Speaker A. It was my friend’s birthday recently. Silly: It took me 4 days to buy him a gift. I wanted to give him a set of paint and brushes. However, when I arrived to the art shop it was 8 p. m. and the shop only works till 7 p. m. The next day the shop was closed for some technical reason. And on the third day I found out right in front of the cash desk I found out that I’ve left my money at home. My 4th time was the last, a success.

Speaker B. A birthday is a special day for any of us. And if you want a special celebration you need to think about it beforehand. First think a list of guests. Bare mind that there shouldn’t be too many people, otherwise they will split into groups. It’s good when all the guests know each other. Ant the most important thing is to design the program of activity. Games and contests are in the center part of it.

Speaker C. On my birthday my parents took me, my two of my sisters to an amusement park. We rode the rollercoaster, had fun on the swings and ate ice-cream and sweets in the summer cafe. Then we went to a shop in center. I was supposed to choose a present by myself. And I choose a large teddy bear. It may be silly for a girl who just turned 15 but at some moment I fell like a little child.

Speaker D. When you thinking about arraigning a birthday party, you definitely thing about your menu which always includes a special cake. If you want to impress your guests, try to do it yourself. It will require lots of your time and lots of ingredients like: flavor, cream, butter, chocolate and what not. But be prepared for all kinds of the accidents, like the cake burning.

Speaker E. I often drop in to this place as it’s just on the way to my office. In the morning it’s a nice place to have a coffee and a sandwich. And at the evening when I have more time, I take some deserts like pancakes with different fittings or pudding with ice cream or a cake. They also sell huge cakes for all sorts of celebrations like birthday or wedding cakes.

Speaker A. My friend Lucy is a nice person but there are things about her that drive me mad. One of them is her way of buying clothes. She actually doesn’t buy things she tries them on. Even if the color of the dress doesn’t zoo her at all, when jeans are 3 sizes bigger than her’s, she will try them on anyway! Shopping with her takes so much time and afforts.

Speaker B. I don’t think that teenagers should wear something expensive but the clothes should be in line with their personalities. There are lots of similar looking things in the shops but if I want something really original I make it myself. I enjoy making all kinds of accessories like bags, belts, hand-made jewelry and decorations. I use different materials for this like leather, fabrics and other things.

Speaker C. I have dark brown hear and dark eyes. But my mum keeps me buying clothes in beige, brown and dark blue. She says it’s elegance and practical, but I definitely prefer something in liker. Or ultra yellow. Green is so bright, but it still looks natural. Yellow and orange remind me of the sun and uplift my mood. They are bright enough even in gloomy winter day.

Speaker D. Young people usually prefer active lifestyle. And this means that their closes should be comfortable, practicable and fashionable too. The best clothes for teens have been usually jeans, t-shirts and jumpers. They can be in different colors from dark ones to bright ones, different in style either plane or with prints and accessories but they are always trendy and fit for any occasion.

Speaker E. I normally don’t like shopping for closes as it takes so much time and I simply don’t find it interesting, but when I go to see my friend I always drop in to a shop on the corner near her house. You can find all kinds of hand-made clothes and accessories there. I bought a scarf and a pair of gloves there for myself. And I also buy all kind of presents there for my friends.

Speaker A. My friend Lucy is a nice person but there are things about her that drive me mad. One of them is her way of buying clothes. She actually doesn’t buy things she tries them on. Even if the color of the dress doesn’t zoo her at all, when jeans are 3 sizes bigger than her’s, she will try them on anyway! Shopping with her takes so much time and afforts.

Speaker B. I don’t think that teenagers should wear something expensive but the clothes should be in line with their personalities. There are lots of similar looking things in the shops but if I want something really original I make it myself. I enjoy making all kinds of accessories like bags, belts, hand-made jewelry and decorations. I use different materials for this like leather, fabrics and other things.

Speaker C. I have dark brown hear and dark eyes. But my mum keeps me buying clothes in beige, brown and dark blue. She says it’s elegance and practical, but I definitely prefer something in liker. Or ultra yellow. Green is so bright, but it still looks natural. Yellow and orange remind me of the sun and uplift my mood. They are bright enough even in gloomy winter day.

Speaker D. Young people usually prefer active lifestyle. And this means that their closes should be comfortable, practicable and fashionable too. The best clothes for teens have been usually jeans, t-shirts and jumpers. They can be in different colors from dark ones to bright ones, different in style either plane or with prints and accessories but they are always trendy and fit for any occasion.

Speaker E. I normally don’t like shopping for closes as it takes so much time and I simply don’t find it interesting, but when I go to see my friend I always drop in to a shop on the corner near her house. You can find all kinds of hand-made clothes and accessories there. I bought a scarf and a pair of gloves there for myself. And I also buy all kind of presents there for my friends.

Speaker A. I love sports. But I’ve never been very extreme. Recently my friend had a ski holyday it the mountains. But I chose to stay at home. First: I hate cold. I don’t enjoy staying outdoors longer than half an hour. Second: I found ski boots so heavy and uncomfortable. And the last but the main reason: is that I could fall over and hurt myself.

Speaker B. I think that winter is the best season of the year and I take every opportunity to do winter sports. I like skiing best of all. First of all it’s very exciting to ski down the slope. Lots of people from different places go to skiing and I like to meet new friends. And finally, when you ski you enjoy the wonderful nature, the beautiful landscape and the fresh air of the mountains.

Speaker C. I sometimes go to the ski resorts with my friends. However, when I first tried this sport it was a great failure. I spent about half an hour putting the boots on! They were heavy, and it was difficult to move in them. Anyway, I got to the hill and fastened the skies and started to slide down! I wasn’t able to stop! It was really frightened. At last, I fell over and stopped. Very painful.

Speaker D. I ski quite serious and I often take part in different competitions: local, national, international. Safety is very important for this sport. Apart from quality skies, good boots are important. They should be strong and high to protect the ankles. The helmet is also necessary. I also wear sport glasses and the skiing mask to protect my face from the sun, the wind and the snow.

Speaker E. When we go skiing we always stay in one and the same hotel, it’s in a very beautiful place in the mountains and sometimes even the international competitions are held there. Apart from several ski centers where we hire skies there are restaurants there and medical center, different souvenir shops and several ski-lifts that can take you up to the top of the mountains very quikly.

Speaker A. I love sports. But I’ve never been very extreme. Recently my friend had a ski holyday it the mountains. But I chose to stay at home. First: I hate cold. I don’t enjoy staying outdoors longer than half an hour. Second: I found ski boots so heavy and uncomfortable. And the last but the main reason: is that I could fall over and hurt myself.

Speaker B. I think that winter is the best season of the year and I take every opportunity to do winter sports. I like skiing best of all. First of all it’s very exciting to ski down the slope. Lots of people from different places go to skiing and I like to meet new friends. And finally, when you ski you enjoy the wonderful nature, the beautiful landscape and the fresh air of the mountains.

Speaker C. I sometimes go to the ski resorts with my friends. However, when I first tried this sport it was a great failure. I spent about half an hour putting the boots on! They were heavy, and it was difficult to move in them. Anyway, I got to the hill and fastened the skies and started to slide down! I wasn’t able to stop! It was really frightened. At last, I fell over and stopped. Very painful.

Speaker D. I ski quite serious and I often take part in different competitions: local, national, international. Safety is very important for this sport. Apart from quality skies, good boots are important. They should be strong and high to protect the ankles. The helmet is also necessary. I also wear sport glasses and the skiing mask to protect my face from the sun, the wind and the snow.

Speaker E. When we go skiing we always stay in one and the same hotel, it’s in a very beautiful place in the mountains and sometimes even the international competitions are held there. Apart from several ski centers where we hire skies there are restaurants there and medical center, different souvenir shops and several ski-lifts that can take you up to the top of the mountains very quikly.

Speaker A. Driving requires concentration, attention and skills. Unfortunately some people do not fully realize how dangerous their car can be for themselves and to other people. Lots of accidents happen because the driver exceed the speed limits or when the driver feels unwell or simply tired. However, the worse thing is when the drivers start competing with each other and have car raises on the city roads.

Speaker B. I worked in the office for the several years and after a while I’ve got pretty bored with that. I wanted to change something in my life and this reminded me of my childhood dream of wanting to be the bus driver. “Why not?” – I said to myself. Now I drive a large and comfortable city bus. My route is through the center of the city which is nice in quite hours. In the daytime the traffic is heavy, but I enjoy it anyway.

Speaker C. Nowadays people need to be very mobile. Public transport like buses or the underground is the best way to get from the point A to point B in the city. They are relatively cheap and safe. If you want, you can take a taxi or drive your own car. In some countries bicycles are becoming more and more popular. People prefer them to cars when they go to work or to a shop.

Speaker D. There are a lot of cars on the streets of our cities. And it’s getting more and more of them. Too much available transport, however, may lead to accidents and unpleasant situations. Cars and buses may get stuck in the traffic jams. Sometimes careless drivers park their cars in the wrong places and it causes lots of inconvenience to the passing by and to other drivers.

Speaker E. I love driving and I always try to be very careful on the road. However, last Sunday was not my lucky day. I went to a nearby town to visit my grandma. Normally, it takes me 30 minutes to get there, but on Sunday the road was blocked because of an accident. Then I was nearly hit by another car! Fortunately the driver was stopped by the police and fined for dangerous driving.

Speaker A. Driving requires concentration, attention and skills. Unfortunately some people do not fully realize how dangerous their car can be for themselves and to other people. Lots of accidents happen because the driver exceed the speed limits or when the driver feels unwell or simply tired. However, the worse thing is when the drivers start competing with each other and have car raises on the city roads.

