Open Forum 1
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Chapter 1
Hi! I’d like to welcome all of you to the international
student orientation at Norwalk College. I hope that your
travels from your home country have been easy and that
you all are settling in well. I believe I’ve met everyone,
but just in case, I’m the director for international student
affairs—the person you can come to if you are having
problems with your classes, your housing, visas… even if
you just want someone to talk to. You are always welcome
to stop by my office.
We’ll have several short workshops today and will be
talking about some common issues that international
students face. The first one that I want to deal with is
about communication, and in particular, non-verbal
communication.
Now all of you have been studying English for some
time. You have a good vocabulary, and you probably
know all about verb tenses and modals, and can ask
directions, and order from a menu. But communication
is not only verbal. That is, talking is not the only
language we use to communicate. Another way we
communicate is through non-verbal communication,
or body language.
The term body language means the movements we
use and the facial expressions we have (like smiling or
frowning), the way we sit or stand, the way we touch or
look at someone, the distance we stand from another
person. Some psychologists say that more than 60%
of our communication is actually done through body
language. We do it without thinking, or without ever
having been specifically taught what the gestures or
expressions mean. The problem is that body language
is a little bit different in each culture and this can often
cause some problems with communication.
Here’s an example. In many places it may be a little
rude or disrespectful to look at another person
directly in their eyes as you talk with them, so many
international students will avoid this eye contact. But in
America, we expect it. We think of eye contact as a sign
of honesty and straight-forwardness. American parents
actually encourage their children to look people in the
eye when speaking. Just imagine a conversation where
an international student was trying to be respectful by
not looking into the eyes of her American classmate. The
American might wonder why her classmate wouldn’t
look directly at her, and the international classmate
would be wondering why she was being stared at. The
end result is an awkward and frustrating interaction.
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Here’s another one. Americans shake hands firmly
when they greet each other because to Americans, a
firm handshake signifies strength and power. But a soft
or limp handshake is considered a sign of weakness. In
some cultures, handshakes are less common, or a gentle,
soft handshake is acceptable. So students need to know
that when shaking hands, it’s important to be firm.
In America, a “thumbs up” sign—a thumb raised in
the air—is a sign of a good job. Also, a thumb and
forefinger together with the other fingers straight
means “okay.” Be careful though. In other countries like
Germany, Brazil, or Japan this “okay” symbol can have
other meanings. So be aware of who you’re talking to
when you use this gesture.
Here’s another important one. In America, holding
hands and kissing are reserved for people in love. In fact,
Americans generally do not touch each other, and they
like to keep distance between them and the person who
they’re speaking with. But there are many exceptions.
For instance, friends, especially women, might hug when
saying goodbye, and small children often hold hands.
I’m going to hand out a list of some common examples
of non-verbal communication that are specific to
American culture. Now, I don’t want you to panic.
You don’t need to know all of these examples of
body language. It’s more important just to be aware
of differences in body language between cultures. If
you’re not sure what a gesture means, it’s okay to ask.
Oh! I forgot an important example of body language. If
ever you’re worried about your ability to communicate,
there is one gesture that is the same in every country.
Everywhere around the world, people use the smile
to communicate pleasure and happiness. So smile
as often as you want to, because it is an expression
understood by everyone!
Now, our next speaker is Molly Wilcox. She’s the head
of the ESL department. And she’ll tell you about the
ESL courses and the placement exam. Thank you very
much for your attention.
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 2
A = Teacher So, let’s take a closer look at Juliet. What did you
B = Student 1 think of her?
C = Student 2
C: I really liked her. I was kind of surprised how
A: By now you should be finished reading all of strongly she loved Romeo. She went against her
Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. So today I whole family so she could be with him.
want to review the play and focus on one of the
A: Exactly! But notice that she doesn’t start off as this
characters: Juliet. I think that Juliet really makes this
strong young woman. Juliet changes in the story.
love story interesting and I want to talk about why.
When we first meet Juliet, she’s a 13 year old girl.
A lot of people think of Shakespeare as an She’s quiet and she usually does what her parents
author who wrote novels that people read. But want her to do. At the beginning of the play she’s a
Shakespeare never actually wrote books; he wrote “good girl.” She wants to please her family. But by
plays meant to be acted. So as we look at Romeo the end of the play, Juliet moves from being this
and Juliet, I want you to imagine that the story is young girl to being an independent, mature young
performed by actors, not read quietly to yourself. woman. Juliet’s independence is almost shocking.
For instance, she tells her parents that she will not
As you know, the story of Romeo and Juliet
marry Paris, the man they’ve chosen for her. She
happens in Verona, Italy and is a very old story.
questions why Romeo must be an enemy to her
Two important families, the Montagues and the
family. Juliet even asks Romeo to marry her! All
Capulets, are enemies. They’re very angry with
of this was very unusual for a girl in the sixteenth
each other. Romeo Montague falls in love with
century. But Juliet knows who she loves; she is even
Juliet Capulet. So from the start, we know that
willing to die for her love of Romeo.
this relationship is going to have some very big
problems. And it does. Here’s another thing. Juliet grows more mature in
the story. She knows the danger of her relationship
Can anyone give me a quick summary of the story?
with Romeo. For instance, Juliet tells Romeo to
B: Well, Romeo and Juliet… they get married… be careful when he is outside her balcony talking
secretly. And only Romeo and Juliet and their of love. Juliet also realizes that their relationship
priest know about the wedding. After the wedding, can never be happy. Several times in the play, she
Romeo gets in a fight and kills Juliet’s cousin and even refers to her own death. It is Juliet’s growing
so he has to leave Verona. Then Juliet’s parents tell maturity and independence that make her such an
her that she has to get married to another man, a interesting character. She’s changing… becoming
guy named Paris. So the priest and Juliet make a stronger each day.
plan.
