Unit 7
Task 1
WA: I can't stand places like Beidaihe.
M: No, nor can I.
WA: Y ou know, where you have to share the beach with thousands of other people who are all tourists.
WB: Oh, I don't mind that.
M: Oh, I do. I never go to places like that. I like to get right away from all the tourists, go somewhere that's really peaceful, like an island or something,
WA: Yes, so do I.
WB: What's wrong with so many people? I like meeting people when I'm on holiday. I like places with a good night life, and plenty of men around, and ...well, you know, where you can have a good time...
Landowner landlady renter lodger
Task 2
Hello. Is that Oxford 40414?
Y es, it is.
Erm...I'm asking about the flat which was advertised in the local paper. Oh yes?
Wonder if you could tell me how much the rent is per month, please?
I see. Is it fairly near the city center?
Y es, it's only about a kilometer away.
I see. Is it quite handy for the shops?
Y es, within a minute or two on foot.
Good, what about a garden?
Well, you have the use of the garden.
I see. And central heating is there?
Y es, yes.
I see. Erm...how many rooms are there, please?
Well, there's one very large bed-sitting room, a kitchen and a bathroom and a small hall.
I see. Erm...which floor is it on?
On the second floor.
Oh, good. Erm... Would it be possible for me to visit it tomorrow, say about 5 o'clock?
Y es, sure.
Oh, good. That's fine. Could you just give me your name, please?
Y es. My name is Mary Jones and the address is 41 North Wall Street.
Erm...41 North Wall Street. Fine. Thanks ever so much. I'll see you tomorrow at 5 o'clock then.
Y es. Good.
Goodbye.
Task 3
Since the 1400s, there had been European trading posts along the coast of Africa. But European power rarely stretched very far inland. Then, in the 1800s, a number of European nations began to carve almost all of Africa into colonies. These European nations were Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Portugal.
In the1880, the French had important settlements and much power in northern and western Africa. British influence was also growing along the Gold Coast and at the southern tip of Africa. Portuguese control on both coasts of southern Africa also began to expand. By 1900, almost all of Africa was under European control. Only Ethiopia and Liberia were still independent nations.
At first, there was little to be gained from most of the African colonies. The European nations wanted colonies because they might be valuable in the future. They also wanted to keep rival nations from getting the colonies. In the beginning, the ideal colony was simply one that supported itself. No nation wanted a colony that would cost much money to control.
Later, the European nations started to spend more money on their
colonies. More money was spent until all of the territory of each colony was under the parent country's control. Mother country
Though the European countries divided Africa into colonies, not many Europeans actually went there to work and live. With so few European nations could not long control their African colonies.
Play a safe card
Task 4
The weather seems to be everybody's favorite topic of conversation in Britain. This is not because the weather is particularly exciting, or even because people are particularly interested in it, but people have to talk about something and the weather serves as a convenient subject. It is something everybody shares and it is a safe topic, not too personal or intimate. annoying
The main thing to say about the weather in Britain is that it is unpredictable . For some people this makes it interesting, for others this makes it irritating , but certainly you can never tell with certainty from one day to the next what the weather is going to be like. Every morning when you wake up is a glorious surprise-- esp if you have planned to go to the seaside and you find it is pouring with rain or snowing. There are weather forecasts on the radio and TV-- and in the newspapers-- but on
the whole nobody believes them.
Because British weather is so unpredictable, some visitors get quite the wrong impression. Some people spend two weeks in Britain in the middle of a heat wave. They come back the next year equipped with bikinis, sun cream and shorts only to find that it never stops raining and the temperature never rises above 10 degrees. Usu though, the weather is changeable. A cloudy day is followed by a fine one, a wet day by a dry one; equally of course, you could say that a fine day is followed by a cloudy one, a dry day by a wet one. But you have to be an optimist to like British weather.
In the past Britain was famous for fogs. The typical picture of London was foggy November morning. Nowadays, though, fog does not seem so common. Of course it still occurs, esp in winter, but it is now thought of as rather rare. In fact the big problem with British weather is that everything comes as a surprise. People think that it is never very hot in Britain so they don't put air conditioning in their buildings. Then, when we get a fine week in summer, nobody can do any work. Similarly, nobody thinks it is ever really cold; so many houses do not have central heating. So in winter, if there is a cold spell, everybody shivers and catches pneumonia. More than one week without rain causes a drought; more then 1 cm of snow paralyses the entire country. If you set off on a day's journey in sunshine you are likely to arrive in a rainstorm. If you
decide to go sunbathing, don't forget to take an umbrella.
offspring
Task 5
About one half of Canada's people are of British descent. The ancestors of about half of the people in Canada came from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Today, in all the Canadian provinces except Quebec a large part of the population is of British descent. Ontario has the largest number of British Canadians.
Let us pay a visit to Toronto, the capital city of Ontario. As we walk through the main business section of this large city, we feel Toronto is much like cities in the United States. Most of the products in the shop windows are also sold in the United States . As we speak with people, however, we find that some of them have strong British accents . They have probably come from the British Isles since World War II.
