Level 2

Lessons for Mid Beginners

Tell me about your day?

Sarah: John, tell me about your day. What time do you wake-up?
John: Well, let's see. Some days I wake up early. Maybe about 6 o'clock. Yeah,
sometimes I wake up at 6 o'clock.
When I get up early, I like to get ready for the day, take a shower and have breakfast.
But other days, I don't like getting up early. Maybe I'll sleep in until 10:00 or 11:00.
Sarah: Wow.
John: Yeah. I like sleeping in late. So sometimes, I wake up at 11:00. On those days, if
I know I won't wake up until 11:00, I'll take a shower the night before, before I go to bed.
How about you, Sarah? When do you usually wake up?
Sarah: Well, I like everyday to be the same. So I wake up everyday at 8 o'clock.
John: 8:00.
Sarah: 8:00. And I always do the same thing. First, I make coffee right away. Then I
wake up my kids and we have breakfast together at about 8:30.
John: Really?
Sarah: Yes. We usually have something easy like bread and yogurt and fruit.
John: I like to have coffee every morning whether I wake up at 6:00 or at 10:00. I'm still
going to have coffee. But I often skip breakfast. Do you always eat breakfast everyday?
Sarah: Yes. If I don't eat breakfast, I'm so hungry. What about lunch? What time do you
have lunch?
John: Lunch is the same everyday for me. I always eat lunch at 12:30 PM. So
whenever I wake up, I do some things and then I always have lunch at 12:30 PM, just
half past noon. And I always have a simple lunch. Maybe some soup or spaghetti or a
sandwich. Something light, and it's always at half past noon. What time do you eat
lunch?
Sarah: That's interesting. I have breakfast at the same time everyday but lunch is
always at a different time.
John: Really?

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Sarah: Because I'm busy in the morning. I go out, maybe I go shopping. Sometimes, I
clean the house. So I might have lunch at 11 o'clock or 12 o'clock. Sometimes as late
as 2:30.
John: Oh, that's getting late.
Sarah: Yes. But it's always easy lunch like you. Maybe crackers and cheese or a
sandwich or a baked potato.
John: I see.

When do you eat dinner?

John: Do you always have dinner at a different time, too?

Sarah: No. I almost always eat dinner around 6 o'clock. How about you? When do you
eat dinner?
John: My dinner time varies a lot just like my breakfast. So maybe I eat dinner later
than most people. I think I would have dinner at 7:00 PM at the earliest. But sometimes,
I will have dinner as late as 9 o'clock at night.
Sarah: Really?
John: Yeah. I don't mind it. I really like cooking so, if I'm cooking a short thing, I'll have
dinner earlier. But I don't mind if it takes two hours to cook something really good, I'll eat
later at night.
Sarah: Wow. Can you tell me about your work routine? What time do you usually go to
work?
John: See, my work schedule is different everyday. That's why I wake up at a different
time everyday. Maybe on – for example, some weeks on Monday, Wednesday and
Thursday, I start work at 7:00. But on Thursday and Friday, I don't start work until 11:30.
Sarah: Ah.
John: How about you? Do you have a different work time sometimes?
Sarah: Well, right now, I'm on maternity leave. So I stay home and take care of my new
baby.
John: Oh, congratulations.
Sarah: Thank you. I try to work at home a little bit everyday though. If the kids are
sleeping or they're playing quietly, I try to do some work. Maybe around 2 o'clock, I can
usually get some work done because the kids are sleeping.

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John: Oh, if you don't start getting some work done until 2 o'clock in the afternoon, you
must be very busy every morning.
Sarah: Yeah. I usually go to the grocery store. Sometimes I take the kids to the park
around 10:00 in the morning. I often do the laundry or wash the dishes, and then as
soon as the dishes are washed, it's time to make lunch. So I'm busy all day.
John: I see. So that's why your lunch time can change so much.
Sarah: Yeah.
John: Oh, it sounds like a busy day.

Do you cook much?

Daniel: So Hana, tell me, do you cook much?

Hana: Yes, I always cook. I often cook with my roommate, and we always make
Chinese of Japanese food. How about you?
Daniel: Well, I don’t really cook that often. I’m really busy during the week. So, I always
just get something at the shop and get that. But, during the weekends, I always cook
during the weekends because I really like making food. That’s what I do.
Hana: So, do you ever eat out?
Daniel: Only occasionally, because I’m really busy during the week, and I prefer
cooking, so not really often. I don’t go out really often to eat. Whenever I’m tired, and I
don’t have time to cook during the week, I go and eat out with a friend, so! And you?
Hana: Well, I always , so I normally go and eat out during the weekend with my friends
or family.
Daniel: So do you ever buy take-away?
Hana: No, I never. Normally when I go out to eat, I like to sit and enjoy my food. How
about you?
Daniel: Well, that's really nice. Of course, I do like to sit and enjoy my food, but I have to
admit that occasionally I have to buy take-away, especially when I'm coming late from
work, and I'm driving. I'm so hungry that, most of the time, I don't really make it home,
so I have to buy something on my way, and that's a shame, so that's the way it is.
And do you usually have people over for dinner?
Hana: Yes, I sometimes do. I really like cooking so occasionally I invite my friends over
and cook for them or we all cook together. How about you?

