学 海 无 涯 UNIT ONE THE TEMPTATION OF A RESPECTABLE WOMAN UNDERSTANDING SHORT CONVERSATIONS 1 M What s your family like Emma W Well my parents are separated but my father lives near us My mother is a middle aged woman She works as a chemical engineer for a drug company Q How do Emma s parents get along 2 W I have to go downtown tomorrow morning to have my spring dresses fitted M Don t you have other clothes to wear W No none of them fit and I can t even button up my dresses I think I need some new clothes M Maybe you should first think about doing more exercises and losing weight and then worry about your new clothes Q What does the man suggest the woman do 3 M Robert talks a great deal about moving from his present home in New York to a plantation in the South W But that is the same thing he has been saying since he moved there six years ago Q What can we learn from the conversation 4 W How long has your friend been at your home M About 10 days W Did he have a good time M Yeah It seemed as if he just got here when it was time for him to say good bye W It is certainly a pleasure to see him again and renew old memories M Well we talked about college days when we had been best friends and when we used to have SO many ambitions Q What can be learned about the man and his friend 5 W What happened to you You look really happy M My wife voluntarily proposed to invite my best friend to our family party W Didn t your wife like your friend M No at first she found him a terrible nuisance but she has finally overcome her dislike for him Q What does the man mean 6 M So you have finally decided to end your teaching career Lucy W Yes It has been driving me crazy My health doesn t permit me to cope with such a heavy workload at the moment That s why I decided to go to Australia to take a rest M Oh I see So that s why you ve been so quiet recently Your periods of silence were not your basic nature but the result of moods You really need a change Q What can we know about the woman 学 海 无 涯 7 M I heard just last week that Vicky had got married W Vicky married I can t believe it Remember how she always said that marriage wasn t her choice M But I also heard that Vicky left her husband just two days after their marriage W What M When her husband arose in the morning Vicky had already gone without even saying farewell A porter had carried her trunk to the station and she had taken all early morning train to another city Q What can we learn about Vicky from the conversation 8 W Do you know who that man is M Which one W The one in casual clothes M Oh that s David Smith He s the one who just moved into the apartment W Oh really He looks kind of interesting Q What does the woman think of David Smith 9 W Do you know anything about Henry M That name sounds familiar but I m not sure W He s from New Zealand He works for IBM M Have you spoken to him What s he like W He seems to be a very nice man He s very friendly and he s got a good sense of humor They say he s a man of wit 0 what can be learned about Henry 10 M Did you hear that Mr and Mrs Brown went to Singapore for a vacation last month W Yeah Did they enjoy themselves M It s hard to say When they got there they couldn t get a room in a good hotel W That s too bad But they really should have made a reservation for a room earlier Q What can be drawn from the conversation 11 M You know Martin Although we ve been in the same office for many years I ve never been able to figure him out silence in which he has unconsciously covered himself but Q What does the man mean 12 W Have you made your peace with your wife yet M I ve certainly tried but she refused to talk to me last night And when I arose this morning she had already left for her aunt s W When will she return M Haven t the slightest idea Q What happened between the man and his wife 13 M What is it like to live here 学 海 无 涯 W It s terrible It used to be quieter when I went to school here I still remember that I often sat alone on the bench that stood beneath an oak tree at the edge of the trail M And nothing disturbed you W Yeah Being alone there my thoughts quickly flew this way and that Q What does the woman imply 14 W When my husband s friend Bob visited us I just left them alone for the most part M Why W Because he was so different from other people and I couldn t understand him M Did he notice your absence W No he didn t Sometimes 1 imposed my company upon him accompanying him in his idle walks to the mill M Did he want you to accompany him W No that was the last thing he would desire Q What does the woman mean 15 W Peter is a quiet boy He seldom says a thing M Well let me tell you His brother Tom is just the opposite Q What kind of a person is Tom 16 M Do you often see our fellow students W I did for a while until I left university but after that not really M Yeah I ve lost touch with most people as well but I still see Peggy occasionally W Oh yeah How s she getting on M Ok I suppose but she s had a rough time in the last few ye