Unit 4

Section One Tactics for Listening

Part 1 Phonetics

Stress, Intonation and Accent

Script

Listen to some short conversations. Has the second speaker finished talking? Tick the right box.

1. A: Excuse me. Could you tell me where the secretary’s office is, please?

B: Yes. It’s up the stairs, then turn left, … ↗

2. A: Excuse me. Can you tell me where the toilets are?

B: Yes, they’re at the top of the stairs. ↘

3. A: What did you do after work yesterday?

B: Ah, well, I went for a drink in the pub opposite the carpark. ↘

4. A: What did you do after work yesterday?

B: Oh, I ran into Jane and Tom, … ↗

5. A: Excuse me, can you tell me how the machine works?

B: Certainly. Erm, first of all you adjust the height of the stool, and then put four 10-pence pieces there, ... ↗

6. A: Excuse me, can you tell me how the machine works?

B: Yes. You put 30 pence in the slot and take the ticket out here. ↘

Key

Part 2 Listening and Note-Taking

Frog Legs

Script

A. Listen to some sentences and fill in the blanks with the missing words.

1. Many Asian cultures have included frog legs in their diets for centuries.

2. By 1977 the French government banned commercial hunting of its own amphibians.

3. Indian scientists have described as “disastrous” the rate at which frogs are disappearing from the rice fields and wetlands.

4. The United States imported more than 6.5 million pounds of frozen frog meat each year between 1981 and 1984.

5. One of the attractions of Indian frogs was the price.

B. Listen to a talk about frog legs. Take notes and complete the following summary.

People want frogs mostly for food. Many Asian cultures have included frog legs in their diets for centuries — or at least until they have run out of frogs. But the most famous frog-eaters, and the people who inspired frog-eating in Europe and the United States are the French. By 1977 the French government, so concerned about the scarcity of its native frog, banned commercial hunting of its own amphibians*. So the French turned to India and Bangladesh for frogs.

As happened in France, American frog-leg fanciers and restaurants also turned increasingly to frozen imports. According to figures collected from government agencies, the United States imported more than 6.5 million pounds of frozen frog meat each year between 1981 and 1984.

So many frozen frog legs were exported from India to Europe and the United States. One of the attractions of Indian frogs, apart from the fact that they have bigger legs than French frogs, was the price. In London, a pound of frozen frog’s legs from India cost about £1.75, compared with £3.75 for the French variety.

Indian scientists have described as “disastrous” the rate at which frogs are disappearing from the rice fields and wetlands, where they protect crops by devouring* damaging insects.

Since the India and Bangladesh frog-export bans, Indonesia has become the major exporter of frog legs to the United States and Europe. But no matter what country the legs come from, one thing is usually constant: The legs once belong to frogs that are taken from the wild, not from farms. Frogs are nearly impossible to farm economically in the countries where frogs are commercially harvested from the wild.

Key

A. 1. Many Asian cultures have included frog legs in their diets for centuries.

2. By 1977 the French government banned commercial hunting of its own amphibians.

3. Indian scientists have described as “disastrous” the rate at which frogs are disappearing from the rice fields and wetlands.

4. The United States imported more than 6.5 million pounds of frozen frog meat each year between 1981 and 1984.

5. One of the attractions of Indian frogs was the price.

B. Frog Legs

People want frogs mostly for food. Many Asian cultures have included frog legs in their diets for centuries. The most famous frog-eaters, and the people who inspired frog-eating in Europe and the United States are the French. By 1977 the French government banned commercial hunting of its own amphibians. So the French turned to India and Bangladesh for frogs. And the United States imported more than 6.5 million pounds of frozen frog meat each year between 1981 and 1984. One of the attractions of Indian frogs was the price.

Indian scientists have described as “disastrous” the rate at which frogs are disappearing from the rice fields and wetlands, where they protect crops by devouring damaging insects.

Since the India and Bangladesh frog-export bans, Indonesia has become the major exporter of frog legs to the United States and Europe. But no matter what country the legs come from, one thing is usually constant: The legs once belong to frogs that are taken from the wild, not from farms.

Section Two Listening Comprehension

Part 1 Sentence Identification

Script

Identify each sentence as simple (S), compound (CP), complex (CPL) or compound-complex (C-C). You will hear each sentence twice. Write the corresponding letter(s) in the space provided.

