Text 1
M: Will Mr.Jones be able to see me at about 10 am?
W: Sorry, but he's fully booked until 3:40 pm.
M: Would 4 pm be convenient?
W: Yes, he will be free then.
Text 2
W: You're late again. Why don't you ride your bike to avoid the terrible traffic?
M: Oh, it's too dangerous. All the bikes in the street seem to be flying towards you.
Text 3
W: I suppose you've bought some New Year gifts for your family.
M: Well, I've bought a shirt for my father and two books for my sister. But I haven't decided what to buy for my mother.
Text 4
M: I need to go out of town, but the traffic is very heavy at this hour.
W: I suggest you take the subway instead. Then you don't have to deal with the terrible traffic. You see, I don't feel like driving anymore.
Text 5
W: Sir, did you see the "No Smoking" sign?
M: Yes, sorry. It's a long flight and I just want to smoke before I get on the plane.
Text 6
M: Helen, I heard that you wanted to be a gym teacher, didn't you?
W: Yes, I did think about it. But it was going to be too expensive.
M: You mean the training?
W: Yes, you need to pay for the use of all the equipment. You know, my family is poor.
M: So you went to a nursing college.
W: I did. And I have no regrets.
M: Really? You enjoyed it?
W: Oh, very much.
M: Didn't you feel sad that you couldn't become a teacher?
W: Well, in a way. But as time went on, I really began to like my job.
Text 7
M: I had a big argument with David yesterday. I hope he's not still mad at me.
W: What did you argue about?
M: He borrowed some money from me. But when I needed it back, he said he didn't have the money yet.
W: Well, he should pay it back.
M: Yes, but I got angry with him too quickly. He probably thought I mistrusted him.
W: Did you lend him a lot of money?
M: Not much. I had to pay an unexpected bill, so I needed the money back.
W: Well, close friends sometimes have disagreements. It's nothing unusual. Why not talk to him about it? I bet he will understand.
M: I guess you're right. We should patch things up. I don't want to ruin a long friendship.
Text 8
M: Morning, Jane. You look rather pale this morning.
W: Yes, Dad. I didn't sleep very well last night.
M: Oh? Why was that?
W: I had a terrible dream. It was very frightening.
M: What did you dream about?
W: The same thing as usual, some huge and ugly animals.
M: The same thing as usual? Do you often dream about huge and ugly animals?
W: About three times a week.They always have big mouths and terrible eyes.
M: What do they usually do?
W: They usually run after me. I always get away.
M: Why do you dream about them so often?
W: Probably because I often read fearful stories before I go to bed.
Text 9
W: There you are, Ben. The information about the evening classes I sent off for has arrived. Right, here are the general courses.
M: Flower Arranging. That's a real course? Why would someone want to do that?
W: You sit in front of the TV watching baseball for three hours every Saturday and many people would find that boring too.
M: OK, relax. Let's see what else is there...
W: Photography. That looks interesting. It started last week, but I don't think that would be a problem.
M: But look at the price. ＄280 is too much for me. I wonder why it's so expensive. I don't think I can afford it. But, hey, at least it's cheaper than the Italian Wine course. Look at that — ＄400. Web Design for Beginners is pretty cheap. What do you think?
W: I don't want to see a computer in the evening.
M: Hey, look, how about Indian Cooking? Starts this week. A little bit expensive.
W: ＄190.You know how much I love Indian food. I'll call them tomorrow to see if there are still    spaces available.
M: I'll call them right away.
W: There won't be anyone there now. We'll try in the morning.
M: This will be great. We can have our own Indian dinner parties.
Text 10
For most Americans, clocks and watches are very important. They are always aware of them. In the morning some people have to get up when it is still dark. Others sleep through several hours of sunlight. But both groups wake up when they hear their alarm clocks ring. When they get dressed and eat breakfast, they listen to the radio, and the radio tells them again and again exactly what time it is.
On the way to work or school, people look at their watches. If they think they are going to be late, they will hurry. At work, Americans think it is important to arrive at meetings on time. Their lunch breaks are short, lasting only half an hour or an hour. Late in the afternoon, they check their watches often to see how soon they can go home.
In the evening, however, Americans are more relaxed. They try to arrive on time, but they don't worry if they are a few minutes late to meet friends in a restaurant. Also, people who arrive a few minutes late to a movie are usually in time to see the main feature film. If a party at a friend's house starts at 8 pm, some people may come an hour later, but nobody minds.
Americans are used to living by clocks and watches. It is hard for them to understand that people in many parts of the world don't think time is so important.