Now Romeo and Juliet is a tragic, horribly sad story.
A: And what is their plan? But it has some universal themes of love and youth.
B: Well, Juliet will pretend she’s dead to avoid the It’s been produced many, many times for stage and
wedding with Paris. But unfortunately, Romeo cinema. And it’s my opinion that the strong and
doesn’t know that she is actually alive, and he beautiful Juliet is the character who makes this love
rushes back to Verona. When Romeo sees Juliet’s story so popular.
body and thinks she’s really dead, he kills himself. Now can anyone tell me…
Then Juliet wakes up, and, when she sees Romeo’s
dead body, she kills herself, too.
A: Good. Very good summary!
Now Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s earlier
plays. It’s really a favorite of many, many people.
Both Romeo and Juliet are very well developed
characters. They have real emotions and personality.
They come alive as we watch or read the play.

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 Open Forum 1
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Chapter 3
A = Radio announcer
B = Dr. Jennifer White
A: Today on The Natural World, we’re profiling the
naturalist, Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, who
passed away on May 17th, 2004, at the age of 97.
Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was the naturalist
who discovered an extremely rare fish called the
“coelacanth” in 1938 and introduced it to the
scientific world. With us is Dr. Jennifer White, a
biologist from New Haven, Connecticut. She is going
to talk about Latimer’s discovery. Welcome Jennifer.
B: Thank you! Well, Ms. Courtenay-Latimer was a
really wonderful woman, and she lived a long
and interesting life. She was the curator of a small
museum in the town of East London in South
Africa, and during her life, she collected many,
many kinds of animals. But her discovery of a
coelacanth was truly amazing!
A: Tell us what she found.
B: Well, the year was 1938. She had an agreement with a
local fisherman that she could look through his catch—
that is, the fish that he caught during the day—and if
the fisherman caught anything interesting, she was
allowed to take it for her museum.
So one day she went down and she looked through
the pile of fish and found nothing. Just as she was
leaving, she saw an unusual-shaped blue-colored
fin poking out of the pile. She pushed away the rest
of the fish and pulled this large blue fish out. Right
away, she knew that this fish was different. She
asked to take it back to her museum. Apparently
she had a hard time convincing a taxi driver to let
her bring this 5-foot dead fish in the car!
A: Did Marjorie know what she had found? Did she
realize how important her discovery was?
B: Well, she knew it was something special, but she
didn’t know what. When she got back to her lab,
she couldn’t find anything like it in her books.
She wondered if it might be a coelacanth, but the
idea seemed impossible. According to her books,
the coelacanth no longer existed. They had been
extinct for 65 million years! She wrote to Dr. Smith,
a professor interested in ichthyology—that’s the
study of fish—to see what he thought. She drew a
little picture and described it as a 127-pound fish
with thick scales and fins that look like arms and
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legs. She wrote that there was no skeleton but that
there was a soft, oil-filled tube in its back.
A: What did the professor say?
B: He was very excited when he got the letter and he
came down to see the fish. And he decided that
it was in fact a coelacanth. He named it Latimeria
Chalumnae after Marjorie Latimer and Chalumnae
because that was the name of the river near where
it was found.
A: Tell us what a coelacanth is and why it might be
important.
B: Well, coelacanth fossils are dated to as much as
400 million years ago. So coelacanth are even
older than the dinosaurs. They seemed to have
disappeared around the same time as dinosaurs…
about 65 million years ago. It’s just incredible that
an animal assumed to be long gone could actually
still be living.
The coelacanth is a very strange fish, though.
It’s got some things that are quite different from
modern fish. For instance, it has a jelly-filled organ
called a “rostral organ.” This is the only living
creature with this organ. It also has an incredibly
small brain—smaller than any other animal we
know of. I suppose the small brain size hasn’t hurt
the fish, since the coelacanth has clearly survived
for millions of years.
A: So do coelacanths only live off the coast of Africa?
B: Well, we thought so until not too long ago. In 1998,
an American couple was on their honeymoon
in Indonesia when they found a coelacanth at a
fish market there. Instead of the blue color, as the
fish around Africa were, this fish was brownish-
gold colored. Again, it was an amazing discovery.
Scientists offered a small reward for coelacanth and
asked to be notified if a fisherman ever caught one.
Ten months later, they were told of a coelacanth
that was actually still alive. They had a chance to
swim next to it before it died.
A: Incredible! Thank you so much for sharing this
story of an amazing fish and the woman who
first discovered it. I want to let our listeners know
that there are now organizations to help save the
coelacanth from being killed by fishermen. Instead
of finding new coelacanths for research, we are
trying to preserve the ones that are alive.
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
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Chapter 4
A = Student 1
B = Student 2
A: Hi! are you busy?
B: No, I just finished watching this really interesting
documentary on TV about a guy named Clive Wearing.
