W: Actually, our boss told me to think of a way to tell lazy employees that they'll lose their jobs if they don't work harder.
Do you think that creative ideas come easily, that they just flash into the mind without hard work? Hardly! Sure, creative ideas come all of a sudden. But the fact remains that those sudden thoughts most often come after a person has worked, studied, and tried several other solutions to whatever question he is trying to answer. Most often, even after he has come up with his creative idea, the person will have to test it and then think more about it. Sometimes this can take decades.
If you want to invent a creative idea of your own, you must be active! Learn as much as possible and try out many solutions. After trying out countless other ideas, the perfect, most creative idea will certainly come to you.
The President: Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind — that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the 4th of July; and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution — but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, \We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive.\
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!
A man is driving down a country road when he spots a farmer standing in the middle of a huge field of grass. He pulls the car over to the side of the road and notices that the farmer is just standing there, doing nothing, looking at nothing. The man gets out of the car, walks all the way down to the farmer and asks him, \me mister, but what are you doing?\Prize.\\I heard they give the Nobel Prize to people who are out standing in their field.\Conan: Jimmy Stewart? Is that you? I can't believe it. It's been such a long time. Jimmy: Hey, Conan. I'm sorry for not replying to your emails. I've been very busy at work.
Conan: Yeah, everyone is talking about your big promotion. I thought that I'd get that job. But since I didn't get it, I'm glad that you did. I'm sure you'll be a terrific leader.
Jimmy: Anyone can be a great leader. It just takes improving your skills and learning some important principles. If you learned them, I'm sure that management would promote you too.
Conan: I have no delusions about it being so simple, but I'd like to learn anyway. Jimmy: First off, you should learn how to be strong but not rude. Conan: Yeah, that's a tough one for me.
Jimmy: Secondly, you should learn to be kind but not weak.
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Conan: Sure, I hear this one from my wife all the time. She says that kindness is a certain type of strength and that we should all be kind, especially when we're telling a person the truth.
Jimmy: That's right. We should always \Conan: Say, why are you looking at your watch? Do you have something important to do?
Jimmy: Sure do. I have a meeting in five minutes. But, before I leave, let me tell you the last important points of being a great leader. You must be bold but not a bully. This will build your influence. And finally, you must deal in realities. Just accept life as it is.
Conan: Thanks for the advice, Jimmy. Maybe, next time management will give me the promotion I want.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 1. What should people do in order to become great leaders? 2. What is the first step to becoming a capable leader? 3. Besides being kind, what should people always do?
4. What should you do if you want to build up your influence? 5. What does Jimmy want to tell Conan?
All kids are born creative. But, when given the choice, many of today's children do not invent fun. Why? Because kids are kept busy. After-school programs, sports teams, and homework keep kids from trouble and boredom. But boredom is often the first step to inventing fun. Spare time is the ground where ideas grow.
When kids do have free time, television, video games and computers give them instant enjoyment. Such entertainment locks kids into someone else's ideas and keeps them away from exploring their own creations. As Joyce Myers has said, a pencil and an imagination can take you anywhere.
Schools are under great pressure to prepare kids to test well. Many teachers I talk to wonder how a child will learn to think creatively if there is little time for open-ended problems. Parents, as well, often focus on final results. We cherish the finished painting over the pages of messy sketches.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage you have just heard. 1. What is the problem with many children today? 2. What is the ground where ideas grow?
3. What provides children with the most enjoyment in their spare time? 4. Why was Joyce Myers mentioned in the passage?
5. What does the speaker think schools and parents should do?
A 17-year-old boy from the northeastern State of Massachusetts has won the top prize in the Intel Science Talent Search. The competition is the oldest program in the United States that honors science projects of high school students. The Intel Science Talent Search is 63 years old this year.
The winners receive a new computer and money for a college education. A record 1,652 students from 46 states entered projects for the competition this year. Their research involved nearly every area of science, including chemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science and social science.
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Forty students were invited to Washington, D.C. for the final judging. A group of well-known scientists judged them on their research abilities, critical thinking skills and creativity. The judges also questioned the students about scientific problems before deciding on the winners. The top winner is Herbert Mason Hedberg of North Attleboro, Massachusetts. He received 100,000 dollars for his college education. He developed a faster, more effective method to tell if a person has cancer. He explored a way to separate telomerase, an enzyme found in most cancer cells. His findings have helped advance research into ways of stopping cancer cells from growing. Herbert said he started the project after watching his grandmother struggle against cancer. He plans to be a doctor and continue doing medical research.
The second-place winner is 17-year-old Boris Alexeev of Athens, Georgia. He received a 75,000-dollar scholarship. His research in computer science could be used in the study of genetics.
The third-place winner is 17-year-old Ryna Karnik of Aloha, Oregon. She won 50,000 dollars for describing a new way to build microchips used in computers.
