Part 2 Passages
Passage 1 A young waiter
The most interesting part of the little town was the market square, which was surrounded by cafes, restaurants and small shops full of all kinds of cheap goods likely to attract tourists. At this time of the year it was not very crowded. It was a lovely day with only a few little white clouds, like puffs* of smoke, in the sky. It was not too hot, as it sometimes was during the summer, but pleasantly warm.Edward and Ann sat down at a table outside one of the cafes. After they had been sitting there enjoying the sunshine for a few minutes, a young waiter, not much more than a boy, came to take their order. He spoke no English, but after a lot of laughter and pointing at the menu, they thought they had managed to make him understand that all they wanted was ice cream. There were several flavors*, lemon, chocolate, coffee, orange and vanilla* and they both chose coffee, \cream,\
After a little while the waiter returned. He was carrying a big tray, which he set down very carefully on the table in front of Edward and Ann. There were two cups of coffee and two plain ice creams on the tray.
\ought to be able to understand simple English.\
The waiter smiled and looked pleased.
\said Ann laughing, \his country. We ought to be able to speak his language.\
Exercise: Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences.
B 2. C 3, D 4. B 5. C 6. C 7. D 8. A
Passage 2 greeting and introductions
Greetings and introductions are an essential aspect of US culture. The importance of w
If you are with a group of English-speaking people and the
conversation is going on in English, do not use your native or any foreign language for more than a few sentences, as it is not considered to be polite. Try to avoid using any filthy*, sexually explicit* stories or jokes. When you are in a theatre, it's not polite to talk or whisper during the performance.
Exercise: Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
I.B 2. D 3. D 4. C 5. B 6. B 7. D 8. B Part 3 News
News Item 1
In Houston Texas, a federal investigating jury* has charged the Arthur Andersen Company with
blocking efforts to seek justice in the Enron case. Arthur Andersen employees kept financial records and provided advice to the failed energy company Enron. The charges say Arthur Andersen destroyed tons of documents while an investigation was taking place after Enron's failure. The Arthur Andersen* Company condemned* the charges as a serious misuse of government power. Exercise A: Listen to the news item and complete the following summary. Arthur Andersen Company is charged with blocking investigation in the Enron case.
Exercise B: Listen to the news item again and decide whether the following statements
are true or false. Write T or F in the space provided. Discuss with your classmates why you
think the statement is true or false.
F 1. Arthur Andersen Company was the energy company Enron's business partner.
(Arthur
Andersen Company just kept
financial records and provided advice to the energy company Enron.)
T 2. Arthur Andersen destroyed important documents. (Arthur Andersen destroyed tons of documents while an investigation was taking place after Enron's failure.) T 3. The Arthur Andersen Company did not agree with the charges. (The Arthur Andersen
Company condemned the
charges as a serious misuse of government power.)
News Item 2
Russian engineers and an American company have presented a model ofthe first space vehicle
designed for pleasure tips. They presented the full size model in Zhukovskiy*, Russia. They say the space plane should be ready in three years. Travelers would experience three minutes of zero gravity during a one-hour flight. The vehicle would hold a pilot and two passengers. A flight would cost about $100,000.
Exercise A: Listen to the news item and complete the following summary. This item is about a model of the first space vehicle designed for pleasure trips.
Exercise B: Listen to the news item again and complete the following blanks. Possible time: in three years Vehicle size: can hold a pilot and two passengers Special experience: three minutes of zero gravity Length of the trip: _one hour
Cost: $100,000
News Item 3
World leaders at a United Nations conference in Monterrey, Mexico, have urged wealthy nations to increase their foreign aid. Peruvian president spoke Thursday at the UN conference on financing for development. Mr Toledo* said terrorism could grow if poor countries do not receive help. He returned home earlier because of the bombing in Lima. Economic leaders and political activists told the conference that poverty is a major throat to world peace. The United Nations wants 22 industrial nations to increase their foreign aid by 100,000 million dollars. The goal is to reduce by half the number of the poor by the year 2015.
President Bush says a bombing near the United States Embassy in Lima will not stop him from going to Peru on Saturday. The attack Wednesday night killed at least nine people mid wounded many others. Mr Bush says he is sure Peru's president will do everything possible to make Lima safe for his trip. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
1
Exercise A: Listen to the news item and complete the following summary. This news item is about a [IN conference on financing for development. Exercise B: Listen to the news item again and choose the best answer to each of the following questions. 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. D 5. B
Section 3 Oral Work
Part 1 Questions and Answers
Peter and William have just arrived at the door of Peter's house. Peter is