Speaker B. I worked in the office for the several years and after a while I’ve got pretty bored with that. I wanted to change something in my life and this reminded me of my childhood dream of wanting to be the bus driver. “Why not?” – I said to myself. Now I drive a large and comfortable city bus. My route is through the center of the city which is nice in quite hours. In the daytime the traffic is heavy, but I enjoy it anyway.

Speaker C. Nowadays people need to be very mobile. Public transport like buses or the underground is the best way to get from the point A to point B in the city. They are relatively cheap and safe. If you want, you can take a taxi or drive your own car. In some countries bicycles are becoming more and more popular. People prefer them to cars when they go to work or to a shop.

Speaker D. There are a lot of cars on the streets of our cities. And it’s getting more and more of them. Too much available transport, however, may lead to accidents and unpleasant situations. Cars and buses may get stuck in the traffic jams. Sometimes careless drivers park their cars in the wrong places and it causes lots of inconvenience to the passing by and to other drivers.

Speaker E. I love driving and I always try to be very careful on the road. However, last Sunday was not my lucky day. I went to a nearby town to visit my grandma. Normally, it takes me 30 minutes to get there, but on Sunday the road was blocked because of an accident. Then I was nearly hit by another car! Fortunately the driver was stopped by the police and fined for dangerous driving.

Speaker A. I know that lots of student don’t like exams. They would prefer school without tests and exams at all, but I don’t it’s possible. Exams helps to major the progress we’ve made and helps us to understand what we have to improve. Students usually need some motivation to learn and exams are very effective way to make them study.

Speaker B. I have already taken 2 exams. I learn English as a foreign language. In the end of my course in the language school I had to take an exam. At first I was afraid of that, but then I managed to concentrate on the task. I made a few mistakes, but my grade was ok anyway. Later, when I had to take an exam in my art course I didn’t worry about it at all and everything went fine for that one too.

Speaker C. If you want to pass your exam successfully, you should remember a few points. The first one – revise all the material you’ve learned, but not on the night before the exam. That night you should have a good sleep to be able concentrate on your tasks. Second: have a walk before you go to your classroom, it will help you to feel more relaxed.

Speaker D. It was my first exam and I feel frightened and uneasy. I’m quite good at mathematics, but there in the exam room I couldn’t concentrate. The first task took me much more time than it was supposed to. And I simply didn’t managed to complete the test on time. My grade was very low, I didn’t get a pass and I have to take it again in a month.

Speaker E. It could sound absolutely crazy for most students, but I don’t mind exams at all. More than that: passing the exams makes me feel good. It’s like doing sports to me, I have to make some afford to receive the result. And if I manage (and in the most cases I do) I feel very proud of myself. High grades motivate me to learn further. Low grades, if they happen, make an area to improvement.

Speaker A. I know that lots of student don’t like exams. They would prefer school without tests and exams at all, but I don’t it’s possible. Exams helps to major the progress we’ve made and helps us to understand what we have to improve. Students usually need some motivation to learn and exams are very effective way to make them study.

Speaker B. I have already taken 2 exams. I learn English as a foreign language. In the end of my course in the language school I had to take an exam. At first I was afraid of that, but then I managed to concentrate on the task. I made a few mistakes, but my grade was ok anyway. Later, when I had to take an exam in my art course I didn’t worry about it at all and everything went fine for that one too.

Speaker C. If you want to pass your exam successfully, you should remember a few points. The first one – revise all the material you’ve learned, but not on the night before the exam. That night you should have a good sleep to be able concentrate on your tasks. Second: have a walk before you go to your classroom, it will help you to feel more relaxed.

Speaker D. It was my first exam and I feel frightened and uneasy. I’m quite good at mathematics, but there in the exam room I couldn’t concentrate. The first task took me much more time than it was supposed to. And I simply didn’t managed to complete the test on time. My grade was very low, I didn’t get a pass and I have to take it again in a month.

Speaker E. It could sound absolutely crazy for most students, but I don’t mind exams at all. More than that: passing the exams makes me feel good. It’s like doing sports to me, I have to make some afford to receive the result. And if I manage (and in the most cases I do) I feel very proud of myself. High grades motivate me to learn further. Low grades, if they happen, make an area to improvement.

Speaker A. I think that sports and exercises are absolutely necessary for young people. Unfortunately there is no gym nearby and the local swimming pool is far from my house too. But there are still lots of opportunities anyway. I start my day with physical exercises. I exercise right in my room. I do some gymnastics and then walk to school. I almost never take a bus.

Speaker B. On Sunday I get up a little earlier than usually and go jogging. It normally takes an hour or so. Than we have breakfast and then if the weather is ok, we go to the picnic or to the amusement park all together, with the family. If it rains, we go to the cinema. And in the evening I have a half an hour swim in the swimming pool. We are lucky to have one nearby.

Speaker C. I spend almost all my free time here. It’s a good place to do various sports from gymnastics to swimming. I usually buy a pass for a month. It gives me an opportunity to use gym and swimming pool as long as I want to. There are also other facilities for example a cafe where they serve a tasty bones or sandwiches. Naturally the whole place gets crowdie on the weekend.

Speaker D. I believe that young people should do sports to keep fit. Lucy tries to avoid sports at all casts but she doesn’t want to look fat or anything, so her way to look fit is dieting. She only eats one meal a day and avoids loots of products like eggs, butter, milk and even some vegetables. I think it can harm her health. But she won’t listen to me and we even argued at this point.

Speaker E. sports are important to keep fit. But I think that eating the inappropriate food is very important too. I’m not talking about dieting. I just say that if you prefer a simple food like vegetables, fish and eggs to sweets and bones. If you drink simple water or tea instead of sweet fizzy drinks it will do only good. Fast food is usually not the best choice.

Speaker A. I think that sports and exercises are absolutely necessary for young people. Unfortunately there is no gym nearby and the local swimming pool is far from my house too. But there are still lots of opportunities anyway. I start my day with physical exercises. I exercise right in my room. I do some gymnastics and then walk to school. I almost never take a bus.

Speaker B. On Sunday I get up a little earlier than usually and go jogging. It normally takes an hour or so. Than we have breakfast and then if the weather is ok, we go to the picnic or to the amusement park all together, with the family. If it rains, we go to the cinema. And in the evening I have a half an hour swim in the swimming pool. We are lucky to have one nearby.

Speaker C. I spend almost all my free time here. It’s a good place to do various sports from gymnastics to swimming. I usually buy a pass for a month. It gives me an opportunity to use gym and swimming pool as long as I want to. There are also other facilities for example a cafe where they serve a tasty bones or sandwiches. Naturally the whole place gets crowdie on the weekend.

Speaker D. I believe that young people should do sports to keep fit. Lucy tries to avoid sports at all casts but she doesn’t want to look fat or anything, so her way to look fit is dieting. She only eats one meal a day and avoids loots of products like eggs, butter, milk and even some vegetables. I think it can harm her health. But she won’t listen to me and we even argued at this point.

Speaker E. sports are important to keep fit. But I think that eating the inappropriate food is very important too. I’m not talking about dieting. I just say that if you prefer a simple food like vegetables, fish and eggs to sweets and bones. If you drink simple water or tea instead of sweet fizzy drinks it will do only good. Fast food is usually not the best choice.

Speaker A. when I have free time I don’t like staying at home. I enjoy visiting different interesting places and learn new things about history, art, science or whatever. Excursions are popular cause they are more convenient and pleasant way of getting information. A qualified guide can tell you lots of amazing things you would never find out on your own.

Speaker B. I’m not an art lover and I prefer picnics to museums and excursions. However on Saturday we had a very nice trip to a nearby town. I didn’t know there are so many historical buildings. We went there by bus and on the way the guide gave us some amazing facts and legends about the town. Then we visited the central historical museum.

Speaker C. when our teacher announces us some excursions or museums I try to escape it. I don’t like museums. Probably because my mum is a tour guide. When I was little she took me to museums a lot. I was too little for the fine art or historical artifacts. I wanted to play, not to admire the exhibits. And I was afraid of the museum keepers that always hushed me.

Speaker D. this museum was opened only 2 years ago. Our students and teachers find it very amusing. It’s a museum of mistakes. We collect the funny mistakes that our students do in their essays. Usually teachers or students themselves brings us the pages and ask us to display them. Most of the exhibits are anonymous but some of the authors want their names to be written beside their mistake.

Speaker E. I enjoy visiting different museums but the problem is that there is no museums in our little town. I’m not the only person who lives in a new place. I suggest we arrange a global internet base museum. All the existence museums would make virtual expositions and everyone should have access to whatever museum they want to and can order the virtual excursions for themselves.

Speaker A. when I have free time I don’t like staying at home. I enjoy visiting different interesting places and learn new things about history, art, science or whatever. Excursions are popular cause they are more convenient and pleasant way of getting information. A qualified guide can tell you lots of amazing things you would never find out on your own.

Speaker B. I’m not an art lover and I prefer picnics to museums and excursions. However on Saturday we had a very nice trip to a nearby town. I didn’t know there are so many historical buildings. We went there by bus and on the way the guide gave us some amazing facts and legends about the town. Then we visited the central historical museum.

Speaker C. when our teacher announces us some excursions or museums I try to escape it. I don’t like museums. Probably because my mum is a tour guide. When I was little she took me to museums a lot. I was too little for the fine art or historical artifacts. I wanted to play, not to admire the exhibits. And I was afraid of the museum keepers that always hushed me.

Speaker D. this museum was opened only 2 years ago. Our students and teachers find it very amusing. It’s a museum of mistakes. We collect the funny mistakes that our students do in their essays. Usually teachers or students themselves brings us the pages and ask us to display them. Most of the exhibits are anonymous but some of the authors want their names to be written beside their mistake.

