Listening
Christina's Future Plans 1
Christina sells women’s clothing in a department store.
She usually works 6 days a week, but this week she’s going to take 3 days off.
She’s taking time off so that she can visit her parents.
Her parents live in the mountains, about three hours away by train.
They are looking forward to seeing her.
They haven’t seen her for almost a year.
Christina is their only child.
Christina isn’t going on the trip by herself.
Her boyfriend is going with her.
She is going to introduce him to her parents.
She and her boyfriend want to get married.
If everything goes well, they plan to get married in six months.
After they get married, Christina plans to quit her job.
She wants to spend more time designing clothes.
She wants to set up her own business.
This will take time.
Her boyfriend thinks it’s a good idea.
He's also thinking about starting his own business.
They don’t plan to have children right away.
In fact, they may decide not to have children.
They don’t know yet.
It’s going to be a big decision.
Christina's Future Plans 2
Christina’s parents want her to marry and have children.
They are looking forward to having grandchildren.
They don’t want her to start her own business.
They think it’s more important to have children.
In fact, they would like her to live closer to them.
They want to be close to their grandchildren.
So Christina doesn’t plan to tell her parents everything.
For now, she just wants them to meet her boyfriend.
She wants them to be happy that she is going to get married.
She wants them to like him and see her happiness.
She wants her parents to accept her way of life.
Life isn’t the same now as it used to be.
Times are changing.
Vocabulary
Jobs & Weather
Mechanics, like this one, fix cars. He is working in a repair shop.
A delivery person delivers things, such as pizzas.
This person works for a restaurant.
A pharmacist sells medicines.
Pharmacists, like this woman, work in a pharmacy.
Thieves, like this one, steal things.
This thief is stealing a television from a home.
A musician, like this one, plays music.
This musician is playing a guitar.
Stealing things is against the law.
These people are wearing masks because of the smog.
One cause of smog is automobile exhaust.
It’s raining hard so you need an umbrella.
Heavy rain like this can cause flooding and mudslides.
When the sky is overcast, we can’t see the sun because of the clouds.
A cloudy sky means that it might rain.
We need to wear a coat when it’s cold and windy.
In a very strong wind it’s difficult to use an umbrella.
We need to drink water or other liquids when it’s hot outside.
When it’s really hot most people turn on the air conditioning.
Things to Read
Here are some different types of things to read.
Works or fictions include novels, short stories and plays, such as Shakespeare.
We read fiction to enjoy stories of imagination and adventure.
People read the news to learn about what’s happening in the world.
We can get the news in newspapers and online.
When we buy something, we often need to read an instruction manual.
Instruction manuals show us how to put together or install things.
Non-fiction works include biographies and books about science and history.
We read non-fiction to learn about different subjects and real people.
We can learn about the latest scientific research in journals and academic papers.
Many online university courses give a list of research papers to read.
Dialogue
Foot Injury
M1：What’s wrong?
M2：I can’t walk. My left foot hurts.
M1：Is it broken?
M2：I don’t know if it’s broken, but it sure hurts.
M1：There’s one way to find out if it’s broken.
M2：How?
M1：You need to see a doctor. The doctor can X-ray your foot.
M2：OK, let’s go. I can’t walk by myself. Can you help me into a taxi?
M1：Sure, I’ll call a taxi. I’ll get you to a hospital as soon as possible.
M2：Thanks. I sure hope it isn’t broken.
M1：We’ll find out soon enough.
Discussing Eating Out
W：I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Let’s go out.
M：Where would you like to go?
W：I feel like eating some great Italian food.
M：How about AI’s Italian? it’s always good.
W：We went there last week. Let’s try something new. You have no imagination. You always want to go to the same place.
M：Right. I don’t like unpleasant surprises. I just want things to be simple.
W：OK, let’s compromise.
M：What does that mean? What do you mean by compromise?
W：Let’s go 50-50. This time we’ll go someplace new and next time we can go to one of your favorites.
M：OK, I’ll compromise and meet you halfway.
W：Good, I’ll look for something new and make reservations.
M：Great, let’s not go too late.
W：I’ll make reservations for 8:00. Is that ok?
M：Yes, perfect.