He’s a man from England with terrible amnesia.
A: You mean he forgets things?
B: Right. He lost his memory. He had encephalitis—
this virus that destroyed the part of his brain that
controls memory. It happened over 20 years ago.
Since then, he can’t remember anything further
back than about 7 seconds.
A: Really?! He can only remember things for seven
seconds? Does he know his name?
B: Yeah, He knows his name and he knows who his
wife, Deborah, is. I think he knows that he has kids
from his first marriage, but he doesn’t recognize
them or know their names. He lives at a center for
people with brain injuries. It was really amazing,
though. He has signs around his room reminding
him where he is. And he can’t really leave the
center because he might get lost or hurt. He has to
have someone to care for him all the time.
A: That’s so strange, and it’s so sad too. Does he know
what happened to him?
B: Kind of. He knows that he was sick, but to him
—since his memory pretty much erases every seven
seconds—every moment feels like his first moment
following the illness. So, like, he wakes up in the
morning and is excited to be alive. He writes in his
journal: “7:30, I’m awake for the first time.” Then
a few minutes later, he has forgotten his previous
waking and now has a new feeling of being awake.
So he crosses out the earlier sentence and writes
something like, “7:38, hooray! I’m really awake now.”
And then he’ll cross that out and write, “7:45, now is
when I’m truly awake.” And over and over.
In this program, he saw the cameraman and the
producer and said, “You’re the first people I’ve seen
in 20 years.” And then his wife came in and he was
excited because he thought he hadn’t seen her in
20 years either. They hugged and kissed as if it was
a 20 year reunion. But really, she’d been there just a
few minutes before.
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A: Wow. That’s crazy! I can’t even imagine what that
must be like for her.
B: Well, she was only in her 20s when he got sick.
They’d just been married for around a year! I
would’ve thought that she’d leave him, but actually
they’re still very close.
A: That’s amazing that they are still together. I don’t
know if I would be able to do that.
B: I think she spent a lot of time with him for the first
10 years or so. She organized charities and tried
to get good treatment for him. Once she got him
into the new center, she decided she had to move
on. She moved to the U.S. and got divorced from
him. I think she dated other people but she was
never able to get Clive out of her head. I guess she
finally accepted how much she loves him and how
she can’t be with him and can’t be away from him
either. She moved back to England. A few years ago
they got married again. Now she visits him all the
time. He always asks when she’s coming and asks
her to “Please get here at dawn. Get here at the
speed of light.” They’re still so in love.
A: That’s so sweet. What about his kids? How do they
deal with their father?
B: Well his kids are adults now. They said that it’s
hard to visit him. He enjoys their company when
they visit, but he can’t actually remember who
they are. And, of course, he doesn’t remember that
they ever came. So in a way, it doesn’t matter much
whether or not they do visit.
A: Wow. What does he do all day?
B: Well, he doesn’t read books because he has trouble
remembering the sentence before. It’s the same with
television programs or movies. He can’t follow a story
line. But he does like to watch sports since he can enjoy
it without remembering the previous events.
One other really interesting thing. He was a
brilliant musician before he got sick. Amazingly,
after the encephalitis destroyed his memory, he
still had his musical skills. For some reason, he can
still play the piano. He spends a lot of his day at
the piano. It’s actually music that gives him a lot of
comfort and satisfaction in his life.
A: That’s an amazing story! I hope I can see the
program sometime.
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
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Chapter 5
A = Professor
B = Daniel
A: Thank you. That was a very interesting presentation
on Louis Leakey. Just give your report to me at the
end of class. Okay, Daniel Acosta will be giving
our final presentation of the day. Who will you be
presenting on?
B: I’d like to present the famous anthropologist,
Margaret Mead, to our class.
A: Excellent! Take it away!
B: Margaret Mead is well-known as one of the world’s
most famous anthropologists. She brought cultural
anthropology to the American public. She helped
us to understand the importance of culture and I
think she’s truly worth learning about.
Margaret Mead was born in 1901 in Philadelphia,
and she was the child of well-educated parents.
Margaret didn’t attend elementary school but was
educated at home. For instance, her mother and
grandmother would ask her to observe nature to
learn about science or to record the behavior of
her sisters to learn about psychology. This early
education set her on a path towards the social
sciences. Later, she entered Barnard College and
began studying psychology. She earned her PhD in
anthropology from Columbia University in 1929. At
Columbia University, Margaret met Frank Boas and
Ruth Benedict, two very famous anthropologists. Dr.
Boas and Dr. Benedict saw that Margaret was very
intelligent and interested in anthropology, and they
encouraged her to become an anthropologist too.
During the early 1900s, there was an American and
European idea that Western civilization was better
than other civilizations. Many western people
believed that American or European culture was
advanced and that other cultures were very basic,
primitive, and immature. The other cultures weren’t
valued or respected by westerners. Margaret Mead
did not feel this way; she was a cultural relativist.
That is, she believed that anthropology should be
scientific, and that anthropologists should observe
cultures neutrally. That means anthropologists
should study other people and other cultures
without judgment, without the idea that they
weren’t as good as western culture. She believed
that all cultures were valuable.
