UNIT 2

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PAGE 18. EXERCISE C

Conversation 1 [F = Brazil]
F: I don’t know how to tell you this, but I had a little
accident with your bike.
M: Oh, no! Are you OK?
F: I’m fine. I’m fine.
M: Thank goodness.
F: But I’m afraid the bike got pretty badly damaged. Don’t
worry, though. The repair shop says they can fix it... and
I will pay for the damage, of course.

Conversation 2
F: Uh, what happened to this suitcase? When I loaned it to
you, it had two wheels.
M: Uh-oh. I guess they broke off when they were unloading
the luggage. Those baggage guys are way too rough
with people’s bags.
F: Well, it’s not going to be much use to me this way. Do
you think you could get it repaired?
M: You know, it wasn’t really my fault. Why don’t you just
call the airline and see if they’ll take care of it?

Conversation 3
F: Frank! Why didn’t you slow down? We could have been
killed!
M: Didn’t you see? That guy just cut me off!
F: What are you talking about? It was your fault. You were
going too fast.
M: No way. If it hadn’t been for him, we’d be fine.

Conversation 4
M: Pat, I was looking at this contract you completed. It’s
got June first as the due date. I’m sure it was supposed
to be May first. I hope you didn’t send it out like this.
F: I don’t believe I missed that... I’m sorry. I just sent it out
in the morning mail.
M: Well, we’ve got to do something about it.
F: I know. Look, it was totally my fault. I’ll send out a
revised contract right away.

Conversation 5
M: So, how’d the meeting go?
F: Not good. I was an hour late.
M: Uh-oh. They must have been pretty annoyed.
F: Well, I just told them the traffic was terrible.
M: Did they buy it?
F: Not really. I looked pretty bad.

Conversation 6 [F1 = Slovakia]

F1: Laura, this is for you.
F2: What’s this? My birthday isn’t till next month!
F1: Well, you know that scarf you loaned me? I’m afraid I
lost it. Uh, I feel just terrible about it... So I got you this
to replace it.
F2: You didn’t have to do that!
F1: No, really. I want to do the right thing.

PAGE 20. EXERCISE C

[C: Claire Whitney = England; V: Vivian Bridge; J: James

Duncan]

C: Good morning. Welcome to “A World of Difference.” I’m

Claire Whitney. Most of us never know about the good
deeds done by ordinary people, but their quiet actions
can make a world of difference to many. Today we’re
privileged to have as our guests Vivian Bridge and James
Duncan—two ordinary people who have done some
extraordinary things to help out those in need. Vivian,
let’s start with you. I understand you’re involved in a
very interesting program.
V: That’s right. The program I’m involved in is called Reach
Out, and it focuses on helping elderly people who are
confined to nursing homes.
C: And what kind of work do you do with this program?
V: Well, twice a week I visit a nursing home where I spend
time with the people who live there. We talk, play cards
 — anything to help make them feel connected.
Sometimes I run errands for them— even little things
mean a lot to people who can’t get out. I also helped
create a small library in the corner of the cafeteria where
people can sit and read together.
C: Hmm, and could you tell us a little bit about how you
decided to get involved in this program?
V: Sure. Uh, actually, I just followed the example set by my
mother. When I was a child, she used to visit a children’s
hospital to bring toys and play with the kids. Sometimes
she took me along. I can still remember her saying how
good it made her feel to be able to help, and I guess the
feeling just rubbed off on me.
C: What a great role model!
V: I’m really proud of her. She felt really sorry for children
who couldn’t go out and play like I could. You know, I’ll
always be thankful to my mother for having taught me
how to be generous without expecting anything in
return. I look up to her a lot.
C: Your mother sounds like a really special person. James,
what about you? Tell us something about the program
you’re currently involved in.
J: Certainly. I’ve founded a program called All Kids Count
that tutors kids who are having trouble in school,
especially in math. We have a drop-in center at the public
library where students from the ages of about nine to
eleven can come in once a week and get help with their
math homework.
C: For free?
J: Uh-huh. All Kids Count is completely free and run entirety
by unpaid volunteers— most of them retired
schoolteachers. We provide some healthy snacks—
crackers, fruit, and fruit Juice— and a comfortable spot
where students can work. For me, I’ve always found it
really touching to see how many people are willing to
volunteer for this program.
C: And what made you decide to start the program?
J: Well, the truth is I actually had trouble with math myself
when I was in school. I was lucky enough to get help from
a retired schoolteacher who lived on my street. So I have
 a lot of compassion for any kid having trouble in school,
and I just thought I’d like to do something about it
myself.
C: What a story!
J: Well, maybe it’s because of my own memories of
struggling in school, or maybe it’s because the program
has been so successful, but All Kids Count has turned out
to be tremendously rewarding for me. I even tutor the
kids myself!
C: Is there one particular success story you can tell us
about?
J: Hmm ... Oh, I know one. About a year ago, one of the
kids who had come in for tutoring years before showed
up. She had just graduated from college and said she
wanted to volunteer in the program. Well, I was floored.
Talk about “One good turn deserves another”!
C: Oh, that must have made you feel really good.
J: Oh, it did.
C: Well, I’m afraid our time’s up. Thank you, James Duncan
— and thank you, Vivian Bridge— for being with us today
and sharing your inspiring stories. If our listeners would
like more information about these programs or other
programs they might want to get involved in, visit our
website at www.aworldofdifference.com

