Unit 1, R10: Relationships, two female students chatting in a cafe
Part 1
A: Mary B: Cindy
A: What are your plans for the weekend?
B: I am off to my maternal grandparents. They are holding a family reunion.
A: Sounds fun! Do you have a big family?
B: I sure do.
A: Tell me about your relatives.
B: Well, my immediate family is made up of my parents, my big sister and me. A: Your sister has two children, doesn’t she?
B: Yes, my niece Jessica–she is a beautiful little toddler–and my nephew Kevin.
A: How about your extended family?
B: Well, on my mother’s side, I have twenty family members.
A: Twenty?
B: Yes: my grandparents, four uncles, three aunts, and eleven cousins.
A: Wow, that’s impressive. Is your father’s family that big too?
B: No, he was an only child. So it’s just him, my grandparents and, very happily, his paternal grandfather –my great-grandpa, who will turn 100 next June!
A: 100! That’s amazing!
Unit 1, R10: Relationships, two female students chatting in the classroom
Part 2
A: Cindy B: Rachel
A: How are you enjoying your American Culture and Society course?
B: I like it. The United States is certainly an intriguing country. At the moment, we are looking at the American family.
A: What can you tell me about it? I’d be interested in hearing about what you’re learning. B: Well, many American families are known as two-career families. That’s a family where both the husband and wife work outside of the home.
A: With both parents working, family income must increase considerably.
B: It certainly does. And it also means more husbands do their share of household chores and childcare... Hmm, another type of family is the stepfamily.
A: What’s that?
B: This type of family is a result of the higher divorce and remarriage rates in America. It can in fact be quite large because of stepchildren and stepparents.
A: I am not really sure what you mean.
B: Well, for instance, if a child’s mother remarries, then her second husband becomes her child’s stepfather. If the stepfather has, say, a daughter, then she becomes the child’s stepsister.
A: Got it. So that’s why they are called stepfamilies.
B: Exactly.
Unit 2: Two friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time
Part 1
A: Dan B: Cindy
A: Dan, it’s been ages. It’s absolutely wonderful to see you.
(Cindy and Dan hug)
B: Cindy, so nice to see you too. You look great! How have you been?
A: I’ve been very well, thank you. I’ve just returned from a year of work and travel. B: Really, where did you go?
A: I took a year off from my studies: I spent 9 months doing some volunteer work with an NGO in Zambia, and then I traveled around Europe for 3 months.
B: That sounds so exciting!
A: It was. How about you? What have you been up to for the last few years?
B: I also went abroad. I completed my final two years of high school in Canada and traveled through America and Mexico during the summer holidays. Now I am preparing for my studies in the UK.
A: Cool! What will you study?
B: Hotel & Tourism Management.
A: Sounds like the ideal choice for someone who enjoys travel!
Unit 2: Two friends talking about their life dreams
Part 2
A: Dan B: Jane
A: Jane, do you get nervous thinking about the future?
B: Yes, I do.
A: Me too.
B: What worries you the most?
A: Family stuff. I’m worried that I might not find a good job and, because of this, struggle to support my loved ones. If I get married and have a child, I want to be able to provide my family with the best life possible.
B: Dan, don’t forget that your future wife will have a job too! She will also provide for your family. It’s silly to put all the pressure on yourself: a married couple should work as a team. A: Yeah, maybe you’re right ... What do you worry about?
B: Having a sense of purpose in life. We spend so much of our adult lives working that I want my job to be meaningful. I want to live to work, not work to live! I dream of being able to have a positive impact on the world around us.
A: Well, you have a positive impact on me, so you’re off to a good start!
Unit 3: Giving advice
Part 1
A: Cindy B: Mark
A: Mark, are you ok? You look terrible.
B: That’s because I feel terrible. I just had a huge fight with my parents.
A: I am so sorry to hear that. What was the argument about?
B: My future. My parents want me to go on an exchange program to America, but I want to study in London.
A: Why did they want you to study in America?
B: Because I have an uncle there who can keep an eye on me.
A: You’ve got to somehow make your parents understand that choosing the right exchange program is more important than studying close to extended family.