【正文】 r? W: I think it’s human nature to dream of whatifs. What if I could see an alien? Q: What are the two speakers talking about? Long conversation Scripts M: It’s good to have you back at work Emily. How was your trip to the Amazon rainforest? W: It was like a spectacular dream。 AF = Alex Fraser。 JL = Joanna Lumley。 you’re careless with your assignments and often hand them in late. You don’t want to be here, do you? W: I’m sorry Dr. Smith. It’s just … I’ve got lots of things to do. I’m studying Web design and I’m a firstclass player on our golf team. It’s hard to see why I need to take a Spanish language class! M: Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but learning another language can improve your performance in all of your efforts. And it can be very useful sometimes, for instance, when you visit your father in Mexico. W: Gosh! What do you mean, professor? Just because my father does business in Mexico I’m supposed to learn Spanish – on top of everything else I have to learn? It’s just too much! And if I don’t spend enough time on the golf course, I won’t remain a firstclass player on the golf team. I still don’t see why I should learn a language that’s so hard for me. There are no verb tenses on the golf course or in Web design! M: Listen Miranda, I’ve known your father since we were students at university 20 years ago – and have known you since you were a little girl. Of course, there are no verb tenses in golf or Web design. But I am giving you good advice. Please listen. W: Yes, of course, you’re like my favorite uncle. M: Your brain isn’t like a cup that has water flowing over its edge when it is full. Instead, it’s like a muscle. Learning Spanish exercises your brain in new ways, making it stronger. It will strengthen your critical thinking skills and creativity. W: Really?! Then I guess I can give it a try. Passage 1 Scripts I began learning Spanish when I was in high school, using a traditional academic method of studying verbs, sentence structures, and grammar by using textbooks and not much else. I found it very easy to learn, but was frustrated with the slow pace and repetitive nature of all my Spanish classes. So I worked extra hard in my spare time and asked my teacher if I could skip a level by the end of the semester. This was unsuccessful, however, because the school was not willing to test me or otherwise prove that I could be successful in the top level after skipping a level. This made things even more frustrating, as then I was stuck in a class where I already knew the material! Then I went on to college where I then used the language extensively both in and out of the classroom. I studied Spanish literature, culture, and linguistics and very much enjoyed the cultural and linguistic elements, but found the indepth study of literature a very unbalanced way to study Spanish. I got a lot out of using my Spanish outside of the classroom, including a trip to Mexico with a church group, where I found myself acting as an interpreter. It was certainly challenging, but it was also a lot of fun. I then also volunteered to be an interpreter in the munity schools and also used my Spanish to teach English to some Spanish speakers. This is probably where I learned the most! Q1: What do we know about the speaker’s Spanish learning experience in high school? Q2: What made the speaker feel frustrated while leaning Spanish in high school? Q3: What did the speaker say about her study of Spanish literature in college? Q4: Which experience benefited the speaker most in terms of her use of Spanish? Passage 2 Scripts and answers Have you ever heard of homeschooling? It is a legal choice for parents in most countries to provide their children with a learning environment as an 1) alternative to public or private schools outside the home. Parents cite 2) numerous reasons for homeschooling their children. The three reasons that are selected by the majority of parents in the United States are the concern about the 3) traditional school environment, the lack of religious or moral instruction, and the dissatisfaction with the 4) academic instruction at public and private schools. Homeschooling may also be a factor in the choice of parenting style. Homeschooling can be a choice for families living in isolated 5) countryside or living briefly abroad. Also many young 6) athletes and actors are taught at home. Homeschoolers often 7) take advantage of educational opportunities at museums, libraries, munity centers, athletic clubs, afterschool programs, churches, parks, and other munity resources. 8) Secondary school level students may take classes at munity colleges, which typically have open admission policies. Groups of homeschooling families often join up together to create homeschool coops. These groups typically meet once a week and provide a classroom environment. These are family centered support groups whose members seek to pool their talents and resources 9) in a collective effort to broaden the scope of their children’s education. They provide a classroom environment where students can do handson and group learning such as performing, science experiments, art projects, foreign language study, spelling contests, discussions, etc. Parents whose children take the classes 10) serve as volunteers to keep costs low and make the program a success. Unit 2 Journey into the unknown Listening to the world Sharing Scripts F = Finn。 S = Sally P: Hi. You’re listening to Ask the Expert and in today’s program we’re talking about languages and how to learn a language. Our expert today is Sally Parker, who is a teacher. Hi Sally. S: Hello. P: Sally, our first question today is from Andy. He says, “I’ve just started learning English. My problem is that I’m too frightened to speak. My grammar is not very good, so I’m worried about saying the wrong t