E:Yeah,a health plan through work is very important. P:Right.And what about in Brazil?

Penny:Yeah,excellent benefits like that.Well I mean it does depend on the company and the status of your or your job but you might get a car,living accommodation,school for the children,they'll pay for your lunch,travel passes,gasoline,health insurance,all sorts of benefits actually it's very good.

P:Sounds very good,with the holiday and all those benefits it sounds a great place to work. Unit 2 Outside view Conversation 1

Joe: OK, when you finished chatting, let's get down to work. Andy: OK, sure.

Janet: Fine by me. What's on the agenda?

Joe: First up today is Read all about it! Now, I assume everyone has read all the books for the future? Has anyone read any of the books? Andy: Well, Joe, there are over 20 new books coming out next month, so…

Joe: I'm sorry, I really think that's quite unacceptable. It's your job! What about you, Janet?

Janet: I'm sorry but this is the first time I've worked on Read all about it! And I didn't know I was meant to read all the books. Andy: Have you read them?

Joe: No, but that's why you're my assistants. You're meant to assist me. Andy: It's true that we need to read the books, Joe, but we haven't… Joe: OK, there you go. You are always making excuses! Andy: And what's more, we haven't even chosen the books yet. Joe: OK, let's get down with it. What's on the list?

Janet: I suppose we're looking for books with a London angle（伦敦视角）? Andy: Not necessarily.

Janet: Is it OK to look for non-fiction too? Joe: Absolutely.

Janet: OK, here's an idea. There's a new biography（自传） of Charles Dickens which I'm reading. Andy: Sounds good-his books are always on TV.

Janet: You see I'm studying Dickens at university, and I noticed it in the bookshop last week. It's really interesting. Joe: OK, tell us more.

Janet: Well, it's a description of the London locations where he set many of his books like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. Andy: Sounds right up your street（拿手的）!

Joe Well done, Janet. Maybe you can show Andy how to plan the feature. OK, that's it everyone. Let's get to it! Conversation 2

Janet: What's the matter with Joe today?

Andy: No idea. He's a bit like that sometimes. He gets annoyed with me, but I don't really know why. Janet: He wasn't being at all fair. How often does he get like this?

Andy: Well, I suppose it's not very often. But sometimes he really gets on my nerves（使某人心烦意乱）. Janet: Don't let it get to you. He's probably got too much work, and he's stressed.

Andy: Well, he should keep his problems away from the studio. Anyway, you're the expert on Dickens, tell me something about him.

Janet: Well, Charles Dickens was one of the most popular novelists in 19th century Britain. Many of his novels first appeared in magazines,

in short episodes. Each one had a cliffhanger at the end that made people want to read the next episode（集，一集）.

Andy: And was he a Londoner?

Janet: He was born in Portsmouth but his family moved to London when he was ten years old. Andy: And he set most of his stories in London, didn't he? Janet: That's right. He knew the city very well. Andy: Whereabouts in London are his stories set?

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Janet: Around the Law Courts in the centre of London. He worked as a court reporter and many of the real life stories he heard in court

inspired some of most famous characters in his novels.

Andy: I think some of his stories take place south of the river?

Janet: That's right, especially around Docklands. The thing was…Dickens was a social commentator（社会评论员） as much as he was a

novelist-his stories describe the hardship, the poverty, and crime which many Londoners experienced in the 19th century. It makes me want to read some Dickens again. Maybe I'll just go shopping for a copy of Great Expectations.

Andy: Anyway, you did me a huge favour. That was a real brainwave（突然想到的妙计，灵感） to suggest the new biography. Janet: Cheer up Andy. It wasn't your fault.

Andy: No, it's OK, I'll get over it. Go on, off you go and enjoy your shopping! Outside view

British people read a lot. They read books, newspapers and magazines. And of course they read text messages on their mobile phones. Sixty-five percent of British people list \A quarter of the population reads more than 20 books each year. So where do these books come from? Well, there are bookshops where you can buy books. And there are lots of public libraries where you can borrow books for free. In this library you can borrow books, but you can also buy a cup of coffee, look at an art exhibition, sit in a quiet study area or connect to the Internet. You can also now borrow CDs, videos or DVDs of films and television programmes. Some libraries even let you borrow computer games. There are often reference rooms where you can go to look something up or go to study. Many libraries have also got special rooms with books and photograghs about the historu of the area. Libraries are very important in schools and universities both for study and for reading for pleasure. The British Library is one of the world's greatest libraries. The queen opened its new building in 1998. It receives a copy of every book published in Britain, and adds three million new items every year. It's got books of course, but also sound recordings, music, maps, newspapers, and magazines. People predicted that radio, then television, then the Internet will kill reading, but it still a very popular activity. Listening in 1

M：So how long has your book group been running?