1. I told them what I thought; moreover, I will tell anyone else who wants to know.

2. When the timer rang, she was in the living room talking to the neighbors who had dropped in.

3. Downstairs in a flash, she hurriedly dialed 999, and gave her name and address in clear, concise tones.

4. As a minister’s wife, she has more than her fair share of telephone calls.

5. That polish makes the floor dangerously slick; we will have to be careful until it wears down.

Key

1. C-C 2. CPL 3. S 4. S 5. C-C

Part 2 Dialogues

Dialogue 1 Health Club

Script

A. Listen to the dialogue and complete the following chart.

Interviewer: Lorna, you and your husband opened this health club here last summer. Can you tell me something about the club?

Lorna: Yes, well we offer a choice of facilities — gym, sunbed*, sauna* and Jacuzzi* — that’s also from Scandinavia — as well as our regular fitness classes, that is. And there’s a wholefood bar for refreshments afterwards.

Interviewer: And does it cost a lot? I mean, most people think health clubs are really expensive.

Lorna: Actually our rates are really quite competitive. Since we only started last July, we’ve kept them down to attract customers. It’s only £30 a year to join. Then an hour in the gym costs £2.50 — the same as half an hour on the sunbed. Sauna and Jacuzzi are both £1.50 for half an hour.

Interviewer: And is the club doing well?

Lorna: Well, so far, yes, it’s doing really well. I had no idea it was going to be such a success, actually. We’re both very pleased. The sunbed’s so popular, especially with the over 65s, that we’re getting another one in August.

Interviewer: What kind of people join the club?

Lorna: We have people of all ages here, from small children to old-age pensioners, though of course the majority, about three-quarters of our members, are in their 20s and 30s. They come in their lunch hour, to use the gym, mostly, or after work, while the youngsters come when school finishes, around half past three or four. The Jacuzzi’s very popular with the little ones.

Interviewer: What about the old-age pensioners?

Lorna: They’re usually around in the mornings, when we offer them special reduced rates — for the Jacuzzi or sauna, plus sunbed, it’s only £2, which is half price, actually. It doesn’t affect our profits really — only about 5% of our members are retired.

B. Listen to an extract from the dialogue and complete the following sentences with the missing words.

Interviewer: What about the old-age pensioners?

Lorna: They’re usually around in the mornings, when we offer them special reduced rates — for the Jacuzzi or sauna, plus sunbed, it’s only £2, which is half price, actually. It doesn’t affect our profits really — only about 5% of our members are retired.

Key

A.

B. Interviewer: What about the old-age pensioners?

Lorna: They’re usually around in the mornings, when we offer them special reduced rates — for the Jacuzzi or sauna, plus sunbed, it’s only £2, which is half price, actually. It doesn’t affect our profits really — only about 5% of our members are retired.

Dialogue 2 Skiing

Script

A. Listen to the dialogue and answer the following questions

Simon: This one shows the view from the top of the mountain.

Sally: Oh, it’s lovely!

Teresa: That’s me with the red bobble hat.

Sally: Is it?

Teresa: Yet, it looks kind of silly, doesn’t it?

Sally: Yes, it does rather.

Teresa: Oh, don’t worry. I know it looks ridiculous.

Simon: Look. That’s our instructor, Werner.

Teresa: Yeah, we were in the beginners’ class.

Sally: Well, everyone has to start somewhere.

Simon: Ah, now, this is a good one.

Sally: What on earth is that?

Simon: Can’t you guess?

Sally: Well, it looks like a pile of people. You know, sort of on top of each other.

Teresa: It is!

Sally: How did that happen?

Simon: Well, you see we were all pretty hopeless at first. Every day Werner used to take us to the nursery slope* to practise, and to get to the top you had to go up on a ski lift*.

Teresa: Which wasn’t really very easy.

Simon: No, and if you fell off you’d start sliding down the slope, right into all the people coming up!

Sally: Mmm.

Simon: Well, on that day we were all going up on the ski lift, you know, we were just getting used to it, and, you see there was this one woman in our class who never got the hang of* it. She didn’t have any sort of control over her skis and whenever she started sliding, she would sort of stick her ski sticks out in front of her, you know, like swords or something.

Teresa: I always tried to avoid her, but on that day I was right behind her on the ski lift and just as she was getting to the top, she slipped and started sliding down the slope.

Sally: Did she?

Simon: Mmm, with her ski sticks waving around in front of her!

Teresa: So of course everyone sort of let go and tried to jump off the ski lift to get out of the way.

Simon: And that’s how they all ended up in a pile at the bottom of the slope — it was lucky I had my camera with me.

Sally: I bet that woman was popular!

