 sorry  .  i did n't mean to  .  
 i 've got it  .  
 no  he is at work now  .  
 may i have his office phone number please  ?  
 sure  .  it 's 2891234  .  
 go right ahead  .  
 to the office  .  i 'll be right back  .  
 not back home for dinner again  ?  that  s the third time this week  !  
 i  m sorry  .  our company has just opened  .  there are always too many things to handle  .  you know that  .  
 you don  t have to explain  .  suit yourself  .  
 i apologize  .  you have my word  i  ll spend some time with you on the weekend  .  i promise  .  
 we  ll see  .  
 thank you for understanding  .  i promise i  ll make it up to you  .  
 watch your language  .  
 forgive you for what  ?  
 i used your computer  .  and i  m afraid i  ve erased your personal files accidentally  .  
 no  !  are you kidding me  ?  
 i  m afraid not  .  i apologize  .  
 i can  t believe it  !  i have all my important personal documents stored in that computer  .  it  s no laughing matter  .  
 i told you i  m sorry  .  what can i do to make it up to you  ?  
 well  you should be sorry  !  don  t ever use my computer again  !  you can  t do anything now  it  s too late  !  
 good  let 's go for a drive  .  
 okay  i 'll get the car out of the garage  .  
 great  .  
 sure  just ask  .  what can i do for you  ?  
 my car has a problem starting  .  could you please take a look at it for me  ?  
 no sweat  .  it  s a piece of cake  .  
 are you sure  ?  
 absolutely  .  i  m a great mechanic  .  
 thanks for helping me out  .  i really appreciate it  .  
 anytime  .  
 for here or to go  ?  
 oh  honey  i 'm so sorry  we do n't have enough space for you to have your own room  .  
 dad  but i do n't want to share a room with peter  .  he snores every night  .  
 honey  you can ask him to be quite  .  otherwise you may punish him and tell him to stand out of the room  right  ?  
 alright  .  maybe it 's the only way to do it  .  
 it is difficult  .  
 no  honey  it 's easy if you know the way  .  
 do i have to memorize it  ?  
 no  honey  try to make notes in your notebook  .  
 mom  can i have some ice cream  ?  
 not today  honey  .  do n't eat too much ice cream  .  
 mom  can i have one more piece of cake  ?  
 ok  .  the last piece is for your dessert  .  we 're having dinner soon  .  
 oh  honey  you made a mistake  .  
 i do n't know how to do it  .  
 ok  .  let 's do it together  .  
 16 divided by 2  .  what 's the answer  ?  
 16 divided by 2 equals 8  .  
 you got it  .  good job  .  
 it was bad  .  
 oh  honey  you should study harder  .  
 but i already tried my best  .  
 do n't worry  .  you 'll do better next time  .  
 sorry  .  you 've got the wrong number  .  
 sword  say it sword  .  
 what does this word mean  ?  
 look it up in the dictionary  .  
 dad  can you just tell me what it means  ?  i 'm too lazy  .  
 no  honey  go and read it  .  you 'll learn  .  
 i like red  .  
 now  we 're going to draw an apple in your sketch book  .  what do we use  ?  
 dad  i want to draw with crayons  can i  ?  
 why not  ?  let 's draw the outline of an apple with your pencil first  .  
 what happened  peter  ?  did you have a fight  ?  
 no  mom  .  i did n't  .  
 did somebody hit you  ?  or did you just fall  ?  
 mom  !  i was just picking my nose  and now it 's bleeding  .  
 did you think it was n't real  ?  that 's my pet lizard  .  
 you have a pet lizard  ?  somehow i never would have imagined that  .  
 his name is grunt  .  come closer and i 'll properly introduce you  .  
 does it bite or scratch  ?  
 no  he 's perfectly harmless  .  and he 's not afraid of strangers either  .  here  hold him  .  
 wow  .  he 's heavy  !  and his skin feels really cool  .  
 stick around and you 'll get to know him better  .  he has a very unusual personality  .  
 do you need money or what  ?  
 i have this list of stuff that i need and i only have half the dough  .  
 half the dough huh  .  well  .  how would you like to earn the other half  ?  
 do i have a choice  ?  uh  .  that 's a no  .  what can i do  ?  
 i thought you 'd never ask  .  the lawn needs to be mowed and the garage deserves to be cleaned  .  
 oh  that 's right  .  they 're filming a movie up there  are n't they  ?  
 some high speed chase scene  i think  .  
 i wonder how all the businesses in the area feel about that  .  
 i think that they get a pretty good payoff  .  
 the movie company has to pay them  ?  
 i do n't know about all of that  but think about it  their business gets free publicity  !  
 oh  yeah  they get to be in a movie for the whole world to see  !  
 yes  i have many things to buy  .  i would like to choose the cleaning milk first  .  
 all right  .  what is your type of skin  ?  
 dry  .  that 's my problem  .  
 you can use this  .  it has special effect for keeping your face moisturized  .  it has this lotion  as a gift attached  .  
 sounds good  .  what about shampoo  ?  i would like to buy the product that prevents scurf  .  
 how about this one  ?  it is wellknown for the effect of removing scurf  .  
 is it a newcomer  ?  
 yes  it is a new brand  .  
 i do not care the brand as long as it works well  .  
 anything else  ?  
 i want to buy the toothpaste  the brand of jiajieshi  .  
 yes  here you are  .  
 use  i want a eyeshadow  .  
 we have different colours of eyeshadow  .  may i know what colour you usually wear  ?  
 purple  .  but today  i 'm thinking of buying one in a bright colour  .  
 yes  i see  .  how do you like this one  ?  
 may i have a try  ?  
 certainly  .  
 it 's still too dark  .  any brighter colours  ?  
 not from this brand  i 'm afraid  .  
 what about other brands  ?  
 how about this one  ?  
 oh  that 's the very thing i need  .  
 good heavens  !  do n't bring that frog in the house  .  
 i did  mom  .  
 shame on you  .  i was saving them for your brother  .  
 certainly  .  the product has a twoyear guarantee  .  if it breaks down during that period we offer a replacement unit completely free of charge  .  our products are very reliable but we recommend you take out an extended warranty  .  this covers you for a further two years  .  
 i see  .  what does that include  ?  
 it covers all parts and labour  except for normal wear and tear of course  .  
 what sort of response time do you guarantee  ?  
 our engineers are on call 24 hours a day  .  we guarantee someone will be with you within four hours  but in practice it 's often much sooner  .  
 are there any exclusions  ?  
 not really  .  it 's a very comprehensive warranty  .  i  ll put a copy in the post to you and you can read through the small print  .  
 thanks  jane  .  
 if you need any help  just let me know  .  
 what is that  ?  it looks like something from a swamp  !  
 it 's a green drink  .  it 's supposed to be full of vitamins and minerals  .  
 you know  healthy eating does n't have to make you gag  .  
 the sales lady said that even if i eat right  i would n't get enough vitamins  .  
 have you ever tried it  ?  or are you just going to believe the sales lady  ?  
 it 's easier to drink this once a day than eat fruit and vegetables all day  .  
 it may take less time  but i do n't know about easier  .  yuck  .  
 i need some stamps  .  
 what kind of stamps do you want  ?  
 how much do i need for this letter  ?  
 i must weigh it  .  
 how much  ?  is it overweight  ?  
 it is 5 grams overweight  .  do you want to send it as an ordinary or registered letter  ?  
 how much is it  then  ?  
 registration plus overweight  7 yuan in all  .  
 ok  .  here you are  .  
 hi julie  .  yeah  .  i 've been on a diet for a couple of months now  .  
 wow  .  you look great  .  
 thanks for noticing  .  
 what type of diet were you on  ?  
 i joined a health club and my trainer gave me tips on eating  .  with a combination of eating better and exercising  i managed to lose 15 pounds in 2 months  .  
 that 's amazing  .  what tips did your trainer give you  ?  
 mostly on how to exercise  but the best advice i got was changing my eating habits  .  instead of eating 3 times a day  she told me to eat 5 times a day  .  
 that does n't make sense  .  if you eat more  than how do you lose weight  ?  
 actually  i 'm eating the same amount  .  i eat 5 smaller meals a day  .  basically  it naturally speeds up the metabolism and helps to burn fat at a faster rate  .  
 that makes sense  .  i 'm going to try that  .  
 you do n't need to lose weight  .  
 i have a little gut i have been trying to get rid of  .  
 ah  .  .  .  but remember to incorporate a little exercise into your diet  .  
 thanks for the advice  .  
 no problem  .  
 come on  john  .  this is my favorite show  .  
 i do n't care  .  i have a headache  .  
 why do n't you go to bed  ?  
 i think i will  .  
 i think he has n't made any new friends yet  .  he 's just a little lonely  .  
 he really misses his friends from our old neighborhood  .  
 without a doubt  .  maybe if he knew he does n't have to give up any of his old friends to make new ones  it will be easier for him  .  
 how do you propose to help him understand that  ?  
 well  we can help him keep in touch with his old friends  .  
 i guess we could go visit once in a while too  .  
 yeah  .  there 's a lot we can do to help him through this transition  .  
 what happened  ?  
 i overcooked the corn  .  
 that 's okay  .  i like it better that way anyway  .  
 but then it 'll be too warm  .  
 not if you take off your jacket  .  
 no problem  .  who is it  ?  anyone i know  ?  
 i do n't think so  .  do you remember bob gain from tulsa  ?  
 that name does n't ring a bell  .  but tell me more  .  
 he was on the diving team with me in high school and saved my life one day  .  
 well  i 'll have to personally thank him by making him my famous chocolate cake  .  
 you 're glad he saved me  huh  ?  
 absolutely  !  bob and his whole family are welcome here any time  !  
 tell me about it  .  if i was as small as her  i would n't think about going on a diet  .  
 me too  .  but what are we going to do  ?  i have been on 4 different diets and i ca n't seem to lose weight  .  
 that 's because you do n't exercise  .  if you were more active  you would n't have a dieting problem  .  
 what do you know  ?  you are over weight too  .  
 i 'm not on a diet though  .  
 i know  .  but i do n't have someone to diet with  .  if we help each other and motivate each other  then i think we can lose some weight  .  
 i like ice cream too much though  .  
 c 'mon  .  you 'll feel better and look better and as a reward you can eat a little bit of ice cream here and there  .  
 it does sound appealing  .  
 it 's a great idea  .  i ca n't believe i did n't think of this earlier  .  going on a diet with a friend to back you up is a great way to succeed  .  
 okay  .  i 'm in  .  let 's do it  .  
 great  .  i 'll get our plan started right away  .  
 can we start tomorrow though  ?  
 all the fruit are pretty fresh here  .  
 how much are the pears  ?  
 they 're four yuan per kilo  .  
 give me one kilo of those  please  .  do you have any fresh plums  ?  
 yes  we do  .  they are eight yuan per kilo  .  
 it 's a bit too expensive  .  we can get it for six yuan in the shop next here  .  
 take much and you can have them six yuan per kilo  .  
 sounds reasonable  .  i 'll take three kilos  .  
 ok  .  it 's 22 yuan 
 here you are  .  
 a tow truck was towing my car and put all those dents in my car  .  
 are they going to pay you for the damages  ?  
 they 're saying it was already there  .  
 what the hell  .  that does n't make sense  .  what are you going to do  ?  
 i have to go to court  .  a cop was there so he can prove that the damage was n't there  .  
 that sucks  .  i 'd be pissed if that happened to me  .  
 i got an estimate and it 's four thousand dollars  .  
 oh my gosh  .  damn  .  .  .  screw the court  i would burn down their store  .  
 we 'll see what happens after court  .  
 turn right at the second crossing and then go straight for two blocks  .  
 is it far from here  ?  
 no  it  s only tenminute 's walk  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 just go straight along this street  turn left at the first crossing and walk straight ahead about 100 meters  .  you can  t miss it  .  
 about how long will it take me to get there  ?  
 it  s about 20 minutes  walk  i think  .  
 i see  .  is there a bus i can take  ?  
 yes  you can take the no  .  5 bus over there  .  get off at the next stop  .  
 thank you so much for your help  .  
 it  s my pleasure  .  
 thanks  honey  .  it 's great to be back  .  
 so  how was your trip to thailand  ?  
 yes  there are three stops left  .  
 how long is the ride  ?  
 well  you will get there in about a quarter of an hour if the traffic isn  t too heavy  .  
 thank you  .  would you please let me know when we get to the stop  ?  i 'm a stranger here  .  
 sure  madam  .  i  ll remind you  .  
 at the supermarket down the street  .  help yourself  .  
 thanks  !  
 i 'd like to have some more  .  it 's really good  .  
 there 's still a lot lefthave some more  !  
 thanks  but i could n't eat another bite  .  i 'm really full  .  
 just a few cookies  .  
 that 's fine with me  .  
 good idea  .  how about a cup of coffee  ?  
 sounds good  .  
 i want a leather jacket  .  
 what size  please  ?  
 size 40  .  
 what color would you prefer  ?  
 let me see  .  do you think a brown one will do  ?  
 well  the brown one is beautiful indeed  but i think the black one will suit you better  .  
 really  ?  please get it for me  .  
 will there be anything else  ?  
 is this dress made of pure silk  ?  
 yes  it is  .  it 's brilliant  .  
 is it washable  ?  
 yes  it is  .  but you have to be careful  .  
 how much  please  ?  
 only 350 yuan  .  
 all right  .  will you wrap it for me  ?  
 ok  .  here you are  .  
 sorry  but he is out for lunch right now  .  
 i see  .  can you give me some idea how long he 'll be back  ?  
 i think he will be back around 200  .  if you like  please leave your name and phone number  i 'll have him call you as soon as he comes back  .  
 that 's nice  .  my name is steven  my phone number is 6789777  .  okay  i 'll be waiting for his call  .  thank you and bye  !  
 my pleasure  bye  !  
 yes  i would  as long as it 's good quality  .  
 you can check it  sir  .  
 ok  .  
 thank you  but i 'm just looking around  .  how much does this skirt cost  ?  
 this is the new style . two hundred and twentyeight  .  
 may i try it on  ?  
 of course  please  .  
 can you give me a better deal  ?  
 two hundred and ten yuan  .  it is the lowest price  .  
 well  i 'll give one hundred and eighty yuan for it  .  
 well  two hundred yuan  .  
 no  this is my final offer  .  
 ok  i 'll wrap it for you  .  
 what kind of jewellery do you like to have  ?  
 i should like to look at some bracelets  .  
 may i show you gold ones or platinum ones  ?  
 gold ones  .  
 pure gold or carats  ?  
 pure gold ones  please  .  this is so beautiful  .  i 'll take it  .  
 ok  .  
 how much is it  ?  
 1336 yuan  .  
 could you show me the coat on the shelf  ?  
 sure  .  please come this way  .  
 may i try it on  ?  
 of course  .  here is the fitting room  .  
 it does n't fit quite right  .  it feels a little tight in the waist  .  do you have this in a larger size  ?  
 yes  here it is  .  
 well  how do i look in this one  ?  
 you look really beautiful in it  .  
 ok  .  i 'll take it  .  
 what  ?  but today is my birthday  !  
 i know  darling  .  but i do have a lot of work to do  hope you can understand me  .  
 but steven  why do n't you ask for a leave  ?   .  .  .  steven  why do n't you speak  ?  are you still there  ?  
 hello  julia  ?  i ca n't hear you clearly  .  i 'm afraid the line is out of order  .  okay  b  listen  !  how about i hang up now and call you back later  ?  
 okay  !  bye  !  
 what kind of jewellery do you like to have  ?  
 i should like to look at some bracelets  .  
 may i show you gold ones or jade ones  ?  
 jade ones  .  
 ok  here they are  .  
 what 's the price for this one  ?  
 eight hundred yuan  .  
 how about seven hundred yuan  ?  
 i 'm sorry  we only sell at fixed prices  .  
 ok  .  i 'll take it  .  
 ok  .  how about this diamond necklace  ?  
 i prefer a diamond mounted in a ring  .  
 then  .  i 'm sure you will like this one  .  
 do you guarantee its quality  ?  
 sure  .  this is the warranty  .  the cut  color  clarity  weight and the manufacturer of the diamond are all indicated in this document  .  
 i wish to buy a diamond ring  .  
 how many carats diamond do you want  ?  
 two carats  .  
 is this one suit for you  ?  
 no  it seems too oldfashioned  .  
 what about this  ?  
 let me try it on  it 's too small for me  have n't you got any larger ones  ?  
 yes  try this one please  .  
 this fits me well  how much is it  ?  
 3500 yuan  .  
 it 's reasonable  .  here you are  .  
 hi  i am just looking  .  
 it 's a good car  .  
 what year is it  ?  
 1999  .  
 how about the mileage  ?  
 6000 miles  all highway mileage  .  
 what do you mean 7b 
 highway miles are not as bad as local miles  .  they do not hurt car as much  .  
 oh  why such a high mileage  ?  
 the owner was commuting everyday crossing the state line  .  
 okay  .  does this car have a warranty  ?  
 one month  .  
 how do i make sure i am not buying a junk  ?  
 you 'll check it out anyway you want  .  you can take it to a garage  .  
 how much is it  ?  
  5900  .  
 i 'll have to think about it  .  
 leave your phone number  and i will give you a call if the price gets reduced  .  
 okay  .  
 we need to redo the curtains and paint all the walls and ceilings  .  
 i 'm the painter  .  you can be in charge of going to curtain shops to choose curtains  .  that will probably be pretty expensive too  .  having good curtains made is n't cheap  .  
 you mean we ca n't just buy curtains already made  ?  
 absolutely not  .  the windows must be measured  and then the curtains need to be made professionally  .  so that will take a while  .  maybe a month or so  .  
 while the curtains are being made  i can start having people look at the kitchen  .  i ca n't stand that old kitchen  .  i wo n't be able to cook there  .  i do n't want to use that electric stove  .  
 we need to find an interior decorating company to redecorate the kitchen  .  i believe in portland there are shops that specialize in kitchen renovation  .  i will look in the yellow pages  .  i 'd like a kitchen mostly in ivory and light green  .  
 i agree  .  the colors must be soft and pleasant  .  you should feel comfortable when you cook our dinners  .  
 me  ?  cook our dinners  ?  hah  !  you will be cooking  dear  .  you will cook  .  
 no  i do n't think so  .  i 'll be too busy having tea in our new tea room  .  
 well  i suppose we 'll have to hire a cook then  .  so you wo n't be able to afford any clothes next year  .  
 and you 'll have to sell your motorcycle  .  and your cameras  .  right  ?  
 maybe i 'll cook once or twice a week  .  how is that  ?  
 four times might be enough  .  not once or twice  .  
 congratulations  !  so  have you started planning your move  ?  
 yes  i am trying to find good movers now  .  do you know any  ?  
 not really  .  
 what did you do for your last move  ?  
 since i did not have much staff  i asked my cousin to help me out  .  
 oh  .  that 's very nice of him  .  
 yeah  it was  .  but i still have some information that i collected last time  and if you want  i will give it to you  .  
 yes  please  .  
 yes  i just wondered why the price between the ninth and tenth floor is so different  .  
 it 's because of the view  .  
 oh  !  i see  .  can you show me the location of block i  ?  
 sure  .  please take a look at the model of the building  .  nice garden has a total of two blocks which are labeled block i and block ii  .  block i has a total of thirtyeighth floors  .  the thirtyseventh and thirtyeighth are penthouses  .  there are four units in one floor  .  the sizes of the units are one thousand square feet and one thousand and five hundred square feet  .  the size with one thousand square feet has three bedrooms and the biggest size has four bedrooms  .  
 how many elevators are there  ?  
 there are three elevators between one hundred and fortyeight units  .  
 how about the carpark space  ?  
 there are a total of one hundred and sixty parking spaces on the second and third floor  in which twelve are for visitors and the rest are for residents  .  
 any other facilities  ?  
 sure  on the fourth floor is a recreation quarter  .  there are two swimming pools  .  one is olympic standard size and the other one is for children  .  also  there is a gymnasium for resident members only  .  
 what is the completion date  ?  
 the completion date will be july 1st 2007  .  
 how about the price and the bank mortgage  ?  
 please check up the price list  .  the average unit price is five million hong kong dollars  .  there are eight different banks that will provide a seventy percent mortgage loan  .  also  the developer will offer another ten percent mortgage to purchasers  .  
 how many payment methods are there  ?  
 it 's all written on the brochure price list  .  i believe there will be one right for you  .  please hurry up because almost half of units have already gone  .  
 thank you  .  i think i have to talk to the bank representatives  .  thank you for your help  .  
 you 're welcome  .  
 i totally agree  .  i really like my lifestyle to be dramafree  and i do n't want to argue about cleaning the apartment  .  my last roommate was a drama queen  .  every time i forgot to take my shoes off  she got really mad and made a big deal out of it  .  
 yeah  i really do n't want a lot of drama in the apartment  .  it 's important that we do n't get on each other 's nerves  .  
 that 's right  .  we should try to be laid back and not do lots of things to bother one another  .  
 i think you 'd better take the no  .  16 bus  .  it can take you right there  .  
 how often dose this bus go there  ?  
 every fifteen minutes  .  
 i really ca n't wait that long  .  are there any other buses that can take me there  ?  
 the no  .  2 bus also goes to the railway station  .  you may take it  .  
 where can i find the bus  ?  
 the bus stop is not far from here  .  go straight on and you can easily find it  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 i 'd like a coffee please  .  
 certainly  madam  .  what kind of coffee would you like  ?  
 what have you got  ?  
 well  we have espresso  cappuccino  latte  skinny latte and americano  .  
 goodness me  !  so many choices  !  i think i 'll have a cappuccino please  .  
 here you are  .  you 'll find the sugar just over there  .  
 great  i 'm looking for a place right in that area  .  your apartment sounds ideal  .  
 alright  .  so tell me  how would you describe yourself  ?  
 i 'm pretty social and outgoing  and i like making new friends  .  but i 'm not a party animal  and i like to keep the apartment clean  .  
 i 'm like that too  .  i like to invite friends over sometimes  but i do n't want to have lots of crazy parties at the apartment  .  
 irish coffee is my favorite  .  but i 'm not particular on it  .  
 all right  .  would you make coffee yourself when you are at home  ?  
 not very often  .  making coffee is a bit troublesome  .  most of the time  i just buy takeout at starbucks  .  and also  i quite like instant coffee  .  
 i think instant coffee is becoming more and more popular  .  though its taste is not perfect  it 's really cheap and convenient  .  
 exactly  .  nescafe is the world 's favorite coffee  .  people love it all over the world  .  
 i agree  .  i heard that in the western countries  almost everyone likes coffee  .  is that true  ?  
 yes  .  no doubt about that  .  for us  coffee is more a living style rather than a simple drink  .  i heard chinese people do n't drink that much coffee  .  
 no  we do n't  especially the elder people  .  but more and more young people fall for coffee nowadays  .  
 i suppose so  .  that 's probably why there are so many wonderful coffee houses in china now  .  
 yes  you 're at the right stop  .  
 thank you  .  
 are you new here  ?  
 yes  .  
 have you got small change  ?  they require exact fare  .  
 yes  i 've got some coins  .  how much is the fare  ?  
 one yuan  .  when you get on the front of the bus  just drop your money into the box  .  
 i see  .  how often does this bus run at this time of day  ?  
 it runs every ten minutes  .  oh  here comes the bus  .  
 i am afraid not  .  are there any vacant tables  ?  
 i do n't think so  .  you have to wait for about 10 minutes  .  
 that 's all right  .  
 yes  do you have a table for five  ?  
 yes  would you like smoking or nonsmoking  ?  
 we 'd like a nonsmoking room  please  .  
 no problem  .  follow me  please  .  
 where to  sir  ?  
 beijing library  .  
 hop in  please  .  
 is it a long ride to beijing library  ?  
 it will take about thirty minutes because it is the rush hour  .  
 thirty minutes  that will be all right  .  there are still fifty minutes to go before the library is open  .  look  what are they doing on the square  ?  
 it is an exhibition of chinese jades  .  it is held each year  .  a nice collection jades of are on display and sold  .  
 sounds great  !  can you stop somewhere here for a minute  ?  i will get some souvenirs for my friends  .  
 no problem  .  
 let me see  .  .  .  i am sorry the tables you want are booked  .  
 well  since there are some small square tables  could we put two tables together  ?  
 no problem  sir  .  let me help you  .  
 sorry  sir  .  that table has been booked  .  
 well  in that case  this table is the only choice  .  
 actually you can have a window seat if you do n't mind a tenminute wait  .  
 there is no need  .  thanks  .  
 yes  .  my name is charles  .  
 i see  .  we have a window table reserved for you  .  
 it 's very kind of you  .  
 would you like to order now or wait for a while  ?  
 bring me the menu  please  .  
 yes  .  i 'd like to place an overseas call to london  .  can i dial direct  ?  
 no  sir  .  i 'm afraid not  .  
 oh  i see  .  how about the charges  ?  
 the charges vary according to the types of call you make  .  the cheapest is a stationtostcrtion call  then a persontoperson call  .  the mini charge will apply for the first three minutes  then each additional minute will be charged  .  
 oh  let me think of it  .  .  .  could you put through a collect cal for me  ?  
 certainly  .  who are you calling  ?  
 it 's a mrs  .  peters  marilyn peters  .  
 and what 's the number you are calling  ?  
 it 's london  99816432  .  
 and your name and number  ?  
 my name 's ron smith and the phone number is 3562210  .  
 hang up and i 'll call you back in a few minutes  .  
 i would like to book a table for six tonight  .  
 sorry  sir  .  we have only double tables left  .  
 what a pity  .  can you recommend a nice restaurant near here  ?  
 sure  .  in the middle part of the fifth street  there is a phoenix restaurant  .  maybe you can go there  .  
 yes  .  i am looking for a restaurant with a cheerful atmosphere  .  
 why not go the youth restaurant  ?  you will have a happy lunch there  .  
 well  thanks for your help  .  
 oh  madam  buy what  ?  
 a new car  .  and i 've got a small family  two children  and i have n't got a lot of money and  .  .  .  
 oh  oh  madam  madam  i 'm afraid you have the wrong number  .  
 is n't this the car store  ?  
 no  .  it 's mike 's sporting goods  .  
 oh  sorry  .  do you know the number for a car store  then  ?  
 no  .  i do n't  .  i suggest you look in the phone book  .  
 i 'm sorry to have bothered you  .  
 no problem  .  
 yes  i would like a roast duck and my friend wants steaks  .  
 how do you like your steaks  ?  
 i 'd like it mediumwell  .  
 ok  sir  wait a minute  .  
 do you have trifles  ?  
 yes  .  
 please bring me some trifles and apple pies  .  
 ok  .  i will bring it for you  .  
 have you got any chinese paintings  ?  
 yes  we have landscape paintings  figure paintings and flowerandbird paintings  .  
 i 'd like a flowerandbird painting  .  
 good  .  how about this picture of cranes with pine trees  ?  it was painted by a famous chinese painter in king dynasty  .  
 oh  they look just like live cranes  .  i like this picture very much  .  how much is it  ?  
 one thousand dollars  .  
 it 's a lot of money  .  but the picture is excellent  i 'll take it  .  
 oh  i 'm sorry  .  i did n't see the stop sign at the corner  .  i did n't mean it  .  
 that does n't justify your violation  .  may i see your licence  please  ?  
 oh  sorry  i do n't have it on me  .  honestly  i forgot it at the house  .  but i have the insurance policy with me  .  here it is  .  
 well  sir  your insurance looks good  but i still have to write you a ticket  .  
 i understand  officer  .  i guess it 's just not my day today  .  i will accept the fine  .  
 oh  my god  .  it  s beautiful  .  but it looks expensive  .  
 it is very expensive  .  tom  s father paid for it  .  
 i want to have a car like that  .  but i am not rich  .  and i don  t have a rich daddy  .  
 they are by new models now  they are not very expensive  .  maybe you should look for one  .  
 oh  really  ?  is n't this spot c408  ?  
 no  it 's d408  my parking space  .  i have already paid for it  .  
 i 'm sorry  i must have been confused  .  i had thought it 's c section  but actually it 's d section  .  i 'll move my car right away  .  
 it 's no big deal  .  thank you  .  
 yes  .  a few days ago i have no right to get a driving licence  .  but now i get it  .  
 is the driving test difficult  ?  
 yes  it can be quite tough  .  many people fail to pass the test at the first time  .  
 what does the driving test require  ?  
 you should enroll in driving school and then take a road test and a written test  .  after you pass both tests  you 'll get your licence  .  
 oh  i see  .  i need more practice before i take the driving test  .  
 do n't worry about your driving test  .  i think you will pass the test and get the driver 's licence very soon  .  
 hopeful  !  thank you  .  
 yes  please bring us two steaks  .  
 sure  .  anything else  ?  
 what vegetables come with the steaks  ?  
 potato chips and french dressing  .  
 yes  .  fill it up  please  .  
 ok  .  what kind of gas do you want  ?  
 i do n't really know  .  i have just bought this new car  .  and it 's the first time i 've gotten gas for it  .  
 we have regular  super  and premium gasoline  .  this is a new car  so i 'd recommend premium  .  
 premium  please  .  thanks  .  please fill it up  .  
 all right  sir  .  you will park at refueling 4  .  
 ok  thanks  .  
 your car 's ready  .  
 good  .  how much does it come to  ?  
 ten gallons of premium  .  that 's  18 . 56  please  .  
 ok  .  here you are  .  
 thank you  sir  .  have a nice drive  !  
 that was quick work  .  let me have a look at it  .  yeah  everything looks fine now  .  thank you very much  .  
 you are welcome  doctor  .  
 how much do i owe you  ?  
 the total is 87 dollars  .  here is the bill  .  
 really  ?  you worked here for just half an hour  .  i consider the price very high  .  
 i 'm just looking  .  
 then take your time  please  .  
 thank you  .  
 are you all right  ?  
 yes  .  i 'm ok  .  i just had a tumble  .  no big deal  .  
 good  .  you scared me  .  
 sorry  .  can you please help me up  !  i have trouble standing up by myself with the skis on  .  
 sure  .  is this your first time skiing  ?  
 yes  .  i tried skiing on grass before  .  not very good at it  though  .  
 i 'm looking for a pair of white sports shoes to go with my jeans  .  
 white  ?  what make do you want  ?  arid what size  ?  
 adidas  .  size 38  .  
 adidas  ?  they wear well  .  try this pair  size 38  please  .  
 yes  .   after trying  a bit tight actually  they pinch my toes  .  have you got a larger pair  .  size 39  ?  
 okay  .  what about this one  ?  
  after trying  mm  this pair fits me well  .  i 'll take it  .  how much is it  ?  
 you are so lucky  .  they are on sale today  .  it costs only 250 yuan  .  pay at the counter over there  .  
 ok  .  thank you  .  
 you say how high can be exciting  ?  
 the highest bungee spot in the world is located in mount kikicama  south africa  which is 216 meters high  .  a cable car in a scenic spot in switzerland is 160 meters high  .  
 i know that frenchmen installed the bungee cord between two tall buildings  .  
 it is said that bungee was originally a grownup ceremony of the indigenous people of new guinea  .  people stood on branches of the tree  which was over 30 meters high  .  their feet were fastened with canes and they jumped off from where they stood  .  when they almost reached the ground  they suddenly stopped to prove their bravery and express that they were able to endure the hardships of life independently  .  
 luckily there is no such kind of grownup ceremony any more  .  
 if you do n't mind  i 'd rather you did n't  .  i have a cold and feel chilly  .  
 oh  that 's too bad  .  should i call a doctor  ?  
 i 'd appreciate it if you would  .  
 ok  .  
 no  not yet  .  i just want a haircut  .  
 will you sit here  please  ?  how would you like it cut  ?  
 i want it short  .  
 but it 's short already  sir  .  
 i mean very short  shorter than it is now  .  
 shall i just trim it  ?  
 no  you can cut quite a bit off  .  i like it to be very short all over  .  do you see what i mean  ?  
 oh  i see  .  you like the chinese style  do n't you  ?  
 yes  in the chinese style  .  
 would you like to have a shampoo  sir  ?  
 no  thank you  .  
 how about oil or spray  ?  
 no  nothing of the kind  .  
 there  !  how is that  ?  
 that 's very good  !  
 i 'll have to check  .  do you need anything else  ?  
 yes  .  five onedollar stamps  please  .  
 that 'll be 14 dollars in all  .  
 oh  but i just want to pick up a package  .  it wo n't take long  .  
 i 'm afraid you 'll have to find a parking meter  .  
 can i park here just for a second  ?  
 no  sir  .  i 'm sorry you ca n't  .  
 i suppose so  .  a haircut  please  .  
 how do you want your hair cut  ?  any particular way  ?  
 i 'd just like a trim  and do n't cut it too short  .  
 yes  sir  .  how about the sideburns  ?  
 i think they only need a little trimming  .  
 can i use the clippers  ?  
 no  do n't use them  please  .  
 oh  all right  sir  .  
 would you trim off a bit more there  above the ear  ?  
 do n't you think it needs a little taken off on top  too  ?  
 i guess that would be better  .  
  raising a lock  about like this  ?  
 no  not that much  .  now  yes  that 's fine  .  
 shave also  s ir  ?  
 yes  .  
 how do you want your moustache trimmed  ?  
 here you are  .  seventyfive cents  please  .  
 and please send this letter by registered mail  .  
 is there anything valuable in it  ?  
 there 's a check for two hundred dollars and a photograph  .  
 shall i make out a receipt  ?  
 no  do n't bother  .  
 that will be ninetyfive cents in all  .  
 why do n't we go shopping  ?  
 good idea  .  let 's go  .  where should we go  ?  
 let 's go to julian store  .  
 yes  .  what do you want to buy  ?  
 i want to buy a pair of shoes for an interview  .  
 what size do you wear  ?  
 my feet is size 37  .  
 may i have a look at your receipt  ?  
 oh  here you are  .  
 all right  .  wait a minute  .  
 do you have a sales slip  ?  
 here it is  .  
 sorry  things on sale are not allowed to be refunded or exchanged  .  
 oh  but this pair of shoes are a bit too tight  .  could i change them for something bigger  ?  
 all right  .  wait a minute  .  
 sorry  we do n't take returns on sale items  .  
 yes  i would like to return these slacks  .  
 alright  .  do you have your receipt  ?  
 yes  .  here it is  .  i bought them last week  .  
 and why are you returning them  ?  
 i bought them to go with a blouse of mine  .  but they do n't really match  .  
 i see  .  oh  wait  .  ma 'am  i 'm sorry  .  these slacks were on sale  .  
 yes  they were thirty percent off  .  
 i 'm sorry  but we do n't allow returns on sale items  .  
 i know many stores have that policy  .  but i have returned sale items here before  .  
 i 'm sorry  but we usually do n't do it  .  it is our policy  .  
 i just bought these slacks a week ago  .  and i am a regular customer here  .  can you make an exception this time  ?  
 well  .  let me talk to the manager for a moment  .  madam  the manager says can do it this time  .  
 good  .  i 'm a regular customer here  .  i am glad you can make an exception for me  .  
 please show me your receipt again  .  
 here it is  .  
 i will have to give you store credit  madam  .  if you can find something else you like in the store  you can use the credit  .  
 store credit is okay with me  .  i 'm sure i will find something i like  .  i shop here a lot  .  
 we appreciate your business  madam  .  
 better take the subway  .  it 's faster  and more convenient  .  
 ok  it will be a new experience for me  .  
 we have a rather comprehensive subway system here  .  you can get almost anywhere rather quickly on a subway  especially at this time of day when the traffic is heavy  .  
 where do we pay the fare  ?  
 just give the man standing there 3 yuan and he 'll give you a token  .  then  you slip it into the slot at the turnstile and push the turnstile to get in  .  
 let me pay for it  .  where can i get a subway map  ?  
 ask the worker who sells tokens to give you one  .  it 's free fo charge  .  actually maps showing subway routes are posted at most stations  .  
 do i have to pay an additional fare to change trains  ?  
 no  you do n't have to  .  here comes the train  .  
 this is the east market to central park bus  .  where do you want to go  ?  
 to the municipal government hall  .  
 take the same number bus going in the other direction  .  there 's a stop right across the street  .  
 thank you  .  
 no  i do n't  .  i left it home  .  
 sorry  but we ca n't do anything without the receipt  .  come back with it  .  
 i did n't know  .  i 'll go to get it  .  how late will you be open  ?  
 till 530  .  
 we guarantee our product for two years  .  
 how about the repairs after the warranty expire  ?  are you responsible for the fixing if the machine breaks down after the warranty period  ?  
 yes  .  all repairs are billed at cost  .  we 'll only bill you for parts  .  the onsite service is  300 a year after the warranty  .  
 will you supply spare parts if we want them  ?  
 certainly  .  we always have the interest of the customers at heart  .  
 wait a minute  .  it 's  80 . 5  .  
 do you receive traveler 's checks  ?  
 sorry  sir  .  we accept cash only  .  
 i know and they are really nice  too  .  
 i  ll have to get a couple in different colors  .  
 me  too  .  
 buy them now though  or they might not still be here tomorrow  .  
 good idea  especially at this price  .  
 let me weigh them for you  .  1 . 5   .  
 do you accept coupons  ?  
 yes  .  
 here are my coupons  .  is that enough  ?  
 you have to pay  0 . 5 more  .  
  40  .  
 do you receive cash only  ?  
 we receive credit card as well  .  
 here is my credit card  .  
 you 're kidding  .  we 'll never make it across in one piece  !  let 's cross at the light  .  
 now we have to walk all the way down to the end of the street  .  
 if you want to cross here  be my guest  .  i do n't feel like dodging cars and scooters  !  
 that 's  20 in all  .  
 well  i am afraid you have made a mistake  .  would you check it again  please  ?  
 let me see  .  i am terribly sorry  sir  .  that should be  18  .  
 it does n't matter  .  
 yes  i always have coffee in the morning  .  
 what are you going to have to eat  ?  
 i 'm going to order scrambled eggs and toast  .  what about you  ?  
 that sounds good to me  .  i 'll have the same  .  
 it 's quite good  .  i will take it  .  
 sure  .  we can deliver it to your home  .  
 well  .  i am a traveler from china  .  would you please mail to china  ?  
 of course  .  you have to fill out the form first  .  
 yes  .  i bought the can two days ago  but today i found that is beyond the guarantee period  .  
 let me see  .  i am sorry  sir  .  we will change another one for you  .  please wait a moment  .  
 yes  we do  .  they are all in this book  .  
 great  thanks  .  
 no problem  .  just give us a few minutes more to pull them up  though  .  we don  t get that many english singers  !  
 oh  i see  .  
 that  s true  .  we had an argument yesterday  .  she blamed me for not preparing the supper that day  but it was her turn to cook the dinner  .  
 that 's the reason why you fought  ?  
 yes  .  
 you two are always quarrelling over little things  .  
 that wasn  t my fault  but she said you 're a disgrace to me  .  i 'm about to explode  !  
 are you still mad at her now  ?  
 to be honest  i  m not  and i regret a little what i have done  .  
 will you apologize to her  ?  
 no way  .  it  s her who should apologize  .  
 i 've already forgiven you  .  actually  i also owe you an apology  .  i was so rude to you that day  .  
 it does  t matter  .  i know that people are easy to get mad when they 're tired  .  
 thanks for your understanding  .  
 you 're welcome  .  happy couples need mutual understanding  .  
 hi  i  m paul  .  could you show me the apartment on the first floor  ?  
 sure  .  let  s go  .  
 i like this one  .  how much is the rent  ?  
  850 a month  .  
 does the rent include utilities  ?  
 no  .  utilities are extra  .  
 where  s the laundry room  ?  
 it  s on the other side of this floor  .  
 what  s your rule about pets  ?  
 we allow one or two pets but you have to pay a  300 deposit  .  
 how come  ?  
 if your pet ruins the apartment walls or carpet we  ll keep your pet deposit  .  if not  we  ll return your deposit when you move out  .  but be careful  we don  t allow pet snakes in the apartment  .  
 who takes care of bug control  ?  
 we do  .  we will spray the apartments before you move in  .  
 thank you very much for taking your time  .  i  m still deciding  .  i will call you tomorrow  .  
 okay  .  
 it  s the one you like  .  
 wow  !  it  s really good for me  especially the living room  .  it is big enough to put all my stuff there  .  it  s a deal  !  i  ll rent this one  .  
 okay  .  now we need you to fill a form with your personal information  .  we need information like social insurance number  social security number in the us   your address  phone number  etc  .  we also need a security deposit of  200  .  and you have to pay two months  rent in advance for renting the first time  .  if there  s nothing damaged  we  ll give you back one month  s rent when you move out  .  you  ll be responsible for all the utilities  .  do you want to sign a lease today  ?  
 sure  !  
 oh  one more thing i forgot  .  you must let us know two months in advance if you want to stop renting within the contract  .  otherwise  you can  t get your deposit back  .  
 okay  .  thank you for your reminder  .  
 you  re welcome  .  be sure to get the keys one day before you move in  .  
 thank you again  .  
 john  i 'm hard up at the moment  .  could you lend me five hundred yuan  ?  i 'll return it to you early next month  .  
 no problem  jenny  .  are you sure five hundred is enough  ?  
 yes  .  thank you so much  .  
 i hate to complain  but this soup is too salty  .  
 i 'm very sorry  sir  .  i 'll ask the manager to take care of this  .  
 sure  .  what is it  ?  
 my car has broken down  .  
 you should telephone the garage for help  .  
 i have done it  .  but now i have an urgent appointment to keep  .  could you drive me to the subway station  ?  
 with pleasure  .  get in  .  
 thanks a lot  !  
 actually there is a sample over there  .  but if you still have a problem  let me know  .  
 oh  that 's great  .  thank you very much  .  
 who  ?  
 david bush  .  
 there  s nobody here by that name  .  
 sorry  i dialed the wrong number  .  
 hello  ?  mr  .  bernie  .  my name is lisa  .  i hope i  m not disturbing you  .  i just heard about your daughter  .  i wanted to call you and tell you how much we  ll miss her  .  
 i  m sorry  .  i think you are calling the wrong person  .  my name is not mr  .  bernie  .  
 what  ?  that  s odd  .  i  m so sorry if i  ve bothered you  .  
 no problem  .  
 sure he can  .  he can shake hands  roll over  and even play dead  .  
 i wish i had a dog  .  my cat ca n't do any tricks  .  
 yeah  but sometimes bingo wants to play with me  but i do n't have time  .  
 so who takes care of him then  ?  
 my little brother likes to play with him  .  he even gives him a bath every week  .  
 i ca n't do that with my cat  .  she hates water  .  
 you know  you 're right  .  maybe you should get a dog  .  
 his name is bingo  .  
 what kind of dog is he  ?  
 we 're not sure because the neighbour gave him to us after they moved away  .  
 well  he sure likes to run around a lot  .  is he well behaved  ?  
 oh yes  he is  .  when he was a puppy  he liked to chew my father 's shoes  but he 's okay now  .  
 that sounds like my cat  .  she likes to scratch the couch with her claws  .  
 i did n't know you had a cat  .  when did you get her  ?  
 about a year ago actually  .  you 've probably never seen her though  .  
 really  ?  why is that  ?  
 she 's not a housecat  .  she stays outside most of the time  .  
 bingo could never do that  .  he stays in the house except when we take him to the park  .  
 ok  how was everything  ?  
 very nice  .  thank you  .  
 would you like this togo  ?  
 yes  can you put it in a plastic bag  ?  
 sure  no problem  .  here you are  .  that 'll be 25 dollars  .  
 do you take credit cards  ?  
 yes  we accept visa and mastercard  .  
 ok  here you are  .  
 thanks  .  i 'll be right back  .  
 ok  .  
 here 's your receipt  .  
 thank you  .  
 you 're welcome  .  please come again  .  
 sure  .  where should i put this cup  ?  
 which cup  ?  
 the red one  .  
 put it on the table  .  
 how about this fruit  ?  
 oh  that goes in the refrigerator  .  
 and those pencils  ?  what should i do with them  ?  
 bring those upstairs and put them in the bedroom  .  
 how about this pen  ?  
 give it to me  .  i need to use it  .  
 what do you want me to do with that paper over there  ?  
 you can throw that away  .  i do n't need it anymore  .  
 the trash is full  .  
 alright  then please put it in a bag and take it outside  .  
 ok  .  now what  ?  
 i think we 're finished  .  can you please turn off the lights and shut the door  ?  
 sure  .  
 what color do you like  ?  
 a white one  please  .  
 maybe you could have a look at this one  .  
 what 's the size  ?  
 large  .  
 i think a medium one will do  .  
 ok  .  what do you think of it  ?  
 i think it fits you  .  it flatters your figure  .  
 i think so  .  but can i try another one  ?  i do n't like the color  .  
 sure  .  the color is perfect for you  .  
 what material is it made of  ?  
 it 's made of cotton  .  
 that 's good . cotton is soft and flexible  .  
 yes  i am looking for a skirt  .  what 's in fashion now  ?  
 this one is the latest  .  how do you like it  ?  
 well  .  could i try it on  ?  
 sure  .  
  a moment later  it 's cute . the color suits my complexion  .  
 i am looking for a tshirt  .  
 we have quite a variety of shirts here  .  
 what kind of material is this  ?  
 silk  .  you have a good taste  .  it 's excellent for its handiness  elegance and beauty  .  
 can i try it on  ?  
 oh  yeah  !  he can sit down  roll over  and even play dead  .  
 really  ?  does he chase balls  ?  
 yup . hey  do you want to see a picture  ?  see  he 's eating lunch  .  
 this ca n't be the same dog  .  he 's so clean  he shines  .  
 see  he 's wagging his tail  .  
 he 's really cute  .  his bowl even has his name on it  .  
 oh  .  yes  ?  
 i 'm looking for a grocery store  .  are there any around here  ?  
 yes  there are some on pine street  .  
 ok  .  and is there a laundromat near here  ?  
 well  i think there 's one across from the shopping center  .  
 thank you  .  
 by the way  there 's a barber shop in the shopping center  too  .  
 a barber shop  ?   !  
 it sure is . can i see your ticket  ?  ok  fine  .  
 when's the first stop  ?  
 about two hours out of los angeles  .  give me the bags  i 'll put 'em on the bus  .  here 's your claim tag  .  do n't lose it . when you get off the bus  give it to me  .  
 thank you  .  
 is it all right to smoke on the bus  ?  
 sure  but only in the rear  and only cigarettes  .  and alcohol is not allowed  .  
 i see  .  thank you  .  
 i only wish it were this time yesterday  .  
 think how happy we were  .  now this . things always go wrong  .  
 perhaps we ought to get dressed and have breakfast  .  we 'd feel better  .  
 i do n't feel like breakfast  .  i do n't feel like anything  .  why are we so unlucky  ?  it 's as if there were a jinx on us  .  
 perhaps i 'd better ring the police  .  .  .  
 yes  .  of course  .  but what good will it do  ?  that man's miles away from here by now  .  in our car  .  
 thank you  !  guess how much it costs  .  
 bright colors  smooth material  exquisite craftsmanship  soft lines  .  .  .  darling  it looks elegant on you  !  it ca n't be any cheap stuff  .  something around two hundred  i guess  .  
 your offer is way off the mark  .  it set me back only sixtyfive  .  
 then you got a windfall  !  was sixtyfive the original price  or did you get a special discount  ?  
 neither  .  i drove a hard bargain with the vendor before i got the price down  .  
 how much did she ask for  ?  
 three hundred  !  that 's daylight robbery  .  how dare she play tricks on an old hand like me  ?  without hesitation  i gave my offerno more than fifty  .  
 she must be fuming with anger at such a bid  was n't she  ?  
 not at all  !  she 's really been around  and seemed quite accustomed to bargaining like this  .  that 's the trade  .  she only demanded a higher bid  saying the purchase price was even higher than seventy  .  she was lying  !  then i inquired  may i have it at sixty  ?  she waved her head  .  
 then you pretended to go without buying it  ?  
 yeah  .  i turned around and started to move out  .  just then  she yelped behind my back  all right  all right  !  i may sacrifice a little  .  let 's fix it sixtyfive  !  ca n't be cheaper  .  
 cool down  harry  !  what are you really mad about  ?  did you get ripped off  ?  
 yes  .  last sunday i went to a nearby market  .  it was on openair fair  .  i chanced upon this bag and bought it on the spot  without even trying to strike a bargain  .  i paid one hundred and twenty  .  and just now i was told by my chinese colleagues i bought it overpriced  .  i could have talked my way to thirty  .  
 is that so  ?  i 'm afraid people here will not take pity on unlucky guys like you  .  bargaining has always been an indispensable procedure in business deals  .  it 's the norm of free trade  .  the seller sets a preposterous price  and the buyer tries his best to bring it down  until a compromise is reached  .  yet you ignored the process  .  no wonder you ended up easy prey  .  
 but do n't you think it annoying to overcharge the customers by such a handsome margin  ?  
 of course  that 's something really irritating  .  and the only way to avoid being trapped is to know in advance about the real worth of the stuff  .  i recommend you to consult the price tags in the supermarket first  .  and then you may negotiate for a fair deal  .  
 do n't get up so late next time  .  you should have gone to bed earlier last night  .  
 yes  mum  .  
 yes  all of us have naps  .  
 do n't you feel dizzy when you have to get up  ?  
 no  not at all  .  
 i go to bed at ten and get up at six  .  
 that 's helpful for your health  .  
 sure  .  
 in a second  .  have you got a torch  ?  
 no  .  
 here it is  .  let 's go  .  
 oh  we need an umbrella  .  the weather is so changeable in that area  .  
 yes  let 's go  .  lock the door  please  .  
 all right  .  
 i  m sorry she is not in at the moment  .  can i take a message  ?  
 it  s ok  .  i  ll call her back latter  .  thank you  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 it 's 89 yuan  .  
 do you have it in a larger size  ?  
 let me check  .  
 would you mind if i helped out in the kitchen instead  ?  i do enjoy cooking  .  
 this is supposed to be your vacation  we 'd like you to just relax  .  
 cooking makes me feel relaxed  .  so  what are we cooking  ?  
 ok  well  we 're going to make a pan of lasagne  a salad  and some garlic bread  .  here 's the recipe  .  do you want to get the ingredients we need out of the cupboard  ?  
 sure  .  we should probably preheat the oven right away  too  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  can you set the oven to 200 degrees celsius  ?  
 that 's a bit high for lasagne  .  i 'll just set it at 180 degree and we can take it from there  .  
 fine  .  i 'll just get out the casserole dish  the saucepan  the salad bowl  and the baking sheet  .  
 you know  i could do this myself  .  why do n't you go get the screwdriver and the pliers and go fix the vacuum cleaner so it works better  ?  
 i do n't think it 's broken  .  
 well  if it 's not broken  then you need to learn how to vacuum better  because it does n't look like you 've vacuumed for ages  !  
 fine  .  i 'll go vacuum  .  let me know if you need any other help  .  
 yes  this is the right bus  .  
 could you please tell me when i get to the central park  ?  
 do n't worry  .  i 'll call out the stops  .  
  a few minutes later  .   should i get off at the next stop  ?  
 no  do n't worry  .  i 'll get you off when you get there  .  
 is it a long ride  ?  
 no  not that long  .  two more stops  and you 'll get off  sir  .  
 ok  .  i know  .  thank you  .  
 not at all  .  
 of course  .  is the dinner still on  ?  
 yes  i was just wondering how you and your roommate were planning on coming to my place  .  
 we were planning on walking both ways since the weather is still nice  .  
 that 's what i thought you would do  .  listen  i live in a bit of a rough neighborhood  .  it 's just down the street from all the bars  .  you probably do n't want to be walking around after dark  .  
 it ca n't be that bad  .  
 i wish it was n't  but there is actually a lot of crime and prostitution around here  .  
 really  ?  i never would have guessed  .  the criminals must only come out in the evenings  because i 've never noticed anything strange when i 've been at your house in the daytime  .  
 do me a favor  and take a taxi  .  it 'd make me feel a lot better  .  
 ok  we will  .  how do you get around in the evenings  ?  
 when i first moved in  i walked everywhere  .  but within a week  i had my purse stolen  just a block away from the police station  !  now  i always take public transportation  .  
 has anything else happened to you  ?  
 nothing else has happened to me  but i have seen quite a few fights on the streets after the bars close  .  
 well  we 'll be careful  .  thanks for letting me know  .  
 a lorry overturned on the road and blocked it  so all the traffic was held up  .  
 oh  what a terrible situation  !  this traffic is unbearable  .  
 yeah  traffic was brought to a standstill by the accident  .  if we had gone early we would miss the traffic  .  
 i agree with you  .  but now we have to wait  .  the sky is overcast  and it is very sultry  .  i fear a thunder storm is brewing  .  
 don  t worry  .  the traffic jam is said to be over soon  .  
 yes  i hope so  .  thank you for telling me this  .  
 it  s my pleasure  .  
 steven  are you talking to me  ?  
 yes  i have called you three times  .  what makes you in a daze  ?  
 i was thinking about the accident i saw in the morning  .  i was petrified when two cars collided  .  i witnessed the traffic accident  .  
 did someone get hurt  ?  
 a driver died instantly  .  the other one was badly hurt  .  a poor boy called peter was killed in the accident too  .  
 what a terrible accident  !  who should be responsible for this traffic accident  ?  
 i think both  .  they drove too fast  .  what 's worse  one of them was drunk  .  
 why do some guys like to drive so fast when they are drunk  ?  
 i don  t understand  .  maybe they feel they are okay and driving fast seems very cool  .  
 no  this taxi is free  .  
 please take me to the honging hotel  .  
 ok  .  please get in  .  i 'm glad to serve you  .  
 could you get there in twenty minutes  ?  
 it will take half an hour to get to the hotel  .  
 i am in a hurry  .  please take a shortcut  .  i have a friend waiting for me  .  
 ok  i promise we 'll get there in twenty minutes  .  
 thanks  .  
 you know i hate shopping more than anything else in this world  .  
 i know  .  but we could get some exercise in  and we could get some errands run  too  .  windowshopping won  t cost you anything  .  
 what kind of errands do we need to run  ?  
 well  we could go to the newsagent 's to pick up the sunday paper  go to the butcher 's to pick up a chicken for a roast dinner  and to the chemist 's to pick up your prescription from the doctor  .  
 i 'll only go if we can stop at the officelicense to pick up something to drink for tonight  .  
 fine  we 'll do that on the way home  so we don  t have to carry it the whole time  .  
 sounds good  .  you have to promise not go into any of the stores in the mall though  .  i know how you like to try things on in the fitting rooms  especially if the stores have special offers  .  
 i promise  .  we 're only going for a walk to get some exercise and to get some things done that we haven  t had time for  .  
 ok  let 's go then  !  
 do you have any money  ?  
 for what  ?  
 for our errands  and maybe a little extra for something from a vendor on the street  .  
 you said you were only going to window shop  !  
 i agreed to not go into the mall  but i can still look at things in the market  !  
 i should have known  .  .  .  
 i 'm not sure  but i think it 's open until 4 o 'clock  .  
 what time is it now  ?  
 it 's a quarter past three  .  
 two hamburgers and french fries  .  
 is there anything else  ?  
 give me two cokes also  please  .  
 is this to go or to eat here  ?  
 we 'll eat here  .  
 here you are  .  that 's eight fifty  .  
 and can i have some ketchup  please  ?  
 it 's on the service counter over there  .  
 fine with me  but no more chafing dish  .  
 let 's go the food stall  .  there 's a good one just around the corner  .  
 i 'd love to try some snacks  .  
  later  everything looks tempting  .  what do you want to have  ?  
 kebabs and roast squid  .  
 can i have a bite  ?  
 help yourself  .  
 supper  !  
 to the right  .  
  the hair stylist cuts the customer 's hair  .   almost done  .  i just have to even things up a bit  .   she shows the customer the results  .   will that do  ?  
 looks good  .  
 would you like a shave  ?  
 no  thanks  .  
 okay  let me brush you off  .  thank you very much for coming  .  
 thank you  .  
 really  ?  you 're joking  .  
 no  .  i 'd like to do something special for you on your birthday  .  
 i 'd like that  .  alright  put on this apron first  .  
 ok  .  .  .  now how can i help  hon  ?  
 hmm  let me see  .  .  .  boil some water  .  
 easy  .  i could do that with my eyes closed  .   after a while  done  .  
 not bad  .  okay  now take some meat and potatoes from the fridge  .  
 how many potatoes do you need  ?  
 three  .  and bring four bell peppers  .  
 gotcha  .  .  .  ok  .  here they are  .  
 now wash them  then dice the potatoes and bell peppers  .  
 where 's the peeler  ?  
 right over here  sir  .  what size do you wear  ?  
 medium  .  
 these here are all mediums  .  
 thank you  .  i think i 'll take this one  and these pants as well  .  they 're a present for a friend  .  
 shall i giftwrap them for you  sir  ?  
 yes  please  .  
 no  thanks  .  i 'm just looking  .  
 we have a special on these skirts this week  .  would you like to try one on  ?  
 no  thank you  .  i do n't need any skirts  .  
 how about a blouse  ?  this one here is the latest fashion  .  
 no  thank you  .  
 why not try on this lovely pair of shorts  ?  i 'm sure they 'd look fabulous on you  .  
 no doubt  .  look  i 'm just browsing  .  if i need your help  i 'll let you know  .  
 take a look at this dress  !  do n't you think it 's perfect for you  ma 'am  ?  uh  where are you going  ma 'am  ?  ma 'am  ?  
 if you bring them back with your receipt within seven days  you 'll get a full refund  .  also  if you need alterations to the pants  just bring them in and we 'll do them for free  .  
 sounds good  .  
 that 'll be  70  please  .  will you be paying by cash or charge  ?  
 charge  .  here 's my card  .  
 okay  sir  here you are  .  thank you very much  .  
 thank you  .  
 well  let 's try a size ten  .   he gets another pair and the customer tries a shoe on  .   looks like a perfect fit  .  
 not really  .  it pinches my toes  .  
 i 'm sure they 'll be fine once you break them in  .  
 i do n't know  .  .  .  well  i guess i 'll take them  since you do n't seem to have anything better  .  
 thank you  ma 'am  .  it 's been a pleasure doing business with you  .  
 yes  i would like to buy a pair of dress shoes  .  
 what size do you wear  ?  
 ten and a half  .  
 how about this pair  ?  
 no  i do n't like black  .  what have you got in brown  ?  
 how about these  ?  
 oh  lord  no  .  those are ugly  .  what else do you have  ?  
 well  there 's this pair  .  
 hmm  they 're not too bad  .  
 sure  .  go straight on down this road  take the second left and then the first right  .  it  s next to tiananmen square  .  
 thanks  .  
 don  t mention it  .  
 i don  t know who placed the call  .  however  the call was from toronto  .  
 can you tell me the calling number  please  ?  
 sure  .  4167901256  .  
 thank you  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 yes  .  and they don  t give you very much either  .  i  m still hungry  .  
 i  m sure this one is especially bad  .  and the word is so unpleasant  .  
 don  t do this  !  don  t do that  !  you mustn  t do this  !  you can  t do that  !  
 well  i  m going to write a letter of complaint  .  
 and we  ll all help you  .  
 thank you  alice  .  come in to the diningroom  .  i  m going to cut the cake soon  .  have some please  .  
 well  making good wishes  .  
 ok  .  i  m pretty happy and i can go abroad  .  
 sure  .  we hope your wish will come true  .  
 what  s the number you are calling  please  ?  
 the number i am calling is 8610 40169988 
 what  s the name of the person you are calling  ?  
 marty smith  .  marty  smith 
 thanks  .  what  s your name and phone number  please  ?  
 my name is jennifer smith  .  my phone number is 6109349901  .  
 thank you  .  i  ll put the call through for you  .  hold on the line  please  .  
 yes  .  i need a tow truck  .  my car is broken down  .  
 where are you now  ?  
 i  m on the highway 401  close to the lipton link  .  
 all right  .  i got it  .  what color is your car  ?  
 black  .  
 and plate number  .  
 akim 400  .  
 okay  .  just stay in your car  .  we  ll be there in five minutes  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 hello  .  this is the operator  .  can i speak to mr  .  smith  please  ?  
 this is mr  .  smith  .  
 i have a collect call for you from jennifer  .  will you accept the charges  ?  
 yes  i  ll pay for the call  .  put her through  please  .  
 okay  .  thanks  .  
 because i  m not in the mood  that  s why  .  
 well  don  t just sit there  do something  .  come and help me in the kitchen  .  
 help you in the kitchen  i don  t feel like it  .  
 would you like to clear the table then  ?  
 really  ?  do i have to do it  ?  
 not  if you don  t want to  .  
 really  it 's so beautiful  .  
 you like it  .  well  i 'll gather it for you  .  
 you must n't pick it in this place  .  
 where is it  ?  
 it 's a private garden  .  
 yes  ?  
 i 'm afraid you ca n't smoke here  .  
 why not  ?  
 ca n't you see the notice here  ?  
 i 'm sorry  .  i ca n't  .  what does the note say  ?  
 it says no smoking  .  
 sorry  i 'm very near sighted  .  
 i 'm sorry  .  i wo n't do it again  .  
 try to be more careful in future  .  look  !  you  ve damaged the sign  .  
 is this the sign  ?  what does it say  ?  
 it says no smoking here  .  
 i am not surprised  you eat too much  .  
 and i suppose sitting at the desk all day at the office does n't help  .  
 no  i would n't think so  .  
 i do wish i could lose weight  .  
 well  why do n't you go on a diet  ?  
 i 've tried diets before but they 've never worked  .  
 perhaps you should excercise more  .  why do n't you go to an exercise class  .  
 yes  maybe i should  .  
 that is just an excuse  .  you can always find some time to exercise  .  
 but i work hard all the time for long hours  .  often i have no time for lunch  .  yet  i am still getting fatter  .  
 bill  you know that work is not the same as exercise as it is stressful but not relaxing  .  and skipping meals will not help you lose weight . in fact your body will only store fat if you miss meals  .  
 i know you 're right  but what can i do  ?  
 how about going for a walk instead of sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper after dinner every night  ?  
 but i 'll miss the news  .  it 's important in my business to keep up with events in china  .  
 i know  i know  .  have you got a portable radio  ?  you can listen to the news and get healthy at the same time  .  
 that 's a good idea  !  
 sunnyside up  please  .  
 the toaster is over there on the kitchen counter  .  help yourself  .  
 what kind of bread do we have  ?  
 white and wholewheat  .  
 i think i 'll have two slices of whole wheat  .  
 can you go wake up cindy for me  ?  
 sure  .  
 she 's a late riser  .  
 well  i swim and run every day  .  
 now  tell me  what do you eat  ?  
 well  i do n't eat any meat  but i do eat fish and eggs  .  
 do you eat a lot of vegetables  ?  
 oh yes  and fruit  i love fruit  .  
 what do you drink  ?  
 well  i never drink alcohol  coffee or tea  .  they are very bad for you  .  
 what do you drink  ?  
 you too  .  have you lost some weight  ?  
 yes  i took off 4 kilos  .  i am glad you notice it  .  
 not some crazy diet fat i hope  .  
 no no  i just changed my eating habits  .  i eat a balanced meal  .  and i eat less than before  .  
 good for you  keep it up  .  
 hello  .  is mr  .  stewart there  ?  
 this is mr  .  stewart  .  who  s this  ?  
 i  m calling from bell canada  .  we are currently offering a great deal on long distance calling  only  17 a month  .  with this plan you get 500 minutes of long distance calls each month without any additional charges  .  
 i  m sorry  .  i  m not interested in it  .  
 okay  .  thanks  .  
 no  thanks  .  i 've had enough  .  
 actually you have n't had much  .  
 to tell you the truth  i am on a diet  .  
 that sounds ridiculous  .  why  ?  
 well  i am gaining weight these days  and i have to watch my calories  .  
 no  do n't try to tempt me  .  i 'm becoming chubby  and i have to slim down  .  
 you are not really chubby  .  you are actually thin enough  .  
 i do n't think so  .  i know i 've put on weight this winter  .  
 so you are watching your weight  are n't you  ?  
 yes  to tell you the truth  .  i am on a diet  .  
 where are you heading now  ?  
 i want to go back to my college on the huanghe road  .  it is very close to your house  .  
 is that the university next to the teachers college  ?  
 that 's the one  .  
 you mean we 'll share the taxi  ?  
 yeah  .  if we share the cab  it 'll be cheaper  .  besides that your chinese is better than mine  .  the drivers usually have difficulty understanding me even though i practice my pronunciation carefully  .  
 well  .  do n't worry about it  i will be happy to share the taxi with you  .  
 take me to the airport  please  .  
  while driving  are you in a hurry  ?  
 i have to be there before 17 00  .  
 we 'll make it except a jam . you know it 's rush hour  .  
 there 's an extra ten in it for you if you can get me there on time  .  
 i 'll do my best  .  
  after arriving on time  here 's twenty dollars  .  
 do you have small bills  ?  
 no  .  if you ca n't break it  keep the change  .  but can you give me a receipt  ?  
 here is your receipt . thank you  .  
 yes  they all stop at this corner  .  
 i want to go to broadway and 82nd street . can i take any bus that comes along  ?  
 you can take any bus except the number 9  .  
 how often do the buses run  ?  
 they run about every five minutes  .  
 fine . how long does it take to get to 82nd street  ?  
 about fifteen minutes . it s not far . are you a stranger in new york  ?  
 yes  i am  .  i arrived only three days ago from japan  .  
 how do you like new york city  ?  
 i like it very much  but it 's a little confusing to me  .  
 you 'll soon get accustomed to it . it s not difficult . well  here 's the bus . fortunately  it 's not full  .  
 thank you for the information  .  
 do n't mention it  .  
 i 'm going to the hospital to see susan  .  
 i saw her yesterday . she was a little better  .  
 must i catch a number 7 bus to get there  ?  
 no  you need n't  .  a number 13 bus will also take you to the hospital  .  
 number 13 buses run much more frequently  do n't they  ?  
 yes  .  i caught a number 7 bus yesterday  and they said i had taken a wrong bus  .  
 thank you  henry  .  i 'll get a number 13  .  
 but number 13 buses leave from the center of town . you ll have to walk two miles to catch one  .  
 oh  no . you should take the no  .  14 tram  .  
 where can i take it  ?  
 two blocks down the street  .  
 yes  ?  
 can you tell me the way to the peak tram  please  ?  
 certainly . go along queen's road  .  .  .  
 along queen's road  .  .  .  
 yes  and turn right at the hilton hotel  .  
 right at the hilton  .  
 then go up garden road  past the cathedral  .  
 the cathedral  ?  
 yes . then cross the road at the next traffic lights . the peak tram is straight ahead . you ca n't miss it  .  
 that 's very kind of you  .  thank you . er  .  .  .  have you got a pencil  ?  
 yes . why  ?  
 can you repeat all that  ?  i think i 'd better write it down  .  
 yes  the nearest one is at the third cross of this road  .  
 i 'm a stranger here . how can i get there  please  ?  
 just walk down the road for a few minutes  and you 'll find it on your right  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 yes  .  go straight ahead till you come to the traffic lights  turn left there and it 's the first turning on the right  .  
 straight ahead to the traffic lights  left and then right  .  
 that 's it  .  it 'll take you about five minutes  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 no  nobody  .  
 you don  t mind if i smoke  do you  ?  
 well  to be frank  yes  i do  .  
 oh  i  m sorry  .  but this isn  t a nosmoker  isn  t it  ?  i mean would you mind if i smoke here  ?  
 actually it is  .  perhaps you haven  t noticed the sign  .  
 sign  ?  what  s sign  ?  
 there  on the window  .  
 oh  sorry  .  i didn  t notice it  .  sorry  .  
 that  s all right  .  
 walk down this road  take the fourth turn to the right . then you 'll see it  .  
 is it far from here to there  ?  
 no  .  it 's only about five minutes walk  .  
 many thanks  !  
 not at all  .  
 oh  four or five  .  how much is the rent for this apartment  ?  
 150 a month  .  
 150  ?  no  i 'm not really interested in this place  .  it is n't big enough  .  it is n't near enough to my office  .  
 it can  t be time to get up yet  .  
 it is  .  hurry up  !  you  ll be late for school  .  
 what  s the time  ?  
 it  s nearly half past seven  .  
 my watch says ten past  .  
 it  s slow  .  hurry up  !  the bus goes at twenty to eight  .  
 are you sure half past seven  ?  
 positive  .  i  ll put the radio on  .  
 it  s only seven o  clock  .  your watch is fast  .  
 no  it isn  t  .  it  s stopped  .  i forgot to wind it up last night  .  
 i could have stayed in bed for another half hour  .  
 yes  .  when is the next train to new york city  ?  
 let me see  .  .  .  the train to new york city  .  .  .  here it is  .  .  .  daily except sunday at 10 thirty  12 twenty and 15 ten  .  
 are n't there any trains before 10 thirty  ?  
 sorry  not before 10 thirty  .  
 then one to new york at 10 thirty  .  
 one way or round trip  ?  
 one way  .  
 a soft seat or hard one  ?  
 how much is a soft  ?  
  15  .  and for a hard one  only  6  .  
 then one hard seat  please  .  
 ok  .  here is your change  .  the train leaves on platform 8  .  
