Listen and Respond
1
I am now a fourth-year student at college, but I can never forget my freshman year here. In general, it is a time filled with anticipation, some anxiety, and wonderful discoveries.
College is a lot different from high school. Your freshman experience will definitely make an impression on you. So, what can you expect as you head off into the wonderful world of higher education?
The first thing yo u’ll notice is the workload. It will be heavier than you ever experienced before. The major challenges of college work are the large amount of reading and writing, and the short deadlines. A related effect that can be brought on by the workload is doubt, frustration, and possibly loneliness. You’ll be away from the comforts and friendships your home provided for you over the previous years.
During the freshman year, you’ll be making a lot of new friends. But you should continue to be yourself. Select your friends with the same care and patience you have always shown. Believe it or not, your college friendships will be among the most satisfying and long-term of your life. It’s always exciting to discover how wonderfully diverse college relationships can be.
You ’ll also be on your own-you ’ll be your own boss 24 hours a day, so to speak. But, remember, with freedom comes responsibility. You should always remember that you are at college with an anticipated mission. Don’t waste your time on meaningless things.
During the freshman year, you may even start thinking about your future. Maybe a certain professor is especially inspiring. Perhaps your school has some great research going on. If some area of study attracts you, find out all you can about it. It might be the beginning of your lifetime career. Going to college is not just to get a degree-it is to find out who you really are and what you are really made for.
Task Two
1. anticipation; wonderful discoveries
2. heavier; reading and writing; deadlines
3. most satisfying; long-term; wonderfully diverse
4. anticipated mission; meaningless things
5. who you are; what you are really made for
2
Unit 2 Learning a Language
Listen and Respond
Hello, I'm Alberto.I'm a student of English, French, Portuguese and Italian.I would also love to learn Chinese and German in the near future.My mother tongue is Spanish and I have a degree in Political Science.I love to learn new languages, because I think it broadens my mind.Even though I still have some difficulty with verb tenses,I'm confident that with time and practice I'll cope with them.I believe learning a new language besides your mother tongue can be useful,especially in a world where distances are shortenedand people from different countries communicate with each other more frequently.Learning a new language can be a good experience,but only if you keep in
mind that nothing is obtained without some effort.In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to read a lot.
It doesn't matter what you read, but that you do it.Even if you don't understand everything,your reading comprehension skill will improve remarkably.Also, if possible, watch a lot of television in that language, or listen to CDs.Maybe at first you won't understand a word,but later you'd catch on to the rhythm of the language.Good dictionaries are necessary, and books regarding vocabulary can be a plus.The Internet is also a useful tool.The language you choose to learn might seem a little difficult at first,or even totally strange, but you'll get accustomed to it.
Remember that the learning process is long, and that it never ends.However, it is also highly enjoyable.
3
The Birthday Heart
One day I was helping my mom preparing a picnic when my sisters arrived. They said, “Happy birthday, Mom!” and gave her some presents.
I was sad. I had forgotten it was my mother’s birthday, but I didn’t want her to know that I had not remembered her birthday. I had one dollar in my piggy bank. With that I was sure that I could get a present that would show my mother how much I loved her.
I went to the store. When I looked around, I suddenly realized that my dollar wouldn’t buy as much as I had thought it would. Then I saw a heart made of plastic. It contained typewriter correction paper. I knew that it would show my mother how much I loved her. It was ninety-nine cents.
I took the heart to the cashier and gave her my dollar. She said that I didn’t have enough money because with tax the heart cost more than a dollar.
I didn’t understand sales tax. All I understood was that I couldn’t’ give the heart to my mom. I went to put the heart back and the cashier asked me if it was my mom’s birthday. I nodded. Then she said that she could help me. She put some of her own pennies in the cash register with my dollar and gave me the heart in a bag.
When my mother opened the bag and pulled out the heart, she exclaimed “What a beautiful present!” “It ’s just what I need.” She put me on her lap and told me that she loved the heart and she loved me.
I don’t remember many of the gifts that I have given my mother, but I will always remember the heart that I gave her on that birthday.
