Family

Family

Listening

Larry Darrell has just returned from the war fighting in the air corps in France. Larry and Isabel have been inseparable since their childhood and Isabel was madly in love with him.

Her mother was also fond of him and thought he would make Isabel happy.

Louisa: It’s rather charming to see two young things so much in love with one another. How wonderful it is to be young, in love and to marry. 

Elliot: Don’t be ridiculous, Louisa. They are too young to marry. She’s 19 and he’s only just 20 and he hasn’t got a job.

L.: I dare say he had a pretty rough time in the war. He may want a rest. Then, he can take a job.

E.: Oh, I have nothing against him. He seems a nice sort of boy. But it’s over a year since he has been out of uniform and he isn’t trying.

L.: Mr Maturin, Gray’s father, offered Larry to take him into his office, but he refused. He hadn’t made up his mind what he wanted to do.

E.: And my opinion is Larry will never amount to very much. He has no money and no standing. He isn’t really up to Isabel’s mark.

L.: But he is lovable, he has a very sweet disposition. He is quite well born and I’m really prepared to make the best of it.

E.: I never thought it a good match. With Isabel’s looks and her connections she can do better than this. Gray Maturin is a very different proposition.

L.: I can’t but agree. He is a fine-looking fellow. His father is one of the richest men in Chicago and Gray is his only son. He is in love with Isabel. But he is Larry’s best friend.

E.: I was told that all the time Larry was away Gray was very attentive. He proposed to her but she neither accepted nor refused.

L.: Isabel likes him. If the war had lasted longer she might very well have married him. But when Larry came home Isabel turned Gray down. It’s Larry she loves.

E.: And still Gray wants to marry Isabel and one can’t deny that it would be a very good match. I’m all in favour of it.

L.: You’ve been away from America for so long, Elliot. You’ve forgotten that in this country girls don’t marry because their mothers and uncles are in favour of it.

E.: That is nothing to be proud of, Louisa. I may tell you that a marriage arranged with proper regard to position, fortune and society reasons has every advantage over a love match. In France Isabel would marry Gray without thinking twice.

Appearance and Character

Michelle Royer – Miss Texas

You won’t find this easy to believe, but Michelle Royer was a shy little girl, who didn’t take much interest in make-up and clothes. She used to watch the beauty contests on TV and she never imagined that she would one day be crowned a beauty queen herself.

“I wasn’t a cheerleader,” she says. “I wasn’t very popular. But there was always this eager young woman inside, trying to come out.”

One Christmas vacation, Michelle suddenly decided to try for a beauty contest. To her surprise, she received the second prize. To her surprise also, she found she liked the feeling of being up on the stage. She went on, winning some contests, doing less well in others, and learning all the time about how to move, how to dress, how to talk. And when at last she was crowned Miss Texas over 109 other young women, she had her reward for all her hard work.

“I was shocked when they called my name,” she says.

Texans are serious about their beauty queen. They shower her with prizes. Michelle won a car, a full-length fur coat, $18,000 in cash, an apartment for a year, and dozens of smaller gifts.

They also make Miss Texas work. “I belong to Texas this year,” says Michelle. “My car has ‘Miss Texas’ written on it, and when people see it they shout ‘Hey! It’s Miss Texas!’. So I spend time making myself look as good as possible for them. It takes me about two hours to get dressed. And I travel about to festivals, or parades. And I work for the people who’ve given me gifts, and do advertising for them.”

Michelle doesn’t want to stop at Miss Texas. There’s the Miss U. S.A. contest next year, and Miss Universe after that. She’s preparing her clothes already. She’s also preparing her mind. She plans her answers to the questions she’ll be asked. It doesn’t matter how pretty you are, you can’t be a beauty forever. When it’s time to put the crowns away, Michelle would like to be a model. After that, she wants to go back to school and become a doctor so that she can help sick children.

Home

Listening

Apartments Problems

Teresa and Charles live in Chicago. They rent a one-bedroom apartment. Teresa is expecting a baby in two months so they’re looking for a larger apartment. Teresa and Charles are talking to the landlord in a large apartment building. He is showing them an apartment in his building.

This is their conversation.

Landlord: It is a very good apartment. You are going to like it as soon as you see it.

Charles: Is the apartment vacant at the moment?

L.: Not quite so. A family is living there now, but they are going to move next week.

Teresa (coming inside): Oh, what’s going on here? Nothing is clean and food and clothes are all over the place. I can’t believe the mess! And what a smell!

L.: There are a few problems in the apartment, but I’m going to fix them.

T. (entering the kitchen): Oh, the oven door is open and the oven is smoking. And the refrigerator... I can’t open it, the door is stuck.

Ch.: The heat isn’t working, no hot air is coming up from the radiator.

