Level 2 - Unit 3 - Part 1Listening

Bus Schedule

Here is a bus schedule at a bus stop.

It has the schedule for 3 buses between 8:00 and 9:30 in the morning.

Bus No.38 has a regular schedule.

It comes every 15 minutes.

8:10, 8:25, 8:40, 8:55, 9:10, 9:25.

Bus No.47 comes less often.

It comes at 8:20, 8:45 and 9:25.

Bus No.60 is the earliest bus.

It comes at 8:05, 8:30 and 9:00.

Bus No.38 has stops at the main train station and the airport.

Bus No.60 stops at the main train station, but doesn't go to the airport.

Bus No.47 doesn't go to either the main train station or the airport.

Earth & Seasons

This is our planet, Earth.

It has the shape of a sphere, like a ball.

The equator divides the Earth into two halves.                         

The northern half is the northern hemisphere.                         

The southern half is the southern hemisphere.

Europe and Asia are both in the northern hemisphere.

Australia and a third of Africa are in the southern hemisphere.

The Earth moves in two ways.

First, it spins, or rotates.                                                                       

It rotates around its axis.                                                                     

The axis is a line through its center.

It takes the Earth 24 hours to complete a rotation.

That is the length of one day.

Second, the Earth travels around the Sun.

It takes about 365 days for the Earth to go around the Sun.

That is the length of one year.

Its average speed during the year is about 30 kilometers per second.

The Earth's axis is not perpendicular to the Sun.                                 

The Earth's axis is tilted.                                                                         

It is tilted at an angle of around 23.5 degrees.

This tilt causes the seasons of the year.

During part of the year, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.

When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, it's summer.

When the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, it's winter.

This is why the seasons are opposite for the northern and southern hemispheres.

When it's summer in Australia, it's winter in Europe.

What would happen if the Earth's tilt were different than it is now?

If the Earth's tilt were larger, summers would be hotter.

If the Earth's tilt were smaller, summers would be cooler.

If the Earth had no tilt at all, there would be no seasons.

Therefore the angle of the tilt is very important for life in the Earth.

The Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun.

The Sun is at the center of our solar system.

Our solar system has several planets which orbit around it.

Our planet is the 3rd planet from the Sun.

If the Earth were closer to the Sun, our planet would be hotter.

If the Earth were farther from the Sun, our planet would be colder.

Therefore the distance between the Earth and the Sun is very important.

Vocabulary

Seasons

Winter is the coldest time of the year.

Winter nights are long and the days are short.

Summer is the hottest time of the year.

Summer nights are short and the days are long.

Spring comes after winter and before summer.

Spring is when trees turn green.

Autumn, or fall, comes after summer and before winter.

Autumn is when trees turn many colors and leaves fall to the ground.

Some countries have a rainy season.

In rainy season it rains almost every day.

Health Problems

This boy has a broken leg.

He can't walk without crutches.                             

This girl has a sore throat.                                     

She doesn't feel good because her throat hurts.

This girl is vomiting.                                             

She ate something bad so she is throwing up.

This boy has a fever.

His temperature is 39.5 degrees Celsius.             

This girl has a headache.

She doesn't feel good because her head aches.

He broke his leg in a skiing accident.

She has a pain in the back of her head.

Dialogue

Favorite Seasons

Tom：I really hate this cold winter weather.

Lisa：Really? I don't mind it. It's not so bad.

Tom：First, it's really cold. Second, I don't like the short days and the long nights. It's always dark.

Lisa：Sure, but it will be over soon. Spring is coming and warmer weather.

Tom：Yes, and longer days.

Lisa：What about summers? Do you like hot weather?

Tom：I don't like summer weather too.

Lisa：Is it too hot for you?

Tom：Yes, it's too hot. Every day is hot and humid. So I always feel tired and thirsty.

Lisa：Yeah, me too. I take a shower twice a day.

Lisa：So which is worse, summer or winter?

Tom：Good question. I guess I prefer winter. What about you?

Lisa：Well, I prefer winter too. I don't mind the long nights.