Task Two
1. sad 2. her mother’s birthday 3. want her mother 4. how much she loved her
5. wouldn’t buy 6. ninety-nine 7. put the heart back 8. cash register
9. “what a beautiful present! It’s just what I need.” 10. her lap
4
Parents and Teenagers
Teenagers and adults have a difficult time communicating. Teenagers often think adults don ’t understand them. Adults often think teenagers just don’t listen to anything they say. That creates conflict. People very often use “generation gap” to explain the conflict between parents and children. However, the problem of communication between parents and teenagers does not
all lie in the “generation gap”. It lies mostly in implied statements that are not fully communicated between a teenage child and a parent. Here is one example. Mother says: “Please take out the trash. ” The teenager replies: “OK. ” However, one hour later the mother finds the trash is still in the kitchen and so becomes a bit unhappy. “I thought I asked you to take out the trash.” But the child replies: “You didn’t say I had to do it now.” Are you familiar with this kind of conversation? In this conversation the mother feels that the teenager should know what she means, but the teenager just doesn’t. Conversations like this take place around our home every day. They cause some unhappiness but are totally normal, and can usually be solved quite soon. It is when this type of “lack of communication ” gets involved with the bigger issues of teenagers that larger problems can be caused. It is more difficult to solve these larger problems and it takes the efforts of both parents and teenagers to overcome such problems.
Task Two
1.don ’t understand them 2.don ’t listen to anything 3.generation gap
4.fully communicated 5.should know what she means 6.some unhappiness
7.gets involved with 8.solve these larger problems 9.to overcome such problems 5
Script:
What is personality? How does knowledge about personality help us?
First of all, let us take a look at what personality means. In general, when psychologists talk about personality, they are usually looking for things that make a person different from others or things that can explain how a person is not the same as others. However, different psychologists have different ways of explaining what personality is. They often use tests to put people into categories and compare them. For example, people who are quiet and like to spend more time at home reading and doing their own things are called introverts. “Introverts ” is spelt I-N-T-R-O-V-E-R-T-S. Others who enjoy going out and spending time with other people are called extroverts, E-X-T-R-O-V-E-R-T-S. Do you know which personality type you are? Are you an introvert or an extrovert.
Second, how can knowledge about personality help us? Well, one of the ways is that by knowing how people behave and why they behave in a certain way, we can understand them better. This will help to make our relationship with them stronger. For instance, if we know that someone is an introvert, we will understand why he or she does not feel comfortable when he or she is with a big group of newly met people. We may then help this person to make friends and talk to others.
Another way knowledge about personality can help us is when we want to improve ourselves. If we know what personality type we belong to and the reasons we behave the way we do, we can then try to change some of the bad things so that they can become good. In this way, we can make ourselves a better person.
So, after listening to this short passage about personality, do you want to find out more about yourself?
Task Two:
1. explain
2. quiet; spend time at home; own things; extroverts; going out and spending time with other people.
3. understand; stronger 4. comfortable 5. improve
6
Xiao Wang: People are so impolite these days!
Xiao Chen: What’s the matter, Xiao Wang?
Xiao Wang: Well, you see, this morning I was sitting in the back of the bus, alone, by myself. A
friend called so I talked on my mobile phone to him for a while.
Xiao Chen: Yes? What happened?
Xiao Wang: Well, two people kept giving me dirty looks. You know, this is not the first time. It
happened before. And when I got off the bus, one of them told me to stop using
my mobile phone. He said I had talked too loudly about private matters and he
had not the least interest in knowing about them. I just don’t understand these
people. What’s wrong with them?
Xiao Chen: I see. Actually similar things have happened to me many times, too. I must say
there’re rude people everywhere these days. Like, the other day, I was sitting in
the park, smoking a cigarette. I was just sitting there, you know, enjoying the nice
weather, looking at the birds, listening to music, and smoking.
Xiao Wang: Yeah, what happened then?
Xiao Chen: Well, when I finished my cigarette, I did what I always do when I smoke in the park. I
put the cigarette butt on the sidewalk and crushed it with my shoe.
Xiao Wang: Right. That’s what I usually do and there’s nothing wrong with it. This w ay it
won’t be a danger to anyone.
Xiao Chen: Well, this guy walking by saw me putting out my cigarette and told me that it was
not very nice. He said it was bad for the environment. I just don’t get it. How can
it be bad for the environment? Why are people so impolite?
Xiao Wang: Well, well, I must say there are certainly rude people everywhere!
Task Two
1. alone 2. looking at 3. got off; private 4. wrong 5. crushed/ put out; danger
6. very nice 7. bad 8. rude/ impolite
Listen and Respond
1
I am now a fourth-year student at college, but I can never forget my freshman year here. In general, it is a time filled with anticipation, some anxiety, and wonderful discoveries.
