Unit1

 

一

1.Woman:   This is my family. I'm married. My husband's name is Bill. We have two children — a boy and a girl. Our little girl is six years old, and our little boy is four. Jennie goes to kindergarten, and Aaron goes to nursery school. My father lives with us. Grandpa's great with the kids. He loves playing with them and taking them to the park or the zoo.

2.Man:   This is a picture of me and my three sons. We're at a soccer game. Orlando is twelve, Louis is ten, and Carlos is nine. All three of them really like sports. Orlando and Louis play baseball. Carlos is into skating.

3.Man:   This is my wife June, and these are my three children. Terri on the right is the oldest. She's in high school. She's very involved in music. She's in the orchestra. Rachel — she's the one in the middle — is twelve now. And this is my son Peter. He's one year older than Rachel. Rachel and Peter are both in junior high school. Time really flies. June and I have been married for twenty years now.

4.Woman:   This is a picture of me with my three kids. The girls, Jill and Anne, are both in high school. This is Jill on the right. She'll graduate next year. Anne is two years younger. My son Dan is in college. It seems like the kids are never home. I see them for dinner and sometimes on Saturday mornings, but that's about it. They're really busy and have a lot of friends.

 

二

John: It's super, Mary. It's just what I wanted. 

Mary: Well, I know you said your old calculator was no good any more. 

John: Well, it wasn't that it was no good. It just wouldn't do all the things I need to do at work. And it certainly wouldn't remember telephone numbers for me like this one. 

Mary: I suppose you're going to start putting in numbers straightaway. 

John: I've put in one while we've been chatting. I've put in our solicitor's number. You know how often I need to call him on company contracts. 

Mary: So what others are you going to put in? 

John: Well, number one. Accountant, I think. 

Mary: The company's accountant? 

John: Yes. Now just let me put in the number. That's it. 

Mary: And number two, the bank. 

John: OK. Bank. Now, that's 345674. Oh ... And number 3, the doctor. 

Mary: Yes. His number's, er, let me think. 76763. And then the dentist, of course. 

John: What's that? Number 4, isn't it? Dentist. 

Mary: Yes, the number's 239023. I remember, because I rang yesterday about Robbie's appointment. 

John: That's fine. And now — the garage. 757412. 

Mary: And then how about the station number? You're always hunting around for that in a panic. 

John: Yes, you're right. What is the number anyway? 

Mary: Oh, I can't remember. I'll just look it up in the telephone directory. 

John: All right. Now, number 7, the flower shop, I think. Yes, florist. And that's 989024. Oh, I mustn't forget the new London office number. So that's number 8, new London office. 

Mary: John, here's the station number. 546534. 

John: 546534. Thanks. Now that was number 6 on my list. 

Mary: How far have you got now? 

John: Well, I've added a couple more. The next one will be 9. 

Mary: What about Bill and Sue? 

John: No, I can always remember their number. But I always have to look up John and Jane's number. What is it? 

Mary: John and Jane ... John and Jane ... I know, 21463. 

John: OK. 21463. John and Jane. And one more perhaps? 

Mary: The hairdresser? 

John: Why do I need the hairdresser's number? No, I thought this was my pocket calculator. Oh, I tell you one number we do need quite often — the sports club! 

Mary: the sports club! 

John: Great minds think alike! OK, number 10. Sports Club. And that's —

Mary: 675645. 

John: 675645. Well that's enough for the moment, I think. Now, as it's my birthday, what about taking me out for a meal? 

Mary: I don't think I can remember the telephone number of our favorite restaurant!

 

三

Josephine:    We did feel far more stability in our lives, because you see ... in these days I think there's always a concern that families will separate or something, but in those days nobody expected the families to separate. 

Gertrude:    Of course there may have been smoking, drinking and drug-taking years ago, but it was all kept very quiet, nobody knew anything about it. But these days there really isn't the family life that we used to have. The children seem to do more as they like whether they know it's right or wrong. Oh, things are very different I think. 

Question:    What was your parents' role in family life? 

Josephine:    Well, my mother actually didn't do a tremendous amount in the house, but she did do a great deal of work outside and she was very interested, for example, in the Nursing Association collecting money for it. We had somebody who looked after us and then we also had someone who did the cleaning. 

Gertrude:    Well, we lived in a flat, we only had three rooms and a bathroom. Father worked on the railway at Victoria Station and my mother didn't work, obviously. My father's wage I think was about two pounds a week and I suppose our rent was about twelve shillings a week, you know as rent was - I'm going back a good many years. We didn't have an easy life, you know and I think that's why my mother went out so much with her friends. It was a relief for her, you know really. 

Question:    Did you have a close relationship with your parents? 

Josephine:    In a sense I would say not very close but we, at that time, didn't feel that way, we didn't think about it very much I don't think. I think today people are much closer to their parents and talk about everything, which we didn't. Then, of course, we used to play a lot of games, because we didn't have a television or even a radio and we would play games in the evenings rather than have conversation, I think. 

Question:    Was there more discipline in families in those days? 

Josephine:    Oh yes, I do think so, yes. We were much more disciplined and we went about as a family and it wasn't until I was probably about 18 before I would actually go out with any friends of my own.

 

 

Statements:

1. Seventy years ago young people often smoked and drank in front of others.

2. Apart from a great deal of work outside, Josephine's mother also looked after her children and did the cleaning in the house.

