1、Long conversation 1 W: Hey, Bob, Im taking care of my cousin this weekend. Can you think of any fun things for us to do?M: You guys should to see the new Harry Potter movie!W: Thats a great idea! J.K. Rowling is such an inspiration. I just watched an interview with her on BBC news. Did you know her
2、first book was rejected by 12 different publishers? Everyone told her to get a different job, and that she wouldnt be able to make any money by writing childrens books. M: Yeah, its hard to believe that once she was really poor but now shes so wealthy. She came up with the idea for Harry Potter at a
3、 Caf in London no, wait, I think it was a bookstore in Manchester right?W: Haha, almost! It was actually on a train between London and Manchester. But she did write in cafes a lot. She could only write when her baby daughter was sleeping, so she took her on long walks around the neighborhood to get
4、her to fall asleep. She would usually end up in a caf and write as much as possible before her baby woke up again. M: Did J.K. Rowling say what shes going to write next in her interview? I cant wait to see what she will write after her Harry Potter books!W: No. She keeps her future plans a secret. P
5、ersonally, I hope she writes more magic stories, with flying horses and lots of animals!M: Not me. I hope she works on more serious material. Id love to read stories with historical settings and big battle scenes!Long conversation 2 M: After such a tiring week, I cant wait to have a rest and relax a
6、 little this weekend.W: Me too, Mr. Simpson. So what are you doing this weekend? Looks like itll be nice weather for sailing.M: Yes, Mary, I hope it stays this sunny. Im going out to the beach and spending all weekend surfing.W: You, sir? Surfing?M: Haha, I bet you think Im too old for surfing! Ive
7、been surfing since I was 11, and its still my favorite activity. The cool blue waves, the smell of the sea, just take me back to when I was teenager free from care. I forget all my troubles. By Sunday night, I fall into a deep sleep, sore and tired, without a care in the world. W: Thats really nice.
8、 Im going to the beach, too. I love relaxing in the warm sun, watching my niece and nephew play in the sand and jump in the waves. Theyll tire themselves out building sand castles, collecting seashells, and trying to bury each other in the sand. M: Oh, I remember building sand castles with my brothe
9、rs such great fun. How old are little Timmy and Monica now?W: Tims five and Monicas three.M: Wow, kids grow up so fast! Long conversation 3 W: Guess what Dad! I won the school spelling competition today! Im the best speller out of all 450 students at my middle school! I won by spelling the word “exc
10、ellence” correctly after Jimmy messed up on the word “vehicle”. He added an extra “k” after “c”.M: Wow, thats great, sweetheart! Im so proud of you. I still remember when I was 13 and I won my schools big spelling competition. I competed all the way to the state competition in Sacramento, California
11、!W: You went all the way to the state capital for a spelling competition? Our competition was just in the school cafeteria.M: Yes! Our state competition was in a big theater in Sacramento. We drove two hours from our home to get there. I wore my new blue suit! I even wore my dads favorite green tie
12、for good luck!W: Did you win?M: Almost! I came in second. I was so sad after I misspelled “knowledgeable”. But my mom gave me a big hug afterwards, and then we went out for ice cream. Um vanilla ice cream.W: Wow Dad! Second place in the state competition! In my next competition, Im going to wear my
13、favorite new yellow dress for good luck! And we can go out and have vanilla ice cream, too!Long conversation 4M: Did you hear? The new high-speed train around the capital is almost finished. It will travel at 180 miles per hour!W: I know! I saw it on Channel 6 this morning on TV. I cant wait! It wil
14、l change my work travel time from 2 hours each way to just 45 minutes each way.M: Wow! Rachel! Thats way too long to spend traveling to work.W: Well, John, I leave home in the morning at 6 and arrive ate work at 8. Leave work at 5 and arrive back home at 7. During my 2-hour travel time on the subway
15、, I do catch up on emails and try to read and rest a little. M: So, the new high-speed train will be a big help for you then, Rachel!W: Yes! Now my travel time to work is so long that any extra time- like for shopping can be really tough. The new high-speed train will connect our office in the old p
16、art of the city with all the new shopping areas. So, I will be able to do my shopping on the way home from work!M: Oh, thats great. And the new high-speed train will make a circle around the entire city. It will connect my neighborhood with the airport. I will be able to ride it from my neighborhood
17、 to the airport in 20 minutes and save money on parking my car!Long conversation 5 M; Katy, Jason called inviting you to his Halloween party!W: Ugh, Dad! I dont want to go to Jasons party! I went last year! There were only six people there!M: Katy! You cant judge the success of a party by the number
