Part 2 长对话
Conversion 1
W: Hi Leo, why do you say English would become the world language?
M: Well. For one thing, it’s so commonly used, the only language that is used by more people is Chinese.
W: Why is English spoken by so many people?
M: It’s spoken in many countries of the world because of the British empire. And now of course is the influence of America as well.
W: Many students find English a difficult language to learn.
M: Oh, all languages are difficult to learn. But English does have two greatest advantages.
W: What are they?
M: Well, first of all, it has a very international vocabulary. It has many German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian words in it. So speakers of those languages will find many familiar words in English. In fact, English has words for many other languages as well.
W: Why is that?
M: Well, partly because English speakers have travelled a lot, they bring back words with them. So English really does have an international vocabulary.
W: And what is the other advantage of English?
M: It that English grammar is really quite easy. For example, it doesn’t have dozens of different endings for its nouns, adjectives and verbs, not like Latin, Russian and German for example.
W: Why is that?
M: Well, it’s quite interesting actually, it’s because of the French. When the French ruled England, French was the official language, and only the common people spoke English. They tried to make their language as simple as possible. So they made the grammar easier.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you’ve just heard.
Q9: What does the man say about Chinese?
Q10: What made English a widely used language?
Q11: What is said to be special about English vocabulary?
Conversation 2
Man: Hello. Yes?
Woman: Hello. Is that the sales department?
M: Yes, it is.
W:Oh, well. My name is Jane Kingsbury of GPF limited. We need some supplies for our design office.
M: Oh, what sort?
W:Well, first of all, we need one complete new drawing board.
M: DO44 or DO45?
W:Ah, I don’t know. What’s the difference?
M: Well, the 45 costs 15 pounds more.
W:So what’s the total price then?
M:It’s 387 pounds.
W:Dose that include valued-added tax?
M: Oh, I’m not sure. Most of the prices do. Yes, I think it does.
W:What are the boards actually made of?
M: Oh, I don’t know. I think it's a sort of plastic stuff these days. It’s white anyway.
W:And how long does it take to deliver?
M: Oh, I couldn’t really say. It depends on how much work we’ve got and how many other orders there are to send out, you know.
W:Ok, now we also want some drawing pens, ink and rulers, and some drawing paper.
M: Oh dear. The girl who takes all those supplies isn’t here this morning. So I can’t take those orders for you. I only do the equipment you see.
W:Ok, well, perhaps I’ll ring back tomorrow.
M: So do you want the drawing board then?
W:Oh, I have to think about it. Thanks very much. I’ll let you know. Good-bye.
M: Thank you. Good-bye.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you just heard.
Question 12: What is the woman’s purpose in making the phone call?
Question 13: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?
Question 14: What does the man say about delivery?
Question 15: What does the woman say she will possibly do tomorrow?