3. Gertrude's father earned two pounds a week.

4. Gertrude's family had to pay ten shillings a week for their flat.

5. Young people seventy years ago deeply felt that they did not have a very close relationship with their parents.

6. Nowadays people are much closer to their parents and talk about everything to them.

 

四

Father is a very formal word today. Most people use the word "Dad" or "Daddy" instead. On Father's Day children might take their dad out for a meal. They might send him a greeting card or call on the telephone, or they might buy him a present.

 

 

Not all children however will see or speak with their dad on Father's Day. Studies say about 24% of American children live in a family without a father. This is three times more than in 1960. Back then only 8% of children lived in a family without a father.

 

 

One reason is the increasing children born to women who are not married. Studies show the children growing up without a father are more likely to be poor. They are more likely to leave school before completing their education, and they are more likely to become involved in crime or illegal drugs.

 

 

Another reason for the large number of American families without fathers is the increasing of the number of people who have ended their marriage. The divorce rate in the US has increased sharply in recent years. Today more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. In 1960 the rate was only 6%. After a divorce, a judge decides which parent will care for the children. In about 70% of cases, the judge decides that the children will live with their mother. In about 8% of the cases, children live with their father after a divorce and in about 15% of the cases children live with each parent at different times.

 

 

The image of fathers in America has changed especially since the 1960s. Before then, many people felt that fathers were not supposed to become involved with their children or to show love for them. This was not a part of a father's image as a strong and emotional man. Fathers were the leaders of the family. They earned the money. They made the rules. They punished the children when they were bad. Back then fathers did not always spend a lot of time with their children. Most mothers stayed at home to care for them. They also did all the shopping, cleaning and cooking.

 

 

During the 1960s and 1970s, however, more American women began to work outside the home. As a result, more and more fathers became interested in taking care of their children and helping their wife. Yet, most studies today show that women still spend more time caring for their children and doing housework. This is true even if the wife works and earns the same amount of money as her husband.

 

 

Several studies show that fathers who are involved with their children are usually more happy and in better health than fathers who are not involved. So celebrating fatherhood is important for men not only on Father's Day but throughout the year.

 

 

五

Woman:  Well, my brother was six years younger than I, and er, I think that when he was little I was quite jealous of him. I remember he had beautiful red curls (mm) ... my mother used to coo over him. One day a friend and I played, erm, barber shop, and, erm, my mother must have been away, she must have been in the kitchen or something (mm) and we got these scissors and sat my brother down and kept him quiet and (strapped him down) ... That's right, and cut off all his curls, you see. And my mother just was so upset, and in fact it's the first ... I think it’s one of the few times I've ever seen my father really angry. 

Man:  What happened to you? 

Woman:  Oh ... I was sent to my room for a whole week you know, it was terrible. 

Man  But was that the sort of pattern, weren't you close to your brother at all? 

Woman:  Well as I grew older I think that er I just ignored him ...

Man:  What about ... you've got an older brother too, did ... were they close, the two brothers? 

Woman:  No, no my brother's just a couple of years older than I ... so the two of us were closer and we thought we were both very grown up and he was just a ... a kid ... so we deliberately, I think, kind of ignored him. And then I left, I left home when he was only still a schoolboy, he was only fifteen (mm) and I went to live in England and he eventually went to live in Brazil and I really did lose contact with him for a long time. 

Man:  What was he doing down there? 

Woman:  Well, he was a travel agent, so he went down there to work ... And, erm, I didn't, I can't even remember, erm sending a card, even, when he got married. But I re ... I do remember that later on my mother was showing me pictures of his wedding, 'cause my mother and father went down there (uh huh) to the wedding, and er, there was this guy on the photos with a beard and glasses, and I said,"Oh, who's this then?" 'cause I thought it was the bride's brother or something like this (mm) ... and my mother said frostily, "That ... is your brother!" (laughter)

 

 

Questions for memory test:

1. According to the passage, how many brothers does the lady have?

2. When the sister saw her mother coo over her younger brother, how did she feel?

3. What's her father's reaction when he got to know that the sister had cut off her younger brother's hair?

4. How old was her younger brother when she left home?

5. Where did her brother eventually live?

6. Who was the guy on the photos with a beard and glasses?

 

 

Unit2

 

一

   When parents make a lot of rules about their children's behavior, they make trouble for themselves. I used to spend half my time making sure my rules were obeyed, and the other half answering questions like "Jack can get up whenever he likes, so why can't I?" or "Why can't I play with Angela? Jack's mum doesn't mind who he plays with" or "Jack can drink anything he likes. Why can't I drink wine too?"

 

    Jack's mum, I decided, was a wise woman. I started saying things like "Of course, dear. You can drink as much wine as you like" and "No, I don't mind how late you get up" and "Yes, dear, you can play with Angela as often as you like."

 

    The results have been marvelous. They don't want to get up late any more, they've decided they don't like wine, and, most important, they've stopped playing with Angela. I've now realized (as Jack's mum realized a long time ago) that they only wanted to do all these nasty things because they weren't allowed to.

 

 

二

Radio presenter:   Good afternoon. And welcome to our midweek phone-in. In today's program we're going to concentrate on personal problems. And here with me in the studio I've got Tessa Colbeck, who writes the agony column in Flash magazine, and Doctor Maurice Rex, Student Medical Adviser at the University of Norfolk.

    The number to ring with your problem is oh one, if you're outside London, two two two, two one two two. And we have our first caller on the line, and it's Rosemary, I think, er calling from Manchester. Hello Rosemary.