Lisa：Of course the best seasons are spring and autumn.

Tom：Which of those do you prefer?

Lisa：Within those two, I prefer autumn.

Tom：Why do you prefer autumn?

Lisa：I love it when the leaves turn different colors.

Tom：I agree with you. I guess autumn is my favorite season too.

Lisa：I was surprised, Tom. I thought you would prefer spring.

Tom：Why is that?

Lisa：Everything is young and new in spring, right?

Tom：Well, maybe I'll change my mind.

Bus Schedule

M：Excuse me, when is the next bus?

W：To where?

M：To the train station.

W：Let's look at the bus schedule.

M：Which bus goes to the train station?

W：Buses 38 and 60 both go to the train station.

M：It's 8:59 now. So I just missed the number 38.

W：Right. It came a few minutes ago. The next bus to the train station comes at 9:00.

M：Yes, I hope it isn't late. The traffic is heavy.

W：Oh, look, the number 60 is coming now, right on schedule.

M：Great, thanks for your help.

W：You're welcome. Have a good day.

M：You too.

Level 2 - Unit 3 - Part 2

Listening

Yesterday's Schedule

Dan is a pilot.

He flies airplanes to all parts of the world.

This was his schedule yesterday, which was Sunday.

He woke up at 6:30.

After waking up, he got out of bed and brushed his teeth.

After that he took a shower.

He and his wife ate breakfast together at 7:15.

He had a big breakfast of eggs, potatoes and fruit.

They finished eating at 7:30.

After eating, he put on his uniform.

At 8:00 they left house and his wife drove him to the airport.

The traffic was heavy, so it took 45 minutes to get to the airport.

They arrived at the airport at 8:45.

After going through security, he checked the weather along the flight path.

At 9:30 he boarded the plane.

He and his co-pilot talked about the flight.

By 10:30 the passengers were all on board.

They pushed back from the gate at 10:45.

From the gate, it took 10 minutes to go to the runway.

There were two airplanes in front of them, so they had to wait.

They finally entered the runway at 11:10, which was 5 minutes behind schedule.

Two minutes later，at 11:12, they took off for Beijing.

The flight from San Francisco to Beijing took 12 hours.

They landed in the afternoon, one day later.

In Beijing it was already Monday.

After leaving the aircraft, he took a bus to his hotel in Beijing.

He checked in at 6:00 pm and went up to his room.

When he got to his room, he took a shower.

Then he went downstairs and ate dinner.

After eating he went back to his room and watched some TV.

At 10:00 he went to bed and fell asleep.

The day after tomorrow, he'll fly back to San Francisco.

His wife and children will be happy to see him.

They always miss him when he is away.

Ben's Lunch

Ben often buys lunch at school.

He usually spends around 5 dollars for lunch.

Here are the prices of some of the things on the menu.

Sandwiches are a dollar 50 cents.

Ben likes sandwiches, but yesterday he ate two slices of pizza.

A slice of pizza costs the same as a sandwich.

He also had some fruit.

He had banana, which was a dollar.

He was hungry so he also had a salad.

The salad costs a dollar 25 cents.

He had a bottle of water from home so he didn't buy anything to drink.

Altogether his lunch cost 5 dollars and 25 cents.

He enjoyed his lunch because the pizza was good.

Vocabulary

Transportation

Airplanes are the fastest way to travel a long distance.

Airplane-travel is one of the secure way to travel.

This is a truck, or lorry.

Trucks carry and deliver many of the things we buy can use each day. Buses are a good way to travel in a city.

A bus can carry many passengers and is less expensive than a taxi. Buses can carry more passengers than a taxi or truck.

Ships transport freight such as oil or automobiles across the oceans. Some ships carry passengers in ocean croutes.

Ambulances carry sick or injured people to a hospital. If someone is in an accident, call for ambulance.

One very famous passenger ship was the Titanic.

This boy has a cut on his figure.

He cut his figure with knife, so now it's bleeding. This girl is coughing.

She is coughing because she has a bad cold. This boy has diarrhea.

