中級口語(LRC)-英語聽力中級口語3b

[00:00.00]Oral Workshop Discussion Lesson 20-22 ;<BR>[00:14.06]Lesson 20 ;<BR>[00:17.33] What Does Friendship Mean to You? Text A ;<BR>[00:22.00]Mr Brooks,Martin, Robert and Jean ;<BR>[00:25.51]are being interviewed on the subject of friendship. ;<BR>[00:29.37]MR BROOKS:I consider friendship to be one of the most important things in life- ;<BR>[00:33.58]whatever your status,married or single. ;<BR>[00:35.85]I see too many lonely people around. ;<BR>[00:38.26]A lot of us get so involved with material values, family problems, ;<BR>[00:41.81]"keeping up with the Joneses," etc., ;<BR>[00:44.04]that we forget the real meaning of friendship. ;<BR>[00:46.23]INTERVIEWER:Which is what,according to you? ;<BR>[00:48.36]MR BROOKS:They say "a friend in need is a friend indeed" which is partly true ;<BR>[00:53.30]but a real friend should also be able to share your happy moments- ;<BR>[00:56.42]without feeling jealous. ;<BR>[00:57.70]A good friendship is one where you accept and forgive faults, ;<BR>[01:01.22]understand moods,and don't feel hurt if a friend doesn't feel like seeing you. ;<BR>[01:05.54]Of course,honesty is an essential part of any relationship. ;<BR>[01:09.42]We should learn to accept our friends for what they are. ;<BR>[01:12.21]INTERVIEWER:As a married man, ;<BR>[01:13.81]do you find your friendships are only with other men? ;<BR>[01:16.36]MR BROOKS:Of course not! ;<BR>[01:17.85]Both my wife and I have men and women friends-thank goodness. ;<BR>[01:22.19]Although family life is fulfilling, it isn't enough! ;<BR>[01:25.23]Both my wife and I get tremendous satisfaction from our friends, ;<BR>[01:28.66]married and single, male and female-and we both have our separate friends too ;<BR>[01:33.31]We'd get bored with each other if we had the same friends! ;<BR>[01:36.53]INTERVIEWER:You must have a full life. MR BROOKS:We certainly do! ;<BR>[01:39.55]And as I say,our friends give us a lot of pleasure. ;<BR>[01:42.76]After all,friends should not be people with whom you kill time. ;<BR>[01:46.46]Real friendship,in my opinion,is a "spiritually deve- loping" experience. ;<BR>[01:50.77](Martin,Robert and Jean are being inte- rviewed on the subject f friendship.) ;<BR>[01:51.71]INTERVIEWER:How important are friends to you, Martin? ;<BR>[01:54.85]MARTIN:I've never had a lot of friends. ;<BR>[01:56.60]I've never regarded them as particularly important. ;<BR>[01:59.00]Perhaps that's because I come from a big family. ;<BR>[02:01.21]Two brothers and three sisters.And lots of cousins. ;<BR>[02:04.25]And that's what's really important to me.My family. ;<BR>[02:07.35]The different members of my family. ;<BR>[02:09.20]If you really need help,you get it from your family, don't you? ;<BR>[02:12.61]Well,at least that's what I've always found. ;<BR>[02:15.24]INTERVIEWER:What about you,Jean? ;<BR>[02:17.78]JEAN:To me friendship... having friends, ;<BR>[02:20.18]people I know I can really count on... ;<BR>[02:22.20]to me that's the most important thing in life. ;<BR>[02:24.91]It's more important even than love. ;<BR>[02:27.35]If you love someone, you can always fall out of love again, ;<BR>[02:30.55]and that can lead to a lot of hurt feelings, ;<BR>[02:32.87]bitterness,and so on.But a good friend is a friend for life. ;<BR>[02:37.53]INTERVIEWER:And what exactly do you mean by a friend? ;<BR>[02:41.65]JEAN:Well,I've already said, someone you know you can count on. ;<BR>[02:45.78]I suppose what I really mean is... let's see,how am I going to put this... ;<BR>[02:50.45]it's someone who will help you if you need help, ;<BR>[02:52.85]who'll listen to you when you talk about your problems... someone you can trust. ;<BR>[02:58.23]INTERVIEWER:What do you mean by a friend,Robert? ;<BR>[03:01.94]ROBERT:Someone who likes the same things that you do, ;<BR>[03:05.28]who you can argue with and not lose your temper, ;<BR>[03:08.02]even if you don't always agree about things.I mean someone who you ;<BR>[03:12.04]don't have to talk to all the time but can be silent with perhaps. ;<BR>[03:15.78]That's