II. Listening Skills

Listening for Names

1. Doris: Good morning. Can I help you?

David: Yes. I need to change one of my courses.

Doris: I’ll see what we can do. What’s your name, please? David: My name’s David Brown. Doris: Your first name again? David: David. D-A-V-I-D.

The boy is called David by his first name.

2. Nancy: Excuse me. I want to make sure if I am registered for the new semester of English with

Dr. Lang.

Doris: Just a minute and I’ll check for you. What’s your name, please? Nancy: Nancy Leigh.

Doris: Is “Lee” your last name?

Nancy: No, it’s Leigh. L-E-I-G-H. But “Lee” would be easier to spell, wouldn’t it? Nancy’s last name is Leigh.

3. Doris: I’m sorry. But if you need a loan, you’ll have to go to the Financial Aid Office before

you can register.

Nancy: Them who should I see there?

Doris: Well, Mrs. Vicky Klein can help you. As a matter of fact, anybody there is very nice. Nancy: Oh, thank you. What is her name again? Doris: Vicky Klein. V-I-C-K-Y, K-L-E-I-N.

Nancy should see Vicky Klein if she needs a loan.

4. Doris: OK, to complete this form I need your name in full, please. Laura: Laura Tish Hill.

Doris: Tish? That’s an unusual middle name. Would you mind spelling that for me? Laura: Sure. T-I-S-H. I was named after my mother. Laura’s full name is Laura Tish Hill.

5. Doris: Well, you need to complete the form for your parking pass. Your name, please? Anthony: Anythony Mcdonald. Doris: Are you “Mc” or “Mac”?

Anthony: “Mc”. My family was from Scotland.

Doris: OK, Anthony. I’ll have your parking pass ready in a minute. Anthony McDonald will get his parking pass in a minute.

III. Listening In

Task 1: Enrolling

Good morning, everyone. I’d like to welcome you to City University. I’m Betty Russell and I work in the International Students’ Office. I have some important for you. First, you must enroll by August 28th. Pick up your ID card at our office. Them, you’ll need to pick up a library card so that you can borrow books from the library. Show them your ID card in the library and they will do it for you. You may be thinking about the sports facilities at our school. There’s no charge for student use, but of course you’ll have to show your ID card. Concerning the medical assistance, the University has its own health center, and all services are free for enrolled students.

1.B 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.A

Task 2: Living on Campus

(M=man; W=woman)

M: Hi, Lisa. How’s life on campus?

W: Hi, John. Oh, not so bad. Pretty good in fact.

M: Is that what do you think? I mean, do you like living on campus?

W: Yeah, I enjoy living here because there’s so many people around and it’s easy to make friends. What about you? Have you ever lived in a dorm before? M: No, this is the first time.

W: I think you’ll find it quite convenient. The library, labs, sports center and other facilities are right on campus.

M: That’s true. The atmosphere here is different from the outside. But I guess living in town has its advantage too, like being close to the shopping center. You know, our university is so far from downtown.

W: But the commuting to classes…I mean, you would have to get up so early to get to classes on time. And then going home would be so much time.

M: Yeah, but the food here…it seems it’s the same thing in the cafeteria every day.

W: Well, I think the food here is OK, and if you want a change, you can eat out once in a while. M: True.

1. She thinks it’s easy to make friends.

2. It’s convenient to use the library, the labs, the sports center and many other facilities. 3. It’s near the shopping center.

4. They would have to get up so early to get to classes on time. And then it would take a lot of

time to get home.

5. It seems all the same every day.

Task 3: Learning to speak English

Hello, how are you? When most people learn English as a second language, they learn formal English. Unfortunately, learning it like this tends to make you feel distant and bored. The truth is, most people in English-speaking countries don’t speak to each other in such a formal way. They speak in a casual way to their friends and families. When speaking casually, people tend to use a lot of informal or colloquial words, and also shorten and connect their phrases. They say things like “Hey, what’s up?” or “Hey! Whatcha been dion’?” These expressions are both common and

natural, and make you seem like a native speaker. Using them may make people more interested in talking to you. This type of English is more like what you will hear in movies and TV shows. Speaking this way makes native speakers feel more relaxed and you will sound like a friendly person who speaks English well. You got that, buddy?

formal formally casual common native relaxed friendly

Task 4: An Announcement

attention closing five checkouts leave

IV. Speaking Out

Model 1 It’s nice to meet you. Now Your Turn

Michael: Hi1 My name is Michael. Nice to meet you.

Robert: Nice to meet you, Michael. I’m Robert. But you can call me Bob. Michael: OK, Bob. Are you an international student here? Robert: Yes, I got here last week. I’m from Canada. Michael: So, we’re going to be in the same dorm.

Model 2 How are you doing? Now Your Turn

Joe: Hi, Jack.

Jack: Hello, Joe. How are you doing? Joe: I’m just fine, thanks. How about you?

Jack: Good. Well, you see, I’m planning to take chemistry this semester. Can you recommend a

professor?

Joe: Dr. Smith, of course. They say he’s a prominent professor in chemistry.

Model 3 I’d like you to meet my friend. Now Your Turn

Jason: Hi, Jane. I’d like you to meet my friend, Mike. Mike, this is Jane. Michael: Glad to meet you. Jane: Glad to meet you, too.

Michael: Jason often tells me how much he enjoys you playing the piano. Jane: Thank you. I enjoy watching him playing tennis, too.

Michael: Excuse me. I have an appointment, so I’m afraid I must go now. Very nice meeting you.

Jane: Same here. Bye!

V. Let’s Talk

Michael: Hi! I saw you yesterday with John. We room together. I’m Michael. Jane: Oh, hi, Mike. How are you doing?

Michael: I’m okay, but school has been really hectic since I came. I haven’t even had a chance to

breathe!

Jane: I know. It’s especially crazy when you’re a freshman. Hey, what’s your major? Michael: Travel and tourism.

Jane: Well, what do you plan to do after you graduate?

Michael: Uh… I really haven’t decided. I think I’d like to work for a travel agency in this area.

What about you?

Jane: Well, when I first started college. I majored in physics, but later I realized I might have a

hard time finding a job in that field. I ended up changing to computer science. Finding a job in the IT industry shouldn’t be as difficult.

Michael: Have you got a part=time job to support yourself through school? Jane: Well, I’m on a four-year scholarship that pays my tuition. Michael: Wow, lucky you!

Jane: Yeah. How about you? Are you paying for school yourself? Michael: Sort of. I work weekends at travel agency.

Jane: A travel agency? That seems like a perfect experience for you! What do you do there? Michael: I’m a tour guide. I show tour groups around the city. Jane: Wow, your English must be pretty good then.

Michael: Actually, they’re all Chinese tourists. That’s why I got the job! Speaker Michael Jane

Major Travel and tourism Computer science Future Job Plan To work for a travel agency To work in the IT industry Tuition Source Working his way through school A four-year scholarship For Reference a

A, say what you think about college life.

Hi, John. Life on campus is really exciting! It’s totally different form high school. B, give your opinion of A’s view.

Yeah. I feel the same. It’s an entirely new world. A, tell B your problem and the cause for that.

Well, my problem is this: I major in Engineering, but I want to work in a foreign trade company. So, I decide to spend more time on English. But, it’s hard, you know, to manage your time. B, give your opinion of what A says, and tell him/her about your situation.