[00:00.00]Unit 18 Annoying things
[00:06.79]2 While you read A sticky problem
[00:15.73]You can imagine the scene.
[00:20.58]You’re walking down the street of an old English town.
[00:25.65]You decide to sit on a bench to admire the fine buildings and beautiful flowers
[00:32.31]a little bit longer.
[00:35.16]Then as you stand up,you feel that nasty pull on your dress or trousers
[00:42.42]and turn round to see the remains of a lump of chewing gum,
[00:48.20]half of which is now stuck to your behind!
[00:52.74]A wonderful moment is destroyed and your mood changes for the rest of the day,
[00:59.40]or however long it takes you to remove the awful stuff from your clothing.
[01:05.18]Well,one town has finally had enough of all the complaints it receives each year
[01:12.25]and is not going to put up with it any more.
[01:16.62]Darlington,which last year won a ’Beautiful Britain’competition,
[01:22.68]has decided to act by providing special boards
[01:27.93]where people can stick their gum once it has been used.
[01:33.10]Up to thirty chewing gum’parking boards’
[01:38.14]are to be put up in an area in the twon centre,
[01:42.82]which recently underwent a one-million-pound facelift.
[01:47.96]They will cost $3,000 to provide,
[01:53.24]are aimed at the thirteen-to-twenty-three age group,
[01:58.41]regarded as the worst offenders,
[02:02.46]and will bear the messages’Don’t Gum Up Darlington’,
[02:08.13]’Chew It,Bin It’and ’Park Your Gum Here.’
[02:14.30]The town council believes boards will help save some of the $6,000 a year
[02:21.66]it spends on cleaning up gum from the streets.
[02:26.21]The boards,to be situated at places such as sports centres and cinemas,
[02:33.68]will have a bull’s-eye target so youngsters can aim at them.
[02:39.14]Keith Atkinson,
[02:43.08]head of Darlington’s environmental and consumer protection department,said,
[02:48.75]’Most people don’t see chewing gum as litter,
[02:53.79]but we are hoping the boards will help people to start thinking that way.
[02:59.54]We’ve been flooded with complaints,mainly from visitors,
[03:05.73]who say gum on the streets,sticking to pavements and shoes,
[03:11.48]it both unpleasant and makes Darlington look untidy.’
[03:17.04]Darlington isn’t the first in the world to try to tackle the stickly issue of chewing gum.
[03:25.82]In 1992,the Asian city state of Singapore
[03:31.28]banned all eating and importing of chewing gum
[03:36.24]after it was claimed trains had been delayed
[03:40.68]because trapped chewing gum caused the automatic doors too stick.
[03:46.14]The ban came with severe penalties for breaking the law.
[03:51.92]Smugglers bringing gum into the country could get a jail sentence of one year
[03:58.68]plus an eight-thousand-dollar fine.
[04:03.12]The government also tried to reinforce its message with advertising campaigns,
[04:10.20]which included slogans such as:
[04:14.56]’If you can’t think because you can’t chew,try a banana.’
[04:20.73]The policy has been a great success as even its critics admit.
[04:27.60]’The whole ban idea was not a good idea to start with,
[04:33.35]but it did help to educate Singaporeans about the nuisance effects of chewing gum.
[04:39.90]Now Singaporeans,including kids,
[04:44.76]are more mature about their civic responsibilities,’said one man we spoke to.
[04:51.42]And certainly,
[04:54.66]Singapore is acknowledged to be perhaps the cleanest city in the world.
[05:00.54]However,it now looks as if the ban will at least be partially lifeted.
[05:07.80]This not the result of thousands of frustrated Singaporean gum chewers,
[05:14.75]but instead it’s come about
[05:18.41]because of pressure from the American gum manufacturers.
[05:22.80]They see the policy as a restricton on free trade
[05:28.05]-particularly of the American gum manufacturers.
[05:33.40]As part of the negotiations on the new trade deal,
[05:38.96]the Singapore government has agreed to allow sugar-free gum
[05:44.24]prescribed by doctors and dentists to be sold by pharmacists.
[05:49.88]The relaxation of the law will
[05:53.65]only apply to smokers who are trying to give up by using nicotine gum
[05:59.42]and sufferers of dental and gum diseases
[06:03.86]for whom chewing offers therapeutic benefits.
[06:08.33]1 Complaining about things
[06:21.47]Listen and check your answers.
[06:25.54]How was the meal last night?
[06:29.62]Oh,it was awful!The food wasn’t very good.
[06:35.47]It would’ve been OK if that was the only problem,
[06:40.22]but the waiters were really rude was well.
[06:44.69]And then,to top the whole thing off,they tried to overcharge us.
[06:50.02]Then when we complained about it,they made it sound as if it was our fault!
[06:56.39]How’s college going?
[07:02.35]Now very well,actually.I’ve got a bit of a problem with my timetable this term.
[07:09.51]I mean,the last thing I need is three lectures on a Friday.
[07:14.96]I wish they wouldn’t change the timetable every term.Last term was much better.
[07:22.70]3 It really drives me mad
[07:31.27]Listen and check your answers.
[07:36.59]1.Doesn’t it bug you the way shops always charge $9.99 when you know it’s really $10?
[07:46.47]I must admit,things like that don’t really bother me.
[07:52.22]2.Look,I’m really sorry.There’s no way I can come to your party tomorrow night.
[08:02.09]I’ve got to work late.
[08:05.85]Oh,well,don’t worry.It’s not the end of the world.
[08:10.71]3.I really though I’d got the job.I mean,my interview went really well,
[08:20.98]and then tell me I’m not even short-listed!
[08:25.73]Oh,well.Don’t let it get you down.
[08:29.39]4.I’ve got about the five bills I’m supposed to pay by the end of the month.
[08:39.94]What do they think I am?Made of money?
[08:44.38]Oh,well,there’s nothing you can do about it.
|