Speaker E. I enjoy visiting different museums but the problem is that there is no museums in our little town. I’m not the only person who lives in a new place. I suggest we arrange a global internet base museum. All the existence museums would make virtual expositions and everyone should have access to whatever museum they want to and can order the virtual excursions for themselves.

Speaker A. I like family celebrations, when several generations gather around the table and talk and exchange news. My grandmother and I usually make a large apple pie. Everyone in the family loves it. It’s a traditional recipe. To make the apples taste fresh and stay crispy we add some lemon juice with sugar and vanilla. It’s also important to take the pie out of the oven in time.

Speaker B. it was warm and sunny last weekend and we were glad to spend a couple of days outdoors. We went to a bus trip in a nearby town famous for its parks and a large fruit garden. The garden looks fantastic and most of the apple trees are in blossom. In a café we enjoyed some fruit tea with the delicious apple pie.

Speaker C. I used to do swimming and cycling but now I’ve got new interests in life. I start drawing. I go to the art school and I like it very much. Today we drew a still life. There are different things like fruits, flowers and other house art objects. We drew a vase with apples. I never thought it could be so difficult to make the apples look realistic on the picture.

Speaker D. my mom always says that the food we eat should be not only tasty but good for our bodies too. That’s why she includes lot’s of fruits and vegetables in our menu. She prefers local season fruits to exotic ones. And believes that there is nothing better than green apples from our garden. An apple a day keeps a doctor away, she says. And I think she is right.

Speaker E. when I was little I spent lots of time in my granny’s. she and her neighbour had large gardens which makes the village look fantastic. I wanted to be a gardener to take care of flowers, cherry and apple trees as I enjoyed it very much. I also wanted to grew some more beautiful flower and give it my grannies name – Nancy. But that never came true. I work as a sales manager in a telephone company now.

Speaker A. My cousin worked as a tour guide and once she was going to show a group of Japanese students around the city. She usually delivers excursions in English but that time she asked me to go with her as I know some basic Japanese phrases. I enjoyed helping her very much and the next day I decided to take a training course for tourist guides. I've been working as a guide for a year already and I love it!

Speaker В. Many young people nowadays want to start working early, while they are still at college. I think that's good as early careers give them work experience and they can find better jobs after graduation. It's certainly difficult to learn and work at the same time but, surprisingly, young people who work usually achieve better academic results than their non-working classmates.

Speaker С. I started to learn Spanish recently and I'm planning to take up Italian too. The thing is that I want to find a job in the tourist business. Working in that sector means that I'll have to communicate with people from different countries and the more languages I know — the more opportunities I'll have. At the moment I can speak English — it's my native language — and I'm pretty fluent in French.

Speaker D. A career choice is one of the most difficult decisions teenagers have to make. It was difficult for me too but fortunately I found a place where I got friendly and professional help in choosing a future job. First, I filled in a questionnaire online. Then I was interviewed by teachers and psychologists. They selected the most appropriate lines of business for me, which were medicine and engineering, and arranged for me to visit a hospital and a chemical engineering company!

Speaker E. My parents wanted me to become an accountant like them. I didn't know much about the profession but applied to the Economy Faculty. Then I got a job with a financial company. Soon I understood that the job was definitely not for me — I make mistakes, have difficulty in working with financial computer programs and ... I simply don't like it! I want to make a new career start but I'm afraid of making another mistake.

Speaker A. I enjoy reading but I don't usually have much time for it because there's lots of homework to do. Yesterday I borrowed a book from our school library. I wanted to read it for a while before going to sleep. But the book was really interesting, I got involved and put it aside only when I had read it up to the very end. In the morning, I wasn't able to get up on time so I missed the school bus and got to school thirty minutes after the bell had gone.

Speaker В. I like reading, especially historical novels. That's why I know more than most of my classmates. Our teacher often asks me to give presentations to the whole class. I may spend hours in the library or searching the Internet for information on some historical event or some historical personality. Some of my friends think that it's boring but it's incredibly interesting. I'm considering taking History as my major at university.

Speaker С. Our class is very united and we often help each other in school and in life. Yes, I'm very lucky that the people around me are friendly and supportive and there's no bullying or fighting in class. My friends have different interests but they all are very nice people. There are those who like science, those who like sports and those who like arts but everyone enjoys school parties and school trips.

Speaker D. It was shocking news when my parents told me about their decision to move to another city. I was completely against it. I didn't want to leave my school — I had so many friends there! I'd just joined the school volleyball team, the best team in the area! But there was no choice — my parents had to move because of their jobs. They have good jobs but we have to move too often.

Speaker E. I have lots of friends and most of them are my classmates. We often do homework, work in a library or do sports together. Our school is a good place for doing sports — we have a gym, a football pitch, a swimming pool and even a tennis court. The swimming pool is not very large but it's enough for practicing different swimming strokes and for water aerobics classes. I wish we had a little skate park, too!

Speaker A. I'm an only child in the family and I've always envied my friends who have brothers and sisters. I really think that it's great when children can play together and support each other — it teaches them how to take care of other people, how to be kind and helpful. Brothers and sisters usually support each other when they become adults. I think it's very comforting to feel that support.

Speaker В. One of my earliest childhood memories is about a steel set of medical instruments. Our grandmother told us that it had belonged to her father who had got it from his teacher — a famous doctor. During the war my great granddad was wounded and taken to hospital. Still weak he helped the doctor during the operations as there were no nurses. Now the set of medical tools is kept in my house.

Speaker С. I grew up in a large family. Now my brother and my sisters are adults and we all have families of our own. However, every year they come to our house for our mother's birthday. It's always been a very important event for us. When we were kids, we designed different creative presents for her and prepared different performances. We still do the same! We feel like children again and Mum looks young and happy at such moments.

Speaker D. I have very happy childhood memories. We lived in the country, and now I often dream about our pretty house and our nice garden. Our parents spent lots of time with us and we, children, could always ask them for help, advice or just share our worries with them. Now I'm a student and live away from my family in a big city. I often feel lonely and I wish my childhood years could come back for a while.

Speaker E. When I was a child, we lived in the country and I often helped my parents on the farm. It was hard work but I enjoyed it because my father made it look like fun. We grew beans and sold them. Now the farm belongs to me and my brother, and it differs a lot from the farm of my childhood. For the most part jobs are mechanized. We use computers to control the process of crop growing. Our children find it all interesting and make plans on how to make the farm even more efficient.

Speaker A. I like family celebrations, when several generations gather around the table and talk and exchange news. My grandmother and I usually make a large apple pie. Everyone in the family loves it. It’s a traditional recipe. To make the apples taste fresh and stay crispy we add some lemon juice with sugar and vanilla. It’s also important to take the pie out of the oven in time.

Speaker B. it was warm and sunny last weekend and we were glad to spend a couple of days outdoors. We went to a bus trip in a nearby town famous for its parks and a large fruit garden. The garden looks fantastic and most of the apple trees are in blossom. In a café we enjoyed some fruit tea with the delicious apple pie.

Speaker C. I used to do swimming and cycling but now I’ve got new interests in life. I start drawing. I go to the art school and I like it very much. Today we drew a still life. There are different things like fruits, flowers and other house art objects. We drew a vase with apples. I never thought it could be so difficult to make the apples look realistic on the picture.

Speaker D. my mom always says that the food we eat should be not only tasty but good for our bodies too. That’s why she includes lot’s of fruits and vegetables in our menu. She prefers local season fruits to exotic ones. And believes that there is nothing better than green apples from our garden. An apple a day keeps a doctor away, she says. And I think she is right.

Speaker E. when I was little I spent lots of time in my granny’s. she and her neighbour had large gardens which makes the village look fantastic. I wanted to be a gardener to take care of flowers, cherry and apple trees as I enjoyed it very much. I also wanted to grew some more beautiful flower and give it my grannies name – Nancy. But that never came true. I work as a sales manager in a telephone company now.

Speaker A. It's large and spacious. The wide board, desks and the teacher's table. But the most interesting feature is the special graffity wall. We can write all kindes of questions of the material we are studying. For example, if you don't understand something, you can write your question on the wall and another student or teacher writes the answer.

Speaker B. I am always glad to come to this room sometimes before the lesson and study the maps on the wall and sampels of rocks and stamps on the shells. Yes, i find geography very interesting. And it's not a problemfor me to spend hours writing out fact about famous travellers and their discoveries. My favorite classroom activity is studying and completing maps.

Speaker C. My grade for the Math test was unusually high, but i'm not happy about it at all. My friend Tracy is not talking with me at all because of it. The thing is that in the exam room I sat next to Tracy and she is asured that I copied the answers from her paper. It's not true but she doesnt believe me. She thinks I cheated and she hates any dishonesty.

Speaker D. I study in a large and modern school with walercriped classroom, a good gym and the swimmingpool. The ladder are very importaint for me, cause i use them practicly every day. When the lessons are over my friends and I go to the gym to exercise or to play volleyball. Twice a week I have a swimming class and my friend does all kindes of experiments in the school chemestry laboratory.

Speaker E. Students performance depends a lot on their ability to reserch for information by themselves. On the shelves the books are arranged in the alphabetical order. To find the book you need to know the ofer. There is also an electronic catalogue and access to internet resourses. Just hike in a key word to find what you want.

Speaker A. It's large and spacious. The wide board, desks and the teacher's table. But the most interesting feature is the special graffity wall. We can write all kindes of questions of the material we are studying. For example, if you don't understand something, you can write your question on the wall and another student or teacher writes the answer.

Speaker B. I am always glad to come to this room sometimes before the lesson and study the maps on the wall and sampels of rocks and stamps on the shells. Yes, i find geography very interesting. And it's not a problemfor me to spend hours writing out fact about famous travellers and their discoveries. My favorite classroom activity is studying and completing maps.