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Daniel: Not really. I do love cooking, but the problem is my place is really small, so even
though I want to invite my friends. I never do it, because my place would only fit one or
two people. So unfortunately, I never have my friends over for dinner.

Do you eat takeaway?

Daniel: So do you ever buy take-away?

Hana: No, I never. Normally when I go out to eat, I like to sit and enjoy my food. How
about you?
Daniel: Well, that's really nice. Of course, I do like to sit and enjoy my food, but I have to
admit that occasionally I have to buy take-away, especially when I'm coming late from
work, and I'm driving. I'm so hungry that, most of the time, I don't really make it home,
so I have to buy something on my way, and that's a shame, so that's the way it is.
And do you usually have people over for dinner?
Hana: Yes, I sometimes do. I really like cooking so occasionally I invite my friends over
and cook for them or we all cook together. How about you?
Daniel: Not really. I do love cooking, but the problem is my place is really small, so even
though I want to invite my friends. I never do it, because my place would only fit one or
two people. So unfortunately, I never have my friends over for dinner.
Common Verbs with Infintive and Gerunds
like + infinitive
• What do you like to eat?
• I like to eat Thai food.
• I don't like to eat pork.
like + gerund
• Do you like cooking for yourself?
• I like cooking for myself.
• I don't like eating alone.
love + gerund / love + infinitive
• What do you love to eat?
• What do you love doing?
• I love eating fruit. I love to watch old movies.
want + infinitive
• What do you want to do?
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 • I want to see a movie.
• I don't want to stay home.
have + infinitve
• What do you have to do?
• I have to cook dinner.
• I don't have to work today.

Tell me about your Town!

John: So Sarah, what can you tell me about your hometown?

Sarah: My hometown. Well, my hometown is called Eau Claire, Wisconsin. And it's a
really great city.
There are about 80,000 people. There are lots of things to do. There are three movie
theatres. I love to watch movies.
John: Me too.
Sarah: There's lots of shopping. You can find anything you want there. There are a lot
of malls and stores.
John: Are there many restaurants?
Sarah: Yes. The thing I like is you can eat any type of food. There are Chinese
restaurants and Korean restaurants, Italian restaurants. There is a big variety of
restaurants, and they're all good.
John: That sounds great. What about parks? Are there many places to see nature in
your town?
Sarah: Yes. We have a lot of rivers, and lakes and hills. My hometown has four
seasons. So in summer, it's great because there are lots of lakes to swim in, lots of
forests to play in. In winter, there is a lot of snow. So you can go ice skating or ice
fishing or even skiing.
John: Wow. That sounds really fun.
Sarah: Yeah. It's a really nice city. It's also really safe. There are lots of nice people
there.
John: Good. Is there much to do at night?
Sarah: Well, maybe, maybe not. There's not many things to do at night. There aren't
any nightclubs. There aren't many bars. So actually, maybe there isn't much night life.
John: That's okay. It sounds like a nice place to have a family.
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Sarah: Yeah. It is. It's a great place to have a family. There's lots of good schools and
libraries.

What about your town?

Sarah: So John, where are you from?

John: My hometown is very small. It's a little town in the countryside, in Wisconsin.
There are only 5,000 people there.
Sarah: Wow. There aren't very many people.
John: No, it's very small. There aren't very many businesses. There isn't a shopping
mall. There are a lot of grocery stores. And there are a lot of gas stations. But there isn't
much to do there.
Sarah: Oh really? Are there any movie theaters?
John: Well, there is one movie theater. So that's a nice thing to do. In fact, there are
many screens in the theater. There are eight different movies showing.
Sarah: How about at night? What's fun to do – how about at night? Is there very much
night life?
John: Yeah, there is not so much. But there is a bowling alley. It's fun to go bowling with
friends. There's a bowling alley and the movie theater. There is one restaurant where
you can go for tacos and burritos. And there's one more restaurant for pizza and
spaghetti.
But during the daytime, you can go to the park. There's a river that goes through the
town. So in the middle of town, there's a river. And there's a park that goes along both
sides of the river. And at the park, there is a tennis court and a disc golf course.
Sarah: Disc golf?
John: Yeah. I like to play disc golf with my friends. It's really fun. And after we finish
playing disc golf, we usually go to the pizza restaurant.
Sarah: Oh, I see. How about schools? Are there very many schools?
John: Let's see. No, there aren't very many. There is only one elementary school, one
junior high school and one high school. That's it.
Sarah: Interesting.
John: Yeah. There aren't very many schools but the town doesn't need more schools
because there aren't very many people there.
Sarah: I see. Are there any mountains?
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John: No. The whole area is very flat. There are no mountains but there are a lot of
trees. In fact, there are trees on my town's sign because my town is famous for all the
trees on every street.
Sarah: Oh wow. It sounds like a great city.

