Unit 1A

Text 1

M: It seems to be raining. I came out without a coat. The only thing that I can use to keep the rain off will be the newspaper.

W: Luckily, I brought my umbrella — and there's a spare one in my bag that you can use. 

Text 2

M: You could have easily come first in today's race. In fact, you could have got your best race time ever. But you knew some things are more important. I'm proud of you.

W: Well, thanks, Mr. Chao. I couldn't just leave my classmate there when she was hurt. 

Text 3

W: We need to be in Germany by Tuesday, otherwise we'll miss the meeting. 

M: Well, we're in England, and we have several choices. Fly there, or take the ferry to the Netherlands and then change to the train.

Text 4

W: It's hard to study for the quiz. 

M: I have examples of questions that were asked in the quizzes in the past. A list like that will give you a general idea of what to expect. 

Text 5

M: Oh, hi, Laura. What are you doing here?

W: Er, I'm buying a bicycle for my bicycle race next weekend. What about you?

M: Well, I'm here looking for a bike too. Now the weather is warming up. I thought I'd get some exercise instead of taking the bus all the time. 

Text 6

W: Jack, congratulations on getting such a good job. 

M: Thanks. But actually I'm tired now. In order to pass the interview, I've worked day and night for a whole week. It's rather challenging to stand out in 100 applicants.

W: But it's all worth it. The job offers a high salary as well as a good future. The most important thing is that you can do what you like. 

M: Yeah. Since I graduated from university, I've been keeping looking for a job as a bridge designer. 

W: I know. You are so crazy about bridges that every weekend you will go out to appreciate the beauty of them. By the way, will you start your new job next Monday? 

M: Yes. I'm excited now.

Text 7

M: What a great gallery!It was a tiring journey, but now I feel refreshed here. I am glad to see these paintings in person. 

W: Let's go to the Impressionist section. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

M: I'd like to start with the abstract art, because that's the kind of art I do for a living. 

W: OK, we'll do that. After that, we can enjoy the Impressionist paintings, and then the Cubist paintings.

M: Sounds great. Oh, look at this. I can't believe I am standing face to face with such a famous work of art. How much do you think it is worth?

W: When it was first painted a century ago, the artist struggled to sell it. He sold it for only a few dollars in the end. Even 50 years ago, it was only valued at a few thousand dollars. 

M: I bet it would be worth a few million dollars now. 

W: You are right.

Text 8

W: I talked to everyone who could go to the desert with us during the holiday. A few of them are quite keen, actually.

M: What did they say?

W: Peter said he was flying to Paris for a visit. Jennifer can't make it, either. She's already booked a flight to London and she's going to meet her friends there. I also talked to David. He said he was really looking forward to getting off the campus. 

M: What about his brother, Walter?

W: His brother is studying overseas. In fact, he's transferred to a university in New York. I then called Maria's house and her sister Allie answered. I told her our plans and she asked Maria. They both want to join us. 

M: Good. It will be fun to be with them. What about Michael?

W: He said he was not interested in going anywhere! Can you imagine? 

Text 9

M: Hey, Marine! Is there anything bothering you? You look anxious.

W: I'm okay. It's uh...I posted a photo of myself in the new clothes online last night. Someone commented, “You are not beautiful or thin. Why did you post that?” 

M: Well, you are in a state of appearance anxiety.

W: Uh, what does that mean?

M: Well, it refers to social anxiety surrounding overall appearance, including body shape, and fear of negative evaluation by others.

W: Oh, I see.

M: It may arise from low self-respect, social comparison and expecting too much approval from others. 

W: I guess my problem was caused by the third one. 

M: So what are you going to do now?

W: I think I need to lower my expectations of others and ignore what makes me anxious.

M: Don't worry. Remember that it's only shallow people who judge others by appearance.

W: Thank you! I'll treat you to a big lunch. Let's go on working. 

Text 10

M: Here's some information about the Space Museum. An adult ticket costs ￡13, and admission is ￡11 for children aged 5-16. There is a special family ticket for two adults and two children, which normally costs ￡40, but if you buy it in advance, it's ￡35.We have some special exhibitions at the moment that are all included in the cost of the ticket. We are showing the film On the Moon, and you can sit back and explore the secrets of the universe on our huge screen. For those interested in space travel, our film The Stars, which will show next week, will answer all your questions. On Wednesday this week, there will be a short lecture on life on other planets by Alfonso Cuarón, director of the science fiction film Gravity. Also, you can climb into a model spaceship, see some moon rocks and pretend to be a spaceman. In the Blue Room, you can search the universe using the computers there. If you're planning to spend a whole day here, there is a cafe on the top floor, serving hot meals until 2 pm. After that you can get cakes and coffee until 4 pm. Our opening hours are 10 am-4 pm from Tuesday to Friday, and 10 am-5 pm at weekends.