Listening: Visiting a Friend 1
Christina is on a two-week vacation.
This is the first vacation she has had for a long time.
The last vacation she took was more than two years ago.
Now she is visiting a friend in San Francisco.
Her friend and her husband are living near the center of the city.
He works for a start-up company in Silicon Valley.
While he is working, she works part-time at a department store.
Christina hasn’t seen her friend for a long time.
The last time they saw each other was 3 years ago.
At that time, they were both working at a department store.
Then Christina quit her job and started her own business.
She designs women’s clothing.
She has two employees now and her company is slowly growing.
Christina has come to San Francisco by herself.
Her husband didn’t come because he has to work.
He tried to start a company 2 years ago, but it didn’t work out.
His company failed after only a few months.
So now he’s working at another company and saving money.
Once he saves enough money, he plans to start another company.
He doesn’t want to give up.
This is the second time Christina has been to San Francisco.
The first time was when she was a high school student.
That was more than 10 years ago.
During that trip, she was only in San Francisco for a few days.
After that she went to Los Angeles and New York.
This time she and her friend plan to relax and have fun.
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Listening: Visiting a Friend 2
Christina arrived two days ago, the day before yesterday.
Her friend met her at the airport and drove her to her apartment.
Her apartment is just north of the airport, about 20 minutes from SanFrancisco.
It’s a small apartment, but it’s on a hill and it has a great view.
Yesterday they went downtown and rode the cable cars.
Christina was surprised by how steep the hills are.
Then they walked along the ocean and ate lunch at a seafood restaurant.
From the restaurant, they could see the Golden Gate Bridge.
Tomorrow, they’re planning to drive to Yosemite National Park.
By car, it’s about 4 hours away.
Christina has never been there before, so she is excited.
She has heard that the park is very beautiful.
Her friend has been to Yosemite several times.
She says it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Christina just hopes that her friend is a good driver.
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Vocabulary: Pains and Sickness
Headaches can be very painful and can last for a long time. If you have a headache, your head hurts.
A sprained ankle can be so painful that you can’t walk. Someone with a sprained ankle may need to use crutches to walk.
If you have a sore throat, it may be painful to swallow. A sore throat can be caused by viruses or bacteria.
A burn is an injury to the skin caused by fire or heat. If you get too close to a fire, you will be burned.
An earache is a sharp, dull or burning pain in the ear. Common causes of an earache include an infection, a change in air pressure or water in the ear.
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Vocabulary: Landforms
Mountains are landforms higher than 2000 feet, or about 600 meters, above sea level.
Hills are like mountains, but not as tall.
Mountains are formed by forces deep within the Earth and are made of many types of rocks.
Rivers are streams of water that usually begin in mountains and flow into the sea.
Many early cities were built alongside rivers.
Most of the world’s water is in the oceans, which are large bodies of saltwater.
The oceans are also an important source of oxygen.
Deserts are areas of land that receive little or no rainfall.
The amount of rainfall in some deserts is so low that only a few plants can survive.
A valley is a low, relatively flat area between hills or mountains, often with a river running through it.
Some valleys are formed by flowing water, and others are formed by glaciers.
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Dialogue: Eating Out
M: Have you eaten yet?
W: No, I haven’t, and I’m hungry.
M: Me too. Let’s go out for dinner.
W: Where to?
M: What about Joe’s Italian?
W: How many times have you eaten there?
M: I eat there a lot. It’s one of my favorite places.
W: I went there two weeks ago, and the service was terrible.
M: Really? Then, let’s go some places else.
M: What do you suggest?
W: How about the Royal Indian? It’s not far from here.
M: I’ve never heard of it, is it good?
W: Yes, I’ve been there several times, and I’ve never been disappointed.
M: Ok. Let’s try it. I haven’t eaten Indian food for a long time.
W: You won’t be disappointed, and the prices are reasonable.
M: Ah, so you mean I’m going to pay?
W: Well, that would certainly be nice.
M: What about reservations?
W: If we get there early enough, we won’t need them.
M: I hope you’re right.
W: Don’t worry, if we have to wait, I’ll pay the bill.