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Although it was unusual for young women in
the 1920s to travel alone, Margaret convinced her
professor, Frank Boas, to let her study cultures
in the south Pacific islands of Pago Pago, Samoa,
and Papua New Guinea. During her trips to these
islands, she observed everything. She learned
the language, took notes, and interviewed many
people. This way of studying and describing a
culture is called “ethnography.”
Margaret Mead found the Samoan culture
particularly interesting. She studied girls in Samoa,
and learned that the girls there had a less stressful
life than American girls. In many ways, the Samoan
girls had more freedom. She found that becoming
a woman was different in Samoa than in the U.S.
because the cultures had different ideas about what
girls and women should be like. She found that
culture affects and changes our personalities. Mead
published a book in 1928 entitled Coming of Age
in Samoa. Usually ethnographies like this are only
read by other anthropologists, but Mead’s book
was a bestseller. She became very popular after this
book was published.
Mead became a professor of anthropology, and
she also worked for many years in the American
Museum of Natural History in New York City. She
was the head of several important anthropology
and science organizations, and she published over
20 books. She was very popular in her time and is
still well-known as an important anthropologist.
After she died in 1978, President Carter awarded
her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
One thing that makes me really like Margaret
Mead is that she was very progressive. She was in
favor of freedom and tolerance of all people. She
supported civil rights and believed that humans
could do really good things if they work together.
She thought that ideas of racism or war were
cultural and that people could learn better ways to
live. Most importantly, she strongly believed that
modern Americans could learn from other cultures.
In 1928 she wrote, “As the traveler who has once
been from home is wiser than he who has never
left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other
culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize
more steadily, to appreciate lovingly, our own.”
Thank you.
© Oxford University Press 2007
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Chapter 6
A = Financial Advisor
B = Stacey Lloyd
A: Good afternoon! How can I help you?
B: Hi. My name is Stacey Lloyd, I’ve been a member
of this bank for about five years. I’m interested in
opening an investment account here, but I don’t
know much about investing.
A: Okay, well I’m the right person to come to. I’m a
financial advisor and I help people start investing
in stocks, bonds, CDs, mutual funds…
B: I don’t even know what half those things are!
A: That’s okay. That’s what I’m here for. Tell me a little
bit about your goals. Then I can tell you about some
of the options.
B: Well, I just got a raise and I want to start saving
some money. I want a better place to keep my
money than my savings account.
A: OK. So you already know that your money in your
savings account doesn’t earn you very much interest.
It’s very safe, but it’s not a good place to grow your
money. What are you saving your money for?
B: Well, I know it’s a long way off, but I’d like to buy a
house one day—maybe in five or ten years.
A: Okay! Now’s actually a very good time to begin
saving for a big expense like a house. Before we
talk about that, do you have any debt—credit cards
or loans? Money that you owe?
B: Yeah, I used to spend a lot of money with my credit
card. I’m still working on paying it off.
A: That might be the best place to start, then. Almost
always, people with credit card debt should pay it
off before investing their money in other ways. The
interest, that’s the amount of money you pay your
credit card company for the use of their money, is
very high—often 10 or even 20 percent. You really
can’t invest your money in stocks or bonds and expect
to do better than just paying off your credit card.
B: Really? I never thought about it like that. But that
makes sense.
A: After you pay off your credit card debt, look for
accounts that will keep your money safe while it grows.
If you are planning to use the money in less than 5
years, I recommend a Certificate of Deposit—a CD.
You can get a CD at any bank. Right now you’ll earn
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about 4 percent. It’s always changing though. I’ve seen
it as low as 1 percent and as high as 8 percent. CDs are
not very exciting, but they’re a good, safe place to keep
your money.You invest in CDs for a certain amount of
time—6 months, a year, two years. The problem is that
you can’t take your money out until the time is done.
B: So I can’t write checks from it. What if I need the
money sooner?
A: No, if you want an account where you can easily
get to your money and use it, I’d suggest a money
market checking account. That’s an investment
account that you can use like a checking account.
The problem is that the rate isn’t usually as high.
Right now, it’s around 1 or 2 percent.
B: OK. What else is there that is safe, but earns well?
A: Good question. You could also consider a U.S.
Treasury bill, or note. Those are investments you
make in the U.S. Treasury. Some can have pretty good
interest rates. And again, you need to be able to leave
your money there for a length of time, just like a CD.
B: What about stocks? I heard you can earn a lot of
money fast with stocks.
A: Well, it’s possible, but you can also lose a lot of
money fast. Stocks are a great choice when you want
to invest for a longer time. But if you hope to buy
a house in a few years, you really need something
safer. The stock market can be a big risk—you could
win or you could lose very quickly. However, you
could definitely consider investing in some stocks or
mutual funds as part of a retirement account.
B: Retirement! I’m only 25 years old. I’m too young to
think about that.
A: Well, you’re not actually. If you want to retire with
a good income, now is the perfect time to get a
retirement account started. Some people like to have a
part of their paycheck directly put into their retirement
account so they don’t have to worry about it.
B: Okay. That’s good to know. So, you recommend I
pay off my credit card debt first, and then invest in
a CD, and maybe get a retirement account started?
A: Right. I know there’s a lot to think about, but you
don’t need to make a decision today. I’m here every
day if you have any other questions or if you want to
get started on any of the investments I’ve suggested.
B: Excellent. I’ll do that. Thank you so much!
