Unit10
II. Listening Skills
Identifying the Main Information
1. M: For the winter break some friends want me to go on a trip with them, but my uncle in
Hong Kong would also like me to visit him. What should I do?
W: You may miss your uncle and be sorry about not seeing Hong Kong, but I really think driving from city to city with friends would be more fun.
Trip uncle Hong Kong driving fun
2. M: Laura, I’ve got to see my parents in California during the holidays. Why not come with
me? My folks are terrific.
W: Gee, I’ve always wanted to go there. But I’m a bit short of money.
Parents’ California short
3. W: For our California trip, I’ve packed light clothes, toiletries, pajamas, and my camera. Anything else you can think of?
M: Well, I think the only thing I didn’t hear on your list is a bathing suit. Remember, California is one big beach.
Packed bathing suit beach
4. M: Thanksgiving weekend is coming up. What are you doing for the holidays?
W: Why? The usual of course: reading, watching TV, washing clothes…
M: How about a trip to a hunting cabin in the mountains?
W: That’s interesting. The trouble is I’ve never even fired a gun. But it’ll be a chance to get away from the books for a while.
hunting cabin Thanksgiving interesting gun books
5. W: I can hardly wait for the winter vacation. Where are we going to enjoy it?
M: They’re all going to stay here. May be we can find some different places, say, go to other cities.
W: Fantastic. My parents said they’d help me with the expenses.
M: I’ve saved a little too.
Vacation different expenses saved
III. Listening In
Task 1: How I plan my Holidays
When I plan my holidays, I like to go where I haven’t been to before. How do I choose? The
Internet is a good source of basic information. All resorts and hotels have websites and offer
special prices through them. You can often book rooms cheaper on the Internet than in person.
Sometimes you can get coupons that will give you a cut in the usual price. For example, I have
visited Sand Beach many times. But I’d never stayed in its old town. Well, I got a coupon for a
room at half price at the Grand Hotel there. I discovered that the old town had antique shops and
was generally an interesting area. I also like fine food, so I search out information on good.
restaurants and try to have meals in them. Some planning can prevent a holiday from becoming a
disaster and with a bit of luck make it an experience of a lifetime.
1.C 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. A
Task 2: Planning for the Holidays
M: Hey, Susan, my classes in this semester are over at last!
W: Over? I still have two finals to take and three term papers to finish.
M: Take it easy! I can’t wait for the holidays. Where shall we go?
W: I haven’t even thought about anything but assignments and classes yet. You got any ideas?
M: I really want to have a change. I’d like to go somewhere far away from school and forget about
lectures and essays and all that hard work.
W: Sounds good to me. How much time do we have before the next semester starts?
M: About three weeks, I guess.
W: How about if we go to the coast? It would be warm and we can sun ourselves.
M: The coast would be good. But let’s look at some other options. There ‘re mountains in the
north. We could go skiing.
W: Skiing is exciting, but I really want to get relaxed.
M: How about we hoop a plan to
Chinese Spring Festival.
W: Don’t be joking. Ok, the mountains. But the most important thing for me at the moment is
tomorrow’s exam.
M: Good luck to you, Susan! I’ll start packing.
1. She still has two finals to take and three term papers to finish.
2. He’d like to go somewhere far away from school and forget about
lectures and essays and all that hard work.
3. Because it would be warm there and they can sun themselves.
4. Skiing is exciting, but she wants to get relaxed.
5. The most important thing for her at the moment is
tomorrow’s exam.
Task 3: Halloween
Some people really enjoy Christmas, or Valentine’s Day, or Easter, or have a huge family reunion
or barbecue on the Fourth of July. Some people look forward to stuffing themselves with turkey
every year on Thanksgiving. Great as those are, they don’t compare with my favorite. I LOVE
Halloween! Why Halloween? Well, Halloween is the night of the year when we can all get dressed
up as someone else, pretend and let our imaginations run wild. Even adults get a free pass to go
back to their childhood and become that kid still inside all of us. It’s also the one night of the year
when we get to shine light on the dark, and confront monsters, ghosts, witches, and all things
dead. We get to confront our biggest fears, as both children and adults, and reassure ourselves that
there’s really no reason to be afraid of things we see at night.
Christmas Thanksgiving dressed imaginations adults childhood
shine confront dead reassure at night
Task 4: Introduction by a Tour Guide
Good morning, passengers. Welcome aboard. We’ll be arriving in Disneyland within an hour. In the meantime, it is my pleasure to make you aware of the many historic and scenic spots along the way. And there are many indeed, so just sit back, relax and look out of the window. Before you know it, we’ll hear Mickey Mouse welcoming us.
IV. Speaking Out
Model 1 Would you like to join…?
Matthew: Hey, Jason. Why are you packing in such a hurry?
Jason: I’m off to Miami for the holiday. How about you, Matt?
Matthew: I haven’t decided yet. May be I’ll just stay on campus.
Jason: How would you like to escape from these gray skies and this could weather?
Matthew: Sounds like it’s tempting.
Jason: Would you like to join me?
Matthew: Well, thanks, Jason. I’ll have to check out a few things. I’ll call you tonight.
Model 2 I was wondering if you was free…
Sarah: Hi, Jim. What’s your plan for this weekend?
James: Well, some of my classmates and I are going on a hike. I was wondering if you were free to join us.