Rosemary:   Hello.

Radio presenter:   How can we help you, Rosemary?

Rosemary:

   Well, it's my dad. He won't let me stay out after ten o'clock at night and all my friends can stay out much longer than that. I always have to go home first. It's really embarrassing …

Tessa:   Hello, Rosemary, love. Rosemary, how old are you dear?

Rosemary:

 

   I'm fifteen in two month's time.

Tessa:   And where do you go at night — when you go out?

Rosemary:   Just to my friend's house, usually. But everyone else can stay there much later than me. I have to leave at about quarter to ten.

Tessa:   And does this friend of yours … does she live near you?

Rosemary:   It takes about ten minutes to walk from her house to ours.

Tessa:   I see. You live in Brighton, wasn't it? Well, Brighton's …

Rosemary:

   No. Manchester … I live in Manchester.

Tessa:

 

 

   Oh. I'm sorry, love. I'm getting mixed up. Yes, well Manchester's quite a rough city, isn't it? I mean, your dad …

Rosemary:   No. Not really. Not where we live it isn't. I don't live in the City Center or anything like that. And Christine's house is in a very quiet part.

Tessa:   Christine. That's your friend, is it?

Rosemary:   Yeah. That's right. I mean, I know my dad gets worried but it's perfectly safe.

Maurice:   Rosemary. Have you talked about this with your dad?

Rosemary:   No. He just shouts and then he says he won't let me go out at all if I can't come home on time.

Maurice:

   Why don't you just try to sit down quietly with your dad — sometime when he's relaxed - and just have a quiet chat about it? He'll probably explain why he worries about you. It isn't always safe for young girls to go out at night.

Tessa:   Yes. And maybe you could persuade him to come and pick you up from Christine's house once or twice.

Rosemary:   Yes. I don't think he'll agree to that, but I'll talk to him about it. Thanks.

     

 

 

三

1. Discipline needs to be there in a certain amount but too much of it can be a bad thing I think and I certainly do get too much of it occasionally.

2. I think talking to them, trying to explain why you're upset, what it is they have done wrong is better than hitting them, because if you hit them they learn to hit other things, other people, you, and I don't think that is a solution to anything.

3. My experience as, as, as a mother now is you can, you can talk with a child very much and, and the child is going to understand much more than you believe, even if it is a one-year-old or two-years-old child. And I think it's um it's a very bad thing punishing children, because it remains being er an awfully er dark experience, and so it was it for me too, because when I'm thinking about my parents I can't help thinking about these days where they punished me.

4. I wouldn't be as strict as my dad was, definitely not, cos I don't think that works. That only makes you rebel.

5. Well, there's smacking and smacking. I don't at all agree with beating a child, but I do think sometimes a quick, short smack on the hand or arm is better than a long drawn-out moan. It's quick and the child understands it.

6. I can't really defend it when I, when I hit my child, I don't do it often but something about it makes me think that it's not … a terrible thing to do. I mean, what are the alternatives? You can shout at your child, you can try to sit down and reason with your child, which is incredibly difficult if you're trying to talk to a two-year-old. Or what else can you do? You can send them out of the room, you can send them up to their room, you can not let them … have any pudding for the dinner, or something, but I mean to me a little spank, to me it's quick, it's honest, it's physical, but having said all that I still try not to do it.

 

 

四

Woman:    Many of the disadvantages — or many of the troubles that occur, with adopted children, do of course also occur in the cases of children born to their parents. But there are some, for example, grandparents say, who refuse to accept an adopted grandchild as their own, or schoolchildren, children, like adults, are often cruel, and who find out that a child is adopted, and perhaps tease or rag the child. Those particular difficulties of course don't arise in the case of children born to their parents. So I think there are a few difficulties that arise, that stem directly from adoption, but those parents who have great difficulties, I think often forget that many, many, what I call biological children, children born to their parents, er, produce the same difficulties, so that one has to be careful in saying, this is due to adoption.

Man:   You put a great stress on the need to tell the child as early as possible that he or she is adopted … 

Woman:    Yes.

Man:   Why is this so?

Woman:    I think it's terribly important, because the child is bound to hear it sometime or other. I have met some very sad cases, where the parents hadn't told the child, that he or she was adopted, and then some well-meaning, perhaps not so well-meaning, person, told the child, or adolescent. It was a great shock to the child, in some cases, the child literally packed a suitcase and left. I know of several cases of teenagers who did that. And even if they don't react quite so violently, they begin to think, well, can they trust their parents on any topic, if on such a vital topic, they deceived them? Also, if you don't tell your child that he, or she, is adopted, it suggests that there is something faintly shameful about is, and of course this is not the case, and it should be not felt or thought to be the case, either by the parents or the children. And if the parents, or anyone closely associated with the child feels it, they're not very suitable, in my opinion, to be adoptive parents.

     

 

五

Louisa: She doesn't let me watch that much TV after school, which is really annoying because most of my friends watch Home and Away and Neighbors but I only get to watch one of them. I sometimes don't — I mean I think that's really unfair so sometimes I just watch both anyway.

Mother: First and foremost, Louisa watches a fair amount of television whether she thinks she's deprived or not, she must watch at least 45 minutes per day. And when I'm not around you know I know the child sneaks in a fair amount more than that. So she gets in a fair amount of television, certainly on the weekends. But I am of the opinion that television, very very very few programs will teach them anything. And I think when a child is under your care for 18 years it's the parents' responsibility to make sure that the input is of value, and I don't think television, much television is of any value at all, I think reading a book and doing her piano lessons are far more valuable than watching crummy American soap operas.