He ate something bad so his stomach hurts. This person is dead.

He is dead because he was hit by the car. This man is drunk.

He's drunk because he drank too much wine.

He wasn't careful crossing the street.

He has to go to the toilet again and again.

He wasn't careful enough with the knife, so he cut himself. Never drive when you're drunk.

Don't cause an accident and kill somebody.

Dialogue

Favorite Seasons

Lisa：Can you help me? Here's a homework question. Tom：Sure, I'll help you if I can. What's the question?

Lisa：What would happen to the seasons if the earth stop rotating?

Tom：Stop rotating? You mean the earth would always face the same direction? Lisa：Right, so a day would be a year-long.

Tom：Wow, that's a difficult question. So each season would be one fourth of year? Lisa：I don't know, I'm not sure.

Tom：During the summer the Sun would always be up. It would be very hot. Lisa：And during the winter, it would always be dark, right?

Tom：Yes, I think that's right.

Lisa：Maybe there wouldn't be any spring or fall. Tom：Hey, I don't know.

Lisa：OK, let's check that on the internet.

Tom：Hey, why are you sitting there? Where's your lunch? Lisa：I left it at home.

Tom：Let's go to the cafeteria and get lunch together. Lisa：No, I can't.

Tom：Why not?

Lisa：I don't have any money. I left my money at home too.

Tom：That's OK, I have enough money. You can pay me back tomorrow. Lisa：Thanks, I'm hungry.

Tom：What would you like? Lisa：That pizza looks good.

Tom：I had pizza yesterday, and it wasn't very good. It didn't have much taste. Lisa：How about the sandwiches?

Tom：Sometimes they are OK. The hot dogs are usually good and they never bad. Lisa：So what are you going to get?

Tom：I think I'll have a hot dog and a banana. I'm tired of pizza and noodles.

Tom：What about something to drink?

Lisa：Oh, just water. The soft drinks have too much sugar. I don't want to gain weight. Tom：OK, I'll have the same thing.

Lisa：Great, so the total cost is how much?

Tom：2 hotdogs, 2 bananas and 2 bottles of water. That's 6 dollars.

Lisa：Do you have enough?

Tom：No problem, I've got 10 dollars.

Lisa：Thanks again, I'll pay you back tomorrow. Tom：No problem, don't worry about it.

Lisa：My mom isn't going to be happy. Tom：Why is that?

Lisa：She made my lunch and I left it at home. Tom：Oh, I see. My parents unlike that too.

Level 2 - Unit 3 - Part 3

Listening

Last night Lisa came homelater than usual.

It was raining and she didn’thave her umbrella.When she got home shewas cold and wet.

She was tired and she didn’t feel well.

She got outof her wetclothes and wentto bed. She just wanted to sleep.

-What did she want to do after she got home? –She justwanted to sleep.

-Why did she get wet? –She didn’t have her umbrella.

This morning she woke up with bad cold.She had headache and a sore throat.

Her mother tookher temperature.

Her temperature was 39 degrees, so she hada fever. Her mother told her to stay in bed.

-What did she have when she woke up? –She had a badcold.-

Lisa’s sore throat hurt a lot so her mothercalled the doctor.She made an appointment for 11:00.

Lisa got out of bed at 10:00and got dressed.At 10:15 they left their apartment.

It was still raining so they took a taxi.

-Who did her mother call? –the doctor.

-Why did they take a taxi? –It was raining.

They got to the doctor’s office at 10:45.

Her mother gave Lisa’sname to the receptionist.Then they sat in the waitingroom.

They waited for 10 minutes.

Then a nurse came and took Lisa into another room. The nurse weighed Lisaand took her temperature.Then Lisa waited for the doctor.

-Where did they wait? –in the waiting room.

-Who weighed Lisa?–the nurse.How long did they wait?

When the doctorcame he lookeddown her throat. He listened to her heart beat.

Then he gave her a shot in her arm.

The shot hurt a littlebut Lisa didn’tmind. She wanted it to helpher feel better.

-Who look down Lisa’s throat? –the doctor.