Sarah: Wow! That sounds a lot of fun.. Next weekend my brother is coming to see me and I’ve got to be a tour guide and show him around the city. Would you be interested in going with us?
James: I’d love to, but Joan and I have already planned to go skiing in the mountains.
Sarah: Mmm, I envy you—but I can’t ski.
Model 3 Can you make it?
Christopher: Hi, John. New Year’s Day is coming soon. I’d like to invite you to a party at Hudson’s Hall.
John: I’d love to, but I may not be back in time for it. I won’t be back to campus until New Year’s Day.
Christopher: Terrific! That’s when we’re having the party. I mean, the New Year’s Eve. Can you make it?
John: I think I can. I got two tickets for a basketball game in the afternoon. We could watch the game before the party. Would like to go?
Christopher: That’s great. You know I love basketball.
V. Let’s Talk
John: Hi, Jane. Have you got a second? I need some advice.
Jane: Sure. What’s up?
John: Well, I’ve put my name down for a college trip to Arizona and I know you’ve been there a
few times.
Jane: Yeah, that’s a great place. Which part are you going to?
John: We’ll have a couple of days in Phoenix; then we’ll drive over the Grand Canyou and head
for the desert.
Jane: Fabulous. When are you going?
John: The second week of November. Till the 17th—ten days in all. What do you think the weather
will be like in the desert?
Jane: It should be very pleasant, around fifteen degrees centigrade during the day. But make sure
you take something warm to wear, because the temperature can drop a lot at night, down to
five degrees or ever lower.
John: Really? I’d shiver all night if you hadn’t told me that.
Jane: But it’s a wonderful time of year to go. There could be snow on the mountains by then, and
the scenery will be fantastic. In the middle of the summer, it can be unbearably hot down
there.
John: Did you meet the local people when you were there? Tell me what they’re like.
Jane: They’re very friendly, and it’s interesting to watch them making crafts—pottery, weaving,
and the like.
John: Sounds great. But I’d also like a little action. I know there are mule rides down into the the
Grand Canyou. Have you heard anything about that?
Jane: Sure I have. A guide will lead you right down a trail to the bottom of the Canyou, to the
Colorado River itself.
John: The Grand Canyou is pretty steep. Is it dangerous?
Jane: Well, nothing is perfectly safe, but the safety record of the rides is pretty good. It should be
Fun.
John: 1458 Jane: 2367
For Reference
A
A, show B the brochures you got from travel agencies and ask him/ her what his/ her holiday
destinations.
I’ve picked up quite a few brochures from travel agencies. Where do you want to go for the
summer vacation?
B, give your opinion of the places in the brochures.
Well, these are all for luxury hotels in tourist areas. I was hoping to do something more
Interesting.
A, show your preference.
Come on. What’s more interesting than staying in a luxurious seaside hotel and having fun in
the sun?
B, say you prefer to stay visit
Well, I was thinking about history and culture. I had
A, give your opinion of B’s plan.
B, try to justify your choice.
I think you’re missing the point. We go to
Something.
B
A, show your concern about B.
You’re not looking yourself these days, Jane. What’s the matter?
B, respond to A’s concern, saying you get the holiday blues.
Oh, nothing. I guess I’m just a little blue after the holidays.
A, ask for the reason why B is blue after the holidays.
Why? Didn’t you have a good time?
B, explain how you spent your holidays and how much you enjoyed them.
That’s the problem. I went to Niagara Falls and saw so many wonderful things. It was amazing!
A, say that you don’t understand what the problem is.
I’m confused. That sounds like a great vacation. So what’s the problem?
B, account for your problem.
I’m back here! Compared to Niagara Falls, home is pretty boring.
VI. Furthering Listening and Speaking
Task 1: Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day started when the Emperor Claudius II ruled Rome. Claudius punished Rome into
so many wars that he had a hard time finding soldiers for his army. He thought the reason was that
Roman men did not want to leave their families and lovers. To solve that problem, he cancelled
marriages and engagements. But a Christian priest named Valentine who believed in love and
marriage secretly married couples When the emperor learned about these marriages, he sent
Valentine to prison. The priest died in prison on February 14,270. Not until a few hundred years
later did Saint Valentine’s Day take its present form. Today we still honor Saint Valentine. The
old ideas of love, marriage and fertility have lasted and taken on modern meanings.
1. wars finding soldiers
2. families and lovers
3. love and marriage
4. prison February 14
5. fertility modern meanings
Task 2: Holiday blues
While for many people the holiday season is joyous and hopeful, others may find it just as stressful as interviewing for a new job. Many factors can contribute to the holiday blues. To begin with, there are more parties to attend and more shopping trips to make. But this doesn’t mean we work fewer hours or get a break from household duties—we just try to do more things in a single day. Then there are the financial burdens. The rewards of being generous to close friends and family may outweigh the price tag—and what about extended family, old friends from school, and co-workers? Don’t they deserve gifts? And finally, the holidays can be truly painful when we recall the loss of those who are no longer celebrating with us because of death, distance or divorce. However, the good news is that it’s usually possible to prevent the holiday blues by diversifying your holiday plans.
T F F T T
Task 3: Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow,
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Over the fields we go,
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bobtails ring,
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing,
A sleighing song tonight.
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride,
In a one-horse open sleigh.