 

Questions for memory test:

1. How many TV plays are mentioned?

2. For how long a time does Louisa watch TV per day?

3. Does Louisa try to get more time to watch TV?

4. Which activities does Louisa's mother think are far    more valuable?

 

 

 

     My parents gave me a lot of free time. After dinner, during the week when I was say even 15 years old they would let me go out until ten o'clock and they would never ask where I went. I would smoke cigarettes and drink beer, at 15 years old I would hang out in the ... in the local pubs and these were type of things that I don't think were too good for me at that time. I think my parents should have, you know, maybe at least showed an interest as to where I was going. They never even asked where I was going and they, they gave me a lot of free time, and I think that they, they felt that this was a thing that was being a good parent. But I think that teenagers are very naive, and I was as a teenager very naive, and I think I could have used a little more direction from them. These days a lot of parents think they should be lenient with their children, they should let them grow and experience on their own. And I think that's what my parents were doing, I think there's a Biblical saying "Spare the rod, spoil the child" and I think that really applies. And I think you need to direct especially young people. They can be thrown into such a harsh world, especially if you live in a city. I lived in a very small village and it was still a rough crowd that I found in that village. And my parents never asked questions, and if they only knew they would be shocked.

 

Statements:

1. When the boy was 15 years old, he could stay out until    ten o'clock.

2. At the age of 15, the boy was not allowed to smoke    cigarettes or drink beer.

3. The boy thought his parents were very good because    they gave him a lot of free time.

4. The boy lived in a very crowded city.

 

 

 Unit3

 

一

House agent:    … right, if you'd just come this way.

Woman:    Thank you.

Man:    Yes.

House agent:    Er… on the right here we have the … er … the bathroom, which as you can see is fully … fully fitted. If we just move forward now, we … er … come into the er … main … main bed-sitting room here. And… er … on the left are dining room table and chairs.

Woman:

   Oh yes.

Man:    Yes.

House agent:

 

   And er… straight ahead of us … um … foldaway double bed and mattress, which I think you'll agree is quite a novel idea.

Man:    Oh yes.

House agent:    And then… um… to …

Woman:   Behind the armchair.

House agent:   Yes, behind the armchair. To our right, um … in the corner there, a fitted wardrobe. And another one on my left here.

Woman:    On either side of the bed?

House agent:    Yes, that's right. That's right, so you can put all your … er … night attire or what… whatever you like in there.

Man:

   Yes, that's good.

House agent:    Then, there … the … we have the sofa here … er … in front of the … um … the window.

Man:    Oh yes.

House agent:   Er … so there's plenty of light coming through into the room and as you can see there's a nice view through the windows there.

Woman:    No curtains, though.

House agent:   No curtains, but we've got roller blinds.

Woman:    Oh.

House agent:

   Yes, they're nice and straight forward. No problems about that — don't have to wash them of course. And … um … on the left of the … er … sofa there, you can see nice coffee tables.

    If … if we move straight a … straight ahead, actually, into the … er … the kitchen you can see that um … on my left here we've got a washing machine, tumble dryer and … um … electric cooker …

Woman:    Oh,yes.

Man:   Mmm.

House agent:

 

   All as you can see to the most modern designs. And there um… on the other side of the kitchen… um… refrigerator there in the… in the corner.

Man:    Oh yeah, yes.

Woman:    Oh, what a nice little cubbyhole! Yes, very neat.

House agent:    Yes. Well… um… I don't know whether you've got any questions. That's it of course.

Woman:    Well, could… could we perhaps see the bathroom, because we… we didn't see that?

House agent:    OK, yes, yes. Let's… um… let's go on out of here and… um… end up in the bathroom …

 

 

二

1. My dream house would be a canal boat. I'd like to wake up every morning and see the water. Erm, I'd paint it bright red, and it would have a little roof-garden for all my pot-plants.

2. My ideal house would be modern, ermm, it would be made of bricks, and it would have white pillars outside the front door. And it would be detached … oh yes, it would have a garage.

3. My ideal home would be to live in a cottage in a small village by the sea. Er, somewhere like Cornwall, so it's unspoilt and there are cliffs and trees around.

4. I think if I could have any sort of house, I'd like one of those white-walled villas in Spain. (It'd) Be marvelous to be able to just fall out of bed and into the sea first thing in the morning. (It'd) Be absolutely great. All that heat. Marvelous.

5. I've always wanted to live in a really big house in the country, a big family house with, erm … at least two hundred years old, I think, with a big garden, and best of all I'd like to have a dry-stone wall around the garden. I've always loved dry-stone walls.

6. D'you know, I may sound daft but what I've always wanted to do is live somewhere totally isolated, preferably somewhere enormous like a castle or something, you know, right out in … by the sea or even sort of in a little island, on an island, you know, out at sea, where you have to get there by a boat or something, where it's cut off at high tide. I think it'd be really great.

 

Questions:

1. According to the first speaker, in what color would her dream house be painted?

2. Where would she put all her pot-plants?

3. In the second speaker's opinion, what would there be outside the front door of his ideal house?

4. What would there be around the third speaker's ideal home?

5. When the fourth speaker got up in the morning, what would he do first?

6. What is Spain famous for?

7. According to the fifth speaker, what would she like to have around the garden of her dream house?

8. How should one get to the last speaker's ideal house?

 

 

三

Wendy Stott: Oh hello. (Hello.) My name's Wendy Stott. Did the estate agent ring you and tell you I was coming?

