Unit 01 Big Decisions

Unit 1 Page 12 READING exercise 5 What next? My time at school is almost up, and of course I'm thinking about the big question: what next? Perhaps I've left it a bit late to start thinking about it, but that's how I am. I think I'll do well in my exams, so maybe I'll go to university or college and get more qualifications – but I've been asking myself if it's better to just find a job and start a career that way. On the other hand, if I do go on to study further, should I do it right away or perhaps take a year off – a 'gap year'? Helpful comments and ideas, please! Thanks. John Hi, John. I'm doing a gap year right now. I saved up some money and went to Thailand, but after two months of 'holiday' I got bored and the money was running out. Then I learned about a volunteer medical organisation working in poor parts of the country and they let me join as a driver. Now I'm working, struggling with the Thai language (I spend up to an hour a day practising with friends) and learning lots about myself. I've made a resolution, too – when I go home, I'm going to study medicine, to be a doctor or a nurse. So my advice? Do a gap year, but don't just travel around – do some volunteer work somewhere. For me, it's been life-changing. Amy Hey! I left school three months ago and I didn't want to go to university or travel. So I'm doing a course. I'm studying to become a yoga teacher. I took up yoga a couple of years ago and I've loved it ever since. I was quite lazy at school, but I've changed my ways and now I study really hard. The course starts every day at 7.00, so I've had to get into the habit of waking up early. But that's fine – I love what I'm doing. That's the important thing – do what you love, if you can. Mark Hi there! Here's my advice. Do what feels right for you now, but keep an open mind and be prepared to change. Some of my friends went travelling after school, but I didn't have the courage; I just went to university. It was OK and I was having a good time. Then one day an old friend from school phoned me and said he was going to start an online company and asked me to join him. So, I gave up the university course and went to work with him. It was the best thing I've ever done. I wasn't intending to leave university, but I took the chance to try something different, and I don't regret it. Pauline

第一单元 第12页 阅读练习5 下一步怎么办？ 我在学校的时间快到了，当然，我在思考一个大问题： 下一步怎么办？也许我开始考虑这件事有点晚了，但我就是这样。 我想我会在考试中取得好成绩，所以也许我会去大学或学院获得更多的资格—— 但我一直在问自己，这样找份工作开始职业生涯是否更好。 另一方面，如果我继续学习， 我是应该马上做，还是应该休学一年——“间隔年”？ 有帮助的意见和想法，请！谢谢。约翰 嗨，约翰。我现在正在做间隔年。 我存了一些钱去了泰国， 但经过两个月的“假期”，我感到无聊，钱也快用完了。 然后我了解了一个志愿医疗组织 我在这个国家的贫困地区工作，他们让我当司机。 现在我在工作，努力学习泰语（我每天花一个小时和朋友练习） 了解了很多关于我自己的事情。 我也下了决心—— 当我回家时，我将学习医学，成为一名医生或护士。 那我的建议呢？做一个间隔年，但不要只是四处旅行——在某个地方做一些志愿者工作。 对我来说，这改变了我的生活。艾米 嘿！我三个月前离开学校，不想上大学或旅行。 所以我在上一门课。我正在学习成为一名瑜伽老师。 几年前我开始练习瑜伽，从那以后我就爱上了它。 我在学校很懒，但我改变了学习方式，现在我学习很努力。 课程每天7点开始，所以我不得不养成早起的习惯。 但这很好——我喜欢我正在做的事情。 这才是最重要的——如果可能的话，做你喜欢的事。马克 你好！这是我的建议。 现在做你觉得对的事，但要保持开放的心态，做好改变的准备。 我的一些朋友放学后去旅行了，但我没有勇气；我刚上大学。 还可以，我玩得很开心。 然后有一天，一位学校的老朋友给我打电话 他说他要开一家在线公司，并邀请我加入他。 所以，我放弃了大学课程，和他一起工作。 这是我做过的最好的事。 我不打算离开大学， 但我抓住机会尝试了一些不同的东西，我并不后悔。波林

Page 15 LISTENING exercise 8 and 9 Hey, Alan, how are things? Hi, Becky. Not too bad, thanks. Listen, we're having a party at our place tomorrow night. Come along. Maybe. Thanks. Well, actually, no thanks. Why? Are you doing something tomorrow? No. I just don't fancy going to a party. What's up, Alan? You seem really down these days. Just worried, you know, about my future. You know I really want to be an actor. Yes. Well, three drama schools have said they don't want me. If I can't get into acting, I don't know what I'm going to do. Well, keep trying. They just haven't seen your talent yet. Are you going to apply to other drama schools? Maybe. I don't know. But I can't really see the point. They'll probably just say 'No', too. Hey, don't be like that! I read somewhere about that actress Carey Mulligan ... Yeah Well, she said that all the drama schools she applied to when she was young said 'No'. And now she's a big star. All those really good films! And she can't be the only actor who struggled at first. I guess. You can't just give up – if you've got a dream, you've got to fight for it. Yes, but it's hard. Sure. But think of Walt Disney – his first businesses failed; someone told him he wasn't creative enough! Wow. How wrong can you be! Then he was hugely successful. Started a film studio. Successful films. Disneyland. Mickey Mouse!! OK, I get the point. You have to keep trying. Know any more examples? Well, there's Van Gogh. He painted for years and no one recognised his art. He only sold one painting during his lifetime – one painting! – and that was just before he died. But he didn't stop painting. And he was always poor and unhappy, wasn't he? Well, yes. True. But that's not why I mentioned him. No, I know. Actually I know another thing about Van Gogh. What's that? Well, he only kept going because his friends encouraged him. Just like you, Becky. So, you know, yes, I'm going to apply to other schools. And I'm sure one of them will say yes. Meanwhile – how about tomorrow's party? Sure. Why not? Great!