 10 fifteen a  .  m  .  
 can i get the ticket here  ?  
 sorry  .  you have to buy your ticket at the next counter  .  
 thank you  .  
 which subway should i take to get to the east side  ?  
 oh  you have to take the shuttle to grand central  .  
 which train is that  ?  which platform does it leave from  ?  
 it 's not on this platform  .  these trains are uptown and downtown  not crosstown  .  you have to go up these stairs over there  .  
 good morning  .  could you tell me the times of trains to london  please  ?  
 yes  .  there are trains at 7 fiftynine  9 eighteen  10 thirtytwo and 11 fiftyfive  .  
 what time does the 7 fiftynine get to london  ?  
 at 9 thirtysix  .  and the 9 eighteen gets to london at 9 fiftyfive  the 10 thirtytwo at 11 nine  .  
 what about coming back  ?  i 'd like to come back about 7 p  .  m  .  
 there 's one at 19 and the next is at 19 forty  .  
 mmm  how much is it  ?  
 single or return  ?  
 return  please  .  
 if you get on before 4 p  .  m  .  or after 6 p  .  m  .  there is saver return which is  9 . 45  an ordinary return is  16 . 45  .  
 an ordinary return  please  .  
 oh  she did  ?  then it 's a used car of course  .  
 yes  it 's used  but she said it was in very good shape  .  it 's a small foreign car  .  
 what else did she tell you  ?  did she tell you how many miles there are on it  ?  
 she thinks it has about twentyfive or thirty thousand miles  .  
 that 's not bad  .  what about the price  ?  did she tell you how much her friend wants for the car  ?  
 three thousand dollars  .  
 three thousand  !  that 's almost too good to be true  .  did she say why her friend wants to sell it  ?  
 he lives in the city and you know how expensive it is to keep a car in the city  .  
 well  we can see it for ourselves  .  did she tell you when we can go and look at it  ?  
 no  but she gave me her friend 's telephone number  .  i can call him and make an appointment  .  
 hi  tom  .  want a cup of coffee  ?  
 not right now  .  i 've got to get another car and my old one is blown up  .  
 oh  hey  did you look in the classified ads  ?  
 you mean used cars  ?  
 no  ah  .  .  .  single sellers  .  
 well  yeah  but i 'd be getting somebody else 's problems  .  
 uh huh  .  how about a used car  ?  they 've got good ones now  .  
 it 's the same kind of deal though  you know  you never know what you 're going to get  .  
 oh  hey  how about a new car  ?  they 've got easy loans now  .  you 'd feel so good driving a new car  .  
 let 's look at them all  .  have you got a paper there  ?  
 certainly  i love waltz very much  .  
 you dance it very well  .  do you often go dancing  ?  
 a couple of times a week  .  i 've got a regular dancing partner  .  he is really some dancer 
 right now  ?  
 i am offering you my services  .  for your church  .  what do you say  ?  
 i think i 'll be a little afraid  .  
 of what  ?  
 afraid of making a mistake  .  
 no mistakes in a tango donar . not like life  simple  that will make the tango so great  .  if you make a mistake  you 'll get all tango done  .  just tango along  .  why do n't you try  ?  will you try it  .  
 all right  .  i 'll give it a try  .  
 sure  .  i suppose you dance much  .  
 oh  .  no as a matter of fact  i have n't danced for a long time  .  
 but i can see you dance wonderfully well  .  
 thanks for flattering me  i think you dance much right  ?  
 no  just occasionally 
 oh  i like this music very much  let 's tango  .  
 i 'm afraid i ca n't dance well  .  
 i am going to buy some food to cook for supper  .  
 good  .  i wanna come with you  .  
 how strange  !  our little emperor now asks to help out with shopping  .  
 we learnt about vegetables and meat at school  .  but i never see the real thing  .  
 wow  that 's something new  .  let 's go  !  what 's this  honey  ?  
 er  is it cabbage  ?  
 cabbage  ?  is that what they teach at school now  ?  ok  honey  it 's spinage  .  
 yeah  i know  this is popeye 's favorite food  .  
 there we go  .  
 mom  come here  .  i know this  it is carrot  am i right  ?  
 bingo  !  it 's dark outside  let 's hurry up  .  
 hi  rita  i 'm just looking for a pair of shoes  .  i wo n't be here for long  .  
 why not  ?  when i go shoe shopping  i have so many options for sneakers that i spend awhile looking at all of the choices  .  
 that 's my problem  .  i do n't have a lot of options  .  
 what do you mean  ?  this is a big store  is n't it  ?  
 yes  but i have unusually big feet  .  that would n't be too much of a problem except that they 're also very wide  and only a few brands sell shoes that i can fit into  .  
 so how do you usually go about buying shoes  then  ?  
 well  first of all  i can only go to certain stores that can guarantee me a large selection  .  
 well  you 're in the right store  .  if they do n't have it  no one will  .  
 after that i choose something from one of the few brands that i know will fit me  .  i prefer white  so i ask them to bring me a pair of white sneakers in my size  .  since i  m usually only given one or two pairs of shoes that meet my qualifications  it makes it a very easy choice  .  
 no  i 'm not sure  .  i think about 65 mph  right  ?  
 you 're not sure  ?  you were going at 90 miles per hour  !  that 's 25 mph over the legal speed limit  !  have you been drinking  ?  
 no  officer  not at all  .  
 then how can you explain your behavior  ?  
 well  i guess i just was n't paying attention to the speedometer  .  
 not paying attention to the speedometer  ?  why not  ?  
 um  because i was busy talking to my friend  .  
 on a cell phone  ?  
 yes  i was using a cell phone  .  i just bought it  so i decided to give my friend a phone call to tell him about it  .  while i did that i also turned on the radio and was listening to one of my favorite songs  and eating some food i had bought at a fast food restaurant  and  um  .  .  .  guess i had too many distractions  .  
 that 's definitely true  .  i 'm going to have to give you a ticket  .  please remember to drive more carefully next time  .  
 i agree  .  i  ll look in the paper  .  
 a house would be great  .  i could plant a garden  .  and you could use the garage for a workshop  .  
 here  s an interesting ad 
 how much is the rent  ?  
 the ad says  325 plus deposit  .  
 when is the place available  ?  
 it  s available now  and it  s got a very good location  .  you won  t be far from work  .  
 oh  you didn  t know that apartments here are considered valuable  even if they are small and crowded  ?  
 of course i had heard about that  but now i know how expensive it is to rent a place here  .  
 i don  t mind paying high rent to live in new york  .  
 why  ?  you pay so much for such a tiny space to live  .  
 yeah  but so what  !  i  m proud to live in the world  s most exciting city  .  and  the salaries here are the highest in the nation  too  .  
 which bank  ?  there are two  the allied irish bank and the bank of ireland  .  
 i have an air pass card and i want to withdraw money from the bank  .  
 you need to go to the allied irish bank which is near the local shopping centre  dunned stores  .  
 how do i get there  .  i have no knowledge of this area  .  
 cross the road and turn left at the other side  .  walk along the footpath until you reach the traffic lights  .  you will see a shopping centre on the right hand side  .  walk across the road and turn right after the shopping centre  .  keep going straight for about 100m and the bank is to your left  .  
 it sounds very complicated  .  how far is it from here  ?  
 it 's not so complicated  .  it 's about five minutes walk from here  .  i can draw a map for you if you wish  .  
 oh  i would really appreciate that  .  by the way will i be going north or south  ?  
 you will be going northwards  .  you are now in the the western part of the city and the allied irish bank is situated in the north east  .  here 's a rough sketch of the area  .  
 it depends on the type of the house you 're looking for  .  
 we  re looking for a threebedroom home  .  
 what  s your general price range  ?  
 under 300000 rib  we suppose  .  
 umm  i think i would be hard to find something in that range in this area  .  you know the environment in the south mountain district is the nicest  .  
 what about a twobedroom house  ?  
 a twobedroom house in this area is generally around 250000 rib  .  
 i see  .  
 i recommend you buy a twobedroom house  .  it is very suitable for a couple  and some twobedroom houses are large enough for a onechild family  .  
 okay  i will take it into consideration  .  
 i 'm just poring over some brochures about various car models  .  
 oh  so you 're thinking about buying a new car  ?  
 yeah  it looks that way  .  my wife has been bugging me about it  .  i thought we could probably survive without one  but with a baby on the way  maybe it is time to get a car  .  
 so this would be your first automobile  ?  
 that 's right  .  for quite a few years  i rode a bicycle to work  .  then i got a motorbike  .  
 yeah  i think i can understand your wife 's position  .  asking her to ride on a motorcycle when she 's pregnant is a tall order  .  
 oh  .  .  .  i do n't let her ride with me  .  it 's just too dangerous  .  she takes the bus to work  but it is sometimes difficult to get a seat and it 's crowded and hot  .  
 so it 's time to buy your very first car  !  wow  that 's exciting  !  
 yes  but it 's also a pretty big financial responsibility  .  
 yeah  .  i still remember my first car  .  it was an old clunker that my dad gave me when i turned 17  .  i drove it around for a couple of years until i scraped together enough money to buy a better secondhand car  .  
 i 'm having a hard time deciding which model is best for us  .  
 yeah  it is a tough call  .  each one has its pros and cons  .  are you looking for a sedan  ?  
 yes  i 'd like a jeep  but my wife says we have to get a comfortable sedan for long drives home to see her relatives  .  
 i 'd advise you to listen to your wife  .  she will be sitting in the back taking care of the kids so whatever she prefers is probably the best choice  .  
 don  t worry  you can pay in an installment  that is to say  you don  t have to pay the whole amount of money at once  .  
 that  s good  .  will you tell me the details  ?  
 certainly  you need to pay a deposit at first  and you will pay the rest monthly  .  
 how long will it take  ?  
 it depends  .  
 i need to talk it over with my wife  .  
 certainly  .  
 yes  .  
 how is this going  ?  
 i haven  t found one that satisfies my demands yet  .  
 i can recommend an apartment for you  .  a friend of mine is about to move  .  she doesn  t want to rent that house any longer  .  
 where is the house  ?  
 it is on spring avenue  .  
 really  !  so it is just near my office building  .  great  !  how much is the rent  ?  
 it  s  240 a month  .  
 does that include utilities  ?  
 it includes water  but not gas and electricity  .  
 that  s a little expensive  .  
 but it  s very convenient for you to walk to work  .  
 yes  .  i won  t have to take a bus to go to my office  .  is it a onebedroom apartment  ?  
 yes  it is  .  
 that is what i am looking for  .  could i go to see the house tomorrow afternoon  ?  
 certainly  !  but i have to contact my friend first  .  
 all right  !  thank you  .  
 yes  i am interested in finding a onebedroom apartment near washington square  .  
 i think i have just a right apartment for you  .  
 oh  good  .  can you describe it  ?  
 yes  .  it has one bedroom  a large living space and 4 kitchens  .  
 so is there a refrigerator  ?  
 yes  it  s brandnew  .  
 it sounds great  .  how much is the rent  ?  
 it  s  8 . 50 a month  .  
 when can i see it  ?  
 we can take a see by there now if you like  .  the landlord left me a set of keys with me  .  
 ok  that would be great  .  
 yes  it really needs redecorating  .  
 shall i help you with it  ?  
 i don  t suppose you could  .  
 i have much time  .  i suppose it can be done  .  
 i  ll be glad if you would  .  
 can i help you  ?  
 sure  .  can i get to the central department stall this way  ?  
 uh  .  .  .  yes  .  turn right  then take the second turning on your left  .  
 is it far  ?  
 it  s about fifteen minutes  walk  .  that  s all  .  
 and do you know where the national bank is  ?  
 yes  .  it  s on this street  .  keep walking for two blocks and it  s on the corner on the right  .  
 thanks very much  .  
 you are welcome  .  good luck  .  
 thank you  .  i won  t miss it  .  
 i  m worried about my daughter  .  she can  t decide about college  .  
 don  t worry  .  that  s just a part of being a teenager  .  
 i don  t mind that  .  but she disagrees with me about everything  .  
 you should encourage her to make up her mind by herself  .  you shouldn  t affect her decision  .  
 but i just want to give her some tips  .  
 oh  she can make her own decisions  .  
 i guess you are right  .  
 believe me  .  everything will be ok  .  
 i hope so  .  
 but yesterday you said you would rent it  .  
 i  ve changed my mind  .  
 why is that  ?  
 well  i think maybe i should find a house that is closer to where i work  .  
 maybe you  re right  .  
 not bad  .  there  s a new english teacher  .  
 oh  what  s she like  ?  
 she is beautiful  .  
 is she old or young  ?  
 she is quite young and her hair is blond  .  
 is she strict  ?  
 not really  .  her eyes are blue  .  
 can she speak chinese  ?  
 not much  .  she is very tall and slim  .  
 david  stop dreaming  .  it  s time to do your homework  .  
 you  re right  .  
 look  !  the iron is still on  .  
 i should have turned it off  .  i  ll turn it off now  .  
 look at my nice blue shirt  there  s a big hole in it  .  
 i  m sorry  jim  .  
 never mind  dear  .  
 have i really got to do those exams again  dad  ?  
 of course  you have  .  you must try harder this time  .  
 and must i go back to school  ?  
 no  you needn  t do that  .  you  d better get a parttime job somewhere and go to evening classes  .  
 but dad  i should be working fulltime at my age  .  i  m nearly 17  .  
 you ought to have worked harder then you wouldn  t have failed your exams  .  you have to take a job and study  .  
 what else i  ve got to do  ?  join the army  ?  
 who knows  !  that might come to later  .  
 can i help you  ?  
 i  m not sure  .  perhaps you could do the shopping  .  
 i  ll be glad to help  .  
 or maybe make the beds  .  
 all you have to do is ask for help  .  
 thanks  .  that  s terrific  !  
 i  m ready and willing to help  .  
 don  t dress like that  .  you  ll make fool yourself  .  you look stupid in that robe  .  
 what  ?  but it is my favorite piece of clothing  .  
 maybe it is  .  but it  s out of fashion  .  
 what am i going to do  ?  
 let  s go downtown and pick up some fashionable clothes for you  .  
 that is very kind of you  mr lee  .  thank you  .  
 could you hold my umbrella when i get my keys out  please  ?  
 of course  .  it  s a terrible night  isn  t it  ?  
 dreadful  .  there  the door is open now  .  
 thank you  .  
 good for you  .  did you use paypal  ?  
 yeah  .  it was so easy and superfast  once i figured it out  .  
 that 's the beauty of it  and the danger  .  
 i should get the items within a week  .  but in the meantime i 'm bidding on a digital video camera  .  
 how much  ?  
 thirty u  .  s  .  dollars  .  .  .  and it 's only been used for six months  .  
 mmmm  sounds like risky business  .  good luck  .  
 get in slowly  sweetie  .  you 'll get used to it  .  i 'm gonna go and make you some chicken soup  .  
 i 'm not hungry  mom  .  
 i know you do n't have an appetite  but you need to eat something  .  you 'll get too weak if you do n't eat  .  
 oh  .  .  .  i 'm sweating already  .  it 's so hot  .  i can feel it boiling  !  can i get out yet  ?  
 that 's a good sign  .  but just soak a little longer  ok  ?  
 my pleasure  .  you 're a sweet couple  .  do you have any questions  ?  
 the ad said rent was thirty thousand  .  that includes utilities and phone  i assume  .  
 no  it does n't  .  and there 's a maintenance fee for each month  .  it 's forty nt per ping  .  
 that 's another one thousand six hundred  ?  
 yes  but that does n't include cable  .  it 's for cleaning and trash removal  .  you just leave your trash outside your door  .  
 let 's play some music  !  i feel like dancing  .  
 that 's just what was running through my mind  .  moonlight and dancing  .  
 ahh  !  now that 's more like it  .  atmosphere  !  
 come on baby  let 's dance  !  
 oops  !  it 's the landlord  .  i guess the tables have turned now  .  we 're the noisy neighbors  .  turn it down  !  
 that 's so sweet of you  .  we definitely want it  .  
 i thought so  by the looks on your faces when you left  .  so why do n't you come to my apartment  and we 'll settle all the details  .  
 ok  .  how does seven o 'clock this evening sound  ?  
 great  .  see you then  .  
 and this espresso looks like  .  .  .  oil  !  
 it still tastes fine  though  .  
 these days  i ca n't think of anything but motor oil  .  even coffee makes me think of it  .  
 wait a second  !  there 's the idea for this case  !   your motor oil should be as choice and fresh as your morning coffee  .   
 we 'd like to sign a yearlong contract  if that 's ok  .  
 fine by me  .  do you know how to read this kind of contract  ?  
 yes  .  we 've signed them before  .  we even brought our chops  .  
 great  .  when in rome  you guys know what to do  .  
 we 'll sign our signatures  too  .  and give you our passport numbers along with our arc numbers  .  
 that about does it  .  see you in a week  .  
 i can take two thousand off  .  that 'll make the rent twentyeight thousand  .  
 that 's great  .  every little bit counts  .  and we do n't need the parking space  .  i guess we could rent it out  .  
 sure  for at least three thousand per month  .  
 that 'll bring the price down to twentyfive  .  that 's the price we were shooting for  .  
 i 'm glad  .  now  there 's a deposit fee of two month 's rent  .  
 why do n't you try an americano  ?  espresso with water  .  
 sounds a little weak  .  
 go with a hammerhead thenespresso mixed with drip coffee  .  
 sounds better  but i hope it does n't inspire me to take a hammer to the client 's head  .  
 do n't worry  james  .  we 'll get this case worked out in no time  .  
 let me get my morning coffee to get my brain working again  .  
 i could use one  too  .  i 'm still burnt out from that last cigarette ad campaign  .  
 as long as the foam on my macchiato 's not burnt  too  i 'll be alright for a while  .  you got your espresso  jess  ?  
 yes  i  d like to activate my voice mail service please  .  
 certainly sir  we currently have a special promotion where we include voice mail services  call waiting and also three way calling  .  
 sure that sounds great  !  are there any other fees  ?  
 not at all  .  no hidden fees or surcharges  it is a flat monthly rate  .  
 perfect  .  i also wanted to know if there is any call forwarding service  ?  i am usually out of town and would like my calls to be forwarded to a local number  .  
 yes of course  .  we can activate all these services in about an hour  .  
 i need help finding a new refrigerator  .  
 do you see anything that you like  ?  
 that kenmore looks nice  .  
 that is a wonderful choice  .  
 what makes is so great  ?  
 it 's very inexpensive  and it has all the appliances  .  
 what appliances are you talking about  ?  
 the fridge and freezer is very spacious  and it also has an ice maker and water dispenser  .  
 may i take a look inside  ?  
 take a look inside  .  
 it 's very nice  .  i 'd like to purchase this refrigerator  .  
 sorry  i can  t  !  i have to go to work  pick up jake and maddie from school  and make them an afternoon snack  then take jake to soccer practice and maddie to dance class  .  
 you sound exhausted  .  maybe you should hire a nanny to help you out  !  she can pick the kids up and take them to their afterschool activities  .  she can also help you do some household chores  and run some errands  .  
 oh  i don  t know  .  .  .  it  s hard to find the right nanny  .  you have to consider her previous work experience  the responsibilities you give her  and how she interacts with the kids  .  i would love to have someone to help me out  though  .  
 i think you should definitely consider it  !  this way you won  t have to juggle such a busy schedule  and you  ll still get to spend time with the kids in the evenings  .  i can refer you this great nanny amy  .  she used to work for my neighbors  before they moved away  .  she  s very responsible  a good cook  and great with kids  .  
 oh  that  s great  .  thanks grace  .  can you give me her number  ?  i  ll talk it over with dan and give her a call tomorrow  .  maybe this way i won  t be so tired every day  and dan and i might even get to go on a date once in a while  .  
 hello  i need a new suit  .  i have an important interview next week  so i really need to look sharp  .  
 no problem  !  we have a broad selection of suits  all tailored made so that it will fit perfectly  .  
 great  !  i want a three piece suit  preferably made from italian cashmere or wool  .  
 very well sir  .  would you like to have some shirts made also  ?  
 sure  .  i  ll also take some silver cuff link and a pair of silk ties  .  
 very good  .  now  if you will accompany me  we can take your measurements and choose the patterns for your suit and shirts  .  
 i need to buy a new refrigerator today  .  
 were you looking at a particular refrigerator  ?  
 i like that kenmore refrigerator  .  
 this particular refrigerator is a very good choice  .  
 tell me about it  .  
 not only is it affordable  but it comes with all the appliances  .  
 what are the appliances  ?  
 it has an ice maker  water dispenser  and plenty of room on the inside  .  
 i 'd like to see it for myself  .  
 go right ahead  .  
 i like what i see  .  
 i  m afraid we  re in for a rough weekend  marry  .  there is a storm system moving through the east coast  .  it will be drizzling all day today  and there  s a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms this evening  .  it will be warm and humid all weekend  .  in the midwest  expect strong winds and a low of around 40 degrees  .  
 that  s pretty chilly for the summer  !  will it rain on saturday  ?  
 unfortunately  yes  .  it will be clear early saturday morning but there is a high chance of showers and thunderstorms later in the day  .  there is a severe thunderstorm warning for some parts of the southeast  .  folks in those areas might see some hail and flooding  especially in areas that have been experiencing record high rainfalls  .  
 that certainly sounds like a dreary saturday  .  
 it gets better on sunday  though  .  the storm systems move east and the skies will clear up at night  .  it will still be rather cool  with highs in the low 50s  .  the west coast will be experiencing some unusually chilly weather  but at least the sun will come out  .  i advise weekend travelers to be careful  especially while driving  .  back to you  mark  .  
 thanks john  and there you have it  !  looks like it  s a weekend to stay at home  !  
 where are you planning on looking for one  ?  
 i do n't know  .  
 i can tell you where i got mine  .  
 where did you go to find yours  ?  
 ikea has beautiful furniture  .  
 does the furniture from ikea cost a lot  ?  
 the furniture cost a couple thousand dollars  .  
 how good of quality is the furniture  ?  
 it 's very sturdy  .  you get what you pay for  .  
 i do n't mind paying for quality workmanship  .  
 i assure you that you 're paying for quality  .  
 where are you going to buy one  ?  
 i 'm really not sure  .  
 you like my living room set  do n't you  ?  
 where did you buy it  ?  
 i found mine at ikea  .  
 are they expensive  ?  
 everything i got from ikea cost me a couple thousand  .  
 is the furniture crafted well  ?  
 the furniture is n't built cheap  .  
 i 'll pay the money  as long as i 'm getting what i pay for  .  
 you will feel comfortable paying the money  .  
 i would like to buy a new fridge  .  
 is there one in particular that you like  ?  
 i was looking at this kenmore refrigerator  .  
 ah yes  that is a great refrigerator  .  
 what 's so great about it  ?  
 it 's both affordable and it comes with all the appliances  .  
 what appliances  ?  
 it comes with an ice maker  water dispenser  and there is a lot of room inside  .  
 may i see the inside for myself  ?  
 be my guest  .  
 wow  !  you 're right  !  this refrigerator is great  .  i 'll take it  .  
 we can print as many as you like  .  just tell me how many  .  
 two thousand should get me through the year  .  
 here 's a form to get you started  .  
 my old card is perfect  so all i want you to do is copy it exactly  .  
 i think you 'll be very pleased with how well we duplicate your old card  .  
  .  .  .  here you go 
 thanks  .  come back here next wednesday to pick up your order  please  .  
 i 'm sorry  but can you give me a threeday turnaround  ?  
 if you do n't mind paying a little extra  it 's absolutely no problem  .  
 no  sir . can i help you  ?  
 i want sharing company  .  
 oh  hop in  .  
 yes . we re interested in seeing the rooms for rent  .  
 oh  how nice . they re bright rooms and the house is very quiet  .  
 a nice quiet house is exactly what we 're looking for  .  
 well  gentleman . each room is  40 a week if you think that 's ok  .  
 that sounds just wonderful to us  .  
 when do you want to move in  ?  
 how about this afternoon  ?  
 fine  .  i 'll be expecting you around two  .  
 sony or some other brands  ?  
 sony please . do you have extra charge for delivery  ?  
 no  it 's free  .  
 how 's this one  ?  
 oh  i need a small one  otherwise my luggage will be overweight  .  
 what about this one  ?  
 oh  this is fine  .  
 an old book death on the nile . have you read it  ?  
 not yet  but i saw the movie . could i borrow it when you finish reading  ?  
 sure . but you need to be patient  .  
 yes  i 'd like to make reservation for tonight  a table for five  please  .  
 what time  sir  ?  
 around 8  .  
 may i have your name please  ?  
 frank london  .  any chance of a table by the window  ?  
 we have received many bookings . but we 'll try our best  .  
 i 'll appreciate it if it could be arranged  .  
 scrambled egg  bacon  three pieces of bread and a cup of tea  .  
 would you care for some lemon for your tea  ?  
 no  thank you  .  
 ok  thank you  .  
 how about some oolong tea  ?  it 's very popular with our guests  .  
 that 'd be nice  .  
 oh  yes . what do you recommend today  ?  
 rosepetal salad  .  
 ok  i 'll have it for change  .  
 sure  which one  ?  the red one or the blue one  ?  
 the blue one  please  .  
 you may keep it for the time being  .  i 'm not using it now  .  
 well  it 's not how much  but what i 'm going to buy that matters  .  i 'm going ski shopping  !  
 cool  !  can i come  ?  
 no  .  the front seat folds down all the way so there 's just enough space for the skis  .  .  .  
 but not enough space for me  ?  
 not unless you lose about 100 pounds  .  .  .  
 billy  .  .  .  
 the aroma of roasting coffee beans  .  
 smells like you 're baking something  .  what are those  ?  
 green beans  .  they pop and turn brown when you roast them  .  
 cool  !  but is n't that a hot air popcorn popper  ?  
 this machine roasts the beans just right  .  if you roast them too long  or the temperature is too hot  .  .  .  
 the beans will burn  .  i know  .  i 've tasted burnt coffee before  .  .  .  yuck  !  
 so soon  ?  
 you have to brew the grinds while they 're fresh and drink it immediately for the best flavor  .  
 ok  !  hurry  then  !  here 's my cup  .  i ca n't wait for step four  !  
 there is no step four  .  .  .  
 yes  there is  drinking your coffee  !  
 let 's eat the kind that has both spicy and mild broth in one pot  .  
 you mean halfandhalf  ?  
 yep  .  that way i can satisfy my craving for spicy food and you can eat hot pot without burning into flames  .  
 good idea  .  
 let 's go  !  
 lamb and beef  .  it will get even tastier when we add the veggies  !  
 hey  !  watch out  !  you 're using the same spoon for both broths  !  
 so  ?  
 you 're getting that hot stuff in my mild broth  !  
 you 'll be ok  .  it 's just a little bit  .  .  .  
 the apples are 30nt each  .  how many would you like  ?  
 let 's see  30nt is about  .  .  .  almost a dollar us  .  what  ?   !  how about these pineapples  ?  
 they 're 250nt each  but they 're not edible  .  they 're only used for worship  .  
 hmm  250nt is  .  .  .  8 dollars  ?   !   !  and you ca n't even eat them  ?  you 're crazy  !  
 wait  !  do n't go just yet  .  these bananas are pretty cheaponly 35nt for this bunch  .  
 now that 's more like it  !  bananas have lots of potassium  too  !  
 they 're also good for your digestion  !  would you like some kiwis  too  ?  
 are they from taiwan  ?  
 they 're imported from new zealand  .  four for 50nt  .  nine for a hundred  .  
 ok  .  i 'll take four kiwis  .  
 ginseng comes in 6 different grades  .  it runs from 5000 to 30000 nt a jin  .  
 30000 nt for ginseng  ?   !  do i have to buy a whole jin  ?  
 you can get a liang if you want  .  a liang is onesixteenth of a jin  .  that would be 330nt  .  
 whew  !  that sounds more like my price range  .  i 'll take two liangs  .  
 i 'll have my brother cut some for you  .  
 this little red fruit looks good  .  what 's it good for  ?  
 that 's a lucky fruit called hong zat  !  people say that if you eat them  you will have your first son very soon  !  
 uh  .  .  .   i 'm not even married yet  .  how about this brown dried fruit  ?  
 gui yuan are lucky  too  !  if you eat them  you 'll have a very sweet life  !  
 and how about these little brown chips  ?  
 oh  that 's deer horn  .  that helps you  .  .  .  umm  how should i put it  ?  
 where you can buy lots of paraphernalia  ?  
 yeah  and meet other drivers of the same car  !  
 cool  !  
 i know girls love this kind of car  .  look  it 's got a sunroof  !  imagine  .  .  .  a cool  starry night  .  .  .  
 so  you 're going to use sarah 's car to go cruising for chicks  ?  
 no  .  i borrowed it to go shopping  .  
 right  .  the people in your math class might not be the people you have science with  .  
 so  you sent out invitations to your whole graduating class  ?  
 yep  .  and the date is set for homecoming night  .  
 i thought homecoming was a high school dance  .  
 it 's a football game the school team plays at home  .  the dance and reunions are usually that night  too  .  
 hi  kathy  !  i 'm just doing my morning yoga  !  you 're up awfully early today  .  
 i have to finish preparing a paper for my western civilization class  .  
 how has school been going  ?  you come home so late every night  !  you 're really a hard worker  .  .  .  
 actually  i study a lot less here than i did in taiwan  !  my classes are great  though  .  sociology is the perfect major for me  .  
 i 'd like to buy a tie to match this suit  .  
 we have various colors  .  how about this one  ?  
 well  the color is all right  .  but it looks outdated . can you show me that one  ?  
 you have a very good taste  .  it 's our best seller  .  
 really  ?  
 sure  !  look  it suits you well  .  
 yes  .  i 'd like to buy a sweater for my husband  .  which style is the latest  ?  
 these are all the latest fashion  .  how do you like this white turtleneck one  ?  
 i like this style  .  but do you have any other colors  ?  i feel that this color does n't suit his complexion  .  
 we also have it in grey  .  
 great  !  i will take it  .  and could you suggest a pair of trousers to match this sweater  ?  
 it 's my pleasure  .  i think this pair of jeans will suit the sweater well  .  
 let me see  .  yes  they are perfectly matched  !  
 let me see  .  we  ll try  but i  m not sure that we can remove it  .  
 ok  then  .  we  ll i  d also like to have this pressed  .  
 any starch  ?  
 no starch  .  
 it 's almost ready  .  can you set the table  ?  
 all right  .  
 want to taste this dish  ?  
 yeah  .  oh  it 's delicious  !  
 really  ?  
 definitely  .  it 's a wonderful meal  .  thank you  honey  .  
 if you like to help me do the dishes  i 'll be more dreadful  .  
 i wish i could  but i wo n't  .  
 yes . will you check if my suit is ready to go  please  ?  
 your name  please  ?  
 bill smith  .  
 i remember your name  .  wait for a moment  please  .  i  ll check it for you  .  is this black one yours  ?  
 no  it  s a dark brown suit  .  
 i see  .  is this yours  ?  
 right  .  
 it  s ready to go  .  
 thanks  .  
 what happened to you  ?  you look like you got hit by a tornado  !  
 i just got back from fighting the crowds  .  
 you mean at the mall  ?  was there a sale  ?  
 yeah  .  for five minutes  everything was half off  .  it was total chaos  .  .  .  
 cool  !  
 grabbing  pushing and shoving  .  .  .  
 wow  !  it 's a fruit sculpture  !  your chef is a real artist  !  
 actually  uh  i made it myself  .  .  .  
 you did  ?  wow  !  where did you learn  .  .  .   ?  
 sorry  but i 've gotta run  .  enjoy your food  and ring the service button if you need anything else  !  
 thank you . but it is too bright for me  .  
 how about this brown one  ?  
 let me try it on  .  i like that color  .  
 ok  i will get one for your . here you are  .  
 but it is too loose . do you have the smaller size  ?  
 sorry  it had been sold out  .  
 what a pity  !  
 um  .  .  .  uh  .  .  .  i 'm just looking  thanks  .  
 need a gift for your girlfriend or wife  ?  
 no  no  no  .  i 'm just browsing  .  thanks anyway  .  
 well  if you need anything  just ask  .  
 um  .  .  .  well  where 's the men's shoe department  ?  
 it 's on the third floor  .  turn left when you get off the escalator  .  
 do n't you have one like this in blue  ?  
 yah  but it does n't have a red one  .  
 do you need every color in the rainbow  ?  
 yes  !  
 ze ze ze  .  .  .  women  !  
 hello  i  m the landlord  .  john taylor  .  
 nice to meet you mr  .  taylor  .  
 please  call me john  .  
 o  .  k  .   john  .  well  can i have a look at the place  ?  
 sure  .  come on it  .  we just finished rebuilding everything  .  
 oh  it hasn  t been painted yet  .  
 no  we  re going to get that done next week  .  
 well  .  it  s certainly nice  .  you  ve done a great job  .  
 thank you  .  
 the rent is  600 a month  ?  
 that  s right  .  
 well  i think i  ll take it  .  can i write you a check for the security deposit now  ?   1200  ?  
 yeah  .  but why don  t you come by your office tomorrow to sign the lease  ?  
 that would be fine  .  
 thank you  .  see you tomorrow  .  
 see you  .  
 yeah  .  i hate spending all day in there  too  .  
 what do we need  ?  let  s make a list  .  
 we need milk  eggs  butter  coffee  vegetables  fruit  bread  cheese  and some snacks  .  
 i want some pickles  oh  and we  re out of flour  .  put that on the list  too  .  
 anything else  ?  
 not that i can think of  .  wait a second  we  re out of breakfast cereal  .  i think corn flakes are on sale  .  get those  .  
 no  you get those  .  i  ll go and get the fruits  vegetables  milk  butter  and eggs  you get the rest  .  
 i  m going to down town  .  
 at this time  ?  why don  t you go there tomorrow  ?  it is almost dark  .  
 my boy wants me to buy a toy  so i think i  d better satisfy him  .  
 but i have seen many toys in your home  .  
 there is none now because he likes to destroy toys  .  
 but if he always destroys toys and asks you to buy new ones  what will you do  ?  
 yes  i am annoyed by this  too  .  
 and you still buy him new ones  ?  
 yes  i think so  .  
 you will spoil him  .  
 oh  hi  mary  come on in  .  any problem  ?  
 oh  no problem  .  
 great  .  i forgot to ask you  though  .  how long did you want the place  ?  
 six months  .  
 oh  well  that might be a problem  .  i usually only sign one year leases  .  
 well  one year would be fine  too  .  i  m not planning on leaving the area anytime soon  .  
 well  if it  s not a problem  .  then here you go  .  
 just let me look at it quickly  .  
 of course  .  
 looks like a standard lease  .  
 yeah  and don  t worry about the security deposit  .  if everything  s all right when you move out  you  ll get it back  .  
 o  .  k  .  great  .  just sign and date it here  ?  
 yes  .  thanks  .  you can move your stuff in tomorrow  .  
 wonderful  .  
 i have some i can bring from our place  and there  s some more out at my parents   .  
 do you have a bed  ?  
 yeah  .  i have one from college at my parents house  .  
 can i take a shower  ?  
 sure  but i don  t have hot water  yet  .  
 really  ?  
 no  they  re coming tomorrow morning to turn the gas on  .  my phone should be working then  too  .  
 well  do you want to go get some dinner  ?  
 yeah  i can  t cook anything until tomorrow  anyway  .  
 yeah  i don  t have to pay for a space on the street  .  
 really  ?  how long did it take you to find a spot yesterday  ?  
 well  last night it took me half an hour to find a spot when i came home from work  .  
 you get home late  don  t you  ?  
 yeah  around seven  .  most of the street parking is gone by then  .  
 ah  well  .  you can  t have everything  .  
 yeah  .  i can live with it  .  it  s great to be living alone  .  
 sorry  he  s on another phone  .  will you hold  ?  
 oh i  m sorry  .  i think i  ll call later  .  thank you  .  
 she  s not at her desk at the moment  .  is there any message i can give her  ?  
 yes  .  please tell her that tickets to phantom of the opera will be delivered in two days  .  my number is 6521684 0  extension 236  .  
 ok  .  i  ll let her know as soon as possible  .  
 thanks a lot  .  bye  .  
 just a second  .  .  .  sorry  the line is engaged  .  
 ok  i  ll try later  .  thanks anyway  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 which book  ?  your cookbook  ?  
 no  .  a walk in the woods  .  
 isn  t it on the bookshelf  ?  
 no  .  the bookshelf is full of fashion books  .  
 then have you put it in the bedroom  ?  
 no  .  now would you like to help me look for the book  ?  
 ok  .  look  !  it  s just near your foot  .  
 oh  very good  .  
 yes  what seems to be the problem  ?  
 well  .  i was wondering if anyone has turned in a passport  ?  
 i am afraid not  .  have you lost your passport  ?  
 i think so  .  i ca n't find it anywhere in my hotel room and i remember the last place i used it yesterday was in this department store  .  
 where exactly did you use your passport in the store  ?  
 in the shoe department  .  i had to show it to pay for these shoes with my traveler 's cheques  .  
 well  let me call the shoe department to see if they  ve found a passport  .  sorry  your passport has n't turned up there either  .  
 then what shall i do  ?  
 you can fill in this lost property report and i will keep my eye out for it  .  these kinds of things usually turn up eventually  but i suggest you contact your embassy and tell them about your situation  so they can issue you a new passport in case it does n't show up  .  
 you are right  .  do you have a pen  ?  
 here you are  .  
 oh  i seem to lose something every time i travel  .  
 calm down  sir  .  what 's your name and where are you now  ?  
 my name is jerry and we are on the intersection of west road and east road  .  
 sir  leave the house if the fire draws any closer to your house  .  our men will be over in 5 minutes  .  
 yes  do you have an appointment  ?  
 no  i do n't  .  
 well  .  the doctor does n't see nobody without an appointment  .  
 well  i am spending my vacation here and i have a stomachache and  .  .  .  
 oh  i see  .  maybe we can fit you in at 3  .  
 i  d prefer to see him asap  .  if i have to wait for another 30 mins  i think i will faint from this unbearable pain in my stomach and  .  .  .  
 oh  why did n't you say it 's an emergency  ?  here  fill out this form and take a seat  .  i 'll send you in next . you do n't have insurance  ?  
 no  not for this country  .  
 how about traveler 's insurance  ?  
 no  i did n't think i  d need it  .  
 can you pay cash  then  ?  
 cash  credit card  cheque anything  .  i just have to see a doctor  .  i am in pain  .  
 all right  all right  relax  .  i am only trying to do my job  .  
 i know  .  i am sorry that i yelled at you  .  
 oh  that 's easy  .  go to www . onxiu . cn  .  now  click on the link with the picture of an envelope  .  
 which link  ?  
 that one  the one that says mail  .  
 oh  no  .  what did i do  ?  it 's asking me for a password  .  
 do n't worry  .  see where it says  new user  ?  
 yes  .  
 click on that  .  
 oh  i see  .  
 yeah  just fill out this form and choose a password  .  the computer will do the rest  .  
 just a minute  .  i am as busy as a bee right now  .  .  .  ok  i am done  .  what can i do for you  ?  
 well  i seem to be a little bit lost here  .  i am worried that i  ll never find my way  .  what 's worse  .  i forgot my glasses and as blind as a bat now  .  
 well  keep you chin up  !  i  ll try to help you  .  where are you going  ?  
 i am trying to get to the royal hotel  .  do you know where that is  ?  
 yes  no problem  .  you walk down this street  .  you turn left at the first intersection  .  walk along that road  turn right at the corner  .  after that  you make a lefthand turn at the first traffic light  .  the royal hotel is on your right side  .  
 great  .  are there any landmarks nearby  ?  
 yeah  i think so  .  i think the hotel is right across the street from a post office  .  it is as plain as the hump on a camel  .  you ca n't miss it  .  
 oh  that 's good  .  i should be able to find it pretty easily then  .  is that far from here  ?  
 yeah  it  s gonna take you a while if you go by foot  .  i  d say it 's about a 30  minute uphill walk  .  you have to be as strong as a lion to make it  .  
 oh  that will take too long and i am kind of in a hurry  .  can i take a bus there  ?  
 well  you could take a bus there  but you would have to transfer buses twice  .  a taxi would probably be a lot quicker  .  
 all right  .  i guess i 'll take a taxi then  .  how long will it take by taxi  ?  
 not too long  .  it should take about ten mins by taxi  .  
 cool  thanks  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 we 'd better see if he is ok  .  
 sir  sir  are you all right  sir  ?  
 he is not answering  .  you 'd better check his pulse and breathing  .  
 oh  no  .  he is not breathing and there  s no pulse  .  call 911  .  
 hello  ?  yes  someone has passed out at dongle ave  .  and 2nd street  .  he is n't breathing and does n't have a pulse  .  yes  my friend is performing cpr  .  ok  thank you  .  they are sending an ambulance  .  here  let me help  .  
 i am just waiting for my friends  .  it wo n't be long  .  
 sir  the curb here is not for parking  .  
 but i did n't see the sign  ma  am  .  
 there is a sign at the corner of the street  .  when you turned in here  you should have seen it  .  
 i did n't see it  .  
 i am sorry  sir  .  i have to give you a ticket  .  you can appeal to the court within 14 days  .  you will avoid paying the fine if you can prove that you are not at fault  .  
 that 's funny  .  my watch always loses ten minutes a day  .  
 no kidding  .  
 i am serious  .  every morning i set my watch by the radio  but it still loses ten minutes  .  
 you know what you can do  ?  
 throw it away and buy a new one  .  
 no  you do n't have to  .  you only need to put your watch back ten minutes every day  .  
 so you put your watch back ten minutes every day  ?  
 yes  that 's what i am doing  .  
 why bother  ?  just buy a new watch  .  it does n't cost much  .  besides  i just can  t put up with this thing any more  .  
 a haircut and a shave  please  .  
 how would you like your hair cut  sir  ?  
 short on both sides  .  not so much off at the back  .  
 very well  sir  .  do you want me to trim your beard  ?  
 yes  please  .  
 now have a look  please  .  is it all right  ?  
 well  .  i would like my hair cut shorter on the temples  .  
 is that satisfactory  ?  
 yes  thanks  .  
 do you want conditioner  ?  
 no  thanks  .  but i 'd like a facial massage  .  
 yes  sir  .  
 now where should i pay the money  ?  
 you should go to the counter  just over there  .  
 yes  .  i went to hawaii on a vacation with my husband  .  
 when did you come back  ?  did you have a good time  ?  
 we came back the day before yesterday  .  i enjoyed myself there very much  .  the beach is beautiful  .  you should go there some day  .  the sun was lovely  too  .  
 i will  .  how would you like your hair today  ?  the same style as usual  ?  
 i have a special party tonight  and i 'd like to change my style  .  actually  i  m thinking about a perm  .  my sister is getting married next month  .  i think that if i have a perm now  i 'll look very natural by then  .  what do you say  ?  
 that 's true  .  here are some samples of hairstyles  .  what do you think about this one  ?  
 no  i do n't like short hair  .  i like this one  .  the wave looks beautiful  and it fits my age too  .  
 very well  .  you are n't in a hurry  are you  ?  
 no  you can take your time  .  oh  i also want a manicure while i am having the perm  .  
 ok  .  the manicurist will be right here  .  
 thank you  .  how much will this cost  ?  
 it 's 90 dollars in all  .  
 i see  .  well  can i have a look at your phone  ?  unfortunately  this phone can  t be used in the us  .  it  s not compatible with our 3g network  .  
 what  ?  really  ?  i don  t really want to have to buy a new phone  .  
 well  you  re in luck  !  you see  if you sign up for our threeyear plan  we  ll throw in a handset for free  .  
 really  ?  what  s the catch  ?  
 there  s no catch  !  you just choose a plan  sign a threeyear contract and  that  s it  !  actually  we  re running a special promotion right now  and we  regiving away a blackberry curve with our special mega value forty dollar plan  .  
 so what does this plan include  ?  
 well  you get nine hundred anytime minutes  and you can also enjoy free mobile to mobile calling to other telmobile clients  one thousand text messages per month  and unlimited evening and weekend minutes  .  oh  and we also offer a rollover option  .  
 wow  all this for forty dollars per month  ?  
 that  s right  plus the activation fee  the emergency services fee  the monthly service fee  oh  and any charges for extra minutes  and  .  .  .  
 um  .  ten  ?  
 get in this door young man  .  it  s midnight  you are two hours past curfew  .  
 i know  but it wasn  t my fault  !  i told jennifer she had to drop me off before ten  but she wouldn  t leave the party  !  
 i don  t care  !  you are grounded for life  mister  !  
 mom  !  that is so unfair  !  
 you know the rules and you broke them  .  no allowance and no tv for a week  .  i usually never ground you but this time i have to put my foot down  !  
 what  !  for being a couple of hours late  ?  you have to be kidding  !  
 i don  t want to hear it  !  now go to your room  !  
 yes  !  thank goodness you  re here . these bugs are driving us crazy  !  
 what sort of pest are we dealing with  ?  
 we just bought this house and it is infected with just about everything  .  we have termites in the wood  cockroaches all over the place  and last night i saw a huge rat out in the backyard  !  
 well  there  s nothing we can  t handle  .  i  ll spray the floorboards and walls to get rid of the cockroaches  but the termites will be harder to get rid of  .  we will have to cover the entire house and fu 
 no problem  just get rid of the bugs  !  
 morning  michael  .  i  ve been very busy lately  .  one of our other vendors is going out of business and i  ve been searching for a suitable replacement  .  
 well  rest assured that you can count on us to be here for the long run  sitdown . coffee  ?  
 no  thanks  .  i  ve been trying to cut down on the caffeine  .  
 haha  i could never do that  .  i  d be a zombie if i didn  t have my morning coffee fix  .  let  s get down to business then  .  
 yes  .  i  ve come to talk with you about ordering the eight megapixel cameras for our new methone  .  the demand for phone cameras is growing  and pear has been falling behind in the market  .  
 that  s great  !  i  m glad to hear that pear has finally jumped on the bandwagon  .  right now our contract is for the five megapixel cameras  .  is pear still interested in having those  ?  
 no  we  re changing all the cameras to eight megapixels  .  we were hoping that by making your company our sole supplier for cameras we could negotiate a better deal  .  
 surely  .  let  s get started by drafting a new contract  .  
 sure  what kind of shoe are you looking for  ?  we  ve got strappy sandals  sleek high heels  edgy pumps  or if you  re looking for something a little more practical  we  ve got mary janes  ballerinas  .  
 show me some classic high heels  please  .  
 ok  right this way  .  what color did you have in mind  ?  
 black  .  classic  .  
 of course  .  we  ve got this style here that is very popular  .  because it  s an opentoe shoe  you can wear it any time of the year  .  they look great on everyone  .  
 umm  .  too shiny  .  and i wear pantyhose with my shoes so let  s look for a closedtoe shoe  .  
 ok  these are a very nice pair of leather shoes with a twoinch heel so they are very comfortable  .  
 i don  t like the pointed toes  .  let me take a look at what else you have  .  too high  .  that one looks like the back would cut into my heel  .  i have a high instep so i doubt that one will fit properly  .  
 what size  ?  
 sevenandahalf  .  
 here we are  .  how does it fit  ?  
 hmmm . not good  .  they  re too tight . the length is right  but the shoe is too narrow and it  s pinching my toes  .  and there  d be no room for my insoles  .  you know what  ?  i don  t think i have the patience fo 
 have a nice day  ma  am  .  
 why not  ?  come on  !  just a cute little puppy  .  or a kitty  !  
 who is going to look after a dog or a cat  ?  
 i will  !  i  ll feed it  bathe it and walk it every day  !  we can get a labrador or a german shepard  !  
 what if we want to take a vacation  ?  who will we leave it with  ?  plus  our apartment is too small for that breed of dog  .  
 ok  .  how about we get a cat or a ferret  ?  
 we  re planning on having children soon  i don  t think those animals are a good idea with a baby in the house  .  
 fine  !  let  s get a bird then  !  we can keep it in its cage and teach it to talk  !  a parrot would be awesome  !  
 i  ll tell you what  i can get you some hamsters and we  ll take it from there  .  
 yay  !  
 well  since we are getting up so late  i decided to make a big breakfast  !  
 nice  !  brunch  !  
 kind of  so i made scrambled and soft boiled eggs  some french toast and buttermilk pancakes  !  
 wow  !  you really went all out  !  did you make any coffee  ?  
 yeah  just the way you like it  !  i also put out some cereal and muesli if you feel like having something more light  .  
 looks good  !  i  ll squeeze us some fresh orange juice  .  
 get the jam and butter while you are in there  !  oh  !  and don  t forget the syrup  !  
 what  ?  you don  t know the first thing about gardening  !  
 on the contrary  i have been reading a lot of books about the subject  .  
 oh yeah  ?  tell me then  smarty pants  how will you go about setting up your garden  ?  
 well  first i need to buy some things  such as fertilizer  seeds and tools  .  
 what type of tools  ?  
 you know  the basics  .  a rake  shovel  spade and a hoe  .  
 right  .  well it seems like you have all your bases covered  .  what  s next  ?  
 i  ll till the soil and then sow the seeds  .  i  ll then add some fertilizer and voila  !  gardening all done  !  
 well  good luck with your garden  especially considering we are in the dry season and it won  t rain for the next three months  !  
 no  thank you  i am not interested  .  
 please ma  am  if you could spare five minutes of your time  i am sure we could find something that interests you  !  
 i wish i could  but i have to walk the dog and finish cooking so if you would excuse me  .  
 we have a great variety of magazines all about cooking  !  this one for example  is a bi monthly publication with recipes from all over the world  !  
 wow  that would be kind of useful  do you have any other cooking magazines  ?  
 sure do  !  this one is a quarterly publication  but each issue has over 200 color pages of recipes and also many home decorating ideas  !  
 wow  this is nice  !  ok  sign me up for both publications  .  
 you mentioned you have a dog  most pet owners sign up for this weekly newsletter that has information on dog care  pet shops and even pet sitters  !  
 that is exactly what i needed  !  what else do you have  ?  
 well  i also have  .  .  .  
 sorry  i can  t  !  i have to go to work  pick up jake and maddie from school  and make them an afternoon snack  then take jake to soccer practice and maddie to dance class  .  
 you sound exhausted  .  maybe you should hire a nanny to help you out  !  she can pick the kids up and take them to their afterschool activities  .  she can also help you do some household chores  and run so 
 oh  i don  t know  .  .  .  it  s hard to find the right nanny  .  you have to consider her previous work experience  the responsibilities you give her  and how she interacts with the kids  .  i would love to have 
 i think you should definitely consider it  !  this way you won  t have to juggle such a busy schedule  and you  ll still get to spend time with the kids in the evenings  .  i can refer you this great 
 oh  that  s great  .  thanks grace  .  can you give me her number  ?  i  ll talk it over with dan and give her a call tomorrow  .  maybe this way i won  t be so tired every day  and dan and i might even get to go 
 great  thanks  .  
 can i help you  ?  
 i would actually like to view the apartment for rent today  .  
 i  m sorry  but you won  t be able to view it today  .  
 why not  ?  
 you have to make an appointment first  .  
 oh  okay  .  can i do that right now  ?  
 is this friday okay  ?  
 is 6 o  clock friday evening okay  ?  
 yes  i will schedule you for that time  .  
 thank you very much  .  see you then  .  
 i  m fine  thank you  .  
 did you need help with something  ?  
 if i could  i would like to view the apartment sometime today  .  
 that won  t be possible today  .  
 why is that  ?  
 you can only view the apartment with an appointment  .  
 i would like to make one right now if i can  .  
 are you available this friday  ?  
 can we do it at 6 o  clock  ?  
 your appointment for friday at 6 pm has been confirmed  .  
 all right  .  i  ll see you on friday  .  
 i am the apartment manager  .  how can i help you  ?  
 i wanted to know if that apartment on main street is still for rent  .  
 i have n't rented it out yet  .  would you like to see it  ?  
 yes  i want to see it  .  
 how about today at 6 p  .  m  .   ?  
 that time is okay with me  .  
 very good  .  we 'll meet at 6  .  do you need directions  ?  
 no  thank you  .  i go by there on my way to work  .  
 if you 're interested  you can fill out an application form  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  do i need to bring anything myself  ?  
 no  .  the only thing i need to see is your driver 's license  .  
 i think that it  s absolutely gorgeous  .  
 there aren  t any problems with the apartment  ?  
 i think that the apartment looks very nice  but i do see some problems  .  
 what problems  ?  
 i did notice a few stains in the carpet  .  
 we will have the carpet cleaned before you move in  .  
 you will  ?  
 yes  but other than that  are there any more problems  ?  
 that was the only thing that i saw that was wrong with the apartment  .  
 i  m happy that you find this apartment so appealing  .  
 it is  .  i love it  .  
 it is beautiful  .  
 you don  t have any problems with how it looks  ?  
 actually  there is a problem  .  
 like what  ?  
 there are some stains that were left in the carpet  .  
 those stains will be cleaned out of the carpet before you move in  .  
 oh  is that right  ?  
 yes  .  now what other problems do you have  ?  
 that was the only problem that i saw  .  
 well  i  m glad that everything else is to your liking  .  
 i honestly love it  .  
 everything  s fine with me  .  
 what can i do for you today  ?  
 is it possible for me to view the apartment today  ?  
 unfortunately  you will not be able to view it today  .  
 why can  t i view it today  ?  
 you  ll need to make an appointment to view the apartment  .  
 i understand  .  may i make an appointment then  ?  
 how does this friday sound  ?  
 friday at 6 pm  .  would be perfect  .  
 that will be fine  .  
 thanks for your help  .  
 i absolutely love the apartment  .  
 everything is okay  ?  
 i do have one problem with the apartment  .  
 what  s the problem  ?  
 i don  t like all those stains in the carpet  .  
 we will have the carpet cleaned before you move into the apartment  .  
 i did not know that  .  
 i assure you that we will  and if there are any more problems  feel free to tell me  .  
 that was the only thing that i saw wrong with the apartment  .  
 i  m glad to know that you think the apartment is so nice  .  
 it  s absolutely incredible  .  i  ll take it  .  
 that  s great  .  
 how much is the rent  ?  
 the rent each month is  1050  .  
 that  s a lot of money  .  
 did you have a better price in mind  ?  
 what about  800  ?  
 that  s way too low  .  
 i can  t pay much more than that  .  
 how about  900 a month  ?  
 that would be fine  .  
 great  .  it was a pleasure doing business with you  .  
 first of all  we need to understand what i was looking for  .  do you know what the purpose of an inspection is  ?  
 i am not sure what a home inspection is all about  .  
 i went there to check for problems with the home  so you aren  t surprised when you move in  .  
 wouldn  t the owners have told me about any problems  ?  
 sellers aren  t always truthful  and there might also be problems that they aren  t aware of  .  
 can i require the owners to fix the problems  ?  
 you can make the sale of the house contingent on them fixing the problems  .  
 what did you find out when you did the inspection of my new home  ?  
 there were no major problems  .  one leaky pipe under the sink and two broken roof tiles was all that i found  .  
 the keys will be turned in on tuesday night  .  the house will be yours at that time  .  
 what should we do to make sure that we have the electricity and water turned on  ?  
 you can tell the utility company what day you are moving in  and they will transfer the utilities to your name  .  
 there are a few things that we want to do to the place  like painting and carpet cleaning  .  
 take advantage of the house being empty to clean and paint  .  it will be harder to do after the furniture and appliances have arrived  .  
 i asked the store to deliver my new appliances on the day we are moving in  .  
 that will be good  .  you are going to want your stove and refrigerator right away  .  
 i could use some help on moving day  .  what are you doing on saturday  ?  
 i think i am getting a fever and will be too sick to help you  .  here  feel how hot my head is  !  
 yes  .  which one is the brake again  ?  
 the pedal on your left is the brake and the one on your right is the gas  .  
 i  m glad this car is an automatic  .  i do n't like having to change gears  .  
 automatics are very simple to drive  .  the first thing you should do is put your seat belt on  .  
 you should also put yours on  .  you never know what will happen with me in the driver  s seat  !  
 very funny  .  next you should check your side mirrors and your rear view mirror  .  can you see out of them  ?  
 i can  t see anything out of the side mirror on your side of the car  .  could you move it forward a bit  please  ?  
 how  s that  ?  
 that  s better  .  now what  ?  
 check your petrol situation  .  
 the tank is almost empty  .  i guess i  ll drive to the petrol station to fill it up  .  
 that  s a good idea  .  put your keys in the ignition  start it up  put the car in reserve  wait for the road to be clear  and then back out of the driveway  .  
 i got it  .  don  t worry  .  i  ll get you there in one piece  .  
 remember  no honking this time  .  the horn is only for emergencies  !  
 why does that cop car behind me have its red lights on  ?  
 i 'm not quitting yet  .  you know my favourite slogan  do n't you  ?  
 yeah  i know  .  shop till you drop  .  
 right  !  
 i 'm getting a little short on cash  .  let 's just window shop a little  .  
 ok  .  
 hey  jeanine  get a load of that  .  it 's beautiful  .  
 ahahah  and i thought you were tired  .  
 you know  .  .  i have a weakness for long dresses  .  
 it sure looks special  looks expensive too  .  
 sure does  .  hey  can i sponge a little cash of you  ?  
 do n't worry  marian  i 've got you covered  .  
 thanks  jeanine  you are a real pal  .  let 's go in  .  
 yes  you sent them to new york  right  ?  
 that 's right  .  i thought i 'd come back to buy some more souvenirs  .  
 what did you in mind  ?  
 well  first  i 'd like to buy a few postcards  .  my sister used to always send a postcard to herself whenever she went anywhere  .  i want to do that  too  .  
 we have plenty of postcards to choose from here  .  the same designs can be found on these posters  .  
 posters are difficult to travel with  .  i think i 'll just buy the postcards  .  i heard that you might also have some of the masks that are made in venice  .  
 yes  we do  .  they 're on the wall behind you  .  
 how much do they cost  ?  
 the prices are clearly marked on the back of each mask  .  would you like me to get one down for you to look at  ?  
 yes  i think i 'd like the green mask in the middle  .  
 here you go  .  
 i 'll take it  i 'd also like to buy some chocolate  .  
 are you looking for some homemade chocolate as a gift  .  
 yes  it 's my girlfriend 's birthday today and she loves chocolate  .  
 we 've got plenty to choose from here  .  
 they look delicious  .  i think she 'll be pleased  .  
 i was going to eat in  i 'm short on cash  .  
 do n't worry about it . it s on me  .  
 in that case  i 'm with you  .  em . this is good  .  
 i agreed  hi  guess what  ?  i went bungee jumping last weekend  .  
 are you on the up and up  ?  
 definitely  .  you know  i 'm into serious sport in a big way  .  
 if you asked me  you 've got a screw loose somewhere  .  
 come off it  it 's not that serious  .  you should diy  do it yourself  sometime  .  
 fat chance  i 'm too scared of bungee jumping  .  
 no  really  i think you 'd like it  .  i adapted to it right off the bat  .  
 what did that have to do with me  ?  i 'm not the selfseeker like you  .  
 i can teach you how  .  
 i had a sneaking suspicion about you  eric  i think you 've lost it  .  
 no  not really  but i think i have lost my wallet  .  where can it be  ?  
 i 'm starving  .  let 's go grab a bite  .  
 where to  ?  
 how about karlis  ?  
 are you kidding  ?  that place is too ritzy for lunch  .  
 true  .  ok let 's go to grumose  ?  
 same thing  meals there all coarsen arm and leg  .  
 i guess it is a little pricy  .  
 let 's stop it at multicolor for a quick lunch  .  .  
 that will be ok  .  come on  i ca n't wait to chow down  .  
 that was a great lunch  the food was good  but the service was lousy  .  
 is that why you stiffed the waiter  ?  
 you got it  .  all right  let 's go back to school  .  
 what 's so great about it  ?  
 what do you mean  ?  it 's a scrim  .  
 not to me  i would n't be caught dead in that  .  
 i love that kind of stuff  .  
 yeah  you seem to like those styles  .  
 sure do  .  i get a kick out of looking punk  .  
 this one looks really expensive though  .  
 i do n't care how much it costs  .  i 'm rolling in it  .  
 lucky you  !  i ca n't buy anything else  .  i 'm flat broke  .  
 i got a replace my party outfit  i trashed it last week  .  
 why did you drag me into this  ?  i 've spent a week salary  .  
 are you on the level  ?  you 're the one who called me  remember  ?  
 just joking  tonia  .  i 've got some wonderful clothes  .  let 's go and have a close look at your outfit  .  
 you can buy the bubble wrap here  but you  ll have to stand in line over here to post your passage  .  
 that  s a really long line  .  how long do you think it  ll take to get through all those people  ?  
 it takes about 3 minutes per person  so it  ll probably be about an hour  s wait  .  
 can i buy stamps here  ?  
 sure  .  how many would you like  ?  
 i need 30 for my christmas cards  .  
 are you sending them abroad  ?  
 twenty of them are going abroad to china and america  .  
 do you have any going anywhere in the eu  ?  if you do  those are less expensive  .  
 no  .  
 ok  here you go  .  that will be 18 pounds and seventy two pence  .  
 and the bubble wrap  ?  
 that  s another quid  .  
 thanks a lot  .  you  ve been very helpful  .  
 i 'd like to buy some perform for my girlfriend  .  
 do you know what kind of scent she usually wears  ?  
 she usually does n't wear anything but a few drops of chanel no  .  5  .  but i 'd like to buy her a new fragrance  .  
 ok  here are some of our most popular perfumes  .  
 which one would you recommend  ?  
 personally  i quite like the new perfume by clinique  .  it 's a subtle flowery scent  .  what do you think  ?  
 that smells great  .  i 'll take one bottle  please  .  
 would you like to buy any other cosmetics for your girlfriend  ?  we have a full range of products from cosmetics to skin cleansers and moisturizers  .  
 it 's ok  .  she normally just wears a little foundation and some loose powder  and i would n't know what shade to buy  .  
 how about some lipstick  ?  every woman needs a nice tube of red lipstick  .  
 she does n't usually wear lipstick  .  she thinks it makes her nose look too big  .  
 how about some mascara  ?  that will make her eyes look bigger  .  
 no thank you  .  she has big enough eyes as it is  .  
 i know what she would likesome whitening cream  .  
 no thanks  .  western women usually try to make their skin darker  no lighter  .  
 will that be all then  ?  
 that will be all  .  you 're been very helpful  thanks  .  
 yeah  i 'm glad that we did n't have to wait long  .  i 'm starving  !  
 let 's take a look at the menu so we can order  .  do you want to choose an appetizer for us to share  ?  
 what would you rather have  samosas or poppadoms  ?  
 i heard that one of their specialities is the samosa  .  
 well  let 's get a plate of those then  .  
 sounds good  .  what are you going to have for your main course  ?  
 i think i might have a dahl  .  
 what 's in a dahl  ?  
 it 's got chickpeas and vegetables in a spicy curry sauce with rice  .  
 that sounds nice  .  do you want to share some kebabs as well  ?  
 ok  .  how about some lamb kebabs  ?  
 that 's my favourite  .  do you want to have some wine or beer  ?  
 i think i 'll have a beer  .  
 ok  shall i flag down the waitress  ?  
 i would n't recommend it  .  i think we should wait until she comes round  .  
 you 're right  .  that might seem a bit rude  .  it 's a good thing i 've got you with me  !  
 what would you do without me  ?  
 sure  .  what kind of material do you want for the suit to be made from  ?  
 it depends on the price  but i was thinking of getting a wool  cashmere blend  .  
 that will probably be quite expensive  but the more you pay for the fabric  the longer it 'll last and the better it 'll look  .  what color do you want the suit to be  ?  
 i was thinking of a brown pinstriped suit  .  
 brown  huh  ?  is n't that a bit dull  ?  
 have n't you heard  ?  brown is the new black  .  
 why do n't you just get black  ?  black suits are always fashionable and can be worn for anything  a funeral  a wedding  a job interview  anything  !  
 that may be true  but black is so boring  .  anyway  i already have three black suits  .  i might as well get a suit that stands out from the rest  .  
 here are two different shades of brown  .  which one do you prefer  ?  
 i like the one on the left  but i do n't like the pattern on it  .  it 's too much  .  i want a pattern that 's a bit subtler  .  
 how about this one  ?  
 i think that will do  .  let 's go talk to the tailor about getting it made  .  
 ok  let 's go  .  
 what kind do you want  ?  
 i have no idea  .  
 caesar salads are good  .  
 i like those too  .  
 what kind do you plan on making  ?  
 i 'd really like a salad with chicken  .  
 chicken salads are really good  .  
 i always make my salads with shredded cheese  croutons  and almonds  .  
 that sounds like a great salad  .  
 why do n't you put it in your salad  ?  
 that sounds like a plan to me  .  
 this all looks good  !  i think we know what we want  .  
 please let me point out the chef 's special  which is blackened catfish  .  
 i am dieting  so could the chef prepare the food with no extra sauce  ?  
 we are always happy to adjust our cooking to meet your needs  .  
 could you tell me if there are any entrees that are vegetarian  ?  
 the cashew broccoli noodles or the cheese and veggie enchiladas would be an excellent choice  .  
 i am going to go with the grilled shrimp with garlic sauce  .  i would like the garlic sauce on the side  .  
 would you like your salad brought to you with your entree  or would you like it served now  ?  
 you can serve our salads with our dinner  .  
 no  i 've only washed my whites  .  
 when you wash your dark clothes  can you put some of mine in  ?  
 sure  .  is there any extra care that i should take with your clothes  ?  
 just make sure you keep it on the gentle cycle  .  
 how many clothes of yours do you want me to wash  ?  
 there is n't a lot  why  do you have a large load to wash  ?  
 it 's really only a small load  .  
 do you mind washing my clothes  ?  
 not at all  .  it 's no problem  .  
 thank you so much  .  
 it 's no trouble at all  .  
 i 've only washed my white clothes  .  
 could you wash some of my dark clothes with yours  ?  
 is there any special care i should take with your clothes  ?  
 the only thing is that they have to be washed on the gentle cycle  .  
 are there a lot of clothes  ?  
 there are n't a lot of clothes  do you have a lot to wash  ?  
 it 's a medium load  .  
 you do n't mind  do you  ?  
 no big deal  .  i 'll do it for you  .  
 okay  thanks a lot  .  
 you 're welcome  .  
 the fare is  1 . 25  .  
 have you been driving buses a long time  ?  
 i have n't been driving for long  only for a few months  .  
 do you like to drive the bus  ?  
 not in the least bit  .  
 i would have never dreamed of ever becoming a bus driver  .  
 i never dreamed of doing this either  .  the only thing i like about it is the money  .  
 it was really fun chatting with you  .  
 it was really nice talking to you too  .  
 have a good one  .  
 i 'll have a good day once this day is over  .  
 it 's  1 . 25 for this bus  .  
 how long have you been a bus driver  ?  
 i started driving the bus a few months ago  .  
 is it fun driving the bus  ?  
 not at all  .  
 i do n't think i ever wanted to be a bus driver  .  
 i never did either  but it pays the bills  .  
 i enjoyed talking to you  .  
 i liked talking to you too  .  
 you 're going to have to make an appointment  .  
 can i make one right now  ?  
 when would you like the installation to be done  ?  
 i 'm off this friday  .  
 the only time we can come on friday is at 3 
 i 'm going to need it installed earlier than that  .  
 i 'm sorry  but we 're booked up on friday  .  
 is saturday any better  ?  
 saturday is perfect  .  what time would you like  ?  
 is 11 
 that 's perfect  .  see you on saturday  .  
 what kind would you like  ?  
 what kind of internet is there  ?  
 you can get del or dialup  .  
 which of those two is best  ?  
 i would recommend del  .  
 so that one better  ?  
 it 's better because it does n't tie up the phone  .  
 what do you mean by that  ?  
 del is n't connected through your phone line  but dialup is  .  
 so then i ca n't use my phone if i 'm on the internet  ?  
 that 's correct  .  with del you can do both  .  
 i 've finished my white clothes  .  i need to wash the rest  .  
 well  when you do your darks  can you wash some of mine too  ?  
 i can do that  .  is there a special way you want them washed  ?  
 they need to be washed on the gentle cycle  .  
 do you have a lot of clothes that need to be washed  ?  
 there are n't many clothes  is your load big  ?  
 my load is n't that big  .  
 if it 's a problem  you do n't have to do it for me  .  
 i can do this for you  .  do n't worry  .  
 i greatly appreciate this  .  
 do n't mention it  .  
 let me just get five more minutes of sleep  .  
 i would  but you need to start getting ready for school  .  
 i understand  but all i want is five more minutes of sleep  .  
 if i let you go back to sleep  i know that you wo n't get up in five minutes  .  
 trust me  .  i 'm going to wake up  .  
 you have a lot to get done this morning  .  
 i already know  and i 'll take care of all that when i wake up  .  
 i want you to be on time for school today  .  
 i 'll make it to school on time  .  do n't worry  .  
 okay  i 'll let you sleep for a little while longer  .  
 i really appreciate that  .  
 where do you live  ?  
 i live up in altadena  .  
 the 264 will take you there  .  
 it goes all the way there  ?  
 i know for a fact that it goes to the station  .  
 what street would i catch it on  ?  
 if you go to altadena drive  you can catch it there  .  
 i did n't know that bus went to the gold line station  .  
 yup  it does  .  
 well  thanks for letting me know  .  
 it was my pleasure  .  
 where do you need to catch this bus at  ?  
 all the way up on las flores drive and fair oaks  .  
 i can tell you what bus to catch  but you have to walk a little bit  .  
 walking is n't a problem for me  .  
 the 267 stops at altadena drive and fair oaks  .  
 which direction do i want  ?  
 get on the bus heading west  .  
 do you know where i get off at  ?  
 del mar and hill  .  
 thanks for letting me know  homegirl  .  
 no problem  .  
 the mangoes are on sale today  .  
 what exactly are mangoes  ?  
 they have yellowish red skin  .  it 's a fruit with one big seed  .  
 is the seed edible  ?  
 maybe if you were a parrot  .  i would n't recommend it  .  
 how much does a mango cost  ?  
 normally  they 're  2 each  .  today  they 're only  1 each  .  
 maybe i wo n't like the taste  .  
 it 's hard to describe  .  they 're sweet  but also sort of citrusy  .  
 how do i tell the difference between a ripe one and an unripe one  ?  
 they 're similar to an avocado  .  when the outside feels soft  they 're ripe  .  
 where do most of them come from  ?  
 these are from mexico  .  
 i think it 's running late  .  
 it should 've been here 30 minutes ago  .  
 it should be coming soon  .  
 it better  because i 'm already late for work  .  
 i ca n't stand riding the bus  .  
 me too  it 's so unreliable  .  
 that is true  .  
 it 's also horrible having to be at a bus stop in any kind of weather  .  
 exactly . that s the worst part  .  
 i think it 's time we started driving  .  
 yes  i agree  .  
 i have n't gone to get it yet  .  
 why have n't you got it  ?  
 i do n't know where to go to get one  .  
 i know where to get them from  .  
 where do i get it  ?  
 they sell them at the business office on campus  .  
 i had no idea  .  
 i 'm sure you did n't  .  
 thank you  .  
 do n't mention it  .  
 i 'll buy it later on today  .  
 it just is n't on time today  .  
 it was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago  .  
 i think it 'll be here pretty soon  .  
 i need to get to work  so it better  .  
 i really do hate public transportation  .  
 i agree  it 's just never on time  .  
 that 's right  .  
 i also hate having to stand at a bus stop in all kinds of weather  .  
 oh  that 's the worst  .  
 we need to get a car  .  
 i completely agree with that  .  
 very well  .  we have some fresh red roses  .  
 how much are the roses  ?  
  20 per dozen  .  
 that sounds like a good deal  .  
 yes  they 're on sale today  .  
 i 'll take a dozen  .  
 splendid  .  will there be anything else  ?  
 no  the roses will be fine  .  
 i 'm sure your wife will love them  .  
 we have a good variety  .  what decade would you like  ?  
 i was hoping i could find something made in the 20s  .  
 there are six on this table  .  
 i hope at least one of them has dancing figures  .  
 many people like the dancing figures  .  two of our boxes have the figures  .  
 so hard to choose  .  i think i 'll take this one  .  
 that one will bring you many hours of pleasure  .  
 does a warranty come with this music box  ?  
 i 'm sorry  but if it breaks down  you 're on your own  .  
 i just thought i would ask  .  
 when you buy a model t  you ca n't expect a warranty  .  
 yes  .  we just had a basketball match with class two  .  
 who won  ?  
 they did  .  
 what was the score  ?  
 seventy to sixtyseven  .  
 you still have time on your lease  .  
 there  s no way that i can stay here  .  
 that  s not going to be all right  .  
 i don  t understand why  .  
 i  m going to have to keep your deposit 
 why can  t i have it back  ?  
 because you  re leaving before your lease is over  .  
 you have to give it back to me  .  
 you  re not going to get it  .  
 but i  m not able to live here anymore  .  
 i can  t help you with that  .  
 i think we have a while longer  .  
 i feel like we 've been on this bus forever  .  
 that 's true  .  
 are you sure we were n't supposed to get off already  ?  
 i do n't know  .  
 i thought you knew where we get off at  .  
 i was n't really paying attention  .  i think we missed our stop  .  
 seriously  ?  
 yeah  we definitely missed our stop  .  
 that 's the last time i get on a bus with you  .  
 my bad . sorry  !  
 yes  it will  .  
 you know that for a fact  ?  
 yeah  i take this bus all the time  .  
 is it a very long bus ride  ?  
 it 's about thirty minutes long  .  
 do you know where we get off at  ?  
 there 's a bus stop right behind macy 's  .  
 really  there 's a bus stop right by the mall  ?  
 there 's a bus stop in the mall parking lot  .  
 that 's convenient  .  
 absolutely  .  
 do you live in pasadena  ?  
 my house is up in altadena  .  
 you could always take the 264  .  
 it 'll really take me to the station  ?  
 it goes all the way there  .  
 do you know what street it goes on  ?  
 catch it on altadena drive  .  
 i would 've never known  .  
 now you know  .  
 i appreciate you telling me  .  
 no problem  .  
 yeah  it 'll take us there  .  
 are you positive  ?  
 i always catch this bus  .  
 how long is this bus ride  ?  
 it only takes about half an hour  .  
 where do we get off at  ?  
 we can get off the bus right behind macy 's  .  
 there 's a stop right next to the mall  ?  
 yeah  it 's right in the parking lot  .  
 that 's cool  .  
 yeah  i know  .  
 we still have more to go  i think  .  
 we 've been on this bus for a while now  .  
 you 're right  .  
 should we have gotten off the bus already  ?  
 i do n't think so  .  
 i thought you knew  .  
 maybe we did miss our stop  .  
 really  ?  
 i 'm positive that we missed our stop  .  
 i 'm never catching the bus with you again  .  
 my mistake  .  
 it goes all the way there  .  
 are you sure  ?  
 i know it does  .  i catch this bus a lot  .  
 how long does it take for the bus to get there  ?  
 the bus ride is only thirty minutes or so  .  
 where do we get off the bus  ?  
 right behind macy 's is a bus stop  .  
 the stop is really at the mall  ?  
 it 's in the middle of the parking lot  .  
 that 's perfect  .  
 i know it is  .  
 i need help finding a new refrigerator  .  
 do you see anything that you like  ?  
 that kenmore looks nice  .  
 that is a wonderful choice  .  
 what makes is so great  ?  
 it 's very inexpensive  and it has all the appliances  .  
 what appliances are you talking about  ?  
 the fridge and freezer is very spacious  and it also has an ice maker and water dispenser  .  
 may i take a look inside  ?  
 take a look inside  .  
 it 's very nice  .  i 'd like to purchase this refrigerator  .  
 you came to the right place  .  any particular decade  ?  
 if you had a box made in the 20s  that would be nice  .  
 we just got one in yesterday  so now we have six  .  
 would any of them have dancing figures  ?  
 yes  we still have two boxes left that have dancing figures  .  
 oh  they 're both so beautiful  .  let me have this one  i think  .  
 that one truly is a beautiful piece of work  is n't it  ?  
 one last question 
 oh  no  .  everything we sell here is  as is  .  
 i guess i was asking for too much  .  
 if it breaks down  maybe you can find a repairman on the internet  .  
 i would like to buy a new fridge  .  
 is there one in particular that you like  ?  
 i was looking at this kenmore refrigerator  .  
 ah yes  that is a great refrigerator  .  
 what 's so great about it  ?  
 it 's both affordable and it comes with all the appliances  .  
 what appliances  ?  
 it comes with an ice maker  water dispenser  and there is a lot of room inside  .  
 may i see the inside for myself  ?  
 be my guest  .  
 wow  !  you 're right  !  this refrigerator is great  .  i 'll take it  .  
 do you know how many you need  ?  
 i think i can get by with 2000  .  
 we can get started as soon as you fill out this form  .  
 i hope you can make the new cards just like my old cards  .  
 you wo n't be able to tell the difference with a magnifying glass  .  