-Why didn’t she mind that the shot hurt? –She wanted it to help her feelbetter.

After leaving thedoctor’s office they went to a pharmacy. Her mother brought some medicine.

Then they took a taxi home.

For the rest of the day, Lisa stayed in bed.

She took some medicineand drank a lot of liquids.She slept for a couple of hours.

Then she listened to some music.

By 6:00 she was feeling much better.

Now she’s think about tomorrow.

She’s looking forward to going to school.She doesn’twant to stay homeagain.

But she may have to stay home.

She can’t returnto school untilher cold is gone.She doesn’t want her friendsto catch her cold.

Yesterday there was a terribleaccident.It happenedin front of a subway station.

There was a crosswalk and the light was red.

Cars were coming from all directions.

A young man wanted to cross the street.

He didn’t want to wait for the light to change.

He looked both ways and thenstarted to run across the street.But he didn’t see one car and it hit him.

Heflew up into theair and camedown on the road.He head was injured and he was bleeding.

Several peopleused their phonesto call for an ambulance.It arrived a few minutes laterand took theman away.

We still don’t know if he lived ordied.Hopefully he’s alive and will get better soon.So be careful when you crossthe street.

Vocabulary

Everyone needs food andwater. Without food and water we cannotlive.People need a placeto live in and sleep.

We need a placeto keep us dry in rainy weather.

We need good health to keep us strong.

Daily exercise is a goodway to stay in good health.We need skills to find a good job.

Without good jobskills we can’tkeep a goodjob.We need money to buy thingssuch as food.

Without money it’s very difficult to have agood life.

We needwater to keep our bodies working. Without water, our body doesn’twork at all.

-Why is it difficult for poor people to buy things? –They don’t haveenough money.

Ice is the solid state of water.

The freezing point of water is 0 degreesCelsius.This is the liquidstate of water.

Liquids take theshape of theircontainer, suchas this glass.Water vapor is the gaseousstate of water.

Water becomes a gas at 100degrees Celsius whichis its boilingpoint.We use a scale like this to weigh things.

One kilogram is equalto 2.2 pounds.This is the thermometer.

We usethermometers like this to measure temperature.

Dialogue

M:I didn’t see Angela today. Did she cometo the office? W: No, she didn’t.She stayed home, she’s sick.

M: Sick? What’s wrong with her?

W: She has a bad sorethroat and a headache. She’s staying in bed.M: Oh, that’stoo bad. She lookedfine yesterday.

W: She was fine yesterday but last night shegot wet in the rain.

-How was the weather last night? –It was raining.

-How did she look yesterday? –She looked fine yesterday.

M: Didn’t she have an umbrella?

W:No, she didn’t.So she really got wet. It’sa long walkfrom the subway to her home.She didn’t get home until late.

-When did she get home? –late at night.

-Why did she get wet? –She didn’t have an umbrella.

M: It was really raininglast night. I got wet too and I hadmy umbrella. It was that strong wind. W:My umbrella wasn’tmuch help either. Still,it was better than nothing.

-Why weren’t their umbrellas much help? –The wind wasreally strong.

M:Anyway, when you see her, tell her to get better soon. We miss her at the office.There’s also an important meeting the day after tomorrow. I hope she can be there.

W: OK, I’ll call her and let her know.

M: If she can’t be here we can setup a conference call. So please let me know. W:I will.

-What would they do if she can’t come to the meeting? –Setup a conference call.

-What’s going to happen the day after tomorrow? –There’s going to be ameeting.

M: I saw a terrible accidentyesterday. W: What happened?

M: I was waiting to cross the Third Street andthe light was red.

W: Yes, many peopledon’t want to wait forthat light. It takes a longtime for that light to change.M: So there’s a young mandidn’t want to wait. He ran out into the traffic and a car hit him.

-Why did the man run out into the traffic? –He didn’twant to wait.

W: So he didn’t see the car?

M: Right, he didn’t see it and it was going too fast to stop. W:So what happenedto him?

M:The driver got out of the car and stayed next to him. He was just lying there. I went out to drug traffic and several other people calledfor the ambulance.