L.: The apartment is very warm, I don’t think you’ll ever need the heating. Present tenants have never used it. That saved them 10 dollars a month!

Ch. (in the bathroom): I can’t see too well because the light isn’t working. But the sink is overflowing, water is going all over the floor and I can’t turn it off.

L.: I’ll call for a plumber. He is available after 3 p. m. He’ll come and fix it.

T.: But water is leaking from the ceiling. There is probably a problem in an apartment above this one.

L.: Oh, an old couple which lives there always forgets to turn something off.

T.: Charles, we aren’t going to rent this apartment, are we?

Ch.: Of course not, darling. Let’s go.

Food and Meals

Listening

“The Holiday Inn” is where Manhattan people often go for a special party, or a night out. A lot of them choose to eat in the brightly lit restaurant near the pool. And many of them will be served by Ellen Logan, who has worked as a waitress here for more than two years.

Ellen, like most of the waitresses, is also a student. She works to support herself at college.

Ellen has discovered that you don’t have to know much about food to be a good waitress but you do have to know a lot about people.

Business people like the waitress to recognize them and remember their favourite dishes and drinks.

Then there are people who can’t make up their minds about what to order. They often ask the waitress, “What do you suggest?” So Ellen asks them how hungry they are. If they are not very hungry, she suggests some salads, light soup, bread and fruit plate. But if they are starving, she advises Beefeater Steak served with vegetables and potatoes or rice.

She always recommends to try the dish of the house “Duck with pineapple and ginger.”

Ellen, like a good hostess, is always happy when the guests do justice to the meal, when they are big eaters and say that the food smells and tastes delicious and is excellently cooked.

Ellen may get tired, but at least, she’s never bored. She’s learning much about people.

Health

Battling Bacteria

Very often a patient comes to some doctor with a runny nose or fever and says, “I feel awful. It feels like a cold or the flu or something. Please, give me a prescription for an antibiotic.” But usually it is the flu or a cold. And in this case antibiotics should not be prescribed. The flu and the ordinary cold are the effect of viruses. Antibiotics attack bacteria, not viruses. But many people don’t understand this. They know only one thing – they want to feel better. People ask for antibiotics because, over the years, they’ve come to think of them as a cure-all. But that’s not the case. No antibiotic can cure viral illnesses such as hepatitis, colds, influenza, AIDS. When you really have a bacterial infection, an antibiotic can be a powerful weapon... if it is properly taken. But when antibiotics are overused or misused, the bacteria can survive, grow stronger and mutate to become resistant to antibiotics.

Before the results of over-prescribing antibiotics became clear, doctors felt it was good medical practice sometimes to prescribe antibiotics before they were certain if the infection was bacterial or viral. They thought no harm was done, right? Wrong. Now we know such practices can cause harm. Bacteria resistant to antibiotics threaten not just the individual patient, but larger communities that are more easily influenced by infections from resistant bacteria. The chronically ill and aged are especially at risk. We also see frightening evidence that over-prescribing antibiotics increase antibiotic-resistant bacteria around the globe.

Sometimes patients stop taking the medication as soon as they begin to feel better. But when a patient stops taking the antibiotic before all the bacteria have been killed, the bacteria become the strongest and resistant to antibiotics. These bacteria may be passed on to people you come in contact with. Remember: all of us need to use antibiotics carefully.

Travelling

Listening

Airplanes are obviously a much more comfortable way of travelling, but it can also have its unpleasant moments.

Space limitation is one of them. When travelling by plane lack of space is a great problem. This doesn’t considerably vary from airplane to airplane. However, aisle seats or “bulkhead seats” can give you a chance to stretch your legs.

The second problem is airsickness. If you get motion sickness easily, you may be more comfortable if you take some special drug before you fly. They are usually readily-obtained. The drugs often tend to make one sleepy. But this is a benefit on a long plane ride!

Planes are also noisy. It wears away at you. Consider bringing some earplugs with you. You may also rent headphones if you want music.

Crossing multiple time zones may bring about jet lag. Jet lag is your body’s answer to upsetting its normal biological cycle. Your body is used to falling asleep at certain times of the day, and will need time to adjust to a new schedule.

Occasionally, you will not be able to leave on your scheduled flight. More often the delay will be for safety reasons: because of fog, thunderstorms or technical faults. Sometimes you are waiting to board a flight and it is suddenly cancelled. If it is the airline fault, you can get a free hotel room and breakfast or some sort of prize; or even free tickets for travel on that line.

Furthermore, there is air quality. The air inside the airline cabin isn’t as good as you will get in other places. The air in the cabin is not pressurized to sea level. It can be filled with germs, because people often fly sick. To protect yourself you can wrap your face in a scarf or wear a mask.