Speaker C. My grade for the Math test was unusually high, but i'm not happy about it at all. My friend Tracy is not talking with me at all because of it. The thing is that in the exam room I sat next to Tracy and she is asured that I copied the answers from her paper. It's not true but she doesnt believe me. She thinks I cheated and she hates any dishonesty.

Speaker D. I study in a large and modern school with walercriped classroom, a good gym and the swimmingpool. The ladder are very importaint for me, cause i use them practicly every day. When the lessons are over my friends and I go to the gym to exercise or to play volleyball. Twice a week I have a swimming class and my friend does all kindes of experiments in the school chemestry laboratory.

Speaker E. Students performance depends a lot on their ability to reserch for information by themselves. On the shelves the books are arranged in the alphabetical order. To find the book you need to know the ofer. There is also an electronic catalogue and access to internet resourses. Just hike in a key word to find what you want.

Speaker A. It was late when we arrived at the hotel and we were lucky to get the last vacant room there. The room was on the second floor, it was not large but was cozy and clean. There was little furniture there but it was comfortable and I liked the photos on the walls very much. They showed the mountain peaks. In the morning I saw the same peaks from the window — it was a fantastic view!

Speaker В. Last weekend we went to the mountains. When we got to the airport, we were told that our flight had been delayed and we had to wait there for about two hours. It was very late when, at last, we got to the little inn in the mountains and we felt really tired. But the next morning we forgot all about it — the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed skiing very much. We'll probably go there again next season.

Speaker С. I have to travel a lot because of my job. Usually I fly as it's the quickest way but when I go for a holiday I prefer trains. The train is not as fast as the plane but I like it more anyway. I like reading or looking through the window. It reminds me of my childhood when I travelled to see my grandparents. Modern trains are very comfortable and they don't pollute the environment as much as planes do.

Speaker D. I travel a lot because of my job, but when I'm on holiday I don't stay at home either. I'm curious and travelling is the best way to satisfy my curiosity. I think it's a great way to explore the world, to meet new people and to learn about other cultures and lifestyles. I enjoy trying new dishes and hunting for unusual souvenirs for my family and friends. I find travelling relaxing too.

Speaker E. I have to know everything about tourist routes, hotels, sights and attractions as I work for a travel agency. I help people to choose the trip which is best for them, reserve hotels, buy plane and train tickets and solve their problems if something goes wrong. The first thing I do when I come to the office is check my e-mail and the telephone answering machine for any urgent messages.

Speaker A. Lots of people in big cities want to keep pets. I think that a cat or a dog in an urban flat is ok, but I strongly disapprove of people who want to have a tiger, a monkey or a large snake at home. The unnatural environment does lots of harm to the animals and it's very difficult to provide a balanced diet for them. It also may be inconvenient or even dangerous to the owner and people around them as wild animals are unpredictable.

Speaker В. Sadly, we seldom, if ever have an opportunity to see animals in the wild. There used to be lots of hares, foxes, deer and beavers in my region. My grandfather said that when a little boy, he regularly saw those animals in the nearby forest. Today's children are more likely to see an elephant in the Zoo than a hare or a squirrel in the forest.

Speaker С. My friends and I are fond of animals and it makes us feel worried and sad that lots of animals suffer because of people. We set up an animal lovers' club Mowgli that helps animals survive in the urban environment. We leave food for birds, find new families for homeless cats and dogs and raise money to provide medical care for animals injured in traffic accidents.

Speaker D. Life in big cities is really stressful and it may cause different illnesses. Some doctors believe that common pets we keep at home, like cats, dogs and birds, can prevent some illnesses. For example, people who have heart problems usually feel better if there's a dog in the house. It's partly because of the positive energy the animal gives and partly because regularly walking the dog makes people stronger.

Speaker E. I think that people should know more about nature and environmental problems. I like watching educational programmes about wild life on TV, but I don't think there are enough of them. There should be more feature films about animals and there should be more interesting books. If children learn to understand and love nature, they will never poison rivers and cut down forests for money when they grow up.

Speaker A. Environmental problems are important today. People in big cities suffer from pollution but it's partially their own fault as their cars produce huge amounts of carbon dioxide which is the main cause of pollution. The number of personal cars is rising and when they get stuck in traffic jams, the amount of gases increases several times. People will experience problems until they learn to care more about the environment than their own comfort.

Speaker В. I've lived all my life in the city centre and I've always enjoyed the city lifestyle. However, now I'm considering moving to the countryside. It's a difficult decision but my son has started to fall ill too often. The doctors say that the polluted environment is the main reason. We live in one of the busiest streets. The traffic is very heavy there and there are often huge traffic jams. The doctors strongly recommend that we move to a healthier place.

Speaker С. I live in the suburbs. We moved there several years ago as the houses are much cheaper there than in the city centre. However I don't want to change my job so I have to commute to the centre five days a week. A personal car is a must for me. Fortunately, my children's school is on the way to the office and I drive them there every morning. When the classes are over, my wife drives them home — she can't do without her car either.

Speaker D. I live in the city centre, in a historical house. I like the place very much and would never move anywhere else. Neither me nor my neighbours drive personal cars — there's no need as living in the centre is very convenient: it takes me only fifteen minutes by bus to get to work. There are good shops and supermarkets nearby. And when I go out in the evening, I don't have to bother about where to park my. car. Life is easier on foot.

Speaker E. I believe that city dwellers should use personal cars less if they want the environment to be healthy. I never use my car if I can get to the place by bus or train. Trains and buses come and go according to the schedule and I'm never late to work or appointments. Also, buses go along special routes and escape traffic jams. I also enjoy reading on a bus or looking through the window — it's relaxing.

Speaker A. When I was a small child, I felt irritated when adults asked me about what I wanted to become in the future, They are still asking. It's irritating, probably because I don't know the answer. I have no idea what job is right for me and I'm afraid of making the wrong choice. Dad says that I should do different summer or part-time jobs in order to understand what I want. And what if I don't understand it then? I don't mind working in the summer but I don't know what temporary job to apply for.

Speaker В. I've always known what I want to do as a career. No, I'm not making ambitious plans about becoming an ingenious scientist, or an astronaut, or a famous actor. I want to work with small children as there's nothing better than helping the curious explore the world. Working in an infant school would be very rewarding. It wouldn't actually be a job for me — it would be a privilege because I'd be enjoying every minute of it. If you say it would be difficult — yes, it would be, but it would never get boring.

Speaker С. Lots of teenagers want to get a summer job but not everyone gets one. The most common mistake is that they start looking for a job when the holidays are in full swing. The job search takes time and you should start it months before the holidays. First, make up a list of jobs you would like to do, then find out about the requirements and contact the employers. If you suit each other, leave your information and discuss the date when you are ready to start.

Speaker D. There are usually lots of opportunities for young people to earn money for things like snacks and drinks, outings and accessories. There are always plenty of vacancies for seasonal workers, waiters, couriers, cleaners etc. Being a full-time student is not an excuse to avoid getting a job. I really don't think that teenagers can understand the value of money and appreciate their families' care and support until they start working themselves.

Speaker Е. I think that doing temporary and part-time jobs does young people lots of good. I had my first summer job at the age of fifteen. I worked as a pizza seller in a fast-food cafe for two months. I still remember how difficult it was — there were always lots of people, it was hot and my legs and arms hurt. Since then I've worked as a courier, as a seasonal worker (picking apples and cherries) and as a landscape worker.

Speaker A. I like getting presents and it doesn't matter if they are expensive or not — the best presents are always from people who care about me. My favourite accessory, for example, is a handmade necklace. A friend of mine gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. She made it herself from sea shells she had picked up on the beach and it looks nice and stylish. The shells are arranged very carefully in accordance with their size, shape and colour. And my name's carved on one of the shells.

Speaker В. It's certainly nice to get presents but I'm against buying impractical presents that will get thrown out. I've already got a collection of vases of different sizes and styles, several pictures that I will never put on my walls, and a few bottles of perfume that I don't wear. I think it's really foolish to spend money on such things. If you don't know what the person really likes or needs, please don't buy anything.

Speaker С. People spend a fortune on presents and gifts. Lots of impractical things are bought at Christmas time. Radio and TV promote the idea of gift-exchange, the Internet is full of special offers, the shop windows sparkle with decorations, shows and performances are arranged in shopping centres. If you are not buying heaps of presents, you feel a miserable outsider! That's why consumers spend more money during Christmas time than they do the rest of the year.

Speaker D. I like giving people presents. The only problem is that shopping for presents takes lots of time which I don't have and shopping via the Internet is not for me — I don't trust it. For this reason I buy almost all of my presents in a large shopping centre near my house. The centre is comprised of several dozen little shops and boutiques. I can find anything there — souvenirs, electronic gadgets, goods for children, cosmetics and what not! There's no need to go anywhere else.

Speaker Е. We often give each other presents — for special occasions or just for no reason at all. I buy most presents via the Internet and find it very convenient. First, it saves time — I don't have to spend hours in shopping centres. Second, I buy exactly what I want — there's a vast database of different goods at my disposal. Third, I can give gifts to friends who live far from me. I just type their addresses and the presents are delivered directly to them.

Speaker A. Lots of people find sunbathing on the beach very relaxing and every season crowds of tourists head to the seaside. Resort beaches are usually equipped with umbrellas and chairs. There are also places to play volleyball or badminton and there are different water entertainments like the banana rides, water skiing, surfing and snorkeling. If they feel hungry, tourists can buy snacks right on the beach.