PAGE 25. EXERCISE A

Conversation 1 [M = Latin America]

M: You know Allan, that new guy at the office I was telling
you about?
F: I think so. What about him?
M: Well, I hate to complain, but... he’s always borrowing
money from me.
F: You mean he doesn’t pay you back?
M: No... no. He always pays me back. But the truth is, I
really don’t like being put in the position of lending
people money. I don’t even like borrowing money
myself.
F: Oh, I see.
M: I’m wondering if maybe I should just tell him the truth
 next time he tries to borrow money from me.
F: Hmmm. Tough call. Why don’t you just tell him you’re
short of cash?
M: I don’t know... I really hate to tell lies.
F: Yeah, but you also don’t want to offend him, right?
M: I suppose. Maybe I’ll try that next time he asks.

Conversation 2 [F = Chinese]
F: I’m in an embarrassing situation.
M: What happened?
F: Well, last week I borrowed this beautiful silk jacket from
Mary.
M: So?
F: I lost it.
M: Uh-oh. Not good.
F: I know. I feel just terrible. I think I left it on the train.
M: Did you check the lost-and-found?
F: Of course. Twice. But no one’s returned it.
M: Yikes. So what are you going to do now?
F: Well, I can’t shift the blame to anyone else. It was my
fault.
M: Why don’t you just get her a new one?
F: I would, but the thing is, she bought it in one of those
out- of-the-way places she always goes to on vacation.
M: So much for buying a new one, I guess.
F: I’m just going to have to tell her what happened. Since I
can’t replace the jacket, I’ll just ask her what she’d like
me to buy her instead.

Conversation 3
M: Did you happen to listen to “A World of Difference” last
night on the radio?
F: No, I missed it. Was it good?
M: Interesting. They were talking about how community
programs aren’t getting enough volunteers to help out
with the work they need to do.
F: Really? That’s too bad.
M: Well, most people really don’t have the time to get
involved, you know?
F: I guess. But I imagine most of those programs can’t
 survive without volunteers.
M: Probably not.
F: Hmmm. It makes you think, though, doesn’t it? Maybe
I’ll get involved in some volunteer work.
M: Well, uh, I’m sure it would be really rewarding.
F: You know, Bill was telling me about a local program that
raises money for schools. And sometimes they actually
roll up their sleeves and do some of the work themselves
—painting classrooms and things like that.
M: Oh, yeah?
F: I think I’ll give Bill a call and find out more about it. What
do you think? Want to give it a go?
M: Sure. Why not? Might actually be fun.