important, too. ;<BR>[03:17.46]You can just sit together and not say very much sometimes. ;<BR>[03:20.72]Just relax.I don't like people who talk all the time. ;<BR>[03:24.75]INTERVIEWER:Are you very good at ;<BR>[03:26.39]keeping in touch with your friends if you don't see them regularly? ;<BR>[03:30.32]ROBERT:No,not always.I've lived in lots of places,and, ;<BR>[03:34.92]to be honest,once I move away I often do drift out of touch with my friends. ;<BR>[03:39.38]And I'm not a very good letter writer, either.Never have been. ;<BR>[03:42.94]But I know that if I saw those friends again, ;<BR>[03:45.14]if I ever moved back to the same place, ;<BR>[03:47.42]or for some other reason we got back into close contact again, ;<BR>[03:49.90]I'm sure the friendship would be just as strong as it was before. ;<BR>[03:53.59]JEAN:Several of my friends have moved away,got married, things like that. ;<BR>[03:58.17]One of my friends has had a baby recently, ;<BR>[04:00.78]and I'll admit I don't see her or hear from her as much as I used to... ;<BR>[04:05.12]She lives in another neighbourhood and when I phone her,she always seems busy. ;<BR>[04:09.68]But that's an exception.I write a lot of letters to my friends ;<BR>[04:13.79]and get a lot of letters from them. I have a friend I went to school with ;<BR>[04:18.19]and ten years ago she emigrated to Canada, ;<BR>[04:20.89]but she still writes to me every month, and I write to her just as often. ;<BR>[04:26.02] Text B ;<BR>[04:29.21] A Friend in Need of Help ;<BR>[04:32.37]You and Sol have been friends for over fifteen years. ;<BR>[04:36.69]You went to high school together and now work in the same company. ;<BR>[04:40.94]For the past several months,Sol has been very irritable ;<BR>[04:44.82]and at times has shown his emotions by openly criticizing the company ;<BR>[04:48.85]and some of his fellow workers. ;<BR>[04:51.23]Most of the people in the office know that he sometimes drinks too much ;<BR>[04:55.04]when he feels depressed about some of his personal and family problems. ;<BR>[04:58.66]But recently Sol made a very nasty personal comment ;<BR>[05:02.95]which hurt one of the people in the office.No one said anything to him, ;<BR>[05:07.22]but it was obvious that many people were angry at what he said ;<BR>[05:10.85]and now have little sympathy for him. ;<BR>[05:13.35]You are beginning to wonder whether you should say something to Sol. ;<BR>[05:17.14]You don't consider him your best friend, ;<BR>[05:19.62]but he might possibly lose his job because you didn't try to help him. ;<BR>[05:23.95]On the other hand, you don't know whether Sol would think that you were ;<BR>[05:27.68]interfering in his private life by talking about his personal problems. ;<BR>[05:32.32]What would you do in this situation? ;<BR>[05:35.12] Additional Information ;<BR>[05:37.79]In fact,studies of friendship seem to implicate more complex factors. ;<BR>[05:42.72]For example,one function friendship seems to fulfil ;<BR>[05:46.70]is that it supports the image we have of ourselves, ;<BR>[05:49.37]and confirms the value of the attitudes we hold, ;<BR>[05:52.42]Certainly we appear to project ourselves onto our friends; ;<BR>[05:56.20]several studies have shown that we judge them to be more like us than they ;<BR>[05:59.69](objectively) are. ;<BR>[06:01.32]This suggests that we ought to choose friends who are similar to us ;<BR>[06:04.94]("birds of a feather")rather than those who would be complementary ;<BR>[06:08.11]("opposites attract"), ;<BR>[06:09.56]a prediction which is supported by empirical evidence, ;<BR>[06:12.59]at least so far as attitudes and beliefs are concerned. ;<BR>[06:16.19]In one experiment, some developing friendships were monitored amongst ;<BR>[06:19.86]first-year students living in the same hostel. ;<BR>[06:22.88]It was found that similarity of attitudes(towards politics, ;<BR>[06:26.95]religion and ethics, pastimes and aesthetics ) ;<BR>[06:29.83]was good predictor of what friendships would be established ;<BR>[06:32.67]by the end of four