UNIT 5 Choose to be alone on purpose UNDERSTANDING SHORT CONVERSATIONS 1. M: Do you mean you once lived alone in that hotel? W: Yeah. M: What was your life like before you were introduced to this center for the old? W: Oh, it was a nightmare. I wasnt sick, but I was acting sick. Every day was the same - I would just lie on my bed and maybe cook up some soup. Q: What does the woman mean?2. W: Mr. Jones has been living all by himself for four years since his wife died. M: Yes. And he is 71 already. W: You know, he used to be very talkative. I wonder how he can endure the solitude. M: Well, I hear he goes to The Brighter Side - Rockfords Day Care Center for the elderly - and meets other elderly people there. Q What is the conversation about?3. W: You always seem to be busy. How did you find time to write that book and make it a best-seller? M: Well, I worked on it for a stretch of 14 days during the last Christmas holidays. W Didnt you stay with your family? M: My parents and my brother were traveling in Thailand at that time. So I had more time for the book. Q: What does the man mean?4. W: Traveling is a real delight. But I wonder why you prefer traveling alone. M: It can make you understand what absolute freedom means - without the company of friends or family. W: Mm. I see your point. I may have a try someday. Q: What does the woman think of the mans idea?5. M: Im going to take a trip by myself next week. W: But what about your wife Jenny? M: Shell go with her friends - Mary and Helen perhaps. We read an article the other day, you know, and decided to try out the idea ourselves. W: Whats it about? M: In fact, what impressed us most in the article were the words printed on a rock at Taiwans most famous resort Sun Moon Lake. One tourist wrote, Came with my wife, had a lovely time. And beside it someone wrote later, Came without my wife, had a far better time. Q: What can be learned from the conversation? 6. M: I can hardly imagine myself living alone all my life. W: Its not easy. You might be faced with difficulties concerning food or accommodation. And some peoples hostile criticisms can be very embarrassing. M: Whats more, you might feel lonely and frustrated when you are advanced in years. Q: Which of the following is not a problem of living alone according to the conversation? 7. W: It seems that loneliness has become a national disease in the United States, dont you think? M: Yes, thats true. When youre alone, you sometimes want to lose the feeling of separateness and belong to something larger and more powerful than the weak, lonely self. W: So the sense of moral isolation is unbearable. Q: What is the conversation about? W: Youve been in New York for two months. What about your new life there? M: Not bad. I like the job, only I feel lonely sometimes. W Thats nothing new. Loneliness is common among people living in cities, and it even affects children. I can still remember the words of a 12-year-old girl. She said, .for a long time, I have just been an I person. All people belong to a We except me. Not belonging to a We makes you too lonely. M: Well, there must be something unnatural about it. Q: Whats the mans problem living in New York? 9. M: So many people choose to live alone nowadays. What do you think of that? W: Well, some of them love such kind of lifestyle while some others don t. M: It cant be easy anyway. You must be prepared to face difficulties all by yourself. W: Yeah. But if you are alone and enjoying life all the while, you have mastered an art of a high degree. Q: What does the woman mean?10. W: Do you often watch foreign movies? M: Yes, quite often, especially Hollywood movies. I admire those American heroes in them. W: What are the characteristics of an American hero in your opinion? M: Urn. he chooses to be alone. He may explore wild areas, fight against crimes or other things without the company of others. Thats only one characteristic among many, but thats the very thing that strikes me most. Q: What characteristic of an American hero impresses the man most deeply?11. M: It suddenly occurred to me yesterday why there arent many art schools in the United States. W: Why is that, do you think? M: You see, the Europeans are generally secure in their family ties and rigid class faithfulness, so the European artists tend to form groups. But the Americans usually seek out things as individuals alone. Thats to say, American artists are often independent-minded. Q: Why arent there many schools of art in America according to the man?12. W: My friends are all busy now, so I have to spend the whole morning alone. M: But you can still find pleasure in solitude. W: Do you mean you can enjoy yourself without