Unit 2 Campus Life
4)_________. Bill pointed out that language also included shared language beyond words and grammar. He encouraged Xin by assuring her that he would not have been able to 5)________ if her were in her situation. Xin realized that she needed to put more effort into 6)_________.She asked Bill to help her with her English. Bill was happy to do so and also hoped that7)__________. They agreed to teach each other English and Chinese on Thursday afternoons.
1)______________________________________. 2)______________________________________ 3)______________________________________. 4)______________________________________. 5)______________________________________. 6)______________________________________. 7)______________________________________.
Script
（Bill is heading for his class one day down the corridor when she bumps into his Chinese friend, Xin. They stop to talk.） Bill: Hi Xin! Xin: Hi Bill!
Bill: How are you doing? Xin: Great, how are you?
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Bill: Never better! Hey, there is a famous guy coming to speak at Northrup Auditorium later this morning. Would you like to come along? It’s free.
Xin: Who is this famous speaker?
Bill: His name is Tom Brokaw*. He is a famous newsman from New York. He’s been on TV every night since I was a kid. Xin: What’s he going to talk about?
Bill: Beats me. I guess when you’re a big cheese you can talk about whatever you want. Why don’t you meet me in front of Northrup at 10:45? The lecture starts at 11. Xin: Un, see you then.
Bill: Well, what do you think of Mr. Brokaw’s speech? Xin: I guess it was okay, but I was often confused.
Bill: Sounds like you were in the dark in more ways than one !What confuses you?
Xin: He was talking about weather and everyone laughed. I didn’t see what’s so funny.
Bill: Well, let me ask you something…In the part of China you are from, does it ever snow?
Xin: No, it never snows where I was born. I am from southern China.
Bill: In a few months you will see what was so funny! In
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Minnesota we have this thing called winter… You’ll see. Xin: We have winter in my hometown too.
Bill: No, you don’t. Not a real winter. Not a two-feet of snow and 20 below zero winter. But let’s drop that subject. What else confused you?
Xin: Many times when people around me laughed, it made me feel silly. Though
I heard every word clearly, I still had no clue what was going on. It didn’t seem funny to me at all.
Bill: That’s never crossed my mind, but I guess language includes a lot more than words and grammar; it also includes a lot of shared knowledge.
Xin: I agree. I have a long way to go. I need to work more on idioms and culture. Sometimes I feel really stupid!
Bill: Oh Xin, you are not dumb! Here you are in America, studying in a foreign environment. If I were in China or some totally different country right now, I wouldn’t be fitting into the environment nearly as well as you are. The extent of my world travels took me to Canada once for a day. That’s it. Xin: Well, thank you Bill. Could I ask a big favor of you? Would you help me with my English sometime?
Bill: I guess I can do that. Thursday afternoons are good. Hey,
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maybe we could be language partners and you could teach me some Chinese!
Xin: Great! I’d love to do. How about we meet at two o’clock here?
Bill: Good. I’ll see you on Thursday afternoons.
Key to Exercises
1. 1)F 2)F 3)F 4)T 5)T 6)T
2. Bill met Xin on his way to class and invited 1)her to a free lecture at Northrup Auditorium. The speaker was Tom Brokaw, a well known anchor from New York. They agreed to2) meet in front of Northrup at 10:45, 15 minutes before the lecture. Tom Brokaw’s speech about his new book The Greatest Generation was 3)warmly received by the audience. But when Bill asked her afterwards, Xin admitted that she was lost in the speaker’s humor. She did not understand when Brokaw with the audience about Minnesota’s weather, and felt silly when 4)everybody else laughed . Bill pointed out that language also included shared language beyond words and grammar. He encouraged Xin by assuring her that he would not have been able to 5)handle himself better if her were in her situation. Xin realized that she needed to put more effort into 6)idioms and culture in her 9
Unit 2 Campus Life
language study. She asked Bill to help her with her English. Bill was happy to do so and also hoped that 7)they could be language partners. They agreed to teach each other English and Chinese on Thursday Afternoons.
Clip five New Haven and Yale University Culture tips
1. Yale University
One of Yale's most distinctive assets is its residential college system. Based on the Oxford-Cambridge-model, the twelve colleges are diverse yet intimate communities of 400 students. Each college has its own dining hall, library, gymnasium and multipurpose rooms, which students use for everything from theatrical productions and concerts to publishing newspapers. The colleges also offer seminars, host speakers, organize social events, sponsor sporting teams and provide tutoring. The residential college system ensures students entering Yale have a support structure that fosters relationships that will last a life-time.
Visitors as well as students can take advantage of Yale's cultural attractions. The university has two art museums, a natural history museum and over 300 free concerts and performances annually.
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