M: Mary, I had expected to see you at the party yesterday evening.

W: If I had known you were there, I would have gone.

W: What are you watching?

M: A program on CNN. It’s about homeless children in India.

M: Did anyone call while I was out?

W: Only your wife. She wants you to pick up some milk on your way home.

M: OK, thanks, Sarah. I’m headed to my next meeting now.

W: My shoes are broken. Can you fix them for me?

M: Sure, Miss. I’ll do it in just a minute.

M: Is this the check-in counter for Flight 814 to Los Angeles?

W: Yes, but I’m sorry to tell you the flight is delayed because of rain. Please wait for further notice.

W: Hello, Maple Hotel. What can I do for you?

M: Hello, this is George Damon. Our company will be having a sales meeting in January. And we need to book a room for about 200 people. Does your hotel have something that can accommodate that number?

W: Yes, sir. We have a couple of rooms for groups of that size.

M: Good. We’ll need chairs, a stage and a projection screen.

W: Then I would suggest Room 13.

M: Well, I don’t like the room number.

W: Oh, sorry sir. Room 19 and Room 26 are also available.

M: I prefer something ending with 9.

W: I see. I’ll reserve that for you right now.

W: What can I do for you, sir?

M: I’d like to buy a box of fruit juice.

W: OK. We have apple juice and orange juice. Which kind would you like?

M: Apple juice, please. My daughter likes it very much.

W: All right! Anything else?

M: Let me see. Oh, yes. I want to buy some fruit. Do you have any oranges? My wife and son like oranges.

W: I’m sorry. Oranges have been sold out. But we have good apples and they are very delicious.

M: That’s good. I’ll take two kilos, please. How much is the total?

W: Just a moment, please. 45 yuan for the fruit juice and 16 yuan for the apples. That will be 61 yuan in all. But just give me 60 yuan, please.

M: Thank you. Here you are.

M: What’s the trouble with you?

W: Well, I can’t fall asleep at night. I spend most of the night staying awake.

M: How long has this been going on?

W: Quite a long time. Several months.

M: Is there anything worrying you at work or at home, or anything like that?

W: Yes. I’m under great pressure at work. I’m the CEO of a big company.

M: Have you tried any ways to make you sleep?

W: Yes. I’ve tried almost all of them. For example, counting sheep, listening to lullabies and reading the most difficult books, but they simply don’t work.

M: How about sleeping pills?

W: No. I’d rather not take sleeping pills.

M: In that case, you might need to take a long holiday to relax yourself.

W: Come to see this, Richard.

M: See what?

W: In the paper, it says there’s a man going round pretending he’s from the electricity board to check whether people’s appliances are safe. Then he steals their money, handbags, or whatever and gets away with them.

M: But you know, Jane, it’s partly their own fault. You should never let anyone like that in unless you are expecting them.

W: But when someone comes to the door and says something about electricity or gas, you’ll automatically think they are OK, especially if they show you their working certificate.

M: Did this man have a working certificate then?

W: Yes, that’s just it! It seems that he used to work for the electricity board at one time. The police are warning people not to admit anyone unless they have an appointment.

M: But what does he look like? Surely they must have a description.

W: Oh, yes, they do. Let’s see. In his thirties, tall, dark hair, a slight northern accent. It sounds a bit like you actually.

Boys and girls, may I have your attention, please? Please listen to me for a moment. I want to tell you about the school trip to the Cookery School on 16th February. You have to be outside the school gate at 7:45 am because the bus leaves from there at 8:00 am.

There are some great things to see and do at the Cookery School. We’ll see how you can grow your own vegetables in the science room. We’ll learn how to make pizza and chocolate cake in the kitchen, and then we’ll eat them in the dining room.

Now listen carefully! You need to give me￡9.55 before Thursday, but please tell your parents that this includes the bus and￡6.00 for lunch. You don’t have to make sandwiches for this trip and you can’t take any food into the Cookery School anyway.

Don’t forget. You’ll need a pencil but you don’t have to bring a notebook. We’ll prepare it for you. If your parents have any questions, they can e-mail me at ellapetts@grantschool.com. Remember that’s e-double l-a-p-e-double t-s. But actually I suggest they phone me at my office, since this is more convenient. My number is 3874928.OK. I think that’s it for now.