-What did several people call for? –an ambulance.

-What did the driver of the car do? –He got out of hiscar and stayed with the man.

W: How longdid it take for the ambulance to arrive? M: It didn’t take long.I think it only took10 minutes.

W: How was the young man when the ambulancearrived?

M: His eyes were open but there was bloodcoming out of his mouth. It didn’t look good.

-How long did it take for the ambulance to arrive?–about 10 minutes.

W: Did the police come?

M: Yes, they got there just before the ambulance.W: Did they ask you any question?

M: Yes, they did. They asked a lot ofquestions. So I told them what happened.

-When did the police come? –before the ambulancearrived.

W: What about the driver of the car?

M: When the ambulance left,he was sittingin his car. The police were talkingto him. W: What happened after that?

M: I don’t know because I had to get home.

-Who were talking to the driver when the ambulance left? –the police.

-Where was the driver when the ambulance left? –He wassitting in his car.

W: How did you feel?

M: I kept thinkingabout it. From now on I’ll be more careful crossingthe street. W: Me too.

-What will he be more careful doing? –crossing thestreet.

Level 2 - Unit 3 - Part 4

Listening

Here are four

people. Two of them aretall.

The man on the top left is very tall.

He is 6 feet 3 inchestall, which is about 1.9 meters.The woman on the topright is 5 feet 11 inchestall. She is tall but not as tallas the man on theleft.

-How much taller is the man than the woman? –He is 4inches taller than she is.

The girl on the bottom left is short. She is less than 5 feettall.

She is 4 feet 10 inches,which is about147 centimeters.Theboy on the bottomright is tallerthan the girl.

Heis 5 feet 1 inches tall,which is about155 centimeters. He is 3 inches taller than she is.

-How tallis the boy? –He is 5 feet1 inches tall. The man on the top left is the tallest.

Now let’s look at their weight.

The man on the top left is the heaviest.

He weighs 220 pounds,which is 100kilograms.The womanweighs less thanhe does.

She weighs 130 pounds, which is 59 kilograms.

-How much lessdoes the womanweigh than the man? –Sheweighs 90 poundsless than he does.The man on the top left weighs the most.

Thegirl on theleft is very thin.She doesn’t weighvery much.Her weightis just 70 pounds.The boy is much heavier.

He weighs 90 pounds, which is about 41 kilograms.

-How much heavier is the boy than the girl? –He is 20pounds heavier than she is.

This is what Kathy did yesterday.

She got up at 6:00and cooked breakfast for her family.At 7:30 she drove her two childrento school.

It took about 45 minutes to take them toschool.

-When did she get up? –She got up at 6:30.

-How long did it take them to go to school? –It tookabout 45 minutes.

After driving them to schoolshe returned home. For the next hour she cleanedthe house.

Then she talked to a friendon the phone.They decidedto meet at a shopping mall.

-What did she do after driving her children to school?–She returned home.

-What did she do after she returned home? –For thenext hour, she cleaned the house.

She arrived at the mall at 11:45. She mether friend in a coffee shop.

They ate lunchtogether and then they wentto shopping. There was a big sale at one of the stores.

There were discounts of up to 50% so they brought clothes for theirkids.

-Why did they buy clothes for their kids? –There was abig sale at one of the stores.

-Where did she and her friend meet? –They met in a coffee shop.

At 1:30 her friend wanted to go to a fitnesscenter.

They usually workedout 3 times a week.Yesterday Kathy hada headache.

She decided not to work out.Instead, she decidedto go home.

-What did her friend want to do at 1:30? –She wantedto go to a fitness center.

-Why didn’t Kathy work out yesterday? –She hadheadache.

When she gothome her headachewas worse. She took some medicineand had a short nap.After her nap she felt a bit better.

Her headache was gone.

-How was her headache when she got home? –It wasworse.

-What did she do after taking some medicine? -She took some medicine andhad a short nap.

Her kids came home at 5:00.

They were all hungrybut she didn’tfeel like cooking.Instead, she decided to order somefood.

