studying verbs, sentence structures, and grammar by using textbooks and not much else. I found it very easy to learn, but was frustrated with the slow pace and repetitive nature of all my Spanish classes. So I worked extra hard in my spare time and asked my teacher if I could skip a level by the end of the semester.
This was unsuccessful, however, because the school was not willing to test me or otherwise prove that I could be successful in the top level after skipping a level. This made things even more frustrating, as then I was stuck in a class where I already knew the material!
Then I went on to college where I then used the language extensively both in and out of the classroom. I studied Spanish literature, culture, and linguistics and very much enjoyed the cultural and linguistic elements, but found the in-depth study of literature a very unbalanced way to study Spanish.
I got a lot out of using my Spanish outside of the classroom, including a trip to Mexico with a church group, where I found myself acting as an interpreter. It was certainly challenging, but it was also a lot of fun.
I then also volunteered to be an interpreter in the community schools and also used my Spanish to teach English to some Spanish speakers. This is probably where I learned the most!
Q1: What do we know about the speaker’s Spanish learning experience in high school? Q2: What made the speaker feel frustrated while leaning Spanish in high school? Q3: What did the speaker say about her study of Spanish literature in college? Q4: Which experience benefited the speaker most in terms of her use of Spanish?
Passage 2
Scripts and answers
Have you ever heard of homeschooling? It is a legal choice for parents in most countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an 1) alternativeto public or private schools outside the home. Parents cite 2) numerousreasons for homeschooling their children. The three reasons that are selected by the majority of parents in the United States are the concern about the 3) traditionalschool environment, the lack of religious or moral instruction, and the dissatisfaction with the 4) academicinstruction at public and private schools. Homeschooling may also be a factor in the choice of parenting style. Homeschooling can be a choice for families living in isolated 5) countrysideor living briefly abroad. Also many young 6) athletesand actors are taught at home. Homeschoolers often 7) take advantage ofeducational opportunities at museums, libraries, community centers, athletic clubs, after-school programs, churches, parks, and other community resources. 8) Secondaryschool level students may take classes at community colleges, which typically have open admission policies.
Groups of homeschooling families often join up together to create homeschool co-ops. These groups typically meet once a week and provide a classroom environment. These are family- centered support groups whose members seek to pool their talents and resources 9) in a collectiveeffortto broaden the scope of their children’s education. They provide a classroom environment where students can do hands-on and group learning such as performing, science experiments, art projects, foreign language study, spelling contests, discussions, etc. Parents whose children take the classes 10) serve asvolunteers to keep costs low and make the program a
success.
Unit 2 Journey into the unknown Listening to the world Sharing Scripts
F = Finn; W1 = Woman 1, etc.; M1 = Man 1, etc.
Part 1 F: I’ve spent a lot of time living in different countries so there isn’t one place I think of as home. I’ve lived in Scotland and Poland and China. I love going to new places and learning about new cultures. Today, I’m asking people about travel.
Part 2
W1: I love travel. It’s one of my passions.
M1: Well, I enjoy it a lot. I have traveled to India several times. I lived there, and I’ve lived here, and I’ve been to Istanbul once and I enjoyed that very much.
W2: I’ve done quite a bit of traveling on holidays and stuff. I think it’s good, good experience. W3: You get to meet different people coming from different backgrounds, and that’s really important to get an understanding.
M2: It’s always just nice to get out and experience a different culture and different lifestyle. W4: I get very excited about the thought of going to most countries, any country. W5: I love to travel to different countries.
M3: Absolutely love traveling. I’ve been traveling for about two and a half years solid now. W6: I’ve been to Turkey. I’ve been to Egypt. I’ve been to Malta.
M4: I work as an expedition leader and so I actually operate in different countries around the world, many places outside the United Kingdom.
Part 3
F: What do you like about traveling?
M3: I think you mature a lot when you travel. You, er, you learn … oh, just completely different experiences to what you’re used to at home. W6: I like the airport experience. I love that. M5: I like the arrival more than the traveling.
W5: To see art especially. We love to see theater in other countries.
M4: You see some, some of the most beautiful scenery around the world which you wouldn’t experience in other countries.
M2: I just really like getting out there and experiencing a different culture, getting far away from, you know, what we’re used to in Australia, and meeting new people.
W4: The anticipation of being in a new place, of seeing very different things, er, of hearing a different language, (and) of eating different food. Everything that travel has to offer.
Part 4
F: What don’t you like?
W6: I don’t like long flights.
W3: I suppose plane journeys aren’t always the most exciting of things.
W1: Flying. I don’t particularly like flying, but it’s a necessity when you live in Ireland, you know.
M2: I suppose the biggest problem I have with traveling is living out of a suitcase.
W4: In all honesty, I actually see the whole travel as an adventure in itself. So, er, when, when I was backpacking, and we all … we ran out of money, or we were in dangerous situations, I actually quite enjoyed that.
M4: You spend a lot of time outside the United Kingdom, and the disadvantage of that is, that you, you tend to miss families and friends. I miss out on normal things in life, so … I’ve been outside the United Kingdom for two thirds of the year. I’d say that’s the main disadvantage. W5: The hardest thing for me is that I am handicapped. And so sometimes getting around, especially very old cities, is very difficult. M5: My wife’s usually late for … getting to the airport. It wasn’t until I, I got married I actually started missing flights.
