Unit 3B

Text 1

W: Your ant farm is so cool!

M: Thanks! Ants may not be as beautiful as butterflies, but I just love how community-minded they are. I also want to try beekeeping someday because I really admire how hard they work! 

Text 2

M: They may be proud of their system, but I'm disappointed. The tellers are not very friendly, and the line is extremely slow. 

W: Not to mention the fact that the ATM area is so noisy.  

Text 3

M: Of the two cars we have seen today, which one do you prefer?

W: Well, the red one is more comfortable and costs less, while the white one doesn't use much gas. As a lover of nature, I am surely going to choose the latter.  

Text 4

M: What are you getting Sammy for his birthday? Is he too old for toys now?

W: I've decided to give him a gift card. He can get whatever he wants. 

M: Good idea. I'll do this as well. I think I can also get him a set of books, which are always nice to have.

Text 5

W: Hey, could you help take care of my brother's cat next week? We're both going away for a family party.

M: Oh, I wish I could, but I will be tied up next week. Sorry about that!

W: That's okay. Do you know of any good services I could try?

M: Actually, yes! Here's the number of a company that specializes in this.  

Text 6

W: Hey, James, how is the job search going?

M: Hi, Sharon, it's not as planned. I was late for an interview with a famous newspaper last week because I was busy preparing for the final exam and forgot the scheduled time.

W: Oh no! How did that go?

M: Not great. I think I blew my chance by not being fully prepared.  

W: That's frustrating. Have you had any other interviews?

M: No, not yet. There just aren't many openings right now.

W: I hope something works out for you soon. I'm still deciding whether to stay here in Chicago or go back home to Boston next month. California also sounds exciting, but it's a big move. 

M: That's true. What's your plan right now?

W: I haven't made up my mind yet.

Text 7

W: Henry, you look like you're on top of the world. What's up?

M: I just heard some good news from our head teacher.

W: What was it? Has our school football team won the football match?

M: No, it wasn't that. I just got the news that the painting I finished last month has been chosen to be exhibited in the city's Student Art Show.  

W: Really? That's great news.

M: So do you want to go to the show?

W: Sure. When will it be held?

M: From 9 am to 4 pm this Friday, the day after tomorrow. I really can't wait to go. 

W: Me too. By the way, have you told your parents the good news? I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that. 

M: Oh, I forgot. Thank you for reminding me! 

Text 8

M: Hi, I'm John Barnes. I own this marketing company. How can I help you? 

W: Anna Scott. Great to meet you. I'd like to ask you to help promote my health center. 

M: OK. I've not seen you at any of our previous business networking events. Are you new to the area?

W: No, but I'm newly self-employed. Before that I worked at Queen's Hospital. 

M: Oh, right! What does the health center mainly do?

W: We help people with injuries or other challenges improve their ability to do everyday tasks.

M: What kinds of patients do you serve?

W: It depends. One moment we might be working with a child struggling with development issues. The next, we could be helping an adult recover after a brain operation.

M: That sounds rewarding! So, may I ask why you left the hospital?

W: For work-life balance, really. However, getting around to matters related to money hasn't been easy. And keeping the center busy with more patients is my top concern. 

Text 9

W: Help me decide on which type of hotel room to book. 

M: How about the one with a bed?

W: Very funny. We have a choice of different views, and each one is a different price. For instance, a room with a city view is 180 dollars a night.

M: 180 dollars a night? That's unbelievably expensive!

W: If you think that's too much, there are a few other choices. We can get a courtyard room with no view for 130 dollars a night or a room with an ocean view for 150 dollars a night. 

M: I don't really care which type of room we get as long as we don't end up with a room on the ground floor. I don't like having people walking back and forth outside my window all night. 

W: Okay, I can request a room on an upper floor. You really don't have a preference?

M: No, not really.

W: There is a penthouse room for 400 dollars a night. 

M: Are you serious? For that price, I'd better get a view of the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, and the Great Wall of China! 

Text 10

M: Good morning everyone. As a leader of the local government, I'm excited to announce the opening of the new community center in our town. It was generously funded by local citizens, businesses and the university. The center will offer a gym, a library, study rooms and a meeting and performance hall. The covered outside areas will host markets. It is designed to serve as a center for different community events. The gym will be equipped with the latest fitness equipment and will be open from 6 am to 10 pm daily. The library will have a wide range of books and will also provide free Internet access. The meeting and performance hall can be booked for events and will host regular community meetings. We encourage you to use these new spaces and participate in the activities. We believe this center will bring many benefits to our community, including many opportunities for personal, business and social development. We will have some special events hosted by some of our local cafes for our opening.