  .  .  .  okay  i 'm through  .  here 's the form and my old card  .  
 very good  .  you can pick up your order in one week  .  
 now that i think of it  three days is better than seven  .  
 we can do that  but you 'll have to pay a little extra  .  
 hi  .  
 mr  .   i 'm mr  .  taylor  and i 'm your counselor  .  i 'm going to show you around the school  .  
 ok  .  
 mr  .   right here is the cafeteria  .  
 it 's huge  !  
 mr  .   but not big enough  .  and here is our computer room  .  
 there must be about 50 computers in here  .  
 mr  .   and over here is our gymnasium  .  
 do i have to take gym  ?  
 mr  .   just like everyone else  .  
 yeah  .  look  other kids are coming this way  .  
 but it does n't look like a real bus stop  .  
 that 's because regular buses do n't stop here  .  
 how much is it going to cost  ?  
 nothing  .  it 's free  .  
 is that yellow bus it  ?  
 let 's go sit in the back  .  all the cool kids do  .  
 what are they  ?  
 mr  .   the school has three lunch periods  and the kids are divided into three groups to go to lunch  .  
 wow  !  
 mr  .   furthermore  when you are dismissed in the afternoon  you will be divided into two waves  .  
 two waves  ?  
 mr  .   the school parking lot is not big enough for all the school buses to come in at one time  .  so only half the buses come in first to pick up the first wave 's students  .  
 and the other half come in later to pick up the second wave  .  
 yes  .  
 mr  .   i 'm mr  .  rogers  your homeroom teacher  .  
 where should i sit  ?  
 mr  .   why do n't you sit behind brad  ?  
 who 's brad  ?  
 mr  .   he 's that guy in the blue shirt  .  
 when does the first period begin  by the way  ?  
 mr  .   as soon as the bell rings after the morning announcement  .  
 what 's a homeroom  ?  
 you sit in there  listen to the morning announcement with other kids  and then you go to your classes  .  
 cindy  i 'm scared  .  
 but i have to go to my homeroom  .  
 do we have the same classes today  ?  
 no  .  
 do you think the school can put us in the same homeroom  ?  
 stop worrying  mary  .  you 'll do just fine  .  
 you look lost  .  can i help you  ?  
 are n't you the guy who sat in front of me in our homeroom  ?  
 yeah  .  i 'm brad  .  
 i 'm mary  .  i ca n't find my american literature class  .  
 what room is it  ?  
 it 's 112  .  
 it 's on the first floor by the nurse 's office  .  
 thanks a lot  brad  .  i 've got to go before the bell rings  .  
 i 'm sorry that i 'm late  .  i could n't find the room  .  
 mr  .   that 's alright  .  it 's the first day of school  after all  .  
 what are we doing  ?  
 mr  .   i 'm asking the class to read page 10 to themselves  .  then i 'm going to ask some questions about the passage  .  
 may i have a book  ?  
 mr  .   here  .  write your name inside the front cover  .  remember that you must return the textbook to me at the end of the semester  so keep it in good condition  .  
 mr  .   yes  ?  
 i 'm not feeling too well  .  
 mr  .   would you like to go to the nurse 's  ?  
 yes  i would  .  
 mr  .   here 's a hall pass for it  .  do you need someone to walk you there  ?  
 i can manage on my own  .  thanks  .  
 mr  .   i 'll drop by later to check on you  .  
 certainly . here  s an application form . do you have proof of residence  ?  
 what sort of proof do you need  ?  
 a driver  s license or something showing that you live in this city  .  
 i  m a student from out of state  so i don  t have a local driver  s license  .  
 do you have a current electricity or gas bill in your name  ?  
 the phone bill  s in my name  .  
 that  ll do . bring the most recent one in with your completed application  and we  ll issue you a temporary library card right away  .  
 how long will it take to get the regular one  ?  
 it  ll be mailed to you within two weeks  but you can borrow books on the temporary card  .  
 okay . thanks for your help  .  
 how can i help you  ?  
 i have a headache  .  
 let me take your temperature with a thermometer  .  
 ok  .  
 i think you have a small fever  .  
 i thought so  .  i felt dizzy this morning  .  
 you should 've called in sick  !  next time  have either of your parents call the school office  .  
 yes  i  m doing some research on roman civilization  .  do you have any books on the subject  ?  
 these books over here are about ancient history  .  they might be helpful  .  
 can i check this one out  ?  
 i  m sorry  .  it  s for reference only  so it must stay in the library  .  but you  re welcome to look through it  .  
 ok  .  and i  d like to check these books out  .  
 all right  .  they  re due back next wednesday  .  
 thanks for your help  .  
 it was great  !  how was your year  ?  
 it was good  .  do you have a girlfriend at school  ?  
 yes  i 'm dating someone  .  her name is amanda  .  
 no  .  i caught a cold two days ago  .  i only finish reading half of it  .  
 i 'm sorry to hear that  .  how are you feeling now  ?  
 i 'm feeling better today  .  
 how many days do you plan to finish reading it  ?  
 about more three days  i think  .  
 ok  .  after three days  i will come to you for it  .  
 no problem  .  
 i do n't think the exam will be very hard  .  
 you should change your attitude  or you will not pass the course  .  
 maybe you 're right  .  i have been too lazy lately  .  
 i plan to travel around harvard university and know more about it  .  to tell you the truth  i plan to apply for harvard after graduation from high school  .  it  s better to get to know it  .  what about you  ?  
 i get together with my christian brothers on saturdays  .  
 oh  my god  !  john  i didn  t know you are religious  .  you just look like a scientific kook  like leonard in the big bang theory  .  
 come on  han maimed  don  t make a fuss  .  a lot of americans  including many scientists  believe in religion  .  
 but i  m really surprised  .  i thought science and religion are not compatible  are they  ?  
 yes  they are compatible  .  actually  the u  .  s  .  is both the most developed and the most religious country in the world  .  
 i 've heard about it a little bit before  but i don  t understand  .  how can people believe in god since they know god does n't exist  ?  
 that  s a little complicated  .  you  ll get to know it when you are acquainted with the u  .  s  .  history later on  .  religion was and is a part of american people  s life  .  guess what  ?  even harvard university  which is a highly academic institution  is in a sense the product of religion  .  
 really  ?  
 absolutely  !  it was founded by a group of puritan immigrants from england  .  
 why was it founded by the puritans  ?  where were the atheistic educators  ?  
 because most of the first english immigrants who came to the united states were puritans  .  
 how come  ?  i mean why most of them were religious people  ?  
 that  s because in the 16th and 17th century  there was a series of religious reforms in england  .  many religious separatists were persecuted and fled to other countries  .  
 so  you mean people did n't enjoy religious freedom in england  ?  
 yes  that 's why puritans moved to the new world  where they believed they could establish a heaven for puritans  .  later on  it was these puritans who founded harvard college  .  
 why did they want to found a college  ?  
 many puritans had received classic style of higher education in oxford university and cambridge university back in england  .  they hoped that their descendants could receive this kind of education as well  .  
 oh  i see  .  
 actually harvard was first named new college  without a formal name  .  
 when did it begin to be called harvard university  ?  
 in 1639  it was renamed after its major benefactor john harvard  .  interestingly  johnharvard himself was a clergyman  .  
 it seems that harvard was predestined to be influenced by religion  .  
 therefore  it  s not exaggerate to claim that had there not been religion  there would note harvard  .  
 wow  i didn  t know that religion had played such an important role in harvard history  .  
 religion has been playing an indispensible part in harvard history as well as the u  .  s  .  
 i finally begin to get to know harvard  .  it seems that my knowledge of harvard is rather poor  .  i have a lot work to do before applying for harvard  .  
 remember that harvard is a part of the united states  .  so you have to know the u  .  s  .  history and culture if you want to have indepth knowledge of harvard  .  the two are closely related  .  
 that  s right  .  i have a lot to learn from you  .  
 you can ask me any question at any time  .  
 they were not too bad  .  i really liked my polisci class  .  
 would you consider it your favorite class  ?  
 i do n't know if i would call it my favorite  but it ranks up there  .  
 what class was your favorite then  ?  
 i took a business communication class last year and it was terrific  .  
 i never took that yet  .  if that was your favorite  i think i will check it out  .  
 yeah  .  last semester  .  
 who was the professor  ?  
 it was professor johnson  .  
 i have him this semester  .  what do you think about him  ?  
 he 's a terrible instructor and demands a lot  but fortunately  he 's an easy grader  .  
 what did you end up getting  ?  
 i got an a   .  sounds good  but none of my test scores were that high  so i do n't know how i got a decent grade  .  
 that 's probably because he grades on a curve  .  
 are you enjoying the class so far  ?  
 i hate it and i was about to withdrawal  .  but after hearing your experience  i think i will tough it out  .  
 yes  .  definitely stay in the class  .  you will get a better grade than your test scores  .  he does that deliberately to make all the students study a lot  .  
 thanks for letting me know  .  i feel relieved now  .  
 it 's nothing  .  i 'm just a little stressed out  .  
 why  ?  what 's stressing you out  ?  
 school  .  since i was working part time  i had a difficult time keeping up with class  .  now that we have exams coming up  i 'm totally freaking out  .  
 the best thing to do is study as much as you can  .  i 'm sure you 'll do alright  .  
 i hope so  .  i guess i wo n't be sleeping for the next 3 days  .  that 's what it 'll take  .  
 i have to study for an exam too  .  why do n't we study together  .  we can encourage each other  .  
 that will be great  .  
 playground  .  we 're having sports for today 's outside class activities  .  all my classmates have already got there  .  
 what are you going to play  ?  
 some of us will play basketball and some volleyball  .  
 enjoy yourself  .  
 what do you mean by that  ?  
 oh  that means i can do whatever i like without few interruptions  .  
 you 've been always active and versatile  .  it seems that you are interested in everything  .  
 oh  really  ?  i just have lots of hobbies in my spare time  such as going to the concert  painting  handwriting  reading novels and reading fashion magazines  .  what about yours  ?  
 i have fewer hobbies than yours  .  that 's why i find campus life a bit dull and uninteresting  .  
 oh  you ca n't think like that  .  we young people should try our best to learn new things and accept new ideas  .  you like taking photos and going to photography shows  why not practise the technique and catch something unforgeable  ?  
 that 's a good suggestion  .  it 's fine today  .  maybe i can take photos on the scenery of the lake at sunset  .  it must be fantastic  .  
 i quite agree with you  .  with our hobbies  our life can be more colorful and exciting  .  
 and i can concentrate on my study after the relaxation over the weekend  .  
 yes  it 's a good habit to have a lifelong hobby  .  those who practise calligraphy and qigong always live longer  .  
 nice to meet you  lean  .  my name is alike  .  i 'm from japan  .  
 to me english is a difficult language  .  
 a second language is always difficult  .  
 true  but english is harder than most  .  it 's a crazy language  .  
 a crazy language  ?  why do you say that  ?  
 one letter can have several pronunciations and one word can have several meanings  .  
 no wonder you say english is a crazy language  .  
 it was great  .  i had a really good time  .  
 what classes did you have  ?  
 well  i had english from 9 o 'clock to 11 o 'clock  art from 12 o 'clock to 2 o 'clock  and math from 2 o 'clock to 4 o 'clock  .  
 what do you think about the teachers  ?  
 to be honest  i liked all of them  except for the math teacher  .  though he must be quite young  he seem like an old person  .  he  s so boring  !  
 that  s too bad  .  how was your english teacher  ?  
 she was great  .  in today  s class  she gave us a lecture on how to be a good student  .  she told us not to arm for exams  and to pay more attention on communicating than memorizing  .  
 where is she from  ?  
 she said that she  s from a small town in the middle of america  .  
 were you able to understand everything that she said  ?  
 not everything  but nearly  .  she speaks very clearly and doesn  t use very complex words so that it is easy for us to understand her  .  
 she sounds like a good teacher  .  do you think you  ll pass her class  ?  
 yes  .  .  .  with flying colors  !  
 what does that mean  ?  
 it  s a new phrase that she taught us today  .  it means that i will not only pass the class  but i will do extremely well  !  
 if you like the class this much already  i  m sure you will  .  
 i hope so  .  
 did she give you any homework  ?  
 not today  .  she said she wanted us to relax tonight instead of doing homework  
 no wonder you like the class so much  .  
 that would have to be miss baymler  my fourth grade teacher  .  
 what was she like  ?  
 she was patient  kind  fun  smart  caring  and yet strict  too  .  i really learned a lot from her  .  
 what kind of things did you learn  ?  
 she taught us that you can do anything that you want to do  .  
 anything  ?  do you really believe that we can do anything  ?  
 if you really want to do something and you work hard at it  i believe you can do it  .  
 you said she was strict  .  did she have a lot of rules  ?  
 she had some rules that helped us to feel comfortable  .  for example  the students had to treat each other with respect  or they would be disciplined  .  
 i see  .  she sounds like she really cared about her students  .  
 yes  .  she treated us all fairly  .  she don  t have any teacher  s pets  .  
 really  ?  doesn  t every teacher have a teacher  s pet  ?  
 well  .  to be honest  i usually sucked up to teachers because i wanted them to give me good grades  .  however  miss baymler didn  t treat me any differently  .  she really didn  t have any teacher  s pets  .  
 do you know what she is doing now  ?  
 as a matter of fact  i do  .  after she taught our class  she got married and moved to another city  .  then  she started writing children  s book  .  
 have you ever read one of the books  ?  
 of course  !  both children and adults enjoy her books  .  
 why don  t you recommend one to me  ?  
 ok  !  i  ll bring one to you next time  .  
 you ca n't help learning when you 're using it all day  .  you 'll see  .  a few weeks 'study in the school will have a similar effect on you  .  
 i hope so  .  you see  at the moment i find it difficult to get used to the teacher 's speed and accent  .  i 'm awfully worried  i ca n't reply as quickly as she seems to expect  .  
 oh  she likes keeping us on our toes by getting us use english throughout the class  .  she does n't mind your making mistakes  though  .  
 you know  speaking in class is a very good chance to put your english to practical use  .  
 that 's the new teacher  .  
 what do you think of the teacher  ?  
 she 's very nice  .  
 what does she teach  ?  
 english  of course  .  
 is she your teacher  ?  
 yes . she teaches our class three times a week  .  
 can she speak chinese to her students  ?  
 not very much  .  
 it 's a good thing you can speak english  !  
 yes  i finished last friday  .  
 you sound relieved  .  
 well  yes  .  i do n't mind admitting that i am  .  i enjoyed school  but i did object to having to go in every day once we 've done all our exams  .  
 well  what are you going to do now  ?  have you made any plans  ?  
 yes  i intend to go to university  .  that 'll be in september  .  but it all depends on my a level results  .  
 you mean getting into university actually depends on your passing your a level subjects  ?  
 oh  yes  .  
 five days a week  too  ?  
 actually  five and a half  .  on saturday  we have classes only in the morning  .  
 gosh  !  
 that 's too much for us really  .  
 where are you going now  ?  
 i 'm going to try to find out where the school is located  .  
 when do you start school  ?  
 i 'm going to register right now  .  
 that 's good  .  
 hi  sterling  !  
 what do you think of our new teacher  ?  
 professor wood  ?  i think he 's a brilliant scientist  .  
 you 're got a point there . but do you think he 's a little absentminded  ?  
 i guess so  .  
 the system of public schools is fairly uniform everywhere throughout the united states  .  
 do most students in the united states attend private schools or public schools  ?  
 most public schools in the united states are very good  and the majority of students attend the public schools  .  
 which students go to private schools  then  ?  
 children needing special instruction  .  children whose parents can afford to send them to private schools  and children whose parents want them to receive a religious education  .  
 but are the public schools good everywhere  ?  
 no  public schools can be very different  .  even in the same city  .  
 dose it cost anything to attend the public schools  ?  are there any restrictions as to who may and may not attend  ?  
 the public schools in the united states are free to everyone and there is no cost to the student  .  in most states  even the textbooks are free  .  there are no restrictions as to color  race  or religion . any student wishing to attend the public schools may do so  .  
 there are hundreds and hundreds  .  english is particularly rich in idiomatic expressions  .  
 can you give us an example  ?  
 i 'll look up the rate  .  to look up does n't mean to look high into the sky or to look at the roof  .  it means to search for and find some information  .  
 what about the expression  goodbye   ?  is that an idiom  ?  
 that is just a natural  grammatical english expression  .  it has a direct translation in other languages  .  
 this is interesting  ms . parker  .  
 i need to check these books out  .  
 do you have your library card  ?  
 here it is  .  
 it appears that you have late fees  .  
 really  ?  
 yes  really  .  
 how much do i owe  ?  
 you owe  24 . 50 in late fees  .  
 i don  t have that much today  .  
 i  m sorry  but until you pay it  you won  t be able to check out any more books  .  
 i  ll pay it as soon as possible  .  
 i would like to check out a book  .  
 i  m going to need your library card  .  
 i don  t have a library card  .  
 why don  t you apply for one right now  ?  
 sure  .  that would be great  .  
 please fill out this application  .  
 okay  .  here you go  .  
 now  sign your name on the back of the card  .  
 here you go  .  
 here  s your library card  .  
 thanks  .  now i  d like to check out this book  .  
 i need a passport  .  
 you can apply for one here  .  
 when can i do that  ?  
 if you like  you can apply right now  .  
 that would be great  .  
 i  m going to need you to complete this application  .  
 what else do i have to do  ?  
 then i will take your picture for your passport  .  
 how long will it take  ?  
 your passport will be ready in a few weeks  .  
 thank you  .  that  s perfect timing  .  
 are you driving a motorcycle or an automobile  ?  
 i drive an automobile  .  
 fine  .  you can either park in the student lot or on the street  .  do you know what a handicapped space is  ?  
 yes  i have seen those spots  .  
 well  when you see the blue spots with the handicapped logo  do not park there unless you have a special permit  .  are you going to be parking in the daytime or the evening  ?  
 i park in the evenings  .  
 then you also need to be aware of the time limits on the street signs  .  have you seen those signs  ?  
 yes  i have seen those signs  .  
 the signs always tell you how long you can park there and on what days  .  do you know how to read the curb colors  ?  
 yes  i know what the curb colors mean  .  
 well  just as long as you realize that red means no parking and white means loading and unloading  i think you know what you need to know  .  
 no problem  we have a short form right here  just hand it to me when you are done  .  
 i 'm done  .  
 that looks great  but i will also need your driver 's license or other form of i  .  d  .  
 sure  here it is  .  
 well  this looks nice  .  do you know how to use it  ?  
 i am pretty sure how to use it  but can you remind me  ?  
 of course  just remember that all of the needed information is on the card  .  
 i see  .  
 well  i hope you have a wonderful time on your library visits  !  
 is this absolutely necessary  ?  
 i tried to work something out  but i really do have to miss one class  .  
 will you be able to make up the work you missed  ?  
 i 'm going to be doing a lot of extra reading  .  
 remember that i will only let you miss one class meeting per semester  .  
 yes  i remember  .  
 could you email me this week as a reminder  ?  
 sure  no problem  .  
 make good use of that day off  you 'll only have one this semester  !  
 is this something that you could schedule for another time  ?  
 no  i have to do this  it 's important  !  
 have you arranged for someone to take notes for you  ?  
 i 've made arrangements with a friend to help me  .  
 you know that i only allow one absence per semester  do n't you  ?  
 yes  i know  .  
 write down your name and the date on a piece of paper and give it to me  .  
 ok  i can do that  .  
 well  have a good day off from class  .  
 no problem  what class would you like to take  ?  
 i would very much enjoy taking a psychology class . because i 'm crazy  .  
 there are two classes that are still open  .  
 which days are these classes on  ?  
 the first class is a tuesday and thursday class from two to three  .  
 what about the other class  ?  
 the other class is on monday and wednesday from 10 am  12  .  
 are you sure there are no more open classes  ?  
 i 'm positive  .  
 sign me up for monday and wednesday  .  
 okay  i 'll sign you up  .  
 we are leaving on our science field trip at 8 a  .  m  .  next monday  .  do you have something to write that down on  ?  
 yes  i can write that on my calendar  .  
 that will be on the second of december  .  be there half an hour early to get your bags on the bus  .  do you understand  ?  
 yes  i understand  .  
 the bus will bring you back 6 days later on december 8th  .  is someone coming to get you  ?  
 no  i do n't have a ride yet  .  
 we will be leaving the campground at 5 in the evening and arrive at our campus at 8 p . m . any more questions  .  
 how much will the trip cost  ?  
 i put all of that information in the packet  .  i 'll give you another copy if you need one  .  see you on monday  !  
 what class are you trying to take  ?  
 i want to take a psychology class  .  
 well  there are only two classes open  .  
 can you tell me what days the classes are on  ?  
 one class is on tuesday and thursday from 2 p  .  m  .  to 4  .  
 and the other class  ?  
 that class is from ten to twelve on monday and wednesday  .  
 are you sure these are the only open classes  ?  
 yes  i am sure  .  
 okay  sign me up for the class on monday and wednesday  .  
 very well then  .  
 i look at many things  attendance  quizzes  and tests  .  
 what is the most important factor  ?  
 obviously i look for improvement as we go along  but i would like you to do your best from the beginning  .  
 how can we keep track of our grades  ?  
 the final and midterm are 40 percent of your grade  homework  attendance  and quizzes total 60 percent  .  
 what if we ca n't get to school  ?  
 you can only miss one class without penalty  .  
 if we have a major problem  will you let us know  ?  
 i will be letting you know during the year if you have a major problem  .  
 of course  how can i help you  ?  
 i want to know if i am doing ok  .  
 let 's pull out your scores so far  .  do you think you are doing ok  ?  
 i am afraid that i might not be doing all that well  .  
 i 'm seeing that you are doing ok in some areas  but not so well in others  .  
 i think i could take better notes and read a little more  .  
 you can greatly improve your grades by always reflecting on what you can improve on  .  
 i 'm working on it  !  
 just do your best and i am sure that you will see improvement  .  
 step into my office for a moment  .  what is your concern  ?  
 am i failing  ?  
 let 's go on the computer to see what 's up  .  do you think you are doing well  ?  
 i am pretty sure that i am in trouble  .  
 i can see that you are trying  but where do you think you could improve  ?  
 i missed a few classes  i need to make sure i come to school on a regular basis  .  
 having a regular study routine and following it is very important  right  ?  
 i 'll try  it 's hard  !  
 thanks for stopping by  !  
 could i check out this book  ?  
 let me see your library card  .  
 i need to get one  .  
 you can apply for one right now  if you  d like  .  
 okay  .  let me do that right now  .  
 could you fill out this application  ?  
 i  m finished  .  here you go  .  
 could you please sign the back of the card  ?  
 all right  .  
 that  s it  .  
 now may i check this book out  ?  
 i  m returning these books  .  
 let me have them  .  
 here are all of them  .  
 these books are two weeks late  .  
 i didn  t have time to return them  .  
 you  re going to have to pay late fees  .  
 how much  ?  
 25 cents a day  .  
 25 cents a day  ?  
 that means 25 cents for each late book  .  
 that  s expensive  .  
 i would like to return some books  .  
 i  ll take them  .  
 here you go  .  
 these books were due two weeks ago  .  
 yeah  .  i totally forgot they were due  .  
 you will need to pay late fees on these books  .  
 how much are the late fees  ?  
 the fee is 25 cents every day  .  
 i have to pay 25 cents a day  ?  
 and that  s for each book that is late  .  
 that shouldn  t be a problem  .  
 i need to return these books  .  
 what happened to this one  ?  
 the cover came off  .  
 you  re going to need to pay for the damage  .  
 how much are you talking  ?  
 it  s going to be  5  .  
 that  s not bad at all  .  
 it really isn  t  .  
 here you go  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 you  re welcome  .  have a nice day  .  
 i would like to return these books  .  
 what happened to this book  ?  
 i dropped it  and the cover tore off  .  
 i  m going to have to charge you for the damage  .  
 how much  ?  
 it  s only  5  .  
 that  s not too bad  .  
 i know it  s not  .  
 here  s the money for the book  .  
 thank you for your payment  .  
 you are very welcome  .  
 i am returning these books  .  
 what did you do to this book  ?  
 i accidentally ripped the cover  .  
 you will need to pay for the damage  .  
 how much do i need to pay  ?  
 i  m going to need  5 . 00  .  
 that  s not too expensive  .  
 it isn  t  .  
 here  s the  5 . 00  .  
 thank you  .  
 no problem  .  have a good one  .  
 i would like to find this book  .  
 is there a problem  ?  
 i don  t think you guys have it  .  
 you should look it up on our computer  .  
 i did that  .  
 what came up  ?  
 it should be on the shelf  but i didn  t see it  .  
 i can try to get the book from a different library  .  
 i didn  t know you could do that  .  
 i will call you when i find it  .  
 i appreciate your help  .  
 are you sick  ?  
 no  .  the teacher is dragging the chalk over the blackboard  .  it set my teeth on edge  .  
 he  ll finish writing in a minute  .  
 the lecturer is dull  too  .  
 i feel he 's like a talking machine  .  
 i feel the same way  .  
 selfishness is one human beings instincts  .  it is very difficult to get it out root and branch  .  
 but you should at least consider your son's future  .  
 his mother  not me  should do this  .  
 he is really terrific  !  
 he was very clever when he was a boy  .  
 that black sheep  .  it serves him right  .  
 he was so rich in the past  .  maybe he  s regretting his past mistakes now  .  
 it  s too late  .  
 yeah  !  he  s very good at showing off his knowledge  .  
 a welllearned person never does that  .  
 i was playing a joke on you  .  
 that  s too much  .  
 dear  forgive me  .  i won  t do that again  .  
 does he do that with his dad  ?  i mean  does he complain things to his father  ?  
 he never does  and in fact  he seldom communicates with him  .  
 but didn  t you say that his dad takes him under his wings  ?  
 yes  i did  .  he only takes side with him  .  he seldom asks what dick is doing  .  
 he  s doing fine  .  a new broom sweeps clean  .  
 he brings with him some talented people from his former city  .  
 i think we  ll benefit a lot  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 she learns to speak latin by osmosis within three months  .  
 she is really something  .  
 i didn  t go anywhere  .  i stayed at home  .  
 what 's up  ?  you look unhappy  .  
 nothing  .  i just feel very lonely in this city  .  i miss my family  .  
 oh  i know  .  sometimes i have the same feeling with you  .  but you 'd better not be so emotional  .  
 can you stay and accompany me for a while  ?  
 sure  no problem  .  you can call me any time you are alone from now on  .  
 thank you so much  .  you are so sweet  .  
 not at all  .  we are friends  .  
 thanks  carla  .  that 's quite a compliment coming from you  .  you always dress so tastefully  .  
 well  that dress certainly shows your good taste  .  it must have cost a lot  .  
 no  not much  .  i got it on sale at the mall  60  off  .  
 really  ?  you 're an amazing bargain hunter  !  next time there 's a sale  promise you 'll let me tag along with you  .  
 it 's a promise  .  
 do you think it looks good on me  ?  
 yes  and it goes beautifully with your pants  .  
 you wo n't believe it  but it was really cheap  .  
 i wish i could find one just like it  .  
 do you really like it  ?  
 yes  it looks perfect  .  
 it was n't very expensive either  .  
 that 's amazing  !  
 thanks  mark  .  i used to be a member of the school choir  .  
 no wonder you can control your voice so well  .  you are a professional singer  .  
 well  you are flattering me  .  i would n't say i am a professional  but i did receive some training at school  .  my music teacher used to be a professional singer  .  
 well  a good teacher makes good students  .  
 you are quite right  .  
 do you think it fits me  ?  
 yes  .  it looks terrific  !  
 i bought it at half price  .  
 you were lucky to find it  .  
 thank you  .  i was lucky this time  .  
 i think luck played a very small part in your victory  .  it is solely due to your hard work and efforts  .  that brings honor to you and joy to us  .  
 i am flattered  .  
 it is real word  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 thank you  but i hate having to leave here and working abroad  .  
 when are you going  ?  
 sometime next month  .  
 you have done excellent work  .  
 i 'm going to britain  .  
 really  ?  how did you get the chance  ?  
 i have been accepted by oxford university on phd  .  
 my warmest congratulations on your entering the oxford university  .  
 i really appreciate your kind words  .  
 sorry  .  were you trying to sleep  ?  
 yes  please ask when you want to borrow my records next time  .  
 i 'm sorry  .  you 're right  .  i should have asked  .  
 but not as good as your mother 's  right  ?  
 actually  it 's better  .  .  .  
 what  ?  are you kidding  ?  
 no  .  it was the only dish she was n't good at  .  so we could use you as the new head chef  .  .  .  
 oh  uncle giovanni  .  that 's wonderful  !  thank you  !  thank you  !  
 ok  ok  .  get back to work  .  there 's someone waiting for you in the kitchen  .  .  .  
 are you ok  ?  i did n't mean to put you in danger  .  
 i 'm the hazardous one here  .  i made three people fall over  !  
 that takes talent  .  .  .  
 i 'm so humiliated  !  what 's that man saying  ?  everyone 's laughing  !  
 he said you obviously prefer greek comedies to greek tragedies  .  
 no  and i have no way of getting ahold of him  !  there 's no phone where he 's at  !  
 well  he has a surprise waiting for him when he gets back  does n't he  !  
 my older sister judy will be here soon to help  .  she already has a boy and a girl of her own  .  .  .  
 i just saw a red van pulling into the driveway  .  is that her  ?  
 many of the slower dances are danced to the lyrics of tragedies  .  he meant that you turned it into a comedy  .  
 well  i 'm glad i made everyone happy  .  
 he meant it in a good way  .  you added a little spice to the performance  .  
 i 'm glad you guys all have such a good sense of humor  .  haha  .  .  .  
 of course  !  that 's why i always say  eat  drink and be greek  !  
 it 's a little early for those  is n't it  ?  i still have eight months to go  .  .  .  
 believe me  the time will fly by  !  before you know it  you 'll be changing diapers  !  you have to start preparing  !  
 i thought we could turn the upstairs study into a baby room  .  what do you think about lavender  ?  
 i 'll be back tomorrow with my work clothes and a gallon of lavender paint  !  you just sit back and relax  !  
 yes  i did  .  
 what did you think of it  ?  
 i do n't think much of the film  .  
 i think it is the worst one i have ever seen  .  
 oh  i 'm not sure i agree with you  .  it was not a good one  but it was not the worst one  .  actually  it was n't too bad  .  
 i ca n't think the same  .  
 what 's more  some scenes were good  much fit for the children  .  
 i could n't agree with you  .  
 i hope nothing is wrong  .  
 please forgive me  but i have to leave  .  i feel terrible  .  but  .  .  .  
 what 's the matter  ?  
 my daughter is n't feeling well  .  
 oh  no  .  is it serious  ?  
 i do n't know  .  will you forgive me  ?  
 of course  .  i 'm sorry for your daughter  .  
 thank you  .  it 's our first date  .  i hope it 's not too offensive  .  
 not at all  .  
 pretty good  .  i  ve just had my new poems published  .  
 congratulations on your success  .  
 thank you  .  
 and how  s your brother  ?  
 he is fine  .  
 he  s going to be sent to britain to study  really  ?  
 yes  .  he  s already got the passport and visa  .  
 fantastic  !  please send him my congratulations  .  
 thank you  .  he  s very lucky indeed  .  
 i 'm sorry to have made you disappointed  .  
 that 's all right  .  but why were you so rude to me at lunch  .  
 was i  ?  sorry  i did n't mean to be  .  i do apologize  .  
 and why are you yarning now  ?  are you bored  ?  
 forgive me darling  .  i 'm very tired  .  
 i think a mountain village is splendid  !  
 i do n't agree with you  .  it 's too small to live  .  
 it has fresh air  and it is nicer than a big town  .  
 i disagree  a big town is more lively  .  
 but i like the small mountain village  .  the big town is noisy  .  how charming it is when walking along the hill  !  
 well  alright  i agree with you about that  but i still prefer a big town  .  
 i 'm sick of it  too  .  
 the door bell does n't work  there 's no hot water  and the building is falling apart  .  
 it 's no use complaining  .  if we had got enough money  we could n't put up with it  and would have moved out  .  
 sure  .  
 how could i feel easy  ?  i  m really pissed  .  
 but you should avoid fingerpointing when you haven  t got the real facts  .  
 ok  .  i  ll try my best to calm down first  .  
 oh  i am very sorry  hans  .  thank you for waiting for me  .  you must have been here a long time already  .  
 it  s all right  .  
 i was caught in the heavy rain  or i would have come earlier  .  i am sorry i kept you waiting  .  
 i was in a comfortable place  so really  it  s no problem  .  i am happy to see you  .  did the rain hold you up long  ?  
 yes  .  when i came out of the subway  it was raining cats and dogs  .  and i forgot my umbrella  .  so i had to wait for the rain to let up  .  
 i totally understand  .  
 she didn  t expect to get a kick in the teeth after a day  s hard work  .  
 poor girl  !  
 not much  except that my motherinlaw is driving me up the wall  .  
 what 's the problem  ?  
 she loves to nitpick and criticizes everything that i do  .  i can never do anything right when she 's around  .  
 for example  ?  
 well  last week i invited her over to dinner  .  my husband and i had no problem with the food  but if you listened to her  then it would seem like i fed her old meat and rotten vegetables  .  there 's just nothing can please her  .  
 no  i ca n't see that happening  .  i know you 're a good cook and nothing like that would ever happen  .  
 it 's not just that  .  she also criticizes how we raise the kids  .  
 my motherinlaw used to do the same thing to us  .  if it was n't disciplining them enough  then we were disciplining them too much  .  she also complained about the food we fed them  the schools we sent them too  and everything else under the sun  .  
 you said she used to  ?  how did you stop her  ?  
 we basically sat her down and told her how we felt about her constant criticizing  and how we welcomed her advice but hoped she 'd let us do our things  .  she understood  and now everything is a lot more peaceful  .  
 that sounds like a good idea  .  i 'll have to try that  .  
 hi  gary  what happened  ?  i was waiting for you at the theater  .  why didn  t you meet me there  ?  
 i thought we were supposed to meet here  .  
 don  t you know our movie starts at seven  ?  and we were going to meet at the theater at five to seven  .  then it doesn  t make sense to meet at the apartment  .  
 i  m sorry  .  we must have misunderstood each other  .  
 why don  t you try to be clearer about your intentions  ?  
 you  re right  .  i am sorry  .  let  s go and watch the movie  .  
 it  s okay  .  i don  t want to go now  .  we  ve already missed ten minutes of the movie  .  i don  t want to see a movie without watching the beginning  .  
 no  .  actually i can stay longer  .  dave called to say that there is a beautiful chinese girl who  s going to pick me up at the school gate tonight at ten thirty instead of eight thirty  .  
 oh  that  s better  .  so you don  t have to rush  .  
 yeah  .  you know what dave just said  ?  
 what  ?  
 he said i should put on something very nice  because this girl will be my next target  .  
 he knows you very well  .  
 he always makes fun of me  .  he always says things like that  .  you know the new coming teacher  a chinese canadian  .  he said she would really be my chance  .  
 i  m sure you have chances everywhere  .  you  re handsome  talkative  and got a sense of humor  .  you must be very popular  .  
 no  you  re kidding  .  i  m not taking it seriously  .  
 i  m sure you do miss that type of cooking  .  but can  t you try to get used to western food  ?  
 i have tried  .  but americans like butter  bread  sugar  and cream too much  .  
 i suppose you  re right  lee  .  maybe that  s why so many westerners are overweight  .  
 it  s interesting that americans work very hard at their jobs  do not take naps during the day  and yet they can be so heavy  .  
 you see  because we are often busy working  we eat too much fast food  and that food is very fattening  .  
 why don  t you find a new career where you can do what you enjoy  being outside working during the day  ?  
 what do you suggest  ?  i can  t afford to quit my job until i get a new one  .  
 maybe you have two choices  .  you could attend school during the day  or you could get a position that provides training  .  
 really  it 's so beautiful  .  
 you like it  .  well  i 'll gather in for you  .  
 you must n't pick it in this place  .  
 where it is  ?  
 it 's a private garden  .  
 that 's absolutely ridiculous  !  
 yes  can i return this article  please  ?  
 may i know the reason  madam  ?  
 you see  i bought it for my husband  but he does n't like it  .  
 when did you buy it  ?  
 last saturday  .  
 can i see the receipt  ?  
 yes  here you are  .  
 well  if there is no damage  you can return it  .  
 it makes me sick  .  
 that may be so  but reading them is an important way to expand your knowledge  .  
 i could n't agree with you more  .  
 sure  i 'd love to  .  
 just tell the truth  .  i won  t take it personally  .  
 well  .  .  .  hum  .  you are sure you won  t lose control of yourself  ?  
 sometimes it 's wise to be direct with people  .  come on  just tell me  .  do n't beat around the bush  please  !  
 well  .  since you  d like an honest answer  i will tell you the truth  .  
 alright  .  what is that you want to tell me  ?  
 we  ve won two free tickets to hawaii for a sevenday vacation  !  
 what  ?  are you serious  ?  oh  my gosh  !  there will be guys everywhere  .  
 i do n't know  .  well  my contract here is for one year  and i do n't know what i should do after that  .  maybe going around for a while  .  
 well  have you ever thought about learning some chinese  ?  
 actually  i am learning that now  .  but it 's too hard for me  .  you know the four tones and the stuff  .  it really freaks me out  .  
 do n't worry  .  all things are difficult before they are easy  .  
 you hit the nail right on the head  .  
 well  are you invested in some languageexchange program  ?  
 what is it  ?  
 it 's where i teach you chinese  and in exchange you teach me english  .  
 awesome  .  i 've been giving this a lot of thought  .  when can we do this  ?  
 how about this sunday  ?  
 ok  cool  .  
 good  .  i 'll give you a call tonight  .  
 no problem  .  
 bye  .  
 sorry  i thought you knew  .  
 but you should tell me you were in love with her  .  
 did n't i  ?  
 you know you did n't  .  
 well  i am telling you now  .  
 yes  but you might have told me before  .  
 i did n't think you would be interested  .  
 you ca n't be serious  .  how dare you not tell me you are going to marry her  ?  
 sorry  i did n't think it mattered  .  
 oh  you men  !  you are all the same  .  
 i am not in the mood  .  
 why are you feeling depress  ?  
 i was told my girlfriend was speaking ill of me  .  it 's a real letdown  .  
 i do n't think she would do such a thing  .  
 but she did and it made me disappointed  .  
 oh  cheer up  !  a girlfriend is not everything  .  
 but she means a lot to me  .  
 then forgive her mistake  .  
 oh  i just ca n't forget it  .  
 do you have to remember every text  ?  
 yes  the teacher says recitation is real good  .  
 they 're discussing whether they should replace miss smith  the music teacher  .  
 why  ?  
 because she 's not responsible enough  .  
 i do n't find it very exciting  .  
 maybe you have n't found the magic  .  
 i ca n't wait  !  
 yeah . especially when you have something urgent to do  .  
 but a taxi costs too much  .  
 that 's true  .  
 but to me it 's really enjoyable  .  
 maybe it 's because you always have pretty girls as your partners  .  
 maybe so  .  
 young people enjoy pop songs more  .  
 it 's just like listening to a language which you know nothing at all  .  
 but you do n't have such a problem as to pop songs  .  
 the acting of the heroine is too artificial  .  
 and the plot is so simple  .  
 but it 's also a sort of exercise and it 's good to your health  .  
 i do n't care  !  
 you 're complaining again  .  
 i 'm sure you 'll soon begin to like it . it s such an interesting subject  .  
 but i do n't think i 'll ever show my liking to math  .  
 sorry to trouble you  .  but i do n't think this fish is fresh  .  it actually tastes a bit off  .  
 sorry  miss  .  i 'll place it immediately  can i get you another drink  or you wait  ?  
 no  please do n't do that  .  i 'd just like to return it  .  
 i 'm sorry  miss  but i 'm afraid we ca n't do that  .  you 'll order something else instead  .  i 'd love to suggest the steak  it 's the special today  and quite tasty  .  
 ok  then please bring me the steak mediunrare  thank you  .  
 ok  miss  .  i hope you enjoy the rest of your dinner  .  
 i am sorry too  .  i know we 've been talking about this beach trip for a while  .  i should have told bob i was busy this weekend  .  
 do n't be silly  .  you guys should spend as much time together as you can  .  besides we can go to the beach anytime  .  
 thanks for understanding  .  
 well that 's what being friends is about  is n't it  ?  
 hey  what if the three of us go to the beach together  ?  besides  you and bob have n't seen each other for a while  .  i do n't want my best friend and my boyfriend to be complete strangers  .  
 nah  i would n't worry about that  .  but i do n't want to be the third wheel  .  you two should have some quiet time to yourselves  .  
 i know bob wo n't mind  .  you can bring a date  like that guy from the bar you keep talking about  .  
 maybe  .  .  .  i 'll think about it  .  
 well  last night i had a big argument with ann  .  
 terrible  .  it must be something serious  .  you two are such close friends  .  
 now that i look back at it  it waws n't that big a deal  .  i should n't have lost my temper  .  
 really  ?  what happened  ?  
 it 's just we 've been planning to go the beach for a while  and we decided we could both make it this weekend  .  then out of nowhere she called me up  said her boyfriend had made plans and that she nee 
 that 's pretty harsh  .  
 i know  but i was so upset  .  i mean  come on  !  does she have to do everything her boyfriend says  ?  
 you know she probably feels just as bad  .  
 well  i think i was being a little selfish myself  .  i know they do n't get to see each other very often  .  
 well  in that case i guess maybe you can be more understanding  .  you should n't let a trivial thing like this stand in the way of your friendship  .  after all you can go to the beach anytime you want  .  
 yeah  i 'll call her later to patch things up  .  
 that 's very kind of you to say so  .  let 's try some afterdinner wines  .  
 great  .  sweet wines are my favorite  .  they always make a great finish to a decisions meal  .  
 do you prefer brandy or ports  .  
 port  please  .  
 excellent choice  .  i love its smooth flavor  .  
 the port is exquisite  .  it must have spent years aging in barrels  .  am i right  ?  
 yes  .  you always have a good nose for wines  .  
 next time we are about to dinner we should try some canadian ice wine  .  
 oh  what 's that  ?  
 it 's made from naturally frozen grapes  .  
 why not  ?  it sounds great  .  
 oh  here 's to your health  .  
 thanks  .  cheers  .  
 cheers  .  
 i 'm not sure  .  i have to check my schedule  .  where are you going  ?  
 oh  jake made a reservation at friday 's  .  
 jack  ?  
 yes  the one with the r  d team  .  is that a problem  ?  
 i will never go out with him anymore  .  
 why did you say so  ?  
 last time when we had dinner at the smith 's  it was a horrible experience  .  he had no manners at all  !  
 oh  really  ?  
 he made a lot of noises while eating  .  he talked with his mouth full and sipped loudly  .  
 are you kidding me  ?  how could he behave like that  ?  
 it is true  .  everyone kept looking at him  .  it was so embarrassing as i was sitting right next to him  .  
 what a shame  !  did n't he realized that  ?  
 i have no idea  .  he seemed to enjoy the dinner very much  .  
 maybe he should really something about eating etiquette  .  
 oh  he really should  .  
 what  s wrong  ?  that was a great goal  .  
 yes  but i bet  200 dollars on the cougars  !  
 looks like you  re going to lose out on this game then  .  
 i can  t believe it  !  i thought the cougars were going to win for sure  .  
 what were the odds  ?  
 20 to 1  in favour of the cougars  !  
 too bad  .  
 what is it  ?  what happened  ?  
 i think someone is stalking me  .  
 no  it ca n't be  .  really  ?  who  ?  
 i do n't know  .  i saw him the first time tuesday  .  he was at the cafe  .  i noticed he was looking at me a lot  .  not just the usual looking  but staring . he just kept staring at me  .  he did n't stop  .  
 what did you do  ?  
 i did n't do anything  .  finally  he left . but then i saw him again today  .  outside the shoe store  .  near the cafe  .  i went into a cd store and pretended i was looking at cd 's  .  but then he came in too  .  
 did he leave when you left  ?  
 yes  .  then i noticed he was on the sidewalk behind me  .  he was following me  .  
 what did you do  ?  
 that 's about five blocks  .  and around corners too . so he was definitely following you  .  
 yes  he was  .  i 'm not imagining it . finally  just when i got home  i turned around and looked at him . he was just standing there  .  he did n't smile  .  he just stood there  .  it was so obvious . what should i do  ?  i 'm so scared  .  can i call the police  ?  
 actually  i do n't think you can call the police  .  not yet at least . he has n't done anything  .  and probably the police will just ignore it . but if anything happens again  then maybe you should call  .  
 why ca n't i call the police now  ?  he was definitely following me  !  
 of course you can call the police if you want  .  that 's not what i mean  .  i 'm just saying that they probably wo n't do anything  .  
 i suppose  .  what can they do  ?  i do n't even know who he is  .  
 listen  carol  .  do n't let this bother you too much . probably it 's nothing  .  just keep your eyes open when you go out . if you see him a third time  and if he follows you again  then i think we should go to the police . but for now  just try not to worry  .  
 alright  .  and i wo n't go to that cafe for awhile  .  
 more or less  .  there 's just one thing bothering me  .  
 oh  ?  what 's that  ?  
 well  you know i have some students studying for their master 's degree  .  one of them tried to give me a gift that kind made me uneasy  .  
 what gift  ?  
 it 's an egyptian carpet  .  the student came to my office the other day and brought the carpet to show his gratitude  .  seeing what gift was  i was really uncomfortable  .  i mean it 's too expensive a gift 
 you refused the gift  ?  that 's terrible  .  
 i know  but i really ca n't accept such an expensive gift  .  i explained to him why  but he seemed really upset about it  .  i think he might have taken it the wrong way  .  
 perhaps  .  he probably thinks you considered the gift a bribe for a higher grade  .  
 that 's what i am worried about  .  i do understand the respect attached with the gift and i am honored  .  but i really do n't think it 's proper for a student to spend a fortune on a gift for a professor  .  
 yes  a little  .  
 i wonder if we can change the temperature  .  
 i tried before  .  there are no buttons on the air conditioning  .  
 there must be buttons  .  how do they turn it on and off  ?  
 i think it is centrally controlled  .  they control it at the main desk  .  
 well  they have it too cold in here  .  i want to be warmer  .  i wo n't be able to sleep  .  
 i 'm going downstairs for more drinking water  .  i will ask them  .  
 what did they say about the air conditioning  ?  
 they said it is centrally controlled . all the rooms are the same  .  they ca n't change it  .  
 that 's stupid  .  how can i sleep in this  ?  
 you can wear more clothes  .  
 what happened  ?  
 it seems that yesterday the mexican government declared would n't pay back the loans it got from the world bank . the government declared a default on the loans  .  
 that 's serious  .  
 i know  .  the economy here is having serious problems . but because the government declared a default  the currency value went way down  .  
 so now mexican pesos are worth about half as much  .  
 yes  it 's an amazing drop  .  
 wow  .  i feel sorry for the mexicans  .  but it 's good for us  .  
 yes  it 's very good  .  we suddenly have twice as much money to spend here . our hotel is now half as expensive as when we got here  !  is n't that strange  ?  
 yes  and you know what  ?  
 what  ?  
 i do n't really like this hotel that much . so tonight  now that we are so rich  tonight why do n't we stay in the most expensive hotel in town  ?  
 why not  ?  we should do it  .  because now we can afford it  .  
 it was fun  i tell you  .  
 tell me about it  will you  ?  
 well  we drove through the valley on our way there in the morning  .  it was a magnificent sight  !  
 did you stop at the fall for some pictures  ?  
 sure  we would n't miss that for anything  .  after that  we took a short cut to the park  .  there was very little traffic  so we got there in less than an hour  .  
 you were lucky then  .  
 yeah  we spent the whole morning under the tall trees  .  we had our picnic there  too  .  
 what did you do after that  ?  
 we went for a swim in the sea  .  that was the biggest part of the day  .  just look at my nice tan  !  
 so you must have had a busy and enjoyable day yesterday  .  
 yes  you are right  .  and i was so tired out that i fell asleep on the way back  .  my muscles are still stiff from the swim yesterday  .  
 not yet  .  
 in just three weeks  and i am excited  .  but there are still a few things i need to do before i go  .  
 like what  ?  
 like renewing my passport  going to the travel agency to buy my plane ticket and figuring out what to do with my apartment while i 'm gone  .  
 you are not going to give it up  are you  ?  
 no way  .  i 'll never find another apartment around here  .  but i do n't like the idea of paying three months rent on an empty apartment  either  .  
 i do n't blame you  .  perhaps you could sublet it  .  
 yes  but whom to  ?  
 mmm  .  .  .  let me think  .  oh  i know just a person  .  an old colleague of mine  jim thomas  is coming here to do some research this summer  from june to august  .  
 that 's exactly when i 'll be away  .  it sounds ideal  as long as the landlord agrees  .  
 tell you what  i 'll be calling jim late this week anyway  so i 'll mention it to him then  .  
 well  thanks  bill  .  let me know what happens  .  that extra money will really come in handy  .  
 i know  we 've met  .  
 i did n't know you knew frank  .  
 yes  we met last year at a conference  .  
 i know what you mean  .  
 really  ?  
 yes  he did the same to me  .  
 what for  ?  
 well  i would say that i  m just drifting   here  in the pool  .  
 why  ?  
 well  it  s very comfortable just to drift here  .  
 have you thought about graduate school  ?  
 no  .  
 would you mind telling me then  what were those four years of college for  ?  what was the point of all that hard work  ?  
 you got me  .  
 now listen  ben  .  look  i think it  s a very good thing that a young man  after he  s done some very good work  should have a chance to relax and enjoy himself  and lie around  and drink beer and so on  .  but after a few weeks i believe that person should want to take some stock in himself and his situation and start to think about getting off his ass  .  
 i 'm sorry  .  
 i feel like something good to eat  .  
 how about going to joe 's restaurant  .  
 hey  that sounds a good idea  .  
 pretty good  sam  .  only the awful weather  you know  .  
 that  s right  .  i  ve never really liked it since i got here  .  
 me either  but i  m dealing with it anyway  .  
 well  i  ve got some papers due  .  
 really  ?  so what  s the news  ?  
 not too good yet  .  better than i was though  .  
 come on  .  cheer up  !  
 it seems like he 's not coming  .  
 can you give him a call on his mobile  ?  
 sure  .  
 what 's the big deal  ?  
 it 's friday  .  
 really  who started the argument  ?  
 he did and it 's his entire fault  .  
 did you know it takes two to tango  ?  
 i do n't have any plans  .  
 there are three of them  the three tenors  .  
 oh  you mean pavarotti  domingo and carreras  .  have you been to their live shows  ?  
 yeah  it 's really a unique experience  .  it 's a solo concert by pavarotti  .  he put on the performance in the forbidden city in beijing  .  
 i 've heard of that one  .  it was also his swan song  .  
 besides  speaking of classical music  we should never forget about the new year 's concert  .  
 of course not  .  people all over the world watch it on tv  or listen to it on the radio  .  
 sure  .  it 's undoubtedly one of the biggest classical music events  .  have you ever been to the live show  ?  
 yes  i went to the new year 's concert in 2005  .  
 wow  you are so lucky  .  i saw that one on tv  .  but it must be so different to be there in the concert hall  .  
 that 's for sure  .  you know  it 's really amazing to be in the best concert hall  listening to the performance by the best orchestra  .  i had the greatest time ever  .  
 who was the conductor at that event  ?  
 lorin maazel  .  he did an amazing job  .  moreover  he just celebrated his 75th birthday  .  
 so cool  .  i wish i can go to the live new year 's concert someday in the future  .  
 the right opportunity for you would come along soon  .  you know  music is transnational  .  
 i believe in that  .  well  the performance is about to begin  .  let 's be quiet  .  
 i think so  .  
 no  what happened  ?  
 they had an argument and split up  .  
 really  what 's going to happen now  ?  
 what about the yellowstone national park  ?  
 have you ever been there  ?  
 yes  .  the scenery is so breathtaking  .  
 what is especially impressive  ?  
 there are thousands of hot springs and fountains  .  the park is known for them  .  
 is there a waterfall  ?  
 yes  .  the wellknown yellowstone waterfall is formed when the yellowstone lake falls down into the yellowstone canyon  .  
 what an attractive place  !  how can i get there  ?  
 you can take no  .  2 bus  .  
 it was a piece of cake  .  
 sure  .  
 in a while  crocodile  .  
 what have you done  ?  
 going shopping  .  it tires me too much  .  
 why do n't you go shopping online  ?  
 can i  ?  
 why not  ?  let me recommend a website  .  
 ok  .  what does it sell  ?  
 it sells almost everything you can see in the department  .  
 that 's great  .  
 i 'm going to buy a cd  .  
 why not listen to music online  ?  
 then i will have to pay quite a lot to listen to music on line  is n't it  ?  
 you can audition music on line  and you can audition it off line after downloading it  so you need n't pay for it  .  
 i have downloaded one  but it still ca n't be listened  .  
 in order to listen to music  you must have the necessary software  .  
 can you recommend some to me  ?  
 certainly  .  realplayer is a good  .  
 can i download it  ?  
 yes  but you need install it after downloading so that you can use it  .  
 i 'll try it tonight  .  
 oh  yes  .  i love playing badminton  table tennis and computer games  .  and playing the games has become my favorite  .  
 i hear many teenagers will spend hours and hours sitting at computers  .  and they do n't care about their own health at all  .  how about you  ?  
 i 'm no better than them  .  they say it 's mindless to sit in front of a machine all the time  but i think it 's stimulating  .  
 you wo n't play online games full of violence  will you  ?  
 once in a while  .  
 it 's no good  .  and i think spending several hours each day playing computer games is a waste of time  .  you might as well do something healthy and meaningful  .  
 i hope i can practice selfcontrol again  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 sure  .  what 's up  ?  
 you too  .  
 really  ?  what a shame  !  i thought she was going to win this one  .  
 me  too  .  i 'm sure she 'll do better in the next tournament  .  
 well  that 's life  .  
 sure  .  what do you know about the olympic games on the past  ?  for example  do you know where and when the first olympic games were held in the ancient times  ?  
 it was held in 776 b  .  c  .  at olympia  .  it also has a long history of more than 2700 years  .  
 have n't the olympics been stopped for a long time  ?  
 yes  there were no games in 1916  1940 and 1944  because of world war i and world war ii  .  
 i see  .  look  do you know what that emblem means  ?  i 've seen it so many times  but i do n't know what it stands for  .  
 oh  it 's the beijing 2008 olympics emblem  .  it 's a chinese seal  meaning that chinese people warmly welcome the friends from all over the world  .  
 i see  .  i believe there will be lots of foreigners coming to beijing to watch the games  .  
 sure  .  
 maybe you two should go see a marriage counselor  .  
 how old is your friend and why does n't he know how to read  ?  
 he 's 78 and he 's a new emigrant from south america and he 's never been to school  .  
 does he even know how to speak english  ?  
 no  .  but i thought that you could start with reading and then go from there  .  
 that was very thoughtful of you to volunteer me  .  
 come on  .  you 're great at teaching and i know you will love him  .  he 's adorable  !  
 oh  all right  .  have him come over here for dinner  .  but you get to make dinner  !  
 what 's the matter  ?  
 every time i try to start this program  the computer freezes  .  
 maybe there 's something wrong with the program  .  
 it bears a great many of advantages  but also some weak points  .  
 is it  ?  i 've never thought of any disadvantages of the mobile phone  .  
 for instance  the mobile phone seriously distracts the attention of people from work and study  .  
 that 's true  .  some people pay too much attention to their mobile phones  .  
 actually  it 's not the fault of the mobile phone  .  but people should have a proper attitude towards it  .  mobile phone is a tool serving people  not the fetters restricting them  .  
 god  !  do n't you think they should get you an assistant  ?  
 yes  they were supposed to  but so far nobody 's turned up  and i have to do the work alone  .  this is the first break i 've had all day  .  
 they 're really running you into the ground  .  why do n't you ask for some time off  ?  you could take a long weekend and have a good rest  .  
 i 'm afraid i ca n't before i finish this project  .  
 you 'd better pay more attention to your health  .  
 i will  thanks for your concern  .  
 you 're welcome  .  
 yeah  .  water pollution has for a long time been a major concern among the environmental issues  .  
 but what are the sources of water pollution  ?  
 they could generally be divided into two categories 
 well  direct ones are the pollution directly from factories  refineries waste treatment plants etc  .   aren  t they  ?  
 yeah  .  they are emitted directly into urban water supplies  .  
 but what about the indirect ones  ?  
 indirect sources include contaminants that enter the water supply from soils or groundwater systems and from the atmosphere via rainwater  .  
 i see  .  for the sake of us all  we should be an active participator in the prevention of it  .  
 sure  .  it 's an issue asking for everyone 's participation  .  
 well  you 've been working on this assignment for five hours  .  
 yeah  i need to take a break  .  
 what 's going on  ?  
 there is a position i 've had my eye on for several months now and i had good reason to believe that it was mine for the asking  .  
 so what happened  ?  
 we were awarded government funding last year and in order to keep it we have to hire so ay new employees  .  
 so what does that have to do with this position  ?  
 someone in the main office has a nephew who he thinks can slide right into the management position i wanted  .  
 all under the precept of keeping the funding  ?  that stinks  .  
 network is omnipresent nowadays  .  it 's quite convenient for people  .  you see  we can download music and information from the internet  i can study from it  too  .  and the most of all  we can compose  send  and receive emails  .  
 yeah  you are right  .  internet makes our lives easier  .  but it 's a twoblade sword  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 i mean internet brings benefit a lot  but also some disadvantages  .  for example  many youngsters are addicted to the games and they neglect their study  or some bad guys steal people 's money online  etc  .  
 i agree  .  but i think although it has some negative effects  on the whole internet does more good to us than harm  .  
 yeah  you are right  .  but we have to know how to make good use of it  .  
 sounds interesting  i have n't gone boating for some time now  and what time  ?  
 how about tomorrow afternoon  ?  
 sure  .  where shall i meet you  ?  
 at the gate of the park  .  
 great  .  i look forward to meeting you  .  
 see you then  .  
 see you  .  
 i like to live here and enjoy my neighbors company  .  and i do n't think i should waste money just because i have much of it  .  
 but i found you always hate to part with your money  .  look at the car you drive  it 's such a junker  !  
 oh  the car is old but still in good condition  .  i just think we should be thrifty  whether you are rich or not  .  
 but  .  .  .  but  .  .  .  
 but what  ?  just remember that thrift is not only a great virtue  but also a great revenue  .  
 maybe you are right  .  
 hi  how are you doing  ?  
 fine  thanks  .  i am wang lin  .  
 glad to meet you  wang lin  .  i am mary  .  
 is this your first time in beijing  ?  
 yes  .  my company has an office here  and i have just been transferred  .  
 here is my phone number  .  if you need anyone to show you around  call me  .  
 great  .  i would like that  .  
 it was a foreign film called gone with the wind  .  
 really  ?  i 've seen that movie  too  .  
 how did you like the movie  ?  
 i thought it was pretty good  .  
 i ca n't say i agree  .  
 you 're kidding  .  the storyline and acting were outstanding  .  
 i guess i expected too much from the movie  so i was a bit disappointed  .  
 it might be  .  
 oh  come on  .  you know it 's a long process  you have to be patient  .  
 i know it  but i do n't know when i can make it better  .  
 a  whatever you do  the most important is perseverance  .  so you have to hang on there  the longer  the better  .  then some day  you will find you 've already made a lot of progress  .  
 yeah  you are right  .  i must stop complaining and stick to it every day  .  
 yeah  !  where there is a will  there is a way  .  
 saturday  ?  oh  i have a previous engagement  .  
 what a pity  !  then how about sunday  ?  
 i 've already got plans  too  .  
 then when do you think we could go out together  ?  
 how about friday  ?  only in that day can i arrange it  .  
 ok  .  any time on friday will be ok with me  .  
 that 's settled then  .  i 'll contact you later  .  
 is that the boxoffice  ?  
 yes  .  
 i 'd like to book two tickets for the film jane eyre for this evening  please  .  
 just a minute please  .  oh  i 'm sorry  all the tickets for tonight have been sold out  .  
 what a pity  !  how about tomorrow evening  ?  
 oh  you 're lucky  there are just two tickets left  .  do you want to take them  ?  
 wonderful  i 'll take them  .  
 ok  your name and telephone number please  .  
 wang min  .  telephone number is 13811658  .  can i pick the tickets this afternoon  ?  
 yes  of course  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 stop fussing  !  it is said that the training is important for our newcomers  .  and my company also informs me to attend the training next week  .  
 but for me  the training is waste of my precious time  .  
 i disagree with you  .  companies usually make a workable and reasonable plan for the trainings  so as to improve new comers understanding of the company and its rules in short time  .  through the training  we get to know many things  such as the corporate culture and spirit  .  our newcomers can really grasp the essence of the company 
 yes  .  i like winter  .  
 me too  .  
 it 's snowing heavily  .  what about taking a walk  ?  
 that 's a good idea  .  let 's go  !  
 what a heavy snow  !  look  !  the water is frozen  .  
 take care  !  do n't slip on the ground  .  
 i 've got it  .  i like the feeling of stepping on the ice  .  
 yes  .  very wonderful  .  
 there is a snowman over there  .  
 how lovely it is  !  
 but the ref did n't whistle  .  
 i think he favors the host team  .  
 anyway  the host team seems to fight for the gold  .  
 oh  yes  .  i got so tired  .  my son began to cry the moment we got on the train  .  it was very embarrassing because we took the overnight train and the noise made it difficult for other people in the cabin to sleep  .  
 did n't you bring his favorite toy  ?  
 yes  we did  .  fortunately we put his teddy bear in the bag  and finally he fell asleep at midnight with it in his arms  .  
 where did you go  ?  you 've got a beautiful tan  .  
 my wife did n't like to go to amusement parks  so we compromised and finally went to the seaside  .  i think vacation in summer is not good  .  
 you must have had a great time  .  most children love to play in the sand on the beach and go swimming  .  
 yes  he was every excited to see the blue sea and picked up many seashells to give as gift for his classmates in kindergarten  .  
 his friends will be very happy to get the little souvenir  .  
 and i taught him how to swim in the sea  .  it was fun and made him braver than before  .  after we returned home  he was n't afraid to sleep alone in his bedroom  .  
 neither  .  the game ended in two all  .  
 but i still think ac milan's defence seems better organized  .  
 but the brazilian is tougher  .  
 how old is he  ?  
 twelve  .  he 's very sensible for his age  .  
 women in particular  .  they are anxious to get rid of those thick and clumsy winter suits and put on their new fashionable spring dress  .  
 well  when summer comes  the weather is hot and the leaves turn darkgreen  the sun is blazing and the air is threatening  .  no one would like to stay in the open air for long  .  
 that 's true  .  in summer  the first place people want to go is a spacious room with airconditioning or a quiet river or swimming pool  .  
 i myself like very much to listen to the singing of some of the insects  especially the singing of cicadas  .  
 in autumn  almost all fruits are ripe and all crops are waiting to be harvested  .  
 and you can hear singing and laughing everywhere  !  people are happy in autumn because autumn brings them harvest and richness and prosperity  !  
 well  winter is a season for relaxation  do you agree with me  ?  
 well  it 's hard to say  .  for the fields and rivers  winter is a relaxing season  but for farmers  i think they might take a rest physically  but mentally they are still busy thinking  planning and calculating for the working of the next year  .  
 maybe you are right  .  
 i like collecting stamps  .  
 but it 's an expensive hobby  is n't it  ?  
 yes  you 're right  .  what do you like to do in your spare time  ?  
 i usually play chess with my friends  .  but i like playing basketball best  .  
 do you play basketball well  ?  
 no  i 'm not very good at it  .  i play just for the fun of it  .  
 shall we have a game together some day  ?  
 ok  that 'd be very nice  .  
 just so so  .  last night i met this great guy at the bar and we had such a wonderful time  so we decided to meet again tonight  .  
 oh  that 's exciting  .  what does this guy look like  ?  is he hot  ?  
 well  i did n't think so at first  .  but as we started talking  i found him extremely funny and witty  .  i could n't stop laughing at his jokes  !  and we have so much in common  .  we like the same team  music  and most amazingly  we both love chinese food  !  i have the feeling that we are going to be great friends  .  
 it seems you two are a good match  .  what qualities do you look for in a friend  ?  
 there 's nothing definite i think  .  i do n't have a list or anything  but when i first meet somebody  i can usually tell whether or not that person is going to be a good friend  .  it seems i have radar helping me spot new friends  .  
 well  that 's something i 've never heard of  .  but if you ask me what i value most in a friend  i would say honesty  .  
 i agree  .  you ca n't expect a close relationship with a dishonest person  .  those are the people that will turn their back on you when you are in need  .  
 yeah  i know  .  a friend in need is a friend indeed  .  i do n't need fairweather friends either  .  
 i am a girl of many interests  .  i like dance  chess  collecting stamps  travelling and taking photos  .  
 what kind of dance do you like  ?  
 i like rumba and tango  .  
 great  .  i am not interested in chinese chess  .  it is too difficult for me  .  
 you can learn chinese checkers or military chess  .  both of them are much easier  .  
 ok  i will try  .  as for stamp  do n't you think it is an expensive hobby  ?  
 yes  it is  .  but it is full of fun and knowledge  .  what about you  what do you like to do as hobby  ?  
 i like gardening  .  i take care of them everyday  .  i like those flowers and the swing in my garden  .  if the weather is nice  i would like to lie on the lawn  .  
 sounds pleasant  .  
 it 's ok  .  it seems we have a lot in common  .  
 oh  really  ?  that is great news  .  what does he look like  ?  
 he is tall and slim  fairhaired  .  
 sounds like he is pretty cute  .  what do you think of him  ?  
 he is a nice guy and very considerate  .  i am impressed with how smart he is and he has a great sense of humor  .  
 oh  it 's love at first sight  .  when will you see each other again  ?  
 he did n't say  but he said he would call me  .  
 maybe he is busy with his work  .  just wait and try not to think about it too much  !  
 oh  david  .  stop it  !  i am a bit nervous  !  what should i do if he does n't call me  ?  
 come on  mary  you 're a total catch  .  i bet he will call you  .  do n't worry  .  
 thank you  david  .  you 're always so encouraging  .  
 that 's what friends are for  .  
 thank you  peter  .  come into the dining room  .  we are going to cut the cake soon  .  
 ok  who is that girl  ?  
 that 's cathy  .  she is pretty  is n't she  ?  she likes dancing  .  ask her to dance  .  
 well  i do n't know  .  
 do n't be afraid  .  she is n't going to bite you  .  
 who is afraid  ?  i am not afraid  .  
 you mean with my performance  ?  
 yes  !  we have all assumed that you were the quiet  shy type  .  
 i guess everyone has a few secrets up their sleeve  .  
 where did you learn to sing like that  ?  
 i was part of a band in school  .  
 you  ?  wow  .  and why do n't you ever dress like that at work  ?  
 come on  !  this is work  .  do n't you think that would be a little weird  ?  
 we 're going to that new restaurant for lunch  .  would you like to join us  ?  
 let 's stop the car and enjoy it for a minute  .  
 here is a good place  .  let 's get out  .  
 wow  .  we do n't get to see this in the city  !  
 mother nature is quite an artist  .  
 look behind us at the mountains  !  they 're reflecting pink  !  
 amazing  .  the sun is almost gone and yet there is still color everywhere  !  
 where is our camera  ?  let 's see if we can catch this on film  !  
 yeah  what 's up  ?  
 i 'm going to go hiking  .  do you want to join me  ?  
 you look great  !  however  i think you are a little over dressed for dinner  .  
 did n't they say we 're going to the ritz  ?  
 yes  but not the ritz carlton  the  ritz  is a pizza place with peanut shells on the floor  .  
 in that case  let me make a quick change into my street clothes  .  
 i 'll wait right here for you superman  .  
 ta da  !  let 's go to the ritz  !  
 can we go to the carlton next time and can you wear that fabulous suit  ?  
 oh  .  hi matt  .  i went snowboarding yesterday and my whole body aches  .  
 was it your first time  ?  
 yeah  .  and i never want to go again  .  
 i remember the first time i went  .  my back was sore  i could n't sit down because it hurt my butt  and my legs would cramp if i walked too fast  .  
 that 's exactly how i feel now  .  
 it 's only like that the first couple of times  .  
 ha  .  there wo n't be a next time  .  
 you gotta give it a chance  .  it 's fun after awhile  .  
 i 'll think about it after i start feeling better  .  right now  i do n't even want to hear the word snowboarding  .  
 no  .  what  ?  
 he got arrested on friday night and spent the night in jail  .  
 no  .  really  what happened  ?  
 well  it was all a big mistake  actually  .  he got home on friday night really late  and apparently he 'd been out drinking with some clients  so he was really drunk  .  
 was he out with the guys from the bank  ?  
 yes  i think so  .  
 oh  yeah  they always get really drunk  .  
 well  anyway  he 'd somehow lost his wallet and his house keys  so he could n't get in  .  he lives alone  you know  .  
 oh  really  .  i thought he lived with his wife  .  
 no  she left him last year  .  
 oh  really  ?  do you know why  ?  
 hang on  let me finish telling you what happened  .  where was i  ?  
 he lost his wallet and keys  .  
 oh yes  well  he tried to climb in through the bathroom window  but apparently he slipped and broke the glass with his foot  .  the neighbors heard him and thought a robbery was in progress  so they called the police  .  
 oh  no  .  
 yes  .  so when the cops arrived  they did n't believe his story 
 so then what happened  ?  
 well  when he sobered up  he called someone from work to come and bail him out  .  
 well  that 's a bit of a tricky situation  .  
 yes  i know  .  
 well you know  claiming that your grandmother is sick is the classic excuse used to get out of doing something  .  
 oh man  i hate rejection  .  it really makes you feel terrible  especially when you really liked the person  .  
 is there anything i can do to help  ?  just remember that i 'm there for you if you want to talk about it  .  
 hi martha  .  everything is perfect  .  
 are you enjoying married life  ?  
 it could n't be better  .  my husband is so supportive with my work and he helps around the house so much  .  
 you 're so lucky  .  i hope to get married to a guy like that  .  
 i 'm so happy  .  even though we are both working  we get to spend a lot of time with each other in the evening and on the weekends  .  
 do you guys do anything special  ?  
 in the evening  we just sit and talk over dinner  .  but on the weekend  we try to go out to the beach or hit a nice restaurant  or go to a nice cafe  .  
 sound like everything is great  .  
 i started to date someone recently  but it did n't work out  .  
 that 's too bad  .  what happened  ?  
 well  .  .  .  that 's a long story  .  
 really  ?  why  ?  what happened  ?  
 well  first of all  the taxi that was taking me from the client 's office to the airport broke down on the freeway  .  
 oh  no  .  
 yes  and the driver did n't speak any english or chinese and he did n't have a phone on himcan you believe it  ?   and his radio did n't work  .  so there was no way he could get in touch with the office to get them to send another taxi  .  
 so what did you do  ?  
 well  i actually thumbed a lift  .  
 you what  ?  
 yes  i stood on the side of the freeway and stuck my thumb out  and a passing truck stopped and took me to the airport  .  
 wow  good for you  .  
 yes  except he drove really slowly  and i missed my flight  .  
 oh  no  !  
 yes  so i had to wait three hours for the next one  .  i did n't get home till four in the morning  and when i got home i realized i 'd left my house keys in my hotel in bangkok  .  
 you really have bad luck  do n't you  ?  
 seems like it  .  
 i like girls who like to have fun  and are n't too serious  .  
 i agree  .  i like guys that can make me laugh  .  
 that 's true  .  having a very serious boyfriend or girlfriend can be boring  .  
 sorry  i do n't know  there 's something wrong with my watch  .  
 you 've simply forgotten to wind it up  have you  ?  when do you usually wind it up  ?  
 in the coming  before going to work  .  
 you got up so late today  .  you have  i think  .  turn on the tv and set your watch by it  .  
 ok  .  i 'll turn it on  .  
 all right  .  it 's just four o 'clock  .  
 well  i 'm setting my watch at four  .  thank you  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 ok  .  are you sure it 's funny  though  ?  
 well  you 'll see  .  
 ok  .  
 ok  an englishman  a scotsman  and an irishman were going on a trip across the desert  and they could only take one thing with them  .  
 i see  .  
 so they met up at the start of the journey and showed each other their equipment  .  
 oh  that 's funny  !  
 hang on  i have n't finished yet  .  
 oh  sorry  .  
 well  as i was saying  they showed each other what they had decided to bring  .  the englishman had brought some water  .   if we get thirsty  we 'll have something to drink   he said  .  the scotsman brought a map  .   if we get lost  we 'll be able to find our way  .   the irishman had brought a car door  .  
 a car door  ?  you mean just one car door  ?  
 yep  .  a car door  .   why the door  ?   the others asked him  .   well   he said   if it gets hot  we can open the window  .   do you get it  ?  
 well  .  .  .  
 you  re in america now  my british friend  .  we just call it football  .  
 oh  right  .  so  i can  t quite follow what  s going on  .  .  .  who  s winning  ?  
 the giants are up by three points because of the field goal they kicked  but the redskins have the ball and there pretty close to the end zone  .  
 wow  !  what a hit  !  
 yeah  he tackled him so hard his helmet came off  .  
 is he ok  ?  
 it looks like it  he  s getting up  .  
 i guess he hit him too hard  the referee just called a penalty on the home team  .  
 the giants  ?  
 yeah  .  
 well  here we go again  .  
 what happened  ?  why did everyone get so quiet  ?  
 the redskin  s quarterback just threw a touchdown pass for seven points  .  we  re losing again  .  
 yeah  i just got them  .  i started playing ice hockey in a community league  .  so  i finally got myself new skates  .  
 what position do you play  ?  
 i  m a defender  .  it  s a lot of fun  .  you don  t have to be able to skate as fast on defense  .  
 yeah  you  re a pretty big guy  .  i play goalie  myself  .  
 oh  yeah  ?  which team  ?  
 the rockets  .  
 really  ?  i think we play you guys next week  .  well  i have to go to practice  .  see you later  .  
 all right  see you later  .  
 we are going to climb a cliff on the colorado river  .  
 how hard is the climb  ?  
 it is a very difficult climb because there are not many places to put your hands and feet  .  
 what did you do last week  ?  
 we rappelled down the side of 300  foot cliff  .  it was very exciting  .  
 wow  !  that sounds like a lot of fun  .  i  m sorry i missed it  .  
 well  you should come this weekend  .  i think you could do the climb  .  
 yeah  i will  .  see you then  !  
 o  .  k  .  see you  .  
 i 'm just watching some television  .  
 i 'm so bored  .  i do n't know what i 'm going to do today and it is only ten in the morning  .  
 me too  .  do you think we are boring people  ?  
 i do n't think we are boring  .  it 's just that we do n't have any hobbies  .  
 that 's right  .  what do you think we should do as a hobby  ?  
 that all depends on what you like to do  .  for example  i like to doodle on the notepad  so i 'm thinking about doing some real drawings  .  
 i like to play the piano for fun  .  
 yeah  .  that can be a good hobby  .  
 hobbies are great  .  i 'm going to make a list of all the things i like to do  .  
 that 's a great idea  .  i 'm going to do the same  .  
 awesome  we went to australia and new zealand  .  
 that must have been wonderful  .  do anything interesting  ?  
 well  we went bungee jumping when we were in australia  .  
 wow  !  isn  t that dangerous  ?  
 a little  but the rush was worth it  .  
 tell me about it  .  
 we jumped off a bridge and fell 500 feet before the bungee cord caught us  .  