months, ;<BR>[06:34.18]though it had less to do with initial alliances-not surprisingly, ;<BR>[06:37.94]since attitudes may not be obvious on first inspection. ;<BR>[06:42.33]There have also been studies of pairings, both voluntary ;<BR>[06:45.98](married couples) and forced(student roommates), ;<BR>[06:49.15]to see which remained together and which split up. ;<BR>[06:52.94]Again,the evidence seems to favour similarity rather than complementarity ;<BR>[06:57.64]as an omen of a successful relationship, ;<BR>[07:00.39]though there is a complication:where marriage is concerned, ;<BR>[07:05.07]once the field has been narrowed down to potential mates who come from ;<BR>[07:08.38]similar backgrounds and share a broad range of attitudes and values, ;<BR>[07:11.67]a degree of complementarity seems to become desirable. ;<BR>[07:14.76]When a couple are not just similar but almost identical, ;<BR>[07:18.86]something else to be needed. Similarity can breed contempt; ;<BR>[07:23.32]it has also been found that when we find others obnoxious, ;<BR>[07:26.70]we dislike them more if they are like us than when they are dissimilar! ;<BR>[07:30.33]The difficulty of linking friendship with similarity of personality ;<BR>[07:34.33]probably reflects the complexity of our personalities: ;<BR>[07:37.62]we have many facets therefore require a ;<BR>[07:39.81]disparate group of friends to support us. ;<BR>[07:41.94]This of course can explain why we may have ;<BR>[07:43.98]two close friends who have little in common,and indeed dislike each other. ;<BR>[07:48.22]By and large,though, it looks as though we would do well to choose friends ;<BR>[07:52.28](and spouses)who resemble us.If this were not so, ;<BR>[07:55.90]computer dating agencies would have gone out of business years ago. ;<BR>[08:41.74]Lesson 21 ;<BR>[08:44.18] Why Are They So Unlucky? Text A ;<BR>[08:49.37]I wonder why so many shop-assistants are so foul-tempered? ;<BR>[08:53.73]Inspite of so many "campaigns" to improve the services in the past years, ;<BR>[08:58.27]we see no appreciable change so far. If Dad and Mum are to be believed, ;<BR>[09:02.61]the services used to be quite good in the fifties. ;<BR>[09:05.08]But then,they always say everything used to be good in the fifties. ;<BR>[09:08.79]I find the older people grow,the more nostalgic they become. ;<BR>[09:13.14]Now Granny never lets a day go by without remi-niscing on the ;<BR>[09:16.78]good old things in the good old days. ;<BR>[09:18.86]Once when she saw Xiao Hong and me eating some mooncakes with relish, ;<BR>[09:23.69]she said pityingly, "You poor children, ;<BR>[09:26.74]you don't know what real mooncakes taste like. ;<BR>[09:29.52]The worst in the old days tasted much ;<BR>[09:31.70]better than the best that money can buy nowadays!" ;<BR>[09:34.03]We burst out laughing,not taking her words seriously. ;<BR>[09:37.39]Now to come back to the bad service in shops and department stores. ;<BR>[09:41.70]People often say that when you buy something, ;<BR>[09:44.01]you are spending money to buy rudeness and anger. ;<BR>[09:46.98]Today I saw a man doing exactly that. ;<BR>[09:49.42]I was at a department store and I happened to witness a typical quarrel. ;<BR>[09:53.17]I was next to a counter selling tea and I saw an elderly man ;<BR>[09:56.74]come up and ask a young woman who was ;<BR>[09:58.33]busy weighing and wrapping tea into standard-sized packs. ;<BR>[10:01.16]"Do you have very good green tea?" The woman glanced up to size him up. ;<BR>[10:06.51]He was ordinarily dressed and spoke with a provincial accent, ;<BR>[10:09.82]obviously a man of no consequence. ;<BR>[10:11.81]She went on with her work and the man had to repeat his question. ;<BR>[10:15.76]After another pause the woman snorted out:"Yes,Twenty-six yuan a liang." ;<BR>[10:21.31]Not believing his ears,the man tried to correct her. ;<BR>[10:24.62]"You mean twenty-six yuan a jin?" ;<BR>[10:27.95]Upon this the woman flared up and shouted: ;<BR>[10:30.73]"I said twenty-six yuan a LIANG! Can't you hear straight? ;<BR>[10:34.76]If you want a