Eight Situations: Out and About

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Situation 1: 1. You hear a man talking to some people. What is the purpose of his talk? A. To show people how to work faster B. To welcome new employees C. To convince people to join his company The reason I like loosely defined deadlines is because I know that the work we do here cannot be rushed. In other words, you can’t force someone to come up with a good ad just because you need one by lunchtime. My experience here has taught me that there are days when you will struggle to write a single sentence and there are days when things will just flow from your pen with almost no effort. Anyway, I promised I’d keep this short, so great to have you all aboard and wish you a productive and enjoyable time here at Apple Advertising. I now hand you over to... The reason I like loosely defined deadlines is because I know that the work we do here cannot be rushed. In other words, you can’t force someone to come up with a good ad just because you need one by lunchtime. My experience here has taught me that there are days when you will struggle to write a single sentence and there are days when things will just flow from your pen with almost no effort. Anyway, I promised I’d keep this short, so great to have you all aboard and wish you a productive and enjoyable time here at Apple Advertising. I now hand you over to...

Situation 2: Two. You hear two people talking in an office. What happened to the man? A. He was on holiday. B. He has been working from home. C. He had an accident. Oh, hi, Alan. Welcome back. Hello, Susie. Good to see you. How are you feeling? Well, a little uncomfortable having to walk around with this thing on my neck, but basically okay. That’s good. So is that you back at work now? Pretty much. To tell you the truth, I missed this place. I was going mad being at home all day. I bet you were. How Julia and the children. Tara said they were in the car too when it happened. Oh, they’re fine. I was the only one who was hurt, thankfully. Yeah, anyway. Good to see you back. Thanks, Susie. Oh, hi, Alan. Welcome back. Hello, Susie. Good to see you. How are you feeling? Well, a little uncomfortable having to walk around with this thing on my neck, but basically okay. That’s good. So is that you back at work now? Pretty much. To tell you the truth, I missed this place. I was going mad being at home all day. I bet you were. How Julia and the children. Tara said they were in the car too when it happened. Oh, they’re fine. I was the only one who was hurt, thankfully. Yeah, anyway. Good to see you back. Thanks, Susie.

Situation 3: Three. You are listening to a weather report on the radio. What will a weather be like tomorrow? A. Rainy all over the country. B. Dry, but very cold in the south. C. Mostly sunny with occasional rain. And here’s a summary of tomorrow’s weather. A bright start all over the country with frost, mostly in the west, but scattered clouds will blow in from the northwest before noon. And there will probably be patchy rain over much of Scotland and Cumbria. Mostly dry with bright or sunny spells in central, south and southeast England, the odd mild shower in the south and southwest. Temperatures will range from 7 to 16 degrees Celsius, so it will feel less cold than of late, especially in the sunshine. And here’s a summary of tomorrow’s weather. A bright start all over the country with frost, mostly in the west, but scattered clouds will blow in from the northwest before noon. And there will probably be patchy rain over much of Scotland and Cumbria. Mostly dry with bright or sunny spells in central, south and southeast England, the odd mild shower in the south and southwest. Temperatures will range from 7 to 16 degrees Celsius, so it will feel less cold than of late, especially in the sunshine.

Situation 4: 4. You hear a man talking on the radio. How does he feel? A. Puzzled. B. Angry. C. Sad. I can’t for the life of me understand why kids do that sort of thing. I mean what pleasure can anyone get by smashing a phone box or slinging a rock at a street lamp? Look, I’m not one of those people who think that teenagers are the cause of every problem society faces. I used to be a teenager too, and I used to get up to all sorts of mischief, but even today. If you asked me why did you do that, I’d be able to tell you. There was fun to be had out of it. But this aggression, this vandalism, I just don’t understand it. Where’s the fun in breaking things? I can’t for the life of me understand why kids do that sort of thing. I mean what pleasure can anyone get by smashing a phone box or slinging a rock at a street lamp? Look, I’m not one of those people who think that teenagers are the cause of every problem society faces. I used to be a teenager too, and I used to get up to all sorts of mischief, but even today. If you asked me why did you do that, I’d be able to tell you. There was fun to be had out of it. But this aggression, this vandalism, I just don’t understand it. Where’s the fun in breaking things?