 500 feet  !  i would never be able to do that  .  
 yeah  it was scary  but exhilarating  .  
 really  ?  he is so great  .  
 you do n't want to join him  ?  
 surely i want  .  it 's quite popular nowadays  .  
 yes  and i want to have a try  .  
 i was n't quite prepared for the view of the earth as we left  .  it was just aweinspiring  .  it emerged from just a slightly curved horizon to a whole earth  where you could look across oceans and continents in a single glance  .  i was n't quite prepared for that  .  it 's inevitably etched in my memory  .  
 when viewing the earth from space  do you feel detached from humanity or more a part of the totality of humankind  ?  
 detached  .  you 're literally detached from one planet  captured by another  .  your only link to reality is the earth out there  fortunate  1y  it stays in view the whole time  .  
 there 're a lot of suspicions that the international space station is never going to become reality  .  is it going to be some future project that never happens  ?  
 i believe it 's certainly for real  .  it without question has suffered a lot of delays  .  but there 's hardware sitting on the pad right now and it 's due to go off in december  .  it is a reality  .  it has just taken longer to get literally off the ground  .  
 there were a lot of talks during the bush administration about a not too distant future mars mission  .  it seemed to fizzle out  .  do you think that this shuttle mission will reignite the public 's passion for space and get us to mars sooner  ?  
 i hope this flight is not just a onetime affair  that it does reignite people 's interest to push on  .  but only time will tell  .  
 you had gone to the moon twice  orbited space around the earth lots of times  and of course you have had the most amazing views that a human being can have  .  how long do we ordinary beings have to wait to feel the weightlessness  ?  i just ca n't wait  .  
 if i were the man making the decisions  you could get in line tomorrow  .  i strongly support ordinary people going into space  .  unfortunately  i do n't think it will be in the near future  .  
 no  not usually  .  most people are married in a church  and then the wedding party and guests go to another place for the reception  .  sometimes  however  they hold the reception in a big room in the church  .  
 where do they go  ?  
 either they go to a public place such as a hotel  a restaurant  or a club  or to the home of the brid 
 they go to the home of the bride  ?  
 why do you ask  ?  
 the chinese custom is to go to the groom 's homejust the opposite  .  
 oh  !  in our country the bride 's family is responsible for the entire weddingarrangement  costs  etc  .  so the reception is held at her home  .  
 that 's very expensive for the family of the bride  .  
 many american furthers joke that they would rather hold the ladder for their daughter to climb down and elope than pay for a wedding  .  
 tell me something about the bridal bouquet  .  is n't it the custom to throw it  ?  
 yes  .  when the bride and groom are ready to leave on their honeymoon all the single girls gather in one place  .  the bride stands with her back to them and throws her bouquet over her shoulder and they each try to catch it  .  the one who does will be the next one married  .  
 maybe i 'll be the one  .  
 oh  what does it say  ?  does it say water could still exist under the surface of mars  ?  
 absolutely  !  it says there is water on mars buried beneath the surface  .  it 's just a matter of how deep it is  .  
 then could the soil on mars somehow be fertile enough to groh simple plants  ?  
 the soil would need quite a bit of fertilizer to grow anything  .  and it would need to be protected from the uv radiation  .  
 actually  we are doing a project in school that involves landing a ship and staying on mars for an extended period of time  .  does nasa have any type of portable habitats that could be used to stay on the planet  ?  
 i 'm not sure nasa has built any portable habitats for extended stays on mars  but they have looked at various designs  .  
 one of the most exciting things about mars is that there could have bean life on it  .  what are your personal opinions on the life on mars theory  ?  
 well  i 'm not really an expert in this area  but my understanding is that anything is possible  .  it 's just that it is so hard to determine what went on 4 . 5 billion years ago  .  
 but maybe there is a chance of gradually improving the surface and atmosphere of mars so it may be inhabitable by humans  .  
 i 'm skeptical  .  mars is made of rocks containing silicon  iron  and various minerals  .  it also has an atmosphere of carbon dioxide  .  it is so different from what we have on earth  you know  .  
 i 'd still like to hope that some day we could set up a human colony there  .  
 but there are still other big problems we need to solve such as prolonged weightlessness  food storage  and a series of physiological effects  .  
 i am sorry  sir . all the tickets have been sold out  .  
 what a shame  .  will there be the same performance tomorrow evening  ?  
 sorry  sir  .  the only tickets of the same performance available are on 21st  .  
 that 's fine  .  i want 2 tickets  .  
 you should be optimistic about this  .  things have taken a good turn  .  you should remember that less than two centuries ago the dangers of train travel seemed similarly terrible  .  
 but is it possible that travelers could be hit by meteors  ?  
 it 's once in blue moon  .  
 what do you think is the real danger man faced in space  ?  
 the main one is radiation  .  there are two sorts of radiation man must fear in space  .  the first is radiation from the sun  and this is particularly dangerous when the sun is very active and explosions are occurring on its surface  .  the second  less harmful  comes from the socalled van allen belts  .  
 sure  .  how do you like your seats  ?  
 ordinary one  please  .  
 ok  here are your tickets in row 13  .  
 i think they are too far from the stage  .  i want two in row 6  .  
 that 's fine  .  but you have to pay another  10  .  
 no  the galaxies sit more or less passively in the space around them  .  but not too much  .  as the space between galaxies expands  it carries the galaxies further apart  like raisins in an expanding dough  .  
 but i heard that our milky way galaxy may one day collide with a neighboring galaxy  .  if galaxies are moving apart from each other  how can they collide  ?  
 well  the universe is a chaotic place  and the gravity from one galaxy  or from a group of galaxies  may disturb the motion of its near neighbors  causing them to collide  .  however  on average  when you compare two large enough chunks of space  the galaxies in one are moving away from the galaxies in the other  .  
 wow  you 're really informative  .  thanks a lot  .  
 you 're welcome  .  
 no  i do n't  .  
 shall we drop in somewhere for a couple of drinks  ?  
 that sounds like a good idea  .  
 i know a very interesting place  .  
 oh  do you  ?  good  .  
 what 's net love  ?  
 two people chat on the net and step by step fall into love  !  it 's net love  .  
 ridiculous  !  they have n't met  !  maybe they 're the same sex  !  
 maybe yesterday you 've received a man's woos  .  he 's called beast  ?  
 how could you know  ?  
 i watched the screen display  !  
 do you know he is ms  .  rebecca  !  
 it 's typical net love  and a typical lesbians homosex  !  ha  !  
 impossible  !  
 is it like a zoo of polar animals  ?  
 almost  .  there are a lot of polar animals sea birds  such as seals  whales and penguins  people do n't get much chance of seeing them  .  
 it must have been fun seeing those unusual animals and birds  .  
 absolutely  .  to be frank  i learned quite a lot about those animals and polar areas  .  i 'm thinking of my kids there one of these days  .  
 maybe you should let me know about your plan  .  i want to take my kids there some day  .  too  .  
 normally at six  .  before that  they spend several years in the kindergarten or preschool education center  .  
 but thats only in the cities  isnt it  ?  
 right  .  in the countryside  things are more complicated  .  
 can kids in the countryside get equally good benefits and education like those in the cities  ?  
 it depends  .  in some poor  underdeveloped areas  children's education is a problem  .  many kids cannot afford to go to school  .  
 don  t think about it  !  
 no  this will not do  .  let me see  .  
 you pay for the taxi and dinner  then to even things up  .  
 good ideas  .  
 i would n't say so  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 well  i thought he was  but he ends up to be a con man  .  
 so he is  .  but  why not try to help him to become stronger  ?  
 how do you know that i didn  t try  ?  i just couldn  t manage it  .  
 i know that they are auspicious fish  .  it 's quite popular nowadays  .  
 for god 's sake  !  it 's too bloody  .  how can people be so cruel  ?  
 not at all  .  i think the tattoos are so cool and chic  .  
 you ca n't prick the fish to please the sick tastes of some bloody people  .  
 honey  it 's not so serious  .  it 's just an animal  .  
 just an animal  ?  but it has life too  .  if you want a tattoo  get one  .  it 's your choice because you want it  .  but has anyone asked the fish if it wanted one  ?  
 ok  i understand  but what else could we do  ?  
 sure  .  have you checked the weather report  ?  
 yes  .  it says it will be sunny all day  .  no sign of rain at all  .  
 i 'd like some toast and chicken wings  .  
 okay  .  please take some fruit salad and crackers for me  .  
 done  .  oh  do n't forget to take napkins  disposable plates  cups and picnic blanket  .  
 that 's great  .  we can also take the dragon kite with us  .  after the picnic  we can fly it  .  
 cool  we can take shuttlecock and badminton racket  .  
 okay  it sounds good  .  
 yes  .  look at these historical relics here  amazing  !  
 why are they all in glass boxes  ?  
 for protection  .  some relics will turn to dust if exposed to air  .  
 so there is n't air in the glass boxes  ?  
 no  there is n't  .  there is a vacuum in every box  .  
 i wonder how old these things are  .  thousands of years  ?  
 yeah  they all come from a very ancient time  .  
 hey  look at the tripod  .  i 've seen it on tv  .  
 it was made 4000 years ago  .  it 's priceless  !  
 be careful of what you say  or you  ll have to eat humble pie  .  
 eat humble pie  ?  impossible  i  ve never been wrong in judging boys like him  .  
 hey  andrew  .  how 's everything with work  ?  
 ok  i guess  .  my boss has been on my back recently  .  
 really  ?  what 's he been doing  ?  
 you know  just giving me lots to do  .  i 'm really busy right now  .  
 are you  ?  what are you busy with  ?  
 oh  lots of things  .  mostly training new people  .  
 so soon  ?  why do n't you stay a little longer  ?  
 i wish i could  but it 's already late  .  
 oh  it 's a pity that you have to leave  .  
 thank you for a wonderful meal  .  
 i 'm glad you enjoyed it  .  
 yes  .  the german engineer would never dreamed that the hand  supported scooter he invented several years ago to solve his traffic problems would become so fashionable in the occident within a few years and even spread to japan and china  .  
 looking at the five sense organs of a scooter  it can be said as delicate and agile  .  to pull the tshaped pole and make it vertical with the flat board and then pull it vertically  adjust its height suitable to you and you may use it  .  
 small and exquisite in size  easy to operate  foldable and easy to carry are its charms  .  
 your two hands hold the pole  stand on the board  the other foot steps back against the ground and controls well the balance of the body  then you can ride in the air  .  it has a feeling of surfing  .  you need not let other people teach you  .  your fear will disappear quickly  .  
 i 'm not sure  .  i promised to help my sister move saturday  .  
 how about sunday  then  ?  we could start in the morning  .  
 i might be able to do that  .  but i do n't think i can do it well  .  
 do n't worry  .  it is a test of physical endurance  intelligence  .  just to finish it is considered a victory for most  .  
 ok  .  i 'll talk to you later  .  
 do you  ?  by the way  could you mail this letter for me as you go through the lobby  ?  
 no problem  .  
 thank you  .  come back to my office at the same time tomorrow  .  i 'll have the pictures ready by then  .  
 i will  .  
 thank you  .  
 i guess we have covered all the stuff that we need to discuss and it 's time to say goodbye  .  
 yes  goodbye and keep in touch  .  
 i 'm doing business through internet now  .  
 oh  really  ?  is it a good way  ?  
 yes  very good  .  
 what advantages does it have  ?  
 it is very convenient  .  you know you can browse the website and send emails to your customers at any time  .  
 yes  if we do business through other ways  it will cost a lot of time  .  
 also it has low cost  and you know you only need to pay the fee of internet  which is very cheap  .  
 yes  going abroad to join the exhibition will cost much  .  but does it have any disadvantages  ?  
 to be frank  sometimes it is not so safe as doing business through traditional ways  .  
 you mean there may be credit problems  ?  
 yes  but if you choose some good b2b websites  such problems can be avoided  .  
 will you give some suggestion  ?  
 of course  such as the alabama  which is a famous website  .  
 thanks  .  maybe i will do business through internet in the future  .  
 you have 16 balls on the table  7 solid colored  7 striped colored  a black 8 ball  and the white ball  .  
 and  ?  
 you hit the white ball with your cue  .  the white ball hits the colored balls  .  and you want to get the colored balls into the pockets  .  
 how do you know whether you should hit the solid or the striped one  ?  
 at the beginning  it does not matter  but once someone gets one ball in  it is set  .  
 can i get the black ball in  ?  
 the black ball has to be the final ball in the pockets  .  
 let 's go and try now  !  
 certainly  .  what 's the matter  ?  
 i wonder if you often trade with others on the internet  .  
 sure  .  i often buy things or do business through it without going out to the physical stores  .  
 great  !  it 's just like viewless stores  .  but how can you shop or order on line or trade on line  ?  
 that 's simple  .  just click the hyperlink  www . taobao . com or www  .  ebay . com  and you can see the specimen of the goods shown on the screen  and then you can place an order online with the sales company  .  and the goods will be delivered to your place  .  
 is the service charged  ?  
 no  .  it 's free  .  
 really  .  i 'll get a computer at once  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  i have n't been in a while and i need to get a new backpack  .  the old one is hanging on by a thread  !  
 that reminds me i should buy some new socks to go hiking this weekend  .  
 right  .  with the establishment of internet and a lot of web companies  people are getting more and more dependent on the web  .  
 one of the common uses of pc is that people can buy goods through it without going out to the physical stores  .  
 can you tell me how it is done  ?  
 if a customer is interested in some certain goods  he can ask the web company to have the specimen of the goods shown on the color screen  and then the customer can place an order online to the sales company  .  and then the goods you want will be delivered to your home  .  the service is perfect and the delivery is free of charge  .  
 i see  .  so great  .  
 lily broke up with me last week  .  in fact  she dumped me  .  
 why  ?  i mean  why did she part company with you after seven years together  ?  
 she said it was because we had very different ideas about life  .  
 do you believe her excuse  ?  
 of course not  .  i knew she had fallen in love with another guy  .  it is difficult to see her move on so quickly  .  
 come on  buddy  cheer up  .  why not do some sports with me  ?  violent exercise might help to shake you out of your disappointment in love  .  
 thank you  steven  .  you are really a good friend  .  
 i 'm a student  .  
 which school are you studying at  ?  
 tsinghua university  .  
 you 're welcome  .  did you have a good time on this vacation  ?  
 very well  .  if i leave i 'll miss you  .  
 me too  .  please write to me as soon as you get boston  .  
 i 'm sure and i remembered your phone number  .  i 'll call you  .  
 ok  they begin to register  .  
 it 's time i left  .  
 have a nice journey  !  do give my regards to your parents  .  
 no  they live in shanghai  my hometown  .  
 how often do you go back to visit them  ?  
 once a year  .  
 yes  .  they were open this morning when i came to work  .  they must 've finished remodeling  .  why do you want to know  ?  
 well  i thought that maybe we could go there for lunch today  .  that is  if you have n't promised to go with someone else  .  
 that 'd be wonderful  peter  .  but i hope you 're in a better mood than you were this morning  .  
 i 'm sorry i was such a grouch  .  it must 've been the weather  .  when it rains i get depressed  .  
 forget it  .  i 'll see you at 1130 am  .  
 sorry  i ca n't dance  .  
 never mind  i can teach you  .  
 is it difficult to learn  ?  
 no  it is easy  .  
 how should i do  ?  
 you just follow me  .  
 all right  .  by the way  do you often dance  ?  
 yup  because dance can relax myself  .  
 it seems a good way  .  
 sorry  i ca n't  .  i have to work late at the laboratory  .  
 nigel  you sure lead a dog 's life  what 's up with that  ?  
 my boss wants me to finish this project tonight  .  
 i have no idea  any suggestions  ?  
 we have n't played chess for a long time  .  how about playing chess  ?  
 it must be fun  .  but you know  i am not good at chess  .  i never won since i 've learnt to play chess  .  
 don  t worry  i will teach you how to win  .  
 ok  settled then  .  
 see you tomorrow  .  
 see you  !  
 no  he isn  t  .  
 then why does he let himself be lead by the nose  ?  
 he is afraid of his fatherinlaw  .  
 we have been on good terms  .  she is a very nice girl  .  but she got in dutch with her boss  .  i don  t have the heart to see her pounding the pavements  .  
 you must be stuck on her  or you would not use your elbow grease  .  
 well  we hit it off with each other  .  nothing more  nothing much  .  
 yes  but i do n't know much about it  .  
 tea does good to people 's health  .  there are many kinds of tea . say  black tea  green tea  scented tea  brick tea  milk tea  jas  mine tea  chrysanthemum tea and so on  .  
 my favourite is jasmine tea  .  i like its aroma  .  
 yeah  but scented tea is now in fashion  .  
 sure  .  
 please count on my love  .  
 i will  .  
 i 'll be yours through endless time  .  
 i see  .  and i 'll always be devoted to you  .  
 thank you  .  i know i 've nothing to offer you  but i 'll never give you reason to cry  .  
 i 'll never hurt you  i 'll never lie  .  
 my love will grow  like a river to flow  .  
 it ca n't be dry  and ca n't die  .  
 i do n't know whether we are in a dream  .  
 aha  aha  .  .  .  
 i 've had enough of it while working under the sun in the day  .  i do n't need any more suntan  .  
 it 's different in my case  .  i work in the office  so only rarely do i get the chance to get any sun  .  
 it might be good to you  .  but please keep in mind that too much tanning damages the skin rather than does any good to you  .  you might end up with skin cancer  .  
 we offer many different sea water treatments  .  
 how many can we choose  ?  
 the aquamedic pool is included  .  you can choose three  .  
 we 'll do the seaweed wrap  the jet bath  and the foot massage  .  
 ok  .  here are your robes  .  you can go shower first  .  
 the sea water treatments are supposed to be really good for you  .  
 really  ?  
 but the water has to be kept at 34 degrees so that the minerals can be absorbed by your body  .  
 well  whatever it does  i feel transformed  !  
 yes  why  ?  
 nothing  .  i 'm just asking  .  
 just asking  ?  but why is your face burning like mad  ?  aha  someone has a crush on anny  does n't he  ?  
 who has a crush  ?  
 come on  josh  do n't be such a chicken  .  if you like her  you 've got to tell her  .  maybe she likes you  .  
 i 'd totally die if she turned me down  .  
 you 've got to let her know  .  come on  !  you 've got to take a chance  !  
 yes  .  to our first anniversary and many more to come  .  cheers  !  
 i 'll drink to that  .  thanks for making this a night worth remembering  .  
 well  it 's a special day  .  they say if you survive the first year  the rest is smooth sailing  .  
 that 's good to know  .  oh  listen  !  the band 's playing our song  .  
 i requested it  .  what do you say  ?  do you have your dancing shoes on  ?  
 always  .  
 how did you know that i love red roses  ?  
 that 's a secret  .  here  let me help you with your coat  and we 'll be on our way  .  
  at the dance  that band is playing good music  .  shall we dance  ?  
 fine  what do you call this  ?  
 foxtrot  .  oh  .  you 're a good dancer  .  
 really  ?  thank you  .  i am thinking the same thing about you  .  
 i prefer the old style of dance because i enjoy holding a pretty girl like you closely  .  
 what about going to the zoo on saturday and to the park on sunday  ?  
 sounds good  .  but on saturday there 's a football final  .  
 then  what shall we do on sunday  .  
 let me see  .  we can visit the country  .  we have n't done that for such a long time  .  
 good idea  .  i 'll go shopping in one of the department stores nearby  .  we 'll go to the zoo and the park another time  .  after all  we can put that off  .  
 ok  .  
 you  too  .  where did you get your new hat  ?  
 from the crown's  .  oh  what lovely earrings you have  !  are they diamond  ?  
 yes  .  it 's a birthday present from my husband  !  
 well  you are lucky to have such a considerate husband  .  mine has n't brought me a single rose since we married  .  
 he 'll come out with surprises  .  just wait and see  .  look at that woman  with the white chiffon  !  
 she 's chic  is n't she  ?  
 yes  .  i like the dress  .  it must be the latest fashion  .  look  the hem has lowered  and the waist narrowed  .  
 it makes me feel rather shabby  .  that woman has a good taste in dressing  i would say  .  
 yes  .  she dressed with an individual flair  .  i rather envy her  .  
 most women follow fashion like sheep . they do n't know any better than imitate  .  
 i quite agree with you . see the woman there  ?  i dare say she has n't got any eyes  .  how could she match the mauve gown with the green handbag  ?  and all that jewelry  !  
 the gown is quite expensive  believe me  .  
 so what  ?  it only makes her look cheap and vulgar  .  
 you know those upstarts  .  they 're all showoffs  !  i think i 'd better have a diet  otherwise i 'd look like a ballon soon  .  
 you 're quite slim  .  in fact  if you were one of those starlets  the movie company would say you have a fabulous figure  .  
 thanks  .  i 'm flattered  .  
 oh  my shoes pinch me  .  let 's find a seat and sit a while  .  
 thank you  .  you 're very kind  .  
 what 's up  ?  
 i want to invite you to go to the movies  .  
 are you asking me for a date  ?  
 yes  .  
 i don  t like to go to the movies on a date  .  it 's noisy there  .  
 where do you want to meet  ?  
 let 's go to the coffee shop then  .  it 's quiet there  .  
 what time should we meet  ?  
 how about seven  ?  
 all right  .  
 it 's nice of you to see my off at the airport  .  thank you very much  .  
 we 'll miss you  .  i hope we 'll keep in touch  .  
 sure  .  you 've given a great help to me in the past days  .  
 it 's my pleasure  .  we hope you 'll visit beijing again  .  
 certainly  .  i 'll be glad to  .  
 it 's almost time to get aboard  .  
 yes  we should go  .  thank you very much  .  goodbye  !  
 bye bye  !  have a pleasant journey  !  
 sure  .  have you got anywhere in mind  ?  
 i 'm starving  so maybe we could go somewhere with large portions  .  
 that italian restaurant in the city centre always has large portions  .  do you want to go there  ?  
 i 'm not really in the mood for italian  actually  .  i was thinking of something a bit spicy  .  
 if you want spicy food  then i 'd recommend going to a thai  indian or chinese restaurant  .  how about that chinese buffet on cowley road  ?  
 i really like that restaurant  you get a lot for your money there  .  but  they 've westernized their food  so it 's not actually that spicy  .  
 you 're right  .  most of their dishes have sweet sauces  .  we could try that indian restaurant just down the road from us  .  
 the taj  ?  they 're a bit expensive  but they do serve large portions of very hot food  .  
 the taj it is then  .  
 shall we bring our own bottle of wine to save some money  ?  
 they 'll still charge us a corkage fee  .  
 that 's right  .  it 'll probably work out to be about the same then anyway  .  
 do n't worry about money  .  i 'll treat you tonight  .  
 are you sure  ?  we could go dutch  .  
 no  i 'll pay  .  it 's my turn anyway  .  you paid last time  .  
 i wo n't argue with that  !  let 's go  !  
 sure . where would you suggest  ?  
 how about going to the suburbs  ?  
 sounds good  .  
 oh  flowers  !  what for  my dear  ?  
 happy mother 's day to you  mum  !  
 oh  thank you . you are so sweet  !  
 thank you  same to you  !  lee  have you got any plans  ?  
 yeah  i 'm going to the temple fair with my family  .  
 how nice  !  have fun  !  
 merry christmas  lee  !  
 linda  thank you for this wonderful christmas dinner  .  i really enjoyed it  .  
 thank you for coming  .  i 'm glad you liked it  .  
 i was away for my vacation  .  
 oh  how was it  ?  
 good  .  i wish i could have another vacation  .  
 to tell the truth  i feel tired  .  
 how come  ?  
 i had to visit all my relatives  .  
 how old is he  ?  
 twelve . he s very sensible for his age  .  
 is it stimulating  ?  
 yes  .  i got very excited  .  
 i hope i still have chances  .  
 what 's her figure  ?  
 perfect  and i like her charming eyes too  .  
 what 's the color of her eyes  ?  
 dark blue  .  
 he prefers suits to jackets  .  
 judge from his look  he 's a very serious person  .  
 as a matter of fact  he is  .  
 do n't believe him . he s a liar  .  
 we cannot expect politics to be true anyway  .  
 he 's very strict with us  .  
 and i hear he gives very good lectures  .  
 indeed . he s strict with himself too  .  
 they have moved to chicago  .  
 why  ?  
 mr . smith has changed his job  .  
 oh  yeah  .  the total amount is no less than 13000 rib  according to our itinerary  .  
 what  ?  that 's too much  .  
 sit down  .  i 'll show you the list of our financial budget  .  first of all  it is nearly 4000 rib that we should spend in transportation  .  
 ah  the transportation fee always takes a great part in the budget  .  
 then we must pay a large amount of money for the hotel  .  but if we want to save money  we can choose a hotel which is not so good  .  
 hmm  what i 'm fearful of is that the accommodation will also deteriorate once we choose a cheaper hotel  .  
 in that case  we can choose the youth hotel  .  it 's a good choice  clean and economic  .  
 yes  we 're making plans for a tour  .  
 that 'll be lovely  .  where are you going  ?  
 well start out from long island this friday  .  we 've planned a four day drive to salt lake city  where we 'll join my brother and his family on his fortieth birthday  .  
 well  you 've got to prepare a lot of food and enough sleeping bags then  .  
 oh  we 'll spend the nights in hotels and enjoy local food as we pass by  .  how does it sound  david  ?  
 it sounds good  .  you can do a lot of sightseeing  too  .  
 yes  we 'll take our time  .  and we 'll go to fivelake strict and the wall street  .  
 so  you 're going to have a really nice vacation  .  
 you can say that again  .  
 what kind of movie is it  ?  
 it 's a feature film  .  
 oh  i 've no interest in such films  .  
 good afternoon  !  sit down  please . how are you  ?  
 i 'm very well  thank you . how are you  ?  
 very well too  thank you very much . isn t it a lovely day  ?  
 yes  it 's beautiful  but it 's also very hot  .  
 yes  .  
 what 's the weather like in your country  ?  
 mm  .  .  .  it 's quite warm now  .  
 where do you live  ?  
 in london . where do you live  ?  
 here . near this school  .  
 hi tom  !  i 'm fine  and you  ?  
 not bad thanks  .  
 good  .  see you  !  
 bye  !  
 i like spring  .  
 why  ?  
 oh  everything comes back to life in spring and the weather gets warmer  .  
 i like spring  too . we can go for a walk and enjoy the fresh air  .  
 i do n't know  .  
 let 's stop and have a look  .  
 do n't waste time  .  
 i 'm curious about that  .  
 but it 's none of our business  .  
 we 'd better go out for a walk  .  
 which season do you like best  ?  
 spring  .  
 how about summer  ?  
 i dislike it most  .  
 why  ?  
 because the hottest season is summer in a year  .  
 but sometimes summer is more charming than the other seasons  .  
 it 's going to rain  .  
 let 's go quickly  .  
 cool  fellow  what 's the date today  buddy  ?  
 it 's  .  .  .  oh it 's the 1st april  april fool 's day  .  
 you forgot all of about it  did n't you  ?  
 on 20th may 1963  .  
 do you know what it was according to the lunar calendar  ?  
 27th day of the fourth month  .  
 by the way  could you tell me when the film will begin  ?  
 it will begin at 530  .  
 i am afraid i ca n't be there on time  .  
 you can see it tomorrow  .  
 i do n't want to miss it today  .  
 it was funny  .  
 tell me about it  will you  ?  
 well  we drove through the valley on our way there in the morning  .  it was a magnificent sight  .  
 did you stop at the big waterfall for pictures  ?  
 sure  we would n't miss it for anything  .  after that  we took a short cut to the park  .  there was very little traffic  so we got there in less than an hour  .  
 you were lucky then  .  what did you do after that  ?  
 we went for a swim in the sea  .  that was the best part of the day  .  just look at my nice tan  .  
 so you must have had a busy and enjoyable day yesterday  .  
 yes  you 're right  .  and i was so tired that i fell asleep on the way back  .  my arms are still stiff from the swim yesterday  .  
 me too . recently  i 'm fascinated with netchat  .  i 've made many friends on the net . every day i talk to them and share many interesting things with them  .  i really enjoy it  .  
 do n't you think it s a sheer waste of both time and money  ?  
 i 'm afraid not  .  every coin has two sides  .  i think using internet has a great deal to do with human interaction  .  
 yes  i should get there just in time for the women  s 400m relay  .  
 wow  that should be really exciting  especially with so many famous athletes there  .  
 yes  i  m also going to watch the triple jump and the high jump  .  
 well have a good time  .  get me some autographs if you can  .  
 ok  i  ll try my best  .  
 you were showing respect and admiration for them  .  
 i wish i were a hero  .  
 how about going to the olympic souvenir store to have a look  ?  i remember there is one in the gym  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  i was thinking of buying some gifts for my family  .  
 me  too  .  what did you have in mind  ?  
 i have n't decided yet  but i think the olympic mascots are a must  .  
 i agree  .  they 're very lovely  especially huanhuan 
 is that the red one  ?  that is my favorite  too  .  do you know how much they are  ?  
 the five dolls are sold together as a set  and they 're priced according to the size  .  the bigger they are the more expensive  .  
 oh  i see  .  if i buy more than a set  can i get any discount  ?  
 i do n't think so  .  all the souvenirs of the olympic games are very hot right now  .  
 any other ideas  ?  
 there are lots of things  such as postcards  key chains  posters and various arts and crafts  .  
 it all sounds great  .  we can go there after the match  .  i ca n't wait to see what they have  .  
 oh i  m enjoying myself but it  s so hot here 
 isn  t london hot in the summer  ?  
 well it can be but shanghai is much warmer than london  .  
 i see  .  what about transport  ?  how does shanghai compare to london  ?  
 actually i think the buses and trains here are more modern  .  
 and what about the number of people on the streets  ?  
 oh  i think shanghai is much more crowded than london  .  
 that 's because americans love sitcoms  .  
 sitcoms  ?  
 situation comedies  .  a sitcom is half an hour long and it airs weekly  .  sitcom shows tend to be about ordinary people  .  if there is one thing that all the shows have in common  it is teaching wholesome values  .  
 in taiwan  primetime shows are an hour long and most of them are n't comedies  .  
 i think americans would rather laugh than cry or be scared in their free time  .  
 yes i have  .  i  ve been there three times in the past year  .  
 that sounds great  .  have you been to the top of the pearl tower  ?  
 no i haven  t  .  i haven  t visited the bund either  .  i  ve always had too much work to do  .  
 so you haven  t done much then  in shanghai  ?  
 actually  i  ve eaten soup dumplings in a lovely restaurant on nanjing lu  .  they were delicious  !  
 yes i have  .  i went to the table tennis yesterday  .  
 oh wow  .  how was it  ?  
 oh  .  it was great  .  i love ma lin  .  he  s my favourite table tennis player  .  have you seen anything yet  ?  
 oh i still haven  t managed to get any tickets  .  i  d love to see something though  .  
 well  let  s go to the marathon tomorrow then  !  we can just stand by the side of the road  .  
 what a great idea  .  
 oh i fell over on the way to work  .  
 oh i see  .  so that  s why you didn  t come in  ?  
 yes and i broke my phone too so i couldn  t call you  .  
 oh dear  that sounds terrible  .  
 it was  !  but the worst thing was i tore my best shirt  .  
 oh dear  .  well  get well soon and try to be more careful in future  .  
 thank you  .  my husband gave it to me  .  
 oh i didn  t know you were married  .  
 yes i am  .  i got married five years ago  .  
 oh i see  .  that  s nice  .  did you meet your husband at work  ?  
 no  we met at university  .  
 oh  !  i feel really under the weather  .  i  ve got a sore throat and a bad cough  .  
 oh dear  .  maybe you  ve caught a cold  .  
 yes  i  ve had lots of overtime to do recently and i haven  t slept much at all  .  
 well then  you should get some rest this weekend and don  t go out drinking  .  
 yes  i think you  re right  !  
 joe  ?  i do n't know what you mean  .  
 i remember you are in love  .  
 oh  i took a shine to him when we met for the first time  .  but it comes and goes  .  
 it 's greek to me  .  
 so the reform cannot be carried out well  .  
 government is making efforts to change situation  .  
 easier said than done  .  
 he is in the bedroom and fallen asleep  .  
 what  ?  it  s only 9p  .  m  .  now  .  why today he went to bed so early  ?  
 he ran four miles and came back dead beat  .  
 oh  i see  .  
 i 'm tired of your cutanddried opinions  .  who do you think you are  !  
 how dare you speak to me like this  .  
 why not  ?  
 i 'm sorry  .  
 it is n't your fault  .  no one will blame you  .  
 you are so thoughtful  .  
 i feel the same way  .  
 it must be dreadful to grow old  .  
 yeah  .  he has no one to count on  .  
 have n't you heard that he is in prison  ?  
 what  ?  beg your pardon  .  
 john is in prison now . he was copped outstealing  .  
 i just can n't believe my ears  !  
 i ca n't deny that  .  she is so beautiful that i fell in love with her at the first sight  .  i wish i knew more about her  .  
 but i heard that she had a threeyearold girl  .  
 i cannot belive that  .  it must be cooked up by someone  .  
 of course i wo n't chill out  .  opportunity knocks only once  .  
 you should strike while the iron is hot  .  
 you 're right  .  i will have a talk to her about that  .  
 really  ?  i thought he loved his wife very much  .  
 yeah  .  but his relation with sallycome to a sticky end and was found by his wife  .  
 he deserved it  .  
 sorry  i can  t  .  
 tomorrow night  then  ?  
 i  d like to  .  but i  m afraid i can  t  .  
 i was wondering if you like to go to the theatre then  .  
 that sounds great  .  
 ok  .  how about give me a ring  then  ?  
 no  .  i  d better not  .  
 why not  ?  
 because i don  t think my husband would like it  .  thank you for inviting me anyway  .  
 yes  of course  .  this is really a nice party with wonderful people and lovely wines  .  
 i  m glad you  re enjoying it  .  
 thank you for the invitation  .  
 it  s my pleasure  .  would you like another glass of champagne  ?  
 yes  please  .  thank you for everything  .  
 oh  thank you so much  .  
 really  it was nothing  .  
 i really appreciated it  .  
 i was happy to help  .  
 it was so kind of you  .  
 don  t mention it  .  
 you  re a real friend in need  .  
 next saturday  ?  i  m sorry  .  i  ve promised to go to a chinese opera with my daughter  .  
 how about sunday then  ?  
 yes  sunday sounds fine  .  what time  ?  
 does 630 suit you  ?  
 it suits us fine  .  we  ll see you then  .  
 thanks  goodbye  .  
 oh  that sounds great  !  
 i  ll pick you up at  .  .  .  say  730  ?  
 yes  that would be perfect  .  
 see you tonight then  .  
 yes  .  thank you for inviting me  .  
 it  s good  .  but to tell you the truth  i don  t wear perfume  .  
 i  m sorry  .  i didn  t know that  .  
 that  s all right  .  thank you all the same  .  
 what  s it for  ?  
 it  s for a book  .  
 oh  that  s a nice idea  .  well  it  s fine if you take our picture  .  
 thank you  .  i appreciate your help  .  
 no  nothing  .  why  ?  
 do you like western music  ?  
 yes  i do  very much  .  
 there  s a concert tonight  .  would you like to go and listen to it  ?  
 oh  yes  .  i  d love to  .  
 try to keep cool  .  it 's not an easy take  .  
 i know  .  i always hope for the best and prepare for the worst  .  
 then you will be in line for a doom  .  
 everything 's great  .  and you  ?  
 same here . have you seen any new films recently  ?  
 no  i have n't had a chance to  .  but i have been watching a chinese tv scries called  chinesestyle divorce   .  
 oh  .  really  ?  i saw it two years ago  .  it 's worth seeing and it 's thoughtprovoking  .  
 yeah  .  i found it is so close to our life  .  
 it reflects some of our difficulties in this everchanging world  .  
 you said it  .  you know  the divorce rate has been on the rise in recent year  .  
 well  it 's said that a lot of young people favor getting married quickly which tend to end quickly too  .  
 i know a couple who divorced a week after getting married  .  
 oh  that 's too shortlived  .  
 that 's true  .  it 's said the shortlived marriage is typical of the post  80s generation  .  
 ii ca n't agree more  .  the onlychildgeneration in china tends to know little about marriage  .  
 definitely . they do n't take relationships and marriages very seriously  .  
 in their mind  love is nothing but passion and marriage is over once the passion is gone  .  
 i think  as the saying goes haste makes waste  it is the same with marriage  .  
 you were scared  too  ?  i dared not tell you my feeling when i heard that  .  i almost got fainted  .  
 i could not and can  t make out the reason why she would set her heart on a man like dick  .  he plays the field with many girls  .  
 but sarah says she does not care  so long as he loves her  .  
 they are my own flesh and blood  .  it  s hard for me to see them suffering  .  
 that  s human nature  .  
 hi  debbie  .  have a seat  .  how 's it going  ?  
 i 'm ok  .  how are you doing  ?  
 pretty good  .  listen  .  .  .  have you heard about the new thai restaurant over on university avenue  ?  
 do you mean the bangkok  ?  
 that 's the one  .  a bunch of us are going there for dinner tomorrow night . how about coming with us  ?  
 sure  i 'd love to  .  
 great  .  i 'll call and make reservations  .  
 any time after 6 o 'clock is good for me . oh  !  i 'm late  !  i have a class  .  
 all right  .  i 'll call you tonight and tell you the time  .  
 great  .  talk to you then  .  
 speaking  .  
 oh  hi justin  .  this is karen hepburn . we met at chris and jim 's party  .  
 of course  .  how 're you  ?  
 great  .  uh  justin  would you like to see otis lesley on thursday night  ?  he 's at the kangaroo club  .  
 i 'm sorry  karen  but i ca n't  .  i have to work late this thursday  .  
 oh  .  .  .  that 's too bad  .  
 yeah  .  i really like lesley  .  
 actually  are you doing anything on friday or saturday  ?  he 's playing those two nights as well  .  
 well  i ca n't make it on friday either  but i 'm free on saturday night  .  what time does it start  ?  
 at eight sharp . how about meeting in front of the club at about a quarter after seven  ?  
 that sounds perfect . and let 's go out for coffee after the show  .  
 sure  !  
 see you at seven fifteen  saturday  .  
 oh  darling  we must stand shoulder to shoulder and face the music  .  i know you can pull yourself together  .  
 i feel life is meaningless without him  .  
 cheer up  .  you have got me at least  .  
 what do you mean by that  ?  
 she has keen to buy something which is much cheaper  .  
 mothers like that  .  
 what  ?  how happy you life is  !  i do envy you  .  
 you don  t know that i have been overprotected by my mother these years  .  i am really about to leave the family and spread my wings  .  
 maybe you are right  .  
 the reason is that he once was bitten by a dog  .  
 no wonder  .  
 why  ?  
 we are going to buy our own house  .  
 really  ?  congratulations  .  
 you are pulling my legs  !  
 i am not blind  .  anyone can see that with half an eye  .  
 but i  .  .  .  i do n't agree with that  because computers weaken kids ability to think  because kids do n't learn basic skills  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 they ca n't spell  they ca n't add  they ca n't subtract  they even do n't remember any more . that s because they rely on gadgets  .  
 that 's not the gadgets . creating programmes is stimulate thoughts  .  
 would you like me to go with you  ?  
 i  d rather you stayed in the office and did these things  .  
 do you want to type that letter  ?  
 i  d rather you typed it  .  
 do you want to tell her  ?  
 i  d rather you told her  .  
 yes  i 'm going to the cinema  dad  .  
 you must n't go to bed very late  .  can you be home before nine  .  
 oh  i wo n't be back so early  .  the film will be over at nine  .  can i have the key to the bicycle  ?  
 no  .  i wo n't let you ride a bicycle late at night  .  
 oh  dad  i 'm not a child  .  i 'm 17 already  .  i 'll come back as soon as the film is over  .  
 ok  .  here 's the key  .  take care  .  
 i will  .  thank you  dad  .  
 i 'm sorry  .  i wo n't do it again  .  
 try to be more careful in future  .  look  !  you 've damaged the sign  .  
 is this the sign  ?  what does it says  ?  
 it says no smoking here  .  
 i did n't really like it  .  
 mary said that she was really pleased with the photography  .  
 i found it very disappointing  .  
 she liked the acting  too  because that 's what she wanted to see  .  
 i was n't happy with it  .  
 nothing is to your satisfaction  .  
 never  !  he  s over 80  isn  t he  ?  
 he  s nearly 90  .  
 good gracious  !  are you sure  ?  
 i am  .  whatsmore  his wife is 84  .  
 is she really  ?  
 yes  she is  .  and guess what  he is her sixth husband  .  
 really  ?  quite a woman  isn  t she  ?  
 well  it does n't seem like it . he must have forgotten  .  
 i suppose you 're right . he ca n't have remembered  .  
 no  i assure you  .  
 and you 'll repair the television  wo n't you  ?  
 ok  .  
 do you promise  ?  
 of course  .  
 and tom  you will help johnny with his homework  wo n't you  ?  
 i 'll see  .  i will if i can but i wo n't promise  .  
 but you 'll promise not to be late for dinner tonight  wo n't you  ?  
 yes  .  but only if you ask me nicely  .  
 tom  darling  .  you 'll try not to be late for dinner tonight  wo n't you  ?  please  !  
 ok  .  i 'll keep my promise  .  
 haven  t you heard  ?  richard was fired by our manager  .  
 you  re kidding  .  it can  t be true  .  
 believe it or not  .  everybody is talking about it in the company  .  
 really  ?  i  m surprised  .  
 me too  .  
 i  m watching tv  .  
 you  re supposed to clean your teeth before you go to bed  .  
 i will  .  
 and don  t ever forget it  .  
 yes  it looks interesting  .  
 you 're right  .  i love it very much  .  
 it must be old  .  
 at least more than 100 years old  .  
 let 's enter it  !  
 i ca n't open the door  .  
 it must be locked  .  
 let me ask the old woman in that reception office  .  
 she ca n't answer you  .  
 she must be deaf  .  
 it must be a haunted house . are you frightened  ?  
 frightened  ?  you must be joking  .  
 no  .  i  ve not had the pleasure of meeting her yet  .  
 how do you do  ?  i  m pleased to meet you  .  
 how do you do  ?  
 please sit down  .  help yourself just like you are at home  .  
 what would you like to drink  ?  
 a cup of coffee  please  .  
 how do you do  mr  .  brown  ?  it  s a pleasure to get to know you  .  
 my pleasure  mr  .  green  .  i look forward to an excellent relationship with your company  .  
 i propose a toast to the health of everyone here and to the success of our negotiation  .  
 okay  let  s make a toast  .  
 hello  jack  .  it  s mary  .  what are you doing in your office  ?  
 i  m working  .  i often work late on thursday  .  i  m busy this week  .  
 would you like to come and have dinner with us on friday  ?  
 tomorrow  ?  no  i am afraid i won  t be able to  .  i  m going on business to birmingham  .  
 what about saturday  ?  
 sorry  i never go out on saturday evening  .  i always watch football on saturday evening  .  
 will you come round next tuesday  ?  
 next tuesday  ?  just a moment  .  it will be the twentyfirst of may  ?  oh  dear  .  hum  i promised my aunt i  ll be at her birthday party  .  
 what do you say next wednesday then  ?  
 let me see  .  yes  mary  .  let  s make it next wednesday  .  
 okay  .  bye  .  
 bye  .  
 please sit down and make yourself at home  .  please don  t stand on ceremony  .  
 this dish is really delicious  .  
 i  m glad that you like it  .  this is only the first time that i made it  .  
 you  re great  .  could you say it in chinese  ?  
 sure  we call it doubt  .  
 i went to yale university  .  
 did you  ?  and what did you study  ?  
 i have a b  .  a  .  in economics  .  
 would you mind telling me how old you are  ?  
 i 'm twentyseven  .  
 and could you tell me what other jobs you have had  ?  
 yes  i have worked in a bank for the last years  .  
 and what was your salary at the bank  ?  
 i got  500 a week  .  
 thank you . good evening  mr . dean  .  
 would you tell us your name  please  ?  
 i 'm helen baker  .  
 glad to meet you  ms . baker  .  
 glad to meet you  too  .  
 where are you from  ms . baker  ?  
 i 'm from new zealand  .  
 what do you do for a living  ?  
 i 'm a teacher  .  
 thank you for coming  ms . baker  .  
 good  .  
 would you like to come  ?  
 do you mean this saturday  ?  
 yes  this coming saturday  .  
 thanks for inviting me  jack  but i  ve already made plans for this weekend  .  i won  t be able to come  i  m afraid  .  
 i  m sorry to hear that  .  
 yeah  that  s too bad  .  
 well  perhaps  another time  .  
 oh  thank you very much  .  i  d like to come  but i  m afraid i  m busy that evening  .  
 that  s a pity  !  then when would it be a good time for you  ?  
 well  i  m not too sure  actually  .  i  ve got a lot going on the next couple of weeks  .  why don  t i call you later  ?  
 okay  that  s fine  .  
 no  i have n't  but i 've seen several interesting advertisements in the paper  .  
 what kind of job are you looking for  ?  
 either something in the hotel business or something to do with travel  .  
 you have n't had any experience in either of those fields  .  
 i know . but i 'd like to try . look  here are some advertisements that i 've cut out  .  
 i was turned down again  .  it  s frustrating  .  i guess you  ve got to teach me some skills  .  
 me  ?  i  m even less experienced than you are  .  
 at least you know what american women generally like in a man  .  
 believe it or not  i guess american women like a man in good shape  which chinese women may not care about so much  .  that  s my honest opinion  .  i know you have been trying very hard  .  
 american men are naturally taller than chinese men  .  so even if i exercise  there aren  t many chances  .  
 no  that  s not true  .  i  ve met two american women who were married to chinese  .  but those chinese look very strong and healthy  .  so if you exercise more often  i bet it will surely be easier for you to date american girls  .  how old is jacky chan  ?  he  s small and short  .  but i bet he can have any american woman he wants  .  
 you know  that  s going to be a tremendous change for me  .  because i never exercise  .  
 why don  t you try then  ?  even if it doesn  t help you find an american girl  you could still have a stronger and healthier body  .  you won  t lose anything by doing that  .  
 hi  don  .  what a surprise  !  
 yeah  i saw someone walking like you  but i wasn  t sure  .  we haven  t seen each other for how long  ?  almost three months  ?  but you look quite different now  .  
 have you noticed what has changed  ?  
 oh  you look quite slender and more vivacious  .  what have you been taking  ?  are you on a diet  ?  
 yes  .  i  m on a diet  but i  ve not taken anything  .  i just eat less and exercise more  .  and it really worked in the past three months  .  i  ve lost twelve pounds  .  
 wow  !  that  s great  .  i sincerely want to achieve my weight loss goals  but it  s difficult for me to keep up the exercise  .  also you know  old habits are hard to break  .  
 what kind of exercise do you think i do  ?  i just go to dance everyday after work  .  i  m taking an amateur dance class  .  i dance two hours everyday  .  
 dance  ?  you only go dancing  ?  that  s not hard  .  i can do that  .  
 sure  .  join my class next week  .  
 wow  !  sure  !  
 i must confess i have an ulterior motive for asking you to lunch  .  
 oh  .  .  .  that 's ok  .  .  .  as long as you 're buying  !  
 i really want to pick your brain about something i 've been thinking a lot about  .  
 i 'd love to help if i can  .  
 well  as you know  i have a bachelor 's degree in english literature and that 's served me well so far  but i 've always wanted to do some postgraduate work  .  .  .  maybe even get a doctorate  !  
 wow  !  just the idea of going back to school fills my head with pain  .  
 but you have a master 's degree  .  .  .  has n't that helped your career  ?  
 yeah  i 'd have to say it has  .  but i 'm still paying for it  you know  .  
 i know education is expensive  but it 's been my lifelong dream  .  call me crazy  but i 've always wanted to have that phd at the end of my name  .  
 well  getting a doctorate degree would mean close to a decade of school  .  can you afford that  ?  can you survive that  ?  
 i certainly ca n't afford it  but i 'm sure i could find some good student loans  .  
 i think you need to separate the dream of having a phd from the reality of years of more schooling  .  it 's not as romantic as you might think  .  
 yeah  .  .  .  i keep thinking about what i 'll do with a master 's or doctorate  .  i love language but i do n't think there are a lot of wellpaying jobs out there for experts on shakespeare  .  
 uh huh  that 's for sure  .  you might find that your only career choice is teaching other graduate students  .  
 i 've been really stressed  .  it 's the end of the year and i 've got so much stuff to do  !  i feel like i 'm drowning in work  .  
 well  stress is a real thing  .  it 's not an imaginary condition  .  
 it 's seriously affecting my life  !  i ca n't sleep  i do n't have much of an appetite and my husband says i 've been kind of short tempered  .  other people seem to handle stress okay  .  .  .  why am i so weak  ?  
 you 're not weak  .  .  .  you 're stressed out  !  stress has been a part of the human condition for millions of years  .  back when we still lived in the trees we had to watch out for predators  .  .  .  and as you might imagine  that was pretty stressful  .  
 yeah  but i do n't see any tigers or leopards roaming around our office  .  my stress is just about silly paperwork  !  
 but you 're actually having the same reaction as our treedwelling ancestors  !  it 's called the flight or fight response  .  each time you feel like something 's threatening you  your body decides whether to run away or fight  .  .  .  it causes all sorts of chemical reactions in the body  .  
 so a deadline will cause that same reaction  ?  
 it could  .  modern humans actually have more flight or fight responses than our ancestors did  .  they just had a couple of close calls every day  but today  we have dozens or even hundreds  !  
 so the life of a cave woman was less stressful than my life  ?  
 coming as  ?  
 yeah  .  .  .  for halloween  !  we have a big office party tomorrow evening  .  there 's a prize for best costume  !  
 um  .  .  .  i have to confess  i have n't given it much thought  .  i 'm from china and halloween really is n't celebrated there  .  
 really  !  you do n't have some kind of chinese ghost festival  ?  
 oh  .  .  .  sure  .  we have an entire month  !  in traditional chinese culture  ghost month is a period when the door between this world and beyond opens up and ghosts come back to earth for a visit  .  
 cool  !  a whole month  !  what do you do during that month  ?  
 well  people sometimes set off firecrackers  some people burn paper money as an offering and many people go to a temple to burn incense . mainly though  you need to feed the ghosts because they 're hungry  .  
 feed them  ?  
 yeah  .  .  .  we set up tables with food  fruit and drinks and offer that to the hungry ghosts  .  
 and then later everyone eats the food  ?  
 yes  !  how did you guess that  ?  
 it makes sense  right  ?  who else is going to eat it  ?  
 good point  !  
 but no dressing up like ghosts  right  ?  
 no  !  so  .  .  .  is halloween essentially the same thing as ghost month  ?  
 yes  i found a better house near my office  .  i  m very satisfied with it  .  but i  m worrying  .  
 what are you worried about  ?  
 i  m worrying about how to move all of my household stuff  .  you know  i have a lot of stuff  .  
 you can call a mover  .  
 how much dose that cost  ?  
 around 200 rib for a truck  .  
 i think it  s a little expensive  .  
 but think about it  you just need to pack your stuff and leave everything for the movers  how much trouble you will save  .  
 that  s right  .  
 i know a mover which has a very good reputation for their service  .  i  ll leave you their phone number  .  
 wonderful  .  
 it  s 8357688 8  .  
 okay  thanks a lot  .  you did me a great favor just now  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 do you also believe in santa claus and the tooth fairy  ?  
 what do you mean  ?  
 i mean that you 're gullible  .  you should n't believe everything you read  especially on the internet  .  
 but it seems like a good idea  .  all i have to do is first send some money to the person who sent me the letter  .  after that he 'll tell me how to earn much more money  .  
 sounds like a pyramid scheme  .  have you heard of those before  ?  
 pyramid scheme  ?  what is that  ?  
 it 's a scam 7 that 's based on a hierarchy  like a pyramid  .  the person at the top asks the people below him for money  and then tells them to go and ask other people for money while sending some of it back to him  .  
 sounds good to me  .  the guy at the top gets money and so do the people below him  .  
 not exactly  .  the scam keeps on going  with the people at the bottom paying more and more money until they reach the very bottom  .  
 what happens then  ?  
 nothing  .  the people at the bottom give their money to the people above them  and they get nothing  .  they end up losing  .  that 's why it 's a scam  .  
 i see  .  i guess i should be more careful about what i read  especially on the internet where you have no idea who anybody is  .  
 we 've missed you too  .  the office just is n't the same without you  .  how is your new job  ?  
 it 's great  .  i really get to focus on what i like to do and everyone has been very nice and welcoming  .  however  i 'm having a small problem with my new colleagues  .  
 what happened  ?  
 well  three people are celebrating their birthdays this month and the policy here is for everyone to contribute ten dollars to a card and cake for each person  .  
 wow  so you 'll be out thirty dollars on your first week at work  !  
 i know  .  it is a lot of money and i have n't gotten to know any of the people celebrating their birthdays well enough yet  .  at our old department  it was only three dollars for each birthday and there were only ten of us  .  
 well  every department is different  .  you would n't want your new coworkers to think you 're a grinch  right  ?  
 what is that  ?  
 a grinch is a person who spoils the mood at a happy occasion by being selfish or unenthusiastic  .  you know  a party proper  .  
 i definitely do n't want to be that  !  but  i still think it 's unreasonable for them to ask me for such a big sum of money when we do n't know each other very well  .  what should i do  ?  
 it  me  .  susan taylor 
 oh  please come in  .  nice to see you  .  
 on  what  re you doing  ?  you look as busy as a bee  .  
 yeah  i  m trying to decorate my house  .  
 really  that  s cool  .  let me see what you  ve done  .  
 but actually it  s not done yet  .  i  m going to get a special pendent lamp  .  
 that  s all right  .  let me see  oh  that lace looks so unique  and it  s so creative to make a picture display here  .  how did you get that idea  ?  
 it  s just a simple decorating  .  i just want to add my personality to my living space  .  
 that  s right  we bought it the same day we came on the market  .  
 what kind of house is it  ?  
 it  s a wonderful spanish style  .  
 oh  i love the roof tiles on spanish style houses  .  
 and it  s a bargaining  .  a house like this in river side costs double the price  .  
 great  is it a two bedroom house  ?  
 no  it has three bedrooms and three beds  and has a living room with a twelvefoot ceiling  .  there  s a twocar garage  .  
 that  s a nice area too  .  it  ll be a good investment for you  .  
 yeas  when will you buy a house  ?  
 not untill the end of this year  you know  just before my wedding  .  
 right  congratulations  .  
 thank you  .  
 do you really think so  ?  
 yeah  you have some other ideas  ?  
 think  in some way it is an act of god  but in another way  it just is caused by us  .  
 for example  ?  
 we did n't pay attention to the environment  cut down trees and polluted the air  .  
 oh  i see  .  fortunately government has taken some action to prevent such things  .  
 really  ?  that 's a straws in the wind  .  
 i think so  .  maybe he 's fallen for her  .  
 yeah  .  they suit each other  .  a perfect match between a man and a girl  .  
 at least  it is better than my boxed lunch at work  .  i 'm so fed up with the bland food  .  thank you for having lunch with me  !  
 any time  .  but i do n't mind eating boxed lunch  .  the food sanitation is really good too  .  
 it 's hard to believe that you like it  .  you are so easy to be satisfied  .  
 hey  it 's not that bad  .  the food is nutritious and it 's really convenient  .  i do n't want to spend too much time on eating stuff  .  
 eating is important  .  you are what you eat  .  it 's not only a daily routine  .  
 well  will you just go back to work after lunch  ?  
 no  .  i 'm going to pay the bill for the company 's lunch  .  
 but you did n't eat anything today  .  
 well  the bill is paid by month  .  that 's probably the only thing that i like about a takeout restaurant  .  
 all right  .  i 'm going to the mcdonald 's  .  
 for what  ?  i thought you did n't like western food  .  
 no  i never did  .  it 's for my son  .  he loves it  and i made an agreement with him that he can eat it once a week  .  
 that 's really smart  .  my son daniel is the same with your son  .  i just do n't get it  why all the kids prefer western food to traditional food  .  
 me  either  .  but  it 's for sure that the children market is a really big one  .  
 that 's for sure  .  it 's always hard for the parents to say no to their children  .  
 that 's fate  .  
 i feel sorry for her  .  
 maybe this is god 's will  .  
 we have two cleaning ladies  .  but both of them have received little education  .  
 most cleaning ladies are illiterate  .  but some of them do a very nice job  .  
 but i actually dislike another lady  .  she is more capable and seems to have ideas of her own  .  but the trouble is she isa backseat driver with some of us  .  she would tell you what to do and where to put things  .  
 well  i am a bit out of shape  .  i 'm thinking about getting some exercises to keep fit  .  
 oh  that 's good news for us  .  
 so what do you provide  ?  
 first of all  we 'll design a custommade workout plan according to your habits  .  
 how can you get that done  ?  
 well  we give each of our customers a personal trainer who is qualified  .  and he will give you a fitness assessment and then come up with the workout plan for your needs  .  
 what else  ?  
 since everyone is different  your personal trainer will find you a suitable type of exercise equipment and teach you all the techniques to help you achieve your fitness level and goal  .  
 sounds pretty good  .  what about the charge  ?  
 that depends  .  we offer membership for one month  half a year and one year  .  
 maybe one month  .  just have a try first  .  not too tough at the beginning  .  
 wise decision  .  you 'll find it 's totally worth it  .  
 yes  i like collecting things  .  
 oh  that  s interesting  and but what kind of things  ?  
 several things  for example  very coins  stamps  stones and so on  .  
 stones  ?  i know many people collecting coins and stamps but stones  ?  
 yes  stones  .  
 well  i can  t just imagine it  .  
 fine  .  i miss you so much  uncle benjamin  .  
 me too  .  we have n't seen each other for years  .  
 it 's been 3 years now  .  
 how time flies  !  now you are a college student out of a little girl  .  
 how is aunty shirley  ?  
 could n't be better  .  
 how has may been  ?  
 she 's been good  .  she is in grade one in joy chain high school  .  and she dreams to be a volunteer in 2008  .  
 all right  sis  !  
 come on  it 's cool outside  .  
 i really wish mom and dad were here with us  .  
 hey  daniel  what 's your favorite weather  ?  snowy or sunny  ?  
 me  ?  er  i like hot weather  just like today  .  
 what  ?  are you crazy  ?  
 i like to watch barbie sticking her tongue out  .  
 ew  danny  gross  !  
 by the way  what 's your favorite weather  ?  
 i love snowy  because it is very very romantic  .  
 look  is that tom  ?  
 yes  the weather sure is nice today  .  
 i love it when the weather is like this . why do n't we sit down outside and have our lunch  ?  
 that sounds like a good idea . the sky is clear  the sun is shining and there 's a nice cool breeze  so it is not too hot  .  
 i really miss the change of seasons like we have in colorado  but i must admit  this sure is a nice spring day  .  
 hey  this spot in the shade looks really comfortable  .  
 okay . hey  is that a dark cloud over there  ?  do you think it will rain after all  ?  
 i do n't think so  .  i say the weather report last night  and it said the weather should be fine all day  .  
 if the weather stays nice perhaps we can go to the beach this weekend . it s been a while since i 've not really gotten some sun  .  
 sure  .  thank you for saying that  .  actually  those songs were sung for the first time today  .  i wrote them in the past two months  .  
 oh  you wrote them all by yourself  .  that 's amazing  !  are you a regular singer here  ?  
 you can say that  .  but my band and i also sing regularly in several other places  too  .  
 cool  .  your guitar skills are very impressive  .  how did you learn to play like that  ?  
 i picked up guitar at an early age  maybe around 8 years old  .  afterward  i taught myself by listening to some records of top players  .  
 wow  that 's unbelievable  !  you play so well  but you 've never been to a real teacher  .  you will definitely be famous in the near future  .  
 surely not  .  life in the university is fun  .  why did you ask  ?  
 because you study day in and day out for the entrance exam  .  so i figure you would study even harder after you  ve got in  .  
 studying in the university is not easy  but it 's not as arduous as you think  .  
 how do you know that  ?  you have n't got in yet  .  
 of course i know  .  i once attended lisa 's class  sitting quietly at the back of the classroom  .  
 oh  really  ?  were you not caught  ?  
 of course not  .  you are allowed to attend any lecture  only if there are empty seats for you and you do n't disturb the class  .  in universities  you study in a free and creative environment  .  
 what do you want to study in the university  ?  have you thought about it  ?  
 this question has really been bothering me  .  i like chinese literature  you know  .  but economics is really hot now  and it has a very good career prospect  .  
 i will choose what i like  .  you do n't know what a torture it is for me to study english  because i do n't like english  .  
 though i like chinese literature very much  i 'm also interested in economics  .  it 's a tough choice to make  .  
 you can decide later  .  you will have choices before you submit your university application form  .  
 right  .  i have lots of time to think carefully before i make my final decision  .  
 yeah  .  people always enjoy the lighted lanterns and the gala performances  .  
 what are they doing over there  ?  people keep on gathering there  .  
 did you notice the characters on the lanterns  ?  
 sure  .  but you know that i ca n't read any chinese characters  .  what do they say  ?  
 they are puzzles  .  it 's a tradition to solve the puzzles on the lanterns during the lantern festival  .  
 very interesting  .  but i 'm afraid we 'd better do something else  .  hey  look  !  there is a huge lantern there  .  let 's get close to it  .  
 it 's really eyecatching  .  it 's the biggest dragon lantern i 've ever seen in all my life  .  
 really  ?  then i 'm really lucky  .  oh  it 's spewing fireworks from its huge mouth  .  
 very impressive  .  it 's made of glass which makes it even brighter  .  
 there are many chinese characters on its body  too  .  what are they about  ?  puzzles  ?  
 let me have a look  .  oh  no  .  they are chinese poems which describe this happy scene  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  you 'd better hurry up before they 've filled all classes  .  many people are learning how to drive now  .  
 i will get registered now at once  .  do you know any training schools  ?  
 i am not sure  .  you can search for them on the internet  .  
 ok  .  look  i 've typed driver schools  and there are so many results coming out  .  
 let me see  .  teetee training school  summer program  3000 yuan  learn how to drive within one month  and get driver 's license within three months  .  