第15页 听力练习8和9 嘿，艾伦，近况如何？ 嗨，贝基。还不错，谢谢。 听着，我们明晚要在我们家开派对。来吧。 也许 吧。谢谢。好吧，事实上，不用了，谢谢。 为什么？你明天有事吗？ 不，我只是不想去参加聚会。 怎么了，艾伦？这些天你看起来真的很沮丧。 你知道，我只是担心我的未来。 你知道我真的很想当演员。 对。好吧，三所戏剧学校都说他们不想要我。 如果我不能进入演艺圈，我不知道该怎么办。 好吧，继续努力。他们只是还没有看到你的才华。 你打算申请其他戏剧学校吗？ 也许 吧。我不知道。 但我真的看不出有什么意义。他们可能也会说“不”。 嘿，别这样！ 我在某个地方读到过那个女演员凯里·穆里根的故事。是啊。 嗯，她说她年轻时申请的所有戏剧学校都说“不”。 现在她是个大明星。那些真的很好的电影！ 她不可能是唯一一个一开始挣扎的演员。我猜。 你不能就这样放弃——如果你有梦想，你必须为之奋斗。 是的，但这很难。 当然。但想想沃尔特·迪斯尼——他的第一笔生意失败了； 有人告诉他，他不够有创意！ 哇！你怎么会错！ 然后他取得了巨大的成功。 创办了一家电影制片厂。成功的电影。迪士尼乐园。米老鼠！！ 好的，我明白了。你必须继续努力。知道更多的例子吗？ 嗯，有梵高。 他画了很多年，没有人认出他的艺术。 他一生只卖了一幅画——一幅画！就在他去世之前。 但他没有停止绘画。 他总是又穷又不开心，不是吗？ 嗯，是的。没错。但这不是我提到他的原因。 不，我知道。事实上，我还知道梵高的另一件事。 那是什么？ 嗯，他之所以坚持下去，是因为他的朋友们鼓励他。 就像你一样，贝基。所以，你知道，是的，我要申请其他学校。 我相信他们中的一个人会答应的。 与此同时，明天的聚会怎么样？ 当然。为什么不呢？太棒了

Page 16 READING exercise 2 BEFORE I SETTLE DOWN – A LIST A British billionaire once said: 'You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.' I love that quote, but what does 'doing it right' mean? I suppose my grandparents did it right. They both left school, went to university (where they met) and got degrees. They started careers (he was an accountant, she was a doctor), then they got married and started a family. They got promoted at different times and then they both retired at 60. And off they went to travel the world. They've been happy, I think. However, it's just not really what I want – not yet, anyway. Before I settle down, when I'm 30 or so, I want to do all kinds of things. Here are some of them. 1 Do something that really scares me. I'm terrified of heights, so sky-diving would be perfect! 2 Sleep on a beach under the stars. Where? Somewhere warm, of course, where sleeping on the beach is allowed. 3 Take a really long train ride. The destination doesn't matter, it's the journey that's important. Train travel is brilliant – you can see the places you're passing through, you can meet and chat with other travellers, you can leave your seat and walk around. I love it! 4 Go somewhere where they don't speak English and I don't speak the language (Nepal?). It'll be hard, of course, but that's the point. 5 Run a marathon. I'm not a good runner and perhaps I'm not up to a marathon, but I'd really like to try. And perhaps I can raise money for my favourite charity (cancer research). 6 Learn how to cook at least ten things that I love to eat. Right now I can only cook two! 7 Have dinner with a friend in one of the world's best restaurants. 8 See lots – lots! – of my favourite bands play live. 9 Do some kind of volunteer work for a while. In other words, work in order to help other people, not myself (though it'll be a good experience for me, too). 10 Make a list of other interesting things to do before I'm 40! OK, that's my list. It's up to me to try to do these things. What would be on your list? Page 17 PRONUNCIATION exercise 1 What's up, Jenny? I'm tired! I'm up late every night studying. You need your sleep! Can't you get up later? Not really. I've taken up the flute this year. I practise in the mornings. Well, it's up to you, but I'd give that up! Hmmm ... I wish I hadn't signed up for the school orchestra now! Page 17 PRONUNCIATION exercise 3 What's up, Jenny? I'm tired! I'm up late every night studying. You need your sleep! Can't you get up later? Not really. I've taken up the flute this year. I practise in the mornings. Well, it's up to you, but I'd give that up! Hmmm ... I wish I hadn't signed up for the school orchestra now!

