Text 1

W: I was in Mallorca last week.

M: Oh. What were you doing there?

W: My best friend works there. And I went to visit her. It was a good chance to practice my Spanish.

Text 2

M: Ruth, I've got this terrible cold and I have to see a doctor. I'm afraid I can't go to the class. Could you help me hand in my lab report to Dr. Davidson?

W: Sure, no problem. Just take care of yourself. And don't worry about the class.

Text 3

M: Marie, if no one takes care of your children when you're away, Jennifer and I would be glad to have them stay with us.

W: That's very kind of you. But they've already left for their grandma's. You know, Suzy lives close by.

Text 4

M: Hurry up with your food, Sally. They say there's a big storm coming. We'd better get home before that.

W: OK. I'm done. Let's get back to the car. Could you carry these shopping bags?

M: Oh, sure.

Text 5

M: We deep\|fried fish three days ago in the kitchen. But the unpleasant smell stays.

W: There's a method you can try. Every time you make coffee, dry the leftover coffee grounds. And keep them in small bowls. Then place the bowls in the kitchen.

Text 6

W: Are you a football fan, Gomez?

M: Yes. I go to the stadium whenever there's a good game. (6)And if I can't get a ticket, I watch the game on TV. That way they're less exciting, though.

W: Is the ticket expensive?

M: It depends. It usually costs about 20-50 dollars. (7)Last time I paid 25.

W: That's not very expensive. Maybe we can go together sometime.

M: Great! It'll be more fun to watch the game with a friend.

Text 7

W: (8)You were out the whole afternoon, Alex. What did you do?

M: I took a walk by myself.

W: You just kept walking and walking for 4 hours?

M: Actually, it's not so boring. Walking in the woods is a grand adventure. Your feet can take you to the most amazing places.

W: What did you do in the woods?

M: I smelt the flowers, looked at the birds, and yeah, (9)I picked many tree leaves. I will make bookmarks with them. Look!

W: Aren't they beautiful!

M: (10)Then I met Bob at the lake. He was fishing while his kids were having a swim.

W: Did you talk to him?

M: No. I walked on and took a lot of pictures. There's just so much out there to see.

Text 8

W: (11)David, how was your holiday?

M: Great! I climbed Mount Fuji. It was really beautiful. Now I can check one more thing off my list.

W: Your list?

M: Yes. When I was 12, (12)I made a list of things I wanted to do someday.

W: That's interesting! How many of the things on your list have you done so far?

M: Almost half. I have pictures. Would you like to see them?

W: Yes, sure.

M: Here I am on top of Mount Fuji. And here I am in a hot\|air balloon.

W: When did you do that? I've always wanted to go up in a hot\|air balloon.  

M: It was two years ago, in August, in California.

W: What are your plans for the next holiday?

M: I'm thinking of deep\|sea diving in Australia. Do you have any other suggestions?

W: (13)You really ought to take a boat down the Amazon. You'll see a lot of interesting animals and beautiful trees. It's one of the best places I've been to.

M: Okay, I'll put it on my list.

Text 9

W: Hello, Michael.

M: Hi, Sarah.

W: Are you attending the conference tomorrow morning at the Shelton Hotel?

M: Yes, are you?

W: Yeah, (15)but when I arrived home 5 minutes ago, I found that my car wouldn't start. (17)And John is in Brighton on business.

M: Do you know what's wrong with the car?

W: I'm not exactly sure. I think there's a problem with the engine. (14)Er,I wonder if you could give me a ride to the hotel tomorrow morning.

M: Sure, when shall I be at your place?

W: Well, what about 8 o'clock? From my place to Shelton we have to drive through the quarters, so we'd better leave early to avoid the traffic.

M: OK, no problem. It takes 20 minutes to reach your place, (16)so I'll set off at 7:40. By the way, do you also need me to drive you home tomorrow afternoon?

W: (17)No. John would be back then and he'll get me home. Thank you, Michael.

M: That's OK. See you tomorrow.

Text 10

Hello, everyone. Today I'll talk about how to improve your pronunciation. Language researchers say pronunciation and fluency are the biggest barriers followed by grammar in effective spoken English. (18)However, most people don't regard pronunciation as a very important part of communication skills. They are more focused on vocabulary. One reason is that most people are not even aware of their mispronunciations. (19)So it's important to first find out the words you mispronounce. You should listen to experts. By experts, I mean those who are less likely to make pronunciation mistakes. When listening to them, pay attention to words that sound strange — strange because you pronounce the same words differently. When you come across such words, check a dictionary to confirm their exact pronunciations. You can also search for difficult\|to\|pronounce words and names and make a list of them. (20)The last suggestion is to read aloud. Now you've got the correct pronunciations of the words, it's time to practice reading them every day.