House owner: Oh yes, yes I was expecting you. Do come in. (Thank you.) Have you had the particulars and everything? Did the estate agent give you, you know, all the details?

Wendy Stott: Oh yes. Yes I have, and I was rather interested; that was why I came round this afternoon. You seem to have decorated quite recently …

House owner: Yes, oh, yes, it was decorated last year. Now this is the … this is the kitchen.

Wendy Stott: Yes … er … What kitchen equipment are you leaving behind or are you going to take it all?

House owner: Well, you know it rather depends on what I end up buying. I've got something in mind at the moment but as you know these things can take ages (Yes.) but the place I'm going to has no gas so I'll probably be leaving this stove, this oven here.

Wendy Stott: Is it ... is it quite new? Have you had it long?

House owner: Oh, no, not long. It's about five or six years old. (I see.) I've found it very reliable but I shall be taking that fridge but you can see everything else. It's a fully fitted kitchen …

Wendy Stott: Yes, what about the dishwasher … um … is that a dishwasher under the sink?

House owner: No, no, that's a washing machine, I shall be taking that, yes, I will, but there is plumbing for a washing machine. (Right.)

Wendy Stott: Is the gas cooker the only gas appliance you've got?

House owner: No, no, there is a gas fire but I don't use it very much; it's in the main room, the lounge.

Wendy Stott: Oh. Right. That seems fine.

House owner: Well, then across here if you'd like to come in with me, this is the sitting room. (Oh. Yes.) Well you can see for yourself it is really.

Wendy Stott: Oh I like the windows, right down to the floor, that's really nice …

House owner: Yes, yes, they are nice. It's got a very pleasant view and there's a balcony you can sit out on in the summer. (Yes, it's a nice view.) Yes, it is nice. Now then across here this is the smallest bedroom; (Yes.) there are three rooms, this is the smallest and it's no more really than a box room but of course you can get a bed in.

Wendy Stott: You could make it into a study. It would be more useful I think.

House owner: Yes, well I think somebody else has got this room as a study. Then this… this is the second bedroom. (Yes.) As you can see it's got a fitted cupboard and those shelves there they are also fitted.

Wendy Stott: Have you got an airing cupboard anywhere?

House owner: Oh. Yes, there's one in the bathroom. I'll show you that in a moment. (Oh right.) Now this is the third bedroom, this is the largest bedroom. (Oh.) Of course it's got the wash basin, double fitted cupboard, plenty of space really, there, (Very nice.) and of course this room does take the double bed. Now … um … this is the bathroom. There's the airing cupboard. (Is that the airing cupboard?) Yes, that's right. It's nice and warm in there; it's rather small but I mean it is adequate, you know, and of course there is … there is the shower.

Wendy Stott: Is that, did you put that in yourself or was it in with the flat?

House owner: Oh, no. No that was in when the flat was built.

Wendy Stott: Is it quite reliable (Oh, yes.) because I've had problems with a shower recently? (Yes, no I've never had problems with that. No. It's really good.) Is it gas heated at the water point?

House owner: No, that is electric. (Ah.)

 

 

Statements:

1. Wendy Stott knows nothing about the flat before she comes to have a look at it.

2. The flat was decorated five or six years ago.

3. The house owner has used the oven and the stove for about five or six years.

4. The windows in the largest bedroom are right down to the floor.

5. There is a balcony in the sitting-room.

 

 

四

Man:   Refrigerators are large machines that keep foods cold. But a lot of people use them to hold more than just food.

Woman:    Call it refrigerator art. In some homes the refrigerator works like a museum to show collections of refrigerator magnets. People use magnets to stick papers like messages and children's drawings to the metal of a refrigerator. But a refrigerator magnet can be a work of art itself. Some people just enjoy looking at them. Countless numbers of refrigerator magnets can be found in stores. Some have small copies of foods or animals on the front. Some show colourful designs or pictures of famous people. Some refrigerator magnets are electronic. They make noises, like this one that is shaped like a motor-cycle and sounds like a motor-cycle engine starting. Other magnets are extremely small like sets of magnetic words and letters for writing poetry on the refrigerator. One example of this kind of magnets set is for children. It makes it possible to write frightening Halloween messages that shine in the dark. Businesses often give refrigerator magnets to people as a marketing tool to sell their services. Some government agencies also have them. For example, the American Space Agency sells magnets shaped like astronauts and space shuttles. Refrigerator magnets can be educational. Student engineers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison use them in experiments. And young children use refrigerator magnets that are letters to play and learn. They move the letters in different positions to make words. A refrigerator door covered with a lot of magnets can be educational in simpler ways, too. Children can learn about the laws of physics just by watching what happens when someone closes the door too hard. The magnets all fall off. Refrigerators can become as crowded with magnets on the outside as they are with food on the inside. So when people say they need a bigger refrigerator, what they might really mean is they need a bigger refrigerator door.

 

 

五

Sarah: What about this insurance then, Morris?

Morris: What insurance?

Sarah: You know, the warranty.

Morris: Warranty? What warranty?

Sarah: Don't you ever listen! This warranty covers all kinds of household things … things like … TVs and fridges … that kind of thing. It's an extra cover … a kind of insurance … in case anything goes wrong.

