01
M: Holly, where are you going?
W: I’m on my way to the hospital to visit my father.
M: Oh, really? Is it something serious?
W: (Well, he has to have surgery tomorrow.) 02
W: How was the indoor rock climbing club?
M: It was great. Amy has a lot of talent.
W: Great, but did she enjoy herself?
M: (Yes. She loves rock climbing.) 03
W: Many people drink bottled water. However, plastic bottles are harmful to the environment.
Other people go to underground springs to get drinking water. But unless you know that the water has been tested, you shouldn’t drink it. Therefore, it is recommended that you drink tap water. It’s advantageous in many ways; compared to bottled water, it’s cheap and doesn’t produce any pollution. And now the government regulates tap water strictly, so it’s clean and safe even when compared to spring water.
04
W: You’re such a good parent. What’s your secret?
M: I like to give my children praise when they do something good.
W: Can you give me an example?
M: Well, I often ask my son to pick up his toys. When he does, I thank him for doing such a good job.
W: That’s nice. I’m sure he enjoys hearing that from his father.
M: Right. It’s really good for his self-esteem.
W: And he’ll be more likely to pick up his toys again in the future.
M: Yes. I do the same thing with my daughter. She has trouble remembering how to tie her shoes. So when she does it right, I make sure to praise her.
W: That’s good advice. Thanks.
05
M: I’m going to an academic seminar next week.
W: Are you going to cancel your classes?
M: Yes, and I need you to let the students know right away. Please send out an email to everyone.
W: Sure, no problem. What about the report that’s due on Thursday?
M: They can hand it in to you. So you’ll need to be in my office during my usual office hours.
W: All right. That’s not a problem.
M: Good. Please include that in the email.
W: Okay. Is there anything I can help you do to get ready for the seminar?
M: Yes. Here are the articles I wrote for the seminar. Can you make copies of them?
W: How many do you want?
M: Two hundred copies will be enough. Thanks.
W: You’re welcome.
06
[Telephone rings.]
W: Hello?
M: Hi, Mom. It’s me, Mark. I just moved into my new dorm room.
W: Oh, really? How is your new room?
M: I like it. I actually emailed you a picture of it today.
W: Let me open it. [Pause] I see it now. That is a nice desk on the left side of the room.
M: Thanks. And I put my bed in front of the window.
W: Right. You can easily use the bookshelf between the bed and the desk.
M: Yes, I have another bookshelf above the window, too.
W: I saw that. There’s enough space for your books. But I’m worried because there are no curtains.
M: Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll buy some tomorrow.
07
M: You went shopping again? How much money did you spend this time?
W: Around $200.
M: $200? I thought we agreed we would save as much as possible.
W: But I needed new shoes and a bag.
M: You already have about 20 pairs of shoes and 10 bags. What else did you get?
W: Some new hairbands.
M: Hairbands? There must be close to 20 hairbands on your dresser upstairs!
W: Don’t be upset. Look, these are really cute.
M: I think you should take those things back to the store.
W: I only spent $200.
M: This is not the first time. We really have to save money to pay off the loan.
W: You’re right. I’ll return everything tomorrow.
08
M: I heard it’s going to be sunny this weekend.
W: Unfortunately, I won’t have a chance to enjoy it.
M: Do you have plans?
W: I have tons of homework due on Monday. Oh, can you help me with it on Saturday?
M: Well, I have plans, actually.
W: Are you going bike riding with Alex again?
M: Not this weekend. I’m going to the baseball stadium.
W: Are you going to watch a baseball game?
M: No, I have to do some interviews for a newspaper article.
W: Oh, right. You belong to the school newspaper club, don’t you?
M: Yes. I have to present my article at our meeting on Monday.
W: I guess you’re going to be pretty busy this weekend.
09
M: Skyway Airlines. How may I help you?
W: I’d like to book two round-trip tickets to Tokyo leaving June 8th and returning June 22nd.
M: Would you like economy class or first-class tickets?
W: Economy class, please. Oh, and a window seat.
M: It’s $350 for one ticket, but there are no window seats available for those dates.
W: Oh, really? Then how much are the first-class tickets?
M: They’re $500 each.