Simon: Oh, yes, everybody’s favourite!

B. Listen to the dialogue again and complete the following passage.

C. Listen to some extracts from the dialogue and complete the following sentences with the missing words.

1. Teresa: That’s me with the red bobble hat.

Sally: Is it?

Teresa: Yet, it looks kind of silly, doesn’t it?

Sally: Yes, it does rather.

2. Simon: Mmm, with her ski sticks waving around in front of her!

Teresa: So of course everyone sort of let go and tried to jump off the ski lift to get out of the way.

Simon: And that’s how they all ended up in a pile at the bottom of the slope — it was lucky I had my camera with me.

Key

A. 1. They are looking at some pictures.

2. A ski class for beginners.

3. Two.

B. Everyday the coach took them to a nursery slope. They got to the top on a ski lift. In their class, there was one woman who could never learn how to ski. She couldn’t control her skis and whenever she started sliding, she would stick her ski sticks out in front of her. People always tried to avoid her.

One day as she was getting to the top, she slipped and started sliding down the slope. Everyone tried to jump off the ski lift to get out of the way and they all slid down the slope and ended up in a pile at the bottom.

C. 1. Teresa: That’s me with the red bobble hat.

Sally: Is it?

Teresa: Yet, it looks kind of silly, doesn’t it?

Sally: Yes, it does rather.

2. Simon: Mmm, with her ski sticks waving around in front of her!

Teresa: So of course everyone sort of let go and tried to jump off the ski lift to get out of the way.

Simon: And that’s how they all ended up in a pile at the bottom of the slope — it was lucky I had my camera with me.

Part 3 Passage

The Truth about the French!

Script

B. Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each of the questions you will hear.

Skiing in France is heaven on Earth for a dedicated skier. There are resorts where you can access skiing terrain that is larger than all the ski resorts in Utah* and Colorado* combined.

The larger resorts have an adequate number of restaurants and discos. It is a good idea to eat a good lunch because the mountain restaurants are normally much better than the restaurants in the ski stations.

French resorts are mostly government owned and operated. The social system puts a high percentage of money back into the areas. This provides state-of-theart* lifts, snow making and snow grooming. In general, an intermediate skier who can read a lift map will easily be able to ski all day avoiding lift lines and crowds, even during the busiest season.

The French school systems have a staggered* two-week winter vacation period. When the snow is good, nearly all of France migrates to the mountains for this period. The break usually covers the last two weeks of February and the first week of March. The time to absolutely avoid is the “Paris school holiday week” which will always be in the middle period of the vacation time but alternates starting the first or second week of the break.

No one has a more undeserved* reputation about his or her character than the French. The French are not generally arrogant and rude. True, in large tourist centers there are unpleasant people and if you’re looking for or expecting rudeness, you may just provoke* it. Generally the French, especially in the countryside, are as kind as you wish and you will find warmth and acceptance. The most fractious* Frenchman is easily disarmed by a little sincerity*.

When greeting someone or saying good-bye, always shake hands. Don’t use a firm, pumping handshake, but a quick, slight pressure one. When you enter a room or a shop you should greet everyone there. If you meet a person you know very well, use their first name and kiss both cheeks. Men don’t usually kiss unless they are relatives. Good topics of conversation include food, sports, hobbies and where you come from. Topics to avoid are prices, where items were bought, what someone does for a living, income and age. Questions about personal and family life are considered private. Expect to find the French well-informed about the history, culture and politics of other countries. To gain their respect, be prepared to show some knowledge of the history and politics of France.

France is generally a very safe country to visit. Pickpockets, however, are not unheard of. In large cities particularly, take precautions against theft. Always secure your vehicles, leave nothing of value visible and don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket. Beware of begging children!

Questions:

1. How large are the ski resorts in France?

2. Why do people prefer to eat lunch at the mountain restaurants?

3. How do most of the French resorts operate?

4. What kind of vacation do French students usually have?

5. What kind of unfair reputation do the French have?

6. What is recommended when greeting someone or saying good-bye?

7. What are good topics of conversation?

8. What is still necessary when visiting France?

C. Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions.

Key

A. Skiing can be divided into cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. Cross-country skiing is a low-impact, aerobic activity. It is becoming increasingly popular. It can be enjoyed even if you have a relatively low skill level. It does not require exorbitant lift fees, and it has a relatively low injury rate (cross-country skiing has an injury rate about 10 times less than alpine skiing). Skiing uses more muscles than running and is less stressful on the legs.

