Unit 6

Section I

Task 1

Ted: Hey, that was fun. Thanks for the lesson!

Ana: No problem. So, tell me a little about yourself. What do you do?

Ted: I work in a travel agency.

Ana: Really! What do you do there?

Ted: I’m in charge of their computers.

Ana: Oh, so you’re a computer specialist.

Ted: Well, sort of. Yeah, I guess so.

Ana: That’s great. Then maybe you can give me some help with a computer course

I’m taking.

Ted: Oh, sure . . . but only if you promise to give me some more skating lessons.

Ana: It’s a deal!

Task 2

Olivia: I’m nervous. I don’t know anybody here. How can you be so relaxed?

Eddie: Well, I know some of the people here. I know Tom . . .

Olivia: Which one is Tom?

Eddie: He’s the one in the checked shirt.

Olivia: Oh, I see him. He’s cute.

Eddie: And I know the Patten sisters, and . . .

Olivia: Whoa! Slow down. Which ones are the Patten sisters?

Eddie: They’re the ones in the tie-dyed T-shirts. Do you want me to introduce you?

Olivia: Sure. But introduce me to Tom first!

Eddie: OK. Come on. Let’s catch him right now.

Task 3

Matt: Hey, Mom. Could you buy me a new digital camera today? Mine is broken, and

Alex wants me to take pictures at his party tonight.

Mrs. Hays: No, I’m sorry. I can’t, Matt.

Matt: Oh, Mom. Well, can I stay out until 10:00?

Mrs. Hays: Yes, all right. But be home at 10:00 sharp!

Matt: OK. And, uh, can John sleep over after the party?

Mrs. Hays: Sure, that’s fine. But we have to get up early, remember? We’re going to

go visit Aunt Becky.

Matt: Oh, yes! I forgot. And, um, Mom, could you lend me $15?

Mrs. Hays: $15? No, I can’t. Sorry.

Section II

Task 1

Voice-over: The sights of London are famous throughout the world.

There are lots of different ways to travel around the city.

The double-decker red bus is a good way to get around.

This bus is called the Route master. It was used for over fifty years. The special

design has no door so passengers were able to get on and off quickly.

Sometimes even run to catch up with it, and jump on the back.

London stopped using the Route master in 2005.

Nowadays, London buses can be double-deckers or single-deckers, even

bendy-buses, but designers are working on a new version of the Route master which

will be on the streets soon.

You can also get around by Tube, the name for London's Underground system.

The Tube was the first underground railway system in the world and today it's

still one of the busiest, with twelve lines and two hundred and seventy stations.

The Tube has some of the longest escalators in the world.

It's good to know what to do when you're going to catch a tube.

If you notice, people stand on the right and leave the left clear so those in a hurry

can overtake. It's the opposite of Britain's road traffic system!

The Tube map was designed in the 1930s. A revolutionary design, it made the

layout of the stations very simple and easy to follow.

If you want to travel in style you can take a London taxi or “black cab”.

The drivers are known as “cabbies”.

They're famous for having lots of stories and information to pass onto their

passengers.

Driving round the capital by taxi you might see a London pub, a tempting place

to stop and have a beer when you're thirsty.

Fancy a pint?

Cheers!

Task 2

Charlotte: These or these?

Andy: The ones in your left hand. Anything else?

Charlotte: Couldn’t tell me how to get to this concert, could you?

Andy: I thought you were going with Richard, ask him.

Charlotte: Please, can you just let me know how to get to the theatre?

Andy: Walking or by bus?

Charlotte: Walking. Rich said it isn't far.

Andy: It’s a fair walk. Still, it's not raining. You could take the number 15 bus.

Charlotte: No, we'll walk, if Richard gets a move on we'll have plenty of time.

Andy: Go out of the flat, take a right, take the second right, not the first right 'cause

the first right is a dead end . . . Turn the second right, got it?

Charlotte: Think so; right and then right again . . . OK?

Andy: Good . . .Ok. Over the bridge 'til you get to the crossroads, the road bends a bit

to the left. Turn right, and then turn left.

Charlotte: Right, right, left right.

Andy: No, wrong, right, right and right again.

Charlotte: No, stop, I need a map . . . You've lost me, I'm really confused.

Andy: OK, second right past the supermarket. Then you go down, you take the second

street . . . on your right. Then, you go all the way along that road, over the bridge . . .

bridge. The road bends to the left . . . Turn right . . . Now, when you get to the

crossroads turn left and onto the main road.

Charlotte: Sorry, can you say that again.

Andy: Look, OK, turn out of the flat, turn right at the second right.

Charlotte: Past the supermarket.

Andy: . . . Turn to the right.

Charlotte: At the supermarket.

Andy: Yes, straight on, um second right, over the bridge at the station 'til you come to

the crossroads.

Charlotte: You might mean where the Pub is?

Andy: Right, the Red Lion. Carry on 'til you get to the main road. Cross the road.

Charlotte: Then, I'll see the concert hall on the opposite side of the road on my right.

Got it!

Andy: You can't miss it! Mind how you cross the road!

Charlotte: Great, thanks.

Richard: Right, I'm ready.

Andy: Do you need that?

Richard: What's that?

Charlotte: A map, how to get there.

Richard: I don't need that. It's right near where I work, I could get there with my eyes

shut. Come on. See you Andy.

Section III

My family moved to Beijing a few years ago when my father got a building job

here for the Olympic Games. Life in such a big, modern city is very, very different

from our old village. I used to walk to school and it took me ten minutes. Now I go by

bus and some days it can take an hour or more because there's so much traffic! In the

country we used to live in a small house and knew everybody on our street. Here we

live in an enormous block of apartments and don’t know anybody! Everybody’s so

busy. Of course, in our village there were not many good shops or places to go in the

evening, but life in Beijing is much more expensive. I suppose life used to be much

quieter, healthier and slower, but it was definitely a lot more boring!