Unit 10A

Text 1

M: The game will soon begin.

W: I can't wait to watch the game. This is the first time that I've been to a football game here. I always watch football on TV at home. 

Text 2

M: If I were you, I'd just walk to work. It would take you about 20 minutes. Riding a bike is a good choice, too.

W: I agree. But this week my husband is away on business, so I have to drive my kids to school before I go to work. I'm pressed for time, you know. 

Text 3

M: Would you like it to be short or long at the back?

W: Quite short.

M: Doesn't it bother you to have so much grey hair at your age?

W: No, I like it.

Text 4

W: I really have a hard time talking to Damon. Every time I talk to him, he plays with his mobile phone.

M: Be patient, Jenny. Remember when you were young, you were always covered in mud. But your mom and I just cleaned up the mess and taught you the right thing to do next time. 

Text 5

W: Hello, may I speak to Doctor Li, please?

M: Sorry, he's having a meeting. Would you like to leave him any message?

W: Yes, please. He asked me to give a lecture next week and I'd like to discuss some details with him. 

M: OK. I'll tell him about it after the meeting and you can call him again later.

Text 6

W: What kind of people do you like?

M: I like people who are friendly. Those people are usually more active. I like having fun with them. We can go to bars together and play sports together.  

W: I don't like making friends with people who aren't honest. Honesty is of great significance. 

M: I think it's important to most people. The fact is that you can usually find out if someone is honest by getting to know him.

W: You can also find out from his friends, if you know some of his friends.

M: You can't rely on his friends to know about him. You have to judge for yourself.

Text 7

M: Good morning, Rebecca! Have you heard about the new school project we're starting next week?

W: No, I haven't. What's it about?

M: It's a community service project where we're going to help restore a local park. 

W: Which park will we choose? The Seaside Park?

M: Yes! We'll be planting flowers, painting benches, and cleaning up the playground. 

W: That sounds great! I love doing community service and helping out in my local community. 

M: Me too! I think it's important for us to give back and make a positive impact on our neighborhood. Plus it's going to be a fun and rewarding experience for us.

W: Definitely. I heard that some of the local businesses are also going to donate equipment and food. 

M: Yeah, it's great to see the community coming together for a good cause.

Text 8

M: I'm going white-water boating this weekend, Mary. And one of my buddies, Phil — you know Phil, don't you?

W: Uh-huh.

M: Well, Phil can't go because he hurt his back while playing soccer, so there's room for one more. You want to go with us? 

W: Are you kidding? I've never gone white-water boating.

M: Aw, come on! There's a mini-course being given by the Explorers Club on Wednesday night this week. Take it and you'll be ready to go with us.

W: No way! I'll never learn enough in two hours to go on a white-water boating trip! 

M: Sure you can! The instructor is great. I know of lots of people who've done it.

W: Well, it's probably not such a good idea, but how much does it cost?

M: Well, the trip will cost you $150 with everything, including food and equipment. The course is only $20. 

W: That's not too bad. I'll think about it.

Text 9

M: Hi Nancy! You look worried. What's wrong? 

W: Well Daniel, have you ever felt nervous on stage? 

M: Sure. Do you remember that play I was in a few years ago? I knew my lines, but I was terrified to recite them in front of an audience. As soon as I saw the crowd of people down there, my heart beat so fast that I was unable to say a single word. 

W: That's how I feel just thinking about the spelling competition next week. 

M: I didn't know you made it to the finals.

W: I'm worried I'll get nervous and freeze on stage. I might forget how to spell everything, even my own name. I don't know what to do.

M: Nancy, I know that you're not going to forget how to spell your name. I'll help you get through this. I'll go to the school hall with you to practice. Then I'll teach you an exercise my baseball coach taught me. Believe me. It works. 

W: I feel much better now. Thanks, Daniel.

Text 10

M: As a small child, I often wrote poems and short stories. My teacher was impressed and would read my work to my classmates. Feeling proud of my talent, I decided that one day I would become a noted writer. In high school, I continued to write and even started my first novel. I also wrote for the school newspaper, and for several years I'd considered becoming a reporter. I began studying journalism at university. But I was occupied with my studies so that I had no time to write fiction, and I really missed it. So, with the help of my professor, I changed my major and gained a literature degree, and I was much happier. After university, I got a job to write blogs for a newspaper office. I continued my creative writing and started to write science fiction. I referred to a large amount of famous science fiction and even took a science course at a community college. It took me eight years in total to finish the fiction. Until 14 months ago, I finally found a publisher for my book. It's due to be published in half a year! I can't wait and I'm so glad that I never give up.