She ordered some Chinese food.

-What did she order for her kids? –She ordered someChinese food.

45 minutes later the delivery man came.

She paid him for the food andthen they ate dinner.The food was good and not veryexpensive.

It was a nice change.

Her husband didn’t come home until late.

That was good because he doesn’t like Chinesefood.

-What did they do after she paid for the food? –Theyate dinner.

-What did they think of the food? –The food was goodand not very expensive.

Vocabulary

Here are some things to listen to.Most people enjoy listening to music.

There are many typesof music, including classical and jazz.Listening to the radio.

We can listen to the music,news and conversation on the radio. Listening to the sounds of the city.

The sounds of the city are oftenloud and noisy.Listening to the sound of nature.

Early in themorning we can often hearthe sound of birds singing.Listening to other people.

Sometimes listening to others is interesting.

Many taxi drivers listen to the radio while they drive.

Some people arevery interesting, so we enjoylistening to them.Somepeople talk toomuch so we want themto stop talking.

Some drivers honk their horns too much and the noise is awful.

Here are some school subjects.

n science class we learn about our world.

Science is where we learnabout forces, suchas gravity. In math class we learn aboutnumbers and shapes.

We learn how to count and how to find the area of differentshapes. In history class we learn about the past.

We learn about how our country began and how ithas changed.

In geography classwe learn aboutour land and people of our planetEarth.We learn about oceans, mountains and rivers.

In literature class we read and study greatbooks and poems.

We learn to write down our ideas and we learnhow other think and feel.

If we don’t know math, we can’t do business or build things.We learn why it is important to take care of the Earth.

Dialogue

Lisa’s mother: Lisa, don’t forget to take your thingsto school today.Lisa: I won’t,mother. I’m sorry about yesterday.

Lisa’s mother: And remember to pay back themoney you owe.Do you have enoughmoney?Lisa: I won’t forget and I have enoughmoney.

Lisa’s mother: How muchis that?Lisa: I have 15 dollars.

Lisa’s mother: Do you need anything else?Lisa: No, I don’t think so.

Lisa’s mother: Are you ready for your historytest?Lisa: Yes, I’mready. I did all the homework.

Lisa’s mother: What aboutyour iPhone? Do you have it?Lisa: Oh, thanks,it’s in my room.Could you get it for me?

Lisa’s mother: No, you’ll have to get it for yourself. Then maybe youwon’t forgetit again. Lisa: Hey, I can’t find it. It’s not in my bed. Could you call me?

Lisa’s mother: OK, I’m calling you now. Do you hear it?Lisa: No, I don’t. I don’t hear it.

Lisa’s mother: Why don’tyou look in the bathroom? Maybeyou left it there.Lisa: OK, I’ll look in the bathroom.

Lisa’s mother: it’s getting late, so hurry, oryou’ll miss your bus.

Lisa: Yes, I hear it. It’s in the bathroom. Iput it there when I brushed my teeth.

Lisa’s mother: Good. Now hopefully you have everything you need for today. Lisa: Thanks, mum. I think I have everything.

Lisa’s mother: Good luck withyour test. I won’t be here whenyou come homethis afternoon. Lisa: OK, have a good day.

Doctor:Good morning, doctor’s office.

Lisa’s mother: Hello, my little girlhas a bad sore throat.We’d like to see thedoctor as soonas possible. Doctor: Can’t it wait until tomorrow?

Lisa’s mother: No, it can’twait until tomorrow. If the doctorcan’t see her today,could we see someone else?

Doctor: Let me checkhis schedule. Yes, he has timeat 11:00. She may has to wait.Lisa’s mother: That’s OK. We can wait.

Doctor: OK,your last name,please.Lisa’s mother: Jackson.

Doctor: OK,Mrs. Jackson. Doesyour little girlhave a fever?Lisa’s mother: Yes, she does. It’saround 39.

Doctor: Please have stay in bed and drinkplenty of liquids.Some tea may help with the painLisa’s mother:Thank you. We’ll be there at 11:00.