01
M: Hey, isn’t today your birthday?
W: Oh, yes, it is. I almost forgot about it.
M: Happy birthday! Why don’t you let me buy you lunch?
W: (Thanks, but I have no time today.) 02
W: The entrance to the zoo is over there. Let’s go!
M: Oh, I left my wallet in the car. Can I go back and get it?
W: Sure, I’ll wait for you here.
M: (Okay, I’ll hurry.) 03
W: Can I have everyone’s attention for a moment? As you’ve probably already heard, Fred Wallace will be leaving the company at the end of this week. Fred started out as a salesperson many years ago and eventually worked his way up to vice president of sales. We’ll be saying goodbye to Fred with a party in the company cafeteria this Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Everyone is welcome, and I’d like to encourage you all to stop by and enjoy some food and drinks. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the rest of your day.
04
W: Reggie, can you come over here for a moment?
M: Yes, Ms. Wilson. What is it?
W: We need to organize the stockroom of our store today. Do you have time to help with that?
M: Yes, I do. I’ve already completed my usual tasks for the day.
W: Great. The first thing you need to do is to stack these boxes against the left wall.
M: Sure. And after that?
W: Please line up everything on the shelves. Make sure it’s all neat. That should take quite a while.
M: Yes, ma’am. Should I sweep the floor after that?
W: Yes, that would be great. You can go home when the job is done.
M: Okay, I’ll start right away.
05
[Doorbell rings.]
W: Yes?
M: Hello, ma’am. I heard you wanted to see me.
W: Yes. I want to complain about your service here.
M: I’m sorry to hear that. Can you tell me what’s wrong?
W: Yes. Look at this room. It wasn’t cleaned this morning.
M: Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I’ll have it taken care of right away.
W: Also, I ordered room service last night and the food was terrible.
M: Was it? Did you let the kitchen staff know?
W: I did, but they said it was too late to replace my order.
M: I sincerely apologize. I’ll remove the food charge from your room bill.
W: I’d appreciate that.
M: I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
06
M: Here is the design for your booth at the convention.
W: Okay. Let’s take a look at it.
M: There are four shelves against the wall.
W: Okay, that’s good. And where will my company logo and name be?
M: They will be on this sign at the top of the center wall.
W: And is this a TV screen under the company logo?
M: Yes, I added it because it will be a good way to advertise your products.
W: I think this sign that says “Information” on the front of the desk is a good idea.
M: Thanks. And here are two chairs for customers.
W: Well, it all looks great!
07
W: Hi, Martin. What’s that?
M: It’s a baseball cap. I just bought it.
W: I didn’t realize you were a baseball fan.
M: I wasn’t before. But my friend convinced me to join the local team’s fan club.
W: Do you guys get together regularly?
M: Actually, we go to the stadium once a month to watch a game.
W: That sounds like fun! Can I come with you next time?
M: Sure. But you have to become a member of the club first.
W: All right. How do I do that?
M: Just go to the team’s website and fill out the form.
W: Perfect. I can’t wait to go to a game.
M: It’ll be great. I’ll buy you a hot dog.
08
M: Hi, Molly. You’re really tan. Did you go on vacation?
W: No. But I did spend the day at the beach yesterday.
M: I’m jealous. It was the perfect day to lie out in the sun.
W: Well, I didn’t go to sunbathe. I went to cheer for my sister Beth.
M: Why? What was she doing?
W: She’s a really good volleyball player. There was a competition at the beach.
M: Oh, I see. Did she win?
W: Her team came in second. It was pretty exciting, though.
M: I’m sure it was. Did you guys go swimming afterwards?
W: No. The water was too cold.
09
M: Hello, ma’am. How can I help you?
W: I’m interested in buying two tickets for the opera that’s playing tonight.
M: All right. We have basic, balcony and VIP seats. Which would you like?
W: How much are the VIP seats? I’d love to be right in front of the stage.
M: They’re $200 apiece.
W: Oh, that’s too much. How much are the basic tickets?
M: They are $100 each.
W: That price seems about right. Two basic tickets, please.