jin, then it's two hundred and sixty yuan.Is that CLEAR?" ;<BR>[10:39.87]The man seemed to be stunned by her sudden outburst, ;<BR>[10:43.92]but he kept his temper and asked again. ;<BR>[10:46.70]"Do you have something under two yuan a Liang?" ;<BR>[10:50.61]Obviously she was making things difficult for the old man ;<BR>[10:53.37]for she answered as rudely as before: "What do you mean under two yuan? ;<BR>[10:57.26]Anything from one cent to one yuan ninety-nine cents is under two yuan." ;<BR>[11:01.65]I don't remember what exactly the man said, ;<BR>[11:04.55]but somehow he managed to find out ;<BR>[11:06.52]there was a kind costing one yuan ninety-six a liang. ;<BR>[11:09.98]"Can you show it to me?" "Do you want to buy it or not?" ;<BR>[11:14.26]"Well,I want to look at the leaves and smell the flavour first." ;<BR>[11:18.08]"You can look,smell, eat,drink or do whatever you like with it at home. ;<BR>[11:21.87]Here I only sell tea.If you want to buy it,buy it. ;<BR>[11:25.57]If you can't afford it,don't come here to waste people's time! ;<BR>[11:28.58]Obviously you don't know what is proper in Beijing!" ;<BR>[11:31.82]"Look here young lady,it's you who don't know what is proper! ;<BR>[11:36.28]I have been living in Beijing long before you were born, ;<BR>[11:39.47]and I've never seen anyone as rude as you are. ;<BR>[11:42.54]Your job is to serve the customers,not to insult them. ;<BR>[11:46.15]Now for the last time,are you going to show me the tea or not?" ;<BR>[11:50.34]"And for the last time I am telling it to you. ;<BR>[11:53.37]Either buy it or get out of here! I know the likes of you ;<BR>[11:56.80]--you want something good,and yet grudge the money you have to spend on it!" ;<BR>[12:00.63]"This is insufferable! Who is in charge here? ;<BR>[12:03.96]I want to see your head!" "My head? It's on my shoulders. ;<BR>[12:08.04]Take a good look if you want to." The old man went away fuming. ;<BR>[12:12.55]"I've got down your number.I'll write to the Evening News." ;<BR>[12:15.96]The threat didn't seem to frighten the girl. ;<BR>[12:18.26]At most she'll have to make a self- criticism,which costs her nothing. ;<BR>[12:21.93]Even if she should lose a month's bonus,it is only a few yuan. ;<BR>[12:25.58]But if she could be sacked. ;<BR>[12:27.52]I bet she wouldn't dare to be so rude and aggressive. ;<BR>[12:31.52] Text B ;<BR>[12:34.29]All the housewives who went to the new supermarket had one great ambition: ;<BR>[12:39.10]to be the lucky customer who did not have to pay for her shopping. ;<BR>[12:42.90]For this was what the notice just inside the entrance promised. ;<BR>[12:46.26]It said:"Remember, once a week,one of our customers gets free goods. ;<BR>[12:51.29]This may be your lucky day!"For several weeks Mrs Edwards hoped, ;<BR>[12:56.28]like many of her friends,to be the lucky customer. ;<BR>[12:59.37]Unlike her friends, she never gave up hope. ;<BR>[13:02.37]The cupboards in her kitchen were full of things which she did not need. ;<BR>[13:05.94]In vain her husband tried to dissuade her. ;<BR>[13:08.47]She dreamed of the day when the manager of ;<BR>[13:10.41]the supermarket would approach her and say:"Madam,this is your lucky day. ;<BR>[13:14.96]Everything in your basket is free." One Friday morning, ;<BR>[13:19.72]after she had finished her shopping and had taken it to her car, ;<BR>[13:22.61]she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea. ;<BR>[13:25.16]She dashed back to the supermarket, ;<BR>[13:27.36]got the tea and went towards the cashdesk. ;<BR>[13:29.72]As she did so,she saw the manager of the supermarket approach her. ;<BR>[13:34.01]"Madam",he said, holding out his hand,"I want to congratulate you! ;<BR>[13:38.16]You are our lucky customer and every- thing you have in your basket is free! ;<BR>[13:43.68] Additional Information ;<BR>[13:46.46]Three times a man in his early 30s approac- hed Shen Limin's clothes counter ;<BR>[13:51.93]in the Baihus Garment Store on busy Xidan Street in central Beijing. ;<BR>[13:56.68]The first time Shen showed him the various