Beth: Yeah, Bill. Very funny!

P81

5 Listening Jumping to conclusions

B Listen to the explanations for the two events in part A and take notes. What did happen? How similar were your explanations? 1.

Boy, did you hear the explosion this morning? I bet half the city heard the boom. A lot of people must have though it was a bomb! Those guys from the demolition company sure did a good job. The whole building came down with only one blast. It only took them a few seconds to reduce the school to this. And once the site is cleared, they’ll be able to start work on building the new school. You can be sure it will be a lot nicer than the old one. 2.

I’m so embarrassed! I can’t imagine what people must have thought when they saw me out on that ledge. See, my cat had gone out the window and was too scared to come back in. He was just sitting there on the ledge, crying. I knew I had to go out and get him. So I crawled out the window and picked up the dumb cat. I crawled back, put him inside, and was about to climb back through the window myself when it slammed shut and locked! What a nightmare! I called down to some people in the street for help, and the fire department had to come to get me down. P82

7 Conversation

Brent: How was your dinner party?

Adam: I think it went pretty well. People really seemed to enjoy themselves. B: That’s good.

A: Yeah, but we shouldn’t have invited my wife’s boss again. We can never get him to leave! B: Really? How late did he stay this time?

A: Until two o’clock in the morning! And we both had to get up early the next day. B: Oh, he shouldn’t have stayed so late. That was really inconsiderate. You should have asked him to leave earlier.

A: Well, it’s pretty difficult to do that to your wife’s boss! P84

10 Listening

A Listen to descriptions of three situations. What would have been the best thing to do in each situation?

1.

Dennis: [Trying to open a car door, but the door is locked] Oh, no! [Rattling the car door] Arrgh!

Woman: Dennis accidentally locked his keys in his car when he went shopping. When he returned to his car, he couldn’t get in. so he decided to try to force the door open. He damaged the door, and it cost him $200 to get it repaired. 2.

Diana: [People fighting; phone being picked up and 9-1-1 dialed] Hello, police? This is an emergency!

Man: Diana heard the sound of people fighting in the apartment next door. Then she heard

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a loud scream. She called the police, but when they arrived, it turned out the neighbors’ kids were watching television and turned the sound up very loud. 3.

Simon: [Traffic and pedestrians] Hey, what’s this? Wow! A gold ring!

Woman: Simon found a gold ring on a busy sidewalk. It looked like an expensive ring. He wanted to give it back to the owner, but he thought the person who lost it might return to look for it. So he left the ring on the sidewalk. Unit 14

Behind the scenes P86

2 Conversation

Ryan: Working on movies must be really exciting.

Nina: Oh, yeah, but it’s also very hard work. A one-minute scene in a film can take days to shoot.

R: Why is that?

N: Well, each scene isn’t filmed just once. Lots of different shouts have to be done. only the best ones are used in the film. R: So, how any shots are taken?

N: It depends, but sometimes as many as 20. One scene may be shot from five or six different angles.

R: Wow! I didn’t realize that.

N: Why don’t you come visit the studio? You can see how the special effects are done. R: Great, I’d love to!

B Listen to the rest of the conversation. What else makes working on movies difficult?

N: Of course, it’s not really as glamorous a job as people think. R: I guess not.

N: For example, the hours are dreadful. R: So it’s not exactly a nine-to five job.

N: Not at all! Sometimes we shoot a scene right through the night. Or we may start work early in the morning. We have to get everything ready for a shoot – the lighting and everything – and that can take hours. So if we’re going to start filming at eight in the morning, we usually have to be on the job by three or four A.M. to get ready. R: Three in the morning! That’s unbelievable!

N: Oh, no, it’s not! Believe me. It happens all the time. P87 Listening

Listen to a TV producer describe what he does. Write down two things you learned.

Rita: Welcome to another edition of “Behind the Scenes,” the show that profiles fascinating and perhaps somewhat misunderstood jobs and the people that do them. I’m Rita Roberts. Our guest today is Scott Jasper, a local TV producer. Hello, Scott. Welcome.

Scott: Hi. Thank you for inviting me, Rita.

Rita: Let me begin by saying that I asked a few people what they thought a producer does, and I was surprised at all the different responses I got.