C：Well, let me see, it's over 20years now. I think it's actually one of the oldest books groups around, because it was only about 20years ago that they started to become fashionable in the UK. M：And how often do you have meetings?

C：We meet about once every four or five weeks, although we try to avoid meetings in the summer holidays, and during the run-up to（前奏，预备期） Christmas when we all start to get busy with other things. M：And how many members do you have?

C：We're ten in all, although it's rare that everyone can attend. M：And what happens during the meeting?

C：Well, we usually meet at one of our homes, and we start fairly late, around 8:30, and the host prepares dinner, and sometime during the meal, someone asks \M：It sounds quite informal.

C：It is, yes, and sometimes if we haven't enjoyed the book, the meal becomes more important than the discussion. But it's fairly rare that no one likes the book, and it gets quire interesting when opinions about it are divided. M And what sort of books do you read?

C：Oh, all kinds, actually, not just novels, although I must admit that being a member of the club makes me read more modern fiction than I might do otherwise. But we also read the classics, you know the novels we all read or should have read 30 years ago, and it's quite good fun to revisit them, to see if our views of the books have changed. We re-read Thomas Hardy recently, and whereas I used to love it when I was a student, this time I thought it was exasperatingly（惹人恼火地） dull. And we read non-fiction. quite a lot of history and travel writing. A couple of the members like poetry, which I don't, but you know, we're tolerant each other's choice, and it gives us a chance to try things we wouldn't usually read.

M：And how do you choose the books?

C：Well, at the end of the evening the person who hosts the dinner-basically, the cook- has the right to choose the next book. M：And that works OK?

C：Yes, although there's quite a lot of stress on choosing something that will earn everyone else's respect. And we've got one member who likes

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science fiction, so we try not to go to his place too often! Listening in 2

Well, thank you for your kind welcome, and for giving me the opportunity to give this brief tour of Literary England. I can't claim it's an authoritative tour, as I'm, not a professional literary specialist. However, I have two amateur passions: one is travel and the other is reading and English literature in particular. And this lecture is a description of different visits I have made to places in Britain and Ireland, chosen specifically for their close links with well-known writers of what we call the classics of English literature.

Just to give you an overview of the lecture, I'm going to start in my home town of London, which is also the home of many well-known writers. But I think that the picture we have in our mind of London has been largely fashioned by the work of Charles Dickens and Shakespeare. Dickensian London is illustrated most clearly by his book Oliver Twist, and Shakespeare's London brings to mind the plays written and performed here, such as Romeo and Juliet. We'll also have a look at the memorial of freat British writers, Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Then off we go to Oxford, another city rich in its literary history. I'm, going to focus on the greatest of Oxford's literary alumni, JRR Tolkien, the professor of English who wrote Lord of the Rings, which is now famous throughout the world because of the recent series of films.

Then we turn south towards the gentle countryside of Hampshire, home of Jane Austen, where her various novels, including Price and Prejudice are set. She also spent a period of her life in the magnificent Georgian city of Bath.

Then we turn north to the hills of west Yorkshire where we find Bronte country, so called because it was the home of the three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. Perhaps the two best known novels are Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyer, and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, also made into successful films.

Then up to the north-west, to the stunning land of mountains and lakes which is the Lake District, home of the Lakeland poets. Perhaps its most famous son is William Wordsworth, whose poem \just in Britain, but around the English-speaking world.

So that's the basic route round Literary England, although I'll be thinking several detours to visit other famous writers whose work contributes to the glory which is English literature. Let's start… Unit3 Outside view