garments. ;<BR>[13:59.89]He left but returned a while later and stood there staring at a skirt. ;<BR>[14:04.18]Then he went away again,but came back after a few minutes. ;<BR>[14:07.61]Curious,Shen asked, "Why don't you buy that skirt since you love it so much? ;<BR>[14:12.77]"The man said that he really wanted to, ;<BR>[14:15.13]but the 198-yuan price was too much for him. ;<BR>[14:19.25]She suggested that he choose something cheaper, ;<BR>[14:22.03]but he replied that the skirt was what his wife would like most. ;<BR>[14:25.46]They started talking and he told her he bought his wife ;<BR>[14:28.51]a gift every year in celebration of their wedding anniversary. ;<BR>[14:31.82]Shen was so moved that she offered the skirt to him for 130 yuan, ;<BR>[14:35.95]the whole sale price.When the man hesitated in surprise, she told him, ;<BR>[14:40.95]"I do that simply because you are a good husband." ;<BR>[14:43.50]As a divorcee,Shen, 35,spoke from the depths of her heart. ;<BR>[14:48.88]She could not imagine any husband being so considerate or tender. ;<BR>[14:52.88]Her failure in marriage and her ;<BR>[14:54.61]divorce three years ago scared her away from men ;<BR>[14:57.44]and prompted her to resign from her job as a log keeper in a film studio ;<BR>[15:01.08]and become a self-employed garment seller. ;<BR>[15:03.80]What makes Shen unusual is that she makes money to help deserted kids. ;<BR>[15:08.98]Her love of children and her sympathy for the wretched ;<BR>[15:12.64]stemmed from the day her six-old younger brother was crushed to death ;<BR>[15:16.51]in a mishap in a warehouse near her home. ;<BR>[15:19.26]Her sympathetic nature kept her marriage together for seven years. ;<BR>[15:23.13]Her husband had been a clarinet player in an army band. ;<BR>[15:26.46]A go-between had introduced them. ;<BR>[15:28.48]One cold snowy night they decided to get married. ;<BR>[15:31.72]He had been walking her home and kept darting into shops. ;<BR>[15:35.10]She grew impatient thinking he was merely wanting ;<BR>[15:37.37]to buy cigarettes and she stomped off. ;<BR>[15:39.43]But he ran after her and presented her with a gauze mask he had bought ;<BR>[15:42.86]for her to help keep out the cold.His thoughtfulness moved her to tears. ;<BR>[15:47.76]He said that perhaps they should break up since she could not understand him. ;<BR>[15:51.84]"I will marry you if that can atone for my mistake." ;<BR>[15:55.84]Shen said she responded.And so the matter was sealed. ;<BR>[16:01.39]The death of a bosom friend seven years later ;<BR>[16:04.69]marked the beginning of the end for Shen and her husband. ;<BR>[16:07.84]As the friend lay dying of heart disease, ;<BR>[16:10.40]20 days after giving birth to a son- ;<BR>[16:12.66]a pregnancy she had risked because her husband was the only son of his family- ;<BR>[16:16.52]she asked Shen to care for the child. ;<BR>[16:18.85]Shen promised she would,even though she had a son of her own. ;<BR>[16:22.99]Her husband was strongly opposed, however. ;<BR>[16:26.07]Still,Shen would often o to see the child, who was living in his grandmother's home. ;<BR>[16:30.39]"I felt guilty when I saw the child wearing dirty clothes," Shen said. ;<BR>[16:35.01]"I thought the child would not have been like that had his mother been alive. ;<BR>[16:39.74]"When the grandparents decided to send the boy to friends in Tianjin, ;<BR>[16:43.79]Shen wanted to adopt him. ;<BR>[16:45.50]Her husband then moved out and said he wanted a divorce. ;<BR>[16:49.34]Shen went to Tianjin to look for the child and found him. ;<BR>[16:52.96]But the family refused to give the boy up. ;<BR>[16:55.40]Shen would not leave until she was convinced ;<BR>[16:57.59]the child was being kindly treated and properly cared for. ;<BR>[17:00.90]Her years of marriage had given Shen a comfortable life-style ;<BR>[17:04.81]but that was all,she said. ;<BR>[17:06.75]The divorce made her realize she had feelings and ambitions again. ;<BR>[17:10.87]Shen had once dreamed of becoming a film actress, ;<BR>[17:14.19]and tried out for roles but