Unit 4B

Text 1

M: Don't embarrass me in front of my friends, Mom.

W: But I still remember when you were a tiny newborn in my arms. Eighteen years ago. 

M: I bet you'll still be telling me that story at my twenty-first birthday party.

Text 2

W: Are you OK, Jim? You don't look well.

M: Oh, hi Carol. I am OK. I just have a slight fever.

W: Jim, I told you yesterday not to come today. You can work from home. 

Text 3

M: Miss, I'd like to change some money. 

W: How much do you want to change?

M: How much would I get for 100 dollars?

W: Today's rate is 6.53, so 100 dollars would be 653 yuan. 

Text 4

W: I think when we are an adult, it's easy to forget our stressful school life.

M: Why? Are our memories getting worse?

W: Not exactly. The flow of fresh information never stops, and we're supposed to keep track of it all on top of yesterday's. 

Text 5

W: I meant to keep the bottled water in the top drawer of the fridge, but it was full. So I stuck it in the middle drawer. 

M: I already looked there and it's packed with vegetables.

W: Try the bottom drawer then.

M: Wait, you're right! It’s under the carrots all along! 

Text 6

M: Show your ticket please.

W: Oh, sorry. It's in my bag. Just a minute.

M: No problem.

W: Wait a second...Are you Robert? 

M: It is indeed. Hi there, Kate!

W: I didn't know you work on the railways. Weren't you a teacher before?

M: Yes, I taught for several years but felt it wasn't what I truly wanted to do, so I thought I'd give this a try. 

W: That's a big change. So, how do you feel about your current job?

M: Honestly, I love it. I've always been passionate about trains, and working here makes them part of my everyday life. 

Text 7

M: I'm back, Cindy.

W: Hi, uncle Oscar. How's aunt Sheila? What did the doctor say?

M: The doctor said she needs major surgery on her left knee. 

W: Does that mean she needs to stay in the hospital for days?

M: Yes, could you please continue to take care of Wilson in the following days?

W: Sure. Wilson is well behaved. We watched TV at home and we got along very well today.

M: Sounds great! Well, what did you have for lunch? I left in such a hurry and didn't give you any money.

W: That's okay. I was planning to fry some rice, but Wilson wanted to eat dumplings. However the nearby store was out of dumplings, so we ended up boiling some noodles at home. 

M: Good girl. Where's Wilson?

W: He just woke up from a nap. I gave him some block buildings and puzzles. He is having fun with them in his bedroom. 

Text 8

W: Hey John, have you heard about the new technology they've introduced in our schools? 

M: Yeah, I think it's called SmartLearn. What exactly does it do? 

W: The most amazing feature is that SmartLearn uses artificial intelligence to create personalized learning plans for each student. It integrates with our school courses and offers a sea of digital resources like interactive videos.

M: That sounds cool. What do teachers think of it? 

W: They love it. It helps them assign tailored homework and give more personalized assessment. Parents can also track their kids' progress.

M: That's great for parents. Has it made any difference to students? 

W: Absolutely. Students are showing greater motivation and more active participation. 

M: Sounds too good to be true. Are there any disadvantages? 

W: Some experts say it should be a teaching aid, not a replacement. For teachers, human interaction is still crucial. 

Text 9

W: John, I must remind you that the sports meeting will be in two months. I think you should make good preparations for it. Let's work out a training schedule for you. 

M: OK, what do you think I should do?

W: Let me think. For the first three weeks, you should run 2,000 meters every day. Besides, you need to bike around the park, and swim in the cold water. In the next four weeks, you should run a little longer, about 3,000 meters per day and you need more practice in riding. 

M: OK. So how about biking on Monday and swimming on Wednesday? 

W: Sounds good! Do you think you can do that? 

M: Yeah, I think I can. In order to get a good result, I will try my best.

W: Then I think in the last week you should add the running distance to 5,000 meters one day, and you can bike and swim every day.

M: Wow, that's a lot of work to do. I'm afraid I can't manage it. 

W: Come on, and I believe you can succeed.

M: I really hope so.

Text 10

M: Hello, everyone, today we are looking at rock art.Rock art is found all over the world, and what is rather amazing is that people from different cultures often drew in the same way. For example, when our ancestors drew humans, they would often represent them as stick figures. 

But now I'd like to focus on the rock art of the early residents of Australia. Rock art in this part of the world has been dated back to around 30,000 years ago. In fact, people in Australia were still practicing this art form in the late 18th century, when the Europeans began to arrive, and certain images point to the contact between the two groups. For example, one image that provides evidence of European arrival is that of horses, an animal that would have been very unusual in the Australian landscape. 

Unfortunately, much of the art is being lost to us. With the development of industry, a large number of rock art pieces have been destroyed. Let's take a closer look at this issue.