Speaker В. People have always settled near the sea. The sea gives food — fish, seashells, shrimps, but there's less and less of it in the sea. Fishermen often complain that in spite of better fishing equipment they get less fish than their fathers got decades ago. Marine researchers and economists back their concern with figures — the number of saltwater fish has been reduced dramatically over the last years and the' tendency is persistent.

Speaker С. We went to Australia a couple of months ago and it was the first time I'd dived in the open ocean. It's another world — with millions of inhabitants ranging from plankton to huge whales. It's amazing, plankton is made up of hundreds of species — those little organisms can look like tiny worms, shrimps, jelly-fish or whatever. But the main tourist attraction in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef — more than 1,500 species of fish live there.

Speaker D. Most people love the sea and the sea resorts are a popular tourist destination. However, the sea we all admire may destroy our civilization or part of it. Everyone knows that the average temperature on the planet is rising, the ice-caps are melting, the level of the ocean is getting higher and soon it may cover coastal villages, cities and even whole countries. If we want to survive, we have to stop the global warming process somehow.

Speaker Е. Lots of people choose seaside holidays as a way to escape from their stressful world. Tourist agencies offer different options, from ocean cruises to beach holidays. Crowds of holidaymakers eat packaged food and throw plastic cups, plates, polyethylene packages and heaps of other rubbish into the sea. The sea animals may mistake the rubbish for food and swallow it. Ingested rubbish is a frequent cause of the death of seals, turtles, and even sharks.

Speaker A. Travelling through deserts has always been a life-threatening activity but people had to do it for trade and exploration. In the old days, trade was conducted by caravans of camels. The camel was chosen because it is able to carry heavy loads and do without water for several days. The load was usually divided into two parts and attached to the camel's back. Nowadays there are high speed roads crossing deserts in different directions but native people still rely on camels.

Speaker В. The desert is often associated with dead land, but it's not. I'm a geologist and I can say it's a fascinating place! Blue sky and endless sand dunes look fantastic! The sand is usually bright yellow but there are other colours, too. In Egypt, for example, there's The White Desert — the sand is absolutely white and looks like glittering snow. The poor deserts plants deserve all my admiration — for their strength and will to live.

Speaker С. At first sight the desert seems uninhabited but if you stay there longer, you'll see that it's home to many creatures. Reptiles seem to be quite happy there — it's their world. There're lots of them but they usually hide in the sand and are difficult to see. Some lizards and snakes also have camouflage or change their colour to blend in with the surroundings. Their main food is scorpions, spiders, insects, small mice and rats.

Speaker D. The burning sun of the desert can kill a careless traveller in several hours. That's why if you get lost, don't panic but find a shelter and wait for help. Remember that walking will make you feel very tired and thirsty, so it's better to stay where you are. Draw large signs on the sand or fix a bright piece of clothing on a tall cactus so that your sign can be seen from the air — the rescue plane will be able to find you sooner.

Speaker E. The desert is a dangerous place and people should be careful when travelling through it. Everyone knows this. However, we often forget that the desert can be damaged, too — some people's activities are very harmful to it. Deserts are becoming polluted as people use them as dumping grounds for rubbish and industrial waste. Off-road desert car races ruin the delicate soil layer and kill plants that take a very long time to grow. Animals hiding in the sand may be killed too.

Speaker A. When my father was of school age, he went to my school too. He says that the school's changed a lot since his time, but some things are still the same. Like them, we have "A Birthday Friday" when we wish happy birthday to our classmates who were born in that month. We also make Christmas cards for our teachers and classmates and display them on the walls. When we leave for the Christmas holidays, everyone picks up their cards and takes them home. The cards should be read on Christmas Day.

Speaker В. I enjoy learning and have lots of school friends but despite this, at the beginning of each academic term I start looking forward to the holidays. We have Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Summer is my favourite because it's the longest. Christmas holidays are nice too — they are associated with lots of fun and Christmas gifts. Easter holidays are special because we don't have fixed days for them as every year Easter happens on a different date.

Speaker С. I've never changed school so I feel absolutely at home there. Most of my classmates live nearby so we spend lots of time together — not only in the classroom but after school, too. I think I'm lucky to have them around all the time — we help each other a lot and not only with school matters. When I need a hand with my bicycle repairs or I need someone to look after my cat when our family leaves for a holiday, my school mates are always there for me.

Speaker D. Most students think it would be great if holidays lasted forever but I don't agree. It would be boring, and school is not all about tests and homework — it's also about sports games at our stadium and our drama society which I enjoy very much. We have a school band which is so good that they play not only at our school parties but also perform at the town's musical events. I really think that anyone can find an exciting hobby right at school.

Speaker Е. We spend lots of time at school — we learn there, do sports and have fun. To keep the place nice and safe we should obey the rules — in general, we should respect our teachers, we should respect each other and we should respect the school's property. Strangers are not allowed on the grounds of the school, so if we want to bring friends from another school to our party, we have to get the teacher's permission.

Speaker A. I live in the country but I’ve always wanted to move to a big city. I think that there are more career opportunities there, more jobs, people can get a better education and better medical services there. There is more entertainment in the city, too. You can go to theatres, cinemas and clubs, there are lots of people everywhere – you’ll never get bored. I’ll move to the city as soon as I get an opportunity to do so.

Speaker B. I live in a big city, in a new fast-developing area. Most of the buildings were built not long ago, so the area has a modern look and is comfortable to live in. There are shops, cinemas, schools, hospitals, sports centres and parks within easy reach of my house. Right in front of my house there’s a bus stop, so I have no problem getting to the centre or any other part of the city.

Speaker C. We’ve just moved house and now I live in a new modern building in the centre of the city. My window has a view of a busy street but the interior creates a nice and peaceful atmosphere. The walls are painted light green and the furniture is in warm brown and creamy colours. There’s a plasma TV and a portable audio centre. I like drawing and there are several of my pictures on the walls. I think they look nice there.

Speaker D. Everybody wants their home to be a safe, nice and comfortable place but their ideas of comfort and beauty are very different. In hot climates people sometimes make their homes underground. Living underground, however, doesn’t mean living in dark, dirty and damp caves. Modern underground homes are light. They are beautifully designed, nicely furnished and very comfortable to live in.

Speaker E. When we were walking along the main street, the guide pointed to an ordinary looking house and said that the place had a history. During the war a famous doctor lived there. He arranged a hospital in his own home and saved lots of people. Now nobody lives in the house, there’s a museum of science and medicine there. The museum has very interesting exhibits on the history of medical science.

Speaker A. It’s large and spacious. There is a whiteboard, desks and a teacher’s table but the most interesting feature is the special graffiti wall. We can write all kinds of questions on the material we are studying atthe moment. For example, if you don’t understand something, you can write your question on the wall and another student or teacher writes the answer.

Speaker B. I’m always glad to come to this room some time before the lesson and study the maps on the walls and samples of stones and rocks on the shelves. Yes, I find geography very interesting and it’s not a problem for me to spend hours writing out facts about famous travellers and their discoveries. My favourite classroom activity is studying and completing maps.

Speaker C. My grade for the Maths test was unusually high but I’m not happy about it at all. My friend Tracy isn’t talking to me because of this. The thing is that in the exam room I sat next to Tracy and she’s sure I copied the answers from her paper. That’s not true but she doesn’t believe me. She thinks I cheated and she hates any dishonesty.

Speaker D. I study in a large and modern school with well equipped classrooms, a good gym and a swimming pool. The latter are veryimportant for me because I use them practically every day. When the lessons are over, my friend and I go to the gym to exercise or to play volleyball. Twice a week I have a swimming class and my friend does all kinds of experiments in the school chemistry laboratory.

Speaker E. Students’ performance depends a lot on their ability to research and look for information by themselves. On the shelves the books are arranged in the alphabetical order. To find the book you needto know the author. There is also an electronic catalogue and access to the internet resources. Just type in the key word to find whatever you want.

Speaker A. There are many ways to learn foreign languages but the most effective is when people do it at school. I believe languages should be taught starting from the age of three or four. Children acquire new words and grammar patterns easily, while playing and communicating. They can imitate sounds and they enjoy reciting poems and singing songs even when they don’t understand the meaning of some words.

Speaker B. Some of my friends started learning foreign languages when they started to work. I myself took a Spanish course when our company signed several contracts with Spanish partners. Now it’s not a problem for me to write a letter in Spanish or make a telephone call. It’s easier and quicker to solve any problems if you are able to communicate without interpreters.

Speaker C. Our age is the age of information, and it’s very important for people in different businesses to be able to exchange information quickly. For scholars and researchers it’s even more crucial than for others. If they know foreign languages, they can read publications in magazines and on the Internet and be well-informed about the most recent discoveries of their colleagues in other countries.

Speaker D. I know lots of people who started learning languages at a very mature age. They say it’s fun and I agree with them. I’m taking an Italian course at the moment and I enjoy every minute in our classroom. We play linguistic games, sing songs and ...we talk about everything. It’s like getting back to school again. Besides, I’ve got new friends there.

Speaker E. I can’t understand why people fuss so much about foreign languages. Nowadays they are getting even less important than they used to be. All good films and books are translated by professional interpreters. TV broadcasts programmes in different languages too, so you can choose your language in the language option mode. And there are all kinds of programmes that can translate any text for you in seconds.

Speaker A. There are many ways to learn foreign languages but the most effective is when people do it at school. I believe languages should be taught starting from the age of three or four. Children acquire new words and grammar patterns easily, while playing and communicating. They can imitate sounds and they enjoy reciting poems and singing songs even when they don’t understand the meaning of some words.

Speaker B. Some of my friends started learning foreign languages when they started to work. I myself took a Spanish course when our company signed several contracts with Spanish partners. Now it’s not a problem for me to write a letter in Spanish or make a telephone call. It’s easier and quicker to solve any problems if you are able to communicate without interpreters.