only ended up with bit parts. ;<BR>[17:17.44]She fared better on the stage with amateur troupes. ;<BR>[17:20.18]But her dreams were shattered when she was refused admission to a ;<BR>[17:23.15]professional art school because of her age. ;<BR>[17:25.48]She was too old to learn how to act,she was told. ;<BR>[17:28.46]Now dreams filled the void of her disappointment. ;<BR>[17:32.12]She turned to helping children. She wrote to the SOS Village in Tianjin, ;<BR>[17:36.39]a home for orphaned children,applying for a job as a nurse. ;<BR>[17:39.65]But she was turned down because she had a son. ;<BR>[17:42.65]She still wanted to help children but did not know how. ;<BR>[17:46.30]Finding a way to make money became a practical and urgent problem. ;<BR>[17:49.87]Early last year she started her own business as a clothing dealer, ;<BR>[17:53.18]setting up a stall in west Beijing. ;<BR>[17:55.32]Her mother did not like the idea and felt it would be bad ;<BR>[17:58.39]for her grandson to be brought up in such an environment. ;<BR>[18:01.24]She threatened to smash the stall,but gradually Shen won her over. ;<BR>[18:05.13]"I don't want my son to follow my example," she said. ;<BR>[18:08.96]"I expect a lot of him." ;<BR>[18:11.32]She still maintains contact with her friend's son in Tianjin. ;<BR>[18:15.59]She moved to Xidan this summer when the new Baihua Garment Store opened. ;<BR>[18:19.55]She now has two assistants,one of them a university graduate. ;<BR>[18:23.07]Shen said that her business life has made her a different woman, ;<BR>[18:26.16]one who is independent and full of confidence. ;<BR>[18:28.85]Friends try to get her to date but she is not interested. ;<BR>[18:32.09]At first,she said, her distaste of marri- age of love affairs was so strong ;<BR>[18:36.46]that she cut her hair short and wore men's clothes. ;<BR>[18:39.98]"I am afraid of falling in love," Shen said with a bitter smile. ;<BR>[18:43.73]She doubts whether she could be a good wife, ;<BR>[18:45.69]saying she would be better as a friend or companion. ;<BR>[18:48.66]Many of her customers have become friends. ;<BR>[18:51.02]To one frequent caller,she is Sister Shen. ;<BR>[18:54.45]"I really love my customers," Shen said. ;<BR>[18:57.21]"I do my business for the sake of love. ;<BR>[19:38.43]Lesson 22 ;<BR>[19:40.71] Tell Us About Your Hobbies Text A ;<BR>[19:45.99]JOHN:What I like most,I suppose, is the fact that it's so unusual. ;<BR>[19:51.43]I mean,when I tell people what I do, ;<BR>[19:54.05]they just look at me usually as if I'm mad. ;<BR>[19:56.86]Maybe I am,anyway what I do is this. ;<BR>[19:59.83]I get up about a quarter past six every morning. ;<BR>[20:03.46]I leave my wife in bed because she's not as mad as me- ;<BR>[20:06.65]and I put my trunks on under my tracksuit ;<BR>[20:08.97]and drive down to the park with my clothes in a case. ;<BR>[20:12.52]It only takes about five minutes because ;<BR>[20:14.37]there's no traffic of course at that time in the morning. ;<BR>[20:16.81]So,when I get there I leave the car in the car park and run round a bit. ;<BR>[20:21.01]I usually run for about ten minutes till I'm nice and warm, ;<BR>[20:24.13]then comes the interesting bit. ;<BR>[20:26.05]I run over to the car,get my case and then over to the pool. ;<BR>[20:31.13]I take my tracksuit off and-in I jump. ;<BR>[20:34.63]It's pretty cold I can tell you especially in the middle of winter- ;<BR>[20:37.58]but I do a couple of quick lengths and then I climb out, ;<BR>[20:40.03]get changed and drive home,I just get back in time for breakfast- ;<BR>[20:43.85]and I normally feel I've earned it too. ;<BR>[20:46.65]JACK:Well,it's very detailed work you see,but I find it very relaxing. ;<BR>[20:50.93]It's strange I suppose that something like this where you have to ;<BR>[20:53.63]concentrate a lot can be relaxing, ;<BR>[20:55.33]but you see in my job I'm always making decisions ;<BR>[20:57.81]and telling people what to do but I never actually see what I've done. ;<BR>[21:01.60]This is completely different. ;<BR>[21:03.01]You see,here I'm