Lesson 60 How to Attract Boys

Jason is talking to Kate, a classmate he likes very much.

J: I don’t understand why you dye your hair and wear all kinds of weird clothes, Kate.

K: I guess that’s how I attract boys.

J: Yes, but the wrong kind of boys.

K: What do you mean?

J: The type of guys who go out with you wear earrings and have tattoos on their arms.

K: What kind of guys do you think I should go out with then?

J: Uh… somebody like me, for instance.

K: Oh, is that so?

J: The day will come when you know I’m right.

K: We’ll see.

Lesson 61 Touring by Taxi

One of the most convenient but expensive ways to get around a city in any country is by taxi. And in some cases, tipping is expected.

A taxi driver knows the city like the back of his hand. He can tell you whatever you want to know. At the same time he’ll be your personal tour guide. He can take you wherever you want to go. So, however expensive the taxi ride may be, the advice you get from the driver will certainly be worth it.

Lesson 62 Keep the Change

Jimmy is at the Boston Airport. He hails a taxi.

T: Where to, buddy?

J: The Sheraton Hotel, please.

T: Ok. Is this your first time in Boston?

J: Yes. What’s a good place for sightseeing?

T: If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can walk the Freedom Trail.

J: I’m kind of strapped for time.

T: In that case, whatever else you do, you must check out the observatory on the 63rd floor of the John Hancock Building.

J: Isn’t the building all glass?

T: That’s right. You can’t miss it. Here’s your hotel. That’ll be $17.50, please.

J: Here’s $20.00. Keep the change.

Lesson 63 The Dying Languages

Today, more people than ever before are speaking to each other through satellite television, cellular telephones and computers. This means that people from different parts of the world need to be able to communicate in the same language. That language happens to be English.

Because of this, experts have predicted that more than half of the world’s 6,000 languages may die out in the next century. Already almost all Californian Native American languages are in danger of extinction. They are being swallowed up by English and other language. It is a pity, but that is one of the prices of modernization.

Lesson 64 Speaking the Same Language

Sally is talking with her friend, Don.

S: Tell me, Don. How come you’re from Spain but you can’t speak Spanish very well?

D: It’s not my mother tongue. My father is Spanish and my mother is American. We usually speak English at home.

S: Oh, I see.

D: Your Spanish is probably better than mine.

S: Yes, but you speak English more fluently than I.

D: How come? Aren’t you American?

S: Yes, but my mother is Spanish.

D: Don’t tell me...

S: That’s right. We usually speak Spanish at home.

D: It doesn’t matter as long as we can communicate.

S: That’s true.

Lesson 65 Italian Culture

Italy is a land of history and culture. And as we all know, the ancient architecture there is breathtaking. Just as we Chinese are proud of our history and culture, so are the Italians. One of their traditions is to enjoy a long midday meal. This lengthy lunch can last up to four hours! As you can imagine, after all the eating, drinking and chatting, they need to take a nap.

Well, this custom may be great for the stomach, but it’s not so great for getting things done. If you happen to be in Italy, don’t be surprised if you have to wait for a long time for the banks and post offices to open.

Lesson 66 It’s Nap Time

Mr. Mishima, a Japanese tourist, enters a bank in Milan, Italy.

M: Uh, excuse me...

T: Zzzzzzzz...

M: EXCUSE ME!

T: Aggghhh! What do you want? You scared the life out of me!

T: At this hour? You must be kidding!

M: But it’s two in the afternoon.

T: That’s right--- and as usual, it’s nap time. Come back at three or four. We don’t work the same hours

as you do in your country.

M: But I have to cash this check. I have no cash!

T: Don’t worry. You won’t need any cash. All of Italy is asleep at the moment. Zzzzzzzzz…

Lesson 67 All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Many people seek fame and wealth. Gul Muhammed sought neither. However, through fate he is famous. He is so sort that he is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the shortest man in the world. He measures only 57 centimeters. Though he has fame, he is not rich. In fact, he’s too poor to pay his own medical bills.

Recently, when Gul became so ill that he had to be brought to the hospital, he didn’t have enough money for the medicine. What a pitiful man he is! His story tells us that fame and wealth do not always go hand in hand. Indeed, Gul is a living example of the saying, "All that glitters is not gold."

Lesson 68 Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Lily is talking to her singer friend, Chad.

L: Chad, what a lucky guy you are!

C: What do you mean?

L: Well, you’ve got everything a person could ask for: a lovely family, money and fame.

C: Nothing’s as wonderful as it seems.

L: But such a successful man as you must surely be happy.

C: Not really, I’m so busy that I don’t live a normal life.

L: Anyway, I wouldn’t mind being in your shoes.

C: And I would love to be able to live as simple a life as you do.

L: I guess you should never judge a book by its cover.

C: How right you are!

Lesson 69 Mean What You Say

Some people say that promises are made to be broken. That certainly seems to be true in this cutthroat society that we live in. But if you break your promise, you will ruin your reputation and no one will trust you anymore. So whenever we say, "I give you my word," we should mean it. There is nothing worse than to be let down by others because they have not kept their promises.

In fact, it isn’t so difficult to keep promises. Just remember never to promise anything we are not sure we can live up to. In short, therefore, to be trustworthy, we should always say what we mean and mean what we say.

Lesson 70 A Promise Is a Promise

Larry is talking to his classmate, Hedy.

L: Hey, Hedy! What seems to be bothering you?

H: I don’t understand why my boyfriend finds it so hard to keep his word.

L: What has he done this time?

H: Well, he made a date with me to see a movie last night, but he stood me up.

L: What a lousy guy!

H: I know. And there’s nothing worse than to be in love with such a guy.

L: Why don’t you just dump him?

H: I can’t.

L: Why not?

H: I promised I’d never leave him. And a promise is a promise.

L: Oh, boy.

Lesson 71 Earth in Danger

Seeing is believing. But seeing a huge rock half the size of Earth smash into Jupiter in July 1996 was incredible. Can you imagine what would happen if Earth collided with a huge space rock? It would be disastrous. In fact, it is thought that a meteor killed the dinosaurs millions of years ago.

A rock like the one that hit Jupiter could split Earth in two. Doing nothing about it is like waiting for the end of the world. So scientists plan to start project to identify all space rocks that could hit Earth.

Lesson 72 Saving the World

A student is talking to her teacher.

S: I hear that scientists are planning to study asteroids and meteors, right?

T: Yes. They want to determine whether Earth is in danger of being struck by such a rock.

S: What if they discover that a big one is coming straight for us?

T: In that case, there are two things they can do. They can launch rockets to push the rock off its course.

S: So that it will miss Earth, right?

T: Right. And if that fails, we can try destroying the rock with nuclear missiles.

S: Wow! I never thought that nuclear weapons could save the world instead of ending it!