Unit 1A

Text 1

W: Last week Mary got married. I think she must be about thirty now.

M: Well, when I first met her twenty years ago, she was already eight. 

Text 2

W: It is such a lovely bright morning. I almost wish I didn't have to work.

M: Well, there is snow to come later tonight, but there will be some heavy rain first in the afternoon. 

Text 3

M: I'm in a hurry to send the letter back!

W: Where are you going, sir? 

M: Harvard University, please. Is it far from here? 

W: Not far. It's about ten minutes' drive. 

Text 4

W: So, how is your German class going?

M: Well, not bad. The pronunciation is fine with me, and its vocabulary is similar to English. But I'm finding the grammar awful. 

W: Well, it takes a while to get it right.

Text 5

W: Hey, Richard! What are you doing here?

M: My recorder has something wrong with its speaker, so I can't practice my spoken English. I want to have it fixed. 

W: Does it break down again? You really need a new one.

Text 6

M: Oh, the ink is poured on the desk. I'm terribly sorry. 

W: Oh, my new book. I bought it just yesterday. I haven't even read it yet.

M: I'm sorry again. Don't worry about the book. I'll get you a new one.

W: And there is ink all over the desk. The class will begin soon. How can I clean it?

M: I have an old pair of gloves in my desk. I'll clean your desk with them. It's all my fault. I'll take care of everything. 

Text 7

M: How are you getting on with your studies?

W: Pretty well. We are busy preparing for the college entrance examination.

M: The examination is very important for high school students. Do you think you can pass it?

W: Yes, I think so. It isn't likely to be difficult. 

M: I am very glad to hear that. What do you want to be when you leave school?

W: I want to be a teacher.

M: Why?

W: My teacher has always inspired us to follow our dreams and helped us improve ourselves. I want to become a teacher like him. 

M: That sounds great! All the best!

Text 8

W: Your new apartment is great!

M: Thanks.

W: Did it take you a long time to find it?

M: No, I just looked online and found a few one-bedroom places that met my needs. Then I spent an afternoon visiting them with a friend. 

W: Wow. That sounds pretty easy. I usually look in the newspaper or on the Internet. I can find a lot of information, but it takes a while to sort through all the information.

M: Well, I kept my search simple. I want a nice kitchen, a comfortable bedroom, but the most important thing is having a big living room. 

W: Why?

M: I love to have my friends over and cook dinner for them.

W: Really? You should invite me to one of your parties sometime. 

M: I'd love to. Are you free this Friday? 

W: Of course. 

Text 9

W: Who's your best friend, Tony? 

M: Well, I guess it's David. We've been going to baseball games together for six years.

W: Oh? And how did you meet each other?

M: Well, it was really interesting. You know, David is a police officer. One day, I was late for a baseball game, and I was in a hurry; he stopped me for speeding. As he was writing me a ticket, I found that he was a big baseball fan, too, so we arranged to go to a game together the next weekend. I still had to pay for the speeding ticket, though. 

W: What's David like?

M: He's really interesting and has a great sense of humor. What about you? Who's your best friend? 

W: Oh, Daisy, I think. We met in a bookstore in Italy about four years ago. She's a really creative person. She writes stories. 

M: Oh, I'd like to meet her sometime.

W: Would you? Well, I'm planning to see her next weekend. Maybe you can come with me.

M: Yeah, that sounds great.

Text 10

W: Welcome to Freshman Orientation Week. We have some fun activities planned to help you become familiar with the school. More than anything, we want you to make friends, enjoy yourselves and become part of the high school family. You've all received a backpack. Did you notice that the backpacks come in six different colors? That's because you'll be divided into six different groups. Look for the flag that matches the color of your backpack. We want you to mix with other new students and find new friends. Today, your team will take part in a race to find seven different places on campus, such as the playground and the library. You should find all the places on the list. Make sure you take a picture of yourselves at each place, and come back here when you're done. The first team to finish will win free gift cards of the school bookstore. Now that you're in your groups, you should choose one person to be your leader and another to be your photographer. And remember that even if you don't finish the whole list, be back here — the school gate — by twelve o'clock. Now, let's start our race. Ready?