College is a lot different from high school. Your freshman experience will definitely make an impression on you. So, what can you expect as you head off into the wonderful world of higher education?
The first thing yo u’ll notice is the workload. It will be heavier than you ever experienced before. The major challenges of college work are the large amount of reading and writing, and the short deadlines. A related effect that can be brought on by the workload is doubt, frustration, and possibly loneliness. You’ll be away from the comforts and friendships your home provided for you over the previous years.
During the freshman year, you’ll be making a lot of new friends. But you should continue to be yourself. Select your friends with the same care and patience you have always shown. Believe it or not, your college friendships will be among the most satisfying and long-term of your life. It’s always exciting to discover how wonderfully diverse college relationships can be.
You ’ll also be on your own-you ’ll be your own boss 24 hours a day, so to speak. But, remember, with freedom comes responsibility. You should always remember that you are at college with an anticipated mission. Don’t waste your time on meaningless things.
During the freshman year, you may even start thinking about your future. Maybe a certain professor is especially inspiring. Perhaps your school has some great research going on. If some area of study attracts you, find out all you can about it. It might be the beginning of your lifetime career. Going to college is not just to get a degree-it is to find out who you really are and what you are really made for.
Task Two
1. anticipation; wonderful discoveries
2. heavier; reading and writing; deadlines
3. most satisfying; long-term; wonderfully diverse
4. anticipated mission; meaningless things
5. who you are; what you are really made for
2
Unit 2 Learning a Language
Listen and Respond
Hello, I'm Alberto.I'm a student of English, French, Portuguese and Italian.I would also love to learn Chinese and German in the near future.My mother tongue is Spanish and I have a degree in Political Science.I love to learn new languages, because I think it broadens my mind.Even though I still have some difficulty with verb tenses,I'm confident that with time and practice I'll cope with them.I believe learning a new language besides your mother tongue can be useful,especially in a world where distances are shortenedand people from different countries communicate with each other more frequently.Learning a new language can be a good experience,but only if you keep in
mind that nothing is obtained without some effort.In my opinion, the best way to learn a language is to read a lot.
It doesn't matter what you read, but that you do it.Even if you don't understand everything,your reading comprehension skill will improve remarkably.Also, if possible, watch a lot of television in that language, or listen to CDs.Maybe at first you won't understand a word,but later you'd catch on to the rhythm of the language.Good dictionaries are necessary, and books regarding vocabulary can be a plus.The Internet is also a useful tool.The language you choose to learn might seem a little difficult at first,or even totally strange, but you'll get accustomed to it.
Remember that the learning process is long, and that it never ends.However, it is also highly enjoyable.
3
The Birthday Heart
One day I was helping my mom preparing a picnic when my sisters arrived. They said, “Happy birthday, Mom!” and gave her some presents.
I was sad. I had forgotten it was my mother’s birthday, but I didn’t want her to know that I had not remembered her birthday. I had one dollar in my piggy bank. With that I was sure that I could get a present that would show my mother how much I loved her.
I went to the store. When I looked around, I suddenly realized that my dollar wouldn’t buy as much as I had thought it would. Then I saw a heart made of plastic. It contained typewriter correction paper. I knew that it would show my mother how much I loved her. It was ninety-nine cents.
I took the heart to the cashier and gave her my dollar. She said that I didn’t have enough money because with tax the heart cost more than a dollar.
I didn’t understand sales tax. All I understood was that I couldn’t’ give the heart to my mom. I went to put the heart back and the cashier asked me if it was my mom’s birthday. I nodded. Then she said that she could help me. She put some of her own pennies in the cash register with my dollar and gave me the heart in a bag.
When my mother opened the bag and pulled out the heart, she exclaimed “What a beautiful present!” “It ’s just what I need.” She put me on her lap and told me that she loved the heart and she loved me.
I don’t remember many of the gifts that I have given my mother, but I will always remember the heart that I gave her on that birthday.
