course, but also sound recordings, music, maps, newspapers, and magazines. People predicted that radio, then television, then the Internet will kill reading, but it still a very popular activity.
Listening in 1
M：So how long has your book group been running?
C：Well, let me see, it's over 20years now. I think it's actually one of the oldest books groups around, because it was only about 20years ago that they started to become fashionable in the UK.
M：And how often do you have meetings?
C：We meet about once every four or five weeks, although we try to avoid meetings in the summer holidays, and during the run-up to（前奏，预备期） Christmas when we all start to get busy with other things.
M：And how many members do you have?
C：We're ten in all, although it's rare that everyone can attend. M：And what happens during the meeting?
C：Well, we usually meet at one of our homes, and we start fairly late, around 8:30, and the host prepares dinner, and sometime during the meal, someone asks \book?\M：It sounds quite informal.
C：It is, yes, and sometimes if we haven't enjoyed the book, the meal becomes more important than the discussion. But it's fairly rare that no one likes the book, and it gets quire interesting when opinions about it are divided. M And what sort of books do you read? C：Oh, all kinds, actually, not just novels, although I must admit that being a member of the club makes me read more modern fiction than I might do otherwise. But we also read the classics, you know the novels we all read or should have read 30 years ago, and it's quite good fun to revisit them, to see if our views of the books have changed. We re-read Thomas Hardy recently, and whereas I used to love it when I was a student, this time I thought it was exasperatingly（惹人恼火地） dull. And we read non-fiction. quite a lot of history and travel writing. A couple of the members like poetry, which I don't, but you know, we're tolerant each other's choice, and it gives us a chance to try things we wouldn't usually read. M：And how do you choose the books? C：Well, at the end of the evening the person who hosts the dinner-basically, the cook- has the right to choose the next book. M：And that works OK?
C：Yes, although there's quite a lot of stress on choosing something that will earn everyone else's respect. And we've got one member who likes science fiction, so we try not to go to his place too often!
Listening in 2
Well, thank you for your kind welcome, and for giving me the opportunity to give this brief tour of Literary England. I can't claim it's an authoritative tour, as I'm, not a professional literary specialist. However, I have two amateur passions: one is travel and the other is reading and English literature in particular. And this lecture is a description of different visits I have made
to places in Britain and Ireland, chosen specifically for their close links with well-known writers of what we call the classics of English literature.
Just to give you an overview of the lecture, I'm going to start in my home town of London, which is also the home of many well-known writers. But I think that the picture we have in our mind of London has been largely fashioned by the work of Charles Dickens and Shakespeare. Dickensian London is illustrated most clearly by his book Oliver Twist, and Shakespeare's London brings to mind the plays written and performed here, such as Romeo and Juliet. We'll also have a look at the memorial of freat British writers, Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Then off we go to Oxford, another city rich in its literary history. I'm, going to focus on the greatest of Oxford's literary alumni, JRR Tolkien, the professor of English who wrote Lord of the Rings, which is now famous throughout the world because of the recent series of films. Then we turn south towards the gentle countryside of Hampshire, home of Jane Austen, where her various novels, including Price and Prejudice are set. She also spent a period of her life in the magnificent Georgian city of Bath.
Then we turn north to the hills of west Yorkshire where we find Bronte country, so called because it was the home of the three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. Perhaps the two best known novels are Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyer, and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, also made into successful films.
Then up to the north-west, to the stunning land of mountains and lakes which is the Lake District, home of the Lakeland poets. Perhaps its most famous son is William Wordsworth, whose poem \just in Britain, but around the English-speaking world.
So that's the basic route round Literary England, although I'll be thinking several detours to visit other famous writers whose work contributes to the glory which is English literature. Let's start…
Unit3 Inside view:
Conversation 1
Tanya: Hey! That looks good on you! You should try it on. Janet: No thanks, I’m just looking.
Tanya: Go on, try it on. I can tell it suits you.
Janet: You seem to want me to buy something. And I’m not sure I want to buy anything at all. Tanya: Well, yes .I’m pretty sure you want to buy something. Janet: How do you know?
Tanya: Well, it’s my job to know what women want to wear. Janet: How do you know what I want to wear?
Tanya: I can just tell. Most women don’t hold things up like that unless they know they want to
buy it, but either they haven’t got the money or they are nervous about impulse buying.
Janet: So what type of Tanya am I then? Tanya: No money.
Janet: Yeah! You are right, but how do you know? Tanya: If you were nervous about impulse（心血来潮的，一时冲动的） buying, you’ll feel good
that you’ve made a careful decision.
Janet: That’s pretty smart. What is your job then?
Tanya: I’m a buyer for a store in New York City. I’m here for London Fashion Week. Hey, do
you want to go? I have some free tickets for the catwalk show this afternoon.
Janet: Well, I’m not sure. I’m waiting for a friend for a friend, actually ,and… Joe: Hi, Janet!