actually making something myself. ;<BR>[21:06.04]I start with a kite, usually it's got all the basic materials in it. ;<BR>[21:09.58]Then you have to cut out all the shapes from the wood and stick them together. ;<BR>[21:12.90]When you've made the frame,the wings and the fuselage, ;<BR>[21:15.42]that is,you cover them with special paper and paint. ;<BR>[21:18.82]Of course if it's going to fly properly, ;<BR>[21:20.76]everything has to be properly balanced, you know. ;<BR>[21:22.99]I must say really though. ;<BR>[21:24.34]I think I enjoy actually making them more than flying them. ;<BR>[21:27.89]JANE:Well in a sense I suppose I do it to save money. ;<BR>[21:31.29]I mean things are so incredibly expensive in the shops nowadays, aren't they? ;<BR>[21:35.92]But that's not the only reason really. ;<BR>[21:38.42]No,the beautiful thing is that you can make what you want when you want- ;<BR>[21:43.05]and in material you're chosen.I mean you don't have to depend on ;<BR>[21:47.22]some Paris designer to say what is fashionable. ;<BR>[21:50.29]If you like an idea you see then of course you can copy it, ;<BR>[21:53.91]but it gives you much more independence to do it yourself. ;<BR>[21:57.60]I mean obviously it takes time, but I enjoy it, ;<BR>[22:01.13]and with a sewing machine it doesn't take all that long ;<BR>[22:04.04]to make even quite complicated things. ;<BR>[22:06.67]And then finally you know that you're got something really unique. ;<BR>[22:10.89]Especially if it's something you've designed yourself. ;<BR>[22:14.30]HARRY:Well,it gives me the chance to be alone- ;<BR>[22:17.73]and for me that's really the most important thing I suppose, ;<BR>[22:21.02]after being with crowds of people all week. ;<BR>[22:23.46]It gives you time to think,you know. ;<BR>[22:25.60]And another thing is that it gets me out of doors. ;<BR>[22:28.38]I suppose it isn't very energetic really after all. ;<BR>[22:31.43]I mean you don't do very much except just sit there, ;<BR>[22:34.23]but at least it's in the fresh air. ;<BR>[22:36.17]And that's more than you can say for things like darts,isn't it? ;<BR>[22:39.54]No,that's really what I like about it. ;<BR>[22:42.35]I like having time to think in the open air. ;<BR>[22:45.06]I'm not terribly keen on the man against animal bit, ;<BR>[22:47.94]you know man the hunter against nature. ;<BR>[22:50.70]No,actually I don't usually catch very many you know. ;<BR>[22:53.54]And if I do,I always throw them straight back. ;<BR>[22:56.67] Text B ;<BR>[23:00.16]JEFF:What's on the telly this evening? I feel like relaxing. ;<BR>[23:04.06]MARY:Why ask me that? You know I never watch it. ;<BR>[23:06.93]JEFF:Too busy with the latest hobby, are you? ;<BR>[23:09.00]What is it this time, knitting socks for your nephews? ;<BR>[23:11.59]Or collecting buttons?I wish I had as much free time as you do. ;<BR>[23:15.16]MARY:Men!As a matter of fact, you probably have more than I do. ;<BR>[23:18.87]But you waste it all watching your telly. ;<BR>[23:21.02]JFFF:That's not a waste of time. I've got to rest sometimes. ;<BR>[23:25.12]MARY:Sometimes, maybe,but not all the time. ;<BR>[23:28.18]And anyway,I relax with my hobbies.A change is as good as a rest. ;<BR>[23:32.90]JEFF:Well,the telly's my hobby, and I learn a lot from it. ;<BR>[23:36.19]MARY:But it doesn't teach you to do anything,does it? ;<BR>[23:38.95]You just sit there and stare at it. That's not earning. ;<BR>[23:42.40]JEFF:But I do learn. There are lots of educational programmes. ;<BR>[23:45.85]MARY:But you don't watch them,do you? ;<BR>[23:48.33]Whenever an educational programme comes on, ;<BR>[23:50.87]you either switch over to the other channel or go to sleep. ;<BR>[23:54.17]JEFF:When I come home from work. ;<BR>[23:56.07]I need to put my feet up,at least for a while. ;<BR>[23:58.74]Life's not all work, you know. ;<BR>[24:00.65]MARY:Hobbies aren't work,Jeff. ;<BR>[24:02.64]I like putting my feet up,too,at the end of the day, ;<BR>[24:06.16]but I like doing things while I rest. ;<BR>[24:08.35]Life's too short for us to waste