Listening: Harry’s Business Trip 1
Harry is on the business trip.
Yesterday he was supposed to fly from San Francisco toShanghai.
However, things didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to.
In fact, nothing went the way it was supposed to.
Everything went wrong and he didn’t get on his flight.
As a result, he is still in San Francisco.
The flowing is a summary of what happened.
Yesterday morning, he got up as usual and had breakfast.
Everything seemed to be fine and he was looking forward to the trip.
He was just about to check out of his hotel when he felt a pain.
It was a pain in his lower back.
It was dull pain at first not too bad.
So he didn’t worry about it and he checked out of the hotel.
Then he got on the shuttle bus to the airport.
About half way to the airport, the pain in his back started to get worse.
It was a growing pain, and he was beginning to worry.
Soon it was difficult for him to sit in his seat.
The pain was getting worse.
He wanted to lie down.
He started to sweat and breathe quickly.
He was in real pain then.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain was an 8.
When the bus got to the airport, the bus driver helped him to get off.
It was difficult for him to walk, but he finally made it to the terminal.
Inside the terminal, he went to man’s bathroom.
He went to the toilet, but that didn’t help.
Instead of improving, he felt dizzy, and he threw up.
By now he was wet from all of his sweating.
He knew he couldn’t get on his flight.
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Listening: Harry’s Business Trip 2
He used his phone to call the airline.
He explained the situation and cancelled his reservation.
Then he called 911 for emergency help.
911 is the emergency number to call for help in theUnited States.
An ambulance arrived about 10 minutes after he called.
By then he was in so much pain that he could barely walk.
Once inside the ambulance, they gave him oxygen to help him breathe.
But the pain was still terrible.
Then they drove him to a hospital near the airport.
Luckily, the hospital was on his health plan.
That means his health insurance is supposed to pay for everything
Medical costs in the United States are very high.
When he arrived at the hospital, he was taken to the emergency room.
After some tests, a doctor told him he had a kidney stone.
It was a very small stone, but it caused a lot of pain.
It was passing through a small tube in his body, from his kidney to his bladder.
The pain would go away once it got to his bladder.
Until then, he had to take pain medicine to reduce the pain.
Harry didn’t have to stay at the hospital for very long.
With the pain medicine, the pain went away very quickly.
He took a taxi back to his hotel and checked in for another night.
The he called the airline and made a reservation for another flight.
The flight will leave tomorrow.
Until then he’ll just rest in his hotel.
There may even be a good movie to watch.
So, when you’re traveling, please be prepared for emergencies.
Make sure you have medical insurance.
You never know when something like this can happen to you.
So be prepared.
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Vocabulary: Sources of Energy
Solar energy is one of the cleanest and most plentiful sources of energy.
Solar power depends on sunlight, so in cloudy weather and at night, no power is generated.
Wind energy is non-polluting but it’s only useful in places where there is a lot of wind.
Windy turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into a mechanical power.
Nuclear energy is efficient and doesn’t produce carbon gases as waste product.
The dangers of unclear power include deadly radioactive waste products.
A major source of energy comes from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
When we burn fossil fuels, waste gases such CO2 are produced.
Fossil fuels remain the largest source of energy for most countries.
Hydropower comes from the kinetic energy of falling water.
Output is reliable and can be regulated to meet the demand, except during the period of drought.
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Vocabulary: Type of Words
Here are some different types of words in English.
Words that are nouns or pronouns are used to represent objects.
A noun or a pronoun can be a person, an animal or a thing, including an idea.
Verbs are used to express actions such as to sit down or stand up.
We also use verbs to express relations such as to love someone or to own something.
We use adjectives to describe objects such as a tall building.
Adjectives are used with nouns and pronouns but not with verbs.
We use adverbs to describe actions such as to run fast or to walk slowly.
Adverbs express the quality of an action such as how well or poorly something is done.
We use conjunctions to connect things or actions, such as to read and write.
Conjunctions include words such as and, or, because, but and yet.
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Dialogue: Good News & Bad News
W: Hey, I’ve got some news, some good news and some bad news.
M: Ok, give me the bad news first.
W: We’re moving to a new office.
M: When is this going to happen?
W: We’re supposed to move at the end of next month.
M: How far away is the new office?
W: We are not sure yet, but it will mean a longer commute for most of us.
W: The new office will probably be on the other side of the city.
M: The commute is already too long for me and I’m not going to change flats.
M: We just bought one.
M: Anyway, what’s the good news?
W: The good news is that we’re going to expand.
W: The company is growing so we’re going to hire more people.
M: Well, I’ve got some news for you too.
W: I hope it’s good news.
M: Well, that depends on your point of view.
M: I’m planning to start my own business.
W: Why? I thought you were happy working here.
M: I like the work, but I’m not learning anything new.
M: I think I can do batter on my own.
M: I was planning to wait a few months.
M: But now that the office is moving, I’m ready to make the change.
W: What does your wife think?
M: She is in favor of it and she’ll help me.
M: She’s already designing a website.
M: We’ll work from home at first.
W: So you really are serious about this.
W: You’re taking a big risk.
W: Most new businesses fail.
M: Yes, I know. But if I don’t do it now, I never will.
M: I’m tired of working for others.
W: I know you mean.
M: Don’t tell anyone about this, ok?
M: It’s still a secret.
W: Sure, I won’t say anything to anybody.
W: I’m sure this will come as a surprise to everyone.
M: I’m sure changing offices will also come as surprises to people.
M: This is exactly why I want to work on my own.
M: I don’t like this kind of surprises.
W: You’re right about that.
W: When are you gonna to let people know?
M: I’ll make the announcement at the beginning of next month.