Book2 Listening
Track 2-1-7
Making memories
A popular new hobby is scrapbooking—making beautiful books to hold special memories. Scrapbook pages can include photos, drawings, journal entries. It’s not hard to make a scrapbook that you will enjoy for many years. Here are the steps.
1. Choose a theme for your scrapbook pages. Some examples: ―school days,‖ ―Family travel,‖ ―Memories of my grandparents,‖ ―Baby’s first year.‖
2. Select photos for each page. Two or three really good photos are better than ten so-so photos.
3. Find other paper keepsakes to use with your photos. Look for old newspaper clippings, postcards, tickets, report cards, letters –anything made of paper. Use your imagination!
4. Design the pages. Put photos and keepsakes together on each page and move them around until you find a layout that you like.
5. Glue your photos and keepsakes into place. Then decorate your pages with felt pens, paint, and stickers. Use your imagination!
6. Label your pages. This is the most important step! Remember to write down the ―5 Ws‖ of your photos: Who, What, Where, When, Why. This will make your scrapbook much more interesting and valuable in the future.
Track 2-1-9
Yearbooks in the United States
Most high schools in the United States publish a year book. The yearbook comes out once a year, usually in the spring. It is a record of the school year—a ―book of memories‖ for the students.
Inside a year book is each student’s photo. The seniors are graduating soon, and their photos appear first. Next are the juniors. They are one year behind the seniors. Next the sophomores, or second-year students. The last photos are the first-year students, the freshmen. The yearbook is not only about students.
The teachers have photos, too. The yearbook also has photos and descriptions of sports teams, academic subjects, and extracurricular activities. These are activities students do after school, such as the chess club and Spanish club. There is even a yearbook club. Students in this club write, design, and take photos all year for the yearbook. At the end of the year, the book is printed.
In the yearbook, some students receive special titles. The seniors vote and choose the ―class clown‖(a funny student), the ―most likely to succeed‖ (a student everyone thinks will be successful), and the ―best dressed‖ (a student with a good fashion sense). There are also other awards and categories.
Students typically sign each other’s yearbooks. This is especially important for the seniors, because they are graduating. Students write notes to each other, such as, ―We had a lot of fun,‖ or ―I’ll never forget you.‖ They also write about all the fun and funny experiences they shared in school together.
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Track 2-2-8
Know before you go! Bangladesh
People greet their friends by shaking hands softly and then putting their hands over their heart. People in Bangladesh don’t use any gestures. Waving at people and winking are very rude. Don’t touch people on the head. Don’t point with your foot – Bangladeshi think feet are very dirty.
Indonesia
Indonesians greet people with a long handshake, and they bow at the same time. At a meeting, give every person your business card, but use your right hand – use your left hand is very rude. Track 2-2-9 Thailand
In Thailand, the traditional greeting is called wai – people put their hands together and bow. Men and women don’t touch each other in public. Thai people don’t use their hands for gestures, but they love to smile a lot. They sometimes laugh when they feel nervous or embarrassed. The United Arab Emirates
People in the United Arab Emirates have some special gestures. When two men meet, they shake hands. Sometimes old men touch noses together. Women kiss their friends on the cheek. If a man meets a woman, he doesn’t shake hands with her. He just smiles. When you give your friend something, give it to him with your right hand. Don’t use your left hand. And don’t point at people with your finger. Use your hand to gesture towards them. Track 2-2-11
In Brazil, men often shake hands when they meet for the first time. When women meet, they kiss each other on the cheek. Women also kiss male friends to say hello. When you shake hands, look at the person in the eyes. This shows interest and friendliness.
In New Zealand, usually, both men and women shake hands when they meet someone for the first time. If you see two people pressing their noses together, they are probably Maori. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand. This is their traditional greeting.
In Japan, when people meet for the first time, they usually bow. In business, people also shake hands. In formal situation, people often exchange business cards. When you give a business card, give it with two hands. This is polite. Special note: In Japan, when people smile it can have different meanings. It usually means that the person is happy, or that the person thinks something is funny. But it can also mean that the person is embarrassed. Track2-3-4
Today our lives are busier than they were 10 or 20 years ago. For some people, this is a problem. They think we should slow down and enjoy life. The slow food movement was started to celebrate and support the local food traditions of the world. Its members don’t like fast food or instant foods because they think these foods are
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unhealthy.