18、 of people who attend! Besides Jason and his family are old friends! Youve known him since you were three years old!W: I know Dad but Halloween is my favorite holiday My favorite! And I worked for two months making my rabbit costume! Plus Jasons party last year was completely boring. Completely! Fou
19、r hours of boring. Boring. Boring. M: It wasnt all that bad, young lady. You came back with a huge bag of candy and talking about how cook the Halloween decorations were in Jasons front yard. You did have fun last year at Jasons party!W: Well, yes. Thats true, I guess. But Dad, I really dont want to
20、 go because I need to go to Lindas party instead! Please! Dad, dont make me go to Jasons party. Please!M: And whats so special about Lindas party?W: Well, all my friends are going to Lindas party not Jasons and, theyre going to have special music, a Halloween video, and a new game called “Guess Who”
21、.M: OK, why not go to Jasons party for one hour or so and then go to Lindas party for the rest of the evening?W: Thanks Dad! Thanks so much! Thats a great idea! Long conversation 6 M: So Mary, I heard you were thinking about doing a triathlon? W: Thats right. But you know triathlons are tough with t
22、he three events: swimming, then cycling and finally running! My sister, Jennifer, did a triathlon last year and loved it! So, I decided to give it a try.M: Good for you! I did my first triathlon back in college six years ago. Now, I do at least one triathlon every year. It keeps me fit and healthy w
23、ith regular swimming, cycling, and running. So do you have a favorite of the three events?W: Yes! Definitely running. I started running back in high school and loved it! I woke up at six a.m. every morning and then ran three miles. Now that Im training for the triathlon Im loving waking up at six a.
24、m. and running again. M: Not me! Running is my worst event! I get bored when I run. I start daydreaming about other things and forget where Im going! Two times last week I made a wrong turn and almost got lost! W: For me, its swimming. Swimming pools are fine but triathlons take place in lakes. And
25、Im scared that a giant fish will eat me! M: What?! Come on! There arent any giant people-eating fish in lakes and even the small fish will be scared away when hundreds of people from the triathlon are swimming there all at the same time! Long conversation 7 W: I just saw a great movie about the true
26、 story of Christopher McCandless trip to the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. It was so inspiring! His love of nature was so beautiful. M: Well, I read about his story. He was foolish and just threw his life away!W: Why would you say that? Its a shame that he died, but at least he lived doing what he lov
27、ed. Can you imagine living in Alaska alone, eating only the plants you can gather and the animals you can hunt?M: No, thats just it! He died in the wilderness because he thought nature was magical and kind. He needed to realize that nature is powerful and full of risks! Christopher was completely un
28、prepared for the many dangers of the Alaskan wilderness. W: Like what? He found shelter and he had a gun to hunt!M: He did not use his map of the area there was a boat where he could get help only a quarter of a mile away! He didnt have any emergency food supplies! Most of all, he had no emergency c
29、ommunication equipment. Any one of those three things would have saved his life! W: Yes, he should have been more prepared, but I still admire what he was trying to do. M: Its not romantic! Five famous outdoor specialists were interviewed. They all said he should have lived. He died because he was u
30、nprepared! W: Still, I admire his spirit for trying! Long conversation 8 M: Thats beautiful new coat, Jessica. Is that real leather? W: Yes, it is 1 I found it in a sale last week for only $180. I just couldnt resist! M: $180?! How can you afford that kind of purchase as a college student? Back when
31、 I was beginning college, it was a struggle to afford tuition, books and food!W: No problem! My student loan just came in for this term, so I have plenty of money to spend! I took all of my friends out for dinner last night, and tonight were going out to a concert! We got great tickets for $75! You
32、should come with us, Mike!M: Thanks for the invitation Um. Ill have to pass. I need to prepare for my class. Jessica $75! Youd better learn to be more careful with your money. What will you do if you run out of money before the end of the term? W: Ill just call my mom! She loves to send me money. Sh
33、e saved up for college for me from when I was young. She said I should really enjoy my college life! So, I am! M: OK, well, Ive got to go. Jessica, I may be an old family friend of over 15 years, but here at the university, Im the graduate teaching assistant in your freshman biology class. So, dont forget to study for the exam this Thursday!W: OK! Bye!