Speaker C. Our age is the age of information, and it’s very important for people in different businesses to be able to exchange information quickly. For scholars and researchers it’s even more crucial than for others. If they know foreign languages, they can read publications in magazines and on the Internet and be well-informed about the most recent discoveries of their colleagues in other countries.

Speaker D. I know lots of people who started learning languages at a very mature age. They say it’s fun and I agree with them. I’m taking an Italian course at the moment and I enjoy every minute in our classroom. We play linguistic games, sing songs and ...we talk about everything. It’s like getting back to school again. Besides, I’ve got new friends there.

Speaker E. I can’t understand why people fuss so much about foreign languages. Nowadays they are getting even less important than they used to be. All good films and books are translated by professional interpreters. TV broadcasts programmes in different languages too, so you can choose your language in the language option mode. And there are all kinds of programmes that can translate any text for you in seconds.

Speaker A. It’s large and spacious. There is a whiteboard, desks and a teacher’s table but the most interesting feature is the special graffiti wall. We can write all kinds of questions on the material we are studying at the moment. For example, if you don’t understand something, you can write your question on the wall and another student or teacher writes the answer.

Speaker B. I’m always glad to come to this room some time before the lesson and study the maps on the walls and samples of stones and rocks on the shelves. Yes, I find geography very interesting and it’s not a problem for me to spend hours writing out facts about famous travellers and their discoveries. My favourite classroom activity is studying and completing maps.

Speaker C. My grade for the Maths test was unusually high but I’m not happy about it at all. My friend Tracy isn’t talking to me because of this. The thing is that in the exam room I sat next to Tracy and she’s sure I copied the answers from her paper. That’s not true but she doesn’t believe me. She thinks I cheated and she hates any dishonesty.

Speaker D. I study in a large and modern school with well equipped classrooms, a good gym and a swimming pool. The latter are very important for me because I use them practically every day. When the lessons are over, my friend and I go to the gym to exercise or to play volleyball. Twice a week I have a swimming class and my friend does all kinds of experiments in the school chemistry laboratory.

Speaker E. Students’ performance depends a lot on their ability to research and look for information by themselves. On the shelves the books are arranged in the alphabetical order. To find the book you need to know the author. There is also an electronic catalogue and access to the internet resources. Just type in the key word to find whatever you want.

Speaker A. I’m very fond of fast food. Yet, these days I don’t eat it because I’m trying to lose weight. Every evening I decide what to have the next day. Then I make notes in my eating diary. For example, tomorrow I’ll have porridge for breakfast, soup and fish for lunch and some meat salad for dinner. I take my little food organizer with me everywhere. It helps me stick to a balanced diet and eat the right food at the right time.

Speaker B. In class I dream about having something delicious for lunch. But I dislike the dishes in the cafeteria. The food they serve is really awful — the hot dogs and pizzas taste like rubber. I’m not keen on cheeseburgers, greasy fries and cold pasta either. I know it is hard to make food for so many students and suit everybody's taste. But they really should do something to improve the menu.

Speaker C. I prefer eating at home. I don’t like hamburgers, hot dogs and chips much, anyway, soups, salads, chops and vegetables are always much better at home than in a café or canteen. When you cook for yourself, you can be sure that the ingredients you use are fresh. Another good thing is that you can add as much salt, pepper or sugar as you want, to your taste, not to the taste of other people.

Speaker D. Some people have very wrong ideas about fast food. They believe that fast food is convenient, cheap and safe. But it’s not safe at all! Fast food often has ingredients that are dangerous for your body. It’s also addictive, that is you get used to it and can’t do without it. Fast food contains lots of fat and has too many calories. It makes people overweight and causes heart problems.

Speaker E. I’ve always enjoyed homemade dishes and I want my family to eat tasty and healthy food. To me, cooking is an art and I always follow the same rules when I cook. First I turn on my favourite music. Then I prepare all the ingredients I need to make the dish and display them on the table. After that I start cooking and I hate being interrupted by telephone calls or by someone from my family. When the dish is ready, I always decorate it with pieces of vegetables or dried fruit — depending on the dish.

Now we are ready to start.

Speaker A. I’m very fond of fast food. Yet, these days I don’t eat it because I’m trying to lose weight. Every evening I decide what to have the next day. Then I make notes in my eating diary. For example, tomorrow I’ll have porridge for breakfast, soup and fish for lunch and some meat salad for

dinner. I take my little food organizer with me everywhere. It helps me stick to a balanced diet and eat the right food at the right time.

Speaker B. In class I dream about having something delicious for lunch. But I dislike the dishes in the cafeteria. The food they serve is really awful — the hot dogs and pizzas taste like rubber. I’m not keen on cheeseburgers, greasy fries and cold pasta either. I know it is hard to make food for so

many students and suit everybody's taste. But they really should do something to improve the menu.

Speaker C. I prefer eating at home. I don’t like hamburgers, hot dogs and chips much, anyway, soups, salads, chops and vegetables are always much better at home than in a café or canteen. When you cook for yourself, you can be sure that the ingredients you use are fresh. Another good thing is that you can add as much salt, pepper or sugar as you want, to your taste, not to the taste of other people.

Speaker D. Some people have very wrong ideas about fast food. They believe that fast food is convenient, cheap and safe. But it’s not safe at all! Fast food often has ingredients that are dangerous for your body. It’s also addictive, that is you get used to it and can’t do without it. Fast food contains lots of fat and has too many calories. It makes people overweight and causes heart problems.

Speaker E. I’ve always enjoyed homemade dishes and I want my family to eat tasty and healthy food. To me, cooking is an art and I always follow the same rules when I cook. First I turn on my favourite music. Then I prepare all the ingredients I need to make the dish and display them on the table. After that I start cooking and I hate being interrupted by telephone calls or by someone from my family. When the dish is ready, I always decorate it with pieces of vegetables or dried fruit — depending on the dish.

Speaker A. I didn’t plan it actually. It was my aunt who suggested that I should join them. She and my cousins were going to spend a few days at the seaside. And my aunt asked mum to let me go with them. We got to the seaside by train. It took a bit longer than I’d expected, but it was fun because of my cousins’ company. We played Scrabble and watched films. At the seaside, we stayed in a small family hotel. We swam, and went fishing, and explored the nearby rocks. It was a short but great getaway.

Speaker B. Recently we spent a week in a small village by the seaside. What impressed me most was not the sea but the garden in the hotel where we were staying. The owner of the hotel was an elderly man who was crazy about gardening. He told me a lot about his plans and even gave me the seeds of some exotic flowers I can grow at home. When we got back, I planted them, and… I didn’t expect them to grow but they did! And they are growing fast! My friends are really surprised to see how much time I give to my flowers but it’s a really exciting pastime.

Speaker C. I haven’t been to the seaside for six years already. It’s really hard for a person who loves the sea and all sorts of water sports. Fortunately, this June I’m joining my friends for their windsurfing vacation. Now I’m saving for the trip. I have already bought some of the equipment and a friend of mine has promised to give me a few lessons on how to windsurf. It’s not easy, I guess, but I enjoy trying new sports whenever I can.

Speaker D. I enjoy travelling and an active lifestyle and spend as much time out as possible in the open air. I love jogging, and roller skating, and cycling of course. The best time for all these activities is September and October when it is not so hot and stuffy as in summer and the air is fresh. The trees and landscape in autumn are beautiful too. Unlike most people I do not look forward to the summer. I look forward to the time when it’s over, to enjoy the most beautiful time of the year.

Speaker E. When I’m on holiday, I want to have some quiet time for myself. I don’t need company when I take a ride on a bicycle along the country lanes or when I try to do a drawing of a beautiful landscape. My friends suggested that we go to the seaside this summer and were not able to understand why I refused. They said that I just didn’t want to spend the holidays with them. They are sort of ignoring me now. It makes me feel sad.

Speaker A. I didn’t plan it actually. It was my aunt who suggested that I should join them. She and my cousins were going to spend a few days at the seaside. And my aunt asked mum to let me go with them. We got to the seaside by train. It took a bit longer than I’d expected, but it was fun because of my cousins’ company. We played Scrabble and watched films. At the seaside, we stayed in a small family hotel. We swam, and went fishing, and explored the nearby rocks. It was a short but great getaway.

Speaker B. Recently we spent a week in a small village by the seaside. What impressed me most was not the sea but the garden in the hotel where we were staying. The owner of the hotel was an elderly man who was crazy about gardening. He told me a lot about his plans and even gave me the seeds of some exotic flowers I can grow at home. When we got back, I planted them, and… I didn’t expect them to grow but they did! And they are growing fast! My friends are really surprised to see how much time I give to my flowers but it’s a really exciting pastime.

Speaker C. I haven’t been to the seaside for six years already. It’s really hard for a person who loves the sea and all sorts of water sports. Fortunately, this June I’m joining my friends for their windsurfing vacation. Now I’m saving for the trip. I have already bought some of the equipment and a friend of mine has promised to give me a few lessons on how to windsurf. It’s not easy, I guess, but I enjoy trying new sports whenever I can.

Speaker D. I enjoy travelling and an active lifestyle and spend as much time out as possible in the open air. I love jogging, and roller skating, and cycling of course. The best time for all these activities is September and October when it is not so hot and stuffy as in summer and the air is fresh. The trees and landscape in autumn are beautiful too. Unlike most people I do not look forward to the summer. I look forward to the time when it’s over, to enjoy the most beautiful time of the year.

Speaker E. When I’m on holiday, I want to have some quiet time for myself. I don’t need company when I take a ride on a bicycle along the country lanes or when I try to do a drawing of a beautiful landscape. My friends suggested that we go to the seaside this summer and were not able to understand why I refused. They said that I just didn’t want to spend the holidays with them. They are sort of ignoring me now. It makes me feel sad.