A: No problem. It was pleasure talking to you.
© Oxford University Press 2007
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Chapter 7
A = Reporter, B = Doctor, C = Jerome
A: Tonight’s topic—stress in the schoolyard. America’s
teenagers are getting unhealthy, and not from fast
food, but from a fast pace of life. We investigate
why. I’m standing outside the Benjamin Franklin
High School in downtown Philadelphia. Franklin
High is a good school. The students here work hard,
get good grades, and go on to good colleges and
universities. But behind the success lies a growing
problem. Here’s Dr. Jane Carson of Philadelphia
Children’s Hospital.
B: I see a lot of patients from Franklin High, and
I believe that high school can be an unhealthy
environment for teenagers.
A: Really? Are you talking about weight problems or
lack of exercise?
B: Sometimes. But the biggest danger is stress.
A: I see.
B: Stress is everywhere in high schools—in the
classroom, on the sports field, and in the
schoolyard. And it’s having a seriously detrimental
effect on the health of our children.
A: I’d like you to meet Jerome. He’s 17 years old and
he’s a student at Franklin High. Jerome was a
straight-A student. He played basketball, and had
lots of friends. Then, last year, everything changed.
Jerome, would you tell us what was going on?
C: I was just really stressed at school. The classes
were really hard, and my parents and teachers
were always talking about choosing a college. And
I knew that if my grades went down, I wouldn’t be
able to get into a good university.
A: So, what happened?
C: Well, the stress was really bad. I couldn’t
concentrate anymore because I was always so
worried about the future. I started getting Ds and
Fs in my classes. And that meant I was dropped
from the basketball team. I loved basketball.
Playing sports helped reduce my stress! So, the
situation just got worse.
A: So bad, in fact, that Jerome’s parents took him to
see a doctor. Dr. Carson, what did you think about
Jerome when you first met him?
B: When I first saw Jerome, he was depressed.
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A: Is that unusual for a bright student like him?
B: Unfortunately, no. When a young person has a lot of
stress from many different sources—school, sports,
parents, friends—he can easily get depressed.
A: Why is that?
B: At this age, it’s difficult for most teenagers to
set priorities—that is, they don’t always know
what’s important and what’s less important. So,
sometimes, everything in their lives becomes really
important. You know, the brain has limits, too. If
you’re thinking about too many things, you can’t
concentrate on immediate needs.
A: So, that was Jerome’s problem. His chronic stress
made him unable to do his schoolwork. And
because his grades were low, he couldn’t play on
the basketball team. And because of that, he didn’t
see his friends on the team as much.
B: That’s exactly right.
A: But, how common is this problem, Dr. Carson? Does
it only exist at top high schools and in top students?
B: No, not at all. I was at a conference last month
with doctors from all round the U.S. and Canada—
Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto. Everyone
had similar stories about stressed and depressed
teenagers. This is more than just a local problem, and
it’s affecting students from all different backgrounds.
A: So, what’s the solution?
B: There’s no easy cure for depression! But, I believe
that we need to change the social environment
first. So, I talk to the parents and encourage them
to put less pressure on their child. It’s good to
ask about grades, but not to emphasize them
too much. I talk to teachers and coaches to help
them understand their students. If they know that
a student is depressed, they can help a lot. For
example, a teacher can give a little more time for
an assignment. Finally, I encourage the student
to schedule some time for relaxation—to listen to
music, or go to the movies, or just talk with friends.
A: Back here at Franklin High, Jerome is feeling better,
thanks to Dr. Carson’s help. Jerome’s story has a
happy ending. He’s applying to colleges, and his
parents, teachers, and friends are supporting him, not
pressuring him. But the problem of stress isn’t going
away. For more information on stress and our young
people, visit our Website at…
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 8
A = Susan
B = Adam
C = Helen
A: Adam! Come and sit with us!
B: Hey, Susan. Hi, Helen. What’s going on?
C: Not much. We were talking about the local
elections today. You know, the elections for the city
council. I just came back from the voting station,
and Susan here is still deciding who to vote for. Did
you vote yet, Adam?
B: I didn’t know there were any elections today.
Anyway, I don’t think I’m going to vote. I don’t
usually vote in local elections. I don’t know what
I’m voting for! I don’t know the people or the
issues. I mean, who cares about the city council? I
don’t even know what they do.
C: Well, I have to disagree with you, Adam. I think it’s
important to vote in every election.
B: Yeah, well, I vote in some elections. I voted for the
president, but this is just a local election. It’s not
important. What do you think, Susan? Do you think
local elections really matter?
A: Well, I agree with you to a point, Adam. A local
election is less important than the general
election—we’re not choosing a president—but it’s
the idea of voting that’s important to me. You know
women couldn’t vote at all a century ago. I feel I
have to vote. I have to use my right.
C: Exactly, Susan. But I think you’re both wrong
about local elections—they are important. The city
council has a lot of control over this city. They make
decisions that can affect all of us. For example,
do you know that one of the candidates wants to
cancel the Independence Day parade this year?
A: Really? That’s terrible.
B: I thought you hated parades.
A: Yeah, I do. But it’s a tradition. You can’t just cancel
the Independence Day parade!
B: I don’t see why not. Nobody goes to it anyway.