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Scott: Ahhh…yeah…you’re so right! When I tell people I’m a producer, I often get a slightly confused reaction – sort of like, “Oh, really…? Rita: Well, let’s clear up the mystery.

Scott: Great! First off, let me say that not every producer does exactly the same things. But I can say that they are all tired and stressed out, but probably love their job! For myself, I can tell you that my job allows me to be in charge of things and at the same time work as part of a team. There’s a lot of responsibility to this job, too: I have to see that everything is done correctly, on time, and within the budget.

Rita: Most people probably think of the producer as the “money person.” Is there a creative side to the job, too?

Scott: Oh, absolutely. For example, I do research and think up ideas for shows with the writers. And then I work with the directors and the performers. You have to have a strong personality to be a producer – you have to be in charge of everyone, get them to do what you want – but you still have to be nice to them!

Rita: That can’t be easy!

Scott: Oh, no, not at all. Also, you have to be above to make quick decisions…and if something you thought was great isn’t’ working you can’t waste time. You have to let it go and start again. This isn’t the job for someone who is indecisive or hates being under pressure! I love the excitement and the opportunity to work with very interesting people. Rita: Well, this has been very informative. Scott, but I’m afraid we’re out of time. Thank you so much for being our guest today.

Scott: Oh, it’s been my pleasure!

Rita: Speaking for “Behind the Scenes,” I’m Rita Roberts. Join us next week for… P89

9 Conversation

Liz: Where are you working now, Bob?

Bob: The Daily Advertiser. I have two jobs, actually. My main job is working as an assistant editor.

L: What does an assistant editor do?

B: Well, an assistant editor, who is often relatively new to journalism, gets the stories ready for the editor.

L: That sounds kind of interesting.

B: It’s OK. But my other job is more interesting. L: And what’s that?

B: I’m the movie critic, too. It’s terrific. And I get to see all the latest movies for free. L: So you’re the one who writes those sarcastic reviews. You don’t like anything! B: That’s me!

Unit 15

There should be a law! P92

2 Conversation

April: Rich, you look exhausted!

Rich: I know. I didn’t get much sleep last night. A: What happened?

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R: Remember those guys I told you about?

A: The ones that just moved in next door?

R: Yeah. They had another party, and the noise kept me awake all night.

A: Well, something has got to be done. This has happened every weekend since they moved in!

R: Yeah. Tell me about it. I finally had to call the police.

A: I would have done the same thing. They shouldn’t be allowed to disturb people like that. And anyway, they should have at least inverted you to the party! P94 5 Listening

Listen to people discussing these problems. What solution do they suggest for each problem?

1. people using cellular phones in restaurants

W: I hate it when people use cellular phones in restaurants.

M: Me, too. It’s so unnecessary. It’s just showing off, really.

W: I agree. I think people with cell phones should be asked to leave them at the door – you know, like coats and umbrellas. They can always check their voice mail later to see if there are any messages.

M: Exactly. That’s a great idea.

2. car security alarms going off at night

M: [Car alarm going off] I tell you another thing that drives me crazy – when people’s car security alarms go off in the middle of the night.

W: Yeah. Don’t you hate it when an alarm wakes you from a deep sleep? It’s such an awful sound – and it just goes on and on!

M: I think people who park regularly on the street ought to be required to let their neighbors know their license plate number and their telephone number. Then if their alarm goes off, someone car call them to come down and turn it off.

W: Good idea. At least that way they’d be sure to get woken up, too. 3. telemarketing salespeople calling too often

W: [Phone ringing] And I really hate it when people call me at home and try to sell me stuff. M: Me, too. I think the telephone companies should offer a service that automatically blocks telemarketing calls.

W: That’s an interesting idea. That way, we might pay a little bit more, but we’d have peace. M: Right! P95

7 Conversation A Listen and practice.

Sarah: Health insurance bills, child-care bills, rent! Now that I’m going to school and only working part time, I have a hard time making ends meet. Todd: Health insurance is so expensive, isn’t it?

S: Yeah! My company used to pay for it when I was working full time.

T: And child care isn’t cheep either, is it?

S: No, it’s not. After I pay for rent and groceries, almost all my money goes to pay for my son’s day care.

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