M: Yes, I bought this briefcase here last week, but there’s something wrong with the lock. I can’t get it to close properly.

C: Let me see. Yes, I see what you mean. The lock seems to be jammed or something. No problem. I’ll get you another one. Sorry about that. 2. W: Hi. C: Yes?

W: I wonder if you could take a look at these shoes I bought here. They’re pretty new, but they seem to be falling apart.

C: Hmm. Let me see. Yes, this doesn’t look right. The stitching is coming out. How long did you say you’ve had them?

W: Only about a month. Here’s the receipt.

C: Hmm…yes. Well, let me exchange these for you. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. 3.

M: Excuse me.

C: Yes, how can I help you?

M: You see this shirt? I bought it here a few weeks ago, but the first time I washed it, the color changed: It went from bright red to light pink. C: How did you wash it?

M: Well, I just tossed it into the washing machine with my other clothes. C: What temperature did you use?

M: I usually wash my clothes in hot water, so I guess hot. C: Well, did you check the washing instructions? M: Um…maybe not.

C: Well, you see here on this label? It says, “Wash in cold water only.”

M: Um-hmm.

C: So I’m really sorry, but since you didn’t follow the washing instructions, I can’t really do anything for you. P36

6 Conversation: A Listen and practice. Ms. Lock: Hello?

Mr. Burr: Hello, Ms. Lock. This is Jack Burr. L: Uh, Mr. Burr… in Apartment 205?

B: No, in Apartment 305.

L: Oh, yes. What can I do for you? Does your refrigerator need fixing again? B: No, it’s the oven this time.

L: Oh, so what’s wrong with it?

B: Well, I think the temperature control needs to be checked. Everything I try to cook gets burned.

L: Really? OK, I’ll have someone look at it right away.

B: Thanks a lot, Ms. Lock.

L: Uh, by the way, Mr. Burr, are you sure it’s the oven and not your cooking? B Listen to another tenant calling Ms. Lock. What’s the tenant’s problem?

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Ms. Lock: Hello?

Mrs. Harris: Hello. Is this the manager? L: Yes, this is Ms. Lock.

H: This is Mrs. Harris in Apartment 216. L: Yes, how can I help you, Mrs. Harris? H: I’m having a problem. L: What sort of problem?

G: With the electricity.

L: What sort of problem with the electricity? H: Well, I don’t seem to have any.

L: I see. Do you mean for the lights or is it the appliances, too?

H: Let me check…No, the refrigerator is OK, so it must be just the lights.

L: I guess something must be wrong with the fuse box I’ll come up and have a look at it right away. H: Thanks so much. P38

10 Listening Repair jobs Joe:

I work in the watch repair center at a large department store. I repair all kinds of watches, but nowadays, most of them are pretty easy to fix because they all run on batteries. The most common problem is they need a new battery. Since that only takes a minute or so to fix, I always have plenty of time to tell my watch jokes – like this one: What time is it when an elephant sits on your watch? Time to buy a new watch! And here’s another one: What time is it when the big hand…… Louise:

I repair luggage – mostly suitcases. People spend a lot of money on luggage, and often all it takes is one flight for a suitcase to get damaged. The most typical problem, I guess, is the wheels. I fix the wheels on about 20 suitcases a week. It’s not surprising, really, with the way those baggage handlers at the airport throw around people’s luggage. You’d think they were playing ball, the way they throw suitcases around here and there…… Sam:

I repair household appliances. The most frequent calls I get are from people who are having trouble with the garbage-disposal system in their kitchen. Usually the thing gets jammed because the people have put too much food into it at one time or something metal or plastic has fallen down into it. It’s usually pretty easy to fix a garbage disposal, but every once in a while, you run into situations that aren’t exactly typical. One time, a little girl had put her Barbie doll down into the disposal – she thought Barbie would enjoy the ride. She couldn’t get the doll back out again, and she was afraid to tell her mother what she’d done. So when the mother went to use the disposal, it made a horrible noise and then died – and so did Barbie. Unit 7

The word we live in P40

2 Conversation

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A Listen and practice.

Andy: Excuse me. Would you like to make a contribution to Greener World? Carla: Sure. What are you working on right now?