 3000 yuan is a little bit steep  .  
 i think so  .  let 's see the next one  3500 yuan  summer program  .  forget it  .  
 i 've heard that the ideal life school is famous  .  they offer many programs and there are many classes available  .  the charge is also fair  .  
 search on the internet then  see if we can find something more about it  .  
 ah  got it  .  ideal life school  programs 
 do n't worry  .  let 's check out some other schools  .  
 do n't you know that  ?  it 's panda  .  
 of course i know  .  i just ca n't see it very well  .  
 ok  then put on your glasses  and do you know what does the panda eat  ?  
 of course  bamboo  !  
 that 's right  .  
 i also know they are given to other countries as gifts for friendship  .  
 you sound quite knowledgeable  .  
 not really  panda is my favorite animal  .  
 actually  it likes milk too  .  
 any way  in a word  panda is our friend  .  
 do you know other famous animals in the world  ?  
 yeah  let me think  the kangaroo and koala bear from australia are very famous  .  
 that 's right  .  ok  let 's move on  .  
 is that different from this kind of zoo  ?  
 yes  of course  .  
 so tell me about it  !  
 there are a lot of wild animals in that place  and also some special rules while visiting  .  
 special rules  ?  
 there  you only have two ways for visiting  .  
 details  ?  
 on their bus or in your own cars  and you wo n't be allowed to get off the bus until you reach the special region  .  
 why not  ?  
 because it is dangerous to get out of the car or bus  .  you can just imagine how fierce the wild animals can be  .  
 that makes sense  .  but that sounds interesting  .  is there one in beijing too  ?  
 yes  .  
 i prefer to go there next time  .  
 yeah  sure  you wo n't be disappointed  .  
 is it horror movie  ?  
 yeah  i love horror movies the most  .  would you like to go with me next weekend  ?  
 no way  .  i will be scared out of my wits  .  
 well  what kind of movies do you like  ?  
 er  let me see  .  romance  comedy  documentary  action  science fiction  cartoon and so on  .  
 in a word  you like all the movies except for the horror movies  .  
 yeah  it seems like we do n't talk the same language as far as movies are concerned  .  
 not quite  .  i also like romance and comedy movies very much  .  
 the terminal is a movie of this type  .  
 so we can relax now  .  
 yeah  i could hardly wait to see it  .  
 may and danny have already grown up  .  
 i can still remember our first date  .  
 look at that big tree over there  .  
 yeah  oh my god  !  it 's still there  .  we have our first date right on there  .  
 do you know that i fell in love with you at the first sight  .  
 you were dull at that time  .  
 but you agreed to go out with me at last  .  
 i ca n't believe this for it 's been 20 years since we got married  .  
 really  ?  it was on in 1994 for the first time  .  and it is really a classic  .  
 yeah  i am very impressed with tom hanks performance in the movie  .  
 i am also impressed with the lines in the movie  .  
 life is like a box of chocolates  you never know what you 're gonna get  .  
 that 's my favorite  .  
 you know  it also won 6 oscar awards in 1995  .  unbelievable  !  
 it deserves  .  that film can give us a lot of inspiration  .  
 yes  the forrest 's experience can encourage the people in trouble  .  
 all in all  it will never lose its appeal  .  
 gucci  i have an idea  .  do you want to see this movie together  ?  
 sure  .  now you are talking  .  
 sure  .  what 's playing  ?  
 well  let me check the newspaper  .  what about the terminal  ?  
 wow  it stars catherine zetajones  my favorite actress  .  
 well  birds of a feather flock together  .  i like her too  .  she was in a lot of dramas  .  
 she is so beautiful and elegant  .  and she is famous for her fine acting  .  
 what 's more  she does n't have scandals  .  and she likes to take part in the charitable activities  .  
 who is the director  ?  
 steven spielberg  .  another superstar  .  
 yes  a legend  also  .  i still remember  his movies  jurassic park and schindler 's list got him nine oscar awards in 1994  .  
 can you introduce the story of the terminal briefly  ?  
 it tells a romantic and humorous love story  .  
 this is really exciting movie  .  lets go to this one  .  
 there  s so much i want to do  .  i  ve just finished sending lots of emails to friends and family all over the world  .  i just ran a search for music to download  .  
 i can give you the name of a few useful website to visit  .  
 thanks  .  that would be very helpful  .  i  ve discovered that it can take a long time to find exactly what you want  .  there  s too much information on the net  .  
 when you sent your emails  did you attach any files to them  ?  
 yes  i did  .  there  s an antivirus program with my email account that scans all attachments  so i  m sure i haven  t sent anything nasty to anyone  .  
 when you use the internet  be careful not to give out your email address very often  .  if you do  you might get a lot of spamunwanted email from companies trying to sell you things  .  
 that  s good advice  .  i should also be careful about giving out confidential information about myself  such as my password and credit car number  .  
 that  s right  .  another thing to remember when you are surfing is that you can add a web page to your list of favourites  .  your computer will remember the page and you can return there quickly next time you want to visit  .  
 how do i do that  ?  
 take this web page for example  .  press the keys  control  and  d  together  .  click on  favourites  at the top of the screen  .  there you are  .  it has been added to you favourites list  .  if you click it  you will automatically go to that web page again  .  
 that  s useful to know  .  thanks  .  i  ll just log off and shout down my computer and we can go for a coffee  .  
 really  ?  i  m not sure that i would like all the attention  .  there have been numerous cases of paparazzi interfering with star  s private live in recent years  .  
 i love being photographed  !  if i were famous  i  d do interviews for all the top magazines  like cosmo and elle  .  
 i wouldn  t mind having my photo taken a few times or being interviewed once or twice  but it would get tedious after a while  .  imagine the things the gossip columnists would write about you  .  
 noone really believes gossip columnists  .  
 i think you  ll find that many people believe what they read in gossip columns  .  you  d also have to be very careful about every word you said  .  if you appeared on a chat show and said something silly  it would be reported in all the newspapers and magazines  .  
 i think you  re right about that  .  i  d need a good manager to be my spokesperson  .  i could do a lot of charity work  which would help a lot of people  .  
 that  s a great idea  .  which charities would you support  ?  
 i love children  as you know  so probably a children  s charity  .  
 you  d have to remember that anything you said or did might reflect on the charity  so you  d really need to be very careful  .  anyway  i  d be the first to buy your posters and i  d attend your first booksinging when you wrote your autobiography  .  
 thanks  but actually i was hoping i could ask you to write my biography  .  
 yes  it is  .  thanks  .  i  m just surfing on the internet  .  
 here  ?  in this cafe  ?  how can you do that  ?  
 this cafe offers a wireless internet connection  .  that means i can get on the net for free while i  m here  .  of course  i have to buy a cup of coffee  !  
 that  s great  .  can you do it anywhere  ?  
 no  .  you can only do it when the cafe offers a wireless connection  .  there are only about 10 or 12 places that offer it in this city  .  
 so  what programs do you have on your laptop  ?  
 i  ve got all the usual ones for word processing and then i have a few for creating and editing photographs  .  
 i know you are keen on photography  .  it  s very useful for you to be able to download photos from your digital camera  .  then you attach the picture files to emails and send them to anyone  anywhere  at anytime  !  
 it  s wonderful  isn  t it  ?  would you like to see some photos that i look recently  ?  
 yes  i do  .  i also use an antispyware program and a firewall  .  there are so many nasties on the internet and so many people who are trying to use the internet to hurt other users  .  you have to be very careful and keep you computer clean  .  
 how often do you run your antivirus program  ?  
 i usually run it every few days  .  it finds a virus about half the time  .  
 which antivirus program would you recommend  ?  
 how you tried this one  ?  it  s very good and you can download it for free on the internet  .  you can also download updates for free  .  
 that sounds very good  .  which website should i visit to download it  ?  
 just a minute  .  .  .  go to this one  .  i  ll send you an email with the line in it  .  it only takes a few minutes to download  .  then you have to go through the set up procedures  .  but they are not complicated  .  
 what do you use your computer for  ?  
 i use it for several thingssurfing the net  word processing and creating presentations  .  i don  t play many games on my computer  but i do a lot of work with photographs  .  using c computer program  you can edit and resize photographs  .  you can also make them brighter or darker and cut pieces from different photographs to create new ones  .  
 computers are great  aren  t they  ?  i should download some program and learn how to use them  .  
 i use it almost every day  but i usually only use it to check my email  .  i don  t often surf the net  .  you use the internet a lot  don  t you  ?  
 yes  .  i use it to find products and components at the lowest price for my company  .  it can be frustrating when the connection is poor  .  
 so  you  re online eight hours a day  .  
 yes  i like the job though  .  sometimes  i help other people in the office if they  re having trouble online  .  
 how useful do you think the internet is as a source of information  ?  
 i think it  s fairly useful  but there are two big problems  .  first  a lot of the information you find online is false  .  second  when you buy something online  you don  t see it until you actually get it  .  
 how do you solve the website problems when you  re buying something online  ?  
 what i do is find the website of shops  .  then someone from our company visits the shop and buys when they  re seen that the products are genuine and suitable  .  
 i  d say the main reason is poverty  .  countries and their people get frustrated because they have so little  .  if their neighbors have some resources  they try to steal them by military force  .  
 it seems that a lot of wars nowadays are really civil wars  .  people from different ethnic groups in the same country sometimes fight for power in that country  .  
 several of those civil wars have been going on for years and years  .  it seems they will never end  .  
 how do you think they could be ended  ?  
 i don  t think that there is any easy way  .  the united nations could send peacekeepers into the country  .  at least then the warring parties could be forced to negotiate  .  the thing is to find the real problem form the war and solve that  .  
 so  if the cause is poverty  there should be a program to make the country richer  .  if the problem is resources  share them  .  
 it sounds easy when you say it like that  .  in reality  it  s harder to make peace between countries  .  
 yes  .  it is  .  one way to stop countries fighting is to cut off their financial support  .  wars are very expensive  .  
 the problem is that many poor people might suffer  .  
 would you like to live in the country  ?  i  m not sure i  d like it  .  
 i can see a lot of advantage and disadvantage  .  the problem is that  for me  each advantage has its own disadvantage  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 well  i hate the noise in the city  but i love being around lost of people  .  the problem is that you can  t have lots of people and have peace and quiet  .  the two just don  t go together  .  
 i see what you mean  .  i love being far away from a city  but i hate being so far away department stores and sports facilities  .  
 people can  t have it both ways  .  if you live in the country  it is often less convenient  .  if you live in a city  it is noisy  but there  s more to do  .  
 i would love to be surrounded by hills and streams  .  they  re so much better to look at than concrete  rows of parked cars and tall buildings  .  
 i would love to hear the birds singing and feel the fresh breeze on my face  .  when the wind blows in the city  you get dust in your mouth and in your eyes  .  
 the view from the hill is so beautiful and relaxing  .  there  s so sign of pollution  .  the village looks so peaceful  .  
 just remember that in that village there  s nothing to do  .  there  s not even a pub or restaurant  .  there  s just one small shop with a poor selection of goods  .  
 you  re right  .  i would have to travel to the city at least once a week to go shopping and see friends  .  i would hate living in the country  !  
 not at all  .  i  m an agnostic  .  do you  ?  
 i  m not sure  .  why don  t you believe there is a god  ?  
 i think everything has a scientific explanation rather than a theological one  .  
 i basically believe in science over theology  .  i mean  i believe in evolution for example  .  however  there are many things that science hasn  t explained yet  .  
 i  m sure that science will explain everything eventually  .  i think that the strangest thing about religion is that so many religions people act in ways that their religion claims are wrong  .  
 for example  ?  
 religions preach tolerance  but many wars are caused by intolerant religious fanatics  .  
 yes  .  such people don  t appear to be acting in accordance with their religious beliefs  .  
 why not  !  it  s a classic  .  in fact  it  s one of my favorite novels  .  
 but it  s so old  .  
 don  t judge a book by its cover  .  do you kwon what it  s about  ?  
 no  not at all  .  
 first of all  it  s a romance novel  set in the early 19th century  .  
 i didn  t realize it was a romance novel  .  what  s the main storyline  ?  
 it  s basically about a father who tried to marry off one of his five girls  .  
 why does he want to do that  ?  
 since he doesn  t have a son  he hopes that one of the girls will marry a wealthy man  .  that way  all of his daughters will be cared for  .  
 won  t they get his inheritance  ?  
 no  that  s the problem  .  though they are welloff  once he dies  his house will go to his cousin  .  so  when he dies  the girls will have nothing  .  
 i see  .  this sounds interesting  !  maybe my teacher isn  t so horrible after all  .  
 so  are you going to read the novel or watch the movie  ?  
 there  s movie  ?  my teacher didn  t tell me that  !  
 that  s probably because she wants you to read the book first  .  
 it would take a lot less time  .  .  .  
 how about this  .  when you finish the book  .  i  ll get the movie and watch it with you  .  
 ok  .  that sounds like a deal  .  
 i only allow my child to watch up to an hour a day  .  i don  t think that tv is bad for kids  .  i think that kids should be active and not become couch potatoes  .  
 perhaps i should impose a limit on how much tv my kids can watch  .  they don  t do much else in their free time  .  at least they always do their homework first  .  
 if you decide to put a limit on the amount of tv they can watch  remember to have something else for them to do  .  if you don  t  they  ll get bored and misbehave  .  
 they could go out and play with their friends  .  
 sure  .  you could talk to other parents in your neighbourhood and plan it so that all the kids are free at the same time  .  
 perhaps i could ask my husband to teach them foot ball or some thing  .  he watches too much tv too  .  
 that  s a good idea  .  remember that if the parents watch too much tv  the kids will probably follow suit  .  
 i like traveling for pleasure to get places for vacation for instance  .  but i don  t like traveling to work  waiting for buses  or  .  .  .  
 or getting stuck in traffic jams when you  re driving  .  
 exactly  .  
 it 's gone with the wind  .  
 why do you like it best  ?  
 i enjoy the various characters and the plot  .  
 well  .  i like the thom birds best  .  
 is it very interesting  ?  
 sure  .  i like the writer 's language  too  .  
 if i have a chance  i 'll enjoy the book  .  
 would you like to go to the bookshop with me  ?  
 that 's a good idea  .  let 's go  !  
 it 's the best seller everyone 's been talking about for the last six months  .  
 how in the world did you get a copy  ?  i 've put a hold on it at the public library for weeks and i 'm still waiting my turn  .  
 i checked it out of the rental library  .  it only costs five cents a day  .  
 is it really worth paying for  ?  
 i ca n't tell yet  .  i have n't got beyond the first chapter  .  
 if it 's any good  i 'll buy a copy when it comes out in the pocket edition  .  
 not a great deal  .  
 i 've just been reading an article about them  .  they 'll be used for all sorts of things now  .  
 for accounting system and things like that  you mean  ?  
 yes  but they are used for other things  too  .  do you remember when we went to buy a ticket for the flight to paris  .  
 yes  ?  
 the man asked where we want to go  then he type out the information on the form and waited for a reply  .  a few moment later  he gave us two tickets  .  
 of course  his machine must have been connected to a computer  .  
 that 's right  .  
 but i  .  .  .  i do n't agree with thatbecause computers weaken kids 'ability to thinkbecause kids do n't learn basic skills  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 they ca n't spell  they ca n't add  they ca n't subtract  they even do n't remember any more  .  that 's because they rely on gadgets  .  
 that 's not the gadgets  .  creating programmes is stimulate thoughts  .  it engages their imagination and sharpen their mind  .  
 well  mary types faster than jones  .  but i think jones types more carefully  .  
 is there any difference in their short hand  ?  
 jones can certainly take down letter more quickly  but mary  s short hand is the best in her class  .  
 how about languages  ?  
 both of them speak excellent french  .  but i think mary speaks german more fluently than jones does  .  
 um  .  that doesn  t really matter  .  because we have more french visitors than german  .  
 oh  what  s he like  ?  
 well  he  s got dark hair and brown eyes  .  
 yes  .  
 and a white sports car  .  
 um  that  s good  .  
 yes  but he  s got a wife and 3 children as well  .  
 i 'd like to  .  but i 'm not myself today  .  
 what happened  ?  you look so pale  .  
 it 's the end of the world for me  .  
 what makes you say that  ?  
 today  i 'm told i failed three courses  .  
 oh  that 's too bad  .  work harder next term  .  
 i 'm such a fool that duplication of effort is only a waste of time to me  .  
 do n't loose heart  .  everything will be fine  .  
 i hope so  .  
 yes  of course  .  this is really a nice party with wonderful people and lovely wines  .  
 i  m glad you  re enjoying it  .  
 thank you for the invitation  .  
 it  s my pleasure  .  would you like another glass of champagne  ?  
 yes  please  .  thank you for everything  .  
 sorry  i can  t  .  
 tomorrow night  then  ?  
 i  d like to  .  but i  m afraid i can  t  .  
 i  m wondering if you like to go to the theatre then  .  
 that  s sounds great  .  
 ok  .  how about give me a ring  then  ?  
 no  .  i  d better not  .  
 why not  ?  
 because i don  t think my husband would like it  .  thank you for inviting me anyway  .  
 i  m looking at my horoscope for this month  !  my outlook is very positive  .  it says that i should take a vacation to someplace exotic  and that i will have a passionate summer fling  !  
 what are you talking about  ?  let me see that  .  .  .  what are horoscopes  ?  
 it  s a prediction of your month  based on your zodiac sign  .  you have a different sign for the month and date you were born in  .  i was born on april 15th  so i  m an aries  .  when were you born  ?  
 january 5th  .  
 let  s see  .   .   .  you  re a capricorn  .  it says that you will be feeling stress at work  but you could see new  exciting developments in your love life  .  looks like we  ll both have interesting summers  !  
 that  s bogus  .  i don  t feel any stress at work  and my love life is practically nonexistent  .  this zodiac stuff is all a bunch of nonsense  .  
 no  it  s not  your astrology sign can tell you a lot about your personality  .  see  ?  it says that an aries is energetic and loves to socialize  .  
 well  you certainly match those criteria  but they  re so broad they could apply to anyone  .  what does it say about me  ?  
 a capricorn is seriousminded and practical  .  she likes to do things in conventional ways  .  that sounds just like you  !  
 ok  !  how about scrabble  ?  
 no  no  a friend of mine taught me this really fun game  .  i  m going to describe someone  s face  and you guess who it is  !  
 ok  !  
 let  s see  .  he has a roman nose  bushy eyebrows and dimples  !  
 our cousin pete  !  my turn  !  she has a pointy nose  sunken eyes and a mole on her chin  !  
 aunt rose  !  that mole is so huge  !  ok  my turn  .  he has a crooked nose and full lips  .  he has quite a few freckles and an oval face  .  oh  he is also bald  !  
 your future husband  !  
 not funny  .  
 what am i doing  ?  what am i doing  ?  don  t you know what day it is  ?  
 mumm  .  no  .  
 it  s only the day when the world  s biggest sporting event is kicking off  .  
 what  ?  
 the world cup  !  the first match is today  !  it  s mexico vs  .  south africa  !  it  s going to be a really good match  !  both teams have a very strong offense and have skilled players  .  i think that south africa will probably dominate the first half since they are the host country  and all  .  
 i have no idea what you  re talking about  .  the only sporting event we watch at home is the super bowl  .  
 this is bigger than the super bowl  man  !  teams from 32 countries compete against each other every four years and fight to win that trophy  .  they first start in a group stage with bigger groups  each group having 4 teams  .  the top 2 teams pass on to an elimination stage before going on to the quarter final sand semifinals  .  
 sounds interesting  but soccer doesn  t really appeal to me  .  
 are you kidding  ?  over seven hundred million people watched the final match of the world cup  !  it  s a very exciting and nerve wracking sport  !  each nation is cheering on their team  hoping they will become the next champion  .  so far brazil is the team with the most titles under their belt  they  re really good  !  
 all i know about soccer is that you can  t use your hands and that players are always falling down  trying to get a free kick or penalty kick  .  it seems like a sissy sport to me  !  
 whatever dude  i  m going to go watch the opening match  .  
 mine was ok  except that no one in my class speaks english  .  i guess it will force me to converse in chinese more in class so at least i should improve a lot this semester  .  
 that  s both fortunate and unfortunate  .  it  s the united nations in my class  !  we have people from all over the world  !  there are three germans  a pole  a scottish  two french  an american  a brazilian  a chilean  a new zealander  though he prefers to call himself a kiwi  .  who else do we have  ?  oh  we also have a moroccan  a togolese  a pakistani  and two indonesians  !  
 that  s quite the array of nationalities  .  everyone in my class is from asia  except me  .  there are a few south koreans  several japanese  malaysian  thai  singaporean  filipino  kazakhstan  and one russian  .  
 well  i think you  re pretty lucky actually  .  you  ll have the opportunity to learn so much about asian culture  .  
 i guess so  but i think it  s going to be hard to relate to my classmates  especially with the language barrier  .  i think i might change classes  .  
 don  t  !  stay the course  !  your spoken chinese will be eternally grateful  .  i bet you it will even surpass mine with all that practice  .  
 i highly doubt it  .  your girlfriend is chinese  .  
 well  there is that  yes  .  
 it does seem like the perfect day  !  i  m glad we chose to get out of the city and enjoy the nice weather  !  this looks like the perfect spot  !  ok kids  put on your sunscreen while your mom and i set up camp  .  here  mary  help me lay down these beach towels  .  
 there we go  .  can you help me with the umbrella  ?  perfect  .  
 ok kids  here  sa beach ball and a frisbee  a pail and a shovel  .  i want to see an impressive sandcastle by the time we leave  .  don  t stray too far  .  wait  !  leave your sandals here or put on your wet shoes  .  
 and stay in the shallow area  .  i don  t want to see you go any farther than that sandbar  !  it  s too deep out there and we didn  t bring your floatier  .  
 you  re back already  ?  the water was too cold  huh  ?  i  ll tell you a secret  .  do you see that small pool of water over there  ?  it  ll be warmer in there  .  go see if you can find some seashells or catch some minnows  .  
 what is that  ?  a jellyfish  ?  jeremy  put that down right now  !  it could sting you  !  
 ah  !  not on me  !  ow  !  
 yes  !  yes  !  and yes  !  jared  of course i  ll marry you  !  
 oh  babe  i can  t wait to spend the rest of my life with you  !  i can  t wait for all the adventures we  re going to have  for all the fights and the laughter  .  i can  t wait to grow old and wrinkly with you  .  
 oh  jared  !  i can  t wait for our wedding  !  i hope you don  t mind  but i  ve already chosen a date  !  six months from now in the summer  !  melissa saw you buying the ring last month so i  ve had plenty of time to start planning  !  
 she what  ?  
 oh don  t worry  sweetie  i didn  t know when you were going to propose  .  it was still a nice surprise  !  as i was saying  i  ve got it all planned out  .  there  s almost nothing left to do  !  i wrote up our guest list and we will have roughly four hundred guests attending  .  
 four hundred  ?  
 no need to sweat it  .  my parents agreed to pay for most of the wedding  which is going to be lowbudget anyway  .  so roughly four hundred people  which means that the hall at northwoods heights will be our reception venue  .  i thought it would be nice if we had the wedding at your parents  church and my uncle of course would be officiating  .  we  ll meet with him soon for some prewedding counseling  .  the music for the wedding ceremony was a nobrainer  .  my stepsister and her string quartet will take care of that  .  my cousin will be the official photographer  .  i thought it would also be nice if his daughter could sing a solo  .  did you know that she  s going to be a professional opera singer  ?  
 ah  .  .  .  
 and then of course the ladies at the church would love to be our caterers for the banquet and we  ll get the youth group to serve us  .  i was thinking that your friend  s band could be our entertainment for the night  .  though they might have to tone it down a bit  .  or we could hire a dj  .  your sister  s husband could get us a discount with that company that does the decor at weddings  .  what  s their name again  ?  i was thinking that we could have an island paradisethemed wedding and our theme color would be a soothing blue like aquamarine  .  and there will be a huge seashell on the wall behind the podium where we  ll make our toasts  !  what do you think of small packages of drink mixes for our wedding favors  ?  who else am i missing  ?  oh  your uncle could be our florist and his wife could make our wedding cake  !  
 wow  .  
 see  ?  it  s going to be wonderful  !  oh this wedding is going to be everything i ever dreamed of  .  
 if i survive the next six months  .  
 fine with me  .  i just want to get this over with  .  it  s important we make a clean break  .  i should have signed a prenup  .  
 what was that  ?  
 nothing  !  anyway  you  re right  there  s no reason this has to be nasty  .  my lawyer tells me you  ve accepted our alimony proposal and the division of property  as well as the custody agreementi keep the cat and you get the dog  .  so that  s done  .  .  .  finally  .  
 let  s not go there  joanne  !  ok  so let  s start with the record collection  i  ll take the albums i contributed and you can have your cheesy disco albums back  .  
 fine  but i  m keeping the antique gramophone as my grandfather gave it to me  .  
 i believe that was a wedding present to both of us  joanne  .  and you hardly ever use it  !  
 he  s my grandfather  and he never really liked you anyway  !  
 whatever  !  alright  i  ll concede the silly gramophone  if you  ll agree that i get the silver tea set  .  
 how typical  when are you ever going to use a silver tea set  ?  fine  !  i don  t want to drag this out any longer than necessary  .  what  s next  ?  what about these old photographs  ?  
 which ones  ?  let me have a look  .  wow  look at that  !  that brings back memories  .  .  .  that  ?  
 our trip to italy  !  i remember that day  .  we were going to visit the trev fountain  and we got caught in the rain  .  .  .  
  .  .  .  and you looked so adorable with your hair all wet  .  i had to take a picture of you standing there in that little alley  smiling and laughing in the rain  .  .  .  
 oh  we really did have fun back then  didn  t we  ?  
 oh  joanne  are we making a big mistake  ?  i know our relationship has been on the rocks for sometime but are you sure we can  t reconcile and try again  ?  i still love you  .  
 oh jeff  !  i love you too  !  i  m so glad we didn  t have to decide who keeps the motorcycle  .  
 the motorcycle  ?  but that  s mine  !  
 what happened  ?  
 i  m in the market for a job  !  i went on a website with hundreds of job listings in the area and browsed through them until i got the names of a few employers i would like to work for  .  i have the resume i wrote for english class last month and a cover letter will be a piece of cake to write  .  i  ve even done my research and found the names of the managers so i can address the letters personally  .  and you know i can be charming in interviews  .  goodbye my penniless days  !  hello salary and a career  !  
 ben  we  re fifteen  .  what kind of job are you looking for  ?  
 oh  just for a position as a gas station attendant  .  you know  starting at a simple lowly job  just like all the greats before they made it big in the world  .  
 uhhuh  .  
 but i  m just in it for the money  right  ?  how else am i going to be able to afford to keep taking angela to the movies  ?  besides  i love the smell of gasoline  don  t you  ?  
 yeah  ?  you finally decided to wipe the slate clean  ?  
 you got it  !  i have a new job  i  m living in a new city  with new friends  !  this is my opportunity to make some small changes in the way i live my life  .  
 so what are you going to do  ?  take up an art class or something  ?  
 well  first of all  i  ve decided to stop smoking  .  it  s not that i  m pinching pennies or anything  it  s just that i  ve been smoking since i was sixteen  and i think it  s time to stop  .  
 i  m with you on that one  .  anything else you  re planning on doing  ?  
 one last thing  i  ve decided to come out of the closet  .  
 it  s about time  !  
 what  s wrong  ?  slow down or you are gonna give yourself a heart attack  .  
 tomorrow is christmas and i haven  t bought my mom anything  !  i  m such a bad son  !  
 take it easy  !  let  s go to the mall  window shop a little and see if there is anything she might like  .  
 that  s just it  !  i don  t know what to get her  !  last year i got her a ring that was two sizes too big and a pair of shoes five sizes too small  !  i suck at getting presents for people  .  
 that  s where you  re making a big mistake  !  you can  t just guess peoples  likes or sizes  !  especially with clothes or jewelry  .  on top of that  i think that you should get your mom something that shows how much you love her  .  at the same time you should show her that you took the time and effort to look for something that she would really like  !  
 yeah  you  re right  .  when it comes down to it  i can be pretty tacky  .  
 yeah  tell me about it  .  i know  !  your mom is trying to learn spanish  right  ?  why don  t you get her a gift certificate for this great website i saw called spanishpod  .  
 now that  s a great idea  !  
 coffee  please  .  
 what about you  mary  ?  
 coke is fine . thank you  .  
 i like orange better  .  
 why  ?  
 because orange is much more to my taste  .  
 i 'm not sure  .  
 what about going to a movie  ?  
 ok  let 's go to the cinema to see what 's on  .  
 how nice of you to remember  !  
 oh  here 's a little token of my affection  .  
 you 're so thoughtful . thank you  .  
 the pleasure is mine . happy birthday and many happy returns of the day  !  
 thank you  jack . to be frank  i 'd rather forget my birthday  .  
 do n't be silly  .  
 we 've a country house  .  
 that 's nice  .  
 join us  will you  ?  
 that 'd be great  !  thank you  .  
 what 're you going to buy  ?  
 sportshoes . will you go with me  ?  
 ok  .  
 but grandpa will be working  .  
 it 's saturday  .  
 i almost forget  .  
 it depends on the weather  .  
 the radio says it 'll be fine  .  
 that 'll be great  .  
 yes  i find jogging does good to me  so i keep on doing it  .  
 you 've formed a sound habit  .  
 i think so  too  .  
 i do n't entirely agree with you  .  
 then how do you explain so many rich people committing suicide  ?  
 well  that 's a thing  .  
 oh  goodness  please not again . that s what we did last week  .  
 no  we did n't  .  last week we went to see that movie about a man's struggle against mental illness  .  
 right  it was a chick flick  just like this one  so what 's the difference  ?  besides  this is the last week for the third movie in destroyer series and i want to see that on a big screen  .  action movies need to be seen in a theater on a big screen  .  
 oh  yeah  and i did promise to see it with you if we went to that movie last week . but you liked that movie  did n't you  ?  
 oh  sure  it was great  .  i had popcorn for dinner and paid the price of a movie ticket to get a twohour nap  .  
 it was n't that bad  and you 're the one that insisted on skipping dinner . we went to an excellent restaurant  .  
 that place does n't have a single meat dish . just fish and shellfish and you know i do n't like fish that much  .  
 and i do n't like meat that much . the only meat i eat is chicken  .  
 but when i pick the restaurant  we go to a place that has both chicken and fish  .  i always respect your food preferences  .  
 well  i suppose that  to be fair  you should get to pick the movie and we can go to a restaurant that serves meat  .  
 now you 're talking  we can see that love story next time  .  
 tom hanks is always my favorite film star  .  
 what films feature him  ?  
 many  !  
 my choice would always be tea  .  
 when did you form this hobby  ?  
 last year when i visited china  .  
 i 'm having a hard time getting the information  .  
 it 's easy  .  you only have to search the internet in order to get the information you 're looking for  .  
 oh  i did n't think of that  .  
 hi  john  !  i have n't seen you for ages  .  
 yeah  i 've been out of town  .  
 so how have you been  ?  
 great  !  work is really busy now  but it 's fun  .  
 thanks  tim . nice meeting you  too  .  
 i guess we 'll see just around  .  
 ye  i hope so . well . take it easy  .  
 you too  .  
 hey  andrew  .  how 's everything with work  ?  
 ok  i guess  .  my boss has been on my back recently  .  
 really  ?  what 's he been doing  ?  
 you know  just giving me lots to do  .  i 'm really busy right now  .  
 are you  ?  what are you busy with  ?  
 oh  lots of things  .  mostly training new people  .  
 but you promised to play chess with me this afternoon  .  
 yeah  but that was before the guys ask me to join the team  .  
 so what  ?  
 you know how much i want to be on the team  and now there is an opening for me . if i do n't go to practise today . they ll get someone else and i 'll miss my chance  .  
 i do n't care about baseball . you know i need to practice for the chess championship and you promised to help with me if i washed the dishes for you last sunday  and i did  .  
 i know  and i will  .  
 when  ?  
 after baseball practice  .  
 and then  it 'll be dinner time  then homework  and then your show is on . you are going to break your promise  .  
 no  i wo n't  .  i 'm going to skip tv tonight and work on your chess game with you if that 's ok with you  .  
 well  i 'd rather do it the way we set up . but if you promise to give me your best game  it 's ok with me  .  
 no problem  i 'll play as hard as i can and give you an extra game to say thanks  .  
 yeah  i think so  .  oh  by the way  i need to ask you something  .  
 what 's that  ?  
 could i get back the sweater you borrowed  ?  
 sure  .  oh  that reminds me  .  could i borrow your black leather boots  ?  
 my boots  ?  er  .  .  .  sure  ok  .  
 oh  i  m going to meet my girlfriend in thailand  .  
 you have a girlfriend in thailand  ?  interesting  .  how come i have never heard of that  ?  
 actually it will be my first time to meet her  .  
 you mean you haven  t seen her before  ?  then  how could she be your girlfriend  ?  maybe you don  t even know her  .  
 that  s true  .  but we have known each other over the internet for a few months now  .  actually we are on an intimate level  .  we even plan to be engaged next month  .  
 congratulations  !  it  s good to follow your heart  .  but i just didn  t expect to be so fast  .  
 the internet is making interaction much faster  .  people are getting to know each other much more quickly this way  .  
 probably you  re right  .  
 george  how can we  ?  vacations cost money  .  and this month we don  t have much money left after paying the rent  .  
 well  lili  we can visit different places in the state in our van 10  .  we are not going to take a plane or stay at a hotel this time  .  trust me  it won  t cost much  .  
 where will we sleep  then  ?  
 in the van  .  
 what about other expenses  ?  
 let  s see  .  gas  food  recreation  we won  t spend much  .  come on  .  don  t hesitate  .  we need to get out of the house once in a while  .  we have been working hard  haven  t we  ?  
 maybe you  re right  .  when do you plan to go  ?  
 the sooner the better  !  i can  t wait  !  
 oh  i don  t know where we  re going yet  .  
 as long as we  re going  you can decide where to go  .  i trust your judgments  .  i know you miss chinese food  so we can eat at a chinese restaurant this time  .  
 let  s go to chicago . we can have lunch in chinatown . then we can go to a ball game at wrigley field  !  
 you have such good ideas  !  
 i found the ideal position  .  i  m working for a plumbing company  .  
 are you serious  ?  you studied mathematics at college for four years  and now you have a job working with your hands  !  
 plumbing work requires mathematics knowledge  and creativity  .  i love this job  .  
 i can see that  .  but i didn  t know you had experience in that line of work  .  
 i didn  t  but i applied for an apprenticeship  and since i studied math  and i have a good attitude  my application was accepted  .  
 congratulations  !  you do have the right attitude  .  
 and then what  ?  
 and then i  m moving to florida where i can play golf all day  every day  !  
 that sounds boring to me  .  
 what do you plan on doing after you retire  ?  
 yes  i think i will do something new  .  i  ve always wanted to be a teacher  .  i  m willing to begin studying to teach  .  
 i admire your energy  ruth  .  you are young at heart  .  
 are you kidding  ?  i  m terrible  !  but i love to watch sports  .  i go to football or baseball games a lot  .  and i read sports magazines every week  .  
 wow  !  
 do you like sports  janice  ?  
 oh  yes  .  i like to exercise  .  but i don  t watch sports or buy sports magazines  .  i don  t have much time to do those things  .  
 oh  i see  .  you know  we spend time doing different sports  .  how much time do you spend exercising  ?  
 well  i guess i exercise about two hours a day  .  i do aerobics three times a week  and the other days i play badminton 1 with my husband  .  i always feel good afterward  .  
 that  s great  !  i  ve heard people say that before  .  
 well  why don  t you try to get some exercise  ?  it  s difficult  but very rewarding  .  
 oh  i  m too lazy to play sports  and i  m not good at anything either  .  it hardly excites me  .  
 palmistry  ?  what is that  ?  
 it 's when someone takes a look at another person's palm 4 to tell the future  .  
 oh  you mean palm reading 5  .  i 've seen that before  but i do n't believe in it  .  
 are you sure  ?  i 've read a lot about palmistry and i 've been able to tell a lot of accurate things about a person from his palm  .  do you want me to take a look at your hand  ?  
 really  ?  you 've read books about it  ?  ok  then  .  but only if you want to  .  
 ok  let 's see  well  you 've got a long life line  which is good  and the love line is strong  .  .  .  
 what else do you see  ?  will i be successful  ?  will i make a lot of money  ?  
 hmm  hard to say  wait  yes  it looks like you will do well in business  and your ambition will help you a lot  but  .  .  .  
 what  ?  what is it  ?  what 's the matter  ?  
 you seem to have a large gullibility line  .  you believe everything that you 're told  .  
 hey  !  
 no  not really  .  why do you ask  ?  
 because i want to tell you about the time that i saw a ghost  .  
 you saw a ghost  ?  when  ?  
 it was many years ago  when i was a little child  .  it was the middle of the night  and i went to get a drink of water from the kitchen  .  i walked out of my room and was at the top of the stairs  when  .  .  .  
 so that 's where you saw the ghost  ?  in your house  ?  what did it look like  ?  was it hideous  ?  
 it was a big  green thing that looked like a person  .  it was in the kitchen  and it slowly moved towards the stairs  .  .  .  
 so what did you do  ?  
 i hid so that it could n't see me  .  slowly it got closer and closer  until  .  .  .  
 until what  ?  what happened  ?  did you see it clearly  ?  did it attack you  ?  
 it moved slowly up the stairs  step by step  and i could hear its approaching footsteps  .  when it finally got to the top of the stairs  i realized that it was my father in his green pajamas  .  he had gone to get a late night snack  .  
 i just found out that my husband is cheating on me  .  
 you mean mark  ?  he seems like such an honest guy  .  
 that 's what i thought  .  it seems that he 's been seeing someone else for about two months  .  
 two months  ?  how did you find out  ?  
 i asked for leave and was at home when the telephone rang  .  i picked it up and a girl asked to talk to mark  .  she then asked if i was his sister  and i said no  i was his wife  .  she hung up immediately  .  
 so you asked him about the girl who called  ?  
 yeah  he first said it was someone from work  .  he gave me a lame excuse  and so i pressed him on it  .  
 what 'd he do  ?  
 he kept trying to make stupid excuses  and then broke down and admitted to a small indiscretion  .  
 indiscretion  ?  how can an indiscretion last two months  ?  i mean  you two have been married for two years  !  how can he do that to you  ?  
 i told him i would divorce him if he wouldn  t tell me the truth or end the relationship with her  .  
 good  .  i totally agree with what you did  .  
 really  ?  do i look happy all the time  ?  
 all i know is you look quite differently from other teachers  .  
 oh  do you know why  ?  actually  it  s easy  .  because i always exercise  .  my exercise  i think  is very hard  .  i often feel very good after conquering these difficulties  .  i feel alive  !  
 oh  i know  .  i saw you doing pullups one time on the campus 5 and some students trying to imitate you  .  
 yeah  they are doing it for fun  .  seldom would people like my exercise  .  it  s difficult and boring  .  
 it  s true  .  many students do the exercise when they have to  .  we have p  .  e  .  once a week  .  
 but i think chinese students need to exercise more  .  besides exercise will help them learn new things better  .  don  t students want to have a good memory  ?  
 of course  .  i didn  t know that  .  i only know exercise makes bodies stronger  .  i should take some exercise then  .  do you have any suggestions  ?  
 well  do what you like to do  .  it can be anything  .  jogging  doing aerobics  going bicycling  and playing pingpong  .  absolutely anything  .  doing three or more workouts a week is good for you  .  but remember to do some stretches first  .  
 oh  i know  .  thank you  .  
 not much  .  just sitting here eating some chinese food  .  is that the paper  ?  why do n't you open it and tell me my horoscope  ?  
 ok  wait a minute  .  .  .  let 's see  .  i 'm a taurus  and it says  mars is in the third house  and is soon to eclipse venus  .  i do n't know what that means  but then it says  your charm and drive will win others over to your way of thinking  .  remember to be positive  .  sounds good to me  .  
 what about gemini  ?  what 's the prediction  ?  
 since mercury has crossed paths with jupiter  your fortunes are falling  .  bad luck will follow you today  and you will lose that which you value  .  be careful  .  
 that sounds bad  !  i 'm really worried  what should i do  ?  maybe i should go home and stay in the rest of the day  .  
 but we have a date tonight  !  you ca n't stay at home because of a stupid horoscope  .  
 i 'm sorry for hero  .  i dont think there 's any excuse for his acting in some parts  .  
 do n't be too critical . we ca n't expect it to be perfect  .  
 how do you pay for it  ?  
 i 'm going to work in holidays and pay by installments  .  
 tell me if you need help  .  
 no  i am not eating there anymore  .  i have ordered my favorite food in the restaurant around the corner  .  the food served in the cafeteria is not my type  .  i am a total meat lover  .  but the cafeteria is doing its best to force me to be a vegetarian  .  they have been serving the chinese cabbage and white gorse for three days  .  haven  t you noticed that  ?  
 that  s fine with me  .  i don  t hate vegetables and i don  t eat much during lunch  .  
 well  then the cafeteria suits you best  .  but anyway  if you like to have a lunch outside the company  feel free to join me anytime  .  
 i 'm going to graduate this summer  .  
 where are you going to work then  in australia or back in china  ?  
 i 'm planning to return to china after graduation  .  
 why are you choosing to leave a foreign country  ?  many people are reluctant to leave the superior living environment abroad  .  
 well  i think personal development is much more important than simply having a superior living environment  .  
 yeah  china 's developing so fast and development opportunities can be found almost in every corner of the country  .  
 of course  !  it is the no  .  1 stressor in my life  .  you know job stress has become a very common problem these days  .  so we must learn to cope with it  .  
 totally agree  .  what is your solution  ?  
 well  there are two causes of job stress  .  one is employee characteristic and the other is company condition  .  so if we want to manage job stress  both we and the companies should do something  .  for me  i am trying to balance work and leisure time  .  you know  all work and no play make jack a dull boy  .  
 you seem to have a very relaxed outlook  .  
 it is necessary  .  positive attitude helps to prevent stress  .  
 but i don  t think we can change our working condition  .  anyway  we are not the bosses  .  
 i heard some companies are providing stress management training and making changes inside them  like avoiding unrealistic deadlines and organizing relaxation activities  .  our boss is a smart person  .  he will be learning from that if he would like to an efficient and healthy team  .  
 yes  at first i felt very awkward  .  after bill was demoted and then resigned  it was kind of like somebody died  !  i mean the atmosphere in the office was like a funeral parlor or something  .  and then i was afraid people would look at me as a traitor for filling in his spot when the management asked me to  .  .  .  
 did they mutiny  ?  
 thankful  no  .  i guess everyone understands the opportunity i had to step into a leadership role is so great for my career  .  i 'm really moving up the ladder now that i 'm considered a supervisor  .  after a couple weeks  it was like nothing happened  .  
 it is a really good chance for you to get more exposure at work  .  supervisors get to take the credit for all the hard work of the people under them  .  
 yeah  and they also take the blame  that 's what happened to my old boss  .  .  .  
 it 's ok  .  it seems we have a lot in common  .  
 oh  really  .  that is great news  .  what does he look like  ?  
 he is tall and slim  fairhaired  .  
 sounds like he is pretty cute  .  what do you think of him  ?  
 he is a nice guy and very considerate  .  i was impressed with how smart he was and he has a great sense of humor  .  
 how did you get wind of the rumor  ?  
 i am not a rumor monger  .  
 let  s stop gossiping and get back to work  .  
 well  going to a cinema  visiting the galleries  exhibitions and museums  finding and meeting old friends  exercising in the health club or mountain biking  .  there are so many good choices  .  
 the problem is that i find all of them are full of fun  .  i just don  t know what to do first  .  
 why not start with the most interesting one  ?  
 actually  i  m interested in all of them  .  the more choices we have  the harder to make a decision  .  
 toss a coin to decide then  .  
 gosh  you took all the word right out of my mouth  .  let 's go out and get crazy tonight  .  
 let 's go to the new club on west street  .  
 sure  but what do i wear  ?  
 you can wear that pretty red dress  .  
 you  d better change it  .  it  s ugly  .  
 how about this one  ?  
 it  s really elegant and it fits you really well  .  
 it 's okay  .  
 next time  it 's on me  .  
 do n't be silly  .  
 i 'm serious  .  
 alright  .  next time  we can try some other flavors  .  
 certainly  .  the vegetarian pizza looks pretty good  .  it must be very delicious  .  
 definitely  .  i really like italian food  .  
 yes  unbelievably cheap  .  carlsborg is less than  1  .  
 why do you drink  ?  i mean  where does drinking get you  ?  
 it 's fashionable  .  
 come on  you do n't even know that blinds following is a sign of immaturity  .  
 mary  it 's not about the blind following  .  what matter is i enjoy in drinking  .  it 's like when you get off of work  .  you 're so tired  .  you need to get relaxed  .  you ca n't just turn on the tv and keep watch the programs until you fall asleep  .  you need to make your after work time more fun  .  
 how  ?  by drinking  ?  
 drinking is just part of it  .  i mean  you have a bunch of friends coming by and having fun  .  you drink and talk  .  and the more you drink  the more you talk  .  it makes me so relaxed  .  
 when did you begin to drink  ?  
 it 's a long time ago  .  when i first went to a bar to pick up girls there  i saw the most beautiful girl sitting and sipping a coke  .  then i went up to her and said can i buy you a drink  ?  
 and then  ?  
 then i talked to her and got her number  .  you know what  ?  when you do n't know what to say  ?  just drink  .  
 so you get drunk every day  ?  
 open the door  .  it 's me  .  i ca n't find the key  .  
 you 're always so careless  .  
 oh  thank you  .  i am exhausted  .  will you bring me a cup of tea  ?  
 okay  but i have n't prepare supper  .  
 so let 's eat out  .  
 what do you want to eat  ?  
 noodles  .  how about you  ?  
 dumplings  .  
 but whenever we play  you just sit on the sand  drink beer  and watch the girls  !  
 it 's a beautiful sport  is n't it  ?  
 to be honest  i do n't think you could even win a gold in hopscotch  !  
 ok  ok  .  enough already  .  we 'd better hustle  .  the contest starts in five minutes  .  
 he won the decathlon in the 1976 olympics  right  ?  
 i read that he trained so much that he used to dream about jumping hurdles  .  
 i can think of better things to dream about  .  .  .  
 sometimes he would wake up covered in sweat  with his legs pumping away  .  
 that 's crazy  .  
 sorry  not yet  !  can you help me to select the dress  ?  i don  t what i should wear to fit thinner party  .  
 just dress formal  .  
 how about transom  ?  
 it is too loud  we  ll handle some official business first before the dinner  .  
 oh  i nearly forget it  .  
 you can put on your white shoes  it fits every occasion  .  
 i like spring best  .  it is neither too cold nor too hot  .  freezing days make me lazy and stuffy days make me lazier  .  how about you  ?  
 i prefer summer  especially the summer evenings  .  when the sun comes down  it is so nice to take a walk and breathe  .  after a rain shower  the smell of the air is refreshing  .  it is also a best reason for icecream  .  
 how do you get through the stuffy daytime  ?  
 well  i have to hide in the airconditioned rooms  .  anyway  it is all worth  just think about the cool evening time  .  
 fantastic  !  i enjoy clubbing  especially those clubs with live bands  .  the only fly in the ointment is that the air is bad  full of smoke  and the music is too loud  so conversations are not really possible  .  once i nearly got burnt by a cigarette  .  
 how did that happen  ?  
 a wild dancer dropped it on my left foot and said nothing about it  .  if i had drunk enough and i would have had the bold to punch him in the face  .  
 sounds cool  !  but that is not what a lady should do  .  people are easy to lose head in a night club and being drunk  .  
 sorry  i have to work overtime  .  
 you are really career minded  .  
 my boss promised to pay me double time  .  
 yeah  .  
 who won  ?  
 china  .  
 what is the score  ?  
 china beat brazil three to zero  .  
 wonderful  .  
 anne  !  i have n't seen you for ages . how ve you been  ?  
 fine  just fine . and you  ?  
 not bad . it really is great to see you again . where have you been  ?  
 guangzhou  .  i 've got a cousin there  .  
 better take the subway  .  it  s faster and more convenient  .  
 okay  .  it will be a new experience for me  .  
 we have a rather comprehensive subway system here  .  we can get almost anywhere rather quickly on the subway  .  especially at this time of a day when the traffic is heavy  .  
 where do we pay the fare  ?  
 just give the man standing there three yuan and he 'll give you a token  .  then you slip it into slot at the turnstile and push the turnstile to get in  .  
 let me pay for it  .  
 where can i get the subway madam  ?  
 ask the worker who sells token to give you one  .  it  s free of charge  .  actually maps showing subway routes are posted at most stations  .  
 do i have to pay additional fare to change train  ?  
 no  you don  t have to  .  here comes the train  .  
 is that so  ?  i did n't know it . can i possible borrow a jacket and a tie  ?  
 i 'm sorry you ca n't borrow a jacket and a tie  .  
 then we return to the hotel and come back . will you change the appointment  ?  
 certainly . what time will you come back  ?  
 at seven  please  .  
 how many in your party  ?  
 a party of three  .  
 all right . we are waiting for you at seven  .  
 er  .  .  .  hum  .  .  .  got it  .  
 then open that window . yeah  that one  .  
 right  !  
 and that 's it  .  you 're done  .  
 i see what you mean  .  that was pretty easy after all  .  
 i  m afraid this seat is taken  .  
 oh  .  is it  .  thank you anyway  .  
 you  re welcome  .  why don  t you ask the conductor when he comes by  ?  
 thank you  .  
 i just lost my job  .  my boss just told me  .  
 that 's unbelievable  .  why did this happen  ?  
 i do n't understand of myself  .  it seems they have to save money  .  
 i cant't believe it  .  you 've worked here for years  .  
 thanks  tim . nice meeting you  too  .  
 i guess we 'll see just around  .  
 ye  i hope so . well . take it easy  .  
 you too  .  
 yeah  i did n't get the job in the end  .  
 oh  what a pity  !  
 it 's ok  that 's life  .  
 emm  .  .  .  yes  .  but i was n't too impressed  .  i found her a little stuck up  .  
 you are kidding  but she 's so helpful  .  
 tom  .  .  .  you are her boss  you kown . of course  she 's helpful to you  .  
 come on  .  she 's like that with everyone  .  
 i do n't think so actually  .  she never even says  hello  to me  .  
 thank you  .  but a number of things have been going wrong lately  .  
 that 's too bad  .  what problems are you having  .  
 oh  the whole house needs repainting for starters  .  the carpet in the living room is worn out  and i 'd like to put in new walltowall carpeting  .  last week  i had to call the plumber to fix the toilet  .  anyway  all par for the course when you own a house  i guess  .  i think i am going to hire an interior decorator to look the place over  .  
 i  ve studied home decoration as a hobby  .  could i make some suggestions  ?  
 go right ahead  .  
 well  i think a crystal chandelier would look great in your living room  and maybe some new drapes for the windows  .  also  a grandfather clock would look great in the den  .  perhaps you could buy some potted plants for the dining room 
 well  you really do have a talent for this  alice  .  thanks for the suggestions  .  
 you are welcome  jack  .  glad to be of help  .  
 yes  i did  i thought it was a failure  .  
 do you really think so  ?  i do n't think so  .  it was n't that bad film at all  .  did n't you hear the applause of the audience  ?  
 well  maybe so  .  but i still think everyone has their rights of their own opinion  .  
 well  i do n't see the point of arguing this  .  
 oh  hi  !  
 please allow me to introduce myself  .  my name is tom  .  
 pleased to meet you  .  my name is alice  .  did you just move in next door  ?  
 yes  i did  .  have you lived here long  ?  
 me  ?  i guess so  .  i 've lived here for about six years now  .  have you lived in america very long  ?  
 no  not really  .  when i left vietnam  i came to america and i lived with a cousin in dallas for two years  .  where do you work  alice  ?  
 i teach mathematics at a college  .  what do you do  ?  
 i am an accountant at a company 
 well  tom  .  it 's good to meet you  .  i have to go now  .  i am teaching a class this evening  and i need to get to the college  .  
 it 's nice meeting you too  alice  .  
 see you around  !  
 goodbye  alice  .  
 thank you  .  it 's a pleasure to meet you  .  
 a pleasure meeting you as well  the flowers are for you  .  
 thank you  they are beautiful  .  
 i know it 's not good for me  but the problem is i just ca n't help it  .  
 well  i 've got an idea  put the label cancer sticks on each pack of cigarettes  and read it before you smoke  .  it may give you a feeling to reduce it  .  
 i 'll try  .  
 i 've been feeling under the weather recently  .  i caught a bad cold last week  and i still have n't got over it  .  
 well  you wanna take a sick leave  ?  all you need now is a good  long rest  .  
 i guess so  .  even though i seem to be over the worst of it  .  i do n't want to give the bug to anyone in the office  .  
 good idea  .  
 it 's easy to get loose bowels in summer  .  
 it may have something to do with the food i had last night 
 you  ve got to be careful on the food you eat  .  
 i will  .  thank you  .  
 i did n't sleep a wink last night  .  
 did you have something on your mind  ?  you look so concerned  .  maybe i can help you  .  
 well  i am under a lot of pressure  .  my boss is very pushy  .  he assigned me three projects  .  now the deadlines are near  and i still have not finished all of my projects  .  
 is there anything i can do to help you  ?  
 well  i guess no one can help me but myself  .  for the moment  i just need someone to talk to  so that i can relieve my stress  .  
 i had to go get a cavity filled today  .  
 did it hurt  ?  
 i do n't even wanna talk about it  .  it killed me  !  
 how long were you in the chair  ?  
 it took quite a while  but the worst part was getting numbed  .  they had to give me 3 shoots  .  
 well  i guess you 've learned a good lesson  huh  .  you have to take good care of your teeth  .  
 no kidding  .  not only can  t i stand the pain  but man  .  .  .  dentists are expensive  .  the bill is going to be humungous  !  
 do n't you have a dental insurance  ?  
 i do  but it still does not cover everything  .  
 yeah  the government really takes a bit  does n't it  ?  
 seriously  .  the only tax i do n't mind them taking is social security  .  it 's only a few dollars every paycheck  .  
 yeah  i do n't mind it either  .  we  ll both end up rich slobs and not need it  but what if we do  you know  ?  
 yeah  .  it wo n't be much  but at least we  ll have a monthly check when we get old  .  
 yeah  my grandmother gets by on social security and the money my grandfather invested when he was alive  .  
 let 's just hope the politicians do n't figure out a way to spend it  .  
 really  ?  no  they could n't  .  none of them would have jobs if they did  .  
 it 's ages since i went to see a film  .  
 why  ?  you were a real movie buff when you were a student  .  
 but now i would stay at home watching tv  .  
 of course not  .  
 i  m jack  .  what  s your name  ?  
 laura  .  
 do you like this place  ?  
 i don  t think it  s very nice  .  and my father doesn  t like it  .  but my mother likes it very much  .  so we often come here  .  
 how often  ?  
 well  we come here almost every month  .  
 who  s that  ?  
 it  s my mother  .  she  s fond of swimming  .  and the man beside her is my father  .  
 do you like swimming  ?  
 no  i hate swimming  .  i prefer playing tennis  .  
 i like it  .  but how did you know about my new job  ?  i wanted to surprise you  .  
 i just heard through the grapevine something about you landing a job with some travel agency down town  .  you can still fill me in on tile details  .  
 well  two weeks ago i got a tip about a possible job opening at ace travel agency over on franklin avenue  .  
 sure  i think i know the place  .  
 well  anyway  i made a beeline over to their office  had an interview with the manager  and was told to start work the next day  .  
 that  s really great  jill  .  so  what do you do there exactly  ?  
 right now i  m basically just a secretary  but if i  m given the chance  i want to become a travel agent there  .  
 don  t tell me your  re already bucking for a promotion  .  
 no  of course not  .  i  ve got a lot to learn yet  .  in the meantime  i just want to be a good secretary and not step on anyone  s toes  .  
 well i wish you luck  .  
 bread  .  
 and milk or orange juice  ?  
 orange juice  .  
 what would you like for lunch  pork  mutton or beef  ?  
 i think mutton is best  .  
 what kind of drink do you like most  red wine  beer or champagne  ?  
 i like champagne  .  
 and among apples  oranges and bananas  which is your favorite  ?  
 banana of course  .  
 do you always have meals outside or in your house  ?  
 i always have meals outside  because i  m not good at cooking  .  
 just okay  .  
 okay  enough small talk  .  let  s get down to business  .  
 good idea  .  
 since we  re good friends  you do n't have to pay me  .  
 no  i can  t accept it  .  business is business  .  
 i grow a variety of things  so that something is in bloom all year round  .  
 when is your garden at its best  ?  
 it looks best in spring  when the plum and cherry blossoms are out  .  
 i haven  t decided yet  .  but i may go out  .  
 where have you planned to go  ?  
 i want to go to shanghai  but i also want to visit hainan  .  
 then which will be your first choice  ?  
 i don  t know  .  how about you  ?  are you staying here or somewhere  .  
 i have decided to go to tasha  .  
 by train or by plane  ?  
 by plane  .  
 my house was robbed last night and the thieves stole all my furniture  .  
 no wonder you look so upset  .  have you called the police  ?  
 yes  i have  .  but i have to wait  .  
 why  ?  
 i did experience a winter with snow in kunming  the spring city  .  
 with snow in kunming  ?  that 's crazy  !  
 what do you mean  ?  
 i was just thinking about you the other day  .  
 you were  ?  
 it 's beautiful  .  enjoy it while it lasts  .  it 's supposed to get cold tomorrow  .  
 what 's the weather forecast for tomorrow  ?  
 it 's supposed to snow early tomorrow morning and then tomorrow afternoon there 's a chance of freezing rain  .  
 that does n't sound pretty  .  
 do you have any plans for tomorrow  ?  
 well  i was going to drive to birmingham to see some friends  .  
 you might want to change your plans  .  with the cold and wet weather that we 're supposed to have tomorrow  the roads are going to be rather slippery  .  
 i suppose i should  .  i do n't like driving in dangerous weather conditions  .  do you have any plans for tomorrow  ?  
 i just have to go to class tomorrow afternoon  .  
 if you 're lucky  it 'll get cancelled and you can have a snow day  !  
 if that happens  then i 'll invite you over and we can drink hot cocoa and watch movies  .  
 that sounds like fun  .  
 hey  look outside  !  it 's started to drizzle  !  
 english weather is even more predictable than i had previously thought  .  
 sorry  i 'm afraid that i 've got plans tonight  .  
 what are you doing  ?  
 i 'm going to my parents house for my father 's birthday  .  
 how old is he today  ?  
 it 's his 50th birthday  .  
 well  wish him a happy birthday for me  .  
 sure thing  .  what are your plans for the evening  ?  
 i was just thinking of going to a movie tonight  .  
 well  if you can wait until tomorrow night  i 'll go with you then  .  
 sorry  i 've got people coming over tomorrow night  .  
 sounds like this weekend just is n't going to work out for us  .  
 sounds that way  .  maybe some other time then  ?  
 sure . hey  i 'm sorry  but i 've got to get going  .  
 yeah  me  too  .  it 's about time i made a move  .  
 say hello to your friends for me  .  
 likewise  .  see you later  .  
 bye  !  
 it 's beethoven  .  do you like it  ?  
 i think beethoven's music is incredible  .  i 've heard that listening to it can make you more intelligent  too  .  do you believe that  ?  
 i do n't know about that  but i do think that it helps people relax  .  
 what other kind of music do you listen to  ?  
 actually  i mostly just listen classical music  .  what about you  ?  
 to be honest  i think classical music is too complicated for me  .  
 what kind of music do you prefer then  ?  
 i like pop music  .  do you  ?  
 not really  .  i do n't think pop music has much depth  .  
 i see what you mean  .  i think that 's way i like it so much  .  
 how long have you been in to pop music  then  ?  
 i 've always been into it  .  have you always liked classical music  ?  
 not really  .  when i was little  we did n't really listen to music at all  .  
 so  how did you become interested in it  ?  
 well  when i was about 10 years old  i started playing the piano  .  i think that 's how it all started  .  
 do you still play piano  ?  
 yes  it 's one of my hobbies  .  
 what kind of movie is it  ?  i don  t like many of his movies  actually  .  
 it  s a thriller  .  it has julia roberts playing the female lead  .  
 i like thrillers and i like julia roberts  so it might be interesting  .  i read a review today and the critic didn  t seem to be very impressed  .  
 what did the critic say  ?  
 he didn  t say it was bad  but he said that it wasn  t as good as it could have been  particularly as there were some good actors and actresses in it  .  
 the movie starts at eight o  clock  so we have plenty of time to eat and get ready  .  
 good  .  dinner is nearly ready and i  d like to watch the news before we go  .  the oscars were last night and i want to see the results  .  
 i won  t spoil your enjoyment by telling you who won  .  there were a few surprises  .  
 i like current affairs programmes and documentaries  especially wildlife ones  .  how about you  ?  
 i like those kinds of programmes too  .  they  re very informative  .  i think that many people underrate the education value of tv  .  
 i agree  .  people often criticize tv for showing too much sex and violence  .  
 yeah  .  and that  s so funny because most people prefer watching sex and violence to watching something more educational  !  
 right  .  you can  t blame the tv stations for showing popular kinds of programmes  .  they need to make money from advertisements shown during and between programmes  .  
 in my country  there  s a time limit on the advertisements that can be shown  .  i think it  s about six minutes per hour  .  
 that  s great idea  .  but don  t the tv station lose a lot of money because of that  ?  
 no  .  they don  t  .  they simply charge higher prices at peak times  .  is there no limit on the amount of advertisements that can be shown on tv in your country  ?  
 not as far as i know  .  we have so many advertisements  .  the interruptions are unbearable sometimes  !  that  s one reason that many people prefer satellite or cable tv  where you pay a fixed amount each mo 
 some people have satellite and cable tv in my country  but people don  t seem to keen to pay for their tv programmes  .  besides  the terrestrial channels offer a good range of programmes  .  
 well  there  s a wildlife documentary on tv in a few minutes  .  shall we  ?  
 it  s a story about a policemen who is investigating a series of strange murders  .  i play the part of the detective  .  he has to catch the killer  but there  s very little evidence  .  it  s a psychological th 
 did you enjoy making the movie  ?  we heard stories of disagreement with other actors and with the director  .  
 i have had disagreement with every director  .  i  ve worked with  .  we  ve always disagreed in a friendly way and we have always resolved our differences  .  it was the same when i made this movie  .  i don  t no 
 critics are not very happy with the movies that you  ve made recently  .  does that bother you  ?  
 not at all  .  the feedback from audience has been great  .  i care about what they think more than what the critics think  .  
 did you do you own stunts in the movie  ?  
 i wanted to  but my insurance company wouldn  t let me  .  all of my stunts were done by a stuntman  .  as you know  i used to do my own stunts  but i  ll leave that to the experts in future  .  
 thank you very much for doing this interview  .  
 my pleasure  .  have you seen the movie yet  ?  
 yes  .  i have  .  i liked it very much  .  like you  i was very impressed with rachel  s performance in the movie  .  she  s going to be a star  .  
 i went a global warming rally in london  .  it was fantastic to be around so many people who care about the environment  .  
 do you think there 's anything we can do to reverse the damage that 's been done already  ?  
 it might not be possible to fix the problems that we 've created for ourselves  but there are lots of things we can do to prevent more damages from happening  .  
 like what  ?  
 well  we can use public transport instead of taking our cars for a start  .  
 what else can we do to protect the environment  ?  
 if you do have to drive  you should make sure that your car runs on unleaded petrol  .  also  your home should use sources of renewable energy  .  
 how about recycling  ?  does that actually help  ?  
 yes  .  you should take your glass  paper  plastic  cardboard  and tin cans to a recycling center  .  
 what do you think is the biggest worry for our future  ?  
 i think that the issue of greatest concern is having enough sources of clean water for everyone  .  
 i had no idea you were such as environmentalist before  !  
 to be honest  in order for the earth to continue to be a habitable place  we 're all going to have to become more interested in the environment  .  
 yes  i experienced one when i was in tokyo once  .  the tremors only lasted a few seconds though and then it was over  .  
 do you know where it measured on the richter scale  ?  
 i do n't remember  but it was n't very serious  .  have you ever been in an earthquake  ?  
 no  but i was in quite a few tornados when i was younger  .  
 where are you from  ?  
 i 'm from the plains of the midwest  .  it 's a prime location for tornadoes  .  
 did your house ever get damaged from the winds  ?  
 most of the time we were lucky  but once a tree from our front yard was ripped out by its roots and ended up in our living room  .  
 wow  that must have really been scary  .  
 actually  some of my fon best memories of my childhood were of spending time with my family in the basement waiting for the tornados to pass  .  
 have you ever experiences a flood  ?  
 no  but my father 's car was destroyed in a flood once  .  it actually happened the day after he bought the car  !  
 that sure did n't last long  !  
 i 'm ok  .  i wish i could say the same for my friend  .  
 what happened to him  ?  
 he was arrested by the police for drinking and driving  .  
 was it his first offence  ?  
 unfortunately not  .  he was charged with a dui when he was in university  .  
 what happened to him then  ?  
 not much  it was a minor offence back then  .  he got away with a fine of  500  .  
 did they take his license away  ?  
 no  they were really easy on him  .  the problem is that that was a long time ago  .  they are much tougher on crime now  .  
 what do you think will happen to him  ?  
 well  he 'll definitely lose his license  pay a fine  and maybe even spend some time in jail  .  
 that does n't sound too promising  .  does he have a defence lawyer  ?  
 not yet  .  if we ca n't find a lawyer for him  then the state will appoint him with one  .  
 my sister is a lawyer  .  i can ask her if she can help him  .  
 that 'd be great  !  i know he 'd appreciate your help  .  
 i think housing is a big problem  .  there are thousands of homeless people on the streets  .  
 how would you solve the problem  ?  
 i have a good idea to solve it  .  the government could provide some money for homeless people to build their own homes  .  
 it would probably be very expensive  .  
 i think the government can afford it  .  besides  there are many advantages  .  homeless people would find it easier to get jobs if they had an address  .  they would learn some useful skill for finding jobs i 
 it  s not a bad idea  .  i think education is the biggest problem at the moment  .  schools don  t seem to have enough money to educate kids properly  .  
 if we are to invest more money to education  we will need to raise taxes  .  that wouldn  t be popular with voters  .  
 most voters what everything both ways  .  they want the government to pay for lots of things  but without increasing taxes  .  
 the government should show that it is using money efficiently  .  sometimes you hear about how the government has wasted money on a project  .  
 yes  .  the government has limited funds and must show that it is using the money responsibly 
 great  they wined and dined us all week  .  
 not at all  i was totally in the dark  .  
 what do you mean  ?  it 's because it 's much cheaper to buy liquor dutyfree  .  
 but why  ?  why do n't people like to buy shirts dutyfree  ?  or shoes  ?  i just do n't understand why it 's always liquor  .  
 well  it 's because in most countries liquor has a higher tax on it  .  
 you mean liquor has a higher tax than other things  ?  
 yes  of course  .  did n't you know that  ?  
 no  i did n't  .  how high is the tax  ?  
 well  it is different in different countries . but it 's because of the high tax that buying liquor dutyfree is such a good deal  .  
 why would the government want to tax liquor so much  ?  
 liquor is considered a luxury item . and also  it is considered as something that is n't very healthy . so if people want to buy it  the government thinks it has the right to tax it  .  
 that 's why a lot of people buy cigarettes here too  is n't it  ?  
 of course  .  cigarettes are also taxed very heavily  .  
 yes  we 'll be there  come hell or high water  !  
 i tried it for a halfhour . it was interesting  but  .  .  .  well  .  .  .  i could n't really do it  .  
 see  ?  i told you  .  it 's very hard  .  
 i could n't even stand on it and hold the sail  .  i probably fell down fifty times  .  
 fifty times  ?  
 yes  it was really stupid  .  
 and how much did it cost to rent it  ?  
 it was fifty dollars for a halfhour  .  
 well  that 's not too bad then  .  
 what do you mean  ?  it 's expensive  !  
 yes  but you have to calculate a little . you paid fifty dollars and you fell down fifty times . so you only spent one dollar per fall  .  that 's cheap  .  
 yes  .  but i 'm not used to eating americanstyle breakfast  .  
 what are you planning to do today  ?  
 i saw yesterday that they rent windsurfers at the beach  .  i want to rent one  .  
 have you done windsurfing before  ?  
 no  but it looks fun  .  i always wanted to try it  .  
 can you take a little advice from a friend  ?  
 sure  .  what  ?  
 do n't waste your money  .  windsurfing is very hard  .  and it will be windy today . they will charge you fifty dollars for a halfhour  and you wo n't be able to windsurf . you will fall and fall and fall  .  
 but i always wanted to try it  .  
 yes  but it takes a long time to learn . you would spend a thousand dollars to learn it on a rental windsurfer  .  
 well  i will see  .  how was your day at the office  ?  
 no  i 'm not . hey  look at that guy over there  .  
 which guy  ?  
 the guy in the blue shirt at the table by the window  .  
 i ca n't see him  .  where  ?  
 right there  .  
 oh  i see him now  .  wait  !  that 's  .  .  .  
 yes  it 's mel gibson  .  
 oh  wow  !  it 's really him  !  who is that woman he 's with  ?  
 i do n't know  .  why do n't you go ask for his autograph  ?  
 i ca n't do that  .  
 why not  ?  
 that 's okay  .  i can explain a little  .  
 i do n't want to lose all my money  .  
 do n't worry  .  you ca n't lose all your money . because you wo n't gamble all your money  .  
 i guess you 're right  .  
 of course i 'm right  .  i already told you the rule for las vegas  .  remember  ?  
 yes  i remember . you must decide how much money you will gamble before you start to play  .  
 that 's right  .  that 's the best way to have control over yourself . you say to yourself  .  tonight i will gamble fifty dollars  .  only fifty dollars  .  no more . if you follow the rule  you ca n't lose more than fifty dollars  .  
 i know it 's true  sandy  .  but still some people lose control . they start to gamble  and they ca n't stop  .  
 but i wo n't let you do that  .  i will watch you  .  
 okay  .  
 so how much do you want to gamble  ?  
 maybe 500 dollars  .  
 500 dollars  !  that 's too much  !  you just said you are afraid to lose your money . if you 're afraid  why do you want to gamble 500 dollars  ?  
 i do n't want people to think i 'm stingy  .  
 that is a bad attitude to have  karen  !  if you think that way  las vegas will be really dangerous for you  .  
 you can buy some of these nice butterflies  .  
 no  i 'm sorry  .  i do n't think it is nice to have butterflies mounted in boxes . it is kind of disgusting  .  
 what  ?  you feel sorry for the butterflies  ?  
 yes  .  i think they should just let them fly free  and not try to sell them to foreigners  .  it is a kind of destruction of nature  .  
 well  i agree with you  .  i 'd rather think that the butterflies are flying around in the mountains  .  i just wonder if they really catch so many that it affects the butterfly population  .  
 who knows  ?  hey  i like these jade bears here  .  
 how much are they  ?  
 this one is 2300 dollars . maybe i should buy it for my mother  .  what do you think  ?  
 if you want  .  did n't you buy her a small vase already  ?  
 yes  but she would like this a lot  .  she likes to collect little things like this  .  
 alright  .  buy it then  .  i wo n't buy anything  .  well  maybe i 'll buy some cognac  .  
 maybe i could buy some cognac for my brother  .  he always drinks it  .  
 let 's go ask about it  .  
 why not fifty or onehundred dollars  ?  
 okay  .  onehundred then  .  do you think i will lose it  ?  
 i do n't know  .  you have to be smart  but you have to be lucky too . some games are all luck  .  with some  you need to be smart  .  
 i want games that are all luck  .  
 i knew you would say that  !  then you should play the slot machines  .  
 slot machines  ?  no  i do n't want that  !  that 's too boring  .  i want a game with cards or dice  .  
 so what do you want to play then  ?  
 blackjack . we can play blackjack  .  and i will gamble onehundred  or maybe twohundred dollars  .  
 huh  ?  you are breaking our rule already  !  and we did n't even start to play yet  !  
 oh  do n't be so strict  !  we are in las vegas  .  
 yes  and if i stay with you  we will have to walk back home to new york . because we will lose all our money and our plane tickets too  !  
 hi  andy  how are you finding your new job  ?  
 pretty good  .  my colleagues seem alright  .  so far everything is great  .  
 that 's nice  .  what do they have you doing over there  ?  
 well  i work in the marketing department  .  the corporate culture is totally different from my last employer  .  before  when i was assigned a task  i was totally on my own but here most of the work is don 
 that s really good  .  it 's very important to feel like you are part of the team at work  .  
 indeed  .  team work is highly valued in this new company  .  i like our boss too  .  he is easy to get along with treats everybody with respect and appreciation  .  he 's highly respected by all his employees  .  
 that 's great  that 's good for a positive work environment and helps motivate employees  .  i wish my boss was like that  .  
 true  take my former supervisor as an example  .  he was extremely controlling and overbearing  .  he always had to micromanage everything  .  
 well  now you do n't have to worry about that  .  this new place sounds really good  .  
 yeah it is  .  
 great  .  my family came to visit me  .  
 oh  you must be very happy  .  how many people are there in your family  ?  
 my immediate family is very large  .  it 's my mother  my father  my two older brothers  my younger sister and me  .  
 i have a small family  .  they are my parents  my younger brother and me  .  
 i thought you were the only child in the family  .  did n't china practice the onlychild policy in the early 1980s  ?  
 yes  it did  .  but my parents are ethnic minority people  .  it 's a preferential policy for an ethnic minority family to have two children  .  
 interesting  .  what do you think about families with only one child  ?  
 the child must feel very longly  .  my younger brother is 10 years younger than me  .  before he was born  i used to be the only child and always dreamed that i would have a younger sister or brother one da 
 do you get along well with each other  ?  
 yes  we are very close  .  he is 12 years old and very smart  .  he always makes us laugh a lot  .  
 you are very lucky to have such a nice family  .  
 thank you  .  
 you said it  .  good beer  good music  and on top of that  there are so many hot girls here  !  
 i 'm with you on that  .  check out that one over there  .  i think i 'm in love  !  
 well  she 's alright  but not really my cup of tea  .  what about the blond with the red dress  ?  
 oh  that 's janice  .  she 's just new in town  .  you have a thing for blonds  eh  ?  
 yeah  !  she could do anything she wants to me  !  
 i bet  .  why not go over and talk to her  ?  she 's really nice  .  
 i do n't think so  .  i get so nervous talking to girls  .  i always put my foot in my mouth  scare her off  and end up looking like a real fool  .  besides  she is way out of my league  .  
 come on  !  man up  !  you 'll never know until you try  .  
 okay okay  just let me have another cup of beers to get my head in the game  .  
 all right  .  but i think you ought to move soon  .  
 why  ?  
 i can see five other guys eying her up  .  
 okay  here i go  !  
 good luck  !  
 sure  i am a total internet junkie  i ca n't survive without internet  .  
 really  ?  what do you usually do online  ?  
 well  there are a lot of things  like reading news  email  shopping  etc  .  but mostly i chat online  .  you could say i 'm addicted to online chatting  .  
 i never chatted online before  .  what 's it like  .  
 well  basically it 's similar to facetoface chat  but you type instead of talk  .  you should try it at least once  .  
 really  ?  who do you chat with  ?  
 to people all over the world  !  i have a lot of net pals  .  see  the magic of internet is that it connects people from all over the world  .  you can chat with someone thousands of miles away as if they were 
 that 's amazing  .  i will install an online messenger program when i get home  .  
 well  my suggestion for a newbie like you is that do n't get lost in the cyberspace  .  you know internet wo n't do the filtration for you  so you still need to use your judgement  .  there are a lot of per 
 do n't worry  .  
 just after 2 am  .  
 what 's wrong  ?  ca n't sleep  ?  
 nope  actually i was waiting for you  .  i have something big to tell you  .  
 really  ?  what is it  ?  
 i have an offer to work for a company in your city today  ?  
 i ca n't believe it  !  is it real  ?  you 're moving here  ?  
 i have n't accepted the position yet and with the upcoming holiday i think it 's the perfect chance to visit the city and take a good look at the company before deciding  .  if you have time i think we c 
 just give me the dates and i 'll make sure i 'm free  .  you know after all these chatting online  it will be great to meet you in real life  .  i look forward to seeing you soon  !  
 me too  .  but i think i am going to bed now  .  my head is getting heavy  .  have a nice day there  !  
 thanks  .  this is so exciting  .  sleep tight and sweet dreams  !  
 talk to you later  .  
 well  i spend a lot of time watching movies  .  
 what a confidence  !  i always watch a lot of movies  too  .  
 oh really  frank  ?  what kind of movies do you like  ?  
 actually  i watch whichever movie there is  be it a comedy  a scifi or a suspense movie  .  how about you  ?  
 art films are my favorite  but thrillers are cool  too  .  
 really impressive  .  these two genres are totally different  .  
 sure  .  i enjoy both of them very much  .  
 how often do you go to the cinema  ?  
 once in a while  i suppose  i usually rent movies at movie salon  .  
 movie salon  ?  where is that  ?  
 it 's a movie rental store in my neighborhood  .  i 've got a membership there  .  
 is it good  ?  
 yes  you can find almost all new releases there  .  
 really  ?  maybe i shall also sign up for its membership  .  
 why not  ?  
 is it a horror movie  ?  
 yeah  i love horror movies  .  would you like to go with me tomorrow  ?  
 no way  .  i will be scared out of my wits  .  
 that 's funny  i did n't know a big fellow like you could be so soft and timid on the inside  .  
 hey  how could you like to taste my fist  ?  
 alright  all joking aside  what kinds of moves do you like  ?  
 um  let me see  romance  comedy  .  documentary  action  science fiction  animated and so on  .  
 that is to say  you like all genres except for horror movies  .  
 yeah  .  it seems like we do n't speak the same language as far as movies are concerned  .  
 not quite  .  i also greatly enjoy romance and comedy  .  
 the notebook is this type of movie  .  
 really  ?  i have n't heard of it  .  
 well then  this could be a nice opportunity to enjoy it together  .  i bet you 'd love it  .  
 ok  .  i ca n't wait to see it  .  let 's go  !  
 i had a drop too much last night  .  i attended a banquet given by a chinese colleague of mine  .  and it was startling for me to find that people are forced to drink against their will on a chinese table  .  
 you have it right  .  alcohol is a medium for communicating emotion in china  .  drinking with business partners or wouldbe friends is a way of solidifying friendship  especially in northern china  .  
 i just felt embarrassed if i refused to drink when people toasted to me  .  but if i keep gulping down one cup after another  i 'm afraid i would feel unfit or sick  .  
 you lose face by refusing to drink  and the host might think you refuse to give him face  .  the right thing to do seems to be drinking yourself into incoherence until you throw up  .  this will endear you 
 a few guys even threw a drunken fit last night  crying hoarsely and bawling whole heaps of nonsense that i never understood  .  
 then he must be opening his heart to the friends  .  in a word  as long as you demonstrate a readiness to drink more in spite of already suffering extreme discomfort  no one will jeer at you  .  
 i got you  .  next time  .  i 'll preface a toast with a statement like i ca n't drink any more and then drink anyway  .  
 really  ?  where did you hear that  ?  
 i met with the supervisor just this morning  .  i do n't know  but i am a little worried  .  who do you think will get sacked  ?  
 i 'm not sure  .  .  .  well  first  it could n't be george  .  he is such a kissass  .  he 'd wash the boss 's dog if he asked  .  
 no  it 's not going to be george  .  i do n't think it 's andy either  .  he is involved with the boss 's sister inlaw  .  and you know how whipped our boss is  .  
 that 's true  .  what about lisa  ?  i bet there 's nobody who could do a worse job than her  .  
 lisa  ?  no way  .  i 've heard a rumor that she and the boss were having an affair  .  you know rumors ca n't come out from nowhere  .  
 well  okay  .  then there is still michael  .  but he 's pet after having the best sales record for three months in a row  .  it definitely wo n't be michael  .  
 no  that would be crazy  .  but then who will it be  ?  oh dear  it must be me  .  i should have known it  !  why else would he have talked to me alone about the downsizing  .  what should i do  ?  i 've got a family t 
 well  it could be me too  .  but i am not too worried  .  this place is suffocating me with this boss being such a hardass and colleagues who barely know how to get dressed in the morning  .  it would almost b 
 it 's very nice  .  i have n't heard live music in a while  .  this is fun  .  
 well  then  may i invite you for the next dance  ?  
 of course  .  but i 'm afraid i 'm not much of a dancer  .  .  .  
 do n't worry  .  i 'm not much of a dancer myself  .  
 you 're dancing so well  .  
 you dance beautifully too  .  
 when did you learn to dance  ?  
 in college  .  but i do n't dance very often  .  what 's your favourite dance  ?  
 it 's hard to say  .  it depends  .  but i love the waltz  .  
 how about tango  ?  
 oh  i like it  .  it 's such a beautiful dance  but i ca n't do it well  .  what about you  ?  
 tango is my favorite  .  anything but hiphop or the foxtrot  .  
 thank you for the dance  .  
 my pleasure  .  let 's go and have a drink  .  
 ok  .  
 yes  is n't it  .  
 do you now the temperature today  ?  
 it 's beautiful 75 degrees  .  
 how nice  .  i hope the weather will stay like this for the whole week  .  i 'm going on the canoe trip this weekend  .  
 not a good plan  .  the tv weather forecast says the hurricane is coming this weekend  and the temperature will also drop to 66 degrees  .  
 what a nuisance  !  every time i plan to go canoeing or camping  a storm comes along  .  the sky gets dark  the wind starts to howl and the temperature drops . well  i 'd better stay home  .  
 i never make any definite weekend plan until friday morning  .  then after listening to the weather temperature  i make my plans  .  
 that 's smart  .  i 'm going to start doing the same thing  .  
 to australia  .  i 'm going to visit my uncle in brisbane for three weeks  .  
 good gracious  !  you certainly are lucky  .  how are you going there  ?  
 by air  of course  .  it takes over two weeks to go by sea  .  
 i once went to singapore by air  .  it was very excitingbut never again  .  
 why  ?  did you feel frightened  ?  
 for a short time  .  one of the engines caught fire  .  
 what did the pilot do  ?  
 he put it out and flew back to the airport  .  then he asked the people at the airport where the emergency runway was  .  
 did you land safely  ?  
 yes  we did  .  but i shall never fly again  .  
 oh  ?  you hoped to get that job  did n't you  ?  
 yes  i did  .  
 i 'm sorry  .  that 's too bad  .  who is it  ?  who got the job  i mean  ?  
 someone called drexler  .  carl drexler  .  he 's been with the company onlytwo years  .  i 've been here longer  .  and i know more about the job  too 
 hmm  .  why do you think they gave it to him and not to you  ?  
 because i 'm the wrong sex  of course  !  
 you mean you did n't get the job because you 're a woman  ?  
 yes  that was probably it  !  it is n't fair  .  
 what sort of clothes does he wear  ?  
 a dark suit  .  white shirt  .  a tie  .  why  ?  
 perhaps that had something to do with it  .  
 you mean you think i did n't get the job because i come to work in jeansand a sweater  ?  
 it 's possible  is n't it  ?  
 do you really think i should wear different clothes  ?  
 well  .   .   .  perhaps you should think about it  .  
 why should i wear a skirt  ?  or a dress  ?  
 i 'm not saying you should  .  i 'm saying you should think about it  .  that 's all  !  
 why should i do that  ?  i 'm good at my job  !  that 's the only important thing  !  
 hmm  .  perhaps it should be the only important thing  .  but it is n't  .  not in this company  .  
 i see  .  but jane  .  he  s not worth your sorrow and you should restart your new life  .  
 sure  .  a ufo is just a space vehicle from another planet  .  if you think about it  our space shuttles are ufos  .  
 i 've never thought about it like that before  .  
 i 've seen photos of ufos in america before  but they 've all looked doctored up  .  
 do you think that there 's life on other planets  ?  
 i think there must be  .  
 why is that  ?  
 i do n't't think it would make sense if we were the only beings in this whole world  .  the world is just far too big for that  .  
 do you think that there 's intelligent life trying to contact us  ?  
 no  but we 're trying to contact them  .  
 i suppose you 're right  .  
 i think that countries are working hard to find a planet that we can live on in the future so that when global warming destroys this planet  humankind will not become extinct  .  
 do you really think that global warming wil destroy earth some day  ?  
 there 's a lot of evidence that suggest it will  but i do n't think it 's going to happen any time soon  .  
 thank you  but i am in a terrible mood indeed  .  
 well  i  m favor of the red sox  .  they  ve had a good season  .  
 sorry  guys  .  could i just interrupt for a moment  ?  my money is on the yankees  !  
 that  s not a very good pick  .  i  m against the yankees  .  
 hey  ken  .  good luck if you already put your money on the red sox  .  
 yeah  i  m with you on that  .  
 i went a global warming rally in london  .  it was fantastic to be around so many people who care about the environment  .  
 do you think there 's anything we can do to reverse the damage that 's been done already  ?  
 it might not be possible to fix the problems that we 've created for ourselves  but there are lots of things we can do to prevent more damages from happening  .  
 like what  ?  
 well  we can use public transport instead of taking our cars for a start  .  
 what else can we do to protect the environment  ?  
 if you do have to drive  you should make sure that your car runs on unleaded petrol  .  also  your home should use sources of renewable energy  .  
 how about recycling  ?  does that actually help  ?  
 yes  .  you should take your glass  paper  plastic  cardboard  and tin cans to a recycling center  .  
 what do you think is the biggest worry for our future  ?  
 i think that the issue of greatest concern is having enough sources of clean water for everyone  .  
 i had no idea you were such as environmentalist before  !  
 to be honest  in order for the earth to continue to be a habitable place  we 're all going to have to become more interested in the environment  .  
 let me see  .  the one goes for  17  .  
 would you take  12  ?  
 no  i can  t let you have it for 12 . how about 14  ?  