time. ;<BR>[24:11.21]JEFF:Mary dear,as I've said many times,we're different. ;<BR>[24:14.72]There are two kinds of people in the world... ;<BR>[24:16.58]MARY:I know,I know. Those who are never happy ;<BR>[24:19.93]unless they're running about doing things... ;<BR>[24:21.90]JEFF:That's right, and those who are never happy unless ;<BR>[24:24.47]they're doing nothing.I'm one of the latter and you... ;<BR>[24:27.82]MARY:I know,dear. I'm one of the former.And proud of it. ;<BR>[24:31.75]JEFF:So now we agree.Live,and let live. ;<BR>[24:34.83]You can go peacefully back to your button collection and I can watch TV. ;<BR>[24:39.16]MARY:If only you organised yourself better, ;<BR>[24:41.95]there's so much you could do,really. You're wasting your talents. ;<BR>[24:45.96]And one last thing: I'm not collecting buttons. ;<BR>[24:49.60]JEFF:What are you doing then? Making sculptures from potatoes? ;<BR>[24:53.35]MARY:No,I'm learning how to make Turkish cakes, ;<BR>[24:56.58]and the first ones came out very well. ;<BR>[24:58.88]Of course,if you're too tired,I won't insist on you trying them. ;<BR>[25:04.86] Additional Information ;<BR>[25:07.93]A hobby can be almost anything a person likes to do in his spare time. ;<BR>[25:13.34]Hobbyists raise pets,build model ships,weave baskets, ;<BR>[25:17.75]or carve soap figures.They watch birds. ;<BR>[25:19.63]hunt animals,climb mountains,raise flowers,fish,ski, skate,and swim. ;<BR>[25:26.13]Hobbyists also paint pictures,attend concerts and plays, ;<BR>[25:30.05]and perform on musical instruments. ;<BR>[25:32.20]They collect every- thing from books to butterflies,and from shells to stamps. ;<BR>[25:36.73]People take up hobbies because these activities offer enjoyment, ;<BR>[25:40.90]friendship, knowledge,and relaxation. ;<BR>[25:44.09]Sometimes they even yield financial profit. ;<BR>[25:47.20]Hobbies help people relax after periods of hard work, ;<BR>[25:50.34]and provide a balance between work and play. ;<BR>[25:53.04]Hobbies also offer interesting activities or persons who have retired. ;<BR>[25:56.91]Anyone,rich or poor,old or young, sick or well, ;<BR>[26:00.07]can follow a satisfying hobby, regardless of his age position,or income. ;<BR>[26:04.66]Hobbies can help a person's mental and physical health. ;<BR>[26:08.32]Doctors have found that hobbies are valuable in helping patients recover ;<BR>[26:11.91]from physical or mental illness. ;<BR>[26:13.76]Hobbies give bedridden or wheel-chair patients something to do, ;<BR>[26:17.39]and provide interests that keep them from thinking about themselves. ;<BR>[26:21.08]Many hospitals treat patients by having them take up ;<BR>[26:23.80]interesting hobbies or pastimes. ;<BR>[26:25.63]In early times,most people were too busy making a living to have many hobbies. ;<BR>[26:30.44]But some persons who had leisure did enjoy hobbies. ;<BR>[26:33.56]The ancient Egyptians played games with balls made of wood, ;<BR>[26:36.92]pottery,and papyrus. Some Greeks and Romans collected miniature soldiers. ;<BR>[26:42.05]People today have more time than ever before for hobbies. ;<BR>[26:46.28]Machines and automation have reduced ;<BR>[26:48.46]the amount of time they spend on their jobs. ;<BR>[26:50.99]Hobbies provide variety for workers who do the same monotonous tasks ;<BR>[26:54.68]all day long.More people are retiring than ever before, ;<BR>[26:58.39]and at an earlier age.Those who have developed hobbies never need to worry ;<BR>[27:03.00]about what to do with their newly- found leisure hours. ;<BR>[27:06.07]Sir William Osler, a famous Canadian doctor, ;<BR>[27:09.29]expressed the value of hobbies by saying, ;<BR>[27:11.67]"No man is really happy or safe without a hobby, ;<BR>[27:15.38]and it makes precious little difference what the outside interest may be ;<BR>[27:18.95]-botany,beetles,or butterflies;roses, tulips,or irises; ;<BR>[27:23.85]finishing, mountaineering, or antiques ;<BR>[27:26.48]-anything will do so long as he straddles a hobby and rides it hard." ;<BR>

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