Janet: Joe! What are you doing here? Joe: Why the surprise?
Janet: It’s just…I didn’t expect to see you. That’s all. Er, this is …
Tanya: Hello, I’m Tanya Feinstein. Is this the friend you were waiting for… Janet: NO. Yes!
Tanya: So would you both like to come this afternoon?
Janet: Tanya has invited us to the catwalk show this afternoon.
Tanya：Look at this. Oh, it’s perfect. I’ll try it on. I’ll leave you two to make up your minds.
Conversation2
Joe: Who is she? Is she a friend of yours?
Janet: No, she just came up to me and started talking about fashion. She’s a buyer for some New
York fashion store.
Joe: But why she invited us to a catwalk show?
Janet: She’s giving out free tickets. Part of her job I think. Joe: So do you want to go?
Janet: I suppose so. Have not got any money for shopping, so why not? Tanya: OK, you guys made up your mind? Joe: You sure you got a couple of tickets for us? Tanya: Sure!
Joe: Thanks. So what is your take on the London fashion scene then?
Tanya: As far as I am concerned, the clothes shops in London are some of the best in the world.
The way I see it, if I want haute couture（高级时装） I can go to Paris or Milan. But if I want street fashion that will look good in New York too, I come to London. The kids here all have this unique style.
Joe: But they can not afford designer prices.
Tanya: In London the fashion tends to start on the streets. It gets popular among the kids, and
then the designers come and pick up on their style, turn it into designer clothes. Whereas in Paris or Milan, it is more of a top-down process(从上至下的过程). Janet: Top-down?
Tanya: Sure. The big name designers create these wonderful clothes but they are really only for a
few rich people.
Joe: So you think it is different in London?
Tanya: I sure do. And. if you ask me, New York as well. Anyway, you ready? Joe: Sure. Why not? Janet?
Janet: Well…Oh well, it is getting late. So, I suppose so.
Tanya: OK, follow me .Let us get a cab.
Outside view
London has always prided itself on being a little bit different when it comes to fashion. At the catwalk shows, designers showcase the hottest new trends for journalists and buyers from all over the world. But away from the glamour of designer collections, what do London girls actually wear? How do they create the affordable, personal style they are famous for? Hannah, who works for a fashion magazine, says London’s unique style is all about mixing and matching. One day can be punk. Next day you can be really girlie（少女般的）. It’s kind of choosing what you want in your wardrobe. Maybe taking an expensive piece but mixing it with something cheaper or second-hand. I think that is what London girls are really good at doing. Portobello Road, in the trendy Notting Hill area, is home to one of the most famous markets in London. Here, you name it and people wear it-anything from market stall bargains to to-die-for（令人渴望的） designer labels sold in trendy shops. But how do the capital’s women view their style? Eclectic. My style is certainly eclectic. It is from Tesco. It is the Catherine Kidston range from Tesco. Sam is matched her outfit today with a bag she bought in a supermarket. Angela is a fashion stylist. So tell me a little bit about your life. What are you wearing and what would you say your style is? My style tends to change week by week. Today I am wearing some jeans from Uniqlo.I’ve discovered Uniqlo jeans and bought about five pairs cos they fit really well. The boots are by Aldo .My T-shirt is from Tooshop. The jacket is a really old jacket that I bought in the States a few years ago. But um, yeah I mean it just…it does tend to change a lot. Over to New Bond Street, London’s designer shopping Mecca（胜地） and the style stakes have gone up a little. Some of the most famous and expensive shops in the world can be found here. Shops where you have to ask the price of that handbag…or pair of shoes…then you know you can not really afford it. Natalie, a student from the city, says being laid back is what gives London style its edge. I don’t know. Everyone says like. French is like so fashionable and stuff but I think we are quite trendy, we are a bit more casual, but I think we have got a good style going on and everything, a bit laid back, but everyone still looks cool. Seylia works in a jewelry shop. No shabby chic（流行式样，时尚） here. Cashmere scarf from Louboutin, because it is cold. Black coat from Prada and a Valentino bag, which is probably as colorful as it gets. Katie is a model and loves how people dress in London because everyone has their own individual style. I love London it is so unique.And like everyone’s got their own fashion. I love it here, because you can wear whatever and just fit in, it is great. I love London for that. Laura is a student and says she doesn’t really put any thought into what she is wearing. Fashion, I wouldn’t really call it fashion. It is just kind of chucked together, basically, what I am comfortable in. Camden is known for its grungy（脏的，乱糟糟）, daring and sometimes outrageous（极不寻常的） styles. Here fashion is whatever you want it to be. Teenagers don’t hold back much when it comes to choosing clothes. They just want to make personal statement .We are just crazy! We don’t hold back so much. It’s not all about being elegant or something like that. It’s more making a statement, some people. And we don’t care.
Listening in
Presenter: How often do you change your clothes during the day?
Penny: Um I think it all depends on what I’m going to do. Um it might be as many as three times