C: That’s exactly the problem, Adam—and you
too, Susan. People in your generation just aren’t
involved in the community. That’s why you’re not
interested in voting in the local elections. When
I was a girl, I grew up in a small town, and we
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had a stronger community. Everyone went to the
Independence Day parade, and it was so much
fun! When I was a teenager, I volunteered at the
parade—I collected money for local charities.
B: The world’s a bigger place now, Helen. look at the
modern world—the Internet, international airline
travel, 24-hour news channels. The local community
isn’t just your small town anymore. Who cares about
a dumb Independence Day Parade when there are
wars and famines? I vote in the general election
because the president has power in the international
scene. The city council can’t do anything important.
They’re only interested in silly parades.
C: I’m not saying the international scene isn’t
important, Adam. Come on—you know I’m
majoring in international relations. But I believe
that the global community starts with local
communities. And you have to vote to have a voice
in your local community. I know the world has
changed since I was a kid, but what worries me
is that you young people aren’t trying to improve
the community. You can’t just say that local politics
aren’t important any more.
B: And you think that voting today will make the
world a better place, Helen?
C: Yes, I do.
A: Well, I do too. I’m going to vote, and I won’t vote
for canceling the parade. Adam, want to come with
me to the voting station?
B: Nope. I still say it’s a waste of time, and besides, I
have class now.
C: What class are you going to?
B: Social studies…
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 9
A = Lynne A: One million?!
B = Nathan
B: That’s right. It’s an amazing place. I visited a few
A: Welcome back to Round the World. It’s been small towns and villages, and the people were very
raining here on the East Coast all week, and I’d love friendly.
to get away to somewhere warm and dry. And, well,
A: How do they survive without water?
my next guest happens to have just returned from
the driest place on earth. Nathan Simms, welcome B: Well, they do have some water. There are some
to Round the World. water sources, and water trucks bring in more water
from outside the region. And, of course, the people
B: Thanks, Lynne. It’s good to be here. And believe
in the Atacama have become really good at saving
me—I’ve been enjoying the rain this week!
water, because there isn’t much of it around. They’ve
A: I’m sure! So, tell me, Nathan—where is the driest even learned a way to make water out of fog.
place in the world? Africa? Siberia?
A: Water out of fog? How is that done?
B: No and no. I’ll give you another guess.
B: Well, it’s very clever! Think about a fishing net—
A: Well, it has to be a desert, right—a hot, dry place you know, to catch fish? But a very fine net with
with very little rain. So, where is the driest desert? very small holes between the threads. Well, they
put up very large nets and when the fog touches
B: Well, Lynne, the driest place in the world is in
the nets, water forms. The people then collect the
South America. The country of Chile, in fact.
water. They can do this every morning near the
A: Really? Is there a desert in Chile? coast because there’s almost always morning fog.
B: Yes, there is. It’s called the Atacama Desert. It’s in A: Is that a Chilean invention? A traditional skill?
the north of Chile and stretches between the coast
B: No, actually, the idea came from Canada. The
and the Andes Mountains.
Canadian government gave money to set up the
A: The Atacama? That’s probably new to most of our first fog catching project in the 1990s.
listeners. Could you spell it for us?
A: That’s an amazing idea—simple, but effective.
B: Certainly. It’s A-T-A-C-A-M-A. Atacama.
B: Absolutely. They use the water for growing plants,
A: So, how dry is the driest place on earth? for washing clothes, and even for taking showers.
B: Well, Lynne, it almost never rains there. Officially, A: They must have to collect a lot of water.
the driest place is the very center of the desert. At
B: Well, in one village, the fog-catchers produce 10,000
the center of the desert, there are a few millimeters
liters of water a day.
of rain per decade—that is, a few drops of rain
every 10 years! A: How much?!
A: How interesting! Is it possible for anyone to live there? B: 10,000 liters.
B: Oh no. In fact, almost nothing lives there—no A: Wow. That’s a lot of water.
plants, no animals, no people. Maybe there are
B: Not really. According to the United Nations, the
some really tiny living creatures in the soil, but
minimum amount of water a person needs is 50
scientists haven’t found any yet. In fact, I didn’t
liters a day. That is, to live comfortably, you need
actually go to the very center of the desert. It’s very
access to about 50 liters of water. So, those 10,000
difficult to reach, and the temperatures make it
liters can only support 200 people.
very dangerous.
A: Well, Nathan, thanks so much for joining us to
A: So where do people live in the Atacama Desert?
share this fascinating story. Next week…
B: Well, remember that the Atacama Desert reaches to
the sea. There are towns along the coast and about
one million people live in them.

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 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 10
A = Narrator, B = Dr. Higgins, C = Dr. Rooks
A: Today, the islands of Hawaii are a popular tourist
destination. Visitors from the United States,
Europe, and all over the world come here for the
beautiful weather, the perfect beaches, and the
fascinating culture. Americans come to Hawaii for
honeymoons and exotic destinations. But many
people forget that Hawaii is part of the United
States. It became the 50th state in 1959.
However, Hawaii doesn’t look or feel like part of
the United States. The people, language, stories,
and culture of Hawaii reveal a mysterious history of
immigration and settlement. We’ll investigate this
history tonight.
The first stop on our trip is at the University
of Hawaii. Dr. Emily Higgins is an expert on
immigration to Hawaii. So, Dr. Higgins, who are the
native people of these islands?