Morris: None of our things are going wrong, are they?

Sarah: Well, not at the moment, but you never know. Our new television is only guaranteed for a year, so, if anything goes wrong with it after that, we'll have to pay for the repairs.

Morris: Well, nothing ever went wrong with the old black-and-white one and we had that for years.

Sarah: Yes, but repairs to color TVs can be expensive. If we pay to extend the warranty now, it'll probably work out cheaper in the long run. 

Morris: How much does it cost?

Sarah: Let's see … a color television over 18 … 25 pounds.

Morris: Hmm. You could practically get a secondhand one for that. Come on then, hand the form over and let's have a look. Yes … fridge, ovens, cookers, hobs …

Sarah: Hobs… how about extending the warranty on the new hob we had installed last week?

Morris: Well, at least that's only 12 pounds. Strange that … television sets don't break down that often and it costs double to insure them.

Sarah: I'll go and check the washing machine as well … I've a feeling we only had a two-year warranty with that.

 

Morris: Now don't go mad … this'll cost us a fortune the way you're going on.

Sarah: No, it seems all right … the washing machine's guaranteed for three years, anyway.

Morris: Good job too! Now let's fill in the form. Where's my pen?

Sarah: In your pocket.

Morris: What?… Oh, yes, so it is. Right now, name. Mr. M. Lewis.

Sarah: 27 Abbey Road, London NW1.

Morris: I do know my own address, dear.

Sarah: All right, I was only trying to help.

Morris: Well, go and see when we bought the television … the guarantee should be in the desk in the study … and check the date of the hob while you're there as well. Now, make … well the hob's a Moffat … I wonder if you spell it with an "e" or an "a"… ? "a" I should think … wonder what model it is? Hang on, wasn't it a Cresta? Yes, that's it, Cresta. And the original warranty was for one year, the same as the telly.

Sarah: I've got the dates of purchase: the TV was on 10 August 1983 and the hob 24 August 1983.

Morris: Right. What make's the telly?

Sarah: It's a Philips … a Philips 2000.

Morris: Oh, just has a number does it? … no name. There, I think that's everything. Name, address, purchase dates, makes, models and both have one year on the original warranties.

Sarah: Don't forget to tick in the boxes for the things we want insured.

Morris: I'm not quite stupid. Now … what's that come to … telly 25 pounds and hob 12 pounds … 37 pounds. Throw the check book over, dear and go and make a nice cup of tea …

 

 

Unit4

 

一

Sam:  I won't be able to do the exam tomorrow. I just don't feel that I'm ready. 

Counselor:  You say that you don't feel ready for tomorrow's exam ... what do you feel like right now? 

Sam:  Well, I'm angry with myself because I'm going to have to quit the exam and, well, I guess I'm anxious. Yes, I feel very anxious. 

Counselor:  When you think about this anxiety, what image do you have of yourself? 

Sam:  Well, I see myself trying to explain to my Dad why I didn't make the grade on this course ... and I see him getting angry ... and, well, I start to feel I've let him down again. 

Counselor:  You don't feel ready for your exam, you feel anxious and you don't want to let your Dad down again. Tell me about the last time you let your Dad down. 

Sam:  Oh, well, it was a year ago ... He'd entered me for a chess competition and I got knocked out in the first match ... he was angry because he'd told all his friends how good I was. 

Counselor:  What did you tell him ... as an explanation when you lost the chess game? 

Sam:  I told him that I wasn't ready to play in that league. 

Counselor:  And now you are preparing to tell him that you're not ready to sit this examination? 

Sam:  Yes, I suppose I am. 

Counselor:  O.K. Sam, so what you are saying to me is that you feel reluctant to take the exam tomorrow because you do not like the thought of having to explain a poor grade or a failure to your father. Is that right, Sam? 

Sam:  Yes. That's exactly it.

 

   

 Mrs. Daniels:  Oh, hello, you must be Tracey's parents? 

Mr. Thompson:  Er, yes. Are you her class teacher, Mrs. Daniels? 

Mrs. Daniels:  Yes, that's right. Now, just let me find my notes. As you know I don't actually teach Tracey, but I do see her every day before classes begin. Is there anything you want to ask me? 

Mr. Thompson:  Well, yes, to be honest we're a bit worried about her last report — she doesn't seem to be doing as well as she was. 

Mrs. Daniels:  Well now, let's see. Oh, yes, her math teacher says she's finding the work more difficult now that they're getting near to the exams. 

Mrs. Thompson:  I was never any good at math. 

Mrs. Daniels:  And Dr. Baker feels that Tracey isn't concentrating very hard in biology lessons. 

Mrs. Thompson:  Oh, but she really likes biology and she’s so good at drawing. 

Mrs. Daniels:  Yes, but even in art her teacher thinks she tends to spend too much time talking to her friends. In fact, several of her teachers have told me that she isn't giving in her homework. Mr. Brock has complained to me that he hasn't had a single piece of geography homework from her all term. 

Mr. Thompson:  Yes, we don't know what to do about it. She doesn't seem to be interested in school any more. 

Mrs. Daniels:  I don't think we should give up on her. Tracey's a very intelligent girl. In English her marks are well above the average and her teacher says she always has a lot to say in lessons. 

Mrs. Thompson:  Yes, that's part of Tracey's trouble. She talks too much. 

Mrs. Daniels:  Well, nevertheless, oral skills are very important and if we can all guide her back to a more positive attitude to school work, she'll do very well. 