Task Two
1. sad 2. her mother’s birthday 3. want her mother 4. how much she loved her
5. wouldn’t buy 6. ninety-nine 7. put the heart back 8. cash register
9. “what a beautiful present! It’s just what I need.” 10. her lap
4
Parents and Teenagers
Teenagers and adults have a difficult time communicating. Teenagers often think adults don ’t understand them. Adults often think teenagers just don’t listen to anything they say. That creates conflict. People very often use “generation gap” to explain the conflict between parents and children. However, the problem of communication between parents and teenagers does not
all lie in the “generation gap”. It lies mostly in implied statements that are not fully communicated between a teenage child and a parent. Here is one example. Mother says: “Please take out the trash. ” The teenager replies: “OK. ” However, one hour later the mother finds the trash is still in the kitchen and so becomes a bit unhappy. “I thought I asked you to take out the trash.” But the child replies: “You didn’t say I had to do it now.” Are you familiar with this kind of conversation? In this conversation the mother feels that the teenager should know what she means, but the teenager just doesn’t. Conversations like this take place around our home every day. They cause some unhappiness but are totally normal, and can usually be solved quite soon. It is when this type of “lack of communication ” gets involved with the bigger issues of teenagers that larger problems can be caused. It is more difficult to solve these larger problems and it takes the efforts of both parents and teenagers to overcome such problems.
Task Two
1.don ’t understand them 2.don ’t listen to anything 3.generation gap
4.fully communicated 5.should know what she means 6.some unhappiness
7.gets involved with 8.solve these larger problems 9.to overcome such problems 5
Script:
What is personality? How does knowledge about personality help us?
First of all, let us take a look at what personality means. In general, when psychologists talk about personality, they are usually looking for things that make a person different from others or things that can explain how a person is not the same as others. However, different psychologists have different ways of explaining what personality is. They often use tests to put people into categories and compare them. For example, people who are quiet and like to spend more time at home reading and doing their own things are called introverts. “Introverts ” is spelt I-N-T-R-O-V-E-R-T-S. Others who enjoy going out and spending time with other people are called extroverts, E-X-T-R-O-V-E-R-T-S. Do you know which personality type you are? Are you an introvert or an extrovert.
Second, how can knowledge about personality help us? Well, one of the ways is that by knowing how people behave and why they behave in a certain way, we can understand them better. This will help to make our relationship with them stronger. For instance, if we know that someone is an introvert, we will understand why he or she does not feel comfortable when he or she is with a big group of newly met people. We may then help this person to make friends and talk to others.
Another way knowledge about personality can help us is when we want to improve ourselves. If we know what personality type we belong to and the reasons we behave the way we do, we can then try to change some of the bad things so that they can become good. In this way, we can make ourselves a better person.
So, after listening to this short passage about personality, do you want to find out more about yourself?
Task Two:
1. explain
2. quiet; spend time at home; own things; extroverts; going out and spending time with other people.
3. understand; stronger 4. comfortable 5. improve
6
Xiao Wang: People are so impolite these days!
Xiao Chen: What’s the matter, Xiao Wang?
Xiao Wang: Well, you see, this morning I was sitting in the back of the bus, alone, by myself. A
friend called so I talked on my mobile phone to him for a while.
Xiao Chen: Yes? What happened?
Xiao Wang: Well, two people kept giving me dirty looks. You know, this is not the first time. It
happened before. And when I got off the bus, one of them told me to stop using
my mobile phone. He said I had talked too loudly about private matters and he
had not the least interest in knowing about them. I just don’t understand these
people. What’s wrong with them?
Xiao Chen: I see. Actually similar things have happened to me many times, too. I must say
there’re rude people everywhere these days. Like, the other day, I was sitting in
the park, smoking a cigarette. I was just sitting there, you know, enjoying the nice
weather, looking at the birds, listening to music, and smoking.
Xiao Wang: Yeah, what happened then?
Xiao Chen: Well, when I finished my cigarette, I did what I always do when I smoke in the park. I
put the cigarette butt on the sidewalk and crushed it with my shoe.
Xiao Wang: Right. That’s what I usually do and there’s nothing wrong with it. This w ay it
won’t be a danger to anyone.
Xiao Chen: Well, this guy walking by saw me putting out my cigarette and told me that it was
not very nice. He said it was bad for the environment. I just don’t get it. How can
it be bad for the environment? Why are people so impolite?
Xiao Wang: Well, well, I must say there are certainly rude people everywhere!
Task Two
1. alone 2. looking at 3. got off; private 4. wrong 5. crushed/ put out; danger
6. very nice 7. bad 8. rude/ impolite