Listening Scripts
One place that I think everyone should have the chance to see is Venice. But the problem is that this beautiful and charming city is slowly sinking. Ever since the 14th century engineers have tried to work out a way to stop the floods in Venice, but so far nobody has managed. Sometimes there are as many as 40 floods per year between March and September, and Venice is actually sinking at a rate of two and a half inches every decade. It’s very possible that your grandchildren, and their grandchildren will never have the chance to see this fragile city. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy the city, to walk across its famous bridges, through its ancient squares. There are no cars in Venice, and many people think it helps this to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. So, can it be saved?
Well, they are trying. Barriers are being put in to try and stop the water getting too high. This is viewed as a temporary measure, although they should last 100 years, so the problem is finding a permanent solution. If you want my advice, go there while you still can, and then together we can put pressure on the government to spend the money it needs to find a permanent way to keep this beautiful and historic city for future generations. We have an opportunity now to save this city, and we must, before it’s too late.
Viewing Scripts
V = Voice-over; M1 = Man 1, etc.; JL = Joanna Lumley; W1 = Woman 1, etc.; EH = Eamonn Holmes; JJE = Jocelyn Jee Esien; AF = Alex Fraser;
JP = John Palmer; MJ = Melanie Jones; LS = Lucy Sassoon; Vs = Voices
V: There are so many amazing places to see around the world. Here are some of your favorites. Welcome to Bangkok! With over six million people, it’s big, it’s busy and you love it! It’s very good for shopping and the nightlife is great, too.
M1: It’s got lots of clubs, bars, shops, food … Everything you need, really.
V: There are 400 temples in Bangkok, so Bangkok is an important place for Buddhists around the world, and tourists love to visit the temples, too.
V: You also love the Masai Mara in Kenya. It’s a fantastic place to watch animals: zebras, elephants, antelope, hippos, and lions. You can see them all. So, why is it so special?
JL: Huge open spaces, fantastic animals, just wide open freedom, warmth, friendliness, and all underneath the great African skies.
V: Now a popular, romantic city … the city of lights, Paris. W1: To me, Paris is elegant, romantic and expensive. W2: Go in the spring and enjoy the art galleries.
V: And enjoy the views of the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
V: Back to Africa now, South Africa. Yes, it’s Cape Town. And behind Cape Town is the 1,000-meter-high Table Mountain, with its fantastic views. EH: Cape Town is one of my top three places on earth.
JJE: Friendly people, loads of beaches, and the food is unbelievably cheap.
M2: We went there um, over New Year and it was lovely. I mean, just a lovely, lovely place. EH: Great place, Cape Town.
V: You love the mountains and beaches that make Cape Town so special. And these little guys – the penguins.
V: This is the big moment: the number one place to see before you die. Your favorite is … the Grand Canyon! The Grand Canyon is an amazing place. You can read about the Grand Canyon and you can look at photographs and videos, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing. AF: There is so much to see that you never stop seeing something new. JP: The colors are just so … amazing.
MJ: With every changing inch of the sunset, the colors in the canyon change. LS: I remember actually sitting there … and I just cried.
V: But there’s only one word that everyone says when they talk about the Grand Canyon:
Vs: It really is awesome … Just completely awesome … Awesome … “Awesome” is the word … It was awesome … Awesome … Awesome … “Awesome” is the only word … Truly awesome.
Speaking for communication Role-play Scripts
Conversation 1
Man: Excuse me. We’re trying to get to the carnival. Is this the right bus stop? Woman: Yes, but you don’t need the bus. It’s very close. Man: Oh! Can we walk?
Woman: Yes, it takes about 10 minutes from here. Just go straight on. You’ll hear the music! Man: OK. Thank you very much.
Conversation 2
Woman: Excuse me, can you help me? I’m looking for the Plaza Hotel. Is this the right way? Man: Um … Plaza Hotel, er, Plaza Hotel. Oh, yes, keep going, past the cinema and take the
first left. Woman: OK.
Man: Then keep going for about 15 minutes until you reach the end of the road. And you’ll see the sign for the hotel. You can’t miss it.
Woman: OK. Um, can you show me on the map? Man: Sure.
Conversation 3
Man 1: Excuse me, we want to get to The Grand Motel. Is it far? Woman: Um … sorry, I’ve no idea. Jim, do you know? Man 2: What?
Woman: The Grand Motel?
Man 2: The Grand Motel? Yeah, it’s just over there. Er, just go to the end of this street. Go left and go past the … um … there’s a restaurant. Go past the restaurant and it’s on the left.
Man 1: On the left. So I need to go to the end of the street, turn left, go past the restaurant and it’s on the left. Man 2: Yeah, that’s it. Man 1: Thanks a lot.
Group discussion Scripts
OK, well, we would like to go to Easter Island. It is very isolated, very far from other places. Er, we are going to travel there by plane and stay with different families and the trip is going to take three months. We want to experience the local culture, their music, food, and way of life. So our plan is to speak to the local people about these things and to film them. We hope to find out about their traditions and to see what they think of their history. Well, um, finally, my husband and I always wanted to go to Easter Island. I read about it when I was a child and I saw pictures of these amazing stone heads on the island. So for us this is the journey of our dreams.
Further practice in listening Short conversations Scripts
Conversation 1
M: I still can’t decide whether we should have a whole package tour or a self-drive tour.
W: A whole package tour means having to spend time in the confined quarters of a coach, bus or train with people you are not familiar with, but considering our budget, perhaps we have to sacrifice comfort and privacy.
Q: What does the woman say about a whole package tour?
Conversation 2
W: I was so shocked when I saw the tiny, dirty houses where the children grew up.
新视野大学英语( 第三版) 视听说教程2 听力原文