Mr. Thompson:  Well I hope so. I'm very disappointed in her. She was doing so well, especially in English and French, and now everything seems to be going to pieces. She came bottom of the class in French this term. 

Mrs. Daniels:  Well it’s not because she can't do French — she just prefers to chat in English! At least she's doing well in sport. She's in the hockey team and you know we haven't lost a single match this year! 

Mr. Thompson:  Well, it's nice to know she does something well. 

Mrs. Daniels:  Oh, come now, Mr. Thompson, let's look on the bright side.

 

 

二

(Part I)

Yes, the teacher I remember best was a teacher I had for French when I was at school ... er ... er ... Many years ago - more years than I care to remember, I'm afraid. Yes, I studied French with him for, um, ooh, let me see, it must have been five years, because I had him when I was in my first year there, when I was thirteen, and he was the main French teacher till I left. It was mainly because of him that I went on to study languages — French and German — at university. I mean, French was really the first language I ever learned. Well, I don't count Latin, because I never managed to speak any Latin at all. Er, well, this ... this teacher didn't make it easy ... he didn't make it easy at all, but I found that with him I really learned a lot.

When I think back, I ... don't really know why I liked him so much, because he was very strict with us. He made us work very hard — I mean, lots of grammar exercises, vocabulary tests, that sort of thing — er, and he wasn't very friendly either, for the first two or three years. Oh, as well as that, he didn't really try to make the classes interesting — I mean, no ... no video, of course, in those days, no cassettes ... but, er, we had a few films in French every term. No, in fact, the only time we really practiced trying to speak French was, er, was with the wife of one of the music teachers, who was French, er, and she gave us an hour's conversation class every week. But, you know, because of that man — some people might say in spite of him ... no, that wouldn't be fair, no — but quite a lot of us began to like France and the French a lot, and, er, to visit France in the summer holidays to see it for ourselves. 

 

(Part II)

Yes, I think with him I learned that when you learn a foreign language ... it's, it ... well, it's like opening a door or a window into a foreign country. And that's good for you, I think, because you begin to see that the way they do things and think in your country is, um, isn't necessarily the only way or, indeed, the best way.

It's funny, I still have a very clear picture of that teacher. He was English but he didn't look English somehow, 'cos he had very, very black hair and very dark eyes, and he wore glasses with black frames, but you could see his eyes very well, and everyone in the class always had the feeling that he was looking at them. And he had very thick, bushy eyebrows that made him look very, er, very serious.

Yes, I remember he was very musical — played the piano very well and sang. Now, he was quite a good rugby and tennis player. Great family man, too. He had three children and a very interesting wife. I suppose he must have been in his thirties when I knew him ... 

 

 

三

(Part I)  

Presenter: Christine teaches in a secondary school. What does she enjoy about being a teacher?

Christine: I enjoy the fun you have, I enjoy the ... er ... the unexpected, the things that c...that you can't plan for. When we were at college I think the only thing that they ... they kept on about was planning lessons, and we used to have to make these lesson plans up and they always seemed to me like the great works of modern fiction, the lesson plans, because real lessons aren't like that, they don't work out the way you plan them and that's what makes it really interesting is that you just go in, thinking you're going to do thing A and it turns into thing B, depending on what the students do and say.

And they're also so funny, yeah, I mean students are terribly entertaining a ... they're just a hoot. And they ... they come out with all these amazing things and they tell you things. And if you're any good at that they will trust you as a person. And so what you're teaching them in English is much less important than what you're teaching them about "the big world" and the world they're going into, and about relationships and values and things like that.

I think the only downside is that it's terribly hard work and it's awfully tiring physically — and emotionally at times. But ... um ... children are just such nice people, and if you treat them properly then they'll do anything. You can ... you can turn them into anything you want if you treat them well and you develop appropriate relationships with them. Then there's very little that they can't learn and can't do, and a good teacher can take children into a whole world which is magic and exciting.

 

 

(Part II)  

Presenter: What changes have taken place in the relationship between teachers and pupils since she was at school?

Christine: I think that there has been a real change in the quality of relationships, I think they're much more open, more relaxed, less formal. Some people would say that implies a I ... a drop in the standards, I would disagree violently with that. I think that quality relationships bring quality work. And familiarity does not breed contempt, care and control are not opposites. If you care for children you manage your classroom well, and it is a well-ordered classroom, it doesn't mean it is not a relaxed classroom, it's not a friendly classroom, it's not a supportive classroom.

What matters is that ... that it's a ... there is a good quality of relationship between the teacher and the student, and the student trusts the teacher as an individual and vice versa. And I think teachers have become more human and more open with their students and are more prepared to allow the students to know more about them as individuals. Students are involved much more in their own progress and their own assessment, they have a voice in their programs of study and their progress. And that voice has always been a vital voice and the teachers who failed to take that on board, who didn't listen to student feedback, were losing out on a whole valuable resource for planning and developing work: it's how the students are receiving the work.

And I think one of the big changes has been the handing over of some of the responsibility in the classrooms to children. But it does, I think, demand more skill not less. I think it's much harder to take risks with youngsters, to be open, to be relaxed. It's easy to run an authoritarian classroom, it's easy to rule using t ... f ... fear and punishment and threat. But winning and earning the respect of children, and earning a ... a relaxed relationship and relaxed classroom, that's much harder. A relaxed classroom isn't about low expectations, it's about purposeful quality work. And it's very very hard to achieve, it's much easier to bully them into submission and shout at them.

