U7 Passage 1
Host There's a question that's been argued about for a long time. Which
is more important, your family environment or your genes? Well, a story has come up in the news about identical twins, separated at birth. They've just been reunited - and guess what - there are some amazing coincidences in their life stories.
Here's the story - two American girls called Tamara and Adriana were separated at birth and adopted by two different sets of parents. And this is where the coincidences begin. Both families ended up living 25 miles apart. Both girls decided to study psychology at universities that are only a mile apart from each other. Isn't that strange? And this girl, who's a friend of both of them, insists they meet. Just before they meet, Adriana's mother tells her that she has a twin sister. Can you imagine how that must feel when you're 20 years old to learn you have a twin? And when the girls meet, it's like looking in a mirror - they're identical! Now get this! Both Tamara and Adriana's adoptive fathers died when the girls were children. Both girls fell through glass doors at the age of five - that's hard to believe, isn't it? Their boyfriends look alike and have similar names - Alex and Adam. And this is the best part - both of them have the same recurring dream. Isn't that incredible - they have the same dream!
I think it's an amazing story. So, for all those of you out there who have comments, and I'm sure you do, the lines are open. OK, we've got Josh on the line. Hi Josh! Josh Hi.
Host So, what do you make of this story? Josh It's a great story but it doesn't surprise me at all. I'm an identical
twin.
Host You are?
Josh Yeah, my brother's called Toby, and we're 22, and we're going out
with two sisters ... and we're having a double wedding next June. Host Congratulations! So-what do you think-is it our genes that decide
who we are? These kind of stories seem to suggest it. Josh Well, I'm not a scientist, but I think so. Host Research tells us that it's about fifty-fifty. Josh I, I disagree.
Host Thanks Josh. OK, our next caller is ...
Passage 2 Part 1
Voice-over Kidney transplants are of two kinds -transplants from dead
people and living transplants, transplants from people who are alive. Mostly the donor, the person who gives the kidney, is a relative - a
parent, brother or sister. We all recognize that it's one of the most selfless things a person can do, to give a kidney to someone, but as the operation becomes safer and safer, more and more people are doing it. We talked to two sisters who have had the experience -Henrietta Longmore, a journalist aged 40, married with one son, and her sister, Teresa Parker, aged 38, married with two children. They come from a family with four children. Here's their story.
Teresa Henrietta and I were close as children. She was the big sister and
she was -just like a mother to us younger kids. Our parents were both doctors and our mum was very busy.
We were close right through our teenage years. And then we shared a flat and had a lot of the same friends. It was great.
Henrietta Yes, we've always been close. I felt very protective of my
brother and sisters because, like Teresa says, our parents were always so busy. But I also felt a bit jealous of Teresa - she was my dad's favourite -but it didn't affect our relationship.
Teresa Henrietta got kidney failure five years ago, but for several years
she was fine and seemed quite healthy.
Henrietta Yes, I never thought of asking my family for a kidney. The
hospital was brilliant and I really did feel fine, most of the time.
Part 2
Teresa But then a year ago she became very ill and almost died. I was
terrified. I knew if she died, I'd blame myself. You know, why I hadn't done more to help her. So I decided to find out more about giving her a kidney.
Henrietta Yes, I did almost die. It was awful. I, I was never going to
ask Teresa for a kidney but I kind of knew that she would offer. To be honest, I felt I would have done the same.
Teresa Yes. At first I was a bit scared. But we went for a three-hour talk
at the hospital and it was very reassuring. My whole family came. And they felt OK about it too, which was very important.
Henrietta People don't know that you only need ten per cent of one kidney
to be completely healthy, and kidney donors often live longer than other people.
Teresa Yes, you have to be very healthy to give a kidney. The hospital
makes sure of that. Anyway, after the operation I got better very fast - probably because you know you've done something worthwhile and it does make you feel very good.
Henrietta I can't describe how grateful I feel to Teresa. It's such an
amazing thing to do. What can I say? Her courage was, was extraordinary. She just didn't seem afraid at all.
Teresa You do get a lot of praise for doing something like this. I'd like
to do something that no one knows about.
U8 Passage 1
Part 1
Matt So how was your visit to the USA? How did you get on?
Caroline Well, it was great. A bit difficult at the start, but it got
better.
Matt So what happened?
Caroline Well, I started my trip in New York, but the trouble was I forgot
to ring my friend Dave before I left London and ask him to meet me. Then, just as the plane was landing at New York airport, this French businessman sitting next to me called Serge, gave me a warning, \shouldn’t arrive in New York alone.\I was going to call Dave as soon as I arrived, so I hoped I'd be OK. But when we got off the plane, I was feeling a bit nervous. As soon as I walked out into the arrivals hall this crowd of people surrounded me. And when Serge disappeared, I did feel lonely and rather foolish. Matt I can see why. Caroline And when I saw a smiling group of new arrivals, you know, tourists
from England, I wanted to join them. Just as I was starting to panic, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Serge. I was so relieved. Matt Thank heavens for strange men!