W: That’s too expensive. I’d like two economy class tickets, please.
M: If you have earned any points from flying with our airline, you can use them to bring down the price.
W: Oh, I have 300 points.
M: That will bring the total down by $100.
W: Great!
10
W: Welcome to Good Eats. Today we’re talking to Albert Anderson, the owner of Café Paris.
M: Hi, Kelly. Welcome to my restaurant.
W: Thank you. So, how did you start your career?
M: I started as a dishwasher at a hotel when I was 18. At the same time, I studied at a cooking school.
W: I heard you eventually became the head chef at the hotel.
M: Yes, after graduating from school, I became an assistant cook and then the head chef.
W: So what made you leave that job?
M: It’s always been my dream to open a restaurant. So last year I decided to do it.
W: I see. And why did you become a cook?
M: I was inspired by my grandmother. She was the best cook I ever met.
W: Well, I’m sure she’d be proud of you today.
M: Thanks, Kelly.
11
M: Tanabata, a Japanese star festival, is celebrated on July 7th of each year. It is based on a legend about two lovers. They live on either side of the Milky Way and can only meet once a year. It is believed that the Chinese originally brought the festival to Japan, where it mixed with local customs to become a unique event. Because of this, it is celebrated differently in various regions of the country. Generally, people write down wishes on long pieces of colored paper and hang them on bamboo branches. Afterwards, they pray for their wishes to come true.
12
M: What are you looking at, Susan?
W: The school paper.
M: I need an English tutor. Are there any ads?
W: Yes. Here’s one. It says she is majoring in law but can tutor students in all kinds of subjects.
M: Let me see. How much does she charge? That’s the most important thing.
W: She asks for a minimum of $25 per hour.
M: That’s not that expensive. But the time is also important.
W: She can tutor two or three times a week, but only on weekdays.
M: Hmm… I want to meet once during the week, and one more time on Saturdays.
W: Why don’t you call and ask her if she can do that?
M: I think I should.
13
M: I’m so tired of eating at the school cafeteria.
W: I know. The food tastes awful.
M: And you have to wait so long.
W: I barely have enough time to eat before I have to get back to class.
M: That’s because they don’t have enough people working there.
W: And the people who do work there are rude because they’re so busy.
M: They don’t have time to be friendly.
W: I feel bad for them because they’re stressed out.
M: But it’s still not fair to us. We shouldn’t have to wait in line for bad-tasting food just to be treated rudely.
W: You’re right. Something should be done.
M: (Let’s go to the student council and complain about it.) 14
M: Achoo!
W: Bless you. You’ve been sneezing a lot. Do you have a cold?
M: No, it’s allergies.
W: Have you always had allergies?
M: No. I never had allergies when I was living in the country.
W: Did you get them after moving here?
M: Yes. It’s really irritating.
W: I think it’s because there is so much dirty air in the city. You’re not used to it.
M: Yeah, it’s pretty different from the country. The air is so fresh and clean there.
W: Do you want to move back?
M: I’d like to. I do miss it sometimes. But I am well paid at my job here.
W: (There are always good points and bad points.) 15
W: Kelly is a big fan of the famous singer Veronica Lee. Recently, she started to work on a group science project with her classmate Jamie. But Kelly was constantly listening to Veronica Lee’s music and watching her videos, so she couldn’t focus on the project. She even forgot to meet him once because she went to a Veronica Lee concert instead. At first, Jamie tried to be
understanding, but eventually he began to get angry. He thinks that they need to have a serious discussion. In this situation, what would Jamie most likely say to Kelly?
Jamie: (I think you need to focus on our project.) 16-17
M: Many people think that the most effective way to learn a foreign language is to live in a country where it is spoken. But you can actually make good progress without going overseas. All you have to do is train yourself to think in the language of your choice. The next time you go to the supermarket, try talking to yourself in the foreign language. Try to describe every movement you make and everything you see. Do this each day until you begin to both think and respond mentally in the foreign language. Also, make notes in the foreign language if you can. Once you’re accustomed to it, try to write in your diary regularly in the foreign language. Listening to music in the language and learning the lyrics is also helpful. Soon, you’ll get to the point where your first thought each morning is in a foreign tongue.