 13 . 50  ?  
 sorry   14 is the lowest i can go  .  
 wait a moment  i want to go to the toilet  .  
 you try to put on a brave face  .  
 it  s probably just people trying to get an early start out of the city for the weekend  .  nobody sticks around in the summer  .  
 really  ?  then  i guess i won  t have a hard time finding a room or getting a cab  ?  
 actually  you might because there  s a big convention in town this weekend  .  
 i  m not too worried about it  .  i always seem to find something  .  
 let me check . oh  oh  !  it  s at 325  .  
 wow  that 's cutting it close  !  that means we only have 25 minutes to make the connection  !  what gate is it at  ?  
 it  s at  .  .  .  gate 14  .  
 oh  great  !  that  s at the other end of the terminal  !  
 ok  so here  s the plan  when we land  run to gate 14  !  
 i  m be right behind ya  !  
 i  m a firefighter  .  
 really  ?  that  s so cool  .  
 i  m really lucky to do something i really love  .  
 what station do you work at  ?  
 i work downtown at station 24 . it can get a little crazy sometimes but that  s what makes it challenging  .  
 yes  we do  .  they are all in this book  .  
 great  thanks  .  
 no problem  .  just give us a few minutes more to pull them up  though  .  we don  t get that many english singers  !  
 oh  i see  .  
 i usee i would say that would be moving out of my parents  house for the first time  .  
 really  ?  why is that  ?  
 till i moved out of my parents  home  i became a lot more independent  .  
 what would you say was the lowest point in your life  ?  
 that would definitely be getting a divorce  .  
 what went wrong  ?  
 we just were n't right for each other  .  
 how long were you married  ?  
 the marriage only lasted about a year  .  
 have you remarried since then  ?  
 yes  i got married to a man that i met shortly after i divorced my first husband  .  
 do you think you 'll ever get a divorce again  ?  
 oh i hope not  my first marriage was a mistake  but this one isn  t  .  
 how long have you been married  ?  
 about 15 years now  .  
 do you think you 'll still love him when he is old and gray  ?  
 i think so  hopefully we  ll have a long and a happy life together  .  
 i  m sure you will  .  
 my immediate family is quite small  .  it 's just my older stepbrother  my mom  my stepdad and me  .  how about you  ?  
 i have a large family  .  i have three older sisters  my twin sister  a younger brother  and my parents  .  
 i did n't know you were a twin  !  are you identical or fraternal  ?  
 we 're identical  .  i mean  we look exactly the same  but we complete opposites when it comes to everything else  !  
 interesting  .  it must be great having a twin sister  .  are you best friends  too  ?  
 we used to be really close  but that all changed once she moved to shanghai  .  how about your family  ?  you did n't mention to your biological father  .  
 i do n't know much about him  .  he died when i was just a baby  .  even though i do n't have a blood relationship with my stepfather and stepbrother  i consider them to be my real family  .  
 what about your stepbrother 's mother  ?  does he keep in touch with her  ?  
 no  she also died when my stepbrother was little  .  my mother and my stepfather met each other shortly after my father died and became good friends  .  they ended up getting married a few years later  .  
 sounds like it was ment to be  .  
 no  .  i have n't had a chance to read the paper yet  .  
 you 've got to see it  .  it 's an unbelievable picture  !  
 what 's so interesting about it  ?  
 well  this guy fell asleep on the sofa and when he woke up  half his face had been bitten off  !  
 what  ?  how did that happen  ?  
 they think his dog was trying to wake him up and could n't  so ended up biting him in his face  .  
 wow  .  what does his look like now  ?  
 it looks pretty frightening  .  he does n't have any lips  so all you can see are his gums and teeth  .  most of his nose and chin are missing too  .  
 what did he look like before his dog bit his face off  ?  
 he was actually quite handsome  .  what a shame  .  
 what 's he going to do now  ?  
 it said that he 's hoping to get a face transplant  but until then  he 's looking forward to halloween so he is n't the only one wearing a mask  .  
 i was born in london  but i spent most of my childhood in hongkong  .  
 what was your childhood like  ?  
 i had a pretty strict upbring  and my parents and i were always fighting about it  .  
 do you get along with your parents now  ?  
 oh  sure  .  once they reached middle age  they became a lot less uptight  .  
 where did you go to university  ?  
 my parents wanted me to stay in hongkong  but i decided to go back to england  i graduated from oxford university with a degree in english literature  .  
 what  s your current occupation  ?  
 i  m a freelance writer  .  i write magazine articles and fiction books 
 did you always know you wanted to be a writer  ?  
 no  i didn  t  .  i was an english teacher for about five years  but by the time i was thirty  i decided i want a fresh challenge  .  
 how did you start writing  ?  
 i started writing margin articles for fun  and eventually was asked to write a book  so i was pretty lucky  .  
 are you writing a book now  ?  
 yes  it  s about a group of friends living in a foreign country  and all the strange experiences they have 
 sounds interesting  .  
 my husband and i have thought about it  but we 've decided not to have any  .  they 're just too expensive  .  besides  with all the news about global warming on the news lately  who knows what kind of worl 
 well  i 've always wanted to have lots of children  .  growing up with only one brother  i always felt a bit lonely  .  what do you think about families with only one child  ?  
 for me  growing up in a big family always made me yearn for attention  .  i always wanted to be an only child so that i could always do what i wanted and so that i would n't ever have to share  .  
 do n't you think you would miss having other people around  ?  
 no way  !  i spent 20 years of my life with relatives around me 247  .  you know  i do n't think i 've ever actually spent any time by myself in my parents home  .  what do you think fo the onechild policy 
 if china did n't have such a policy  can you imagine how many people there would be in china now  ?  
 that 's true  .  but as a woman  i 'm glad that even though i do n't want any children  i at least have a choice in how many children i have  .  on the other hand  i ca n't imagine what china would be like 
 do you think most families with many children envy or feel sorry for other families with only one child  ?  
 i do n't know what other people think  but i  for one  envy only children  !  
 that sounds great  .  i 'm absolutely starving  !  what kind of food are you in the mood for  ?  
 i 'd love something spicy  .  maybe we could get some sichuan hotpot  .  
 you 're a woman after my own heart  .  i do n't know many people who can handle spicy food  .  are you sure you are up for hotpot  .  
 sure  .  if i could  i would eat hotpot every day  !  
 ok  you 're really all eyes when it comes to talking about food  are n't you  ?  
 well  let 's stop dragging our feet and find a sichuan hotpot restaurant for dinner  !  
 let me think about it for a minute  .  let 's see  .  .  .  oh the name of the restaurant is on the tip of my tongue  !  give me a second and it 'll come to me  .  
 well  .  .  .   ?  have you thought of it yet  ?  
 no  .  .  .  
 never mind  .  there 's an authentic tasting hotpot restaurant not far from the china world trade towers on chang an street  .  have you been there  ?  
 that 's it  !  that 's the one i was thinking of  !  i told you i 'd remember it  !  
 you really have a bid head  do n't you  !  
 i 'm not sure  but probably about 75 years  .  how about in your country  ?  
 about 70  i think  .  this newspaper article talks about the problems of an aging population  .  it 's a problem that will soon affect most of the world  .  
 i heard that the government might need to increase the retirement age  because otherwise there will not be enough workers to support the young and the elderly  .  
 perhaps we need to have more babies  !  tina gave birth to a baby boy yesterday  .  
 did she  ?  that 's great  .  however  if we have too many children  that will have a bad effect on the environment  .  
 how 's your son these days  ?  
 oh  he 's fine  .  kids seem to grow up very quickly nowadays  .  
 he 'll be a teenager before you know it  !  teenagers are often rebellious  !  when do you think it is a good age to have a child  ?  
 i had mine when i was 24  .  that 's a little young  .  i 'd suggest you wait until you are in your late twenties  or even in your early thirties if you have a good career  .  
 yes  i think you 're right  .  i 'm thinking about having a child  but not just yet  .  
 is there a big generation gap between parents and their children in your country  ?  
 yes  there is  .  teenagers do not want to live traditional lives  .  they want to go out  have fun  and explore the world  .  they want to develop their own view of life . parents usually try to discour 
 parents usually give their children more freedom in my country  .  sometimes they give them too much freedom  .  
 it 's almost impossible to get the right balance  .  if you are too strict  kids might ignore you  .  if you are too lenient  they might go wild  .  
 what did you argue about  ?  
 he borrowed some money from me and i needed it back  .  he said he didn  t have the money yet  .  
 well  he should pay you back  .  it  s only fair  .  
 yes  but is got angry with him too quickly  .  he probably thought that i mistrusted him  .  i shouldn  t have got angry  .  
 did you lend him a lot of money  ?  
 not much  .  i had to pay an unexpected bill  so i needed the money back  .  
 well  talk to him about it next time you see him  .  he probably feels as bad about it as you do  .  close friends sometimes have disagreements  .  it  s nothing unusual  .  neither of you said anything r 
 no  we didn  t  .  i guess you  re right  .  we should patch things up  .  
 of course you should  .  you wouldn  t want a silly argument to ruin a long friendship  would you  ?  
 i like people who are open and friendly  .  those people are usually more active and fun to be with  .  i like spending time with my friends  .  we go to bars together or play sports together  .  
 i don  t like to make friends with people who aren  t honest  .  honesty is very important to me  .  
 i think it  s important to most people  .  the problem is that you can usually only find out if someone is honest by getting to know them  .  
 you can find out from their friends  .  
 if you know any of their friends  .  you can  t rely on your friends to introduce people to you all the time  .  you have to go out and make the first move sometimes  .  i also like funny people  .  
 oh  i don  t  .  they don  t seem to take anything seriously  .  you never know when they are joking and when they are being serious  .  
 sometimes it can be hard to tell  but if you know the person fairly well  you can usually see from their expression what they are really thinking  .  
 it seems that we generally like different kinds of people  .  how is it that we are such good friends  ?  
 maybe people don  t like to have friends that are all the same  .  most people like a little variety in their livesincluding a variety of characteristics in their friends  .  
 i just make eye contact with him and nod my head  .  then i tell him when he comes over to the table  .  why do you ask  ?  
 i went out with my girlfriend to a nice restaurant last night and i noticed that many people shouted for the bill  .  
 that seems a little impolite in such a restaurant  .  
 that  s what i thought  .  i just thought i  d ask you and see what you thought of it  .  anyway  what did you do yesterday evening  ?  
 well  it was a warm evening  so i stretched my legs  .  i walked along the canal for a couple of miles  .  actually  several other people had the same idea  .  i saw bill  .  
 did you  ?  how is he these days  ?  
 he seemed ok  .  we didn  t stop and chat because we were on opposite banks of the canal  .  we just waved at each other  .  
 i need to move some furniture  .  could you help me to lift it  ?  
 of course  .  what do you want to move first  ?  
 let  s move the sofa  .  can you get a grip on the bottom at that end  ?  i  ll lift this end  .  i want to move it sideways in that direction  .  
 no  not very much  .  he 's too ambitious and dishonest  .  
 i agree  .  i like his brother paul  .  they are not alike  .  
 yes  .  they are completely different  .  paul is very sociable and much more honest than his brother  .  
 what kind of person do you consider yourself to be  ?  
 i think i 'm polite  careful  relaxed and shy  .  
 oh  i do n't think you 're shy  !  you are always chatting with new people when we go to a party  .  
 well  .  yes  but those people always start talking to me  .  i never talk to them first . perhaps i 'm not as shy as i think  .  anyway  you 're certainly not shy  !  
 you 're right  .  i love going out and making new friends  .  
 so  you 'll be at my birthday party on friday  ?  
 of course  !  
 i wouldn  t miss it for the world  !  it  s sure to be fun  .  she  s invited a lot of people  .  do you think everyone will be able to get into her house  ?  
 if everyone turned up  it would be a squeeze  .  but a few people said that they couldn  t go  .  so i think it should be ok  ?  
 are you taking anything  ?  
 i  ve got her a birthday present and i  ll take a bottle fo wine too  .  
 that  s a good idea  .  she told me that she had bought plenty of food and snacks  .  i think it  s going to be a noisy party  .  i hope her neighbors don  t mind too much  .  
 helen gets on very well with her neighbors  .  i wouldn  t be surprised if they went to the party too  .  
 i  m really looking forward to it  .  this party is going to be a blast  !  
 well  don  t be late  .  i  ll see you on friday at helen  s  .  
 it certainly was a great party  .  it  s a pity that a glass and a plate got broken and someone spilled a drink over here  .  
 i expected that something might get broken  .  that doesn  t bother me  .  that spilled drink won  t leave a stain  will it  ?  
 i doubt it  i  ll deal with it right away  .  luckily it wasn  t a glass of red wine  i  ll just get a bowl of water and a cloth  .  
 i  m going to put all the rubbish into this big plastic bag  .  
 afterwards  we can do the washing up together  .  everything will be finished within an hour  .  your friend keith is really funny  .  i liked his magic tricks  .  
 yes  he  s very good  .  .  isn  t he  ?  he told some funny stories too  .  
 amanda told some very funny jokes  .  at the beginning of the party  she was being ver serious  .  
 i think that she had a litter too much of the punch  .  
 what did you put in that punch  ?  it tasted great  but was quite strong  .  
 that  s my little secret  .  did you like the snacks and i prepared  ?  
 very much  .  the birthday cake was delicious  wasn  t it  ?  emily told me that she and karen made it themselves  .  
 that cake tasted so good  !  it disappeared within minutes  so i think everyone liked it a lot  .  how  s that stain  ?  
 all cleaned up  .  are you ready to start on the washing up  .  
 well  first of all  it  s much bigger  .  it has the same number of rooms  but each room is larger  .  we also have a larger garden  which our dog loves  of course  !  
 so  it  s a threebedrooms detached house  ?  
 yes  .  one bedroom is for my wife and i  .  there  s another for our daughter  .  my wife wants to use the third one as a guest room  but i  d like to make it into a study  .  our daughter is also keen on 
 what  s the kitchen like  ?  i know both you and your wife like to cook  .  
 that  s one of the main reason we chose that particular house  .  the kitchen and dining room are together  .  it  s really large  .  
 are the rooms nice and bright  ?  
 yes  they are  .  that  s very important to us  .  we like to live in a home with plenty of natural light  .  each room has large windows  .  
 do you have a balcony  ?  
 no  we don  t  .  we wish we had one  .  that  s the only thing we wanted  but don  t have  .  the area is very nice and the neighbours seem friendly  .  
 you  re right on the edge of the city  aren  t you  ?  there can  t be much noise or traffic there  .  is it easy to get into city centre  ?  
 it  s a very quiet neighbourhood  .  there  s some traffic  but not much  .  it  s not very difficult to get to the city centre  but you must remember to turn left and right at the right places or yo 
 my friend and her fiance had a really good idea  .  they have cut out pictures from catalogues and pasted them in a notebook  .  the picture are of things they want  .  people sign their name b 
 that  s clever  !  then everyone knows that they are buying something the couple really want and there  s no chance of two people buying the same gift  .  what things were in the notebook  ?  
 most of the things were household appliance  .  you know  everything from an iron through a vacuum cleaner to a cooker  .  i think it  s an excellent way for everyone who knows the couple to help 
 so  what did you get them  ?  
 i bought a sewing machine  .  i know that my friend likes making her own clothes  but her current sewing machine is quite old and has some problems  .  
 what  s wrong with is  ?  
 she says that after several years of use  it  s not working properly  .  when she uses it  it makes a funny noise  .  
 household appliance don  t seem to last for a long time nowadays  .  
 i think it  s because the manufactures are constantly bringing out new models  .  because they know that we will buy the new models  the appliances don  t need to last more than five or ten year 
 not really  .  i like looking on the internet at what  s available  but i usually prefer to actually see and touch what i  m buying before i pay for it  .  sometimes  i  ll look at something in a shop  but lat 
 no  .  i  m a little worried about security  .  you never know who  s trying to find out your codes and passwords  .  aren  t you worry about that  ?  
 not really  .  i know that it happens  but if you buy from reputable companies with secure websites  you should be ok  .  even though i use online shopping facilities  i don  t think it  s the best way to sho 
 i  m surprised to hear you say that  .  i thought you loved anything technological  .  
 i do  .  i  m a big fan of using new technology  but i don  t want to sit in front of a computer screen all day  .  i think people need to get out and interact with other people  .  
 so  how about coming to the department store with me  ?  i want to see if there are any new summer clothes on sale yet  .  
 sure  .  i  d love to join you  .  can we stop by the computer store  ?  i just want to see if they have something  .  
 sure  .  while you  re in the computer store  .  i will visit the book store opposite  .  i like to browse through their books and see if they have anything interesting  .  
 ok  .  i  ve finished online  .  let  s go  .  i  ll just get some money and my credit card  .  
 thanks for reminding me  .  i had forgotten to get mine  .  
 yeah  .  i 'm going with jennie  .  
 have a good day  !  
 thank you  .  
 quite well . thank you . and what about you  ?  
 soso  .  
 mr . black  if i 'm not mistaken  .  
 right  !  glad to see you here  .  
 pleased to see you . too  .  
 nice to see you with us  anne . please make yourself at home  .  
 thank you . you re so considerate  .  
 good coming  .  
 what can i do for you  ?  
 i 'd like a pair of shoes  please  .  
 you 've come to the right place . we ve got the best shoes in town  .  
 fine  just fine . how about you  ?  
 not too bad  .  
 no  i 'm mary  .  
 oh  are you in class four  ?  
 no  i 'm in class there  .  
 how do you do  ?  
 my name is jane greenwood . glad to meet you  .  
 i 'm mary smith . nice to meet you  too  .  
 yes . but mary is no match for susan in painting  .  
 maybe it 's because susan's parents are both painters  .  
 but they 're hard to be disposed of  .  
 in this aspect  i think  pater bags have the edge on plastic bags  .  
 i enjoy drawing and painting  .  
 you know how to draw and paint  ?  
 yes  i do  .  
 when did you learn how to do that  ?  
 i learned back in high school  .  
 oh  so you took an art class  ?  
 yeah  i loved that art class  .  
 i see that you 're pretty talented  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 i wish i had a talent like that  .  
 i 'm sure you have a talent  .  it 's just hidden  .  
 that sounds like fun  .  what 's the weather going to be like  ?  
 i heard that it 's going to be warm this weekend  .  
 is it going to be perfect beach weather  ?  
 i believe so  .  
 good  .  i hope it does n't cool off this weekend  .  
 i know  .  i really want to go to the beach  .  
 but you know that california weather is really unpredictable  .  
 you 're right  .  one minute it 's hot  and then the next minute it 's cold  .  
 i really wish the weather would just stay the same  .  
 i do too  .  that way we can have our activities planned ahead of time  .  
 yeah  that would make things a lot easier  .  
 a trip to the beach would be fun  .  how is the weather going to be  ?  
 the forecast says that it will be warm on the weekend  .  
 so do you think it 'll be perfect weather for the beach  ?  
 it sounds like it will be  .  
 i really hope it does n't get cold  .  
 that would ruin things  i want to go so badly  .  
 the weather in california is unpredictable  so you never know  .  
 that is true  .  the weather is constantly changing  .  
 it would be nice if the weather would never change  .  
 that would be great  then we could plan things sooner  .  
 true  .  predictable weather would make life easier  .  
 i 'm doing well  .  how about you  ?  
 never better  thanks  .  
 so how have you been lately  ?  
 i 've actually been pretty good  .  you  ?  
 i 'm actually in school right now  .  
 which school do you attend  ?  
 i 'm attending pcc right now  .  
 are you enjoying it there  ?  
 it 's not bad  .  there are a lot of people there  .  
 good luck with that  .  
 thanks  .  
 i was n't feeling really well  .  
 what was wrong with you  ?  
 my stomach was upset  .  
 do you feel better now  ?  
 i do n't really feel too well yet  .  
 do you want anything to make you feel better  ?  
 no  thanks  .  i already took some medicine  .  
 i hope you feel better  .  
 thank you  .  
 i 'm fine  .  how about yourself  ?  
 i 'm pretty good  .  thanks for asking  .  
 no problem  .  so how have you been  ?  
 i 've been great  .  what about you  ?  
 i 've been good  .  i 'm in school right now  .  
 what school do you go to  ?  
 i go to pcc  .  
 do you like it there  ?  
 it 's okay  .  it 's a really big campus  .  
 good luck with school  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 go to gate 56  the plane is now boarding  you must hurry  .  
 show me the fastest way to get there  .  
 instead of walking you can take this shuttle to get you there faster  .  
 do you think the plane will leave without me  ?  
 no  i will call the attendants at the gate  .  i 'll tell them you are on your way  .  
 thank you so much  i would really appreciate that  .  
 you 're welcome  have a safe trip  .  
 i 'm doing great  .  what about you  ?  
 i 'm absolutely lovely  thank you  .  
 everything 's been good with you  ?  
 i have n't been better  .  how about yourself  ?  
 i started school recently  .  
 where are you going to school  ?  
 i 'm going to pcc  .  
 how do you like it so far  ?  
 i like it so far  .  my classes are pretty good right now  .  
 i wish you luck  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 i was sick  .  
 how were you sick  ?  
 i had a stomachache  .  
 did it get any better  ?  
 i 'm still feeling under the weather  .  
 would you like anything for your stomach  ?  
 i took something earlier  .  
 get better  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 well  it depends on what you have  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 it takes only one day and you could experience almost all the famous spots in the city  i do n't think you would like to miss it  .  
 sounds persuasive  .  how much will you charge for it  ?  
 50 dollars per person  .  
 that 's reasonable  .  will you take care of meals for the day  ?  
 of course  .  please take it easy  .  
 i see  .  may i know the schedule  ?  
 why not  ?  
 thank you  miss  .  will dinner be served on the plane  ?  
 yes  sir  .  i 'll bring you a menu shortly after we take off  .  
 that would be nice  .  could you also get me a pillow and a blanket  please  ?  
 here you are  .  
 how long will this flight last  ?  
 it is a sixhour flight with anhour layover in los angles  .  
 good  .  i 'll have plenty of time to nap on the plane  .  
 sorry to hear that  .  could you tell me what were in your purse  ?  
 my mobile phone  passport and some cash  .  
 when did you come to america  ?  
 just a couple of days ago  .  
 could you recall when and where you lost it  ?  
 i have no idea  .  
 ok  .  i have written it down  .  who is your emergency contact person in america  ?  
 that is my friend tim who lives nearby  .  
 ok  .  we will contact you as soon as we have any clues  .  
 yes  sir  .  what 's the matter  ?  
 could i possibly have a room change  ?  my room is right next to the street  and it 's much too noisy  .  
 well  we are rather full  sir  .  i 'm not sure if i 'll be able to find a vacant room  .  
 could you please try  ?  
 ok  sir  .  i 'll do my best  .  
 would you please tell me what places are worth visiting  ?  
 there are many famous places such as robson street  stanley park  gaston  lion gate bridge  the vancouver art gallery  and the canadian crafts museum  .  
 this is room 603  .  i 'm afraid that the heating system does n't work  .  it 's very cold here  .  
 have you switched on the radiator  ?  
 yes  .  i have switched it on for a long time  .  the room is still very cold  .  
 we 're terribly sorry for that  .  we 'll send our staff io fix it now  .  or do you want to change your room  ?  
 i prefer not to move first  .  
 ok  .  is it convenient for us to come now  ?  
 yes  please  .  
 the chinatown in vancouver is the second largest chinatown in the north america  .  
 i 've been trying to get through to the booking office for the last ten minutes  .  but the line has been engaged all the time  .  why is it taking so long  ?  
 i 'm sorry to hear that  .  i 'm afraid it is often the case during the peak hours  .  shall i ask them to call you when the line is free  ?  
 ok  .  please do so if it is not troublesome  .  
 no trouble at all  .  may i know your name and room number  ?  
 i 'm du juan  in room 312  .  
 i see  .  wait in the room  please  .  
 thank you for your kindness  .  
 yes  .  this is room 207  .  there is n't any hot water in my bath room  .  can you send somebody here  and do something about it  ?  
 yes  sir  .  we 'll be there shortly  .  
 i am glad you are here  !  see if you can find the problem  .  
 everything is ok now  .  
 thank you for repairing it  .  
 you are welcome  .  it 's our job to keep things running smoothly  .  
 come in  please  .  
 did you call us  ?  
 yes  .  the television is not working properly  .  
 what 's the problem  ?  
 the remote control does n't work  .  i turned on the television  but i ca n't change the channel  .  
 let me have a look  .  i think the batteries should be changed  .  let me replace them with new ones  .  now  it 's working  .  
 that 's great  .  
 is there anything else i can do for you  ?  
 no  thanks  .  
 if you have any problems  just call us  .  
 ok  .  thank you  .  
 i am sorry you do n't like it  sir  .  but that 's just the special point of the dish  .  
 is it  ?  
 yes  hope you can enjoy it  .  
 yes  i 'd like some information about the trains to beijing  .  
 when do you want to go  ?  
 on july 7  i have to be there well before twelve o  clock  .  
 there  s a train at 7 a  .  m  .  it 'll get you there at 11 a  .  m  .  but there are many stops along the way  .  
 and i have to get up early  too  .  are there any nonstop trains to beijing  ?  
 yes  there is one at 8 30 a  .  m  .  that arrives at 1135 a  .  m  .  
 let me see  .  oh  no  .  11  .  
 here we are  car 11  .  let 's get in  .  
 seats no  .  20 and 21  .  it  s nice that we  ve got a window seat  .  
 let 's put our suitcases on the rack  .  
 oh  the baggage rack is full  .  put them under the seat for the time being  .  
 all right  .  
 go to gate 18  .  the plane is now boarding  .  you must hurry  .  
 show me the fastest way to get there  .  
 instead of walking  you can take this shuttle to get you there faster  .  
 do you think the plane will leave without me  ?  
 no  i  ll call the attendants at the gate  .  i will tell them you  re on your way  .  
 thank you so much  .  i would really appreciate that  .  
 you are welcome  .  have a safe trip  .  
 is it urgent  ?  our ambulances are not enough to meet every call  .  
 of course  .  it 's urgent  .  i think the partie nt is suffering from acute appendicitis  .  he may die if not treated in time  .  
 all right  we 'll come right away  .  
  after a while  .  .  .   where 's the patient  ?  
 he 's there in the room  .  he 's very ill  .  
 do n't worry  .  we 'll put him in the stretcher  .  you are coming with us  ?  step in please  .  
 carry him into the emergency ward  .  here we are  .  
 help the patient bathe and change his clothes  nurse  .  then bring him into the operating room  .  
  after a while  .  .  .   i 'm his guide  .  what 's the trouble with him  doctor 
 he had appendicitis  but is all right now that it was removed  .  he 'll have to rest for a few weeks to recover  .  
 may i send food for him  ?  
 no  outside food is not permitted  .  
 can i come round to see him tomorrow  ?  
 yes  .  but first you must observe the visiting hours  it 's from 2 to 5 p  .  m  .  by the way  consult the nurse before you enter the ward  .  
 yes  .  thank you  .  
 by the way  you can bring some flowers  .  
 ok  .  
 do n't worry about him  .  
 when could i take care of him  ?  
 our nurse can take good care of him  .  
 are you even glad that we get to buy new clothes too  ?  
 ah  that 's all part of the fun  .  what do you think of these shorts  ?  
 they look really good on you  .  they look comfortable too  .  
 they are  .  i think i 'm going to get a hat too  .  
 okay  .  i chose this swimming suit  .  do you like it  ?  
 wow  .  you look great  .  
 great and white  !  which reminds me  let 's pick up some heavy duty sunscreen  !  
 do n't tell me it affects our flight  .  
 it has been delayed  .  
 did they say for how long  ?  
 no  but probably until there is a break in the storm  .  
 so we ca n't really go anywhere  can we  ?  
 i think it 's smart to stay close to the gate so we can hear the updates  .  
 i brought some cards  .  are you up for a long game  ?  
 that 's right  .  i can already see the palace garden on the left  .  
 and here is buckingham palace  !  look  is n't it beautiful  ?  it is much bigger than i imagined  .  
 the bus is turning right to buckingham gate  .  and now we are joining victoria street  .  
 yes we are going towards westminster abbey  .  i can see it now  !  look to your right  .  
 i can see it  .  the bus is stopping  .  i think we will be able to go inside  .  
 this is amazing  .  i 'm glad we decided to take this bus tour  .  so where next  ?  
 i guess we should see big ben soon  .  
 yes  .  it is just round the corner  .  oh  can you see the london eye  ?  look straight and to your right  .  
 look at this bridge  .  we will soon be crossing the thames  .  
 this is lambeth bridge  .  we will then loop back and cross the river again on westminster bridge  .  
 wonderful  .  
 it 's just some turbulence  .  
 i 'm scared  .  
 do n't worry  .  the pilot knows what he 's doing  .  
 yes  i 'd like to settle my bill  .  
 certainly sir  .  may i have your room key  please  ?  
 sure  .  here you are  .  
 just a moment  please  .  i 'll draw up your bill for you  .  .  .  thank you for waiting  sir  .  your bill totals two thousand six hundred and fiftyeight yuan  including the phone and laundry  .  
 that much  !  would you mind letting me have a look at it  ?  
 not at all  sir  .  here you are  .  
 thanks  .  well  it seems to be right  .  how much is that in dollars  please  ?  
 just a moment  sir  .  i 'll calculate that for you  .  it comes to 305 dollars and 52 cents at today 's exchange rate  .  
 i see  .  ok  .  
 how would you like to make the payment  ?  
 in cash  please  .  here you are  .  
 thank you  sir  .  .  .  here is your change  .  could you check it  please  ?  thank you for choosing our hotel  .  i hope you enjoyed your stay  .  
 by the way  please forward my mail to this address  .  
 certainly  sir  .  we hope you have a good trip  .  
 would you please fill out this registration 1 form  ?  
 thank you  .  .  .  excuse me  sir  .  you forgot to fill in your visa number  .  
 did i  ?  let me see that  .  .  .  oh  sorry  .  .  .  here you are  .  
 i want an american breakfast with fried eggs  sunny side up  .  
 what kind of juice do you prefer  sir  ?  
 grapefruit juice and please make my coffee very strong  .  
 yes  sir  .  american breakfast with fried eggs  sunny side up  grapefruit juice and a black coffee  .  am i correct  sir  ?  
 yes  that 's right  .  
 is there any thing else  sir  ?  
 no  that 's all  .  
 good morning  sir  .  i 've brought the breakfast you ordered  .  
 just put it on the table  please  .  
 do you need anything else  sir  ?  
 no  thanks  .  ah  yes  !  can i have some more juice for the minibar  ?  
 what kind of juice would you like  sir  ?  
 tomato  orange and apple juice  please  .  
 yes  sir  .  i 'll get them for you right away  .  would you please sign this bill first  ?  thank you  sir  .  
 i have a fifteenday vacation and i want to have a trip to england  .  is there any route that fits me well  ?  
 yes  of course  .  how about this one  ?  it 's a new route  .  
 that 's wonderful  .  by the way  what kind of cabin will i have  ?  
 first class  sir  .  
 you can find one at the ticket office  .  
 thanks a lot  .  have a nice day  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 well  it depends  .  you see  there are eight famous chinese for instance  the sichuan cuisine  and the hunan cuisine  .  
 they are both spicy hot  i 've heard  .  
 that 's right  .  if you like hot dishes  you could try some  .  
 they might be too hot for me  .  
 then there 's the cantonese cuisine and the kiangsu cuisine  .  most southerners like them  .  
 what about any special beijing dishes  ?  
 there 's the beijing roast duck  .  
 oh  yes  .  i 've heard a lot about it  .  i 'd like very much to try it  .  where can i find it  ?  
 you can find it in most restaurants  but the best place is certainly quanjude restaurant  .  
 is it near here  ?  
 not too near but not too far either  .  a taxi will take you there in 15 minutes  if the traffic is not too bad  i mean  .  
 well  thank you for your information  .  but what is the name of that restaurant again  ?  
 let me write it down on this slip of paper for you  .  you can show it to the taxidriver  .  
 that 's very kind of you  .  thanks a lot  .  
 yes  i 'd like to see that pen  .  
 oh  that 's a really good buy  .  .  .  here  .  there 's only one left  .  
 can i get it dutyfree  ?  
 sure  if you show me your passport  .  
 it 's not the latest model  is it  ?  
 no  it is n't  .  that 's why it 's such a bargain  .  
 what a large building  .  can we visit by ourselves  ?  
 of course  .  take your time and enjoy your trip  .  
 thank you  .  when and where shall we meet  ?  
 we will meet at 500 right here  .  
 i see  .  
 can we have two adjoining double rooms  sir  ?  
 have you made a reservation  ladies  ?  
 i 'm afraid not  .  
 one moment  please  .  i have to check if there are rooms available  .  i 'm sorry  ladies  .  we have only two double rooms available but they are on different floors  .  would you mind that  ?  
 we prefer on the same floor because we will probably chat late at night  .  
 then may i suggest a family suite  ?  we have just had a cancellation  .  
 what is it like  ?  
 it 's a big room with a kingsize double bed and two single beds  .  we could also add rollaways  .  
 that 's great  !  how much is it  ?  
 two thousand hongkong dollars per night plus ten percent service charge and five percent government government tax  .  
 that 's fine  .  
 but ladies  the room is not yet ready  .  there will be a delay of about half an hour  .  perhaps you could fill in the registration form first  and then rest in our lobby for a while  .  we will let you know when the room is ready  .  
 alright  hanks  .  
 ladies  hotel policy requires one night 's room charge as deposit  .  
 do you take traveler 's checks  ?  
 yes  we do  madam  .  thank you  madam  .  here 's our welcome brochure with all the information of our facilities  .  my name is johnny  .  if you need any help at all  do let me know  .  i 'm at your service  .  
 what for  ?  
 i just want to show my children how an american policeman looks  .  
 ok  .  but i hope it wo n't take too long  .  
 oh  no  it wo n't  .  just stand there  please  .  
 ok  thank you  .  all you have to do is focus it  .  
 all right  .  say cheese  !  
 thank you very much  .  
 you  re welcome  .  i hope it 'll come out well  .  
 i 'm sure it will  .  
 oh  i 'm a tourist  .  may i go inside and look around  ?  
 i 'm afraid you ca n't today  .  
 when can i go inside then  ?  
 only on saturday and sunday from one to five p  .  m  .  
 yes  of course  .  here it is  .  
 thank you  .  are all these yours  ?  
 no  some of them are my friend 's  .  do you want her passport  too  ?  
 yes  please  .  do you have any carryon items  ?  
 do you want me to put it on the belt  too  ?  
 yes  please  .  would you please open this big suitcase  ?  
 ok  .  just a moment  .  it 's just some clothes and toiletries  .  
 ok  .  do you have anything to declare  ?  
 i think there is nothing  .  
 any fresh food  live plants  or animals  ?  
 oh  no  .  none of that  .  
 thank you  .  you may lock up your suitcase  .  here are your passports  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 good evening  mr  .  smith  what can i do for you  ?  
 i 'm going to shanghai early tomorrow morning  .  so i would like to request an early morning call  .  
 yes  mr  .  smith  when would you like us to call you tomorrow morning  ?  
 i have to be at the conference room of the garden hotel in shanghai by 10 o 'clock  .  i think it will take me three hours to get there  .  it means that i 'll have to be on the road before 7 o 'clock at the latest  .  
 that 's right  .  
 well  in that case  i would like you to wake me up at 545  .  
 ok  .  good night  mr  .  smith  have a good sleep  .  
 good night  .  
 yes  i would like to check in  .  
 do you have a reservation  ?  
 yes  my name is steven smith  .  i have a reservation from october 2nd to october 6th  .  i called last week  .  
 wait a moment  please  .  oh  yes  steven smith  .  it 's for a single room with a bath  .  is that right  ?  
 yes  that 's right  .  
 now  mr  .  smith  could you fill out this registration form  please  ?  
 ok  .  by the way  where is the restaurant  ?  
 the restaurant is on the second floor  .  here is the key to your room  .  it 's on the 6th floor  room 609  .  the elevator is over there  .  and we also have a cafeteria on the top floor  if you would like something to drink  you can also call room service  .  
 thank you  .  
 no  .  i am a transit passenger going to sweden  .  
 how long are you going to stay here  ?  
 only one night  .  
 do you have any dutiable items  ?  
 no  i do n't  .  
 what are these  ?  
 they are my personal effects  .  
 yes  sir  ?  
 may i have a magazine or a newspaper please  ?  
 what kind of magazines would you like  fashion or sports  ?  
 i 'd like sports  please  .  
 ok  .  i 'll be right back with you  .  
 oh  !  i read this before  .  may i have another one instead please  ?  
 we 'd like to take a tour to florence  .  
 that 's a beautiful city  .  when do you want to go there  ?  
 we have got a 2 weeks vocation and we plan to leave on thursday  .  
 then please have a look at the table  there are so many plans  .  
 i would like to go to europe for a visit  ?  can you recommend me an interesting city  ?  
 why not go to paris  ?  it 's famous for arch of triumph  eiffel  versailles and place de la concorde  .  
 do you have a package tour to paris  ?  
 of course  we have  .  
 you will visit the hyde park  poet 's corner  tower of london  fleet street and tower bridge  .  
 so many places i have been looking forward to  .  we will take part in the group  .  
 i think you will enjoy your journey  .  
 no  .  i have nothing  .  
 are these all your personal things  ?  
 yes  they are  .  
 please open the black case  .  
 ok  .  
 here you are  .  
 do you have anything to declare  ?  
 yes  that 's a video camera  .  
 let me have a look at the receipt  .  
 do n't you have a credit card  ?  
 i have one but it can only be used in my country  .  
 why do n't you change the cash to traveler 's checks  ?  it 's much more convenient and safer  .  when you are abroad  you can cash them  .  
 well  that 's great  .  
 here you are  .  
 how long are you staying in britain  ?  
 3 weeks  .  i am here on tour  .  
 have a pleasant stay in britain  .  
 i am sorry to hear that  .  you have to fill out a claim form  .  
 where can i get it  ?  
 here you are  .  
 good morning  !  do you have any rooms available at the moment  ?  
 yes  we do  .  what kind of room would you like  ?  
 i 'd like a suite for four nights  .  
 please wait a moment while i check availability  .  ah  i 'm sorry  sir  .  we only have a double room available now  .  
 that 's all right  .  how much do they cost  ?  
 each night costs 320 rib  but for a four night stay  we can offer a discount of 15   .  
 how much in total  ?  
 1088 rib  .  
 is breakfast included  ?  
 yes  it is  .  you also have free use of the leisure facilities here  .  
 that 's fine  .  i 'll get it  .  
 ok  .  please fill out this form with your details  .  
 i would like to pay by cash  .  do i need to pay a deposit  ?  
 yes  you do  .  there is a 300 rib deposit  which we will refund when you check out  .  so  in total  you need to pay 1388 rib  .  
 fine  .  here you are  .  
 thank you  .  here 's your key and receipt  .  your room number is 408  .  a porter will take your luggage to your room  .  the elevator is just around the corner  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 it is my pleasure  sir  .  i wish you a pleasant stay here  .  goodbye  !  
 byebye  !  
 how can i help you  ?  
 i 'd like two sandwiches and one green fruit salad  please  .  
 will that be all  sir  ?  
 no  .  could you also get some extra towels and soup too  ?  we went to the pool today and used up our two clean towels  .  
 i will have someone bring that up right away  .  how would like to pay for the dinner  ?  
 just put in on with the rest of my hotel bill  .  
 all right  sir  .  you would receive dinner in about 15 minutes  .  
 yes  i do  .  how can i help you  ?  
 well  i 've just arrived in my room  but there are no instructions in english about the facilities available  !  could you help me for a moment  ?  
 of course not  .  what exactly would you like to know  ?  
 first  what is the number for room service  ?  
 it 's 1200  .  room service is available 24 hours a day  .  
 very good  .  now  could you help me to adjust the air conditioning  please  ?  it 's too hot in my room  .  
 yes  the control unit is on the wall next to the bathroom  .  is 24  c all right  ?  
 yes  that 's perfect  .  another thing  if need more items for the minibar  which number should i call  ?  
 you should call the housekeeping department on 2300  .  they will replace any stock for you immediately  .  
 i see  .  so  is it possible to make international phone calls from my room  ?  
 that 's no problem  .  just dial 9 to get an outside line  and then dial the number as usual  .  
 well  thanks a lot for your help  .  
 no problem  sir  .  if there 's anything else you need  you can find me at the desk by the elevator  or you can call housekeeping if i 'm not there  .  
 ok  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  sir  .  
 yes  sir  .  we have the allinclusive luxury cruise  .  maybe you would like to look at the itinerary  .  
 sure  .  that 's really amazing  .  however i do n't have so much time  .  do you have a full day cruise  ?  
 yes  .  what about this one  ?  
 here you are  .  
 i am going to the central park  .  which train should i take  ?  
 take the number 5 train and get off at the united squire  .  
 thank you  .  
 yes  .  i feel refreshed  .  
 how long will we dock  ?  
 in half an hour  .  the surface of the lake is calm  .  
 yes  .  we come at the right time  .  
 i have no idea  .  maybe i want to take a boat down the river  .  
 that 's interesting  .  i will go with you  .  
 wo n't it be dangerous  ?  
 do n't worry  .  there are so many people  .  we will join the touring party  .  
 that 's better  .  
 yes  .  the reservation under mr  .  watson  .  
 ah  yes  a table for four at 8 
 em  no  thanks  .  i think we 'll go straight to the table  by the way  .  may i check my overcoat here  ?  
 certainly  sir  .  we 'll keep it in the cloakroom for you  .  here is your number  .  when you leave  show it to the waiter behind the counter  please  .  
 thank you  .  could you show us to our table now  ?  
 would you please follow me  please  ?  
 thank you  .  
 this is your table  .  it 's number 10  .  
 yes  i have booked a room for 24th  .  it 's a double room  .  
 hold on  please  .  let me check it for you  .  yes  you 're right  .  you will keep it for 3 days  .  
 well  now i want to change the date from 24th to 28th  .  
 ok  that shall be arranged  .  
 no  is there a single room left  ?  
 yes  how long will you intend to stay  ?  
 for a week or so  .  do you give discount for a week or more  ?  
 yes  we give 5  discount for a week and 12  for 2 weeks  .  
 all right  .  i will take a room for a week  .  here is my passport  .  
 good morning  .  this is room 113  .  i 'd like some breakfast  please  .  
 right  .  excuse me  .  mrs  .  jones  ?  
 that 's right  .  
 what can i do for you  ?  
 i 'd like some grapefruit juice  marmalade  two scrambled eggs with two sausages  toast  and a pot of black coffee  please  .  how long will it take  ?  
 just a few minutes  ma 'am  .  
 great  .  thank you  .  
 i want to pick up my valuables  .  
 may i have your key please  ?  
 sure  .  here you are  .  
 here is your valuable  .  is that right  ?  
 yes  thank you  .  
 l am afraid there is n't any fancy soap in my room  .  
 sorry sir  we will bring you one . anything else  ?  
 yes . bring me a bath towel as well  .  
 yes  .  please send one  fried rice  hangzhou style  and one  fruit salad  to my room  .  
 anything to drink  sir  ?  
 yes  two bottles of beer  .  
 is there any particular brand you like  sir  ?  
 carlsborg  .  
 yes  sir . is there anything else you want  sir  ?  
 no  thanks  .  
 may i know how many of you so that i could prepare the right set of tableware  ?  
 yes  two of us  .  
 excuse me  .  may i know your name and room number  ?  
 yes  bill smith in room 713  .  
 so  that 's one  fried rice  hangzhou style   one  fruit salad  and two bottles of carlsborg beer  .  we 'll send them to your room in 20 minutes  .  
 yes  i 'm calling from tenga company  .  i 'd like to know if you have rooms available for the nights from october 8 to october 12  .  we are going to have a business conference  .  
 may i ask how many people there will be in the party  ?  
 20 persons  .  
 what kind of room would you like  ?  
 double rooms with twin beds  .  
 a moment please  sir  .  yes  i can confirm 10 rooms for those days  .  
 thank you  .  is there a special rate for a group reservation  ?  
 yes  there is a 10 percent discount  .  
 that is fine  .  
 yes  i 'd like to check out now  .  my name 's adams  room 312  .  here 's the key  .  
 one moment  please  sir  .   .  .  .  here 's your bill  .  would you like to check and see if the amount is correct  ?  
 what 's the 14 pounds for  ?  
 that 's for the phone calls you made from your room  .  
 can i pay with traveller 's cheques  ?  
 certainly  .  may i have your passport  please  ?  
 here you are  .  
 could you sign each cheque here for me  ?  
 sure  .  
 here are your receipt and your change  sir  .  thank you  .  
 thank you  .  goodbye  .  
 it is very nice  .  
 the telephone is by the end  .  dial 0 for reception  .  
 can i order room service  ?  
 yes  here 's the menu  .  you can order from reception  .  
 good  .  
 this is your mini bar  .  it contains alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and also a few snacks  .  anything you use will be added to your bill  .  the price list is by your bed  .  
 ok . thanks  .  
 your bags will be here shortly  .  
 if you want to order meals  call 8801 . if you need other help  call 8803 and someone will be there  .  
 thank you so much  .  by the way  is there a mail service  ?  
 yes  you can take your letters to the counter over there  .  
 come in please  .  
 good coming  sir  .  may i do your room now  ?  
 how long will it take  ?  
 your room will be ready in half an hour  .  
 well  would you please come back fifteen minutes later  ?  we are to visit the tower  .  
 of course  sir  .  have a good day  .  
 excuse me  where is my cabin  ?  
 can i see your ticket  ?  
 of course  .  here you are  .  
 your seat is in cabin no  .  5  the upper deck  .  it  s near amid ship  .  
 can you direct the place for me  ?  
 there  !   point out the direction  .   you can see a window there  .  
 i see  .  thank you  .  
 you are welcome  .  have a good trip  !  
 i have a spasm of nausea and dizziness  .  
 have you ever suffered from airsickness before  ?  you 're probably airsick  .  
 no  this is the first time on a plane  .  maybe you are right  .  .  please get me some pills  .  
 ok  .  i will get some for you  .  there 's an airsickness bag behind the seat in front of you . please wait me for a moment  .   go away for a few minutes  and now she comes back  .   here are two pills  .  and the water is in the glass too . please take the pills with water  .  
 thank you very much  .   take the pills  .   
 are you feeling better now  ?  
 much better now  .  thanks again  .  
 my pleasure  .  
 hello  .  is there a package tour to beijing  ?  
 well  let me see  .  we have a nice one on which we still have several unfilled places  .  
 does the tour have a chinesespeaking guide  ?  
 yes  sir  .  
 what is the cost of the tour  ?  
 five hundred dollars altogether  .  
 it 's a bit expensive  .  can you tell me the schedule  ?  
 yes  i will introduce the itinerary in detail  .  
 i 'm going to beijing tomorrow  .  i 'm packing my luggage  .  
 what will you bring along when traveling  ?  
 i will take some clothes to change and cleaning items  .  
 have you packed the camera yet  ?  
 yes  .  i 've already put it in my suitcase  .  
 pack some necessary medicine in your carryon  .  
 i almost forget it  .  thank you  !  
 let me see  mr  .  lee . right  ?  how would like to pay your bill  ?  
 do you accept traveler 's checks  ?  
 yes  .  
 here you are  .  
 three bags and a suitcase  .  this is my luggage to check  .  
 do you have any carryon luggage  ?  
 no  .  
 put your luggage on the scale  please  .  oh  your luggage is overweight  .  
 how much is the excess baggage part charge  ?  
 twentytwo dollars 
 here you are  .  
 this is your voucher  and you can get your luggage back on this  .  have a good trip  !  
 thank you  !  
 yes  would you please call me a taxi first  ?  
 no problem . how would you like to pay  ?  
 credit card please  .  here you are  .  
 yes  i think so  .  i have just checked out  .  but i left my book in the room  .  can i get it back  ?  
 is it this one  ?  
 yes  thank you very much  .  
 you are welcome  .  looking forward to seeing you again  .  
 i want to book a tour with adventure sports  .  
 excellent  !  our company has more than ten years of experience in the adventure tourism and sports field  .  let me show you some options  .  this is our most popular choice  our river guides will take you on a whitewater rafting trip followed by a ride in a hot air balloon  !  
 i don  t really think i  m ready to throw myself down a river full of jagged rocks in a rubber boat or go up in the air in a wicker basket held up by an oversize balloon  .  what else do you have  ?  
 well  in that case  we can take you hang gliding with one of our experienced instructors  .  it  s the closest you can get to flying  .  
 what  ?  you mean strap myself to a flimsy kite  ?  no  thank you  !  next  !  
 mmm  .  ok  .  well  why don  t you tell me a little bit more about what you would like  ?  we have everything from mountain biking  to rock climbing to street luge  .  
 i  m thinking something exciting but  .  safer  .  
 i have the perfect option  this package will take you on a hiking trip through the himalayas for three days and afterwards there  s a dog sledding journey  !  
 that  s more like it  !  
 here you are  .  
 where are you coming from  ?  
 china  .  
 is this your country of birth or residence  .  
 i just work there  .  
 what is the purpose of your visit to the united states  ?  
 i 'm here on vacation  .  
 how long do you plan to stay in the united states  ?  
 almost three weeks  .  
 sir  you did n't fill out the information on your arrival card of where you will be staying  .  
 oh  i 'm sorry  but there are a couple of different places i will travel to within the united states  so i was n't sure what to put  .  
 you must specify an address of the place where you will spend most of your time  .  
 ok  here you are  .  
 do you have enough means to support yourself while you are here  ?  
 yes  .  i have some travellers cheques and two credit cards  .  
 very good  .  do you have anything to declare  ?  
 nope  .  i only have my clothes and camera  !  
 very well sir  welcome to the united states  enjoy your visit  .  
 i would like to plan a surprise getaway for me and my wife  .  
 very well  we have a couple of different options such as beaches  the wilderness  the countryside or even going to a spa for the weekend  .  
 i think something in the countryside would be nice  .  
 perfect  !  this package includes roundtrip flights to new hampshire  .  a free airport pickup is included  .  our vip limousine will pick you up and provide you with complimentary champagne and finger foods to soften the thirtyminute ride to the countryside  .  
 sounds good  !  what is the hotel that we will be staying at like  ?  
 that is the best part  .  your hotel is actually an old country villa that has been restored and refurbished to accommodate a maximum of that is guests  .  you will enjoy an intimate and private time in this very spacious and warm n included in the price is three meals a day  excluding beverages  .  you can choose to eat at the fabulous restaurant that offers a stunning view of the lush  green gardens  .  if you prefer  your own private butler can arrange your meal to be served in your room or outside on our terrace  .  
 wow  !  this sounds like something my wife would really enjoy  !  are there any outdoor activities we can take part in  ?  
 of course  !  the hotel has a stable with beautiful stallions for a very romantic horseback ride along the country trail  .  you can also go fishing to the nearby lake or visit the local vineyard  .  
 i  m sold  !  i want to book this trip  .  i don  t care what it costs  !  money is no object  !  
 yes  it 's  167  .  
 thank you  .  
 yes  i  m the manager here  .  what can i do for you  madam  ?  
 did you have the room checked before we move in  ?  
 which room are you in  ?  
 1808  .  the toilet doesn  t work properly  .  the water doesn  t run in the shower  .  
 i  m awfully sorry to hear that  .   after checking  i  ll turn to it right away  .  i do apologize  .  we  ll change your room to 2002  .  
 that  s not bad  .  thanks for your help  .  
 it  s my pleasure  madam  .  
 i had a wonderful time  .  the rooms are not very big  but they are well furnished  .  the restaurant is excellent and reasonably priced  .  there  s a sauna and a jacuzzi  .  
 do they have a swimming pool  ?  
 no  they don  t  .  they have a beauty parlor  but i didn  t go there  .  
 what  s the service like  ?  
 it  s very good  .  check in and check out at the reception only took a few minutes  .  the wait staff is very good  .  a waiter recommended their baked fish  which tasted wonderful  .  the hotel was quite full  so i  d suggest making a reservation if you intend to go there  .  the hotel offers a discount at the weekends  .  
 it sounds perfect  .  did you have any complaints at all  ?  
 there was a problem with the internet access  so i couldn  t check my email  but i didn  t complain about it to the management  .  
 i suppose you were happy to forget about the outside world  .  
 yes  i was  .  here  s their business card  .  
 thanks  .  was there a mina bar in the room  ?  
 no  there wasn  t  .  there is a bar on the ground floor and of course you can buy drinks in the restaurant to go with your meal  .  
 one of the things i dislike about hotels is that everyone expects tips  .  
 i know  .  at the inland hotel  they have an interesting policy  .  when you check out  you put some money in a special box at reception  .  each evening  the money in the box is shared equally by the hotel staff  .  
 how long is it altogether  ?  
 it  s about six or seven miles  .  that  s about ten kilometers  .  
 that sounds ok  .  so  we start here at the car park and walk along the path to the waterfall  .  
 right  .  then we turn left and walk up this small hill  .  the view from the top of the hill is worth the climb  .  we can eat a snack there  .  
 then we will follow this path down the hill to the old church  .  
 we can spend a few minutes looking around the church  .  then  we turn right and walk along this path  .  
 this path leads to the cave  .  can we look inside the cave  ?  
 yes  we can  but it isn  t very interesting  .  
 then we turn south and come back to the car park along this path  .  
 that  s right  .  
 how long do you think it will take us to complete the walk  ?  
 i think it will take about four hours  including breaks  .  
 that  s fine  .  are there signposts along the way  in case we get lost  ?  
 yes  there are  .  they tell use which way to go and how far we have to walk  .  
 yes  i have  .  i handed in my application form two weeks ago and i  m going for an interview next week  .  
 good luck  !  i  ve heard it  s very difficult to get a visa to go to the united states  .  
 the application form are quite complicated  .  it took me a few hours to fill it out  .  the hardest thing was getting all the necessary documents  .  that took almost two weeks  .  
 what kind of documents did you need to present  ?  
 i had to show document relating to my financial status and of course my education  because i want a student visa  .  
 why do you think so many people have their applications rejected  ?  
 i think that they don  t complete the forms correctly or they don  t include all the required documents  .  the embassy is very strict about it  .  you have to be quite careful  .  
 why are they stricter with chinese people than with other nationalities  ?  
 that  s simple  .  many people break the rules regarding their visa conditions  .  
 good morning  .  i  d like to book a room for friday night and saturday night  .  
 certainly  .  what kind of room would you like  ?  
 a single room please  .  i hope you  re not fully booked  .  
 a single room  ?  that  s fine  .  in whose name shall i make the booking  ?  
 jones  .  according to your website  the nightly rate is  50  including breakfast  .  
 we offer a 20  discount for guests staying of friday and saturday  .  the total cost will be  80  including breakfast  .  
 thank you very much  .  i look forward to seeing you on friday  .  
 could i just take your credit card number please  ?  i should mention that there is a cancellation charge of  20  .  
 that  s fine  .  my credit card number is  .  .  .  
 yes  here you go  .  
 will you be checking any bags today  .  
 yes  i  d like to check three pieces  .  
 i  m sorry  sir  .  airline policy allows only two pieces of checked luggage  at twenty kilograms each  plus one piece of carryon luggage  .  i will have to charge you extra for the additional suitcase  .  
 what  ?  why  !  i am taking an intercontinental flight  !  i  m flying sixteen thousand cms  !  how am i supposed to only take two  twenty kilo bags  ?  that  absurd  !  
 i am sorry  sir  there  s nothing i can do  .  you cannot board the flight with that large bag either . carry  on bags must fit in the overhead compartment or under your seat  .  that bag is clearly too big  .  
 now i see  .  you charge next to nothing for an international ticket  but when it comes to charging for any other small thing  you charge an arm and a leg  !  so tell me  miss  how much will i have to pay for all of this  .  
 let  s see  .  .  .  six hundred and twentyfive us dollars  .  
 that  s more than my roundtrip ticket  !  
 we should make it  if there is n't too much traffic  .  
 is it the rush hour now  ?  
 yes  but do n't worry  .  we 'll make it  .  
 in just three weeks  and i am excited  .  but there are still a few things i need to do before i go  .  
 like what  ?  
 like renewing my passport  going to the travel agency to buy my plane ticket and figuring out what to do with my apartment while i  m gone  .  
 you are not going to give it up  are you  ?  
 no way  .  i  ll never find another apartment around here  .  but i don  t like the idea of paying three months  rent on an empty apartment  either  .  
 i don  t blame you  .  perhaps you could sublet it  .  
 yes  but whom to  ?  
 mmm  .  .  .  let me think  .  oh  i know just a person  .  an old colleague of mine  jim thomas  is coming here to do some research this summer  from june to august  .  
 that  s exactly when i  ll be away  .  it sounds ideal  as long as the landlord agrees  .  
 tell you what  i  ll be calling jim late this week anyway  so i  ll mention it to him then  .  
 well  thanks  bill  .  let me know what happens  .  that extra money will really come in handy  .  
 hmm  .  your file shows that you watched titanic monday night  .  
 monday night  ?  monday night i was at a great concert  .  
 well  as they say  garbage in  garbage out  .  let me correct this error  please  .  
 thank you  .  it 's very nice when problems can be solved quickly  .  
 when i deleted the  10  the computer automatically added a  2 service charge  .  
 are you crazy  ?  you made the mistake and now you 're charging me for your mistake  ?  
 sir  if it makes you feel any better  the  2 service fee used to be  5  .  
 why do n't you just stick a gun in my ribs and take everything i have  ?  
 unfortunately  sir  you 'll have to pay the  2  whether you like it or not  .  
 of course  !  how much would you like to spend on your meal  ?  
 my date is quite sophisticated  .  she would expect nothing less than the best  .  
 well  how about our own hotel restaurant  ?  it 's conveniently located and has a threestar rating  .  
 that 's a good idea  except i want to go out  not stay in  .  something else  maybe  ?  
 well  how about gramercy tavern  ?  it 's a very popular tourist spot  with great food and music  .  
 that sounds good  !  could you call them to see if i can get a reservation  ?  
 of course  sir  .  you 've made a good choice  .  
 certainly  !  how much are you planning to spend on dinner  sir  ?  
 my date 's very sophisticated  so i 'm sure she would expect nothing but the best  .  
 may i suggest our own hotel restaurant  ?  it got three stars in the latest restaurant review  .  
 no  thank you  i want to go out on the town  .  what other ideas do you have  ?  
 there 's always gramercy tavern  .  they have live jazz  .  the food is delicious  but very expensive  .  
 that sounds like a good place to take a date  .  can you make a reservation for me  ?  
 as you wish  sir  .  you 'll have a wonderful time there  .  
 of course  .  what would you like  ?  
 i want a bottle of champagne  lobster tail  and filet mignon  medium rare  .  
 i 'm so sorry  .  we ran out of filet mignon  .  may i suggest the porterhouse instead  ?  
 that 's too bad  but the porterhouse will be okay  .  
 may i be so bold as to suggest chocolatecovered strawberries with the champagne  ?  
 not tonight  thank you  .  
 no strawberries  .  we 'll charge your amenities account  if that 's okay  .  
 charge it to whatever account you like  .  
 your meal will be delivered as soon as it 's all ready  .  enjoy  !  
 no problem  .  just plug the ethernet cable into your computer  and you 're good to go  .  
 that 's a problem  .  my laptop has no ethernet port  it 's wireless only  .  
 hmm  .  well  we have some alternatives  if you 're interested  .  
 go ahead  .  i 'm all ears  .  
 we have a computer lab on the first floor  .  
 that 's great  !  how much is it  ?  
 it 's absolutely free to guests  .  except for printing  of course  .  
 okay  .  what about the other alternatives  ?  
 you could use your wireless right here in our lobby  .  
 yes  that 's the ticket  !  and if i need to print something there  ?  
 well  we do n't have a printer in the lobby yet  .  you 'll have to use the lab  .  
 sure  .  what do you fancy  ?  
 can i have a bottle of champagne  lobster tail  and filet mignon  medium rare  ?  
 sir  the filet mignon was so popular tonight that we ran out  .  may i suggest the porterhouse  ?  
 oh  no filet  ?  okay  porterhouse will be fine then  .  
 perhaps you would like chocolatecovered strawberries with the champagne  ?  
 not tonight  but thank you for the suggestion  .  
 okay  .  this will be charged to your amenities account  okay  ?  
 no problem  .  
 your food will be brought to you momentarily  .  i hope you enjoy it  .  
 just name it  sir  .  
 please send up a bottle of champagne  lobster tail  and filet mignon  medium rare  .  
 regrettably  we 're currently out of filet mignon  .  may i suggest the porterhouse instead  ?  
 sure  i love porterhouse  too  .  
 would you be interested in chocolatecovered strawberries with the champagne  ?  
 i 'd love to  but i 'm allergic to strawberries  .  
 okay  no strawberries tonight  .  the items will be charged to your amenities account  .  
 go right ahead  .  
 our staff will bring you your order in as short a time as possible  .  
 there 's an ethernet cable in your room  .  just plug it into the back of your laptop  .  
 uhoh  !  i ca n't use ethernet  .  my computer is wireless only  .  
 that 's okay  .  i can tell you about some alternatives we have  .  
 any alternative that works will be great  .  
 well  there 's our computer lab on the first floor  .  
 that sounds good  .  what 's the charge  ?  
 the lab and the computers are no charge  but you have to pay for whatever you print  .  
 that sounds good  .  now  how about the other alternatives  ?  
 of course  .  our lobby is set up for wireless  so just bring your computer down here  .  
 use my laptop in the lobby  ?  that 's great  !  now  if i need to print something there  ?  
 they plan to install a printer here  .  but until then  you 'll have to use the lab  .  
 oh  is it  ?  let me check  .  
 yes  please  .  
 i 'm sorry to say that this room service charge is yours  .  
 we paid for the room service already in our room  .  
 do you have any evidence  ?  
 no  we got no receipt  but we paid on the spot  .  
 yes  will you keep our bags until 6 p  .  m  .   ?  
 are you all our guests  ?  
 yes  we checked out just now  .  
 please fill in this form  .  
 is this all right  ?  
 so you are leaving this evening . we keep your bags until 6 p  .  m  .  here 's your tag  .  
 thanks a lot  .  
 i was in my friend 's room talking for an hour of so  .  
 and then  ?  
 i came back to my room and found that my suitcase was open and my camera and five hundred dollars in cash inside the wallet were gone  .  
 i 'm afraid you must give up the cash . are you insured  ?  
 yes  this is my overseas travel accident insurance card  .  
 i 'll make a report for you and please claim this to the insurance company with this report  .  
 no  i  m afraid we don  t  .  
 i  m sorry the restaurant is full now  .  you have to wait for about half an hour  .  would you like to have a drink at the lounge until there  s a table available  .  
 no  thanks  i  ll come back later  .  may i reserve a table for two  ?  
 yes  of course  .  may i have your name  sir  ?  
 bruce by the way  can we have a table by the window  ?  
 we  ll try to arrange it  but i can  t guarantee sir  .  
 that  s fine  .  
 your table 's ready  sir  ?  please step this way  .  
 is that right  ?  i did n't know it  .  
 will you give me your camera  ?  we have to confiscate your film  .  
 will you forgive me  ?  could you return my camera  ?  
 we keep it and return it later  .  
 oh  i see . then can i buy slides and picture postcards somewhere  ?  
 you can buy them at a souvenir shop near the exit  .  
 i 'm sorry to hear that . did you check your shoulder bag carefully  ?  
 yes  i checked again and again  but i ca n't find it  .  by the day after tomorrow  can i have the ticket reissued  ?  
 i 'm afraid you ca n't  .  
 i talked with the manager over the phone and he told me i can have it reissued because i have a copy of my lost ticket  .  
 oh  i see  .  i 'll call the manager  then  .  
 yes  please  .  we  re on my way out  .  you can put up make up sign on  .  could you bring us some towels and hangers  .  
 no problems  sir  .  everything will be already when you come back  .  
 single or double  ?  
 single  please  .  
 do you have a reservation  ?  
 yes  .  i made a reservation in shanghai  .  
 then i believe you have a confirmation slip  .  
 yeah  .  let me see  .  is this the one you want  ?  
 that  s it  .  what  s your name  .  please  ?  
 wu mei  .  that  s my name  .  
 just a moment  please  .  yes  you have a room reservation for you  .  
 is this room with a bath room  ?  
 yes  it  s  .  
 can you give me a quiet room  ?  
 it  s a inside room on the eight floor  .  
 what  s the room rate  ?  
 eighty dollars a day  .  how long do you plan to stay mrs wu  ?  
 three nights i scheduled  .  
 do you sign the register  please  ?  
 is that right  ?  
 thank you  mrs wu  .  
 your room number is 827  .  the bailboy will take your bags and show you to your room  .  
 thanks  .  
 please to meet you mrs chen  .  my name is joy  .  welcome to the hotel  .  here is the keys  registration slips and breakfast description  .  breakfast will be served from seven tomorrow morning  .  is there any change of your schedule  ?  
 no  .  our check out time is still be eight thirty tomorrow  .  
 and we arrange a morning call at seven thirty  .  is that be fine  ?  
 that  s alright  .  
 please put your luggage outside your room by eight  .  the bailboy will pick them up  .  
 thank you  .  
 thank you very much  .  i hope you enjoy your stay  .  
 i  m going to check out tomorrow  .  then we  ll be back in a week  s time  .  can i leave my luggage here  .  
 yes  .  sure  .  you do have storage service  .  when will be checking out tomorrow  ?  
 about nine thirty in the morning  .  
 shall we arrange a bail boy to pick up your luggage at nine o  clock  ?  
 sure  .  
 may i have your room number please  ?  
