W:I didn’t see you at the party last night.

M:The car didn’t start. We didn’t feel like getting a bus all that way, so we went out for a meal instead.

Text 2

W:How much did you pay for this new fridge?

M:Oh, it was a little over a thousand dollars, plus tax. It was much more expensive than our washing machine, but not nearly as much as our bed!

Text 3

W:I need to get a drink. I can’t believe it is so hot!

M:Has it ever been this hot before?

W:I’m not sure, but all I want is to cool off.

Text 4

W:Holly wasn’t at swimming practice today. Is she ill?

M:No, she is fine. She’s in the mountains with her family.

W:Really? Is she riding mountain bikes again?

M:No, she’s learning to climb. She’s got a great teacher.

Text 5

W:Charlie, do you know a restaurant called Bravo?

M:Bravo... I know the name. But I’m not sure where it is.

W:It’s on George Street. The food there is excellent.

Text 6

W:I think my wallet was stolen, sir.

M:What makes you believe that it was stolen?

W:I left it on the table half an hour ago, but when I came back from the restroom, it was gone.

M:Are you sure you left your wallet on the table?

W:Of course, sir. I planned to pay the bill at the cash desk before I went to the restroom.

M:Is this your wallet? We found it in the restroom.

W:Oh, yes, it is. Well, I must have left it there and forgotten to take it. Thank you.

Text 7

M:Look, Mum has left a note with housework for us to do while she and Dad are away this weekend.

W:Let’s see — tidy up the garage and clean up the backyard.

M:She doesn’t say which we should do first.

W:Hey, we are not robots! We can make our own plan as long as everything gets done. Read the weather report in the newspaper.

M:Hmm. Sunny today, cloudy tonight, probably heavy rain tomorrow. Well, that makes it easy. We work outside today and inside tomorrow.

W:Yep. Let’s get started. I want to go to the supermarket this afternoon.

Text 8

W:I know that you are busy preparing for the presentation these days, and I’m sure that you will do an excellent job today. I just want to wish you good luck.

M:Thanks. I have worked very hard, and I really know my material well. So, don’t worry. I will do my best.

W:I feel very happy to hear that. Actually, I was a bit worried that you might not be ready. Another thing is that the traffic is quite heavy at this time. Why not set out at once? I don’t want you to be late.

M:Don’t worry. It usually only takes about fifteen minutes to get to the meeting hall from here.

Text 9

M:This is my card, and these are four books. Can I continue borrowing them?

W:OK, a moment please. I’ll check for you.

M:Thank you.

W:I’m afraid you couldn’t borrow the dictionary again.

M:Why?

W:It is over the deadline for 15 days. You should pay one dollar for each day.

M:How come? I borrowed it and the other three novels together at the same time.

W:Well. According to our regulation, people can keep novels for one month at most at a time, while they can only keep dictionaries for two weeks.

M:I was thinking of buying it from the bookstore when I found it here. Anyway, here’s the money.

W:No. You should take the dictionary and go over to that counter to pay for it. And then you come here to borrow the books.

M:Can I keep the novels?

W:Sure.

M:Thank you. I’ll be back in a minute.

M:Hello, everybody. Today I’d like to share with you something about John Audubon. John was born on April 26th，1785. He spent much of his childhood in France where he spent many hours each day outdoors painting pictures. At the age of 18, he moved to the United States. Well, actually, John began his life in the US as a businessman. However, instead of taking care of his business, John was often off exploring nature. At first, John spent his time hunting for fun. Then he found that the animals around were very beautiful, and he particularly enjoyed observing the birds he saw. He began studying them, trying to learn the differences between the birds and noticing their different behaviors. Therefore, he painted the birds he observed a lot. In 1819, John realized that he didn’t have enough money to pay his bills. He was very upset that he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family. So he spent time improving his painting skills and began to sell his paintings. He discovered that he could earn some money while doing something he really enjoyed. We are lucky now to have so many paintings of American birds by John Audubon.