Speaker A. I can’t understand why people are so careless and indifferent towards their own future. It is obvious that if we go on like this, the planet will change dramatically. It is already happening. Global warming has caused the temperature to rise all over the Earth. The level of the ocean is rising and the climate is changing. It’s all the result of human activity! We produce so much toxic waste and rubbish that our own life will soon be threatened by it.

Speaker B. You may say that it’s the government who should think about the environment, but I don’t agree — normal people like you and me can do a lot too. All of us know about the coloured containers for rubbish and waste — those green, yellow, and blue containers you can find in any street. But not all of us bother to use them. Meanwhile, if we put the rubbish into different containers, it’s easier and cheaper to recycle it. If each of us spends several minutes of our time on sorting their own waste, it will save lots of forests... and other resources, ...and energy, and it will prevent unnecessary pollution.

Speaker C. Well, ok, I won’t be able to pick you up after your conference, but it’s not a problem. Just take bus number 4, from the bus stop right in front of your building. Get off at the fourth stop. Cross the street and go across a small park. Go on until you reach the next street. There you’ll see an Eco-food shop. You can't miss their window as they advertise all the sorts of healthy bread, cereals, vegetable juices you like so much. Pass the shop and go towards the waste containers — you know, the green one — for glass, the yellow — for paper, and the blue one — for plastic and cans...

Speaker D. The thing I really appreciated there is the way the people treat the environment. They are very careful about everything around them. When they build a house, or make a road, they try to preserve or replant the trees. The streets look pretty — green and very clean. There are garbage containers and litter bins everywhere and the people are not too lazy to sort their rubbish before throwing it away. And we stayed in a pretty family inn. The owner told us they have installed the solar panels on the roof to generate clean electricity in order not to produce toxic gases.

Speaker E. I was impressed by the decorations they make. Just imagine, you can make nice ear-rings or a bracelet from (you’ll never believe it!) an empty plastic bottle! I have made this sort of accessory for all my friends and they are very happy with them. Now I do not hurry to take the plastic bottles to the waste containers. Let me show you how to create this original vase for flowers… All you need to create some lovely decorations is a few empty plastic bottles, preferably of different colours, scissors, and some glue. It’s important the glue should be colourless and suitable for plastic...

Speaker A. I can’t understand why people are so careless and indifferent towards their own future. It is obvious that if we go on like this, the planet will change dramatically. It is already happening. Global warming has caused the temperature to rise all over the Earth. The level of the ocean is rising and the climate is changing. It’s all the result of human activity! We produce so much toxic waste and rubbish that our own life will soon be threatened by it.

Speaker B. You may say that it’s the government who should think about the environment, but I don’t agree — normal people like you and me can do a lot too. All of us know about the coloured containers for rubbish and waste — those green, yellow, and blue containers you can find in any street. But not all of us bother to use them. Meanwhile, if we put the rubbish into different containers, it’s easier and cheaper to recycle it. If each of us spends several minutes of our time on sorting their own waste, it will save lots of forests... and other resources, ...and energy, and it will prevent unnecessary pollution.

Speaker C. Well, ok, I won’t be able to pick you up after your conference, but it’s not a problem. Just take bus number 4, from the bus stop right in front of your building. Get off at the fourth stop. Cross the street and go across a small park. Go on until you reach the next street. There you’ll see an Eco-food shop. You can't miss their window as they advertise all the sorts of healthy bread, cereals, vegetable juices you like so much. Pass the shop and go towards the waste containers — you know, the green one — for glass, the yellow — for paper, and the blue one — for plastic and cans...

Speaker D. The thing I really appreciated there is the way the people treat the environment. They are very careful about everything around them. When they build a house, or make a road, they try to preserve or replant the trees. The streets look pretty — green and very clean. There are garbage containers and litter bins everywhere and the people are not too lazy to sort their rubbish before throwing it away. And we stayed in a pretty family inn. The owner told us they have installed the solar panels on the roof to generate clean electricity in order not to produce toxic gases.

Speaker E. I was impressed by the decorations they make. Just imagine, you can make nice ear-rings or a bracelet from (you’ll never believe it!) an empty plastic bottle! I have made this sort of accessory for all my friends and they are very happy with them. Now I do not hurry to take the plastic bottles to the waste containers. Let me show you how to create this original vase for flowers… All you need to create some lovely decorations is a few empty plastic bottles, preferably of different colours, scissors, and some glue. It’s important the glue should be colourless and suitable for plastic...

Speaker A. I don’t like wasting my time when I’m on holiday. I believe holidays are just the right time to learn something new. This summer my friend and I are planning to take a cooking course. Now I’m only able to cook basic dishes but I would like to learn to cook something really delicious and even exotic.

Speaker B. If you want to eat a really delicious yogurt, you should go to the village where we usually spend summers. Help yourself — it’s fresh, we bought it last weekend when we were there. It was cold and it rained now and again but we enjoyed our stay anyway. We visited a few craft shops and bought some souvenirs. Then we took a walk along the ancient streets and had a meal in a small restaurant.

Speaker C. Nowadays, anyone can be good at cooking! All you need to do is to browse for a recipe and the internet will give you tons of them. All that gave me an idea to make mum an edible present — a cake for example. She cooks very well and she will be happy that I’ve got this skill from her. Now I’ll check I've got the ingredients needed for the cake and … I’m ready for a challenge!

Speaker D. I work as an assistant chef for a small restaurant. My working hours start at 9am. To be in the restaurant on time, I had to get up at seven. I usually go to work by bike and cycling takes me about half an hour. Then, I have breakfast at work, it really saves time. Then I follow the instructions my boss gives me… until my lunch break. And after lunch I get back to my cooking job …

Speaker E. I like cakes, chocolate, and milkshakes. My younger brother also prefers a chocolate bar to a green salad or vegetable soup. However, two days ago my brother got an awful toothache and the dentist told us it was because he had eaten too much sugar. Now we’ve made a list of foods we are not going to eat any more. Because they contain too much sugar. It includes all sorts of sweets, biscuits and even ice cream.

Speaker A. Everyone in my family has always valued good books, art and music. My grandma, now retired, worked in a library, and grandpa is still an editor in the local newspaper. But I’m not like them at all! I’m not saying that I don’t like literature. Of course I do, but articles about our universe, stars, black holes and exoplanets are much more exciting! I would like to devote all my life to space research… which means I’ll be the first astrophysicist in our family.

Speaker B. It all started like an ordinary trip to the Moon. The shuttle was to deliver the tourists to the moon station, which looked like a large entertainment centre under a transparent sphere. However, during the flight back, something went awfully wrong. The shuttle missed the Earth and headed into open space. The space tourists, of course, got panicky but there were two characters who eventually saved the situation. I don’t remember the names of the starring actors but you’ve certainly seen them, and not just once.

Speaker C. I wasn’t actually going there; it was my friend who talked me into entering the hall ‘just to find out what the talk was about’. I expected it to be a boring scientific talk nobody could understand, but the man on the stage did not look boring at all. He was young — in his late thirties. He was wearing jeans and a jumper, like most of us. And his talk on contemporary space research and their discoveries was emotional and easy to understand. We listened till the very end and didn’t even notice how time passed.

Speaker D. Now everyone is sure that space travel, like travelling to other planets, will become possible in the near future. However, a manned mission is still a very complicated and dangerous thing. Travelling to Mars, for example, may take from six to nine months, depending on the position of the planets. Being in space for such a long time may be very harmful to the human body. The absence of gravity changes not only the bones and muscles, it also changes the work of the heart and other organs. Along with that, the astronauts receive deadly cosmic radiation.

Speaker E. We met in the college library and found out that we lived in the same block in the student campus. Since that time, Nick and I have often hung out together. He’s nice and very creative. I was really impressed when he showed me his pictures. He draws space and planets! And his pictures look like nothing I’ve ever seen. The colours are very unusual too. Nick says that he started drawing pictures of space when he was at school. The images turn up in his mind and he just transfers them to paper.

Speaker A. Everyone in my family has always valued good books, art and music. My grandma, now retired, worked in a library, and grandpa is still an editor in the local newspaper. But I’m not like them at all! I’m not saying that I don’t like literature. Of course I do, but articles about our universe, stars, black holes and exoplanets are much more exciting! I would like to devote all my life to space research… which means I’ll be the first astrophysicist in our family.

Speaker B. It all started like an ordinary trip to the Moon. The shuttle was to deliver the tourists to the moon station, which looked like a large entertainment centre under a transparent sphere. However, during the flight back, something went awfully wrong. The shuttle missed the Earth and headed into open space. The space tourists, of course, got panicky but there were two characters who eventually saved the situation. I don’t remember the names of the starring actors but you’ve certainly seen them, and not just once.

Speaker C. I wasn’t actually going there; it was my friend who talked me into entering the hall ‘just to find out what the talk was about’. I expected it to be a boring scientific talk nobody could understand, but the man on the stage did not look boring at all. He was young — in his late thirties. He was wearing jeans and a jumper, like most of us. And his talk on contemporary space research and their discoveries was emotional and easy to understand. We listened till the very end and didn’t even notice how time passed.

Speaker D. Now everyone is sure that space travel, like travelling to other planets, will become possible in the near future. However, a manned mission is still a very complicated and dangerous thing. Travelling to Mars, for example, may take from six to nine months, depending on the position of the planets. Being in space for such a long time may be very harmful to the human body. The absence of gravity changes not only the bones and muscles, it also changes the work of the heart and other organs. Along with that, the astronauts receive deadly cosmic radiation.

