第9单元 B卷

Text 1

W: I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Do you have anything in your fridge?

M: Yeah, I've got some sandwich leftovers from lunch today. There might not be enough for a proper dinner, but we could make a salad and heat up some soup. 

Text 2

M: How many chairs did you order? I have three that we can use, but if the whole family is coming, then we'll need nine more. 

W: I didn't order any. I already have four chairs from our last party, and I can borrow some from my neighbor. 

Text 3

W: I tried an AI-powered store yesterday. You scan the phone at the gate, grab what you need and just walk out with no queues. 

M: The convenience is great, and the receipt appears in the app within seconds. 

W: True, but I'm worried about my data. Every item is tied to my account. 

Text 4

M: May I ask for a day off this Friday?

W: Is everything alright, Henry? The test is coming.

M: I'm fine. Actually, my elder brother is getting married this Friday, and I'm his best man. 

W: OK. Family is important.

Text 5

M: We collected 18 kilos of paper last week, not bad. 

W: Better, but the goal was 25. Let's place a collection box outside the lecture hall.

M: Smart. I'll make a poster that says one sheet helps. 

Text 6

W: Hey, Tom. You look a bit down. What's up?

M: Oh, it's just my car. It's broken down again. It's like a headache. 

W: Really? Maybe it's time to say goodbye to it. You know, when it rains it pours. 

M: Yeah, you're right. I guess I've had enough of its tricks. I'll have to look for a new one.

W: Good luck with that. There are some nice electric cars on sale now. You can try your luck. 

Text 7

M: Hi, Lisa. I heard you went to a concert last night. How was it?

W: The band was really on fire like someone replaced their drinks with rocket fuel. Their performance was out of this world. 

M: That's great. What kind of music did they play?

W: Mostly rock and roll. The lead singer had an incredible voice, and the guitar solos were just mind-blowing. 

M: I'm so jealous.

W: Well, they're going to have another concert next month. You should definitely go. Though the ticket cost me an arm and a leg.

M: I think it is worth it. I wish I could have gone too, but I was too busy. Do you know where they'll be playing? 

W: At the city concert hall, but the tickets might be sold out quickly, so you'd better hurry.

Text 8

M: Hey Clara, would you like to go to the cafe with me after work?  

W: Again? Why do you like cafes so much? Just like my French clients, you've invited me four times this month and it's just the middle of the month.  

M: Don't you think that cafes are great places to chat with friends? You can easily get to know others and get a chance to relax from heavy work by sitting there and ordering a cup of coffee. 

W: If my impression of Paris has deepened, you must be the reason.

M: Come on. It's just my favorite way to socialize. Then, what's your favorite way of socializing?

W: Well, in Iceland, our daily activities include hitting a local outdoor swimming pool, which provides me with a good chance to socialize. But there aren't many public pools here. Why don't we try going to a pub like the British? Just as the old saying goes: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.  

M: Sounds reasonable. All right, I'll pick you up when you get off work.  

Text 9

W: Hi, Bill. It's nearly holiday time! What are you doing over the summer? I can't wait to get some real sleep without my alarm clock waking me up early every morning.  

M: I'm not sure, May, but Tom telephoned me and said he was going to volunteer on an International Volunteer Program in Costa Rica. So I checked it on the Internet last night. It's really interesting! You do two weeks of work. You work with 20 people and do really interesting and useful things. It's really well organized. 

W: My friend Lily did that once and thought it wasn't much fun. She said she was worn out and couldn't enjoy anything! I'm going to spend my time on a beach! 

M: Boring! On this program you do everything, including teaching kids, building roads and things, and maybe even planting trees. I'm sure I can learn a lot for the future and it must be really satisfying to help others.

W: Now that sounds more like it. Where can I get more information?  

M: I will give the website to you. You can check it out.  

W: Great!

Text 10

M: Welcome everybody. You are all here because you have bravely decided that you want to take part in our annual public speaking competition. The theme of this year's competition is the pleasure of leisure. Last year, if you remember, we had a much more serious topic: the dangers of climate change. This year we're hoping to encourage you to talk about how you enjoy yourselves and the importance of having a good time. The speech should last no more than twenty minutes. I'd now like to give you some suggestions. I advise you very strongly not to try to learn your speech by heart. It will make it sound very unnatural. Even worse than this is to write the speech down and then read it out. The best way to prepare is to summarize what you are going to say into keywords and phrases. Write them down in large letters on a piece of paper. Look at your audience during the speech. And remember to take a deep breath before you start and then slow down your speech. Finally, I wish the very best of luck to all our contestants.