Hotel

Listening

Operator: Grand Hotel Europe. Operator. How may I help you?

Mr Ponti: I’m calling from Italy, from Brindizi. I’m getting married next week, and my wife and I’ve decided to spend our honeymoon in St. Petersburg. That’s why I was wondering if you could give me some information about your hotel.

O.: One moment. I’ll put you through to the Sales and Information department. They’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

(Brief pause. Music)

Katya: Hello. Sales, Katya speaking. May I help you?

Mr P.: Hello. My name is Ponti, Alfredo Ponti, and I’m phoning from Italy. My wife and I want to spend our honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Russia. Could you tell me something about your hotel?

K.: I’d be happy to. The Grand Hotel Europe is Russia’s premier 5-star hotel. Our location is just perfect – we’re right in the very centre of town.

Mr P.: You see, we’ve never been to Russia before and I really want this trip to be unique and unforgettable – especially for my wife. Could you tell me something about the rooms?

K.: For such a special occasion you might wish to have our Honey-moon Suite with a king-size bed.

Mr P.: How much would that be, the honeymoon Suite?

K.: The rate for the Honeymoon Suite is $ 460 a night plus tax.

Mr P.: Oh dear. I’m afraid that’s much too much. We couldn’t possibly afford that.

K.: Well, we have double and single rooms that do cost much less. And all our rooms have a mini-bar, hair-dryer, television with satellite reception and a telephone.

Mr P.: Oh, before I forget. The weather. That’s something else I wanted to ask about. In winter it’s cold in Russia, of course. That we know. My wife is afraid of chills and draughts, so she’s going to bring lots of warm clothes with her.

K.: That’s a good idea; she’s right, of course. For walking about the city, she should dress warmly. But naturally the temperature inside the hotel and in the rooms is always warm and pleasant. I should mention, too, that we have our own dry- cleaning department.

Mr P.: Well, another question: what about food? My wife and I are quite choosy about what we eat, and we understand that Russian food is rather, uh, specific, and we are not sure that we’d be able to eat it.

K.: I’d just like to say that the Grand Hotel Europe is considered St. Petersburg’s “culinary centre” and we’ve got six very nice restaurants and cafйs. They serve Russian, Chinese and Italian the way, Russian food isn’t just potatoes and cabbage. I’m sure you’d enjoy many of our Russian dishes. And, of course, we have 24-hour room service, too.

Mr P.: I see. Yes, of course, that would be nice. And, yes, we do want to see as much as possible while we’re in St. Petersburg.

K.: You’ve probably heard that St. Petersburg is Russia’s “Cultural Capital.” The Concierge will help you enjoy as much of the city’s culture as you’d like to experience.

Mr P.: Well, I guess you’ve answered all my questions! Thanks for spending so much time talking to me! Yes, we’d definitely like to reserve a double room.

K.: Very good! How long will you and your wife be with us, Mr Ponti?

Mr P.: We want to stay for a week, starting on 10 January. Again, thanks a lot. Good-bye.

K.: We hope you’ll be pleased with your room and the service. Good-bye, Mr Ponti.

Having Things Done

Listening

At the Gas Station

Petrol pump attendant: Good morning, m’am. A beautiful day, isn’t it? And what can I do for you this morning?

Driver (customer): Ah, good morning to you. Fill her up, please. But I’m not quite sure how much petrol I need. You’d better keep going until the tank’s completely full, if you don’t mind.

A.: Most certainly. You want your tank filled with petrol. With the greatest pleasure. But which grade would you prefer? Leaded or unleaded?

D.: Oh, I see you have One Star, Two Star and Three Star petrol here. What a lot to choose from! Now let me think. I’ll have a tank full of Three Star, unleaded, if you please. At least what’s left of my tank – if you see what I mean.

A.: At your service, m’am. Our very best Three Star petrol. There. There’s your tank full.

D.: That’s most kind of you. How much is it?

A.: Now let me see. Yes. That will be exactly 10 pounds and 50 pence. Now would you like some air in your tires? Some oil? Shall I check your water?

D.: No, thanks. But I can hear some noise, that disturbs me. Do you think you can do anything about it?

A.: Let me check that. We can do only minor repairs while-you-wait. (Checks.) I’m afraid that it’s the engine which is at fault. You have to leave your car at our workshop. We’ll take care of it. It’s too dangerous to use her as it is. The engine needs to be fixed and the brakes are no good either. It’s a miracle that you haven’t got into a car crash.

D.: Thanks God. When can I have her back?

A.: Our mechanic will start working at her immediately. Hopefully, you’ll have your car repaired by tomorrow. Give us a call at about midday tomorrow.

D.: How much will you charge for it?