Then we travel northeastward to the city of Quebec. This is a busy, up-to-date city. The people here are dressed about the same as those in other cities of Canada and the United States. As we walk along the streets, however, we find that Quebec seems very different from Toronto. This is because Quebec has been influenced more by the French than by the British. The city began as a French trading post, and most of the people who settled here came from France.
As we enter a bookshop, we notice that the sign over the door is printed in French and in English. Inside the shop , we hear people speaking French. The shopkeeper smiles and tells us that most of his books are printed in French. More than nine tenths of the people in the city of Quebec are of French descent. He also tells us that about eight out of ten people who live in the province of Quebec are of French descent. With pride he says , “The French people were the first white settlers in Canada."
Elope primitive
Task 6
When Tony's grandfather was young, he worked in Canada every summer. Once he visited the north of Canada, near the North Pole. The Eskimos live there. This is what Tony's grandfather told him about the Eskimos: Near the North Pole there are two seasons: winter and summer. In winter nights are long. For more than two months, you can't see the sun, even at noon. In summer days are long. For more than two months, the sun never sets, and there is no night.
The Eskimos have warm clothing. They make most of it themselves. They make it from the skins of animals. From skins, they make coats and hats and even boots.
In this cold climate, trees can't grow. The Eskimos have to build their houses from skins, earth, stone, or snow. When they go hunting, they live
in tents of skin. When they move, they take their tents with them. When they are out in a storm and can't get back home, they build houses of snow. They leave these snow houses when the storm is over.
Life is hard for the Eskimos. common sense general knowledge
Task 7
Mia, isn't that a lot of candy you're buying? Why are you buying so much?
For tomorrow night, you know, for the kids. It's Halloween.
Oh, yeah! Halloween. Children dress up in costumes...
Uh-huh. And they go around the neighborhood collecting candy. Sometimes they get apples or money.
What kind of costumes do they wear?
Hmm...ghosts costumes, witch costumes...Y ou know, actually all these traditions came from Europe. Halloween used to be a, uh, festival to drive away evil spirits, but now, you know, it's just for fun.
Maybe I should buy some candy too. How about these chocolates?
Y eah, they’re fine. You have to have,uh, you know, some kind of treat for the kids or they may play a trick on you.
Oh? What kind of trick?
Well, soap on your windows, or they might put toilet paper in your trees. Nothing too serious. Play it by ear congrats
Hmm.
Hey, by the way, have you bought a pumpkin?
What?
A pumpkin. Most people get one. You can pick one up at the market. You can paint a face on it... Or carve a face into it and put a candle inside. I'm going to get one now. Do you want to come?
Sure. Let's go.
Task 8
Where will business take you, Mr. Keller?
Uh, Washington for a few days... And two days in San Francisco. We'll have about 10 days in between for our vacation.
We hope to see some of the monuments and national parks in the US.
Y ou know, you can see some very interesting monuments in Washington. The Capital Building is impressive...with its large, white dome. That's where the Congress meets.
Right.
And, of course, you’ll want to see the White House. You can take a tour inside.
Oh, really? And see the President?
Of course! And—you should see the Lincoln Memorial. That huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.
OK.
And you can’t miss the Washington Monument, built for America’s first president. It’s the tallest structure in the city.
Y es, I’ve seen a picture of it. You know, Richard, that marble column. Uh-huh.
Ah...let ’s see. After Washington, on your way west, you should stop at a Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. It’s something to see!
Isn ’t that the mountain with presidents’ heads carved into it?
That ’s right. It’s …
Who are the presidents in that mountain, anyway?
Uh … there are four. Let’s see. George Washington is on the left. Abraham Lincoln is on the right. And I believe Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt are in the middle.
Mmm. That sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
Uh-huh.
And the Grand Canyon in Arizona is definitely worth a visit. It ’s the number one tourist spot for foreign visitors. The canyon is huge-a mile deep. It was carved by the Colorado River over billions of years. And the colors are fabulous! Superb, really.
Have you been there?
Y es, actually, I was there last year..
Oh, how nice…
If you have time, stop first at Y ellowstone National Park. It ’s
amazing —there are over 3,000 active geysers in the park. You ’ll see Old Faithful, the most famous one. About once an hour it shoots steam and hot water, I guess, up into the air. Dormant volcano
Where is the Yellowstone?
Here, look on the map.
Ah, yes.
Is 10 days long enough.
By plane, yes.
Oh, I can’t wait.
Task 9
It says that there are more than 3 million people living in L.A. Of course, there are many more in New York. The population is over 7 million. But there must be far more than 7 million cars in L.A.
Are you starting on that again? You know, Richard, L.A. doesn't have a huge subway system like New Y ork does. People here have to use the freeways.
So what else does your book say?
Well, it says that L.A. is Spanish for " the angles". Isn't that beautiful? Hmm.
It says here the city was settled by 11 Spanish families from Mexico.
Do you know that New York is named after the Duke of York in England?
Of course. Many of the settlers on the East Coast came from England. I bet you don't know which city has more land!
Bet I do! L.A. does!
Oh, you're so smart!