Situation 5: Five. You hear a man and a woman talking. Where are they? A. In a library. B. In a bookshop. C. In a computer shop. So, what’s this new computerized search system like? Well, it’s certainly easier to use than I thought it would be. I mean, I thought that you’d have to know loads of stuff about computers to use it, but it’s quite user friendly. So how do you search? There’s nothing to it. Look. You just type in the title or the author of the book you’re looking for, and there. It returns the books code and the number of the shelf you’ll find it on. It even tells you if it’s on loan or reserved. Clever. Isn’t it? So, what’s this new computerized search system like? Well, it’s certainly easier to use than I thought it would be. I mean, I thought that you’d have to know loads of stuff about computers to use it, but it’s quite user friendly. So how do you search? There’s nothing to it. Look. You just type in the title or the author of the book you’re looking for, and there. It returns the books code and the number of the shelf you’ll find it on. It even tells you if it’s on loan or reserved. Clever. Isn’t it?

Situation 6: 6. You are at a lecture. When is it taking place? A. During the fourth week of the course? B. During the first week of the course? C. During the last week of the course? And if you turn to page four of the booklet that I’ve just handed out, you’ll find an analytical outline of the course with exact times and locations for all seminars and tutorials, as well as deadlines for submission of essays. But enough of the preliminaries. Let’s get on with our introductory discussion, which will focus on the definition of the term humanism. When we use the term humanism, we refer to a variety of beliefs, methods, and philosophies that focus on people and their everyday lives. It’s a widely used term in many disciplines. And if you turn to page four of the booklet that I’ve just handed out, you’ll find an analytical outline of the course with exact times and locations for all seminars and tutorials, as well as deadlines for submission of essays. But enough of the preliminaries. Let’s get on with our introductory discussion, which will focus on the definition of the term humanism. When we use the term humanism, we refer to a variety of beliefs, methods, and philosophies that focus on people and their everyday lives. It’s a widely used term in many disciplines.

Situation 7: 7. You hear this announcement on the radio. What is happening on the M6? A. No traffic is allowed on it. B. Traffic is heavily congested. C. There have been several accidents. There are long delays on the M6, heading south after a truck overturned and caught fire earlier this morning between junctions 12 and 13. Only one lane of that part of the motorway is currently in use. The truck driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Motorists are advised to avoid using this part of the M6, and police have sign-posted alternative routes in the area for that purpose. There are long delays on the M6, heading south after a truck overturned and caught fire earlier this morning between junctions 12 and 13. Only one lane of that part of the motorway is currently in use. The truck driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Motorists are advised to avoid using this part of the M6, and police have sign-posted alternative routes in the area for that purpose.

Situation 8: 8. You hear this conversation between a man and a woman. Why has the man gone to see the woman? A. To ask for advice about his career? B. To tell her about his wife’s problem? C. To get help with the health problem. How’s Julie? Busy as ever. She’s considering doing a project in Leeds. I see. Does that mean you’ll be moving? Oh no. She’ll only be there for five weeks or so. Then she’s back in her office. She does get about, doesn’t she? She loves it. Says it’s the best part of her job. Say hello from me, OK? Sure. Now, shall we have a look at that shoulder of yours? Yeah. It’s been giving me a little bit of pain again this week. Hmm. Does this hurt? No, not really. Ouch. That does. Sorry. How’s Julie? Busy as ever. She’s considering doing a project in Leeds. I see. Does that mean you’ll be moving? Oh no. She’ll only be there for five weeks or so. Then she’s back in her office. She does get about, doesn’t she? She loves it. Says it’s the best part of her job. Say hello from me, OK? Sure. Now, shall we have a look at that shoulder of yours? Yeah. It’s been giving me a little bit of pain again this week. Hmm. Does this hurt? No, not really. Ouch. That does. Sorry.