A.: It’s 5 pounds an hour for the labour plus the expenses for spare parts which need to be replaced. You’ll get the total and the receipt tomorrow.

D.: O. K. Thank you, then. See you tomorrow.

A.: Good-bye, m’am.

Shopping

Listening

I. Welcome to Bulloughs, the favourite fashion house in Carlisle. We are not yet a “full-line” departmental store, but with the arrival of new departments we can present to you an even wider range of quality goods.

There are classic and up-to-the-minute ladies fashion collections, considerable Menswear offering, both casual and formal; excellent Ladies and Gentlemen Hairdressing department; All Seasons Rainwear. You can shop for every room of your house, from bedrooms to kitchen, here. And I must add in conclusion that the tradition of excellent customer service is fundamental to our business.

II. Liberty – a famous store in London – offers its customers a great variety of fine quality goods ranging from bath and kitchen ware to finest jewelry collections; antiques and paintings. It is also known for its exquisite Gifts department.

But the greatest fame of Liberty comes from their own exclusive products, in particular Liberty Art Textiles, silks, cottons and furnishing textiles of the original Liberty design.

III. Old Empire Trading Company presents a chain of five stores located in Great Britain. The company specifies in importing unusual pieces from across Indochina and Asia. You can shop the world in our stores. The collections include our unique hand-made furniture and original home decoration accessories, such as vases, candlesticks, tealight lamps, animal figures, Buddha and Chinese figures, and a lot more.

Each fantastically beautiful piece is unique. Local artisans use traditional skills to produce them from metals, leather, bone, and from tropical plantation grown timber. So, if you are looking for something a little different, you’ve come to the right place...

Leisure Time

Listening

The Sunset Boulevard

At the beginning of the film a young scriptwriter, Joe Gillis, is nervously driving through Los Angeles. He is broke. He has lost his work and has no money to pay for his new car. Some people are looking for him because they want to take his car back. So he hides it in the garage of a big house on Sunset Boulevard. The house belongs to an old film star called Norma Desmond.

She lives there with a butler who was once her husband and who also directed her films. She lives with her memories of the time when she was famous, watching her old films and reading letters from her fans. She doesn’t know that the letters have been written for her by her former husband. Her name has not been in the cast lately.

She is longing to return to the screen and become famous and popular again so when she meets Joe she determines to take her chance and asks him to write a film script for her. She also insists on his living at her house while he is writing it.

Joe doesn’t like to live like a prisoner in this strange house, but he is happy to take advantage of having a job, money and expensive clothes from Norma.

Soon there appeared real problems. Norma falls in love with Joe who is 20 years her junior, but he does not pay any attention to her loving glances.

Cecil de Mille, who is going to be her film director, does not seem to be satisfied with the script.

While working hard on the last part of the script, Joe falls in love with a young actress and tries to escape from Norma. She learns about the love affair and shoots him saying, “There is not a single living man on Earth who ever managed to have left Norma Desmond.”

In the most famous scene at the end of the film the police come to arrest her. The photographers and journalists are waiting as she walks down the stairs.

She looks calm, and self-content in her gorgeous outfit that shows agieng beauty of her still slim body. Her last words, breaking long silence, sound like those in Shakespeare’s tragedies: “I’m ready for my close-up.”

Getting a Job

Listening

Top Fears of job-seekers

1. Frequently, job-seekers simply don’t know where to begin. However you can find plenty of information on job search techniques. A trained career adviser will teach you how to use classified advertising, career fairs, employment agencies and the Internet to complete your search. So, you can do away with your fear of not knowing how to find a job.

2. Sometimes it is hard to write what you want to say to an employer. To overcome the fear of writing a cover letter you should find books and periodicals with useful samples you can use. You should also write at least two drafts of your cover letter and have it reviewed by a professional, at your university career center.

3. Some students have great activities to list on their resumйs, others lack work experience. To avoid holes in your resumй gain as much experience as you can. A part-time job or volunteer experience will help you get work experience. When taking a job think about gaining career-related work experience.

4. Many people have fear of blowing the interview. They don’t think they will have the right answers to a recruiter’s questions, some don’t know what questions they can ask, others are not sure how to dress for an interview. The advice is: go to a practice interview at your career center and get training on the entire interview process.

5. Some students have fear of doing insignificant meaningless job below their ability. To avoid a “boring” job have a copy of the job description before you accept the offer. Don’t accept the offer immediately.

6. Sometimes students just take a job offer without negotiating their salary, they are afraid to discuss the problem of pay with the employer. Yet, you may get 5-10 per cent more in pay if you learn some negotiating tips.

7. You haven’t started your first job yet, but you are already afraid of being laid off shortly after you started, aren’t you? You can handle this fear by talking to friends and professionals about the reputation of the company, its financial picture and future growth.