Unit 4B

Text 1

W: It's very cold outside.

M: At least it's not raining. The weather forecast says the sun will come out in the afternoon. 

Text 2

M: Now that you're fully engaged, I'll come to see you again in half an hour. Is it all right? 

W: Good.So I'll be expecting you at four o'clock sharp. 

Text 3

M: Since Scott and Tina once had a big fight, I feel nervous when they're in the same room.

W: I just try to act normally, like telling them a joke or something. I've found that breaks the ice and lightens the mood. 

Text 4

M: Look, my wife got these two smartwatches for my birthday. When one of us touches the screen, the other person's lights up.

W: How sweet!

M: Yes, sending gifts like these is not like us! But since I'm away working so often, they help us stay connected. 

Text 5

W: I'm burned out from grading all these exams. 

M: Me, too. It's just that time of the year. Besides, it's part of the job and we only have two more weeks to go. 

W: By the way, what are your plans for the break?

M: I'll probably spend some time with my family.

Text 6

W: Oh, I've got so out of shape recently that none of my clothes fit me!

M: Why don't you go to a gym?

W: That's not my style and it's always crowded. I'd rather exercise at home. 

M: Well, many people I know who tried to get into shape by exercising at home have given up. But if you pay to join the gym, you'll be more likely to succeed. 

W: You might have a point, but there must be something else I can do.

M: Why don't you ride to work every day?

W: Sounds good!

Text 7

W: When did people start traveling in cars? Do you know? 

M: About 130 years ago, the first successful petrol-driven car was built by Karl Friedrich Benz in 1885. 

W: What about flying in planes? 

M: People started flying in planes about 110 years ago. 

W: Do you know who made the first successful flight and when was that?

M: Yeah, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two brothers, made the first successful flight in a petrol engine plane in 1903. 

W: When did people start taking photographs? 

M: Thomas Wedgwood made the first photograph on glass in 1802. 

W: And when and where did the first mechanical clock come from? 

M: It came from China in the year 725? I'm not sure.

W: That's interesting. We can check to confirm it. By the way, you know so much! 

Text 8

M: Hi, Sue, have you got time to talk about our yearly outing plan?

W: Sure, go ahead.

M: Have you got any preference for the destination?

W: Well, how about the South Mountain? We can arrange various activities: mountain-climbing races, barbecues, star-gazing nights, etc. Exciting and appealing, yes?

M: I can't agree more. But we have a limited budget this year, so we have to choose something affordable. 

W: In this case, Central Park again? After all, it is near and most club members made positive comments last year. 

M: We'd better choose a different site. What do you think of the Peace Hotel? A famous music festival will take place there. Everyone will like it!

W: Good idea. Shall we reserve rooms now? The festival might make it hard to secure enough rooms.

M: You are right. I'm going to ask about other members' opinions right now. And Sue, please search online for the hotel's telephone number. Let's move! 

Text 9

W: Dear listeners, I have with me today Robert of the International Dark-Sky Association. Robert, welcome to our program. 

M: Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

W: Would you please tell our listeners why you became an astronomer?

M: When I was a little boy, I loved the night sky. I remember I looked up at the stars in the sky and asked questions. How many are there? How far away are they? Can we visit them? They motivated me to become an astronomer. But now in most big cities, kids can't see the stars like I did. 

W: So, have you already come up with a solution to this problem? 

M: Yeah, actually there is a method that is inexpensive and has immediate benefits. If we shine lights down on the ground instead of up into the sky and use lower brightness levels, we can preserve the beauty of the night sky. 

Text 10

M: I'd like to share with you something about my French learning. I still remember when I first started to learn the language, I didn't really have a problem with the pronunciation. I just had a hard time memorizing words. But I made a great effort and soon I was scoring ten out of ten in all of the tests. By the time I got to university, I could do some writing and translations without much difficulty and I actually enjoyed learning the grammar rules. Then as part of my university course I had to go and live in France for a year. As soon as I arrived I realized I didn't know how to order the type of coffee I liked and that trying to find somewhere to live or stay was something difficult to deal with. I called people about information in the paper but I had to keep putting the phone down because I couldn't understand a word they were saying — they all spoke so quickly. I could see then that there is no point in just knowing words if you can't hold a conversation with a native speaker. The ability to speak freely is what helps you get a job, hold a conversation, or just buy things you need.