Speaker E. We met in the college library and found out that we lived in the same block in the student campus. Since that time, Nick and I have often hung out together. He’s nice and very creative. I was really impressed when he showed me his pictures. He draws space and planets! And his pictures look like nothing I’ve ever seen. The colours are very unusual too. Nick says that he started drawing pictures of space when he was at school. The images turn up in his mind and he just transfers them to paper.

Speaker A. My parents often say it's good to have school uniforms. I don't agree with them. I think school uniforms make us look all the same. It's a bit boring to wear the same clothes every day, isn't it? We cannot even change the colour. My uniform, for example, is blue. I know that this colour doesn't suit me, but I have to wear it anyway. Besides, the uniform can be very uncomfortable. In some weather you feel too hot in it and sometimes you feel too cold.

Speaker B. I don't think about fashion too much, I think comfort is more important. That's why my favourite clothes are jeans, t-shirts and jumpers. I feel very comfortable wearing them and don't have to change too often. Jeans and t-shirts are appropriate everywhere. I can go to a picnic and to a party, do cycling and play volleyball. Your footwear should be comfortable too. That's why my choice is trainers or light tennis shoes. I can't understand people who buy special clothes for every occasion.

Speaker C. Wherever I go, I want to look nice and appropriate. Usually it takes time and effort to decide what to wear and to choose clothes that go with each other. Luckily, I don't have this problem every morning. My school has a uniform. All I need to do is to keep my uniform clean and tidy. School is not a fashion show. We need to concentrate on learning, not on what we're wearing.

Speaker D. Most students do not like wearing school uniform very much, but uniforms are not only for children. Lots of people wear them and for very serious reasons. For example, policemen need to be distinguished from the crowd at once, because others go to them for help and defence. Firefighters wear special clothes that protect them from heat and fire and make them recognisable to each other, which is necessary to work as a team.

Speaker E. I enjoy wearing nice and fashionable clothes and I don't like wearing the same clothes all the time. Last week, I decided that I needed new jeans, but there was no time to go to the shop. I was very busy at school, as it's exam time. A friend of mine recommended buying the jeans in an Internet shop and it took seconds. However, when I got the parcel, I felt really disappointed. The jeans were two sizes too big.

Speaker A. Driving requires concentration, attention and skills. Unfortunately some people do not fully realise how dangerous their car may be for themselves and to other people. Lots of accidents happen because the driver exceeds the speed limit or when the driver feels unwell or simply tired. However the worst thing is when drivers start competing with each other and have car races on the city roads.

Speaker B. I worked in an office for several years and after a while I got pretty bored with that. I wanted to change something in my life and this reminded me of my childhood dream of wanting to be a bus driver. "Why not" — I said to myself. Now I drive a large comfortable city bus. My route is through the centre of the city, which is nice in the quiet hours. In the daytime the traffic is heavy, but I enjoy it anyway.

Speaker C. Nowadays, people need to be very mobile. Public transport, like buses or the underground, is the best way to get from point A to point B in the city. They are relatively chap and safe. If you want, you can take a taxi or drive your own car. In some countries bicycles are becoming more and more popular. People prefer them to cars when they go to work or to a shop.

Speaker D. There're lots of cars on the streets of our cities and they're getting more and more of them. Too much available transport, however, may lead to accidents and unpleasant situations. Cars and buses may get stuck in traffic jams. Sometimes, careless drivers park their cars in the wrong places and it causes lots of inconvenience to the passerby and to other drivers.

Speaker E. I love driving and I always try to be very careful on the road. However, last Sunday was not my lucky day. I went to a nearby town to visit my grandma. Normally, it takes me about thirty minutes to get there, but on Sunday the road was blocked because of an accident. Then I was nearly hit by another car! Fortunately, the driver was stopped by the police and fined for dangerous driving.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Good afternoon. Today we have asked 5 people to give us a short interview and share their opinions about doing homework. Now we would like to present their opinions to you.

Speaker A. If you ask me, I don’t like doing homework and I don’t know anyone who really enjoys it. Still, I understand that I have to do it, so my parents never have to make me do it — I do it myself. I don’t see any other way of revising what we have learnt during the lesson, and if I don’t revise the material well enough, I quickly forget it. It’s necessary to do homework to have good academic results, so I work hard at anything my teachers set as homework.

Speaker B. Honestly, I hate homework. Usually, my homework is a lot of pointless tasks which the teachers don’t give us during the lessons because it’s not interesting for kids to do them, which means that they start to misbehave. Well, some tasks may be useful or important, but most of them are just monotonous work. It’s no wonder schoolchildren don’t want to do it. They have many more exciting things to do in their free time, like going for a walk, for example.

Speaker C. If you ask me, I always do my homework but it’s not very easy for me, I must say. When I am listening to the teachers during the lessons, it seems to me I understand everything that they are saying, and it’s really a piece of cake. However, when I come home after school and start doing my homework, I see that there are a lot of points about it that I’ve forgotten or don’t understand, so I have to reread the textbook. It’s very hard for me, honestly.

Speaker D. I’m lucky because our teachers never give us boring or difficult tasks. They always find something creative and exciting for us that we can do for our homework. It can be a project or a presentation. Sometimes we have to draw maps or posters, conduct a street survey or do an interview. I must say, it’s so much fun doing these tasks and that’s why I really enjoy my homework. I know that not everybody is as lucky as I am, though.

Speaker E. As for me, I never have any problems while doing homework. I know some of my classmates say that homework is difficult, but that’s just because they didn’t listen to the teacher attentively during the lesson. I always work hard at school so when I come back home, the tasks seem very simple indeed and I do them all really quickly. I’m not sure homework is necessary if you work well enough during the lesson, though. It’s simply to revise the material.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Good afternoon. Today we have asked 5 people to give us a short interview and share their opinions about hobbies. Now we would like to present their opinions to you.

Speaker A

When I was a small child, I loved collecting stamps. It was quite a typical hobby for a boy of my age, I guess. Now I love taking photos of the places that I visit on my holidays. I also love sports like skateboarding and football. Maybe in the future, I’ll take up something else and will enjoy another hobby. My parents say that it’s okay to try several things in your life and I agree with them. Anyway, nothing lasts forever, does it?

Speaker B

A couple of years ago, I took part in a competition which was run by my school and designed a web site for it. I won and got a check as a prize and thought I could go on doing it. Now I design webpages for my friends and small businesses in the local area and it’s much more than my pocket money could ever be. I don’t want to connect my future profession with web design  — it’s just an additional source of income for me now.

Speaker C

I do believe people actually waste too much time and money on their hobbies. Most hobbies don’t help you to develop any essential skills. Some people like doing crosswords or puzzles, or draw or collect things but I don’t see how it can help them with their future education or career. It’s much better to spend time studying or helping parents, I think. There are so many useful things we can spend our time on.

Speaker D

I’ve been fond of drawing my entire life. My parents thought it would change as I grew older but they were wrong. I still attend art classes after school. I don’t sell my pictures yet  — I may give them as a present for somebody’s birthday or as a souvenir to remember me by without asking for any money for them. Still, I hope my future job will be connected with drawing and painting. I may teach it to kids or become a designer. Why not?

Speaker E

When my parents gave me my first computer, I was hooked and spent days and nights playing computer RPG games and surfing the net. It’s no wonder that my school results were gradually becoming worse and worse. Finally, I failed a lot of tests in the middle of the term, which was something I hadn’t expected. Then my parents explained to me that it was unacceptable and took my computer away. I had to improve my academic results to get it back.

Now we are ready to start.

Presenter: Good afternoon. Today we have asked 5 people to give us a short interview and share their opinions about home-made food and cooking at home. Now we would like to present their opinions to you.

Speaker A

I’ve always enjoyed homemade dishes and I want my family to eat tasty and healthy food. To me, cooking is an art and I always follow the same rules when I cook. First, I turn on my favourite music. Then I prepare all the ingredients I need to make the dish and display them on the table. After that, I start cooking and I hate being interrupted by telephone calls. When the dish is ready, I always decorate it with pieces of vegetables or dried fruit – depending on the dish.

Speaker B

I love cooking with Mum, we talk and laugh a lot together. We’re spending quality time together, catch up on each other’s lives, share stories, and create lasting memories. Trying out new recipes and experimenting with different flavours can be an exciting adventure. Cooking family recipes passed down through generations help preserve cultural traditions and create a sense of belonging. It allows younger family members to connect with their heritage and appreciate their roots.

Speaker C

I don’t like hamburgers, hot dogs or chips much. And I strongly believe that soups, salads, chops and vegetables are always much better at home than in a café or a cafeteria. When you cook for yourself, you can be sure that the ingredients you use are fresh. Another good thing is that you can add as much salt, pepper or sugar as you want, to your taste, not to the taste of other people. Besides, it’s just cheaper and always much tastier. Personally, I just love it!

Speaker D

Fast food is unhealthy, we all know that. It contains lots of fats, sugar and too many calories. But there is sugar in lots of other foods we eat every day. And in most cases we don’t realize how much sugar these dishes have. Take fruit yogurt, for example, even a fat free one. You may be shocked at the amount of sugar it has. So, cooking proper dishes at home is always the best choice. Besides, you don’t feel hungry after a good home-made meal.

Speaker E

I don’t like cooking at home as it takes too much time and effort. With the right restaurant, everyone with their eating restrictions can choose from the many options a menu has to offer. At home, it is hard to please everyone with food, and in a restaurant, the pressure is taken off you and you can enjoy each other’s company instead. Besides, I believe eating out gives a welcome change to female members of any family because cooking every day can be hard and boring.

You have 20 seconds to complete the task. (Pause 20 seconds.)

Now you will hear the texts again. (Repeat.)

This is the end of the task. You now have 20 seconds to check your answers.

(Pause 20 seconds.)