A: Well, we’re developing educational programs for schools. We want to show children how the oceans are being polluted by industrial waste. And we want to tell them about how fish supplies have been depleted through overfishing.

C: I think what you’re doing is terrific. I wish I could do more to help. A: So, have you ever thought about becoming a member of Greener World? C: No, but tell me a little more about it.

B Listen to the rest of the conversation. What else has Greener World accomplished in their city?

A: We’ve been active in this area for almost five years now. Are you aware of some of our other local projects?

C: No, I don’t think I am.

A: Well, one of the things we’ve been doing is planting trees. We have a group of

volunteers involved in several tree-planting projects in different parts of the city. We’re trying to get as many trees planted as possible to help clean the air and also to help lower the temperature during the summer. C: That sounds smart.

A: Uh-huh. We’ve also placed over 50 recycling bins around the city so that people can drop off things for recycling – cans, bottles, plastic bags, and newspapers. Last year we raised over $100,000 through recycling.

C: That’s fantastic. I’d love to get involved in Greener World. Where do I sign? P42

5 Listening: Environmental solutions

A Listen to three people describing how come serious environmental problems are being solved. Write down the problem each one talks about.

1. Jenny:

J: You know, I’ve been reading a lot about the problem of landfills – and it really has me worried.

M: Why?

J: Well, it seems that the easiest way of disposing of trash is by burying it in landfills. The problem is that in many countries the landfills have already been filled up, and it’s hard to find places to start new ones. No one wants a huge landfill anywhere near their neighborhood.

M: So what’s the solution?

J: Well, there is no easy solution. But many cities are trying to do more recycling so that they can reduce the amount of stuff that goes into the landfills. 2. Adam:

W: I can’t believe it’s become dangerous to get a suntan. What is this world coming to? A: Well, the sun has never been good for you, but it’s really dangerous now. You see, the ozonosphere, which helps protect us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, has been damaged by pollution in the air. When the ozone layer gets too thin, it can cause an increase in skin cancer and other problems.

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W: But is there anything we can do to solve the problem?

A: Sure. One of the biggest threats to the ozone layer is cars – the exhaust gases from cars. The best way to save the ozone layer is to drive less. So in many places, people are being asked to carpool. 3. Kate:

K: You know, you always hear about air pollution, but not many people are aware of the problem of water pollution.

M: You mean in the oceans?

K: No. I mean polluted drinking water. It’s a problem in almost every major city in the world. Almost all our rivers and lakes – where we get our drinking water from – are being polluted in some way by businesses farms, homes, industries, and other sources. And even though the water most of us drink is treated, it’s still not 100 percent pure.

M: So what’s the solution?

K: Well, it’s a complicated problem to solve, but basically what’s involved is treating all waste products more carefully so that dangerous chemicals and bacteria don’t get into our water supply.

P43

Conversation

A Listen and practice.

Andy: You know, there’s a factory outside town that’s pumping chemicals into the river. Carla: How can they do that? Isn’t that against the law? A: Yes, it is. But a lot of companies ignore those laws. C: That’s terrible! What can Greener World do?

A: Well, on thing to do about it is to talk to the management. C: What if that doesn’t work?

A: Well, then another way to stop them is to get a TV station to run a story on it. C: Yes! Companies hate bad publicity. By the way, what’s the name of this company? A: It’s called Apex Industries.

C: Oh no! My uncle is one of their top executives!

C Listen to the rest of the conversation. What do Andy and Carla decide to do? Carla: Wait a minute, Before Greener World does anything, shouldn’t we make sure that we’ve got our facts straight?

Andy: Absolutely. The best thing to do is to monitor the situation over the next several weeks to see what exactly is happening.

C: How do we do that?

A: Well, we can take pictures of the river and even take water samples to see how had the situation is.

C: OK. And maybe I could talk to my uncle about it.

A: Oh, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not yet, anyway. C: Why not?

A: I don’t think we want to say anything to anyone until we have a clearer picture of what is going on. After we’ve monitored the situation for a while, then we can decide whether we need to have a meeting with a representative of the company to tell them what we’ve discovered. OK, Carla?

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