M: Okay. Do you have a membership card?
W: No, I don’t. Oh, but I have this coupon I downloaded from your website.
M: I see. This gives you a 50% discount on one ticket.
W: Great. Here is the coupon.
10
W: Danny, I’m worried about going to school this year.
M: What’s the matter?
W: My house is so far away, so it will take forty minutes to get to school by bus.
M: Oh, but the newly opened subway line stops right in front of your house and the school.
W: I didn’t know that. But is it fast enough?
M: Sure. From your house, it will only take about fifteen minutes.
W: How much does the ticket cost?
M: Well, the fare is normally $2, but there is a special discount for students.
W: Really? What kind of discount?
M: Students can take the train at half price.
W: That makes it really affordable. Thanks for the information.
11
M: Some kinds of South American fire ants can survive floods by getting together in large groups. They hold onto one another, creating large rafts. These rafts are able to float on top of the water. The ants can stay this way until they reach dry land, even if it takes weeks or months to get there. You might think that the ants on the bottom of the rafts would drown. But they don’t. The reason is that small air bubbles get trapped beneath the rafts. The ants that are underwater are able to breathe by using these air bubbles. They are truly amazing insects!
12
M: What are you looking at, Liz?
W: It’s an ad for a computer store. They’re having a laptop sale.
M: What’s wrong with your old laptop?
W: It doesn’t have enough memory. I need one with at least three gigabytes.
M: What’s your budget?
W: I’ve saved up $950, so it can’t be more than that.
M: This one has enough memory and is affordable.
W: But this one is cheaper. And pink is my favorite color.
M: Yes, but the screen is too small. This white one has a screen that is two inches bigger.
W: True. But that’s not really important to me. I’d rather save some money.
M: Well, then that just leaves this one.
13
W: Dad, I want to talk to you about traveling to Europe this summer.
M: I already told you, honey. You’re too young to go abroad alone.
W: Yes, but what if I went to England instead of France?
M: What difference would that make?
W: Doesn’t Aunt Elizabeth live in London?
M: Ah, yes.
W: What if I stayed with her while I was there?
M: Yes, that would be acceptable. But have you spoken to her about it yet?
W: No, I haven’t. I wanted to check with you first.
M: Well, if she says it’s okay, then you have my permission.
W: (In that case, I’ll give her a call and ask.) 14
W: What are you filling out?
M: It’s an application form for Morrison’s Supermarket, Mom.
W: An application form?
M: They’re hiring people as part-time cashiers.
W: I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that. A job will have a bad effect on your schoolwork.
M: But Mom, my grades are fine.
W: Yes, and I want to make sure that you continue to get good grades.
M: But do you remember when I was on the school soccer team? My grades didn’t drop.
W: Yes.
M: And this job would take up less time than soccer practice.
W: Well, I’m not sure you can handle doing two different things at once.
M: (I think I’ve already proved that I can.) 15
W: Lucy and her friends have decided to take a vacation at the beach. They chose the nicest
beach in the area and picked a weekend in August to go. Everyone was given a different task to do in order to prepare for the vacation. One friend had to buy the food, while another was in charge of transportation. It was Lucy’s job to reserve a pair of hotel rooms for them to stay in.
However, when she started calling hotels in that area, she found that they were all booked for that weekend. In this situation, what would Lucy most likely say to her friends?
Lucy: (I think we ought to decide on a different weekend.) 16-17
M: Demodex mites are tiny insects with eight legs. Surprisingly, they make their home on
human skin. Most people have millions of these mites living on their body. They use their needle-like mouths to bite into skin cells. This can badly damage facial skin, leaving it rough and
swollen. Pimples, hair loss, and other skin conditions can also be caused by demodex mites. To kill them and protect your skin, you should start by cleaning your eyelids. This removes oil that demodex mites enjoy. You should also wash your face twice a day, using a cleanser instead of regular soap. And scrub your face regularly to remove dead skin cells. Finally, buy some new bed sheets and get rid of the old ones, in case any mites are hiding on them.