 1218  .  
 1218  .  we  ll collect your luggage at nine o  clock tomorrow  .  would you then come to the front desk to get your storage receipt please  ?  
 thank you very much  .  .  bye  .  
 you  re welcome  .  goodbye  .  
 bad  .  my nose keeps running  .  and my forehead is burning  .  
 you said you never went to hospital  .  
 i will get better soon  .  
 the good thing is you do n't need to go to school  .  
 yeah  i love that  no class  no homework  and no exams  .  
 and your mom and dad will buy you anything you ask for  .  
 haha  i just got the ultraman costume  .  my dad bought it  .  
 i really envy you  danny  .  
 come on  i got numerous shots for that  .  you have no idea what i 've been through with the needles  .  
 your sister said you fainted three times during the injection  .  
 may told you  ?  oh  may  she 's such a tattletale  .  
 no matter what  you are still my hero  daniel  .  
 tom  promise me to keep this a secret  will you  ?  
 ok  i promise  .  you promise you will be well soon  ?  
 deal  .  
 please keep calm  .  i know the pain isn  t what flesh and blood can stand  .  but be brave  .  
 all right  doctor  .  but it really hurts  .  
 i 'd been feeling pretty well until just a few days ago  .  
 what seems to be the trouble now  ?  
 i feel run down  tired  .  i 've been having headaches almost every day  .  and i 'm not getting as much sleep as usually do  .  
 have you been eating properly  ?  eating the right kind of food is important for your health  you know  .  
 well  i have n't been eating well  i guess  .  i usually only have enough time to grab a sandwich and a cup of coffee for lunch  .  
 and what about dinner  ?  
 sometimes i 'm too tired to eat anything at all  .  
 that 's not good  .  you do n't have a wellbalanced diet  .  have you been taking vitamin pills  ?  
 i do n't like to take any medicine at all without talking it over with a doctor first  .  
 i beg your pardon  ?  
 i said i had been to the doctor the day before  .  
 what did he say  ?  
 he said i d got the flu  .  
 oh dear  !  what did he tell you to do  ?  
 he told me to stay in bed for ten days  .  
 ten days  ?  would you please repeat it again  ?  
 yes  ten days  .  
 i 've got a sore throat and my chest hurts  .  
 have you got a headache  ?  
 yes  i ache all over  .  
 are you coughing much  ?  
 a little bit  .  
 now  let me listen to your chest  .  ah  you have a temperature  .  breathe deeply  .  that 's right  .  well  do n't worry  it 's only a throat infection  .  there 's nothing wrong with your lungs  .  and how is your appetite  ?  
 it 's gone completely  .  
 show me your tongue  please  .  all right  stay in bed and keep yourself warm  .  i 'll prescribe some pills for you to take  .  
 is that all doctor  ?  
 yes  .  you 'll be better in a few days  i 'm sure  .  
 thank you  doctor  .  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 i need some medicine  .  
 for whom  ?  
 my younger brother  .  he suffers from a bad cold  .  
 what symptoms does he have  ?  
 fever and a bad cough  .  
 i got it  .  do n't worry  just a common cold  .  
 what kind of medicine does he need  ?  
 patulin will do  .  
 how many pills for each time  ?  
 six per day  and two after each meal  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 my pleasure  .  
 sorry  .  i was too worried  .  
 i firmly believe that you love your brother very much  .  
 absolutely  .  by the way  do you sell any traditional chinese medicine  ?  
 yes  we have some chinese medicine for common cold  .  
 i heard chinese medicine has a better lasting effect in cure  .  
 it depends  .  it 's true that you can take some for prevention  .  
 better now  .  we are just back from the hospital  .  we were lucky to meet a wellknown doctor  .  
 what did the doctor say  ?  
 he said that he had a really bad cold  .  
 shall we go back home now  ?  
 the dispensary closed  .  here is the given prescription  .  
 i bought some advanced medicine  .  is there anything you need  ?  
 probably not  .  some medicine we need is ethical drug which you ca n't buy without a prescription  .  
 now what  ?  
 i 'll go back home with danny  .  you go to the pharmacy again  .  
 okay  this is the third time  .  
 what  ?  how come  ?  the third time  ?  
 you do n't have to know  .  bye for now  .  
 be careful  .  
 doctor  i have a bad cough and a headache  .  
 do you have a fever  ?  
 i do n't know  but i feel terrible  .  
 let me examine you . don t worry . it s nothing serious  .  
 do you think i should lie in bed  ?  
 yes  stay in bed and drink a lot of water . your fever will be gone in a day or two  .  
 ok . do you think i can play football tomorrow  ?  
 of course not . you need a good rest  .  
 ok  i 'll listen to you  .  
 i 've got a terrible pain in my stomach  doctor  .  
 i see . when did it start  ?  
 it started yesterday  .  i did n't eat any supper  .  
 have you got a temperature  ?  
 i think so  .  i feel very hot  .  
 let 's see . yes . you ve got quite a high temperature  .  
 i 've got an awful headache  too  and my throat hurts  .  
 hm  .  .  i think you ve got the flu  .  
 is it serious  ?  
 no  not at all  but you must stay in bed for three days and take this medicine  .  
 how often must i take it  ?  
 three times a day after meals  .  
 thank you  doctor  .  
 what is that problem  sir  ?  
 there are cockroaches in my room  .  
 are you sure  sir  ?  flies i could believe  but cockroaches  ?  
 i 've counted nine different cockroaches  and i accidentally stepped on another one  .  
 sir  we run a spotless and cockroachless hotel  .  
 you dare to doubt me  ?  
 i 'm sorry  sir  .  let me transfer you to my supervisor  .  
 and the problem is  sir  ?  
 cockroaches have taken over my room  !  
 my apologies  sir  .  we 'll give you a new room and refund the value of your current room  .  
 thank you  .  i want to continue to be able to recommend this hotel to others  .  
 we always try to serve our guests in the most agreeable way possible  .  
 i 'm so sorry  .  kindly tell me what the problem is  sir  .  
 everywhere i look  i see cockroaches  .  
 perhaps you could look again  sir  to doublecheck  .  
 the next cockroach i see will be number ten  .  
 mr  .  sandals  i 've worked here five years without seeing one cockroach  .  
 i 've already suffered enough without listening anymore to you  !  
 you 're right  sir  .  please let me transfer you to my supervisor 
 i 'm sorry to hear that  .  please tell me the exact problem  .  
 this room is overrun with cockroaches  .  
 there has been an occasional silverfish in the hotel  sir  .  
 i stopped counting at nine  .  
 sir  this hotel just passed a thorough insect inspection with flying colors  .  
 your inspector needs spectacles  .  the fact is that cockroaches are running rampant  .  
 i apologize  sir  .  just a second  while i transfer you to my supervisor  .  
 i 'm sorry  sir  .  exactly what is the problem  ?  
 i 'm kneedeep in cockroaches  !  
 i 'm so sorry  sir  .  we 'll give you a new room immediately  and give you a refund also  .  
 thank you  .  i 'm glad that this hotel strives to keep its reputation intact  .  
 sir  we always try to please our guests  .  
 problems are what we 're here for  sir  .  please tell me your problem  .  
 this room is filthy with cockroaches  .  
 were you wearing your glasses when you noticed them  sir  ?  
 i 've already seen nine of them and  as they say  eight is enough  !  
 sir  sometimes a fast elevator ride makes our guests see spots  .  
 you are not in a position to question my vision or my statement  !  
 i 'm very sorry  sir  .  will you please hold while i transfer you to my supervisor  ?  
 forgive me  sir  i have n't been told what the problem is  .  
 i 'm about to be swept away by millions of cockroaches  !  
 my apologies  sir  .  we 'll transfer you to a new room at once and give you a full refund  .  
 thank you  .  i did n't want to have to take this to court  .  
 sir  we never want a guest to stay here mad or unhappy  .  
 we have no pool  sir  but we do have swim stations in our gym  .  
 swim stations  ?  could you be a little more explicit  ?  
 you know how you run on a treadmill but do n't go anywhere  ?  well  it 's the same thing  .  
 gee  that 's a great idea  .  now  how much do i have to pay  ?  
 the stations are absolutely free to guests  sir  .  
 great  !  now  when can i go down there and use the stations  ?  
 the swim stations are open daily from 7 a  .  m  .  to 10 p  .  m  .  
 boy  oh boy  !  i ca n't wait to change into my swim trunks  .  
 be warned  sir  .  at certain hours the swim stations are very crowded  .  
 this hotel has no fullsize pool  but we do have swim stations in our gym  .  
 swim stations  ?  whoever heard of such a thing  ?  
 you swim in a swim station just like you run on a treadmill  .  
 all that exercise in a little pool  !  do i have to pay anything  ?  
 the swim stations are available to all guests for no charge  .  
 very good  .  now can you tell me the hours of operation  ?  
 they 're available anytime between 7 a  .  m  .  and 10 p  .  m  .   seven days a week  .  
 wow  !  i ca n't wait to change into my trunks  !  
 the swim stations are very popular  sir  .  i hope you do n't find a line down there  .  
 may i see your id  please  mr  .  sandals  ?  
 certainly  .  here it is  .  
 thank you  .  do you have a credit card  mr  .  sandals  ?  
 yes  i do  .  do you accept american express  ?  
 sorry  sir  just visa or mastercard  .  
 okay  .  here 's my visa card  .  
 okay  .  you 're in room 507  .  it 's a single queensize bed  spacious  and nonsmoking  .  is that suitable  ?  
 yes  it sounds like everything i expected  .  
 here 's your key  sir  .  if you need anything  just dial 0 on your room phone  .  
 how long will it take to make five hundred  ?  
 they 'll be done before the end of the week  .  
 good  .  
 i wonder if we can make payment for this order by documentary collection  .  
 i 'm sorry to say the only term of payment we can accept is 100  irrevocable letter of credit payable against shipping documents  .  
 but our order this time is very large  .  to open an l  c for such a large amount at a bank is costly  .  can you be a bit more flexible and bend the rule a little  ?  
 i 'm afraid not  .  we insist on a letter of credit  because as seller  we also have the problem of funds being tied up  .  
 to be frank  a letter of credit would increase the cost of my import  .  when i open a letter of credit with a bank  i have to pay a deposit  .  that will tie up my money and add to my cost  .  
 consult your bank and see if they will reduce the required deposit to a minimum  .  
 your prescription will be ready in twenty minutes  .  
 do you ever deliver prescriptions by mail  ?  
 yes  in fact  you can renew this prescription over the internet and have it delivered to your home  .  
 how should i take this medication  ?  
 you should take it twice a day  .  
 should i avoid alcohol with this medication  ?  
 you need something in your stomach when you take it  .  don  t drink alcohol with this medication  .  
 should i expect any side effects  ?  
 sometimes you might feel dizzy  but that isn  t common  .  
 you can come back in twenty minutes  and it will be ready  .  
 if i couldn  t wait  could the prescription be mailed to me  ?  
 yes  you can have it delivered or filled at any location in our hmo  .  
 when should i take this medication  ?  
 you need to take it at bedtime  .  
 should i take this medicine on an empty stomach  ?  
 don  t mix alcohol with this medication  but you can take it with or without food  .  
 what are the side effects of this medication  ?  
 you might feel a little dizzy at first  but it should pass  .  
 sure  what is the problem  ?  
 i got poison oak while hiking  and i need something to help me with the itching  .  
 i can suggest a product called techne that comes in a lotion or cream  .  
 which do you prefer  ?  
 hikers tell me that the cream is best because it stays on longer  .  
 is there anything else i can do to help with the itching  ?  
 you can take an antihistamine  .  
 thank you so much for all of the information  .  
 you are welcome  .  please feel free to ask me a question any time you need help  .  
 you may pick it up in twenty minutes  .  
 if i wanted to  could i have it mailed to me  ?  
 yes  and you can renew this prescription by phone  .  
 are there any special instructions about this medication  ?  
 take it three times a day  .  
 can i take it with food  ?  
 you should take this medicine with food and no alcohol  .  
 are there any side effects with this medication  ?  
 you might get a little dizzy  but that is it  .  
 i can  t sleep or eat  .  i have a really bad pain in my tooth  !  
 how long have you had this toothache  ?  
 it bothers me off and on  but it  s gotten much worse these past few weeks  .  
 is there anything that you  ve done to your tooth that might have caused the pain  ?  
 my girlfriend told me that i grind my teeth a lot when i sleep  .  maybe that is the problem  .  
 when you brush your teeth  what do you use  ?  
 i use a soft bristle toothbrush  .  
 does it bother you when you have to chew a lot  ?  
 absolutely  .  that set it off big time  !  
 it would be my pleasure to help you  .  what do you need help with  ?  
 i picked up some poison oak while hiking  and i can  t stop itching  .  
 we have techne  and it is available in lotion or cream  .  
 do you find that one works better than the other  ?  
 i have heard that the cream is longer lasting  .  
 is there anything i can take that will help with the itching  ?  
 if you take an antihistamine  that would help a lot  .  
 thank you for helping me figure out what to do with my poison oak  .  
 it was a pleasure  .  come back anytime  .  
 my tooth is killing me  !  
 how long has your tooth been bothering you  ?  
 it just started hurting me last night  .  
 have you injured your tooth in any way  ?  
 i think one of my fillings might be coming loose  .  
 do you have a special kind of toothbrush that you like to use  ?  
 i have an electric toothbrush  .  
 does it bother you when you eat something really sweet  ?  
 oh yeah  when i do that  it hurts a lot more  !  
 no problem  .  just take your clothes off from the waist up and put the gown on  with the opening in the back  .  
 then what should i do  ?  
 you will stand over here up against this plate  .  
 should i just stand naturally  ?  
 you will raise your arms up shoulder high  .  
 is this all right  ?  
 yes  you are doing great  .  
 where will you be going  ?  
 i need to stand behind this shield  .  now you will take a deep breath  hold it  and let it out  .  
 is that it  ?  
 that  s it  .  you can get dressed when the film is developed  .  
 thanks  doc  .  i  ve got a really bad toothache  !  i can  t eat anything  and look  my face is all swollen  .  i think it might be my wisdom tooth  .  
 well  let  s have a look  .  open wide  .  hmm  .  .  .  this doesn  t look good  .  well  it looks like you have a cavity and your crown is loose  .  we  ll need to put in a filling before it gets any worse  and the crown probably needs to be refitted  .  i  m going to order some xrays  .  
 is it gonna hurt  ?  
 no  not at all  !  just lay back and relax  .  
 ok  spit  .  
 yes  the pain comes more intense when the weather is bad  .  and the pain comes intense when i walk too much  .  
 have you ever had any trauma  ?  
 yes  i have  .  
 does the pian become more intense at night  ?  
 yes  ti does  .  just like a needle prick  .  besides  the place that hurts often feels cold  too  .  
 do you have the sensation of ants crawling over the painful part  ?  
 yes  i do  .  
 i 'd like to treat you with acupuncture if you agree  .  
 by the way  does acupuncture hurt  ?  
 acupuncture may cause just a little pain  but it also causes a certain feeling of numbness and distension  .  we 'll try it every day for seven days  .  will that be all right  ?  
 yes  .  let 's start today  .  
 that 's good to hear  .  you 've had an ideal recovery from your operation  .  we 're going to send you home tomorrow  .  
 do you think i can get back to work very soon  ?  
 do n't be in such a hurry  .  i 'm confident that you 'll be completely recovered in 4 to 6 weeks  .  
 is there anything i should do  ?  
 you 'd better have a good rest for a week  .  be sure to have regular meals  .  stay away from alcohol  .  give up smoking at least a little while  .  
 should i take some medicine  ?  
 yes  .  i 'm going to give you some  .  take one tablet of this medicine three times a day before meals  .  for that one  two tablets  .  and remember to come to the outpatient department for a consultation in two weeks  please  .  
 it 's very kind of you  .  
 you 're welcome  .  we wish you a speedy recovery  .  goodbye  .  
 let me see  .  roll up your sleeve  please  .  um  .  .  .  it 's swollen and red here  .  i 'm afraid we 'll need to take an xray to see if it 's broken  .  
 what if it 's broken  ?  
 then we 'll put you in a cast  .  
 what do you mean by a cast  ?  
 well  we apply tape and plaster to from a solid enclosure to protect the bones from moving  .  in this way they will heal properly  .  take it easy  .  it wo n't hurt you  .  let me see  .  the xray picture indicates that your humerus is broken in two places  .  and you 'll have to wear the cast for three weeks  .  you 'll need to come back in two weeks  so i can have another look  .  
 when did you last time have your eyes checked  ?  
 two years ago  .  at that time i had no problems  .  now i can  t even make out something ten meters away  .  
 come over here  .  i will test your eyes  .  first cover your left eye like this  and when i point  please read the chart from the top  and go as far as you can telling me which way the  e  points  .  
 all right  .  
 good  .  now the other eye  .  
 well  this one is worse  .  
 never mind  just read as far as you can  .  
 i can only read the first three lines  .  
 well  let me have a look  .  will you sit down in this chair and open your mouth wide  ?  
 i think one of the back ones at the top is giving me the most trouble  .  
 yes  .  this big one is badly decayed  .  i 'm afraid it must be taken out  .  
 oh  i hate having teeth pulled out  .  will it hurt  ?  
 no need to worry  .  you wo n't feel anything at all  .  i 'll give you an injection to stop the pain  .  just wash your mouth out with this water  will you  ?  
 will it take long  ?  
 no  it 'll be over soon  .  nurse  get some xrays of our patient 's molars  .  then we 'll start  .  open your mouth wide  .  do n't be so nervous  .  now open wider  .  .  .  now stay  that 's over  .  .  .  
 is it out  ?  
 not yet  but it soon will be  .  now open again please  .  .  .  it 's out  !  look  !  
 well  really  !  that was wonderful  !  i felt no pain at all  .  thank you  doctor  .  
 any other discomfort  ?  
 yes  .  sometimes i can notice a constriction in the chest and shortness of breath after a fit of sneezing  .  and i often suffer from a running nose with a profuse watery discharge  .  
 does it occur seasonally or all year round  ?  
 it has been seasonal during these past three years  .  
 are you sensitive to other things  ?  
 yes  things like seafood and penicillintype drugs  .  
 ok  .  let me examine your nose  .  according to your case history and the examination  i believe that it 's allergic rhinitis  .  
 what useful treatment can you offer  ?  
 i 'll give you a series of specific skin tests  .  then we 'll know exactly what substances you 're allergic to  .  then i 'll give you some causes of desensitization therapy  .  
 my stomach hurts  doctor  .  
 has this been a problem before  ?  
 yes  .  
 for how long  ?  
 i have had it on and off for the past three years  .  it 's just gotten much worse these past two weeks  .  
 do you only feel this way when you stomach is empty  ?  
 after i 've eaten  it goes away for a while  .  
 do you feel nauseous  ?  
 yes  occasionally  .  
 do you have regular bowel movements  ?  
 i think so  .  
 let me take a look at your abdomen  .  lie down on your back and bend your knees up  .  ok  .  relax  .  .  .  alright  it seems like you have a duodenal ulcer  but we 'll have to run some tests before i can be certain  .  you should get a good rest first and try not to strain your stomach too much  .  
 is it serious  ?  
 not too serious  but it 'll take you some time to recover  so you 'll need to be patient  .  
 i have a laceration on my left forearm  .  
 let me have a look  .  how did this happen  ?  
 i got hit by a car in an accident  .  
 was there much bleeding afterward  ?  
 no  not much  .  
 well  this does n't look too serious  .  nurse  could you please get me a suture set  ?  
 will i need stitches  ?  
 yes  .  three  i think  .  it wont be too painful  .  alright  we 're done  .  that was n't so bad  was it  ?  
 no  not really  .  
 you 're lucky there was no lasting damage  .  i 'll set up an appointment for you to come back in five days  .  we 'll take those stitches out then  .  so long  .  
 thank you  doctor  .  bye  .  
 i feel cold  and i 'm shivering  .  i have a terrible headache and a sore throat  .  
 how long have you been like that  ?  
 about a day  .  
 let me have a look at your throat first  .  please open your mouth and say  ah   .  
 ah  .  .  .  
 and show me your tongue  .  .  .  thank you  .  that 'll do  .  you have slight tonsillitis  and your throat is inflamed  .  how is your appetite  ?  
 not so good  .  
 now  let me take your temperature  .  please put this thermometer under your armpit and let me feel your pulse  ?  
 your pulse is weak  .  
 do i have a temperature  doctor  ?  
 yes  you have a high fever  .  i 'd like to give you a blood test  .  
 dear friends  .  here  i wish to say a word of thanks for holding this sendoff party for me  .  actually i did n't expect at all for this  .  i owe a lot to all of you here  .  it 's been 5 days since i came to visit here  .  time really flies  .  i feel grateful for your welcome and help in the five days  .  i will miss you while i am leaving  .  let 's keep in touch in any way  .  what 's more  to the success of our facetoface meeting  to the upcoming cooperation of our two companies  bottom up  !  
 cheers  !  and we are honored to have such an honored guest today  .  mr  .  james  i hope we will meet somewhere in the near future  .  
 madam  we also welcome you to visit our company  .  i hope you can also bring your family there to have a look of our company  .  in this way  we will know each other better  .  
 definitely  !  thank you  !  
 yes  they notify me to work next week  .  
 where on earth will you work in  ?  
 it is a pretty big mechanical company  .  i am assigned to work in the assembly shop  .  
 how long will you work a day  ?  
 my working hours aren  t fixed  sometimes i do the day shift  sometimes the night shift  .  in all  about 8 hours  .  
 that  s rather hard  .  
 but it matches my major  .  
 how will you get your pay  ?  
 my wage depends on production results  .  
 what sort of welfare facilities does your company provide  ?  
 the company provides labor insurance for all employees  as well as fine retirement policy  .  
 is there a union  ?  
 there is the company union  but it really shares the same aims as the management  .  
 so you must consider dearly before you go to work  .  
 i will  .  
 how many workers are there on the lines  ?  
 about 200  .  they can assemble at least 3000 computers every day  .  
 oh  it 's highly efficient  .  
 yes  since i came to this company  i was told that high efficiency is essential for the further development  .  
 how do you control the quality of the products  ?  
 well  all products have to go through five checks in the whole process  .  we believe that the quality is the soul of an enterprise  .  there fore  we always put quality as the first consideration  .  
 yes  quality is even more than the quantity  .  
 mr  .  chandler  this way please  .  i will show you a fiveminute multivision about the history of our company  .  
 yes  i 'd like to make a reservation for eight tonight  .  
 what time would you like your table  ?  
 at 730 pm  .  and i would like to sit in the nonsmoking area  .  
 would you like to sit in the hall or in the private room  ?  
 the private room  please  .  
 wait for a moment  please  .  let me check whether the private room is available or not  .  no problem  .  
 it will be for business dinner  .  reserve it under the name of nova  the manager of fashion clothes company  .  
 ok  .  a reservation for eight at7  30  room 208  .  please do n't be more than half hour late  or we will have to give it to other guests  .  
 good morning  mr  .  yang  .  thank you very much  .  can i work now  ?  
 oh  .  take it easy  .  as i  ve said in the interview  once you are employed  we  ll give you a probation period of three months  .  and now we need to sign a draft agreement for the probation period  .  
 i am sorry  i am just too excited and forget it  .  can i look it through  ?  
 of course  here you are  .  and you can ask me any question  .  
 well  i am sorry that i have a question  .  there is no remuneration item in this agreement  .  can you tell me something about it  ?  
 well  according to the principle of our company  employees like you have no remuneration during the probation period  .  
 but you didn  t tell me in the interview  .  
 i am sorry  it  s not decided by me but by the company  .  
 okay  i can  t decide whether sign or not now  .  can you give me some time to think it over  ?  
 okay  .  can you give me a reply tomorrow  ?  
 yes  .  thank you very much  .  mr  .  yang  .  
 thank you very much  mr  .  smith  .  i am very happy that i  ll be a member of your team  .  may i see the agreement first  ?  
 of course  .  if you have any questions  just bring them out  .  
 ok  thank you  .  well  i find that the salary level in this agreement is not like what you have said in the interview  .  can you give me some explanations  ?  
 well  it  s like this  during your first year  you will enjoy this salary level  a year later  we  ll increase your salary by 20   .  
 can we add up this item to the agreement  ?  
 yes  maybe the personnel department made some mistakes in making the agreement  .  do you have any other questions  ?  
 no  thank you  .  shall we sign the agreement now  ?  
 yes  welcome to our company  .  i hope we can cooperate happily  .  
 thank you  .  i 'll work hard  .  
 yes  sir  .  shall i explain the details of the plan now  ?  
 you go  !  
 according to your schedule  you will visit the times company  including its office building  workshops and stores  in the morning from 8 30 to 11 
 is there anything after the meeting  ?  in that case  would you add one plan  ?  i want to visit our guest mr  .  ross after the meeting  .  can you arrange it for me  ?  
 my present pay is rib 3  000 yuan each month  .  
 what 's your expected salary  ?  
 what is important to me is the job and the people who i will be working with  so regarding salary  i leave it to you and i am sure that you will make me a fair offer  .  
 i can offer you 5  000 yuan per month  .  raises are given after three months probation period according to your performance  .  is this satisfactory  ?  
 yes  it is quite satisfactory  .  i accept it  .  
 any question about the work  ?  
 to whom should i report  ?  
 the general manager of your section  .  
 what are the benefits  ?  
 we 'll offer that on holidays  .  
 i would like to know if there would be any opportunity to work abroad in the future  ?  
 yes  we have inspection abroad  .  
 thank you  .  then i think it 's time for us to sign a letter of intent  .  
 okay  .  
 is there anything special they would like to do  ?  
 they would like to visit our factory and have a look at the new type computer products  .  besides  they will introduce their technique in computer manufacturing  .  
 that can easily be arranged  .  i will arrange a comfortable meeting room for them  .  anything else  ?  
 they would also like to have a meeting with our designers  .  and this time  their visit to our company will lay the basement for our cooperation  so you need to pay more attention  .  
 i will set it up  .  
 they will stay for two days  .  try to work out an efficient schedule  .  
 which terms  ?  
 first  about the terms of payment  .  your draft contract says that payment is to be made by d  a  .  this is not our practice  .  we prefer to have the payment made by l  c through a negotiating bank in america  .  
 good  .  i will add this to the contract  .  
 the second thing i would like to point out  that is packaging  .  it 's stipulated in the contract that all the computer parts should be packed in cardboard boxes  .  but i think the wooden cases are much safer  .  
 well  you are right  .  is there anything else  ?  
 as far as the contract stipulations are concerned  there is nothing more  .  thank you very much  .  
 well  we have agreed on all the major points  .  
 can i ask what the position pays  ?  
 well  of course depends somewhat on experience  background and that sort of thing  .  what are your currently earning  ?  
 my current salary is in the range of fifty thousand yuan  .  
 i see  .  including bonus  ?  
 yes  but not including overtime pay  .  i 'm looking for a salary slightly higher than my present one  with opportunities for raises if i work well  .  
 what starting salary would you expect here  ?  
 i have to support my parents who are advanced in age  so i 'd like to commence at had 2500 a month  .  
 i see  .  
 i 'm glad to meet you  sue  .  please have a seat  .  
 thank you  sir  .  
 we 've looked over your letter and resume and i 'm very satisfied with them  .  today i want to invite you talk about insurance you 're interested in  .  
 thank you  .  i wonder whether i can enjoy the life insurance and health insurance  .  
 of course  .  a twoweek paid vacation a year  a fiveday workweek  .  
 good  .  anything else  ?  
 yes  .  all the insurance will be linked with your work  .  we will issue an insurance policy  .  
 thank you  sir  .  
 no  nothing in particular  .  
 all right  .  if we decide to hire you  we 'd pay you two thousand and five hundred yuan a month at the start  .  you can have saturdays and sundays off  .  besides  you may have a paid month holiday every year  .  how do you think about it  ?  
 as regards salary  i leave it to you to decide after experience of capacity  .  
 well  we 'll give you our decision in a couple of days  .  it 's a pleasure to talk to you  mr  .  liu  .  
 thank you  mr  .  white  .  i really appreciate your assistance  .  
 yes  .  my house is far away from here  .  may i ask for an apartment  ?  
 no problem  .  we can offer you a flat with two bedrooms and a living room  .  
 that  s great  .  if you don  t mind my asking  does your company give bonuses  ?  
 you  ll get bonuses at the end of each year according to your achievements  .  besides  we offer you 1  commission on all your sales  .  
 oh  just one more thing  could you give me some idea about holidays  ?  
 you can have saturdays and sundays off  .  in addition  you may have a paid month vacation every year  .  but when it is necessary  we do expect you to work overtime  .  does it suit you  ?  
 no problem  .  
 if you are satisfied with the conditions here  please sign this contract and give it to me  .  
 ok  .  
 yes  you are supposed to meet the president at ten fifteen this morning  .  then  you have a lunch appointment with mr  .  clark  .  and this afternoon at three you are scheduled to speak before a group of seminar participants  .  
 do you have the meeting report ready  ?  
 certainly  .  
 how big  alice  ?  last time you said that  i ended up working overtime 4 nights  .  
 well  i 've got a huge load of typing and mr  .  brown has insisted i get it done by tomorrow afternoon  .  could you help me to type half of it  ?  
 all right  alice  .  but this is the last time  .  i also have a lot of work to do  .  
 thank you  kenvir  .  you 're so kind  .  
 yes  .  i once worked in a small company for one year  .  
 then why did you leave  ?  
 my reason for leaving is that i wish to get into the advertising business  .  
 what have you learnt from this short experience  ?  
 i 've learnt a lot about business knowhow  .  i got to know what kind of knowledge was needed in my future work  .  
 i 'm in a bit of a hurry  miss liu  .  can you wait for a minute  ?  
 i would really appreciate it if we could talk for a few minutes now  .  it 's about the overtime you 've asked me to put in  .  
 all right  .  what 's the problem  ?  
 i really ca n't work overtime  .  because my husband has been ill recently  i must take care of him  .  
 i 'm sorry to hear that  .  take good care of your husband  .  i 'll find another one to replace you  .  
 we work in teams  .  there are about four to six people in each team  .  i 'm training to be a team leader  .  each team member is responsible for the quality of the goods we produce  .  we are multiskilled so we can rotate jobs  .  i like that  .  it stops the work getting boring  .  
 there 's no power  .  
 have you checked the fuse box  ?  
 yes  the fuse had blown and i 've changed it but now the motor keeps cutting out  .  
 there might be a loose connection somewhere that 's making the safety switch trip  .  check the settings on the tripswitch  .  if you ca n't fix it yourself  call in an electrician  .  
 the toner has run out and there 's none in the stationery cupboard  .  
 i need to make six copies of this report for the board meeting tomorrow  .  ring office supplies and ask if they have any in stock  .  if they ca n't deliver this afternoon  i 'll go and collect it  .  
 i think the gears have seized up 
 you 'll have to dismantle the unit and lubricate the bearings  .  do it as quickly as you can but make sure you top up the oil before you start the motor up again  .  
 to start with i would like something part time with the hope that it can develop into something full time  .  
 so you are interested in being with a company for the long term  ?  
 yes  that 's right  .  i like this city very much and would like to make my home here  .  
 here is an application  .  please fill it out to the best of your ability  .  did you bring a resume and references  ?  
 yes  i did  .  i have them here  .  
 keep them until you ready to give me the application and you can turn them all in at once  .  
 thank you very much  .  this should only take me a few minutes  .  
 i knew everything would work out for you  !  
 i got to meet the night anger today too  .  we got along right from the start  .  
 wonderful  !  do you already have your work schedule  ?  
 not yet  i pick it up tomorrow  .  
 do you know what you will be doing yet  ?  
 yes  i 'll be managing the guys on the dock  .  
 you 're so good with people  .  i think they will like you  !  
 you do n't need to introduce yourself  yang  .  you 're famous  .  
 well  thank you very much but i thought l 'd try and chair the meeting by the rule  at least for a while  .  
 ok  ok  !  
 now  i 'd like to get things under way  .  the main topic on today 's agenda is the development of a u  .  s  .  sales strategy for the new ebb  .  i 'd like to hear all of your ideas  mr  .  wall  you seem in top form today  .  could you start the ball rolling  ?  
 uh  oh  sure  .  well  i think we should keep in mind that the key to good sales is advertising  .  
 well  that 's kind of obvious  .  
 give me a break  mr yang  .  
 uh  let 's keep this going  shall we  ?  
 thank you  .  i 'm from america  .  here is my business card  .  
 glad to meet you  mr  .  smith  .  my name is wang and here is my name card  .  i 'll be glad to do what i can for you  .  
 great  !  this is my first visit to the fair  .  everything is new to me  .  would you please give me some information  ?  
 glad to  .  the fair is a big gathering taking place twice a year  thousands of businessmen from more than a hundred and fifty countries and regions are here to trade with china  .  
 what about your company  ?  
 ours is a company special in exporting leather products  .  and what about yours  ?  
 my firm has high standing in my country  .  my bank is the city bank  new york  .  you may refer to it for my status  .  
 yes  i was wondering if you had the time to show me around this exhibition  ?  
 i 'd be glad to  sir  .  but may i ask what line of business you are in  ?  
 i 'm in the electrical appliances  .  
 i see  .  would you be interested in seeing the audiovisual products  ?  they are made by our company  .  
 thanks  they are rather attractive  .  but i think there is nothing better than seeing things in actual operation  .  
 yes  of course  .  would you like to make an inspection tour of some factories  ?  
 yes  very much  if it would n't add inconvenience to you  .  first hand information is always more valuable than reading pamphlets  .  
 i 'll make the arrangement and let you know the time tomorrow  .  
 that would be great  .  
 that 's fine  .  we can supply all kinds of precision machine tools  .  our products are much admired in the world market and enjoy a wide acceptance in modern industry  .  
 can i have a look at your catalogue and the corresponding technical data  ?  
 why  of course  .  here are some that will show you our latest development  .  you may select which ever you need  .  
 i think our users have the impression that your prices are always much too high  compared with those of other supplies  .  
 excuse me  .  it 's true that our products do cost slightly more than the other makers  but it 's only due to our technological superiority  .  
 your products may have certain advantages  but your prices are too stiff  .  
 if you give us your inquiry  i shall go very carefully into the price and try my best to put you on the best of the terms  .  
 ok  i 'll come back to discuss it to some details after our users have studied your catalogues and price list  .  
 yes  surely  .  we hope to do some substantial business with you  .  
 do n't take it too hard  .  there are some tips you should know in jobhunting of 2010  .  
 well  i am all ears  .  maybe they are helpful  .  
 firstly  you must always show your best to the interviewer  .  and secondly  try to avoid spamming through emails  because this will make the reader go crazy  .  the last but not the least  there is no substitute for pounding the pavement in such a digital age  .  
 i understand what you mean  and i will not upset myself  .  face it  .  
 good luck to us  .  
 we 're going to pay by check  .  
 will you please have the check certified  ?  
 if you think it is necessary  .  
 it 's just our policy  .  we would accept a certified check or a direct bank remittance  .  
 ok  no problem  .  
 as you know  we are in a very special time  .  this is a very hard time for many countries economics  both developed and developing  .  i think the current economic situation could be described as synchronized slowdown of major economies  .  
 what is the direct impact of the terrorist attack upon your country 's economy  ?  
 once the us economy is in trouble due to the terrorist attack  the impact could be quickly felt in the rest of the world  .  
 what challenges is your country 's economy facing at the moment  ?  
 we do face a lot of challenges because there is still much uncertainty about the world economy  .  it 's very important for us to strike a proper balance between investment in fixed assets and household consumption  .  
 well  he looked sharp and he came across as a very confident guy  .  
 okay  what about the first woman  ?  
 she looked a little rough around the edges but had great skills  .  
 all right  and what about the older gentle  ?  
 he was very distinguished  maybe a bit overqualified  .  
 ohhhh  .  i hate this part of my job  .  
 why do n't you go over the resumes again  ?  they might help you decide who to hire  .  
 send it by the fastest way  .  
 are you going to ship this by air  ?  that might cost a little more  .  
 how much  ?  
 i 'll check the costs and call you back  .  
 ok  .  
 okay  .  what time is the meeting tomorrow  ?  
 1030  .  i 'll pick you up at the hotel at 1000  .   1030  .  
 sounds good  .  i want to go get some coffee  .  
 i 'm sorry  mrs  .  lin  .  we do n't allow smoking in the office  .  
 most people think that wealth means success  .  but from my point of view  the problem should be viewed from two aspects  .  on the one hand  wealth is a very important thing to measure success  .  the ability to make money  to some extent  signifies your knowledge  your capability  the value of your labor  etc  .  .  with the development of our economy and industry  more and more people are pursuing money these days  .  and in toda  s society  if you have money  you seem to have everything  .  but this is not the case  .  i think success  on the other hand  also means satisfaction from work  .  it also means that you can get respect from others  .  
 what  s your ideal job  ?  
 ideally  i  d like to have a job that will allow me to work from home several days a week  .  i  m the kind of person who can set priorities  work well independently  and set my own pace  .  i actually successfully worked from home for several months in my current job when a problematic pregnancy forced me to stay in bed  .  but i realize that many employers do not have experience with employees who work from home  and i have  of course  performed very successfully in a traditional office setting  .  
 how would you describe your relationship with your last two supervisors  ?  
 very good  .  basically  once our sales plan was put together  i had a great deal of freedom to handle my sales in the way i felt best  .  
 how would your present boss describe you  ?  
 he always says i am a hard worker with consciousness of responsibility  sufficient education  and enough experience  .  
 what would your colleagues say about you  ?  
 they would say i am a dependable friend and a capable colleague  .  
 i have had an incredible boss  who was my direct supervisor during the last year of my coop work experience  .  about two months after i began working for her  she really let me spread my wings  .  she encouraged me to work independently  because she said she had come to trust my judgment and commitment  .  so i was able to move forward on projects without having to check in with her every day  .  of course  i made certain that she knew what i had accomplished on a daily and weekly basis because i gave her summary reports  although she did n't specifically ask me to  .  without her support and encouragement  i do n't think i would have felt confident enough to have written up a proposal suggesting that the department change a process that had been in place for a long time  .  but she was open to suggestions  so long as employees could back them up with research and facts  .  when i submitted my suggestion  she reviewed it and told me where she thought it needed more work  .  she then took my revised proposal to her boss  .  he was a more conservative type  but she lobbied him to try it for several weeks  .  he did  and it was so successful that it was instituted as a permanent change  .  i 've also worked for some very difficult bosses in summer and parttime jobs  .  and while i 'd certainly prefer to work for one like i 've just described  i 'm the kind of person who can get along with just about anyone  .  
 well  as i mentioned before  i think i am easygoing  .  i enjoy working and talking with people and i 'm a responsible person  .  
 did you have any difficulty getting along with fellow students or teachers  ?  
 no  .  not at all  .  i 'm quite easygoing  .  
 what 's your strong points  ?  
 oh  i 'm very responsible  i can make fast decisions  and i do not need much supervision  .  i enjoy completing challenging tasks  .  
 what do you dislike most about your job  ?  
 probably routine  dull work  .  oh  i am much more enthusiastic if i 'm given a challenge and responsibility  .  
 what kind of relationship do you think should exist between a supervisor and employee  ?  
 a friendly one  .  i think an open  friendly  honest relationship should exist  .  an employee should feel she  he  can go to her  his  boss anytime with any kind of question  .  
 sometimes working with a foreign company can be stressful  .  foreigners tend to get excited or angry easily  and they show it  .  are you sure you can handle this stress  ?  how do you deal with conflict in your present job  ?  
 well  there 's a lot of stress in a chinese company also  although much of it is below the surface  .  i have confidence in my ability to handle conflict  .  if i have a problem with a coworker  i do everything i can to work it out directly with that person  .  if i am unable to work it out  then i ask a supervisor to help out  .  if my boss shouts at me  i try not to take it personally  .  i try my best to understand the stress he is under  .  it 's kind of like being in a family  .  often family members say things in the heat of the moment  but do n't mean what they say  .  a company is like a family  it has good times and bad times  .  
 how do you feel about overtime work  ?  
 that 's no problem  .  i know that every company has busy periods  .  when this happens  i 'm ready to put in as much time as necessary to get the job done  .  
 what is most important to you in a job  ?  
 i want to feel that i am making a real contribution to the company  so i would like my boss to trust me with important work  .  
 do you think that you are introverted or extroverted  ?  
 i 'm quite outspoken  .  i enjoy calling a spade a spade and hate talking in a roundabout way  .  so i 'd call myself outgoing  .  
 under what kind of circumstance will you lose your temper  ?  
 seldom  .  but i hate someone 's frequently being late or lazy  .  
 ok  .  what are your strong points  ?  
 hmm  .  as i mentioned  i can work well under pressure and i enjoy work that challenges me  .  i think that my english ability is also a strong point  .  
 and your weaknesses  ?  
 i think i sometimes try to be overorganized  .  so i am learning how to let some things go and concentrate on the most important part of my job  .  
 oh  it is my cell phone ringing  .  i set it in the vibration mode  .  
 it is a good habit to set your cell phone to vibrate  .  it is very annoying to hear the loud and sudden ring tone in quiet offices  .  
 you are right  .  some ring tone is just terribly loud  .  you can hear it even in the next door  .  it is really a kind of distraction  .  
 maybe we can write a report to the boss to see what can be done  .  
 good idea  .  
 of course you can  .  i am sure this one works very well  .  i just sent dozens of pages  .  how many pages are you sending  ?  are you familiar with my fax machine  ?  
 yes  i think you have the same model as i have  .  does your fax machine print out immediately a transmission protocol  ?  
 yes  it will print immediately  .  
 it seems not or somebody has recently received a large fax  .  
 ok  no problem  .  we do it ourselves  .  
 do you know how to do it  ?  i am not so good at machine things  .  i will have somebody do it as soon as possible  .  
 check with somebody from the it department  .  they are anyway in charge of the office electronic equipment  .  
 we have thought of you carefully with discretion  but the other candidate has more experiences  .  
 experience is important  but do n't you think capability is more valuable than that  ?  
 yes  i think so  .  but how do you prove to me that you are more capable  ?  
 maybe you can hire me on trial  .  if i 'm not qualified for the job  you can let me go  .  
 good idea  .  
 let me check  .  it has a paper jam  .  
 i didn  t pay attention to that  .  i will try to get the paper out  .  
 be careful  the cartridge can be very hot  .  
 although i am a little shocked  i can deal with it pretty well  .  i did n't perform as well as i should have in the interview  .  
 maybe  .  but you should not withdraw forever just because you failed once  .  
 ok  thank you  i 'll try if there were other chances  .  
 it is tough to accept it  i mean  .  but can you tell me why  ?  
 it is hard to tell  .  maybe it is because you 're not resourceful enough to be a manager  .  
 i get it  and thank you for your honesty  .  
 i really appreciate your offer  but i have to decline it  because i have already taken another job which i prefer to work in  .  
 you are welcome  please call me if you change your mind  .  
 i will  .  thank you  .  
 yes  speaking  .  
 i 'd like to tell you that you could come to work with us  .  
 oh  i 'm sorry  but i 've just accepted another offer that i feel is more suitable to my needs  .  
 i see  .  
 so you have to open all the envelopes  .  
 yes  except the personal mail  .  and i also need to prepare the materials for posting and check the email box regularly  .  
 do you need to file copies of the letters before sending them  ?  
 yes  and i check all the emails for mr  .  thomas  .  
 how nice of him  .  i 'll be delighted to go  .  but what time would be convenient  ?  
 if you could be ready by  say 630 o 'clock  i 'll be at the hotel to pick you up  .  
 that 's great  .  it 's most thoughtful of you to do this  miss rose  .  
 it 's my pleasure  .  well  then  .  i 'll say goodbye  .  
 goodbye and see you tonight  .  miss rose  .  
 yes  what 's wrong  ?  
 what 's the date today  ?  
 today is september 28th  2007  .  
 i have a meeting this afternoon  .  
 when will it begin  ?  
 it will begin at three o 'cock  .  what 's the time now  ?  
 it is half past one  .  
 i have to go now  .  i do n't want to be late  .  
 do n't worry  time is enough  .  
 that 's true  .  i got the news yesterday  .  
 you did a good job for the company  .  you deserve it  .  
 you 're flattering me  .  
 so  .  this is your first day in the new position  .  how do you feel  ?  
 not bad  .  i 'm confident  .  and i like challenges  .  
 i believe you are cut out for this position  .  you 're an outstanding individual  .  
 thank you  .  
 good morning  .  what time is it now  ?  
 it 's just nine o 'clock  .  
 i 'm on time today 
 yes  you 're on time  .  are you often late  ?  
 yes  quite often  .  
 you must leave home earlier today  .  
 no  i left home at 630 as usual  .  
 why are you so early today  ?  
 because the traffic is not crowded  .  
 how should i get their contact info  .  
 get the clients contact info from my rolodex  .  
 where should i put them up  ?  
 how about the holiday inn  ?  
 the clients like the shangrila hotel more  .  
 well  the client is always right  .  
 what else would i prepare  sir  ?  
 please print out the meeting agenda for me to look over  .  
 certainly  .  
 and make sure to return my rolodex to my desk when you are done with it  .  
 of course  .  i 'm on it 
 well  as per capital income goes up and up  the growth sector seems to be in the highend  .  
 retail is going upscale here  ?  china is certainly growing more quickly than i had imagined  .  
 yes  .  things certainly have changed since i was a boy  .  we 've developed very quickly  .  
 do you think the trend will continue  ?  
 i do n't see why not  .  we do have some problems  but we are still willing to work hard and wages are n't too high at this point  .  
 everything i 've seen so far is very impressive  very impressive indeed  .  
 yes  mr  .  miller  .  we 'll use the conference room on the third floor for the meeting  .  
 that 's right  .  the meeting is very important  .  where shall the guests be received before the meeting begins  ?  
 in the dining room  .  it 's spacious there  .  
 we 'll have several foreign guests to attend the meeting  .  
 i 've arranged for an interpreter to be present  .  but it is said these foreigners could speak english  .  
 really  ?  i 'll also try to speak slowly  .  how would you arrange the guests seats  jane  ?  
 we 've prepared name cards to be put on the conference table for guests to sit by  .  what time would you like refreshments served  mr  .  miller  ?  
 well  after my report  there will be an interval for rest and refreshments  .  
 all right  i see  .  
 like wise  .  take a seat  please  .  how about a cup of tea  ?  
 sure  .  thank you  .  it seems your business is prosperous  .  there are many customers here  .  
 yes  it 's not too bad  .  our sales are going up year after year  .  and we still have a large potential production capacity  .  
 well  what do you think of choosing a commission representative or agent abroad to promote your sales  ?  
 that 's a good idea  .  so far  we have several agents abroad  .  
 we are willing to be your agent in thailand for handheld tools  .  what do you think  ?  
 that sounds good  .  
 then  what 's your usual commission rate for your agents  ?  
 usually  we give a commission of 4  to our agents  .  
 4  is too low  i think  .  you see  we have a lot of work to do in sales promotion  such as advertising on radio or tv  printing booklets  leaflets  catalogues and so on  .  it all costs money  4  is not enough  .  
 do n't worry  .  we 'll allow you a higher commission rate if your sales score a substantial increase  .  
 you mean to saya 
 it sounds ok  .  then how do you pay the commission  ?  
 we may deduct the commission from the invoice value directly or remit it to you after payment  .  
 all right  .  if it 's okay  we would like to sign an agency agreement with you immediately  .  
 think it over  .  we hope to keep a good business relationship with you  .  
 thank you for your help  .  
 oh  no  surely  .  your ideas were very interesting as well  .  
 to show our appreciation for your hard work  we 'd like to invite you to have dinner with us  .  
 oh  that would be lovely  .  thank you  .  
 excellent  .  have you had french food before  ?  
 oh  yes  .  marvelous  !  
 yes  i think so  .  
 before we draft the contract  let 's examine the details  .  
 ok  under this contract  we  ll supply you with 600 dozen tshirts  s  m and l equally assorted  at usd 100 per dozen  cfr london  .  shipment in july  .  payment by irrevocable sight lc  .  
 perfect  .  but what i  m concerned about most is the time of delivery  
 you may rest assured that shipment will be effected within the time limits stipulated in the contract  .  but there is also one point i  d like to stress  .  
 yes  ?  
 your lc must be opened at least onemonth before the time shipment  otherwise we wo n't be able to catch the ship  .  
 no problem  .  i  ll have the covering lc opened as soon as i wetback  .  in addition  would you tell me by whom the commodity inspection is conducted before shipment  ?  
 the goods will be inspected by the china import  export commodity inspection bureau  .  it will then issue certificate of quality and a certificate of weight  .  these will be taken as final and biding  .  
 please remember to use both english and chinese versions and both versions should be equally valid  .  
 naturally  .  each of us keeps one original and two copies  .  
 then i  ll come along three days later to put my signature on it  .  
 good  .  
 let me see  .  laptop  flash disk  a ballpoint pen  a pencil  a notebook  a pair of glasses  cell phone  charger  moisture lotion   .  .  .  oh  that is too much  .  you are not going to a business trip  .  
 i guess i need all of them  .  
 actually  the company will provide you with all of these supplies  .  so  you can leave this very thick notebook at home  .  
 i know  .  but it is my lucky charm  .  i carry it all the time  .  
 suit yourself  .  don  t forget to set the alarm clock  .  
 yes  i am an outgoing person who likes to be with a lot of friends  .  
 what is your strategy in communicating with colleagues  ?  
 well  the most important thing in communication is your sincerity  .  
 no problem  .  what floor  ?  
 i 'm headed to the 18th floor  the top floor  .  
 oh  so am i  .  
 do you work there  ?  i have an interview today with dale mendoza  .  do you know her  ?  
 yeah  i know her pretty well  .  
 to tell you the truth  i 'm really nervous  .  i had a dream last night that i was being interviewed by a threeheaded monster that kept trying to bite my head off  .  oh  wow  my palms are sweaty just thinking about it  .  i just hope ms  .  mendoza wo n't be able to hear my teeth chattering  .  i just hope i get through this in one piece  .  
 thank you very much for your evaluation  .  i also like this job very much  .  
 i want to know your earliest available entry time  .  
 oh  let me think  .  .  .  maybe two months later  .  
 it 's too late  .  if you could get the job  could you start a little earlier  ?  
 i 'm sorry i ca n't  because i have n't finished my thesis  .  
 what a pity  !  
 when do you usually require the new employee to start  ?  
 within two weeks  because the new employees need to receive induction training  .  
 i will make an arrangement for it  .  
 i hope you can come to our company to work  .  
 i will give you an exact reply as soon as possible  .  
 ok  i will keep this position for you for one week  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 hello  dana  this is kevin abrahams from eureka corp  .  i do n't know if you 'll remember me but we met last week at the chamber of commerce luncheon  .  
 oh  yes  .  hi  how are you  ?  
 great  .  do you have a few minutes right now for me to tell you a little bit more about the data management tools our company has to offer  ?  it wo n't take long  .  
 actually  i 'm really swamped right now and i 'll be going into a meeting in a few minutes  .  is there any literature you can send me  ?  
 oh  sure  i understand  .  i 'd be happy to send you a promotional packet about the programs that i think might best suit a company of your size  .  would it be okay if i called again to see if you have any questions  ?  
 let 's do this  .  since i 'm not sure when i 'll get a chance to read the material  why do n't i give you a call if i have any questions  .  now  i 'm really sorry  but i have to get going to this meeting  .  
 no problem at all  .  i wo n't keep you any longer  .  i 'll put a package to you in the mail and we 'll go from there  .  
 sounds good  .  
 thanks for your time  .  
 no problem  .  bye  bye  .  
 yes  .  i have friends even though i am a man of few words  .  just like the old saying goes   actions speak louder than words   .  i am a hardworking silent person  .  
 what you said was right  but we need to work as a team  how could you make adjustment to that  ?  
 teamwork is ok to me  and i hope the team will be complementary in personality  .  
 ok  i got it  .  
 i am accomplished in english and computer  .  besides  i 've got a teacher 's certificate  .  
 do you want to be an instructor in the future  ?  
 yes  .  i regard instructor as a decent occupation and i love to be an instructor  .  
 yes  speaking  .  anything i can do for you  ?  
 i am calling to tell you that the interview for you is in our company on monday morning at 8 00  .  
 where is the interview happening  ?  
 it is on the jianshe street where there is a carrefour supermarket near it  .  
 yes  .  what can i do for you  ?  
 i am glad to inform you that you are expected to come for an interview in our head office tomorrow  .  
 could you please tell me the address  ?  
 yes  sure  .  it is no  .  50 in the fifth avenue where there is a fairground and a museum  .  
 i  m afraid he 's not in  .  
 will you ask him to call me collect when he  s back  ?  
 certainly  .  may i ask who  s calling  please  ?  
 yes  this is cindy wang of a  b trading company in new york  .  
 thank you for hiring me  .  i 'm very proud to be employed by your firm  .  
 you are expected to report for onjob training on the 15th of may  .  will you be there  ?  
 yes  i will  .  i hope i 'll enjoy working with you  .  
 sorry  we have n't made the decision at all  .  
 do you have any idea when you might arrive at a decision  ?  
 we will let you know probably next monday  .  i hope to give you a positive reply  .  
 i 'm willing to wait until you have come to a decision  .  
 as i said  i am diligent and industrious  .  on the other hand  i am too hardworking and i put myself under much pressure to make things perfect  .  
 what is your problem in working  ?  
 i am too introverted to let others become my friends  .  
 what 's the matter  ?  please tell me  .  maybe i can help you  .  
 tom wants me to write a recommendation letter for him  but i do n't know how to write it  .  
 do n't worry  .  i know about this  .  
 really  ?  tell me without delay  .  
 first you should have a salutation  which can be the company 's or a person's name  .  
 well  i see  .  
 then you can write about his performance in college  including his academic achievements and his competence  .  
 it 's easy to write those  .  
 you can also state his personality traits  hobbies and relationships with schoolmates and so on  .  
 tom got along well with classmates  .  he is really a good boy  .  
 you can write all his strengths in the recommendation letter  .  
 what should i write except these  ?  
 you should also state that you are his class president  so you are qualified to write this recommendation letter 
 ok  i will remember  .  
 i am a little bit shy and i blush every time i speak in public  .  i think i should open myself more and be more outward with people  .  
 anything else  ?  
 i am selfindulgent sometimes  .  
 well  i love it  .  the room is spacious and clean with big windows and a lot of sunshine  .  there are plants along the corridor  .  especially  i got my own desk with computer and telephone  .  such a great place  !  
 that  s very good  .  i once turn down a job offer just because the office is awful  .  
 what was so bad about it  ?  
 small rooms  small window  a small desk shared by three people  .  i would have been interrupted all the time and for sure not be able to deliver good work  .  
 sounds bad  !  lucky you  !  you didn  t take that job  .  i think a good office environment is also important to work efficiently  .  
 totally agree  .  by the way  the number of the telephone on your desk is extension 506  .  you can pick up your office supplies from the supply room at the end of the corridor  .  
 good morning  this is jane  .  this is apple co  .  ltd  .  
 hello  jane  !  is that the human resource department  ?  
 yes  this is  .  may i help you  ?  
 i had an interview with your company two weeks ago  .  i am calling to ask about the interview result  .  i hope you can give me a positive reply  .  
 oh  the results have come out  and i can tell you  .  .  .  yes  i find your name  .  you are hired  .  congratulations  !  
 thank you  !  i am glad to hear that  .  when would it be convenient for me to start working  ?  
 next monday morning  .  
 what is the starting salary for me  ?  
 your starting salary is 2500 yuan a month  and after you become a permanent employee  it will be higher  .  
 i appreciate the offer  .  i will come on time next monday  .  see you then  !  
 see you  !  
 i 'm glad to see you  !  
 sit down  please  .  maybe you have read the contract  but i want to give you the details again before you sign the contract  .  you must have a threemonth internship  .  
 yes  i know  .  
 when you become a permanent employee  you will have the insurances  .  you will get monthly pay and will be on eighthour  day work shift  .  
 wait  will i have five insurances and one fund  ?  
 yes  .  you can also enjoy legal holidays and yearend bonus  .  
 it sounds great  !  
 if you need to work overtime  you will get twice the usual salary as overtime pay  .  
 ok  .  
 you have read the relevant terms of the contract  .  do you have other questions  ?  
 how long will the induction training be  ?  
 about two weeks  .  
 i see  .  
 if you do n't have other questions  just sign here  .  
 ok  .  
 it is just too much  .  don  t you feel it is an exaggerating style to decorate offices in that way  ?  
 not at all  !  i like the design so much  .  the designer must have thought really hard to come out with such a brilliant concept  .  
 well  i doubt that  .  
 i want to do some management job since i have threeyear 's work history  .  
 what are your plans if you were hired  ?  
 i would apply my specialty and experience to my job and gradually move up to the management level in this company  .  
 this is wang ling speaking . you satisfy all the requirements  .  congratulations  !  you 're hired  .  
 i  m very proud to be employed by your firm  .  
 i think you 'd be perfect for this job  .  this company needs someone like you  .  when can you start working  ?  
 anytime  .  
 very good  .  you will normally be sent an official notification of the results of your interview by post  .  once you get the notification  you can come  .  
 thank you for hiring me  .  see you then  .  bye  .  
 see you  .  bye  .  
 my name is steven and i live in beijing  .  i was born in 1980  .  i have graduated from peking university  .  i majored in business administration  .  
 what kind of jobs have you had  ?  
 i have been a production manager  .  
 would you like to tell me something about your outstanding achievements  ?  
 i introduced an advanced product line  which increased the output and lessened the cost  .  
 what special skills do you have  can you tell me  ?  
 i have experience in computer operation  proficiency in microsoft word and microsoft excel  .  
 i know in your resume that you have worked in your present company for 3 years  .  can you tell me why you want to leave your present job and join us  ?  
 because the job i am doing in my present company is of no challenge  but i like challenge  .  your firm is a young organization with many innovative ideas  .  it has been very successful in expanding market since its establishment 10 years ago  .  working for you would be exactly the sort of challenge i am looking for  .  
 well  i think our interview is complete then  .  we will give you a call in ten days or so  .  
 thank you  mr  .  smith  .  
 sure  .  what  s up  ?  
 we 're going to the beach for the weekend  .  
 are you going fishing  ?  
 no  .  just some fun in the sun  .  we really need to get away and relax for a few days  .  
 well  do n't worry  .  i  ll take care of the business for you  .  have fun  !  
 ok  .  what sort of agent  exactly  ?  
 the agent we are looking for will help us in britain with publicity  advertising and so on  .  
 ok  .  i  ll make enquiries  .  
 yes  i must go to shanghai to attend a meeting about our plan  .  
 how long will you be away  ?  
 six days or so  .  
 who will take your place  ?  
 harry  .  he has been assisting me on the plan  .  
 good choice  .  he is competent for the position  .  
 yes  he is familiar with the plan  .  
 your company has a very good reputation  and i have been planning to visit it for a long time  .  what 's the advantage of your factory over other plastics ones  ?  
 our production speed is almost twice the industrywide average  .  and we 've already expanded the factory this year  .  
 could you tell me the cost of production per unit  ?  
 i 'm not familiar with that part  .  let me call someone in charge  .  
 yes  speaking  .  
 i need to make an appointment with you today  .  
 ok  .  what time is it  ?  
 3 o 'ctock this afternoon  .  
 i  m afraid i 'll be tied up at 3 o  clock this afternoon  .  could you make it 5 o 'clock this afternoon  ?  
 yes  .  that would be better  .  
 fine  .  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 i think you will get a big bonus  because you always have high sales  .  
 i hope so  .  i think you will get a big bonus too  .  bonus depends on your performance and you worked overtime almost every day  .  
 yes  i am expecting to get the bonus  .  i hope we will both get the salary and bonus  .  
 hope so  !  
 ok  .  the x2500 has the unique feature of providing better data flow with less input time  .  it will reduce your work load at the office  .  
 could you tell me more about it  ?  
 of course  .  one of the real pluses of this product is that it is of very high quality  and of compact size  .  no one can match us so far as quality is concerned  .  
 can you introduce its price level to me  ?  
 we have this item in three price level  .  
 we need the best possible quality  .  
 that means this one  .  
 i see  that 's what i will order  .  
 when do you have in mind  ?  
 how about thursday  ?  
 that will be fine with me  .  
 i know of a place you 'll like and you have got to be there  .  
 good  .  i 'll be there at 1230  .  
 ok  see you then  .  
 see you  .  
 good morning  ms . wilson  .  i 've got a lot to learn from you  .  i think i 'll enjoy working with you  .  
 i hope so . now let me tell you your duties here . this is your desk . please sit down  .  
 thank you  .  
 your main duty is to answer the phone calls and transfer them to the person wanted  .  
 i see . what if the person wanted is out  ?  
 in that case  you are supposed to ask the caller to leave a message  .  
 is there anything else i should do  ?  
 yes  you are responsible for keeping all files in order  .  
 all right  .  
 if you have any questions  .  i will help you  .  
 thank you  .  
 hold on a second please  .  i 'm sorry  .  he has gone out  .  
 oh . this is paul . when will he be back  ?  
 he will be back at about seven o 'clock  .  
 can i leave a message please  ?  
 yes  certainly  .  
 please tell him i 'll call him at the office tomorrow afternoon  .  
 all right  .  i 'll tell him when he comes back  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 this is mr brown speaking  .  i 'd like to speak to mr  .  thomas  please  .  
 i 'm sorry  but mr . thomas left the office a few minutes ago  .  
 that 's bad  !  i 've been trying to call him for the last ten minutes  but your line has been busy . will he be back soon  ?  
 i 'm afraid not . he s gone for the rest of the day  .  
 is there anywhere i can reach him  ?  
 i do n't believe so . he s going out of town on business . may i take a message  ?  
 i have a business appointment with him for tomorrow morning at ten o 'clock  but i 'm afraid i ca n't make it  .  
 would you care to make another appointment  ?  
 unfortunately  i 'm leaving town rather unexpectedly  and i may be gone for several days  .  
 i see  .  i can tell mr . thomas that you phoned  .  
 thank you  .  
 byebye  .  
 miss levin  .  nice to meet you  .  
 nice to meet you  too  .  
 sorry  but he 's not in  .  may i take a message for you  ?  
 this is robert jordan . would you ask him to call me back  please  ?  
 ok  i 'll tell him  .  
 yes  i 'd like to see the manager . here s my card  .  
 thank you  mr . wang . do you have an appointment  ?  
 no  i 'm afraid i do n't  .  is it possible for me to see him now  ?  
 i 'm afraid mr . li is engaged at the moment  .  would you mind waiting  ?  
 well  how long will it be  ?  
 about half an hour  .  
 that 's too bad  .  i ca n't wait that long  .  i have another appointment at ten  .  
 can the assistant manager meet you instead  ?  
 no  i have discussed the details about sales of our new equipment with the manager on the telephone yesterday  .  
 do you want to make another appointment  ?  
 yes  i suppose that 's the best thing i can do for now  .  i 'll be here on thursday morning at 10 o 'clock  .  is that all right  ?  
 yes  i 'll make a note of that and ask mr . li to confirm  .  
 well  mary types faster than jones  .  but i think jones types more carefully  .  
 is there any difference in their short hand  ?  
 jones can certainly take down letter more quickly  but mary  s short hand is the best in her class  .  
 how about languages  ?  
 both of them speak excellent french  .  but i think mary speaks german more fluently than jones does  .  
 um  .  that doesn  t really matter  .  because we have more french visitors than german  .  
 yes  i am sorry  .  i missed the bus  .  
 but there 's a bus every ten minutes  and you are over 1 hour late  .  
 well  i missed several buses  .  
 how on earth can you miss several buses  ?  
 i  ah  .  .  .   i got have late  .  
 oh  come on  gordon  it 's the afternoon now  .  why were you late really  ?  
 well  i  .  .  .  i lost my wallet  and i  .  .  .  
 have you got it now  ?  
 yes  i found it again  .  
 when  ?  
 this morning  .  i mean  .  .  .  
 i am not convinced by your explanation  .  
 this is mr brown speaking  .  i 'd like to speak to mr  .  thomas  please  .  
 i 'm sorry  but mr . thomas left the office a few minutes ago  .  
 that 's bad  !  i 've been trying to call him for the last ten minutes  but your line has been busy  .  will he be back soon  ?  
 i 'm afraid not  .  he 's gone for the rest of the day  .  
 is there anywhere i can reach him  ?  
 i do n't believe so  .  he 's going out of town on business  .  may i take a message  ?  
 i have a business appointment with him for tomorrow morning at ten o 'clock  but i 'm afraid i ca n't make it  .  
 would you care to make another appointment  ?  
 unfortunately  i 'm leaving town rather unexpectedly  and i may be gone for several days  .  
 i see  .  i can tell mr . thomas that you phoned  .  
 thank you  .  
 byebye  .  
 well  frankly speaking  i am running a little behind  .  it 's 40  done  .  
 do you have any problem during the process  ?  you should speed things up  .  
 i have little chance to communicate with colleagues when i have problems  .  they are always too busy to help a green hand like me  .  
 have you ever helped others when they are in trouble  ?  most will give a hand to someone who has helped him  .  
 i did  .  but i am so depressed because there is nobody that will help me  .  
 and you should have good cooperation with other colleagues  you know a scientific schedule brings efficiency to the work  .  
 i see your point  but i seem to be on bad terms with them  .  
 cheer up and pay more attention to your colleagues and the things will be much better  .  i am speaking from my experience  .  
 thank you so much  .  
 and you should read as much as possible to enrich the knowledge  .  
 that 's a good idea  .  i can learn many useful things from books  .  
 we 're approaching the critical point for success or failure of this project  .  you 'd better speed up and catch up with books  .  
 well  i will do it better  .  
 if you have any problem in your work  let me know  .  
 thanks very much  .  i promise i will work harder  .  
 your achievement is obvious to all  .  
 what we will do is to strengthen it  .  
 yes  this is also the competitive edge of our company  .  
 if that 's the case  .  there 's not much point in further discussion  .  we might as well call the whole deal off  .  
 what i mean is that we 'll never be able to come down to your price  .  the gap is too great  .  
 i think it unwise for either of us to be inflexible  .  how about meeting each other halfway  ?  
 what 's your proposal  ?  
 your unit price is 100 dollars higher than we want  .  well  i suggest we meet each other halfway  .  
 do you mean a further reduction of 50 dollars in our price  ?  that 's impossible  !  
 what would you suggest  ?  
 the best we can do is another 30 dollars off  .  that 's definitely the lowest we can go  .  
 that still leaves a gap of 20 dollars  .  let 's meet each other halfaway again and split the difference  i think this is a price we can both be satisfied with  .  
 ok  .  we can meet halfway again  .  
 can you tell me how many you want to buy  ?  
