Unit 1A

Text 1

M: Excuse me, Miss.You can't park here. 

W: But it's only for a few minutes, sir. I'm waiting for a friend. 

M: This is a taxi park.You can park in the car park round the corner over there.

Text 2

W: David is good at tennis, isn't he?

M: Yes. But speaking of tennis, Mike is the best in our school.

W: I don't think so. Steven is the best because he has got many prizes in matches. 

Text 3

W: I'd like to book a ticket to New York on Flight 450 this morning.

M: I'm sorry. The day flight is full now. You only pay $360 if you take the night flight. You can save $40. 

W: OK.

Text 4

M: Weifang is the city of kites. In 2006, Weifang kites were listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. I once saw a huge kite in the Weifang International Kite Festival, which is about 280 meters long.

W: Amazing! Do you want to go to the festival with me this year? 

M: Why not?

Text 5

M: Do you have any magazines, Mary? 

W: Yes, of course. Here are some interesting ones about clothing and fashion. And I still have some about movies and music. Which one would you like? 

M: Oh, I just want to read some sports news.

Text 6

M: Hi, Maria. This is John. Can you give me a ride to work this morning? My car broke down late last night, and it's being fixed in the repair shop. 

W: I'd be delighted to, but I have to go to work early to prepare for an important meeting. Do you mind leaving 30 minutes earlier than usual? 

M: Not at all! I will be ready to be picked up in 10 minutes.

W: OK. I need some time to get dressed before I leave, though.

Text 7

W: Can you come up with a good movie we could watch tonight? 

M: Well, you need to tell me what type you like. Love stories? Adventure movies? Or documentaries? I know many good movies, and they're mostly to my taste. But I'm not sure about yours.

W: Well, I'll tell you what I don't like. I can't stand bloody movie scenes. Other than that, I'm not very particular about what to watch. I just want a nice film to spend the evening. I'm not expecting the best movie of this year. I'm tired and want to relax.

M: Fine. Then I'll select a nice comedy for you. Laughter is the best medicine, after all.

W: Wow, I'm looking forward to it. 

Text 8

W: I'm doing this survey on Internet usage: how often you use it, and what you use it for.

M: Sounds interesting. What's your own Internet usage?

W: You know, I surf the Web every day. That takes about 30 minutes. And then I like to read the local news to find out what's going on. That takes another 30 minutes. But the main thing is that I'm doing this online course and I spend about an hour and a half each day on that. 

M: Doing what?

W: Visiting the online library and discussing with my classmates. How about you, George?

M: Well, like you, I spend about 20 minutes a day just generally surfing around. I know it's a bit of a waste of time, but I can't do without it. I look up the sports news — that takes me 10 to 15 minutes. I like doing the shopping online. That takes, oh, about 15 minutes. That's all. 

W: You don't do any emailing?

M: Oh, yeah — of course. I'd say I spend about 10 minutes a day on emails.

Text 9

W: We are planning to go to Big Bear Lake for the upcoming weekend.

M: Really?

W: Yeah, four of us. Why don't you join us? We are going skiing and snowboarding on Saturday. And on Sunday, we are going to relax in a hot spring. 

M: You are not going to camp, are you?

W: No, we are not. We will stay in the house owned by my cousin. It is not like five-star hotels, but it will be comfortable and the house is not far away from the skiing site, so it should be a convenient place. 

M: Sounds good, but I don't like snowboarding.

W: Then what is your plan?

M: I am just going to stay at home and read some books. That will be a relaxing weekend. 

W: I can't imagine you staying with no friends all the weekend. I'd get bored. 

Text 10

M: The United States has a rich culture when it comes to the morning meal. On working days, many Americans have a light breakfast. In fact, nearly 40 percent will not have anything at all. Americans usually save larger breakfasts for the weekend, when they have more time in the morning to cook. The most popular breakfast food is eggs. Americans prepare eggs in many ways. Some Americans eat their eggs with bacon or sausage, meat products that often come from pigs. On weekends, people have more time to cook and eat. Therefore, many Americans may enjoy a meal we call “brunch” on a weekend day at home or in restaurants. That word combines “breakfast” and “lunch” — the term for a mid-day meal. Americans have coffee, fruit juice and sometimes even wine with brunch. Popular foods include waffles and pancakes — two kinds of cakes. French toast is also popular.