第16页 阅读练习2 在我安定下来之前——一份清单 一位英国亿万富翁曾说过： “你只活一次，但如果你做得对，一次就够了。” 我喜欢这句话，但“做得对”是什么意思？ 我想我祖父母做得对。 他们都离开了学校，上了大学（他们相遇的地方）并获得了学位。 他们开始了职业生涯（他是一名会计师，她是一名医生）， 然后他们结婚并组建了一个家庭。 他们在不同的时间获得晋升，然后都在60岁退休。 然后他们就去周游世界了。 我认为他们一直很快乐。 然而，这并不是我真正想要的——至少现在还不是。 在我安定下来之前，当我30岁左右的时候，我想做各种各样的事情。 这里有一些。 1做一些真正让我害怕的事情。 我恐高，所以跳伞会很完美！ 2睡在星空下的海滩上。 在哪里？当然，在温暖的地方，可以在海滩上睡觉。 3坐很长的火车。 目的地并不重要，重要的是旅程。 火车旅行很精彩——你可以看到你经过的地方， 你可以和其他旅行者见面聊天，你可以离开座位四处走走。我喜欢！ 4去一个他们不会说英语，我也不会说英语的地方（尼泊尔？）。 当然，这会很难，但这就是重点。 5跑一场马拉松。 我跑得不好，也许我跑不了马拉松，但我真的很想试试。 也许我可以为我最喜欢的慈善机构（癌症研究）筹集资金。 6学习如何烹饪至少十种我喜欢吃的东西。 现在我只能煮两个！ 7在世界上最好的餐厅之一与朋友共进晚餐。 8看到很多——很多！我最喜欢的乐队现场演奏。 9做一段时间的志愿者工作。 换句话说，工作是为了帮助别人，而不是我自己 （尽管这对我来说也是一次很好的经历）。 10列出我40岁之前要做的其他有趣的事情！ 好的，这就是我的清单。 我有责任尝试做这些事情。你的清单上会有什么？ 第17页 拨款练习1 怎么了，珍妮？ 我累了！我每天晚上都熬夜学习。 你需要睡眠！你不能晚点起床吗？ 不是真的。今年我开始吹长笛了。我早上练习。 好吧，这取决于你，但我会放弃的！ 六羟甲基三聚氰胺六甲醚。..我真希望我现在没有报名参加学校管弦乐队！ 第17页 拨款练习3 怎么了，珍妮？ 我累了！我每天晚上都熬夜学习。 你需要睡眠！你不能晚点起床吗？ 不是真的。今年我开始吹长笛了。我早上练习。 好吧，这取决于你，但我会放弃的！ 六羟甲基三聚氰胺六甲醚。..我真希望我现在没有报名参加学校管弦乐队！

Page 18 DEVELOPING SPEAKING exercise 1 and 2 Hi, Sandra. I haven't seen you for ages. Where have you been hiding? Hi, Martin. Hiding? Nowhere. I've just changed some of my routines. I was feeling so stressed a few months ago that I thought, 'Sandra, you've got to make some changes' So I did! What kind of changes? Exercise? Sleep? Well, where shall I start? I'm eating better. And now you mention it, I'm trying to get seven hours sleep a night, minimum. But the big thing is my attitude. And how has that changed? Well, I read an article about stress and it said something like 'Look at the big picture. How important is this problem? Is it going to matter in three months' time?' And I thought, that's right – the problem is, I worry about little things too much. So I'm trying to worry less. But can you do that? If I'm honest, I'm a terrible worrier, too. But I can't stop. Don't be silly. Anyone can stop worrying – not overnight, but you can do it little by little. Now I'm getting stressed about being someone who can't stop worrying. Let's go and have ice cream and talk more. Thanks, Sandra. You're a star. Here we go, then! Ice cream coming up! And don't worry, I'll pay!

第18页 发展口语练习1和2 嗨，桑德拉。我好久没见到你了。你一直躲在哪里？ 嗨，马丁。躲藏？无处可去。我刚刚改变了一些惯例。 几个月前，我感到压力很大，我想， “桑德拉，你必须做出一些改变”所以我做了！ 什么样的变化？锻炼？睡觉？ 那么，我该从哪里开始呢？我吃得好多了。 现在你提到了，我想每晚至少睡七个小时。 但最重要的是我的态度。 这种情况发生了怎样的变化？ 好吧，我读了一篇关于压力的文章，它说的是“看看大局”。 这个问题有多重要？三个月后，这会重要吗？” 我想，没错——问题是，我太担心小事了。 所以我试着少担心。 但你能做到吗？老实说，我也很担心。但我停不下来。 别傻了。 任何人都可以停止担心——不是一夜之间，但你可以一点一点地做到。 现在，我因为成为一个无法停止担忧的人而感到压力。 我们去吃冰淇淋，多聊聊吧。 谢谢你，桑德拉。你是个明星。 那么，我们开始吧！冰淇淋来了！别担心，我会付钱的！