.
Some people think that the horses should be gotten rid of. Others think that they should stay. In the meantime, the police will try to figure out who did it.
Text 1
N: I'm going to tell you about an extraordinary thing that happened the other day. The day before yesterday, about eight o'clock at night, a young woman approached the box office of the best movie theater in the city. She had with her an enormous dog with a beautifully groomed coat. She bought two tickets and went toward the door, followed by her dog. The manager of the theater spoke to her...
M: I'm sorry, Miss, but dogs aren't allowed in this theater. G: But I have a ticket for him.
M: I'm very sorry, but animals aren't permitted.
G: You don't understand. This is a special case. My dog is so well trained and so intelligent that he's almost human.
M: I see that you have an exceptional animal, but...
G: I promise you that if there is any problem we'll leave the theater immediately. I assure you that this dog isn't like any other dog you've ever seen.
M: Well, all right. I'll let you go in, since the theater is almost empty tonight. Nevertheless, your dog will have to behave himself, or you will have to leave.
N: Several hours go by, and now the people are leaving the theater. The manager sees the girl with her dog.
M: I congratulate you. You are right; your dog behaved very well. I've been watching him, and it's amazing how quiet he was.
G: I told you that he's well trained and very intelligent.
M: He certainly is. It even seemed as if he was enjoying the movie.
G: Oh, he did enjoy it. He liked the film very much. However, he liked the book much better.
Text 2
Five-year-old \"gorilla boy\" Levan leaves hospital. The little boy who changed the public image of gorillas faced the cameras today for the first time since his accident and declared, \"I like monkeys.\"
Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla pit at Jersey Zoo on the first day of a family holiday last month and his parents held their breath as the seven-foot tall eighteen-stone Jambo approached him.
The gentle giant bent over and stroked the little boy and adjusted his clothing to keep him warm.
Levan was flown to Southampton Hospital with a fractured skull, a panda-sized black eye and a broken arm.
His father, Steve, a thirty-four-year-old heating engineer, said, \"We want to take him back to the zoo so that he doesn't lose his love for animals.\"
His mother, Pauline, twenty-eight, said, \"He has no more nightmares about the gorilla standing over him. He has told the doctors he fell in with the monkeys and he thinks he remembers a bit about it, but does not talk about it.\"
Levan, who has a cat called Kitkins and a hamster called Tommy, said, \"I don't remember falling or going to the zoo. The gorilla's name is Jambo, but I am not going to visit him again.\"
And he shook his head when asked if he knew the gorilla had been nice to him. Levan, surrounded by get-well cards and presents, said, \"I'm better now, thank you.\"
Text 3
W: Hello, I'm calling on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund. M: The what?
W: The World Wildlife Fund. If you've got a few minutes I'd like to tell you what that means. M: Oh, all right.
W: We work to conserve nature. The seas, for example, have become polluted by the
industrialized world; whales are being hunted to extinction; turtles are rolled off their eggs when they come ashore to breed or are slaughtered for their meat and oil. Crocodiles are killed to make handbags and shoes; seals are killed to provide fur coats and the threat of extinction hangs over several species of whales and dolphins. M: Oh.
W: Elephants are hunted for their ivory. Some rare species of birds have been dramatically reduced and there are not more than 5,000 tigers left due to the hunting. M: I see.
W: We are now campaigning to save these endangered species. M: Interesting.
W: Thanks to our campaign many women now feel embarrassed to appear in furs and fashion magazines agreed not to advertise the furs of endangered animals. M: Really?
W: Through our efforts several countries have imposed export bans on the furs of endangered species, and Britain, the United States and Canada have put controls on importation. M: Mm, very interesting.
W: Aided by our campaign, protected nesting sites for turtles have already been set up. As you can see, this is very valuable work and I wonder, therefore, if you'd like to make a donation?
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