The slow food movement started in Europe, but now it is an international movement. There are more than 65,000 members in 45 countries. The slow food movement’s members think we need to slowdown and appreciate delicious, traditional foods. They also believe in protecting the environment. In addition, they believe in supporting local farmers and their products. Track-2-3-6
Adam: I’m about 20 pounds overweight. I went on a diet. There’s only one problem: I just love buttery foods. Everyone says that I should eat less butter. It’s hard.
Janet: I lived in Thailand for six months. It was really fun. I really like Thai food! It’s too spicy for some people, but not for me; I love the peppers. I came home a month ago. The food here tastes s bland – I don’t like it any more.
Abby: My mother says that I have a ―sweet tooth.‖ That means I like to eat sweet foods. Dessert is my favorite part of any meal. I like anything with chocolate in it! Minh: I’m training for a swimming competition. I have to eat healthy foods all the time. At first I didn’t like it, but now I do. I actually prefer healthy foods to sweet or buttery foods. And I feel better too! Track-2-3-8
Here are eight surprising facts about chili peppers
1. Chili peppers are one of the oldest food crops in the world. Farmers grew the first chili peppers more than 9,000 years ago.
2. The first chili peppers probably grew in Bolivia. From there, the plant spread through South America and the Caribbean. Christopher Columbus brought the first chili peppers to Europe.
3. The heat in the chili comes from a chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin has no smell of flavor, but it makes your mouth feel ―hot‖.
4. Scientists believe that chili peppers are a very healthy food because they are rich in vitamins. Research shows that chilies don’t damage the stomach, and Indian scientists discovered that eating chilies can help people lose weight.
5. Indian food is well-known for using a lot of chili peppers, but Thai food is spicier. The average person in Thailand eats 5 grams of chili pepper everyday – the most in the world!
6. The Aztec Indians of Mexico loved chili peppers so much that they gave them to their king as a gift.
7. The hottest chili pepper in the world is the habanero. It is bright orange and grows in the Caribbean.
8. There are chili sauce factories on every continent except Antarctica. Track 2-3-10
The Healthiest Lifestyle in the World?
In many countries around the world, people are living longer than before. People have healthier lifestyles, and healthcare is better, too
Okinawa is an island off the coast off Japan. The people on Okinawa, the Okinawans, may have the longest lives and healthiest lifestyles in the world.
Researchers did a study. They started their study by looking at city and town birth
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records from 1879. They didn’t expect to find many centenarians in the records. They were very surprised to find so many old and healthy people living in Okinawa. The United States, for example, has 10 centenarians per 100,000 people. In Okinawa there are 34 centenarians per 100,000 people.
What is the Okinawans’ secret? First, they eat a healthy diet. They eat many fresh fruits and vegetables. They also eat fish often and drink a lot of water and green tea. But researchers think that the Okinawans have other healthy habits as well. They don’t do hard exercises such as weightlifting and jogging – instead, they prefer relaxing activities like gardening and walking. Researchers say that older Okinawans also have good attitude about aging. They sit quietly and relax their minds with deep breathing exercises. They also enjoy massage. Track 2-4-9
1. I’m a salesclerk in a woman’s clothing store. My boss is great, but she has a very strict dress code. We have to wear long skirts, black shoes, no jewelry, and on and on. It’s really a very boring, so I’m planning to dye my hair red. What do you think?—Lana
Expert’s opinion: sorry, but I have to side with your employer. A business wants to have a particular look. So they tell you what to wear. If you want to show off your individual style, you had better do it in your free time.