 

 

四

Computers are an increasing part of life in colleges and universities. Many students and teachers depend on their electronic brains. Computers can search the world for information stored in electronic libraries and the Internet computer system. They can help solve complex scientific problems. They can also make simpler tasks easier like writing reports and letters.

 

American colleges and universities spent more than 1 000 million dollars on computers last year. They also spent almost 900 million dollars on computer programs. Some colleges and universities require each student to own a computer. Some give computers to their students.

 

Computers are used a lot for electronic mail called e-mail. Some professors like to communicate with their students or receive reports by e-mail. Students also write to friends and family. Students use the Internet computer system to do research, and at some schools, students can use their computers to learn their grades and to sign up for classes. In fact, with computers, students do not even have to go to class anymore. The class can come to them.

 

Paul Levenson is a communications professor. He also helps run an organization called "connected education". It teaches college classes in English, history and other subjects by computer. More than 5 000 students have taken these classes since 1985. For such a class, a professor prepares information for students to read on their computers any time of day or night. Students also learn the requirements of the class. They communicate with the professor and other students by e-mail. Professor Levenson says the students can learn as much or more in two months as they can in three or four months of traditional classes. Yet he admits there are limits with this technology.

 

Many who take computer-based classes are known as non-traditional students. These students are generally older and have a job and a family to support. 40% of higher education students in America now are non-traditional.

 

 

五

Presenter:    In this edition of our series "Children of a Decade" I'll be talking to Jack Thompson, who was born in 1940, and to Shirley Sutton, who was born in 1930. First of all, Jack, thanks for joining us. Perhaps ... 

Jack:    Not at all. 

Presenter:    Perhaps you'd tell us about your memories of your first holiday away from home? 

Jack:    Oh ... yes ... um ... at age ten I think it was, yes, I went to stay with an aunt at the seaside. Well, it wasn't a very happy experience. I felt very homesick at first. 

Presenter:    Mmm. And what about your first day at school, can you remember that? 

Jack:    Yes, I can. Er ... er ... I was five years old and I wanted to take all my toys with me but ... er ... they wouldn't let me. In the end it was agreed that I could take my teddy ... er ... but only on the first day. 

Presenter:    Oh, I see. Your school days, were they happy ones? 

Jack:    Well ... er ... I didn't have a very good time at school — I wasn't very bright, you see. And the teachers didn't seem to like me, but ... er ... I made a lot of friends and some of them I still keep in touch with. One of them I married. 

Presenter:    Oh, that's wonderful. Well, did you have a favorite teacher? 

Jack:    Miss Robinson ... or was it ... no, it was Miss Robson. My first teacher, that's right yeah ... very kind. Marvelous storyteller. 

Presenter:    And who was your worst teacher? 

Jack:    Mr. Goodman, that's right. We used to call him "Goody". Yeah, he pulled your ear if you made a mistake or talked in class. Yeah, my left ear is still bigger, look. 

Presenter:    Ha ha. Perhaps you can tell us about your last day at school? 

Jack:    My last day, oh yeah, that's emblazoned on my mind. Oh, I wanted to get my own back you see on old Mr. Goodman — the chap we used to call ... er ... "Goody" — so I put this bucket of water over the classroom door but it fell on him and he got soaked, you see. Ha ha. I've never seen anyone so angry. Oh, it was a good one, that. 

Presenter:    Thank you very much, Jack. And now Shirley. 

Shirley:    Yes. 

Presenter:    Now, can you tell me about your first holiday away from home? 

Shirley:    Oh yes ... er ... yes ... er ... at the age of eight it was. We went on holiday to the Lake District. We stayed at a little guest house, just me and my parents. Er ... I remember we had ... er ... honey for breakfast with ... er ... the toast and ... oh ... and porridge — I hated it. 

Presenter:    That sounds lovely? Oh, porridge, you hated it? 

Shirley:    Ha ha. 

Presenter:    Well, what about your first day at school? 

Shirley:    Well, I ... I ... I don't remember any special incidents ... er .... Oh, I was very frightened and shy at first ... er ... I ... I know that, I can remember, but I soon came to enjoy school. 

Presenter:    So your school days, were they happy? 

Shirley:    Oh yes, I loved school! Oh, I was sorry when half-term came and ... and when the holidays came. Oh, perhaps this was because I was a bit of a goody-goody. 

Presenter:    And what about your teachers? Did you have a favorite? 

Shirley:    I did, yes. I remember her well, she was called Miss Brown and she was our history teacher. Oh, she really made history come to life, she really did. 

Presenter:    Were there any bad moments? Did you have a worst teacher? 

Shirley:    Aye, I did and I can remember her name too. Her name was Mrs. Sharpe and she taught math. Oh, she had no patience. I wasn't all that good at math and she always said to me, "You stupid girl!" It put me off math for life. 

Presenter:    Oh, what a shame. 

Shirley:    I know. 

Presenter:    Perhaps you could tell me about your last day at school? 

Shirley:    Oh yes, well, I'm afraid I cried. We sang our favorite hymn at the end of the term and I cried. It brought the tears to my eyes. 

Presenter:    Oh, and it's bringing a tear to my eye now. Thank you very much. 

Shirley:    Thank you. 

Presenter:    And thank you too, Jack Thompson, thank you very much. Next week we'll be hearing from two people who were born in 1920 and 1910. So from me, Libby Freeman, good-bye.