London has always prided itself on being a little bit different when it comes to fashion. At the catwalk shows, designers showcase the hottest new trends for journalists and buyers from all over the world. But away from the glamour of designer collections, what do London girls actually wear? How do they create the affordable, personal style they are famous for? Hannah, who works for a fashion magazine, says London’s unique style is all about mixing and matching. One day can be punk. Next day you can be really girlie（少女般的）. It’s kind of choosing what you want in your wardrobe. Maybe taking an expensive piece but mixing it with something cheaper or second-hand. I think that is what London girls are really good at doing. Portobello Road, in the trendy Notting Hill area, is home to one of the most famous markets in London. Here, you name it and people wear it-anything from market stall bargains to to-die-for（令人渴望的） designer labels sold in trendy shops. But how do the capital’s women view their style? Eclectic. My style is certainly eclectic. It is from Tesco. It is the Catherine Kidston range from Tesco. Sam is matched her outfit today with a bag she bought in a supermarket. Angela is a fashion stylist. So tell me a little bit about your life. What are you wearing and what would you say your style is? My style tends to change week by week. Today I am wearing some jeans from Uniqlo.I’ve discovered Uniqlo jeans and bought about five pairs cos they fit really well. The boots are by Aldo .My T-shirt is from Tooshop. The jacket is a really old jacket that I bought in the States a few years ago. But um, yeah I mean it just…it does tend to change a lot. Over to New Bond Street, London’s designer shopping Mecca（胜地） and the style stakes have gone up a little. Some of the most famous and expensive shops in the world can be found here. Shops where you have to ask the price of that handbag…or pair of shoes…then you know you can not really afford it. Natalie, a student from the city, says being laid back is what gives London style its edge. I don’t know. Everyone says like. French is like so fashionable and stuff but I think we are quite trendy, we are a bit more casual, but I think we have got a good style going on and everything, a bit laid back, but everyone still looks cool. Seylia works in a jewelry shop. No shabby chic（流行式样，时尚） here. Cashmere scarf from Louboutin, because it is cold. Black coat from Prada and a Valentino bag, which is probably as colorful as it gets. Katie is a model and loves how people dress in London because everyone has their own individual style. I love London it is so unique.And like everyone’s got their own fashion. I love it here, because you can wear whatever and just fit in, it is great. I love London for that. Laura is a student and says she doesn’t really put any thought into what she is wearing. Fashion, I wouldn’t really call it fashion. It is just kind of chucked together, basically, what I am comfortable in. Camden is known for its grungy（脏的，乱糟糟）, daring and sometimes outrageous（极不寻常的） styles. Here fashion is whatever you want

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it to be. Teenagers don’t hold back much when it comes to choosing clothes. They just want to make personal statement .We are just crazy! We don’t hold back so much. It’s not all about being elegant or something like that. It’s more making a statement, some people. And we don’t care. Listening in

Presenter: How often do you change your clothes during the day?

Penny: Um I think it all depends on what I’m going to do. Um it might be as many as three times if… Presenter: Three times.

Penny: Yes, if I was … if I was going to go to gym, for instance, having dropped the children off at school I’d be wearing an outfit for… just a casual outfit for doing the school run, then I’d go to gym and get changed and then if I was going out in the evening I’d change again. Presenter: Yeah. How about you?

Penny: Yeah, I think it depends what happens during the day. Most of the time though I just put on my clothes for work. I go to work I come home. Um maybe take something off, like er my shoes and change into a pair of slippers（拖鞋） or something, just a pair of sneakers. Um but there are times when if I go to gym, like Penny said, or if we are going out, my wife and I are going out for some occasion, I have to change into something a little nicer.

Presenter: And and so what would what would be the occasion when you changed into something nicer? It would be different from a work…？ Eric: Yeah like going to someone’s house for dinner or going out for dinner, or going to some kind of event. Presenter: Yeah yeah. Would that be the same for you?

Penny: Definitely. Going to the theatre, um or meeting friends for a drink, yes. Presenter: So you’d always change for a social circumstance? Penny: Definitely makes it feel more of an occasion.

Presenter: OK, and what about the clothes you are wearing at the moment, how would you know, what made you choose these clothes this morning?

Penny: Well I am going for an interview in an hour’s time so I’ve got to look quite smart and presentable so that’s why I am looking smarter than I normally would do in the day.

Presenter: I think you have got a head start here because you look very presentable. Penny: Ah thank you. Presenter: How about you?

Eric: I am able to go to work in fairly casual clothes so you know it’s fairly relaxed, nice and easy, anything I’m comfortable with but as long as it’s clean and boss says it’s alright.

Presenter: And so you dress for comfort or do you think you are fashion conscious as well?

Eric: Maybe a little bit fashion conscious yeah. You don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb（很显眼） and people make fun of you, you know for some reason, but at the same time you want to have your own bit of individuality. Presenter: I think you are discreetly fashion conscious, would you agree with…？

Penny: Yes and another a good trick I always do is carry my high heels in my hand bag and go in my trainers you see, and then I can charge along and jump on the bus and then, and then look… Presenter: And you manage high heels?

Penny: Yes once I’m there and haven’t got to move around too much.

Presenter: Very impressive, very impressive. What do you think your clothes say about your mood or your personality? Do you change depending…if you get up in the morning do you put on certain clothes depending on how you feel?

Penny: Definitely, yes. If I’m feeling maybe a bit down I do not want to war black because it’s quite draining(精疲力尽的) and also as you get older it’s draining too, so I might put on some warm colors or which um, I don’t know, sort of make your skin look lighter and your eyes sparkle a little more. Um I, I change…I would say I have got a lot of different colors clothes according to my mood.

Presenter: Yeah, and what about you? Do you change dramatically in the evening when you go out on town on the razz（狂欢） you know? Eric: Well not really. Um yeah I might put on a nicer pair of shoes or maybe er get out of my jeans and put on a nicer pair of pants, something like that. But um for the most part, it’s a young organization that I work for and the boss is fairly young so we all dress um with a youthful thought in mind. Presenter: Thank you. Unit4

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