2. I love my girl friend, but she complains a lot about my clothes. She doesn’t want to go anywhere with me because I always wear old jeans and T-shirt. I don’t care about look like a fashion magazine. I just want to be comfortable! What’s your advice? –Dave
Expert’s opinion: I think you ought to have a serious talk with your girlfriend and explain how you feel. We all have our own style and taste. In my opinion, she thinks too much about appearance. Track 2-4-10
Today I started my new part-time job as a trendspotter. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Well, guess what? It was a lot of fun! I’m telling all my friends, ―You should think about becoming a trendspotter, too!‖ On Saturday morning, we had to report to a recording studio by 10 a.m. The ―Trends coordinator,‖ Mandy, explained the schedule. Then she gave us a tour. That was really cool!
Next we sat around a big table in a room. They gave each person three cards. One card said ―yes – All the way!‖ Another said ―It’s Ok.‖ The third one said, ―No way!‖ We listened to about ten different songs. After each song we had to hold up a card. They played some hip hop, rock, heavy metal, and dance music. The heavy metal was ―No way‖ for me!
Do you know the rock group called ―gifted‖? They are really popular right now. Well they have a new CD coming out. We saw 6 different CD covers. I guess they are trying to choose one. This time we didn’t have any cards. Instead, we just talked about the cover we liked. Mandy asked us questions: ―Which ones do you like?‖ ―why do you like them?‖ ―Would you buy a CD with this cover?‖
We finished at 12:30. we’ll meet again next week at a boutique downtown. We will look at some new fashions. Each week we go to a different location. Oh yes, we also
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received a free CD for our work. This ―job‖ doesn’t pay, but we get free stuff! Track2-5-2
The greatest detective
Sherlock Holmes is probably the greatest detective ever known – well, at least he’s one of the most famous. But he never actually existed … he’s an imaginary detective who appears in 60 stories created by the Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Doyle was not always a writer. He started his career as a doctor. Fortunately for us, he did not have many patients. He needed money and so he started to write stories.
The first Sherlock Holmes story was published in 1887, and was called A Study in Scarlet. Later, a magazine published. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and readers love it!
What makes Sherlock Holmes so special? Well, he was very intelligent and successful. He always arrested the criminal –every single time – with the help of his partner, Dr. Watson.
In the stories, Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street in London, England. Thousands of people visit that address every year. There’s also a Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. Track 2-5-4
Mike: … So, we can look forward to warmer temperatures. It’ll be a good weekend for the beach. Over to you, Alexa.
Alexa: Thank you for that weather report, Mike. And finally, this story just in. … we have a report that a local man, Nick Brown, saw some strange lights. He was driving home at about 10 p.m. He said the lights were bright and they move across the sky. He stopped at gas station and talked to a police officer about the lights. The police officer had seen the lights, too.
Mike: Hmm … that’s a strange story. What happened next?
Alexa: Well, I know that there is a legend around here about mysterious lights … a lot of local people have seen the lights. It’s starting to seem like those lights really exist. What do you think, Alexa?
Alexa: I don’t believe it. I think it’s some kind of hoax! Track 2-5-10
What caused this terrible explosion? A century later, scientists are still trying to find the answer. Here are some possible explanations.
1. An asteroid: Asteroids are very large pieces of rock that go around in space and sometimes hit the planet. They can cause lots of damage. Some of them weigh as much as 100,000 tons. If an asteroid hit the Earth, It could cause huge explosion 2. A comet: Comets are giant balls of gas, ice, and rock with long tails. They travel through space in a regular pattern. Encke’s Comet was near Earth in 1908, and it’s possible that a part of it broke off and hit the Earth.
3. A UFO accident : Some people believe that a spaceship crashed into the ground in Siberia and its engine exploded.
4. An extraterrestrial attack: Another idea is that extraterrestrials, that is, people from other planets, attacked the Earth. Extraterrestrials might have wanted to destroy the Earth, so they aimed their weapons at Earth and set fire to the forest.
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5. A scientific experiment: Another idea is that scientists made a mistake during an experiment with electricity. A man named Nikola Tesla tried to build a ―supergun‖ that used electricity. Maybe it was a test of his gun and it didn’t work correctly. Track 2-5-14
Q: What do you think causes the lights?
