听力录音材料：
(Text 1)
W: So I turn left at the traffic lights, right?
M: Yeah. Then keep walking until you reach the post office. You can’t miss it.
(Text 2)
M: How was the job interview? I think you’ll make a good reporter.
W: Unfortunately, they were looking for people with plenty of experience.
(Text 3)
M: I hope the weather is nice this weekend so I can go and play basketball.
W: I heard that the weather should be good. It’s not very likely to rain.
M: Hopefully, we’ll both have good weekends.
(Text 4)
W: Can you say something on the matter? After all, you are the only person who knows what really happened.
M: That’s quite true. I think I can give something valuable.
W: So when did it happen?
M: About ten o’clock in the morning.
(Text 5)
W: Alan, have you got a meeting in Edinburgh?
M: Yes, I’m going to see some leaders from headquarters. Why?
W: I’m going to visit Glasgow on Wednesday, and it’s quite near Edinburgh.
M: Ah … I’m going to drive there tomorrow, so you can go with me.
(Text 6)
W: Darling, you look so pale.
M: I just got some bad news today.
W: What happened, Tony?
M: Today my boss called me into his office and told me they had to dismiss me. That means I’m out of work now.
W: Oh, that’s terrible! You really liked working there!
M: Yeah. This is so sudden, and I have so much to do in the company.
W: OK, well, the past is the past. Just think about what you should do next.
M: Well, I’ve already started thinking about that, and tomorrow I have some interviews.
W: Oh, that’s wonderful, darling.
(Text 7)
W: Hello! Is that the front desk? M: Yes. May I help you?
W: This is Room 117, and we have just checked in. M: Yes?
W: Our room hasn’t been cleaned up yet. Could you please send one of your cleaners to clean our room?
M: Oh, I’m very sorry, ma’am. We’ll send someone right away, probably in five minutes or so. Your room number again and your name, please?
W: Our room number is 117, and my name is Helen Chen.
M: Thank you. I’ll send someone right now.
W: Thank you. Could you please ask them to come as soon as possible? We’d like to leave for the museum in 20 minutes.
(Text 8)
W: What is it like living in the campus housing?
M: I live in a two-bedroom house in a three-story apartment. It’s not so bad as I thought it would be. The freshmen that live nearby are really noisy, especially on weekends, but the rent is much cheaper than private housing, so it’s worth it.
W: Do you have to pay any fees besides your monthly rent?
M: No, everything is included, and students don’t have to pay state tax, so we’re saving quite a bit of money living here. Oh, just one thing — we have to pay a little extra money for water.
W: How long are you going to stay there, do you think?
M: That’s the bad thing — the rent ends in June, so we’ll have to find a new apartment soon.
W: Have you started looking yet?
M: Not yet. I’m hoping we’ll be able to find something cheap once all the students leave the city in the summer.
(Text 9)
M: Hi, Anna! It’s been such a long time since the last time we met. Have you thought of moving at all?
W: We’ve thought about it, but my husband and I can’t afford it right now.
M: Buying a house can be expensive, but there are ways to find cheaper houses.
W: Like what?
M: Well, you can definitely save money if you buy a house far from the city center.
W: That’s a good idea.
M: Yeah. My sister-in-law and her husband just bought a house like that.
W: Is the house in bad shape?
M: Not at all. The woman who owned it took really good care of it, but when she died, she had no family left, so the government sold it for her.
W: Was it a very old house?
M: It was about 75 years old. It needed a few repairs, but it didn’t take a lot of money or time.
W: Is it in a good location?
M: The area can be a bit rough in the evening, but the neighbors watch out for each other, so it’s OK.
(Text 10) (W)
Nowadays there are so many animals out there making people’s lives happier. Dogs are the best examples. As the saying goes, “a dog is a man’s best friend” — and many people have found this to be very true. Many dogs will do anything their owners ask them to do. Dogs not only entertain people, but sometimes can actually help to do some work. However, our dog, Rex, is another story. Every time he wanted to come into the garden he would bark until someone opened the gate. After the neighbors complained about the noise, my husband spent several weeks training Rex to use his paw to press the gate handle and let himself in. Rex soon became an expert at opening the gate. However, when I was going out shopping last week, I noticed him in the garden near the gate, barking so that someone would let him out! We soon found that he had developed another bad habit. After he opened the gate from the outside, he would come into the garden and wait until the gate shut. Then he would sit and bark until someone let him out. Yesterday my husband removed the gate, and Rex got so annoyed that we have not seen him since.
