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Unit 4
DIALOGUE I
Struggling with Taking Dictation
A: Gosh, look at this, seventeen mistakes in my dictation exercise again! That's terrible. I'm really sick of the whole dictation business.
B: Relax, relax. This is not the end of the world. It happened to me too. Just take it easy and let me know what the problem is.
A: The problem is that I don't believe I'll ever be able to take dictation in English decently. It gets on my nerves each time I have to do it.
B: Come on, it can't be as bad as all that. Let me know if I can help you in any way.
A: I started all right each time, but ended up with missing words, even phrases.
B: Did you listen carefully when the dictation passage was read to you?
A: Of course. I believe I listened to Wu Laoshi's reading very carefully, and tried to take down every word she read to us. What happened was that I was able to write down only the first few words of each sentence. I just couldn't hold complete sentences in my memory while writing.
B: Did you have trouble understanding what you had to write?
A: Understanding? What has that got to do with taking dictation? It's dictation. All I have to do is to write down what Wu Laoshi dictates.
B: I'm afraid that is exactly the problem with your dictation, never trying to make sense of what you hear. How can you hold in your memory something you don't even try to understand?
A: I still don't see what you mean.
B: I mean you should take advantage of the first reading and try to know the main idea of the whole passage. Then you're on your way to becoming a 'dictation master'.
A: Don't tease me. All I want to be is an average dictation taker. What exactly should I do after the first reading?
B: In my opinion, when you begin to write, you don't want to listen to each sentence read to you as a group of isolated words, but as a meaningful unit.
A: I focused my attention on individual words so that I wouldn't miss a single one. Every word counts when the dictation work is graded, you know.
B: I'm afraid that was another reason why you failed to do dictation well. I know every word counts. But each phrase, and each sentence, counts more. If you focus only on isolated words without making sense of the whole sentence or of the whole passage, you will miss more than a few words. On the contrary, if you understand a group of words as a meaningful sentence, the words will come to you more easily.
A: I see. Your advice is very helpful. I think I'm beginning to understand. Thank you for your advice.
B: You've welcome.
DIALOGUE II
Dialogue:
Elizabeth meets her interpreter in the hotel lobby for breakfast. They have been in Beijing for two days and are returning to Shanghai in two hours.
Int: Hello, Elizabeth. How are you?
Eliz: Fine, thanks.
Int: Are you sure you're all right? You look a bit worried today. Is there anything wrong?
Eliz: Well, yes, there is something wrong actually. Perhaps you can give me some advice.
Int: Of course, if I can.
Eliz: Well, last night when I returned from the theatre, I found that I'd lost my wallet.
Int: Oh, dear! That's terrible! What was in your wallet?
Eliz: Well, some money, of course, my visa, all my identity cards and some photos.
Int: Well, if I were you, I'd go to the police station straight away and report it.
Eliz: Yes, I've already done that, and they said they'd make a search for it. But we're leaving soon and I need my visa and identity cards badly.
Int: Oh, dear! What a pity! Are you sure you lost the wallet in the theatre?
Eliz: Yes, quite sure.
Int: I think you should put an advertisement in the China Daily, saying when and where you lost it.
Eliz: But that takes too long.
Int: Wait a minute! I know! How stupid of me. My uncle lives in Beijing and he lives very close to the theatre. I'll telephone him and ask him to go there. You'd better go and have breakfast and I'll meet you later.
Eliz: Oh, thank you. That's marvellous. I hope he find it.
READIGN I
A Source of Energy
Everyone needs and uses energy. If there were no energy, there would be no life.
Most of the energy on this planet comes from the sun, but people do not receive that energy directly. It comes from different sources and in different forms.
Green plants convert the sun's energy to food energy that animals and people use for life. The energy from animals had been used for hundreds of years to operate farm equipment and to pull carts, wagons, and other vehicles.
The sun's energy takes water from rivers, lakes, and oceans and returns it to the earth in the form of rain or snow. When rain or snow falls on the land, some of it flows into rivers and streams. This flowing water can be used to produce mechanical energy and electricity. Water can also be converted to steam, which produces energy to operate machines.
Winds also come from solar energy. Air that has been heated by the sun rises and creates winds. The power of winds has moved ships on the sea, ground grain, and brought water from the earth.
There is also solar energy in oil, wood, and coal. There fuels have been formed over many centuries from plants. People burn them to produce heat and to create power for machines. Coal and oil are used to produce electrical energy, too. And electricity produces light, heat, and sound energy. In addition, electric power operates many kinds of equipment, tools, and machines, which make work easier.
The need for power increases every day, and some sources of energy are being used up very quickly. So scientists and technicians are trying to find new ways to produce power. Nuclear energy, cow manure and garbage have become energy sources. But probably the most promising source of energy is solar heat. Some scientists suggest using these different sources of energy together. If this were done, it would be a way to create all of the power people need.
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If All the Seas Were One Sea
If all the seas were one sea,
What a great sea that would be!
If all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!
If all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be?
If all the men were one man,
What a great man that would be!
And if the great man took the great axe
And cut down the great tree
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a great splash that would be!
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