A: There are many theories. The Native Americans thought the lights were stars falling to Earth. Some people think uranium gas causes the lights. Other people suggest that ball lightning does it. Ball lightning is the lightning in the shape of circle. It often appears just after a rainstorm.
Q: What are some of the weirdest ideas about the lights?
A: Well, some people call them ―ghost lights.‖ They think ghosts do it. That’s the strangest idea. Some say they are UFOs. I don’t think so. Q: What do the experts say?
A: They can’t figure it out. Some engineers even came from Japan one time. They studied the lights, but couldn’t solve the mystery. Q: Are the local people scared?
A: No, actually, they aren’t. They like the lights. And every year in early September there’s a big town festival to celebrate the mystery lights. Track2-6-7
I had a amazing dream last night. At first, I was standing outside of a strange big house. The house was painted pink, a very unusual color for a house. It had a lot of big windows, both round and rectangular. The house had large square pillars and twisted columns. I remember thinking that there must be a big living room, several bedrooms, a kitchen, and a guest room in such a big house. I was wondering whose house it was when I suddenly heard a voice saying: ―welcome home.‖ Wow, so this dream house was mine!
I went inside and walked into my living room. It was spacious. There were sofas, a table, a big-screen TV, and a stereo system. It was pretty cool. All of my best friends were there, too. But for some reason they didn’t speak, didn’t smile, and didn’t even move. And then suddenly they all disappeared. I was scared. This dream was turning into a nightmare.
I then went to the kitchen. It was also spacious. There were all kinds of kitchen equipment such as a gas stove and oven. There were also many electric appliances, such as a refrigerator, a microwave oven, an electric mixer, and a food processor. I like the food processor the most, those certainly make life much easier. There was also a dinning table in the middle of the room. The whole family was sitting around the table, waiting for a meal to be served. The kids were hungry and started to cry. But the gas stove didn’t work and there was no electricity for the microwave oven or the food processor. I wanted to help so I looked in the fridge but it was empty. I started to despair, what more could I do. That’s when I suddenly woke up. Track 2-6-10
Scientists know that the brain is very active when a person is sleeping. There are five stages, or parts, of sleep. Stage1 starts after you fall asleep. If there is a noise or a bright light, you wake up very easily. In Stage2，your brainwaves are very slow. In
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Stage3 and Stage4, you are in deep sleep. It’s very difficult to wake up then. Your body rests and grows during these stages.
Stage5 is when you dream, your eyes move a lot, and your brain waves are fast. This stage of sleep is very important for your memory. After Stage5, you wake up a little, and then Stage1 starts again. We go through the 5 stages of sleep four or five times every night, so we have many dreams in one night.
How much sleep do you need、The answer depends on your age. Babies should sleep 15 to 16 hours every day. Children and teenagers need 9 or 10 hours of sleep, but older people only need 6 to 8 hours. If you sleep only 4 hours a night, you may just feel tired the next day. But many nights of bad sleep can be bad for your health. People who don’t get enough sleep get sick more often. And sleep is very important for learning. It’s one reason why students should go to bed early. Track2-6-12
For centuries, people have asked: why do we dream? What do our dreams mean？Today，Science doesn’t have definite answers to these questions, but we do know some things about dreams. First, we all dream, often four to five times a night. Second, we don’t usually remember most of our dreams. And finally, when we dream, our brains are very active.
Thousands of years ago, people began to study dreams. In many cultures, people believed dreams were messages from spirits or gods. Later, the ancient Greeks and Romans had a new idea: Dreams come from a person’s mind. Doctors studied dreams to help sick or worried people. Track 2-6-13
In the past, some cultures used dreams to predict the future. They thought dreams could help a person choose a husband or wife, guess a baby’s birthday, or start a business. In some places, this practice is still common.
Today, scientists think dreams are about our thoughts and feelings. Our minds send us messages about our lives. Unfortunately, many messages are often strange or confusing. People wake up and think: What did that dream mean?
So, how can you understand the messages in you dreams? Think about the events in your dream. What do they say about your life? For example, one common dream is about flying. Sometimes this dream means you feel free or want freedom. Other times it means you feel afraid. What do your dreams tell you about your life?
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