Unit 1. A day in the life of

Unit 1: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF
Hello everyone, I am Lam. I’m a cyclo driver in Ho Chi Minh city. I usually have a busy working day. I get up at five thirty in the morning. I start work at 6. my first passenger is usually an old man. I take him from district 1 to district 5. After I drop him at a café near HCM city College of Education, I pedal to Thai Binh market. My next passenger is a lady who goes shopping their every two days. I help her put all of her purchases into the cyclo and then I take her to her shop in Tran Hung Dao street. At about 10:30 I ride off towards Nguyen Thi Minh Khai school. There, I park my cyclo, chat with some of my fellows, and wait for my third passengers. They are two school pupils, a girl and a boy. I take them home. At twelve, I have lunch at a food stall near Ben Thanh market. After lunch, I park my cyclo under a tree, take a short rest and then continue my afternoon’s work.
Unit 2: SCHOOL TALKS
Conversation 1:
A: So, what are you taking this semester, Lan?
B: Well, I’m taking English.
A: Me too. Whose class are you in?
B: Miss Lan Phuong’s.
A: How do you like the class?
B: I really enjoy it.
Conversation 2:
A: Are you enjoying yourself, Nam?
B: Yes, I am.
A: Would you like me to get you something to drink?
B: Not right now, thanks.
Conversation 3:
A: Son, How do you like the weather in Nha Trang?
B: Oh, It’s great.
A: So, when did you get here?
B: I arrived yesterday.
A: How long are you going to stay?
B: For a week.
A: Do you want to go for a swim?
B: Sure.
Conversation 4:
A: Hoa, how do you like it here?
B: It’s very nice. The hotel is big and the room is comfortable.
A: Are you traveling with your friends?
B: No. I’m traveling alone.
A: Would you like to go somewhere for a drink?
B: That’s great.
Unit 3: PEOPLE’S BACKGROUND
Bob: Congratulations! You are now the Olympic Champion.
Sally: Thanks! Yes, I’m very happy.
Bob: Our readers want to know all about you.
Sally: That’s nice. Well, ask me your questions.
Bob: First of all, tell me something about yourself.
Sally: Well, I was born in 1980. I got a general education at local schools and when I was 15 joined the Star Sports Club near my home.
Bob: Where is your home?
Sally: In Manchester.
Bob: I see. And do you live alone?
Sally: No, I live with my family, my parents and two brothers.
Bob: What do you like to do in your free time?
Sally: Well, I don’t have much free time, but I like different sports – basketball and swimming, for example - and just sitting at home and reading.
Bob: What sort of books do you like?
Sally: Oh, love stories – romantic books.
Bob: And what do you want to be in the future?
Sally: I want to be a sports teacher. I’m a student at college. I want to get my teacher’s diploma.
Bob: I see. Now tell me…
Unit 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION
If you ask any member of the Vang Trang Khuyet club which time of the day they enjoy most, and they will all agree: their photography lesson.
The Vang Trang Khuyet club’s members come freom the Nhan Chinh school for Deaf Children, Xa Dan secondary school for Deaf and Mute Children, and the Hanoi Literature and Art Club for Mentally Retarded Children.
“Whenever we hold a camera, wandering around and taking in our surrounding through a lens, we can forget the sorrow of our disabilities, “says club member Nguyen Minh Tam.
The six-month-old photography club, which comprises 19 deaf, mute or mentally retarded children, is now having its first exhibition in Hanoi.
More that 50 color photos are on display at the exhibition room featuring the beauty of daily life seen through the eyes of these disabled children. The subjects are simple and peaceful: old men reading books on the sides of Hoan Kiem lake, laborers hard at work or chicken looking for food.
The children’s passion for taking pictures has stimulated them and helped them escape their sorrow.
Unit 5: TECHNOLOGY AND YOU
Well, I wasn’t worried when my son bought a computer. After all lots of children have parents who don’t understand computers. But when my secretary asked me for a computer in the office, I really became worried. So I decided to take some lessons in computing and my son became my teacher. He was very helpful. He invited me to sit down in front of the computer screen. I did not know what it was called. When I asked him what it was, he said it was a VDU, I still didn’t know what VDU was, but I was too shy to ask him anymore. From that moment my memory refused to learn because he told me a lot of things that I really didn’t understand at all. After a few lessons, I began to feel tired. I made an excuse, saying that I had a headache. I suggested we should leave the lesson for another day. Since then I haven’t said anything about the computer to my son and my secretary.