B: The one thing we know about native Hawaiians is
that they’re not really native to Hawaii. They came
from somewhere else.
A: Where did they come from?
B: That’s an interesting question. The first European to
find Hawaii was the famous English explorer, Captain
James Cook. He arrived in Hawaii in 1778, and he
noticed that the native people were similar to other
people he’d seen in the other islands of Polynesia.
A: And Polynesia refers to a number of islands in the
South Pacific Ocean.
B: Right, including the islands of Hawaii, as well as
New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook
Islands… which were named after Captain Cook.
A: So, what do Hawaiians have in common with other
Polynesians?
B: Well, one way to find the origins of an immigrant
group is to look at their language. Languages exist in
families—just like people. So, if you find two languages
that are related—brother and sister, for example—you
can guess that they have the same parent.
Although most Hawaiians today speak English,
there is a native Hawaiian language. Cook noticed,
and modern linguists have confirmed, that the
Hawaiian language is related to other Polynesian
languages. This suggests that the languages come
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from the same place, and that the Hawaiian people
came from another Polynesian island. We don’t
know exactly where, but one idea is that they came
from Tahiti. Of course, there’s only one problem
with that theory: Tahiti is 2000 miles from Hawaii,
by sea!
A: The story of the settlement of Hawaii is truly
remarkable. According to some experts, the
first immigrants to Hawaii from Tahiti and other
islands arrived around the year 400. That’s 1300
years before the first known European contact
with Hawaii. Those first Polynesian fisherman and
explorers built canoes—simple boats—with the
most basic materials. To find out more about these
people, we spoke with John Rooks, the director of
the Hawaiian History Museum.
C: The Polynesians probably built their boats from tree
trunks. We think that they would chop down a tree
and then cut a canoe from the center of the tree. Then,
they used coconut fibers and tree sap to fill holes.
The brilliant part of the construction was the idea to
tie two trees together to form a double canoe—again,
with wood and coconuts. This made the boats more
stable so that they could travel these huge distances.
A: But how did these earlier migrants navigate? How did
they find their way to Hawaii without getting lost?
C: These explorers had amazing knowledge of
navigation. They used the sun, the stars, and the
winds. They memorized distances and directions.
They sailed across thousands of miles of empty sea.
It’s an amazing achievement.
A: There is another source of information about the first
people of Hawaii: the stories, myths, and legends
of the Hawaiian people themselves. According to
Hawaiian tradition, the father of the Hawaiian Islands
was a man called Hawai’i Loa. He was born on an
island far from what we now know as Hawaii. But
Hawai’i Loa was a famous fisherman, and he traveled
far across the sea. One day, he discovered an island
with many trees, fruits, and vegetables. He gave the
island his name—Hawaii—and brought his wife and
children to live with him. To this day some of the
other islands in the Hawaiian group of islands carry
the names of Hawai’i Loa’s family members.
Coming up on Mass Migrations, we’ll look at some
research that may lead to new theories of how the
Hawaiian Islands were populated.
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 11
A = Museum Docent, B = Visitor 1, C = Visitor 2
A: OK, everyone, if you’d like to come over here to
our next exhibit. OK, so we’re continuing to learn
about the history of the home computer. Now, does
anyone recognize this amazing machine? No? Well,
anyone who grew up in Britain in the 1980s would
immediately recognize this. It’s the famous BBC
Microcomputer. You’ve all heard of the BBC, right?
B: Of course, it’s the television company in England.
A: Right, the British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC
is Britain’s national, state-run television and radio
network.
C: So why did a TV station make a computer?
A: That’s a really interesting story. It starts in the
early 1980s. BBC television showed a program
called “The Mighty Micro” in which a professor,
his name was Dr. Christopher Evans, he predicted
the importance of the microcomputer—what
we today just call the computer or the personal
computer. Now, you have to remember that in 1980,
there were no computers in homes, in schools,
in libraries. Computers were big and expensive,
so they still weren’t something that a family or
a student would go out and buy. But Dr. Evans
made a prediction—a guess about the future. He
predicted that computers were going to get smaller.
Technology was making it possible to build a whole
computer in a box that could fit on your desk.
That’s why the first home computers were called
“microcomputers”—“micro” meaning “small.”
OK, so Evans argued that the microcomputer was
going to change everything, and that Britain’s
children needed to learn how to use a computer in
order to be prepared for the future.
Now, it just so happened that a lot of important
people watched that program, and Evan’s predictions
caught the attention of many people in Britain. In fact,
even the British Parliament—the government—ended
up discussing the program and Evan’s predictions.
So the BBC decided to start a new project: to
build a computer that was affordable, but that had
lots of functions—text, graphics, sound, music,
programming, even artificial intelligence. The BBC
planned to sell its microcomputer to homes and
especially schools around the country.
C: So the BBC made the actual computer?
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A: No, actually they didn’t. The BBC was… and still
is… in the business of making television and radio
programs, not computers. So they wanted to find a
computer company that could make the computer
and put the BBC’s name on it. In Cambridge,
England—home to the famous, old university—a
small company called Acorn heard about the project.
It just so happened that Acorn was already making
its first computer, but it wasn’t quite finished yet.
The Acorn employees worked through the night and
finished that first computer. It was called the Proton.
