(Text 1)

W: I was in Mallorca last week.

M: Oh, what were you doing there?

W: My best friend worked there. And I went to visit her. It was a good chance to practice my Spanish.

(Text 2)

M: Ruth, I've got this terrible cold and I have to see a doctor. I am afraid I can't go to the class. Could you help me hand in my lab report to Dr. Davidson?

W: Sure, no problem. Just take care of yourself and don't worry about the class.

(Text 3)

M: Marie, if no one takes care of your children while you're away, Jennifer and I will be glad to have them stay with us.

W: That's very kind of you. But they've already left for their Grandma's. You know, Suzy lives close by.

(Text 4)

M: Hurry up with your food, Sally. They say there's a big storm coming. We'd better get home before that.

W: Okay, I'm done. Let's get back to the car. Could you carry these shopping bags?

M: Oh, sure.

(Text 5)

M: We deep fried fish three days ago in the kitchen, but the unpleasant smell stays.

W: There is a method you can try. Every time you make coffee, dry the leftover coffee grounds and keep them in small bowls, then place the bowls in the kitchen.

(Text 8)

W: David, how was your holiday?

M: Great, I climbed Mount Fuji. It was really beautiful. Now I can check one more thing off my list.

W: Your list?

M: Yes. When I was 12, I made a list of things I wanted to do some day.

W: That's interesting. How many of the things on your list have you done so far?

M: Almost half. I have pictures. Would you like to see them?

W: Yes, sure.

M: Here I am on top of Mount Fuji. And here I am in a hot air balloon.

W: When did you do that? I've always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon.

M: It was two years ago, in August, in California.

W: What are your plans for the next holiday?

M: I'm thinking of deep-sea diving in Australia. Do you have any other suggestions?

W: You really ought to take a boat down the Amazon. You'll see a lot of interesting animals and beautiful trees. It's one of the best places I've been to.

M: OK. I'll put it on my list.

(Text 9)

W: Hello, Michael.

M: Hi, Sarah.

W: Are you attending the conference tomorrow morning at the Shelton Hotel?

M: Yes. Are you?

W: Yeah, but when I arrived home five minutes ago, I found that my car wouldn't start. And John is in Brighton on business.

M: Do you know what's wrong with the car?

W: I'm not exactly sure. I think there is a problem with the engine. Err… I wonder if you could give me a ride to the hotel tomorrow morning.

M: Sure. When shall I be at your place?

W: Well, what about 8:00? From my place to Shelton, we have to drive through the quarters, so we'd better leave early to avoid the traffic.

M: OK. No problem. It takes twenty minutes to reach your place. So I'll set off at 7:40. By the way, do you also need me to drive you home tomorrow afternoon?

W: No, John will be back then, and he'll get me home. Thank you, Michael.

M: That's okay. See you tomorrow.

(Text 10)

W: Hello, everyone. Today I'll talk about how to improve your pronunciation. Language researchers say pronunciation and fluency are the biggest barriers, followed by grammar, in effective spoken English. However, most people don't regard pronunciation as a very important part of communication skills. They're more focused on vocabulary. One reason is that most people are not even aware of their mispronunciations. So it's important to first find out the words you mispronounce. You should listen to experts, by experts, I mean those who are less likely to make pronunciation mistakes. When listening to them, pay attention to words that sound strange, strange because you pronounce the same words differently. When you come across such words, check a dictionary to confirm their exact pronunciations. You can also search for difficult-to-pronounce words and names, and make a list of them. The last suggestion is to read aloud. Now you've got the correct pronunciations of the words, it's time to practice reading them every day.