Alpine or downhill skiing is a popular family sport shared by people of all ages and athletic abilities. It has less benefits for aerobic fitness than cross-country skiing because activity is usually in short bursts, but it is good for strengthening muscles particularly those in the upper leg. Alpine skiing is also a tough sport, particularly demanding on the legs.

B. 1. C 2. A 3. A 4. A 5. B 6. C 7. D 8. D

C. 1. Because there are resorts where you can access skiing terrain that is larger than all the ski resorts in Utah and Colorado combined.

2. Because in a French resort an intermediate skier who can read a lift map will easily be able to ski all day avoiding lift lines and crowds, even during the busiest season.

3. This staggered two-week winter vacation period usually covers the last two weeks of February and the first week of March.

4. The French are not generally arrogant and rude. Generally they are as kind as you wish.

5. In large cities in France, always secure your vehicles, leave nothing of value visible and don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket. Beware of begging children!

D. 1. When the snow is good, nearly all of France migrates to the mountains for this period. The break usually covers the last two weeks of February and the first week of March.

2. Generally the French, especially in the countryside, are as kind as you wish. The most fractious Frenchman is easily disarmed by a little sincerity.

Part 4 News

News item 1 India’s Selfie Campaign

Script

A. Listen to the news item and answer the following questions. Then give a brief summary about the news item.

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign on social media. The campaign is aimed at recognizing and celebrating the lives of girls. It is part of the Indian government’s “Save Daughter, Teach Daughter” movement, which began earlier this year.

The Indian leader used a radio broadcast last Sunday to urge people to publish photographs taken with their daughters on social media. He expressed hope that this could revolutionize the movement to save the country’s girls.

Sexual inequality has long been a major problem in India’s highly patriarchal* society. For years, Indian families have wanted boys more than girls. In India, many girls are considered inferior to boys. Some are even killed before they are born or as newborns because they are thought to be less desirable. For every 1,000 boys up to the age of six years, India has 914 girls.

It was not just fathers in India who answered Mr. Modi’s call. Fathers in countries as far away as Sweden also posted pictures with daughters.

Social activists hope this campaign will not just be another public relations effort, but will support India’s push to give its daughters the same positions as its sons.

B. Listen to the news item again and complete the following sentences.

Key

A. 1. The Prime Minister launched the campaign on social media.

2. The movement began earlier this year.

3. The Prime Minister urge people to publish photographs taken with their daughters on social media.

4. Social activists hope the campaign will not just be another public relations effort, but will support the appeal for giving the daughters the same position as the sons.

5. Fathers in countries such as Sweden also posted pictures with daughters.

This news item is about a campaign launched by Indian Prime Minister on recognizing and celebrating the lives of girls.

B. 1. Sexual inequality has been a major problem in India’s patriarchal society.

2. Many girls are considered inferior to boys in India, therefore some are even killed before they are born or as newborns.

3. For every 1,000 boys up to the age of six, there are only 914 girls in India.

C. 1. Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign on social media. The campaign is aimed at recognizing and celebrating the lives of girls.

2. It was not just fathers in India who answered Mr. Modi’s call. Fathers in countries as far away as Sweden also posted pictures with daughters.

3. Social activists hope this campaign will not just be another public relations effort, but will support India’s push to give its daughters the same positions as its sons.

News item 2 100-Year-Old Japanese Woman’s Swimming Record

Script

A. Listen to the news item and fill out the following chart. Then give a brief summary about the news item.

As we age, we often take longer to recover from injuries. That is, for some people.

After a Japanese woman suffered a knee injury, she became a competitive swimmer — at age 88.

Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman. In fact, in the swimming pool — she is only getting faster.

Recently, a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian* to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter pool. Her name is Mieko Nagaoka. Ms. Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama. She swam the race in one hour, 15 minutes and 54 seconds.

And Ms. Nagaoka was not competing against others. In fact, Ms. Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100–104 year old category*. Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance*, or not giving up.

In 2002, at a masters swim meet in New Zealand, Ms. Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke. In 2004, she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.

B. Listen to the news item again and complete the following sentences.

Key

A.

This news item is about a 100-year-old Japanese woman who sets the swimming record.

B. 1. Recently, a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition.

2. Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance, or not giving up.

3. After suffered a knee injury, Ms. Nagaoka became a competitive swimmer — at age of 88.

C. In 2002, at a masters swim meet in New Zealand, Ms. Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke. In 2004, she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.