Unit 6: AN EXCURSION
The weekend picnic I enjoyed most was a few weeks ago. My class decided to pay a visit to the Botanical garden. It was a glorious Sunday. We met at the school gate on time and travelled to the Botanical Garden by bus. It was a long way to our destination and we sang merrily all the way. The Botanical Garden was a very beautiful place. We made a short tour round the garden and took some pictures of the whole class. Then we played a lot of game on a spacious piece of grassland. One of the boy brought along his guitar and we sang our favourite songs. We laughed, talked and danced, too. After a delicious meal with various kinds of food that we brought, we all (7) took a rest. Some of us slept very soundly because it was so peaceful and quiet there. In the afternoon, we went on playing some more games. Then we packed up the left-overs and returned home. We all felt happy
Unit 7 THE MASS MEDIA
The time is 7:00 and here is news summary.
Heavy rain during the night has caused floods all over the country today. Many people have left their homes because rivers have risen. Some roads in the north-west are under two meters of water. The rain has stopped at a moment, but it’s still cloudy and there’s a strong wind. Because of the bad weather, people can’t go out to work.
A ninety-year-old woman has climbed mount Whitney in California for the twenty third time. At 4418 metres, mount Whitney is the highest mountain in California. The woman says the view from the top is wonderful, so she tries to climb it often. She also says that the mountain has kept her young and healthy. In spite of her old age, the woman tries to climb the mountain very often.
Unit 8 THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE
Popffero used to be a small quiet town on a south coast of England. But this has become a crowded to busy tourist resort now. They’ve completely destroyed its old atmosphere. The small old houses have been pulled down, and tall buildings have been put there instead. They’ve also built a big hotel in the middle of the town. The narrow streets have been widened and resurfaced, so all the big trees on the two sides of the streets have been cut down. The large area of grass land in the suburbs of the town has been turned into an ugly car park. Even the old corner shop isn’t there anymore. It has been replaced by a big department store. And there is an expensive restaurant where they used to be an old tea shop. Many people Popffero are happy with the changes. As there are more jobs for them. But some people don’t like the changes; they miss the quiet and peaceful life of the old town.
Unit 9 UNDERSEA WORLD
Whales are mammals that live their entire lives in the water. Some whales are huge. The blue whale, for example, grows 30 meters in length and over 200 tons in weight. It is the largest animal that has ever lived on earth. Whales may also be the most intelligent animals in the ocean.
Whales like to feed in the cold oceans where there is a lot of krill – their favorite food. Cold waters in the North and South Pacific are good feeding grounds for whales. Some whales are known to migrate into warm waters to bear the calves.
Whale populations decrease quickly due to heavy hunting pressure. Conservation groups have asked the international whaling commission to stop most whaling. However, native American hunters, such as the Eskimos, are still allowed to hunt a limited number of whales to feed their communities. If no effective measures were taken to protect whales, these wonderful animals would disappear forever
Unit 10 CONSERVATION
Have you ever seen a forest destroyed by fire? A great forest fire is an awful thing to see. Once a fire has started it spread quickly. Forester says that late summer is the season when a fire is the greatest danger to woods and forests. They are very dry then. Sometimes when the danger of fire is very great, foresters will not allow anyone to go into the forests.
If people leave a campfire burning near a heap of leaves, this often causes a forest fire. Campers must remember to put out their campfires and cover the place with earth. It is the duty of every camper to take the greatest care not to start a forest fire.
Anyone careless enough to start a forest fire has done something, which makes life more difficult for all of us. Every fire destroys valuable wood, wildlife, and good soil. Every one of us must know how important it is to care out great forest and save them from fire
Unit 11 NATIONAL PARKS
Cuc Phuong, the first national park in Vietnam, was officially opened in 1960. It is located 160 km southwest of Hanoi spanning Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces. The 200 square kilometer park attracts tourists and scientists alike. In 2002, nearly 100000 visitors made their ways to Cuc Phuong. Many come to see the work being done to protect endangered species. According to scientists, there are about 2000 different species of flora and 450 species of fauna.
Cuc Phuong National Park has many caves. Quen Voi, also part of the park is where Nguyen Hue’s army was stationed before it made its surprise attack on Thang Long and defeated the Quing invaders in the spring of 1789.
