T: haven’t been sleeping well recently.

M: what’s the problem?

T: every night my roommates watch the Korean soap operas till mid-night. I am not a big fan of Korean shows and I don’t know how to tell them to stop without hurting their feelings.

M: well, you can simply tell them you want to sleep, or make an arrangement for a time when the room should quiet down.

T: yeah, I know, but I find these sorts of things hard to say. They won’t like it if I tell them to turn off the TV. Now I just hope the show will end soon.

M: I understand. I used to live in a dorm with four people. I was great in some aspects. We always went out and and had fun together. But on the other hand, when I wanted some quiet time, and people kept talking and laughing aloud, it was torturous. For me a room to my own, even a small one, is ideal. Though I don’t mind sharing an apartment with somebody.

T: yeah, I crave my own space. But I also think interpersonal skills very important. Living in a dorm means you have to learn to be considerate of others, otherwise nobody is going to have a good time.

对话2：

T: Hi, Michael, how’s it going?

M: well, things are all right.

T: I heard you got a new roommate. What’s he like?

M: yeah, Bob moved in last week. He is a nice guy and so far everything is cool except this girlfriend.

T: oh? What’s wrong with his girlfriend?

M: she came over last weekend. She is a nice girl but there’s something about her voice that really creeps me out. I tried to smile and be polite, but the whole time all I could think was "what’s wrong with your voice?"

T: well, I guess it might take some time to get used to.

M: I doubt it. Last time was an oral train wreck. Listening to her talk is like chewing tin foil.

T: oh come on, it can’t be that bad.

M: no, it’s much worse. And tonight they invited me out to dinner. I really have no idea how I’m going to pull it off.

T: rough. Maybe you can do most of the talking.

M: that’s the plan.

T: good luck.