They showed their brand new creation to the BBC
and won the contract. It’s really an amazing story of a
small company beating all the bigger corporations.
The first BBC computer—they called it the model
A—came out in 1981, and the model B came out not
too long afterward. And that’s the computer you
can see here—the BBC Model B Microcomputer.
The computer was an immediate success, mainly
because schools in Britain bought many of them to
teach computer skills to students.
B: Excuse me, what could you do with a computer like
this? I mean, what was it capable of?
A: Well, the Beeb—that’s the nickname for the BBC
Model B Microcomputer—was an amazing computer
for its time. You could write programs, draw pictures
in 8 colors, write music. The computer could even
speak words in English! And you could play games.
Today you would find them very simple, but they
were pretty cool in the early 80s.
There was also a lot of educational software—
programs that taught children English, math,
science, and history. Math teachers loved the BBC
Buggy—a robot that you could control using a
BBC computer. And of course you could use the
computer for word-processing. It was really new for
most kids to type their essays and then print them.
It was very exciting.
B: Was the BBC computer used in elementary schools?
A: Eventually, yes, but not at first. I have British
friends who first used this computer when they
were in middle or high school.
Things have certainly changed, right? I mean
nowadays some children are using computers even
before they go to elementary school!
Ok, any more questions before we move on to the
next exhibit?
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Open Forum 1
Web Site Transcript
Chapter 12
A = Attorney
B = Mr. Brenton
A: Good afternoon, Mr. Brenton. Welcome to our offices.
I’m glad you could come in and talk in person.
B: How are you? Yeah, I took the morning off to come
in and speak with you.
A: Good. So I read the email you sent me, but maybe
we should just review the situation. Why don’t you
tell me what’s going on.
B: Sure. Here’s the situation. Around ten months ago,
we—my wife and I—we hired a company… a small
construction company to remodel our bathroom.
You know, they put in a new floor, new walls, a new
shower. Basically, they made our old bathroom look
brand new.
A: OK.
B: So, we were happy with the work, at first. But once
our family started using the shower, we noticed
that it was leaking water. Water was coming out
onto the floor.
A: So did you call the company back in to repair it?
B: Sure. Of course. They came back in and fixed it… or
so we thought. They did some work on it, but it still
continued to leak. So…
A: One second. What’s the name of this construction
company?
B: Advanced Builders. Advanced Builders,
Incorporated. The owner is a man by the name of
Steven Collins.
A: OK. Sorry to interrupt you. Go on. So what did you
do at that point?
B: Well, we called these guys back in. In fact, we went
through this three times. They’d come back in, work
on the bathroom, and we thought it was fine. But
then a couple of days later the problem would start
again. Water all over the bathroom floor.
A: Hm.
B: Finally, the last time they came, they really seemed
to have fixed it. I mean, it seemed like the problem
was gone. And we were thrilled.
A: But let me guess: you weren’t thrilled for very long.
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B: Exactly. Here we are several months later, and it
turns out that water is leaking through the bathroom
floor and into our kitchen directly downstairs.
A: Not good.
B: Yeah, it looks like we have serious water damage
now in our bathroom floor and in our kitchen
ceiling. I mean, part of the ceiling looks like it’s
going to drop any second.
A: OK. Let me ask you a few questions. Did you or
your wife sign a contract with this company…
before they started working? I mean, did you sign a
written agreement with them?
B: Yes, we did. I have it here, with me.
A: Good, and did you pay them already, in full for the
remodeling work.
B: Yeah. We paid them as soon as it looked like the
work was done, before we found out about the leak.
A: OK. And did they give you a receipt for the payment.
B: Yes, they did. I have that here too.
A: Alright, now I’m assuming that you don’t want this
same company to come back in and try to fix the
problem again.
B: No way. I mean, we’ve given them plenty of
chances to fix it already, and they couldn’t do it.
We’d like to get someone else in to fix it. But I don’t
think I should have to pay for that. I mean, we paid
this company to do the work to begin with.
A: Right. Here’s the process we need to follow. First
of all, Advanced Builders is responsible for the
problem. They’re liable. And you’re right—you
shouldn’t have to pay for the repairs.
The first thing you need to do is call another
construction company. Call someone else and ask
him to inspect the damage in your bathroom and
have him give you an estimate for the work—a
written statement of how much the job will cost.
How much he would charge you to make the
repairs. And please fax that estimate to me.
Once I receive it, I’ll write a letter to Mr. Collins, the
owner of Advanced Builders, explaining that you
plan to have your bathroom repaired, it will cost this
much, and you expect him—Mr. Collins—to pay for
it. OK? So just make sure you leave his address with
me. I’ll send you a copy of the letter as well.
continues on next page
© Oxford University Press 2007
 Now, if Mr. Collins agrees to pay for the repairs,
then it’s all very simple. We’ll receive a check from
him, and you can hire someone to do the work.
But if Collins refuses to pay the estimated amount
for the repairs, then you’ll have to go to court.
B: Oh great. The last thing I want to do is go to court. I
just want the problem fixed.
A: I understand that. And I’m hoping to avoid court
altogether. But it all depends on their response. For
now, get me the information I need, and I’ll write
the letter.
B: Alright. I’ll do that. Thanks very much.
A: No problem, Mr. Brenton. We’ll get this all worked
out.

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