 100 for immediate delivery  and 500 in two months time . that s by the end of july 
 well  .  then  260 yuan each  .  
 since this is a sizeable order  i was thinking you might give us a 5  discount  .  
 i 'm afraid we ca n't go as high as that  .  you know we usually do n't give any discount  .  but considering the newly established business relationship between us  i could give you 3  off the list price  .  
 only 3   ?  that 's not much  .  if you could make some concessions  we would probably buy some of your other products  .  
 ok  .  ok  .  i do n't want to haggle with you  .  let 's say  how about 3 . 5   ?  
 i think i can accept that  .  
 you 've got a large collection of sample foodstuffs here  .  
 yes  .  we are exporting a wide range of foodstuffs to many countries  .  and the demand is getting greater and greater . by the way  which items are you interested in  ?  
 i 'm particularly interested in shortbreads  .  do you have some samples you could show me  ?  
 yes  .  this way  please  .  our shortbread is in a variety of flavors  such as almond  walnut  lotus seed  etc  .  and different packaging has different weights  .  we can make packages within a reasonable range of any size you require  .  
 the small sizes are more marketable than the large ones for us  .  i wonder if your pastry tastes better  .  
 you are welcome to have a try  .  here it is  .  ours is of prime quality  .  
 oh  it 's delicious  .  .  .  
 we mostly handle office furniture  .  we supply firstclass furniture  .  here are our catalogue and the pattern books  .  you can see the material is superior and with all the latest styles  .  can you give me some idea about what you 're looking for  ?  
 you know  we want to totally furnish our new office building  .  this is a list of what we need  .  could you give me a ballpark figure for everything on this list  ?  
 the price varies somewhat according to the size of your order  .  would you tell us the quantity you want so that we can work out an offer  ?  
 if the furniture is pleasantly designed and highquality stuff  we intend to buy several thousand sets  .  
 it 's our pleasure to do business with you  .  we 'll let you have the offer next wednesday at the latest  .  
 i hope you will make us your best offer  cif new york  .  
 oh it was really good  .  do you know  he  s the nicest boss i  ve had here  .  
 yes  i think he  s the most relaxed person in management  .  
 what  s more  he said i was the hardest working person in the office  !  
 that  s good  .  maybe you  ll get promoted  .  
 i hope so  .  then i  ll be the happiest person in our office too  !  
 yes  .  we 're satisfied with the result  .  
 i hope that we can continue our cooperation  .  
 thank you for your consideration  .  we will inform you of our intention as soon as possible  .  
 i hope you 'll see that we are really doing our utmost  .  
 we are interested in this field  .  
 please inform us of your decision as soon as possible  .  
 of course  .  we both experienced a good cooperation  .  
 we do think so  .  
 have you thought about it seriously  ?  
 yes  i have been thinking about it for quite a while  .  now i finally make up my mind to leave  .  i have given my resignation letter to our boss last friday  .  
 ok  did you find a new company  ?  
 yes  i will move on to xyz company  .  
 good for you  but your leaving will be a great loss to us  .  it is so nice to work with you  .  
 thanks  .  i had learned so much from you and our colleagues  .  
 i think meeting people  .  there are people from all over the country  all over the world  all walks of life which is the most interesting part of my job  .  
 what do you find annoying  ?  
 well  i work very long hours  ten hours a day is quite normal  .  and if something important comes up  i  m often in the office until 8 or 9 in the evening  .  
 well  i am not sure  .  lets me check my agenda 
 ok  .  
 i am free on tuesday afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm  is it convenient for you  ?  
 it is ok with me  .  so i will be arriving at your office around 2 fifteen pm  .  do you have a projector in your room  ?  i would like to show you some related charts 
 yes  there is  .  see you then  .  
 what is the problem  ?  
 i had a headache this morning  .  i didn  t pay attention to it  .  i thought probably it is because i didn  t sleep well  .  but now it is getting worse and worse  .  i feel quite dizzy now and my eyes are somehow very lightsensitive  .  maybe it is the migrated  .  
 it is ok  .  you look really pale and red eyes  .  i suggest you go home immediately and have a good rest  .  
 thank you very much  .  i am sure good rest will do indeed  .  i don  t have this too often  .  
 well  it is hard to say  .  at least you need to come up with a good reason  .  
 actually  it is my mother  s wedding  .  my parents divorced many years ago  .  now she is ready to establish a new family  .  it is a special occasion  .  i 've got to be there  right  ?  
 yes  you should be there  .  go find the manager and ask  .  i think the manager will understand and approve you a day off  .  don  t forget to fill in the leave application form  .  it will be signed by the manager for approval  .  
 thank you so much  .  
 sure it is  .  i am up to my ears as time expressed  .  
 do we still use the conference room in the same hotel as last time  ?  you remember  ?  i like that one  .  
 if we were in the same conference room  i would not work late these days  .  that conference room has been booked out  .  this time our boss wants to hold the meeting in our company  .  so everything has to be rearranged and checked  like tables  chairs  mean tacks  podium  audio and visual equipments and even the lunch menu  .  
 good preparation will improve the effectiveness of the meeting  .  i am sure that your hard work will pay off  .  
 i prefer a sedentary job and i used to work as an operator  .  
 we need an operator now  .  
 it 's just the job i 've been searching for  .  
 ha  i am flattered  .  actually  when it comes to negotiate  you don  t need to like it  .  you just need to understand how it works  .  
 i am not good at it by any means  .  give me some advice  .  
 well  generally speaking  if you want to change someone  s mind or understand his position  you have to put yourself in his shoes  .  understand his need and the cost for his need  .  and then you work together to find a solution  .  
 sounds easy  .  but how can i apply to practice  ?  i am thinking about applying for more reimbursement for my mobile bill  .  but i am afraid our boss will turn me down  .  
 ok  as john after kennedy put it  let us never negotiate out of fear  but let us never fear to negotiate  .  
 that is very encouraging news  .  i heard that the marketing department has done a three months research  they sent the feedback information to the research and development center by the end of every month  .  that is to say  the r  d center redesigned the product twice before it was launched into the market  .  
 it is not an easy job  .  how do you like the advertisement for the new product  ?  
 that is the best one i have seen  .  i am sure our target customers  young people will love it  .  
 certainly  .  
 oh  you are so efficient  .  i thought you might give it to me tomorrow  .  thanks  .  
 you  re welcome  .  you know  these days i have been reflecting on my biggest weakness procrastination  .  the more i think about it  the more i hate myself for being so disorganized  .  i decided to change the situation as soon as possible  .  otherwise i will be more regretful later  .  
 this is encouraging news  good for you  !  what is your solution  then  ?  
 the most useful method is to make plans and set priorities  .  it helps me to manage time well and get the most important things done at the first place  .  
 sounds not bad  !  better performance isn  t just about doing a lot more  .  it is about focusing on the right things to do  .  
 i have always enjoyed flying  .  and i am good with people  .  
 could you handle flying for 24 hours straight  ?  
 yes  i can adjust to anything  .  
 that 's good  .  
 i am also calm under pressure and trained in first aid  .  
 you should very qualified  .  
 thank you  .  it has always been my dream to be a stewardess  .  
 it  s my pleasure  .  
 what are your salary expectations  ?  
 would you please tell me about your pay skill first  ?  
 we  ll offer you a monthly salary to begin with  in addition  we offer one percent commission and all your sales  .  you also enjoy life insurance and health insurance  .  what  s starting salary would you expect here  ?  
 they sum my skills and experience  .  i  d like to start it with 4000 yuan a month  .  
 that sounds reasonable  .  
 do i have paid vacation  ?  
 yes  you have 2 weeks paid vacation a year  and you get it additional week after 4 years  and then again  after 9 years if you decide to stay that long  we promote from within based on performance  so there is an excellent chance that you could become a sales manager or even a region manager  .  
 yes  may i ask something about the salary and benefits in your company  ?  
 according to our regulations  you will be on probation for the first three months  .  
 what is the salary while on probation  ?  
 in this period  you can only get the basic salary  2500 yuan per month  .  
 that sounds fine  .  
 the salary will be deposited into the bank on the 15th every month  .  your salary will be raised every year in october  depending on your performance  .  
 are there paid holidays  ?  
 yes  you may enjoy a sevenday holiday in the first year  .  after that  you can have two more days each year  .  
 no  thank you  .  
 would you like us to deliver the mattress for you  ?  
 that would be great  .  
 when do you want it delivered  ?  
 i need it delivered tomorrow  .  will that be possible  ?  
 what time exactly  ?  
 i need it delivered at 12  .  
 we can have it to you at that time  .  
 that 's not a problem  ?  
 we will deliver your mattress tomorrow at 12 o 'clock  .  
 that 's great  !  thank you very much  .  
 bill  !  sure  come on in  .  what can i do for you  ?  
 well sir  as you know  i have been an employee of this prestigious firm for over ten years  .  
 yes  .  
 i won  t beat around the bush  .  sir  i would like a raise  .  i currently have three companies after me and so i decided to talk to you first  .  
 a raise  ?  son  i would love to give you a raise  but this is just not the right time  .  
 i understand your position  and i know that the current economic downturn has had a negative impact on sales  but you must also take into consideration my hard work  proactiveness and loyalty to this company for over a decade  .  
 taking into account these factors  and considering i don  t want to start a brain drain  i  m willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time  .  how does that sound  ?  
 great  !  it  s a deal  !  thank you  sir  !  
 before you go  just out of curiosity  what companies were after you  ?  
 oh  the electric company  gas company and water company  !  
 yes  i  m enquiring about your advertisement for a sales manager in today  s newspaper  .  is this position still open  ?  
 yes  but do you have any experiences as a sales manager  ?  
 yes  i have a lot of previous experiences in sales  .  i worked in sales departments for two companies since i finished my university  .  
 that sounds fine  .  please give me your name and phone numbers  .  i  ll set up an appointment for an interview for you  .  it will most likely be in a couple of days  .  is it all right for you  ?  
 yes  my name is brian and my phone number is 5294870  .  
 thank you  .  
 your major must be computer  .  
 do you think my educational background suits this position  ?  
 yes  i  m quite satisfied with your qualifications  .  
 does this job require that new employees take any kind of training course  ?  
 generally speaking  training new members is usually necessary  .  we offer our new employees a oneweek training course  .  
 could you tell something about the job  ?  
 yes  of course  .  you will be responsible for the designing and developing new products and also be in charge of the evaluation of the software programs including complex software systems to ensure product features and operation complaints  .  
 oh  i see  .  i believe i can do the job well  .  
 ok  .  i should have it finished by friday afternoon  .  then i can check those account over the weekend  .  we need to have them finished by monday  right  ?  
 that  s right  .  we  ll finish them just in time  .  the macy project can wait for the time being  .  we need to spend several days on that project  but it isn  t due to be finished until the end of the month  so we have plenty of time to get it done  .  
 some next week on  we should be in less of a rush  .  
 i  m going to give everyone on the team an extra day off  .  everyone deserves it  .  
 don  t say that yet  .  a new project could suddenly appear  .  
 that  s true  .  right  .  i  m going back to the meeting  .  it  s been going on for hours and there  s no indication that it  ll end soon  .  
 carol said that she would spend some time checking that everyone is uptodate with their work  .  
 good  .  i have to go right now  .  i really hope this meeting doesn  t last too long  .  
 they usually go on for ages  .  
 i  ll stop by if i have time later  .  make sure everyone knows that we must stick to the deadlines  .  
 i will  .  enjoy your meeting  !  
 not at all  .  go ahead  .  
 i 've heard that the company is very strict with its staff  .  is that true  ?  
 not really  so long as you follow all the regulations  .  
 if you make mistakes in your job  you 'll be fired  .  is that right  ?  
 no  .  everyone has a chance to correct his or her mistakes  .  the most important thing is to be responsible for your work  .  
 working here involves a busy schedule and overtime  .  is that true  ?  
 yes  .  that 's true  .  we are always busy  .  the company attaches great importance to high efficiency  .  sometimes we have to work overtime  but not always  .  and we have extra pay for extra work  .  
 it seems that working in a foreign enterprise is not the same as i expected  .  thank you for your help  .  
 i  m sure we could get one or two tv companies to come in  .  perhaps the president could invite them and do an interview  .  
 that  s a good idea  .  we could put up some posters in and around the campus with a list of events  .  it would be quite cheap to do on the campus  .  
 it will be expensive to do outside the campus  .  perhaps we could arrange for some sponsorship  .  
 we could contact alumni who work for large  wellknow companies  .  they might be able to arrange cheap advertising in exchange for some free tickets  .  
 good thinking  !  we should also print some leaflets for students to distribute  .  
 we should put some information about it on the home page of our university website  .  when people visit the website  they  ll see the information  .  
 we could take out some advertisements to local newspapers  .  i checked the prices and they are reasonable  .  
 ok  .  let  s get to work on our advertising campaign  .  
 why  what 's the lowdown  ?  
 according to the report  our boston crowd is quite different makeup from our chicago folks  .  our boston consumers are mostly from midlevel to upperclass income levels  university or postgraduates  married no children  white collar  .  .  .  you know the kind  .  chicago on the other hand is mostly mid to low income levels  single parent homes  blue collar  .  .  .  i think we 're talking about two totally different target groups  .  
 i have no idea there was that great of deviation between the two venues  .  .  .  to make our products sell  we have to take the target audience into account  .  
 no kidding  .  we 've got to come up with two completely different sales pitches to suit the needs of each groups  .  
 yeah  but have you made an appointment ahead  ?  
 yes  of course  .  i am monica  .  i have made an appointment with your hr manager  .  
 just a minute please  .  i  ll make a call to the hr office  .  yes  they confirm your appointment  .  please come in  .  it is on the 3rd floor  room 3106  .  you can take the right elevator as the left on is in maintenance today  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 you  re welcome  .  
 you mean the network connection  ?  
 yes  i wanted to look for some information on the company page just now  .  it took me almost one minute to open it  .  then there is no response to any click  .  
 i have the same question  .  i can  t send out mails  .  we  d better call the it department and ask them to check it immediately  .  
 ok  .  
 no  sir  .  the plant expansion project has been delayed . there was a snag up in the fling process to get the necessary construction permits . it seems that the property we were slated to build on is also habitat for some endangered indigenous species  .  
 you 're joking  right  ?  no wonder we 've been tied up with this project  .  i know the environmental impact statement will take forever to get approval if they 've found anything endangered on the site  .  are they positive there is evidence of endangered species actually living there  ?  
 the environmental review board has a team on it now . hopefully we 'll know more by the end of the week  .  
 let 's see  .  you are importing fifty containers of textiles from china  .  they should be able to place your order before the end of next week  .  it will take 2 days for shipping to the port city of ningpo  .  the freight will take 3 weeks on the open ocean and will arrive in los angeles approximately a month from today  .  domestic shipping will be your responsibility  you can make arrangements with the pier in los angeles  .  
 fine  we will handle domestic shipping  but what about customs  ?  will we have to pay tariff on our imports  ?  i hope we do n't run into any problems with the border control  .  
 no  the chinese company has that all worked out  .  with the paperwork you receive with the shipment  you should be good to go  .  
 if we want to get this internet business off the ground  we 've got to do something fast  .  
 we need to maximize the chances that our site will be at the top of search engine lists  but i 'm not sure how to do it  .  
 we 've got to put more buzz words into the page text  so it will pop up when people search about our kind of products  .  
 yeah  you 're right  .  we 've got to get the most popular phrases there  .  .  .  how else can we boost site traffic  ?  
 i think one of the least costly ways to attract business is to ask some of our neighboring sites to offer links to our page inside of theirs  .  if they have related services  they may be willing to help us out  .  
 i guess we could also put out a few advertisements for our website inside of the search engine  .  i would like to find the most effective way to let people know about our site and our products  .  
 from the numbers  it seems like forest inc  .  is our digest competitor  .  .  .  le 'ban and markford are also major contenders in our market  .  
 le 'ban is the new kid on the block  it 's amazing they 've had such tremendous success so soon  .  .  .  with them on the scene  the competition is outthrough  .  
 here 's information about our competitor 's recent market activities  .  .  .  
 thanks  this will be a big help in putting together next quarter 's marketing strategies  .  with competition this intense  we 'll have to step up production even more  .  we need a price we can compete with  .  
 we 're in a very competitive environment  .  it 's sink or saimin this market  .  
 better start swimming  !  we 've got to find a way to outsmart the other guys  .  i want a preliminarily strategic marketing plan on my desk by next tuesday  .  .  .  the competition never sleeps and neither should we  .  
 in total  it should be about  5000 for the week conference  .  would you like to see the breakdown  ?  
 yes  i want to know exactly where the money is going  .  give me a detailed report  .  
 first we have the airline tickets  which are  500 per person  with four of us going  that 's t  2000  .  for our accommodations  we 're spending  80 a night  per room  for five days  .  that 's another  800  .  
 weren  t you able to find anything less expensive  ?  we 're sharing rooms  right  ?  
 i have two people to a room  .  the  80 room rate is the lowest i could find  .  with the conference going on that week  all the hotels have inflated their prices  they 're making a killing  .  
 so far we have  2800  what else  ?  
 i have budget  25 per peron per day for food expenses  .  that totals another  800  .  and for other incidentals  like take fees  and tips  i have estimated about  400  .  
 well  that 's only  4000  .  did n't you tell me your budget was  5000  ?  where is the rest of the money  ?  
 that 's my buffer  .  .  .  i wanted to leave a little room in the budget  just in caseit 's better to be safe than sorry  .  
 the fundraiser events went really well  .  we were able to partner with a few of our competitors  all in fun of course  to sponsor a marathon for the american cancer society  .  all of the people who participated it had a great time  and we were able to raise a lot of money to contribute to cancer research  .  
 so how does it work  ?  how were you able to make money with the marathon  ?  
 each of the runners that participated the marathon race paid a ten dollar entrance fee  .  also  they went door to door to get sponsors who pledged a dollar per mile that participants ran  .  all in all we were able to raise several thousand dollars  .  
 sounds like a great deal for the american cancer society  .  
 in all honesty  it 's also a great deal for our company  .  the exposure that we gained from sponsoring an invent like this was great for our image in the community  .  we accomplished as much as last year 's advertising campaign  plus we were able to do a little fundraising for a good cause  .  
 yes  sir  i 'll be there in just a moment  .  
 john  i have been watching you  .  i 've been paying attention to you over the last quarter and i 'm impressed  .  you 've done a tremendous job in tackling some difficult accounts  .  i just want to let you to know  after this month 's performance reviews  i 'm recommending you for promotion  .  
 gosh sir  thank you  sir  !  i had no idea there were any positions opening up in our department  .  
 well  it 's not going to be in our department  .  i 've recommended you for an interdepartmental transfer  .  there 's supervisory spot opening up in financial  .  i 'm turning your name in for it  .  
 management  ?  wow  i had no idea i could move so quickly from entry level to managerial staff  .  
 you 've earned it  .  
 i think the job should make use of the professional experience i have obtained  and offer me opportunity for advancement  .  
 why do you think you might like to work for our company  ?  
 i feel my background and experience are a good fit for this position and i am very interested . what s more  your company is outstanding in this field  .  
 what makes you think you would be a success in this position  ?  
 my graduate school training combined with my experience as an intern should qualify me for this particular job  .  i am sure i will be successful  .  
 how do you know about this company  ?  
 your company is very reputed in this city  .  i heard much praise to your company  .  
 yes  i have received an engineer 's qualification certificate and a driver 's license  .  
 how many years have you had the driver 's license  ?  
 i have two years driving experience  .  
 that 's good  .  what special skills do you have  can you tell me  ?  
 i have experience in computer operation  proficiency in microsoft windows  microsoft word and microsoft excel  .  
 what computer languages have you learned  ?  
 visual c    c and delphi  .  
 have you gotten any special training in programming  ?  
 no  but i have database programming experience and network knowledge  .  
 you are welcome  .  thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview me  .  
 may i call you about our final decision  ?  
 yes  please  .  my telephone number is 29745328  and you can call me at any time in the daytime  .  
 we will get in touch with you by the end of next week  .  
 great  .  i will look forward to hearing from you  .  and do i need the second interview  ?  
 we 'll notify you if necessary  .  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 yes  i 'd like to know if there would be any future opportunities for specific training  .  
 if necessary there will be  .  any other questions  ?  
 when will i know your decision  ?  
 we 'll give you our decision in a few days  .  how can we get in touch with you  ?  
 i can be reached at my office during work hours and at home in the evening  .  my office phone number and home phone number are in my resume  .  
 thank you for your interest in our company  .  
 thank you  sir  .  i expect to hear from you as soon as possible  .  
 would you please let the next applicant come in on your way out  ?  
 all right  .  goodbye  .  
 hello  may i speak to mrs smith  ?  
 this is mrs smith  may i have your name  ?  
 this is sun  and i interviewed with you yesterday  .  
 hello  mr  .  sun  .  
 i am calling to thank you for giving me the interview for the sales manager position yesterday  .  
 you are welcome  mr  .  sun  .  
 i really enjoyed meeting with you  .  
 you certainly made a good impression on me  as well  .  
 i am very interested in this position  .  
 we 'll be making the decision by the end of this week and we 'll contact you as soon as possible  .  
 well  thank you for your time and consideration again  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 yes  one last thing  .  how much holiday time do you give your employees every year  ?  
 our employees receive fifteen days of paid vacation every year  .  if you don  t use the full fifteen days  they carry over to the following year  .  
 how about sick days  ?  
 you get five paid sick days  .  
 any other benefits  ?  
 yes  we have an excellent retirement plan and medical insurance as well  .  
 great  .  thanks so much for your time  .  
 we  ll contact you soon  ted  .  thanks for coming in  .  
 this is mrs smith  .  can i help you  ?  
 i am calling to say thank you for the interview yesterday  .  
 you are welcome  .  i am very impressed by your capability  .  
 is there anything i should do  ?  
 no  nothing  .  it 's thoughtful of you to call me again  .  
 thank you  .  please call me at any time if you have any questions  .  
 ok  i will  .  do you have any question  ?  
 no  thank you  .  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 yes  what can i do for you  ?  
 i just want to call and say thank you for letting me interview yesterday  .  
 you are welcome  mr  .  sun  .  
 and i also want to know what the status is of the position  .  
 sorry  we have n't made the decision at all  .  but we should be making the decision by the end of this week  .  and we 'll get in touch with you once we make it  .  
 do you have any questions we did n't cover in the interview  ?  
 no  .  
 thank you  i am looking forward to hearing from you  .  byebye  .  
 thank you for the calling  .  byebye  .  
 no  i was way too busy studying all the time  .  how about you  ?  
 yeah  i worked about twenty hours a week in a pizza restaurant  .  
 what was that like  ?  
 it was always very busy there  .  
 what did you do  ?  
 i stood behind the register and took pizza orders  .  
 did you get any perks on the job  ?  
 yeah  i got to eat as much pizza as i could for free  .  
 no  not yet  .  i  m still looking  .  i  ve been doing some work through a tempagency though  .  
 what kind of work  ?  
 i  m temping at a pharmaceutical company  .  
 what do you do there  ?  
 mostly office work  filing and so on  .  
 how long is the assignment  ?  
 till the end of the month  .  
 i have a little experience  .  i guided a few foreign tourists around beijing last year as a parttime job  .  i showed them to the great wall  the imperial palace  and the summer palace  .  
 then you may know that it 's hard work  .  
 yes  i know  .  a friend of mine is a guide  .  he talked with me about his work  but i do n't mind working hard  .  
 have you applied with any other companies  ?  
 no  this is my first  .  
 is there anything you want to ask about  ?  
 i 'd like to be an overseas tour guide someday  .  would there ever be any chance of that  ?  
 certainly  .  there 'll be a good chance of that if you work for this company  .  not right away  of course  but in a few years  after you learn more about our business  you may go overseas with a tour group  .  any questions  ?  
 yes  .  when can i get the decision  ?  i hope you can give me a definite answer as soon as possible  .  if i 'd turned down  i ll have to secure a position elsewhere  .  
 all right  then  .  we 'll get in touch with you within a week  .  thank you for coming today  mr  .  sun  .  
 thank you  .  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 in three months or so  ?  
 you said the same thing three months ago  .  
 did i  ?  well  .  anyway  you 'll get your raise when the economy starts picking up  .  
 you mean i wo n't get a raise until recession ends  ?  
 yes  .  
 i got the message  .  i am quitting  .  
 yes  of course  .  what is it  ?  
 i need you to help me set up for my presentation thursday morning  .  
 okay  what should i do  ?  
 well  it is n't at this office  .  it 's over at the dayton street office . have you been there before  ?  
 yes  of course  .  i have to go there every tuesday  .  
 good  .  so you will have no trouble finding it  .  
 what 's the presentation about  ?  
 i will talk about developing sales through our website . all the branch heads will be there  and most of the staff  .  
 will you need anything special for the presentation  ?  
 well  i need the display monitor . but tom can set that up for me on wednesday  .  i will need you to help with everything else  .  
 i suppose you need the whiteboard set up  .  
 yes  .  one more is needed  .  
 oh  i 'm so lucky  .  i want to apply for it  .  
 but do you have any experience like that  ?  
 yes  .  i have been a guide for two years  .  
 ok . then i want to ask you some questions about the tourist guide . if there wasn accident  for example a tourist falls ill  what would you do  ?  
 i think i will call the office to send someone to meet us  and escort that person to the nearest hospital without interrupting our trip  .  
 if one of them forgot a camera in a restaurant  would you let the tourist bus go back  ?  
 no  .  in fact  prior to their boarding the bus and their getting off the bus  i will make an announcement to remind them that they should check their belongings  .  
 well  it seems that you have all the practical experience to handle these cases  .  i am very glad to welcome you into our company  .  
 thank you  .  it 's my honor  .  
 yes  it is better than last year  .  they have done a very good job this time  .  
 i 'm glad our booth is on the first floor  .  more people can see our display  .  
 if someone wants to find us  they can look at this floor plan . it shows where all the companies have their booths  .  
 let me see that  .  i did n't get one when i came in  .  
 really  ?  they did n't give you one with your ticket  ?  
 no  .  
 that 's strange  .  
 where do you go for lunch around here  ?  
 are you hungry  ?  
 not too bad  .  but i will be soon  .  
 i went across the street  .  there is a good chinese restaurant next to the hotel  .  
 i ca n't see cortex on this floor plan  .  do n't they have a booth here  ?  
 they must  .  let me look at that . here it is  .  cortex  .  it 's on the second floor  next to the roll booth  .  
 oh  that will be uncomfortable for them  .  
 for whom  ?  cortex  ?  
 yes  .  cortex just stole darren mcdowell from rolly . and probably darren will be here . so he will have to spend the whole show standing next to his old cortex coworkers  .  
 i 've never met darren . but you 're right  .  that would probably be uncomfortable  .  
 when you reserve a booth  you should check who your neighbors will be . don t you think  ?  
 yes  maybe  .  if you 're darren mcdowell  you should probably check  .  
 yes  .  well  i think i 'll go get lunch  .  will you join me  ?  
 no  i 'll stay here at the booth  .  i ate earlier  .  are you going to the chinese restaurant  ?  
 maybe  .  i will look around  .  
 i 'm sorry i ca n't bring better news  sir  .  the site is a disaster  .  
 that 's what i was afraid of  .  
 it is not only the earthquake  sir  .  but the mudslides . much of the north half of the site has been covered over by mud  .  
 mud  ?  but ivan told me there were no mudslides in that district  .  i thought all the mudslides were down in chichitango  .  
 that 's what we thought  sir  .  that 's what the news reported . but there was one little mudslide in our district too  .  right above our site  .  
 oh  that 's terrible  !  what bad luck  !  i wish we had never come to this country . but  if it is n't the strikes and the revolutionaries  it 's the earthquakes . our operations here are finished  !  
 i 'm sorry  sir  .  
 it 's not your fault  yuri . but tell me  .  when will ivan be able to get out there  ?  
 well  it took me about nine hours to get back here by car . if ivan leaves tonight  i think he should be there by tomorrow lunch  .  
 good  .  i want an estimate of damages as soon as possible  .  
 but sir  .  .  .  
 yes  yuri  ?  
 i would n't recommend sending ivan now . especially not at night  .  the roads are n't safe  .  
 has the earthquake damaged the bridges too  ?  
 no  sir  .  the bridges are fine . but i 've heard rumors that the revolutionaries are coming down from the mountains . there has been fighting  sir  .  
 are you serious  ?  fighting  ?  but i did n't hear anything on the news  .  
 you know the government controls the press here  sir  .  they do n't want it reported  .  
 oh  this is terrible  yuri  .  terrible  !  so we ca n't even assess the damages  .  how can we do business in this country  ?  either we 're buried under mud  or we 're in danger of getting kidnapped . no  i ca n't believe this mess  !  
 i 'm sorry  sir  .  
 you do n't have to keep saying that  yuri  .  it 's not your fault . but mei 'm the one who should be sorry . it was me who suggested operations here in the first place  !  oh  what can we do  ?  
 sure  .  it 's the third office down this hall  .  are you looking for bob  ?  
 yes  .  he told me to come by this morning  .  
 i 'm sorry  but he 's not in the office now  .  do you have an appointment  ?  
 an appointment  ?  
 yes  .  what time did he expect you  ?  
 he said i should come by this morning  .  he did n't give me a time . he said i could come any time before noon  .  
 i see  .  he 's usually here on tuesday mornings  .  .  .  
 today is tuesday  .  
 i know  .  he 's usually here  but today he went out to a site on the east side  .  
 that 's too bad  .  i need to discuss these plans with him  .  
 why do n't you make an appointment for later in the week  ?  
 alright  .  
 he 's here on tuesdays  wednesdays and fridays  .  what day did you want to see him  ?  
 friday is good  .  
 morning or afternoon  ?  
 morning  .  
 i can put you down for ten o 'clock  .  is that alright  ?  
 yes  .  my name is laura wills  .  
 alright  .  i have you down for ten am this friday  .  
 thank you  .  
 you are welcome  .  
 good morning  .  
 would you like something to drink  ?  
 no  thank you  .  i just had two cups of coffee at my desk  .  
 so  you 're a serious coffee drinker  .  
 yes  it keeps me going  .  sometimes i think i 'm addicted  .  
 well  coffee is n't such a bad thing . everyone has to have something . for me  it 's cigars  .  are you a cigar smoker  ?  
 no  i 've tried them  .  but i 'm not really a smoker  .  
 well  what would you like to talk to me about  ?  
 i wanted to set up this meeting with you to discuss a little proposal  .  
 i 'm glad when people have new ideas around here  .  tell me about it  .  
 it is about the staff meetings . you know how we have a staff meeting every tuesday  .  
 yes  .  
 well  i have been thinking about it . and i believe we could do things more efficiently here  .  
 what do you suggest  ?  
 the way it is now  the staff from all four branches get together once a week . we meet for one hour  .  but i think a lot of time is wasted in transportation  .  
 you mean because people have to go across town to get here  .  
 yes  .  some people spend half of the morning on the road  .  
 that 's true  .  but our staff meetings are very important  arnold  .  i do n't know how we can function without them  .  
 i think they are important too . that s why i want people to have a better attitude about them  .  
 i know a lot of people think the meetings are n't too useful  .  i 'm aware of that  .  
 here 's what i propose  .  i think we should meet once every two weeks  but meet for ninety minutes or more  .  
 well  .  
 i also think the meetings should be more focused . and i would be willing to take responsibility for that  .  
 you mean you want to run the meetings  ?  
 no  not really run them  .  but i could help organize them  .  i could discuss meeting topics with you  and then prepare a schedule for each meeting  .  i could then send an email to all the staff to explain the coming meeting . this way the meetings would become more focused  and people would prepare better  .  
 hmm  .  but we would meet every two weeks  .  
 i really think it would work . the meetings could be longer  and better organized  .  
 i am not against the idea  arnold . it may really be more efficient  as you say  .  i 'll tell you what we can do . why do n't we try your proposal for a month  and see how it works  .  
 excellent  .  i would be happy to get started on it  .  
 i will call the managers . then tomorrow i 'll tell you when we can schedule our first meeting in this  new style  .   
 could i speak to mr wood  please  ?  
 i 'll see a piece available  who should i say is calling  please  ?  
 john eng 
 hold the line  please . mr wood is in the meeting with managing director at the moment i afraid . can i help you  ?  
 well  i want to discuss with them the new control we said last week  .  
 i do n't think the meet will go on much longer  should i ask him to call you when he is free  .  
 yes  that will be easiest  .  
 could i have your name again  please  ?  
 yes  it 's john eng  .  
 and the number  ?  
 01088256798 
 ok  you will be hearing from mr wood later in the afternoon then  mr john  .  
 thank you for help . good bye  .  
 you are welcome  goodbye  .  
 yeah  i  ve been working so much overtime lately  .  
 really  ?  how come  ?  
 my boss gave me a big project  .  i had to have it finished it by this morning  .  it was so difficult  !  
 you shouldn  t work so hard  .  
 i know  .  but hard work pays off  you know  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 maybe now i  ll get that promotion i was hoping for  .  
 of course  mr  .  kramer  .  how are things going these days  ?  
 better than ever  !  you won  t have to worry about  finding  extra money for me anymore  !  we made nearly a quarter of million in profit last year  !  
 congratulations  !  i  m really glad to hear it  !  that should make balancing the books a lot easier  !  
 alex  .  it  s nancy over in marketing  .  i  ve got some good news for you  .  
 oh yeah  ?  i could use some  .  what  s up  ?  
 mr  .  morris was so pleased with your sales work on his account that he went straight to the top with it  .  he wrote a letter about it to mr  .  macmillan  !  
 hi  robert  .  this is janet reese calling from american advertising  .  we placed an order with you about a week ago  .  
 yes  ms  .  reese  .  i remember  you spoke with me  .  is there a problem  ?  
 well  it still hasn  t gotten here  and my boss is pretty angry about it  .  
 this is he  .  who  s calling  please  ?  
 this is chris emerson speaking  .  
 hello  chris  .  how can i help you  ?  
 i had it right here a minute ago  mr  .  emory  .  umm  .  just a minute  .  .  .  
 christine  i know you  re new here and there  s a lot to learn  but you are going to have to learn to keep your work in better order  .  we can  t afford to lose an important document  .  
 yes  sir  .  i apologize for that  .  here  s the file you were looking for  mr  .  emory  .  
 hi  karen  .  this is john williams in the purchasing department  .  can you check to see if there  s a package down there for me  ?  
 certainly  mr  .  williams  .  just one moment  please  .  
 thanks  karen  .  
 yes  mr  .  emory  ?  
 i  ve got some bad news  .  all the plans sent over to the mcgrath corporation have been rejected  .  we  re going to have to start from scratch  .  
 i thought they had already agreed to everything  .  that  s going to take weeks to rework  .  
 hi  susan  .  what  s up  ?  
 do you know where that memo about office procedures is  ?  i want to give my secretary a copy  .  
 i  m sorry  .  i have no idea  .  i haven  t seen that for ages  .  
 hi angie  it  s tom reynolds here  .  can you tell me if my tuition fees for this semester have been approved  ?  
 yes  mr  .  reynolds  .  they were approved yesterday  .  you can pick up the check today  .  
 oh wow  !  thanks a million  angie  !  
 how big  elizabeth  ?  last time you said that  i ended up working overtime 3 nights in a row  !  
 well  i  ve got a huge load of typing and mr  .  blake has insisted i get it done by tomorrow afternoon  .  
 all right  elizabeth  .  but this is the last time  .  
 sure  .  what do you need the most help with  the food or entertainment  ?  
 i need help with food  .  
 ok  well  let 's coordinate our efforts  .  should this party be formal or casual  ?  
 i think it should be casual  .  
 i agree  .  next  we have to decide on food  .  we have a choice of chinese or continental cuisine  .  which one should we have  ?  
 i would prefer chinese food for this party  .  
 perfect choice  .  for music  should we have a live band or a dj  ?  
 i think we should hire a live band  .  
 ok then  .  well  i will work on my part and get back to you with my progress on friday  .  
 good idea  .  we could meet on monday or tuesday  .  which day would you prefer  ?  
 tuesday would be good for me  .  
 ok  .  do you think we should meet in the morning or in the afternoon  ?  
 i think the afternoon would be best  .  
 that will work out  .  i will email the exact time tomorrow  .  i need you to bring your plans with you  .  
 yes  i will bring my plans with me to the meeting  .  
 should we invite the whole committee or should we just have the subcommittee there  ?  
 i feel that the whole committee needs to be there  .  
 yes  i agree  .  we 'll make sure that they get notified  .  can you find the meeting place  ?  
 yes  i know how to get there on my own  .  
 great  !  we will send you all the details later  .  looking forward to meeting with you  !  
 of course  i have monday or tuesday available  .  what day would be best for you  ?  
 i would like to meet on monday  .  
 very well then  .  are mornings or afternoons best  ?  
 i want to come in the morning  .  
 i will have my assistant check my calendar and get back to you with the exact time  .  can you bring me an outline of the project when you come  ?  
 yes  i can bring the outline when i come to the meeting  .  
 do you think that we should include the entire committee in the meeting or just our subcommittee  ?  
 i think that we should have just the subcommittee  .  
 ok then  i will make the arrangements for them to attend  .  do you know how to get there  ?  
 no  i need directions  please  .  
 fine  we will make sure that we send you all of the information that you need  .  see you there  !  
 i was in my friend 's room  talking for an hour or so  .  
 and then  ?  
 i came back to my room and found my suitcase was open and my camera and five hundred dollars in cash inside the wallet were gone  .  
 i 'm afraid you must give up the cash  .  are you insured  ?  
 yes  this is my overseas travel accident insurance card  .  
 i 'll make a report for you and please claim this to the insurance company with this report  .  
 yes  .  can i help you  ?  
 do you remember me  ?  i just had lunch here a half hour ago  .  
 of course i remember you  .  
 i think i lost my wallet here  .  
 oh  no  .  really  ?  i did n't see anything  .  
 really  ?  you did n't find a wallet  ?  
 no  i did n't  .  would you like to go look by the table with me  ?  
 yes  i would  .  it 's not here  .  and it 's not on the floor . has anyone sat at this table since we left  ?  
 no  .  it 's been empty the whole time  .  
 hmm  .  i do n't know how it could have happened  .  
 i remember  sir  that your friend took the bill . you did n't pay for the lunch yourself  did you  ?  
 no  .  my friend did  .  
 then are you sure you took your wallet out of your pocket while you were here  ?  
 no  i 'm not sure  .  but i usually take out my wallet when i sit down . it s uncomfortable to sit on it  .  so i usually put it next to me on the table  .  
 maybe you lost it before you came here  .  or maybe you left it at home  .  
 i do n't think it 's at home  .  i think i had it when i left the house . but what should i do  ?  
 well  the first thing you should do is make sure it 's not at home . then  if it is n't  you need to call your credit card companies and cancel your cards  .  next  you need to replace whatever you lost  your driver 's license  things like that  .  
 should i call the police  ?  
 you can if you want  .  but the police usually do n't do anything about lost wallets  .  
 hmm  .  i 'll go home and check  .  maybe you 're right  .  maybe it 's at home  .  
 i 'm sorry we could n't find it  sir  .  
 thanks for your help  .  
 what  ?  
 look  !  this window is open  .  
 did you open it before we left  ?  
 are you kidding  ?  it 's winter  .  why would i open it  ?  
 i do n't know  .  wait  .  is this yours  ?  
 no  !  oh  my god  !  someone has broken into the house  .  
 it looks that way  .  that 's probably why the door was n't locked when we came in  .  
 i locked it when i left though  .  
 yes  but the robber broke in . then  when he left  he left through the door  .  so it was n't locked  .  
 i do n't care about that  allen  !  what did he steal  ?  that 's the question  !  
 look around  .  
 the tv 's still here  .  
 and your stereo too  .  so what did he steal  ?  we have to go look upstairs  .  
 but what if someone 's still up there  ?  
 i do n't think there will be  .  he left through the door  remember  ?  
 it took them four minutes to get here  .  that was pretty fast  .  
 yes  it 's fast  .  but four minutes is enough to do fifty thousand dollars damage  .  
 i guess the fire was n't in the tool shed after all . it looks like the back of the house was burning  .  
 i wonder if anyone can call the ridleys about this  .  do you know them well  ?  
 not really  .  
 do you know where they 're vacationing  ?  
 i think they went to mexico  but i 'm not sure . it s a bad thing to return home to . they ll come home from their trip  and they 'll see half their house burned  .  
 yes  but at least this way no one gets hurt . it s better to have a fire in your house when you 're not home  .  do n't you think  ?  
 yes  i suppose  .  it 's a dangerous thing if a fire starts when people are sleeping  .  
 it  s a programme about islam  .  it  s very interesting  .  
 wow  !  so many people  !  where are they and what are they doing  ?  
 they are muslims on a pilgrimage to mecca  .  muslims call this pilgrimage haj  .  
 why do they go there  ?  
 muslims believe that every man who is able should go on a haj at least once in his life  .  mecca is the spiritual centre of the muslim faith  .  
 when muslims pray  they face towards mecca  .  
 that  s right  .  unfortunately  so many people go on the haj each year that there are often stamped and people get killed  .  
 i heard about that  .  the pilgrims must walk around a large  sacred black stone  .  
 that  s right  .  that  s when accidents often happen  .  the saudi government tries to limit the number of pilgrims  to reduce the chances of accidents  .  
 pilgrimages are common in many faiths  .  
 yes  .  in england  christian pilgrims might go to canterbury and many christians go to the vatican on pilgrimages  .  
 isn  t there a place in france where people go to get healed  ?  
 i think that place is lourdes  .  there are many stories of people being healed after visiting there  .  
 do you think that there is something magical about that place  ?  
 personally  .  i think that people believe they will be healed and that faith causes a change in their mind that cures them  .  i don  t think place is magical in any way  .  
 yes  .  the two sides declared a short ceasefire but it broke down earlier today  .  several military target were destroyed by bombing  .  many civilians were among the dead and wounded  .  
 how did this war start  ?  
 bout side claim a small area of territory  .  both sides tried to build border fences and began attacking each other  .  
 politicians from both sides sound increasingly belligerent  .  neither side wants to compromise  .  
 relief agencies report that many civilians are in desperate need of food and shelter  .  several european countries have agreed to send aid  but are afraid that their planes will be shot down  .  
 what do you think will happen  ?  
 both countries are very poor  .  soon they will run out of money to finance the war  .  then  perhaps  they will negotiate  .  
 it would be much simpler and cheaper if they negotiated first  .  
 we 'd like to hear your account of the events of last night  .  
 i am great  .  how are you  ?  
 well  i got laid off  and i  m looking for work  .  
 yeah  me too  !  what are you thinking you would like to do  ?  
 right now  i  ll take about anything that will pay the mortgage  .  
 have you gone out on any interviews so far  ?  
 i went out on one interview  but i haven  t heard back from them  .  
 did you see the posting for the electrician apprentice program  ?  
 you know  i saw that and it looks pretty good  !  
 let  s go check it out again  !  
 a notice of unemployment insurance award letter will be sent to you  .  
 what information will be in that letter  ?  
 the award letter will inform you as to how much you will receive  .  
 what other forms will i need to turn in  ?  
 every two weeks you will receive a continued claim form that you must turn in  .  
 what will they be asking me on that form  ?  
 you must show that you were available and that you looked for work  .  
 what else will they ask me  ?  
 one of the questions they ask you is if you were well enough to work  .  
 the employment development office will send you a notice of unemployment insurance award letter  .  
 what is contained in that letter  ?  
 in addition to telling you how much you will receive  the beginning and ending dates of your claim will be included  .  
 will the award letter tell me what i need to fill out next  ?  
 you will receive a continued claim form and every two weeks  you must turn it in  .  
 when i fill out the continued claim form  what will i need to tell them  ?  
 you must show where and when you tried to look for work  .  if you earned any money  you need to tell them about it  .  
 what other information does the form ask for  ?  
 you have to tell them if you were too sick to work on any of the days that you should have been looking for work  .  
 did you send in your continued claim form for the last period  ?  
 i think i forgot to send it in  !  
 you need to be very careful to send that form in every two weeks if you want to get paid  .  
 can i send it in now  ?  
 you should look at your claim form and see if it has been more than fourteen days since it was due  .  if it hasn  t been  we will still accept it  .  
 can i mail it in early next time so it isn  t late  ?  
 actually  you cannot mail it in early  as it needs to reflect all of the information up to the due date  .  
 will my paycheck come right away now  ?  
 your check will arrive a little late  .  
 yes  we can handle that here  .  how can i help you  ?  
 my paycheck that just arrived is less than last week  s check  .  
 did you work at all during the last pay period  ?  
 yes  actually  i did make a little bit of money  .  
 did you report it on your continued claim form  ?  
 yes  i showed that income on the continued claim form  .  
 well  we deducted a portion of the income that you made from this week  s check  .  
 maybe i just shouldn  t show the income then  .  
 that is cheating and  if you get caught  you will be fined and disqualified from collecting unemployment  .  
 i hope that you remembered to send in your last continued claim form  .  
 i am pretty sure that i didn  t send that claim form in  .  
 you have to send that form in every two weeks so we that we will know what to pay you  .  
 can i mail it in late  ?  
 if it is not more than fourteen days past its due date  then you may still mail it in  .  
 i think that i will mail it in right away when i get it next time  so i won  t be late  .  
 you can  t mail it in early because you don  t know  in advance  how much you will be working  .  
 even though i was late turning in my form  will my paycheck be late  ?  
 yes  your check will be a little late in getting to you  .  
 i would be happy to answer any questions you might have  .  
 my paycheck seems to be smaller than the one i received last week  .  
 what about income  ?  did you make any money during that period  ?  
 my old employer gave us a couple days of work during that period  .  
 when you filled out your continued claim form  did you show that income  ?  
 of course i wrote down the work that i had done on the continued claim form  .  
 what happens is  when you make money  we take part of your benefits away  .  
 i am not going to show any income from now on then  .  
 i wouldn  t do that if i were you  .  there is a severe penalty if you get caught making false statements  .  
 yes  i would be happy to answer a question about payment  .  what do you need help with  ?  
 i can  t figure out why my paycheck this week is smaller than last week  s  .  
 did you generate any income during that time period  ?  
 i made a little bit of money  but not much  .  
 did that income show up on your last continued claim form  ?  
 i claimed the work i did on the last continued claim form  .  
 when you are able to find work and get paid  we always take away part of your check  .  
 that being the case  i don  t think that i am going to show the income next time  .  
 don  t do it  !  if you get caught making false statements  you can have your claim closed  .  
 i certainly hope so  .  can we arrange to meet on the 27th  ?  that should give you enough time  .  
 yes  sir  .  that  s more than enough time  .  i do appreciate your understanding  .  why don  t we say 1000 o  clock on the 27th  ?  
 fine  mr  .  tan  .  i  ll see you then  .  
 did you mail us your last continued claim form  ?  
 i am afraid that i forgot to send it in  .  
 we cannot pay you unless you turn that form in every two weeks  .  
 is it too late to mail the continued claim form in now  ?  
 it can  t be more than fourteen days late for us to accept it  .  
 i will mail it in a little early next time to avoid this problem  .  
 you can  t possibly know in advance how much you will be working  .  if you mail it in too soon  we will reject it  !  
 will my paycheck arrive late because i messed up on my form  ?  
 your check will be arriving late  but the next one will come right on time  .  
 i sure did  !  
 what candidate did you vote for  ?  
 i voted for obama  .  
 i  m shocked he actually won  .  
 i knew he would win  .  
 how  d you know  ?  
 he was the best candidate this year  .  
 what about him being black  ?  
 i guess america is finally maturing  .  
 i think you have a point  .  
 excited about what  ?  
 i just voted  .  
 is this the first time you  ve voted  ?  
 yes  i just had my 18th birthday this year  .  
 that  s lucky  .  
 why is that  ?  
 you turned 18 in an election year  .  
 i didn  t think about it like that  .  
 really  ?  
 no  but that makes me even more excited  .  
 you  re a part of history  .  
 what are you excited about  ?  
 i voted today  .  
 was this your first time  ?  
 i just turned 18 a month ago  .  
 you  re lucky  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 because you turned 18 in an election year  .  
 i didn  t even think of that  .  
 you didn  t  ?  
 i really didn  t  but i  m still excited  .  
 you should be  because you  re a part of history  .  
 of course  !  
 who was your vote for president  ?  
 my vote was for barack obama  .  
 i didn  t expect him to win  .  
 i had no doubt in my mind that he would win  .  
 what made you think that  ?  
 nobody could compete with him  .  
 i thought his race would have kept him from winning  .  
 times are changing  .  
 that  s true  .  
 i support our new president 100   .  
 my name is alice lin  and i need to know if some money has been transferred to my account yet  .  
 just one second  and i 'll check  .  
 thank you  .  
 i need to know how much money is in my account  .  
 i 'll need your name and account number  .  
 certainly  .  
 you know i did  .  
 who did you vote for  ?  
 i voted for obama  of course  !  
 can you believe that he actually won  ?  
 i knew he would win  .  
 i didn  t think he would  .  
 he was the top candidate  .  
 i figured people wouldn  t vote for him because he  s african american  .  
 that just goes to show that america is finally turning over a new leaf  .  
 you  re absolutely right  .  
 i  m excited that barack obama is our president  .  
 well  i 've always used the bank book  but now i have this card  .  i do n't know how to use it in the machine  .  
 do n't worry  i can help you with that  .  i understand that new technology can sometimes be unnerving  .  the first thing we need to do is check the atm is in service  .  this one is fine  .  
 yes  i sure can  .  i feel like a dinosaur with all of these youngsters and their electronics  .  this machine is working  then  ?  
 yes  this one is in service  .  put your card in here  in this slot and wait a moment  .  then you will see some instructions on the screen  .  
 oh  it wants me to put in my pin number  .  ok  i can do that  .  .  .  
 and press enter to confirm  here  .  now you need to decide which service you need  .  
 there are so many to choose from  .  i did n't know you could do all of this using a card  .  
 that 's the beauty of these machines  you can do almost anything  .  and unlike a person  they do n't usually take breaks or go off sick  !  
 of course  that 's my job  .  oh  dear  .  what 's happened  ?  
 well  it 's eaten my card  !  it wo n't give it back  !  
 i see  .  .  .  calm down  do n't worry  .  may i ask what were you doing when it took your card  ?  
 yes  .  i was only entering my pin  .  i 'm terrible at remembering it  i 'm so forgetful  you see  .  
 mmmm  .  .  .  and exactly how many times did you enter it  please  ?  
 maybe three times  .  as i said  i always forget it  .  
 ah  !  do n't worry  it 's just a security measure  .  if someone uses a card and cannot get the right pin after three attempts  the bank keeps the card in case it 's stolen  .  just contact the bank and we 'll get it back to you  .  
 oh  i see  .  so if i call my branch they can sort everything out for me  ?  
 yes  they 'll be happy to help  .  believe me  it happens to many people  .  
 i 'd better try harder to memorise my pin in future  .  thanks  .  
 thank you  yes  .  i 'm not sure how to use this atm  i usually go to a clerk and use my bank book  .  but today  i thought i 'd try something new  .  i want to take some money out  .  
 welcome to the electronic age  !  i can run you through it  it 's what i 'm here for  .  
 thanks so much  .  right  i 've put my card in  .  what now  ?  
 just look at the screen here  .  it 'll give you prompts  you see  ?  now you need to enter your pin number  then press enter to confirm it  .  
 then it 'll give me my money  ?  
 not right away  you need to decide what it is you want to do  .  the next thing is to select the service  .  
 here we are withdrawal  so i just press here  ?  
 yes  then enter the amount you want  .  
 oh  as simple as that  !  i shall never wait for a real person again  these machines are wonderful  .  
 hello  !  i was exhausted form studying  so i decided to read the newspaper to relax  .  unfortunately  the news is so depressing  .  there has been another murder in the city center  .  i  m shocked that the pole 
 people are starting to get frightened by it  .  everyone will be relieved when they finally catch the murder  .  
 you mean if they catch the murderer  .  i  m scared stiff about going into the city center at night  .  
 there must have been some good news in the newspaper  .  i can  t believe that none of the news stories make you happy or excited  .  
 well  there was one good piece of news  .  you remember the local girl who was dying of a rare blood disease  ?  
 yes  .  her parents were raising money to have her treated in the united states  .  
 well  they  ve got the money and she  s going tomorrow for treatment  .  
 i  m so happy for the family  !  they must be very relieved and excited about that  .  
 i  m sure they are  .  oh  and a local man won the lottery  .  i  m so jealous  !  i wish it were me  !  i buy a lottery ticket every week and i  m amazed that i haven  t even won a small prize yet  .  it  s so unfair  !  
 don  t be moody  !  i hope you  re not tired  because we  ve been invited to a party this evening  .  i know how excited you get about parties  .  
 we have hundreds of constituencies and the voters in each one elect a member of parliament  .  most people call them mp  s  .  
 each mp belongs to a political party  right  ?  
 almost all of them do  .  a few are independent  .  that means that they do not belong to a party  .  if one party more than half of the mp  s  .  they form a government  .  that means that they choose a prime finist 
 what  s a cabinet  ?  
 this is a small group of peopleperhaps 25 mp  s who are usually ministers  .  they make all the big decision and discuss laws and policy  .  
 can any mp make a law  ?  
 any mp can present a law to parliament  .  the proposed law is debated and voted on  .  if it is accepted  it becomes law  .  
 i suppose a proposed a law needs the support of the big political parties  .  
 yes  it does  because they have most of the mp  s  .  most mp  s vote the way their party wants them to  .  
 how do people choose which party or candidate to vote for  ?  
 they produce manifesto  .  these documents which states their policies  .  some people just vote for the same party every time there is an election  .  voters who often change the party they vote for are calle 
 ms willows  hello  .  this is daniel calling from iba bank  .  
 hello  daniel  .  what can i do for you  ?  
 i 'm calling to notify you that an export l  c has arrived for you  .  
 oh  really  ?  do you know which company it 's from  ?  
 yes  it 's from satura beds of tokyo  .  
 ah  great  !  i 'll send someone over to pick it up  .  thanks for calling  .  
 i 've come in to give you the documents under the l  c we opened  the new one  .  this lot are from singapore  a new customer  .  
 have you had a chance to go through them yet  ?  
 yes  with a fine toothed comb  as usual  .  everything seems fine  except for one thing  .  the description of the items we are purchasing is a little different from what we expected  .  
 is it a big difference  ?  
 not really  perhaps just a translation problem  that 's all  .  anyway  we 've agreed to accept it  .  
 yes please  .  i really am an absolute amateur when it comes to this stuff  .  
 no problem  .  first of all  we can provide a business licence  .  secondly  enterprise id certificates  forex registration and  .  .  .  
 forex registration  ?  
 yes  foreign exchange registration  for bank drafts  bills of exchange and so on  .  also  approval of rib accounts  capital verification and so on  .  
 my company wants to become involved in your comprehensive credit granting  .  we are a very young company and i 'm not at all sure if we meet your credit requirements  .  
 it is possible to take into account special circumstances  should the manager agree to it  .  if your credit rating has been class a in your initial trading period and your debt to asset ratio is sound  and then i 'm sure the manager will see you to discuss it further  .  i 'll set up a meeting for you  .  
 that would be wonderful  .  thank you so much for all of your help  .  
 well  i 'm here to get some help from you  .  i was hoping to have someone who we can deal with exclusively  .  on a longterm basis  if that 's possible  .  
 what we can do is to assign you a customer manager  that way you can just deal with him  .  you do n't need to deal with anyone else  .  
 that sounds perfect  .  
 yes  .  do you have a savings account in our bank  ?  
 no  i have n't  .  it is the first time for me to come to deposit money here  .  
 how long do you want to keep it in our bank  ?  
 two years  please  .  
 you have to fill in this form with your name  address  id card number  deposit term and the amount you want to deposit  .  
 ok  .  what should i do if i want to draw my money before maturity date for an urgent use  ?  
 do n't worry  .  you can draw your money at any time  .  but you 'll not receive the time deposit return of interest  .  what we can offer is a current one  .  
 i see  .  by the way  what if i forget to cash my money when the maturity comes  ?  
 in that case  we 'll just regard your account as a regular savings account from then on  .  
 i see  .  
 hello  .  i 'm hoping to buy some treasury certificates today  .  are they available  ?  
 certainly  visible treasury certificates  .  then you can get a receipt from the savings office as proof of payment  .  hence the visible  you can see it  .  
 ah  right  .  how much do i need to spend  ?  
 the minimum is 100 rib  and the maximum is 500000 rib  .  
 how about bearer certificates  ?  are they different  ?  
 yes  they are different because they are printed by the ministry of finance in set amounts  .  just 100 rib  500 rib and 1000 rib  you cannot choose from many amounts  you see  .  
 i 'd like to take some money from my fund account at the securities company  .  is that possible here  ?  
 certainly  .  we can transfer the money straight into your bank account here and then you can withdraw it right away  .  could i have your passbook for banksecurities account transfer  ?  
 here it is  .  could i make a balance enquiry  please  ?  
 your balance today is 120376 rib  .  
 fine  i 'll take 10000 rib  please  .  
 ok  .  please fill in this form and input you code here  .  .  .  and again  please  .  i 'll just check and see if the money has been transferred  .  yes  transaction successful  .  
 thank you very much  .  
 i need to increase the amount of my l  c  .  it 's quite a new one  i opened it 12 days ago  .  
 what you need to do is apply for an amendment on your existing l  c  .  
 how do i go about that  ?  
 you 'll need to fill in this application form and there is a charge of 30 us dollars for this  .  
 ok  you can take that from my account  .  i 'll fill in the form now  .  
 thanks  .  yes  .  .  .  that 's all in order  .  what we will do now is send the l  c amendment to the negotiating bank  .  as soon as we know anything  we 'll contact you  .  
 hello  .  i 've been told to come in and see someone about my l  c  .  i just had a message to come in and see someone called kristy  .  
 i 'm kristy  .  can i help  ?  
 i received a letter asking me to come in and see you  .  i 'm mr simons from dalton's electrics  .  
 oh  yes  .  hello mr simons  .  i have some information about your l  c amendment  .  the negotiating bank has just informed us that the 3rd party does not wish to accept the amendment  .  
 oh dear  !  where should i go from here  ?  
 i 'd recommend going back to the 3rd party  personally this time  and discussing what exactly it is they are n't happy with  .  hopefully you can reach some sort of agreement  which is viable for everyone  .  
 mr edwards  this is kristy calling from iba  .  
 hi kristy  !  what 's going on  ?  
 do you remember coming in to do the l  c amendment last week  ?  
 yes  i certainly do  .  
 the negotiating bank has just been in touch  .  .  .  
 oh  dear  !  there is n't a problem  is there  ?  
 no  mr edwards  not at all  .  we are contacting you to let you know that everything has gone smoothly and the amendment has been accepted  .  
 kristy  that 's wonderful  !  thanks so much for contacting me personally  .  
 well  i 've been browsing online  but i  m not really sure what to do about payment  .  i would like to know what the most convenient way to do it is  .  
 we 'll have our own secure internet banking service  .  what it is  is a sort of online financial service for enterprises and individuals  so you could get it  .  it 's for doing all types of ebusiness  .  
 that does sound interesting  .  how can i get this service  ?  
 easy as pie  !  we can get everything set up for you right away  .  then  you 'll be shopping securely online in no time at all  .  
 hello  .  i 'm trying to track down some documents due to arrive any day on our new l  c  .  
 not a problem  .  could you tell me you l  c number  please  ?  
 it 's th 15699324873 0  .  
 ok  just checking for you  .  .  .  yes  they have arrived  .  how would you like me to handle them  ?  
 would it be possible to transfer them to iba bank  ?  
 that 's fine  .  i 'll get on with that for you right now  .  
 hi  .  last month  our company  turner interiors of beijing  ordered some documents under our new l  c  .  what i want to do is check and see if the documents have arrived yet  .  
 let me find that on my screen  .  .  .  yes  the l  c is right here  .  i 'm sorry  the documents do n't seem to be here yet  .  
 oh  dear  .  when do you think they will arrive  ?  
 it should be around 5 working days  but different cases take different times  .  sorry i ca n't be more precise  .  
 hi there  .  i 'm calling about personal internet banking  what details can you give me  ?  
 personal internet banking is a self service financial service that is based on the internet  .  it can be used by both businesses and individuals  .  we offer an online payment service  personal net banking  which includes services such as account transfers  personal foreign exchange trading  .  you can also get account management services  online bill payment  for household bills like gas and electricity  .  .  .  
 that sounds good  .  at the moment i spend ages queuing at the post office to pay my bills  .  
 i 'm here to pay my telephone bill  .  i usually go to the post office  but i was told that i could take care of it here  .  is that right  ?  
 yes  that 's correct  madam  .  you do n't need to go to a counter at all  you can use one of our atm machines  .  i 'll be more than happy to help you  .  
 i do n't usually like to use atms  i like dealing with a real person  you see  .  
 i know it does seem a little daunting  but once you get used to it  it will save you a lot of time and trouble  .  
 bill payment  please  .  i 'd like to pay my electricity bill  .  i heard there 's a new way  i 'm sick and tired of all this queuing  !  
 now  you can do it via our atms  .  it 's convenient and easy to use  .  and we have 4 machines in this branch  so the queues are not usually very long  .  
 so  how do i use it  ?  
 you just simply follow the instructions on the screen  .  you can inquire about your account information and use the selfservice payment function  .  
 hello  lina  .  i 'm calling about your new pin scheme  .  i 'm new to all of this  so some of my questions may sound a little ignorant  .  .  .  
 that 's not a problem  i 'm more than happy to explain everything in laymen's terms  .  pin stands for personal internet banking  .  you can do all of your usual banking using the internet  no need to call 
 i see  .  how about buying and selling items  ?  
 we can take care of that for you  too  .  you can get all of your usual banking services plus some new extra ones  .  as this service is net bases  you can do it anywhere  .  
 that 's good to know  because i do travel quite frequently  .  
 it 's a document from the seller to the buyer  .  it contains full particulars of the goods sold  such as quantity  quality  price  forwarding particulars  and terms of payment  .  
 how many kinds of foreign invoices are there  ?  
 four  .  they are loco invoice  fob invoice  cif invoice and franco invoice  .  
 what does the price in different kinds of invoices include  ?  
 by loco invoice  the price includes only the cost of goods at the warehouse of the seller  .  by fob invoice  the price includes the cost before the cargo is delivered  .  by cif invoice  the price includes all the expenses of cost freight and insurance  .  the price in franco invoice includes all expenses to destination  .  
 oh  i see  .  
 yes  dad  ?  
 do you have life insurance  ?  
 well  no  .  it just seemed like another bill we  d have to pay  .  
 you have children now  .  what if something  god forbid  happens to you  ?  
 that 's true  .  well  how much do you think i should get  ?  
 a 10000 dollar policy shouldn  t be too expensive  .  here  call my agent  .  he will give you a good deal  .  
 oh  all right  .  i lost a bunch of money in the last two years  but this year has been pretty good  .  
 yeah  i lost money investing in the internet too  .  
 just goes to show that you should buy companies not ideas  .  
 i changed my strategy around too  .  i invest in good companies now  .  
 yeah  me too  .  did you hear about ted  ?  
 no  .  what happened  ?  
 he lost his kids  college money by trading  .  
 oh  boy  .  his wife ca n't be happy about that  .  
 yes  i 'd like to close my account  .  
 may i have your name  please  ?  
 adam smith  .  
 alright  what 's your address  ?  
 56 edison ave  apartment 39  los angeles  .  
 when would you like your account closed  ?  
 next friday  .  
 okay  .  where would you like to have your last bill sent to you  ?  
 14 may flower ave  los angeles  .  
 alright  we 'll take care of that  .  
 which tea do you prefer  black or jasmine tea  ?  
 i like both  .  could you show me some samples  ?  
 of course  here you are  .  these are black tea from anti  oolong tea from guangdong  oolong tea from fujisan and longing tea from xinu  .  the new products are curls black tea  crushed black tea and so on  .  they are the best sellers in many countries  .  
 oh  such a variety  .  all of them are excellent both in color and flavour  .  no wonder our people like china  s tea better than any other kind  .  could you give me some idea of the prices  ?  
 here is our price list  .  all the prices on the list are subject to our final confirmation  .  you can see the prices are reasonable  .  
 i 'd like you to quote me cif karachi  .  
 right  .  could you tell us the quantity you require so that we can work out the offer  ?  
 yes  .  i want 500 kilograms of black tea from anti  200 kilograms of jasmine tea from hangzhou and 100 kilograms of crushed black tea  first grade  .  
 good  .  we will make the offer tomorrow afternoon  .  is that all right  ?  
 yes  .  see you tomorrow afternoon  .  
 yes  i  ve come to inquire about a 6000 dollar remittance from california  .  has it arrived  ?  
 may i have your name  please  ?  
 my name is jenny clinton  .  
 i see  .  wait for a moment please  .  i am sorry  mrs  .  clinton  but the remittance does n't appear to have arrived yet  .  
 really  ?  it should have arrived  .  it was sent a week ago  .  
 if the money was sent by cable  it would have taken about one or two days  .  but if it was sent by airmail  it would take at least one week  .  
 well  then i 'll come again the day after tomorrow  .  
 or would you like us to phone you when the money arrives  ?  
 that would be very kind of you  .  
 could you please tell me your phone number  so we 'll give you a ring as soon as the remittance has arrived  ?  
 the phone number is 328 6765 extension 105  .  
 thank you  .  we 'll inform you in time  .  goodbye  .  
 i want to take out a loan for school  .  what kind of interest rate do you offer  ?  
 do you qualify for any of the federal loan programs  ?  
 yes  but i need to borrow some more money  .  
 well  .  in that case we can offer you a private educational loan  .  
 what 's the interest rate  ?  
 it 's 7 . 2   fixedrate loan  .  
 how do i go about taking it out  ?  
 just fill out this application  .  we can let you know right away if you qualify  .  
 all right  thank you  !  
 could you tell me my account balance  ?  my account number is  .  .  .  
 just a moment  please  .  your name  ?  
 emily smith  .  
 here is your balance  .  
 thank you  .  i want to make a withdrawal of 150 dollars  .  
 here you go  miss  .  
 thank you  .  
 i 'd be glad to  .  
 i 'm afraid that i do n't have a credit history  .  i just came to this country  .  
 do you have an account with this bank  ?  
 i 'm afraid not  .  
 in that case i highly recommend you apply for a savings and checking account also  .  that would help with your credit card application  .  
 what is the interest rate on your card  ?  
 the annual charge rate is 9 . 5   .  
 that 's very expensive  !  
 not really  .  the credit card is a revolving account  .  you only pay interest on what you owe  .  
 how does the bank bill its customers for credit card charges  ?  
 you will receive a monthly statement with each expenditure itemized  .  
 does the card provide any other benefits  ?  
 you can also get a cash advance up to 1000 dollars on this card  .  
 yes  i need some more cash for my visit in china  .  may i cash a traveler  s check here  ?  
 of course  .  we would be happy to cash it for you  .  
 i was going to cash it at the hotel  but one of my friends said that banks always give better exchange rates  .  
 well  any bank will cash it at our present traveler 's check buying rate  for which we  re somewhere cheaper than hotels because of the service charge  .  you see  hotels really aren  t in the money exchange business although they will cash traveler  s check for their guest  .  
 you mean there is really not that much of a difference  .  
 no  madam  .  not very much  .  
 well  may i cash these three checks for 100 dollars each  ?  i think that will be enough  .  
 yes  i 'll be happy to cash these for you  .  would you please countersign them here  ?  
 ok  .  
 good morning  .  i 'd like to cash this check  .  
 yes  sir  .  can you show you identity  ?  
 what about the driving license  ?  
 do n't you have any other identification  ?  
 i am sorry  .  i only have my driving license with me  .  
 ok  .  would you please sign your name on the back of the check  ?  
 thank you  .  here you are  .  
 how do you want your money  ?  
 would you give me some in twenties and tens  ?  
 all right  .  please wait for a moment  .  
 do you have stocks or a title deed of a house to pledge as security  ?  
 no  .  i should be grateful if you could see your way to make an advance against my personal reputation  .  you may inspect my accounts  .  from my accounts you can see that i 've promptly met all my obligations  .  
 we do not allow any request for a loan against personal security  .  this is a common regulation  .  but we may consider it if you can provide a reliable guarantor  .  
 yes  i can  .  you know mr  .  macready  the famous car dealer here in new york  .  he agreed to act as my guarantor of a loan in the sum of us  l0  000 until the end of this year  .  
 good  .  he is a man of high standing  .  i think we can grant the loan you need after some further discussion  .  but i suggest you borrow on overdraft instead of on loan  .  
 do you want small bills or large  ?  
 it does n't matter  .  
 do you want anything else  ?  
 yes  i 'd like to know the exchange rate for yen  .  
 yes  .  is there anything i can do for you  ?  
 could you tell me something about the terms and interest rates for personal automobile consumer loan  ?  
 the deadline is normally no more than 5 years with the interest adopted according to the corresponding lending rates announced by the pbc  .  
 i plan to take the loan for 3 years  .  
 well  the yearly interest rate is 5 . 49  for 3 years  .  i 'm sure you are qualified to apply for this loan  .  
 what about the loan repayment  ?  
 you may choose a repayment pattern by consulting with our bank  for example  payment of equal amount of principal or of principal and interest on monthly installments  .  
 does that mean i should deposit sufficient money to my account prior to the monthly payment date so that you can directly deduct the repayment of the principal and interest  ?  
 exactly  .  you are permitted to effect and early payment in part or in full with the consent of our bank  .  
 that 's very thoughtful of you  .  thank you so much  .  
 you 're welcome  .  
 what would you like  ?  
 twenties and some smaller bills  please  .  
 anything else  ?  
 yes  .  could you tell many balance  ?  here 's account number  .  
 yes  i 'd like to exchange some us dollars into rib  .  
 how much would you like to exchange  ?  
 what 's the exchange rate for rib  ?  
 it 's us 100 for rib 802 today  .  
 i 'd like to exchange 3000  .  
 fill out this exchange memo  please  .  
 yes  .  here you are  .  
 wait a second  please  .  .  .  these are 24060 rib and the receipt  please check them  .  
 all right  thank you so much  goodbye  .  
 goodbye  .  
 have you got any identification  id  with you  ?  
 yes  .  here is my passport  .  
 what currency will you have  ?  
 us dollars  please  .  
 all right  and how will you have it  ?  
 500 in twenty dollar bills and the rest in a dollar bills  .  
 here you are  .  
 please count  .  
 um  .  .  .  hello  i would like to open an account  .  
 ok  !  what kind of account do you want to open  ?  
 i want to open a current account  .  
 i will open it for you right now  .  
 what 's the minimum deposit for opening a current account  ?  
 it 's 10 yuan  .  how much money do you want to deposit  ?  
 well  here 's 3000 yuan  .  
 please write down your name  address and the amount of your deposit here  .  and please choose a passcode of six numbers and confirm it  .  
 ok  here you are  .  
 thank you  .  please confirm your information and sign your name in the blank  .  
 done  !  what else should i do  ?  
 that 's all  .  here 's your bank card  and here 's the certificate of deposit  .  bring your bank card with you every time you come to deposit or withdraw money  .  
 ok  .  thanks  .  goodbye  !  
 bye  !  
 i want to buy a car to facilitate my life  .  but i do n't have enough money  .  could you supply a loan to me  ?  
 oh  i see  .  would you mind telling me your monthly salary  ?  
 sure  .  7000 yuan per month  .  
 ok  .  we can supply you a loan  .  how much do you want to loan  ?  
 200000 yuan  .  by the way  what about the interest rate  ?  
 it 's only 4 . 5  for oneyear loan  .  do you want to apply now  ?  
 yes  i think so  .  
 ok  .  please fill out this loan application  .  
 all right  .  thank you  .  
 my pleasure  .  
 good morning  !  i 'm steven smith  .  i want to open an account here  .  
 ok  !  come this way please  .  you should fill a form here first  .  here you are  .  
 thank you very much  !  and then what  ?  
 if you do n't mind  mr  .  smith  please go to counter number six to queue up and wait for the service  .  
 ok  !  thank you  .  
 my pleasure  .  
 our product features inventory tracking software  which continuously updates and tracks your inventory on a realtime basis  .  
 is the software userfriendly  ?  
 yes it is very easy to use and each system installation comes with a 3  day employee training seminar  .  
 is this training part of the package or will it cost extra  ?  
 our quoted price includes the software system  installation  3 day training seminar and ongoing troubleshooting . there are no hidden costs  .  
 our terms are net 30  .  
 what if we purchase an increased quantity  ?  can you give us better terms  ?  
 you would have to order in excess of 10000 units to be eligible  .  
 we do not have the space in our warehouse to store over 5000 units  .  
 an option we can offer is two separate shipments . we will house the inventory until you are ready for us to ship it to you  .  
 yes  sir . how can i help you  ?  
 i need to speak to an attorney regarding filing corporate govemance  .  
 you would need to speak to ms . stevens  .  
 is she available  ?  
 one moment  please  and i will connect your call  .  
 what  s wrong  jim  ?  
 i called the electronics shop to find out what time they close  and it took me twenty minutes to get what i wanted  !  
 twenty minutes just to find out what their business hours are  ?  
 yes . they have some sort of digital receptionist . so when i called in  a machine told me to push a button for the department i wanted to be transferred to  .  
 oh  i hate getting voicemail instead of a person . what did you do  ?  
 i just kept pushing buttons  .  i was transferred to customer service  but there a machine told me to choose between technical help  warranty information  or price information  .  
 couldn  d you choose to be transferred to a real person  ?  
 eventually i did get to a real person  .  i found out the closing time  but by then the store had already closed  !  
 you definitely made the right move by calling  .  our primary business is creating  conducting and customizing fully interactive human resources workshops for companies just like yours  .  
 it seems that my employees are having trouble working as a team  .  not to mention serious lapses in service  sales and leadership skills  .  
 well as we know nothing comes out of a can  .  we have years of experience tailoring workshops to the specific needs of your company  .  we can hone in on your problem areas and have your employe 
 what a relief  !  i was beginning to think it was no way to get my business rolling again  .  
 that 's what we 're here for  the human resources help you need  when and how you need it  .  
 yes  .  you could use five or six units . but five or six would n't be very efficient  .  i recommend seven  .  
 and if we take the decker units you suggested  what would the price be  ?  
 let me calculate the price for you  .  i can give you a 15  discount if you buy the seven units . let s see here  .  your total would be 5929 dollars  .  
 is n't there any way we can get central air conditioning in this building  ?  
 as i said  it is possible  but it would be much more expensive  .  i think it would be at least 12000 dollars to do a complete system  .  
 that 's too much  .  we need to use the separate units  i guess  .  
 it 's more practical  and the new units really are very quiet . your customers wo n't even notice them  .  
 so you say we can do it for 6000 dollars  .  
 yes  that 's for the units . installation would probably be another 700 to 1000 dollars . but it depends on the time spent  of course  .  
 you mean installation is n't included  ?  i 'm very surprised  .  
 no  ma 'am  .  installation is n't included . the price i quoted was just for the units  .  
 in taipei  you know  the company usually installs the things they sell . they do n't charge extra  .  
 i know that  ma 'am  .  but they would just raise the price of the units to cover their costs . here in l  .  a  .   installation is charged separately  .  
 yes  i suppose i should get used to it . but i 'm not really willing to spend more than 6000 dollars for this . we have n't even opened yet  .  
 i understand  ma 'am  .  
 and the other company that gave me a quote on this said they could do it for 4000 dollars  .  
 it 's a question of quality  ma 'am  .  at that price  you would not get good equipment  .  i 've been in this business for almost twenty years  .  i know what happens . if you do n't get quality air conditioning now  you will just have to replace the system after two years  .  
 i will tell you what i can agree to . if you can quote me a price of 6000 dollars  installation included  i can accept  .  
 well  .  
 you do seem like a better company than the other one . so i am willing to pay more than 4000 for you  .  but i wo n't pay more than 6000  .  
 well  we do n't usually do it  but  .  .  .  i believe we can accommodate you on this . we will do the installation for free  .  because we appreciate your business  .  
 good  .  i hope we can arrange the contract as soon as possible  .  
 ok  you have to fill out the form  .  and i let me see three identification cards or documents  .  
 i have the driver  s license  a membership card and my passport  .  would we do  ?  
 let me see them  .  yes  .  there  re ok  .  
 what  s the minimum amount i can deposit in an account  ?  
 you can deposit and ensure amount of ten dollars  .  
 thank you  .  
 what  ?  
 i went down to change some money  right  ?  
 yes  .  we need some  .  how much did you change  ?  
 i wanted to change around 5000 dollars  .  and you know the exchange rate  .  
 yes  it 's about 35 pesos for every taiwan dollar  right  ?  
 not today  .  
 what do you mean  ?  
 i went into the bank with my money  and i looked at the exchange board . at first i could n't believe it  .  i thought i was reading the board wrong or something  .  
 why  ?  
 because the board said 60 pesos for every taiwan dollar  .  
 sixty  ?  that 's too much  .  how can that be  ?  
 i thought it was wrong too  .  it did n't make sense  .  
 just two days ago it was 35  .  how can it be 60  ?  
 so  i went up to the teller and started to exchange the money  .  and it 's true . they really gave me sixty pesos for the dollar  .  
 that 's amazing  !  really  ?  how could it change so much in two days  ?  
 can i see your passbook and with your draft please  ?  
 sure  ?  
 let me just make sure  .  you want to withdraw one thousand dollars  .  
 that  s right  .  
 that 's easy  .  it was your office ergonomics that decided me  .  
 you 're kidding  !  something as simple as that  ?  
 yes  .  it is very important to me  .  my mother worked in offices for twenty years  and she finally had carpal tunnel syndrome  .  i have been reading about repetitive stress injuries  and i know that t 
 yes  there has been a lot of research into rsi 's  .  something so simple as proper chair height can prevent injuries  .  tell me  did anything else influence your decision  ?  
 yes  i noticed that you have professional training and teambuilding days  .  i like the idea of working for a company that invests in its staff  .  
 well  welcome to the team  .  
