标准美国英语口语 04 Talking About What One Needs

UNIT 4: Talking About What One Needs?

61. I am hungry and thirsty. I need a hamburger and a large glass of orange juice.

62. It's so hot, he needs shorts not long pants.

63. It's so cold, she needs a warm fur hat and scarf.

64. As a writer, he needs a compuer to write books.

65. I feel lonely in this strange place, I need to make new friends.

66. Since I often go around the world, I need a laptop computer.

67. Why do you need translation software?

68. Because it will make my work much easier.

69. Why does she need a brand new car?

70. She doesn't need one, but she likes to show off.

71. Why do they want a new house?

72. Because their house is too old and small.

73. Why did he need to make big money?

74. Because his wife loves to spend money.

75. Because he likes to travel around the world.

76. He is alonely, messy and cranky.

77. He needs a wife to take care of him.

78. Why does Jim need a new computer?

79. Because he wants all the up-to-date¹ bells and whistles.

80. My laptop computer needs more memory.

Floating in English: Mona and Jim.

Mona and her husband Jim live in a big, new, fancy² house.They have a housekeeper³ and a cook to work for them at home.They do not have any children.

Jim is an American science fiction writer. He makes a lot of money by selling his books.But he is always under pressure to make more money, Because he buys 2 new laptops computer every year.He also loves to travel around the world.Travelling costs lots of money.

His wife Mona used to be in actress. She hates travelling.What she likes is to have the big parties at their home.She invites all the people she knows to her parties.She always needs more money to buy new clothes, a new car, new jewelry⁴ and to pay for the housekeeper and the cook.Mona is also interested in politics. She knows everyone in city government. Her uncle is the mayor⁵. She wants the follow in his footsteps⁶.Everyone seems to like her.

CONVERSATION 1: The dialogue about Mona and Jim.

Dan:Do Mona and Jim need a new house?

Beth: No, they have a big new fancy house.

Dan:Does Jim make a lot of money?

Beth: Yes, he does. He is a science fiction writer.

Dan:Does Jim need to make more money?

Besth:Afraid so. The more the better.

Dan: What do they need all that money for?

Beth: Well, they spend it pretty quick. New clothes, new computers and new cars every year. And they’ve got a cook and housekeeper.Mona used to be an actress, she likes to spend a lot of money.

Dan: Do they have any children?

Beth: No. They want children but no luck yet.

Dan: What does Jim like to do?

Beth: Jim likes to travel around the world.That's expensive! So he tries to make a lot of money.

Dan: What does Mona like to do?

Beth: Oh, she enjoys spending money on fancy parties.Mona loves to wear sexy dresses, and she has quite a bit of jewelry.

Dan: Wow...She sounds like a high maintenance⁷ wife.

Beth: I guess so. She is also interested in politics. She knows everyone in city government.

Dan: Politics can be an expensive hobby.

Beth: She is pretty serious about it. Her uncle is a mayor. She wants to follow in his footsteps.

Dan: Politics is a hard game to play.

Beth: She might do well. Everyone seems to like her.

Floating in English: Paul's family.

Paul's wife died 2 years ago. He lives in a old mobilel home with 5 children.The oldest child is 15 and the youngest is only 3 years old.They definitely⁸ need a new house but Paul can't afford to buy a new one. Though his children do not go hungry, they eat too much junk food and drink too much pop. The children need a computer. Even a used one would do. Then the kids could play educational computer games.But Paul can not afford to satisfy the needs of his children.He is lonely and tired.He needs a wife to help him to take care of his 5 children.

CONVERSATION 2: A dialogue about Paul's family.

Alice: How is your Uncle Paul doing?

Beth: Not so good.

Alice: Does Paul need a new house?

Beth: Yes, he does. His trailer is too old and small.

Alice: How many children does Paul have?

Beth: He has 5 children.

Alice: What does Paul's family need?

Beth: The family needs more money. Paul doesn't make much. He works⁹ as a security¹⁰ guard.

Alice: Must be hard to make ends meet.

Beth: True enough. His relatives and friends often give them clothing.So their clothes look good.But they eat too many hamburgers and they drink too much pop.

Alice: Oh, Oh, too much junk food isn't healthy.

Beth: No. Not healthy at all..

Alice: What else do they need?

Beth: More books or magazines.The kids work pretty hard in school but they need to read more at home.They also need a computer then the kids could learn more from educational software and internet.

Alice: Can Paul afford to satisfy needs with children?

Beth: No, he can't.

Alice: Is Paul happy?

Beth: No, he's lonely and tired.

Alice: How long has it been since Paul's wife died?

Beth: 2 years.

Alice: Is he dating anyone?

Beth: No, he works a lot of overtime¹¹. He needs a wife to take care of him and his children.

Alice: He sure does. Good luck to your Uncle Paul.

Beth: Yes, Paul is a nice uncle. We should try to help him.

Alice: My dad has an old computer. It still works fine.He wants to give it away. I'll tell him about your uncle.

Beth: And I've got tons of softwares that I don't use anymore.

Alice:Hey, how about we take his kids to swim at the Y this summer?

Beth: Yes, that would be great! We can go 2 or 3 times a week.

Since I've got a driver's license¹², Dad’s let me go to many places with our van.

1 up-to-date   

adj.现代化的，最新的；跟上时代的

参考例句：

• The car is a beauty and quite up-to-date.那辆车子很漂亮是最新款的。
• He bought an up-to-date textbook.他买了一本最新的教科书。

2 fancy   

n.想像力，幻想；喜好，爱；adj.想像的，时髦的，华丽装饰的，奢侈的；技巧的；vt.想象，自认为，喜好

参考例句：

• He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相当喜欢她。
• I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。

3 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

6 footsteps   

n.脚步（声），一步的距离，足迹；脚步（声）( footstep的名词复数 )；一步的距离；足迹

参考例句：

• the sound of footsteps on the stairs 楼梯上的脚步声
• Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。

7 maintenance   

n.维修，保养，扶养费，维持，保持

参考例句：

• His small farm provides maintenance,but not much more.他的小农场能使他们维持生活，但仅此而已。
• He has to pay maintenance to his ex-wife.他必须给前妻赡养费。

8 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

9 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

10 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

11 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

12 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。