Andrew Yeager of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was chairman of the judges for the Intel Science Talent Search this year. He said the competition is an excellent way to discover future leaders in science and technology. Past competition winners have gone on to receive many of the world's highest honors for science and mathematics.
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W: Grades are in! And you see this? I'm near the top of the class! M: I'm glad to see you making the best of your school days. Good work! Q: Why is the man glad?
M: I remember my school days. I don't think I was half as good as you were. W: That's not exactly true. I may work harder, but your grades were as good. Q: What difference separates the man and woman as students?
W: What's with the tears? You look like you just failed at school.
M: No. I only failed a test. But Mom's gonna be angry with me this time. Q: Why is the man upset?
M: Did you ask the professor about improving your marks?
W: Yeah. And he gave me a list of study methods that'll help me to prepare for tests. Q: What did the woman's teacher do?
W: You were the last person to finish the test. Why? You have problems with it? M: Nah! It was simple! I just wanted to check my answers. I'm sure I did well. Q: Why did the man take a long time completing the test?
M: I studied all night for this test. I bet I'll score higher than you.
W: I'll take that bet. There's no way a person can do well after a sleepless night. Q: Why does the woman believe she will get a higher grade?
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W: Professor, I have my test paper. Can I begin it now?
M: Wait a moment. You look really nervous, and I think you should relax first. Q: What does the man want?
M: You took that class in study methods, didn't you? How'd you like it? W: OK. I haven't noticed my grades improve yet, but I'm more organized now. Q: What has changed for the woman?
W: Where is the study lab? I need some help preparing for the test.
M: Go down the hall past the café, through the library, and into the main offices. Q: Where is the study lab?
M: I like this new teacher. She's so friendly and helpful. What do you think? W: I always do better in classes when I'm comfortable. This should help a lot. Q: What helps the woman?
M: What's all this stuff in your basket? It looks like you're trying to buy up the store!
W: Yeah? I guess I do have a lot here. School shopping, you know. Everything you see here will help me be a better student. M: Hmm, several notebooks...
W: One for each class. I like to keep my notes separate, you know, to be organized. Yeah, and I'll have lots of paper.
M: Enough to write down every word the teacher says.
W: Well, maybe not every word. But I'll write down the important things, so I can review later for tests. M: And a daily planner?
W: Yeah. That's a good one, there — complete with a calendar to help me plan my days. You should get one to help you remember when your classes are.
M: Thanks, but I don't have any problem with that. Still, a planner might be useful for me in setting aside time for assignments.
You might think that studying in school is something you should be doing on your own without assistance from others. In a way, you're right. You are responsible for your own success and failure in school. This is why you must, by yourself, plan your time well and do your best to pass your exams. Still, there are people who can help you with your studies.
For example, your professor can be of great help. She is not only at the school to supply you information in lectures, but to help in other ways too. No doubt, she even has office hours for students who have questions about the material given in class. By talking to her about your questions, you can improve your knowledge of whatever subject you're studying. This information, in turn, will help you earn higher grades in your class.
A man was showing off his new computer at a computer show, and a young man came up to see how it worked.
\The young man sat down and typed, \
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The computer answered, \
\\\\
\right, but it's still no big deal.\Then he typed, \is my mother's name?\\
\\
\
\battleship USS Tennessee, stationed at San Diego, California.\
M: That's all for this week. Thank you. I'll see you here for another lecture next Tuesday. Don't forget that next Monday is a holiday and you'll have no class. You're free to go — everyone but you, Ms. Swanson. Could I have a minute of your time before you take off?
W: Sure. Um, is there a problem?
M: I've finished grading the tests. I wanted to talk to you before returning them to the class.
W: Oh, don't tell me that I failed another exam! I tried so hard!
M: You didn't fail. In fact you got the highest grade in the class. I'm concerned about how you accomplished this.
W: Well, I didn't copy from another student, if that's what you think. I've actually changed my study habits, planning my study time better so that I don't wait until the last day to study. It's made a world of difference in how well I learn the material.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage you have just heard. 1. What will happen on Monday?
2. What did the professor want to do before returning the tests? 3. What problem does the professor have? 4. What did the woman do?
5. What has made \
Students at Jefferson University have improved their grades 17 percent over the past year. People from all over the country have come to Jefferson to figure out how this was done. The answer was surprising to them, and it might be surprising to you as well.
One year ago, university leaders were considering methods for improving school performance. One professor suggested that the food a student ate was connected to how well he did in class. A student who eats healthy food seems to do better than one who eats fast food. This sounded reasonable to school officials, but they weren't sure how to get students to eat better. An advertising campaign could convince some of them, but maybe not enough. No one could be forced to eat better. In the end, the school forced fast food restaurants to move far away from the university. As a result, students ate less fast food. And, as expected, their grades rose.
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