Cuc Phuong is also home to the Muong ethnic minority, who live mainly on bee keeping and farming
Unit 12 MUSIC
Lan Huong: Hello, I`m Lan HUONG .Our programme is "my favorite musicia". Now our guest tonight is Quang Hung, the well-known actor .welcome to the programme, Quang Hung.
Quang Hung: Thanks, Lan Huong.
Lan Huong: Now Quang Hung, can you tell us about the Vietnamese musician you like best, please?
Quang Hung: Sure. Recently, there have been quite a few good musicians; their songs are very popular and easy to listen to.
Lan Huong: do you like them?
Quang Hung: well, I do like some of them .but I think the best Vietnamese musician of all time is Van Cao. He is really my favorite musician.
Lan Huong: Van Cao, the author of "Tien Quan Ca"? Well can you tell us why you like him?
Quang Hung: he s` a great musician .just listen to "Tien Quan Ca" .whenever I hear it, I want to stand up and sing out as loud as possible .It’s hard and solemn. And I always feel proud of my country when I hear it.
Lan Huong: that s` true. It’s very rousing. Do you know when he wrote it?
Quang Hung: in 1994
Lan Huong: Do you like any other songs by Van Cao?
Quang Hung: Oh, yes, lots of them, especially the songs about rural life in Vietnam. They are sweet and gentle and very lyrical.
Lan Huong: Well, let me see if we can play one of the songs for you.
Unit 13 FILMS AND CINEMA
Lan: Hi Huong, titanic is on at Thang tam Cinema next week. Can you go with me on Wednesday?
Hương: Wednesday? Sorry Lan. I have lots of work to do during the day and I’m going to the singing club at night. Can we go on Thursday, instead?
Lan: I don’t think so. I’m going to visit my grandparents on Thursday.
Hương: Well, what about Monday? I suppose you are free on Monday.
Lan: No, sorry. I’m going to see a play with Tuyet on Monday. What about Friday?
Hương: Sorry lan. Friday is not a good time for me. I’m taking Chinese classes on Fridays. How does your weekend look like, lan?
Lan: Um… I’m busy on Saturday. But I’m free the whole day Sunday.
Hương: I’m going on a picnic to Hoa Lu with some of my friends on Sunday. I’ll be back late at night.
Lan: well, I guess that we just leave… Uh, wait a second, what day are we both free, Huong?
Unit 14 THE WORLD CUP
Pelé is considered one of the greatest football players of all time. He was born in 1940 in Brazil. As a football player, Pelé was famous for his powerful kicking and controlling the ball. He joined a Brazilian football club in 1956, and in 1962 he led the team to its first world club championship. Pelé became the only player to participate in three World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970. By 1974, Pelé had scored 1,200 goals and became a Brazilian national hero. He played for an American football club for two years before he retired in 1977. Later Pelé became an international ambassador for the sport, working to promote peace and understanding through friendly sport activities.
Unit 15 CITIES
The statue of liberty, one of America’s most familiar images, is on an island in New York Harbor. It is a symbol of freedom. Its formal name is a Liberty Enlightening the World. It was a gift to American people from the French to show the friendship between the two nations. This is the statue of the woman who is wearing loose rope and a crown on her head. Her right hand holds was a born in torch, and her left and holds a table with the date July 4, 1776 on it. The study weighs 205 tons and as 46 m high. It stands on a stone and concrete base. The base and the concrete stone increase the height of the monument to 93 metres. The outside is made of copper. Inside, it has an iron frame. The statue was completed in 1884 in France, and then transported to America in 1886. Tourists can visit the statue from 9.30 AM to 5:00 PM daily except Christmas Day.
Unit 16 HISTORICAL PLACES
The ancient town of Hoi An lies on the Thu Bon river, 30 km south of Danang. It was former trading center in South Asia between the 16th and the 17th centuries. Hoi An was also an important port for Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and other merchant vessels from the Far East.
Hoi An is famous for its old Temples, pagodas, small tile-roofed houses and narrow streets. All the houses were made of wood and their pillars were carved with ornamental designs.
One of the main attractions of Hoi An is the Japanese Covered Bridge, which was built in the 16th century and is still well preserved. All visitors to Hoi An are recommended a visit to the Assembly Hall of Cantonese Chinese Congregation. This house was built in 1855 and still keeps many precious objects that belonged to the Chinese community of Hoi An. Another attractive address to tourists is Tan Ky House, which was constructed nearly two centuries ago as a house of a Vietnamese merchant. The house now looks almost exactly as it did in the early 19th century