Caroline Exactly! But when I called Dave from Serge's office, he was out.
It was late by now so I had to find a hotel. Serge told his driver to take me to a hotel in the Bronx. As soon as I got out of the car, two policemen in a police car stopped me and asked what I was doing in the district区域 as it was dangerous at night. And at the reception接待 desk, when I explained that I was on my own, they didn't want to give me a room.
Matt So what did you do? Caroline Well, I had to wait at reception until the school in Albany, where
I was going to work, sent an email. When the hotel knew what I was doing in the States, I got a room. Part 2
Caroline Well, in the end I got in touch with Dave and spent the next few
nights with his family. But it was cold, and a freezing cold wind was blowing all the time.
Matt But it all went better for you after that?
Caroline Well, yes, until one morning I decided to go for a walk. I was
really enjoying the fresh air, when I realized that I was lost. Then I found a street, which looked like the one the fiat was on ... but then I found another one, and another one. Matt Oh no! You must have been very frightened!
Caroline Well, I was. I couldn't remember the address of the flat. It was
freezing cold, minus 12 degrees. I was standing by the side of the road, praying that Dave would . send out a search party when suddenly a car stopped, and the driver said, \I was so relieved. Within a couple of minutes I was drinking tea with Dave and the driver back home. His name was Kevin and he was on his way to work. He wasn't a taxi driver at all.
Matt Was he a friend of Dave's? Caroline No, just someone who was going to work when he saw someone looking
lost, I think. They can be very friendly, the Americans. Part3
Caroline I then took the train to Albany. No one was waiting for me at
the station, although the school where I was working was going to send someone. I later learnt that the person didn't recognize me because I was wearing a thick coat and a warm hat. So I took a taxi to the school, where I met one of the other teachers, Rebecca. She invited me to stay with her. She lived in a fiat near the school, which she was sharing with three other people. I didn't have much money, because I hadn't been paid yet, and I wasn't living on the school campus, so I tried to find some cheap food in the evenings. There was an old man selling hot dogs on a street corner. By the end of the first week, he greeted me and had a hot dog and coffee ready for me. Ah, it was an amazing experience.
Passage 2
There was this man, and he's riding his bike along the road, heading towards the border between Mexico and the United States. So he comes up to the border, and this guard stops him. And he points to two sacks the man has on his shoulders.
\\
So the guard says, \look.\
So the man on the bike did as he was told, emptied the sacks, and poured the sand on the ground.
\nothing but sand,\says the guard, and the man on the bike loads the sand back into the sacks, puts them on his shoulders and goes across the border.
Anyway, two weeks later, the man on the bike turns up at the border again, on his bike with two sacks on his shoulders.
So the guard says, \shoulders, pours the sand onto the ground, puts the sand back in the sacks, puts the sacks on his shoulders, gets back on his bike and goes across the border.
This goes on every week for six months, man on the bike, guard at the
border, sacks on the man's shoulders, sand on the ground, sand back in the sacks, man across the border ... until one day the man on the bike with the sand bags doesn't turn up.
A few days later, the guard happens to meet the man on the bike downtown. \smuggling something across the border. I won't say a word - but what is it you were smuggling?\
The man on the bike says, \Passage 3
Speaker 1 I don't know if I've told you, but apparently this is a true
story. There's this small airline somewhere in New Zealand, I think, and it uses planes that carry about seven or eight passengers. So you sit just behind the pilot and get a really good view. Speaker 2 Yeah, I get the picture.
Speaker 1 Anyway, the passengers are told to board the plane, and they
climb in, you know, not much room. And they sit there waiting. A few minutes later the last passenger, a really cool-looking guy, turns up and takes his seat, and they all wait for the pilot to arrive and take off. And they wait. And they wait some more. And they're still waiting, not long, you know, a few minutes, but just enough to make them wonder where the pilot is. Then the cool-looking guy at the back starts looking at his watch, and saying, \where's the pilot? We're going to be late.\people to meet, and I don't want to miss my appointment.\And they wait some more, and the pilot still doesn't turn up. So this guy says, \I'm not going to wait any longer, if we don't have a pilot, I'm going to take off and fly this plane myself. Speaker 2 What?
Speaker 1 Exactly, and everyone is going ... duh? What's happening? And
this guy gets into the pilot seat, turns on the engine, starts heading for the runway ... and takes off. Speaker 2 I don't believe it!
Speaker 1 Yeah, well nor did the passengers. But the funny thing is ... Speaker 2 What?
Speaker 1 Apparently, the cool-looking guy really is the pilot. He plays
the same trick on passengers fairly often because he gets bored with doing the same flight every day.