Section Three Oral Work

Retelling

The Strand

Script

Listen to a story and then retell it in your own words. You will hear the story only once. You can write down some key words and phrases.

There is a street called “The Strand” in Galveston, where hundreds of thousands of tourists visit today. This street was Mama’s stomping* ground as a kid. Before Mama died, we took a streetcar around Galveston to see all the lovely, restored homes. What a great day. She knew more than the tour guide. As we sat enjoying the sights, Mama said, “Liz, do you know why my nose is a little crooked*?” (I thought, “Where did that come from?”) “No, Mama, you haven’t ever mentioned it,” I replied.

“Well,” said mother, “one day I followed my brothers to The Strand, and a streetcar ran over me. I put myself flat down between the rails and pushed my face in the ground so hard that I broke my nose! It sure caused a lot of chaos*. People screamed, the police came, and I just crawled out, brushed myself off and went home. The only thing I ever noticed different about me was a crooked nose.” I just looked at her nose and looked at Mama in utter disbelief!

Section Four Supplementary Exercises

Part 1 Passage

Babies and Intelligence

Script

A. Listen to the passage and answer the following questions.

Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.

Research scientists at the National Institute of Child Health and Development note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other humans. This ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.

The Finnish researchers used devices to measure the babies’ brain activity. The researchers played recordings of spoken sounds for up to one hour while the babies slept.

The head of the study believes that babies can learn while asleep because the part of their brains called the cerebral cortex* remains active at night. The cortex is very important for learning. This part of the brain is not active in adults while they sleep.

Many experts say the first years of a child’s life are important for all later development. An American study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. The study involved more than 1,200 mothers and children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. They observed the mothers playing with their children four times during this period.

The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old.

The children of depressed women did not do as well on tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly on tests of language skills and understanding what they hear. These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people.

Another study suggests that babies who are bigger at birth generally are more intelligent later in life. It found that the intelligence of a child at seven years of age is directly linked to his or her weight at birth. Study organizers say this is probably because heavier babies received more nutrition* during important periods of brain development before they were born.

The study involved almost 3,500 children. Researchers in New York City used traditional tests to measure intelligence. Brothers and sisters were tested so that the effects of birth weight alone could be separated from the effects of diet or other considerations.

The researchers found that children with higher birth weights generally did better on the intelligence tests. Also, the link between birth weight and intelligence later in life was stronger for boys than for girls.

B. Listen to the passage again and complete the chart.

Key

A. 1. Some people thought babies were able to learn things when they were five or six months old.

2. Doctors think babies begin learning things on their first day of life.

3. Babies communicate with other people by smiling.

4. They can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.

5. Babies can learn while asleep.

6. They are important for a child’s all later development.

B. Study 1

Study 2

Part 2 Video

Haiti Amputee Soccer Team

Script

Watch the video film and answer the questions.

In Haiti there is a soccer team unlike any you have ever seen. It is made up of players who have lost legs and arms, mostly during the earthquake in 2010. Just as the players are different, so is their field, called a “pitch”. People live near it. There are pools of water on it. And cows walk by. The players kick with the same leg they stand on. Goalies defend with the only arm they have. The team is called Zaryen. That is Creole for “tarantula’ — a spider that can live without one of its legs. A balcony collapsed on Judithe Facile during the earthquake. She was near death. Soccer has brought her back to life.

“Now I feel like I’m alive. Because, before that, after I lost my leg, I didn’t have any hope for the future, even though I was walking on the crutches.”

Cedieu Fortilus says the players have changed the way Haitians think about the disabled.

“When I see they are playing like that, I’m so proud. I’m so proud. I think I’m doing a good job. So, I see so many people, even Haitian, if they are crossing the street, they take time to look at them because they are doing something very strange. Something many Haitians have never seen in their life.”

Several organizations in the United States give money to the team, and pay for artificial arms and legs for all Haitians who need them.

Cindy Orange says: “Soccer has taught me to do a lot of things on one leg that I wasn’t used to doing before. I feel comfortable when I’m playing.”

Key

1. That’s because this soccer team in Haiti is formed by those players who have lost their legs and arms.

2. They kick with the same leg they stand on and the goalkeepers defend with the only arm they have.

3. That’s because only soccer saved her from depression. After she had lost her leg, she didn’t have any hope for the future, even though she was able to walk on the crutches.

4. That’s because the players are doing something very strange. That is to say, they are playing soccer in their own ways.

5. Several organizations in the United States give money to the soccer teams in Haiti and pay for artificial arms and legs for all Haitians who need them.