His Weekend

Hana: Hello, how are you?

Daniel: I'm good thanks. How are you?
Hana: I'm good. So what are you going to do this weekend?
Daniel: Well, on Saturday I think I'm going to go to the gym because I haven't been
there for awhile. And then I think I need to clean my house because I didn't have time
during the week, and it is a bit messy now. And in the evening, I think I'm going to have
dinner with my friends.
Hana: Are you going somewhere after dinner?
Daniel: I don't think so. I really want to spend this weekend in a really relaxed way, so I
don't think I'm going anywhere after dinner.
Hana: I see. How about Sunday?
Daniel: Well, Sunday, I'm not going to do anything in the morning. I really want to take -
you know - a rest, and then I'm going to have lunch with my family cause I haven't seen
them for awhile, and then in the afternoon, there's this movie I really want to see, so I'm
going to the cinema with my friends.

Future Plans

Daniel: Hey, Hana how are you?

Hana: I'm fine thank you. How are you?
Daniel: I'm fine thanks. So tell me, do you have any plans for the weekend?

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Hana: Yes, I heard it's going to be a really nice day on Saturday, so I'm planning to go
to the beach with my friends. The beach is three hours away so we are going to go by
car, and we are planning to have a barbecue, and I'm very excited.
Hana: In the evening we're going to have fireworks, so it's going to be very beautiful.
Daniel: So, are you going to stay over at the beach?
Hana: No, we're going to come back so we'll be home quite late.
Daniel: So then what are you going to do on Sunday?
Hana: I think I'll be sleeping all morning and probably in the afternoon I'm going to study
because I have a maths exam on Monday.
Daniel: Oh, well, that's a shame. Well, I think I'm going to wish you good luck on your
exam.
Hana: Have fun at the beach.
Daniel: Thank you.

The Family

Sarah: John, I've never met your family. Do you have a big family?
John: Yeah, kind of. There are five people in my family, so it's a medium family. I have
two brothers, so there are three boys in my family. And there's my mother and my
father.
Sarah: How about your father? Do you look like him?
John: Yes, I do. I do look like my father. When he was younger. He had blond hair like
me and he has glasses. So do I. My mother has glasses, too. I'm the same height as my
father. We are both 180 centimeters tall. My older brother is the same height as me and
my father. But my younger brother is shorter than us.
Sarah: Ah.
John: He has blond hair and glasses too, though.
Sarah: Oh. How tall is your younger brother?
John: He's a bit shorter than us. I am not sure but I think he's around 170 centimeters
tall.
Sarah: Oh. How about your mom?
John: My mom is short, too. She's the same height as my younger brother.
Sarah: Oh.

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John: And my mom has red hair. Her hair is bright red, so my mother has different hair
from the rest of my family. There are four people with blond people with blond hair and
one person with red hair. But actually, all five of us wear glasses.
Sarah: Oh really?
John: Yeah.
Sarah: So John, you're thin. What about the rest of your family? Are they thin, too?
John: Well, my mother is skinny, too, like me. But my brothers are more like my dad in
their body type. They are a little bit more muscular than me. They have big muscles and
they're very strong. So they are heavier than me. That's my father. He weighs more
than I do. And my brothers are also heavier than me.
Sarah: Oh, sounds like a good-looking family.
John: Thank you.

Family Appearance

Sarah: So John, you told me about me about your family's appearance. What about
their personality?
John: Well, all five people in my family have different personalities.
Yeah. My younger brother is really fun. It's great to spend time with him. For example,
we usually play video games together. He likes to play racing games or sports games,
and also, we play card games or just watching TV. He's so funny.
No matter what we're doing, he tells jokes and I love listening to him tell jokes about
whatever we're doing at the time. And he's so cheerful and bright. He's always open to
new people and new ideas. So I really like spending time with him. He makes me feel
cheerful, too when we talk together.
Sarah: That's great. How about your older brother?
John: Well, my older brother, he's a really good guy. He's not so entertaining like my
younger brother but he's very smart. He's really serious. He likes to study and read. For
example, he likes reading the Greek philosophers. He likes reading about Plato and
Socrates. And he's always talking about philosophy. I like that stuff, too. I think it's
interesting but he's not very funny.
Sarah: I see. How about your dad?
John: My dad. Let's see, what can I say about my dad's personality? He's a hard
worker. He's very devoted to everything he tries. He was raised on a farm so he knows
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a lot about animals. And now, he has a farm as a hobby. My dad raises horses and
chickens. He loves animals and he has so many animals but he doesn't think of them as
farm animals, they're his pets and he loves them.
He spends everyday outside where no matter what the weather, because he has to take
care of his family, which is all of his animals. And he's a really smart guy. Maybe a bit
serious at times. His sense of humor is maybe like you can imagine from an old man.
Sarah: I see. How about your mother? What's she like?
John: My mother loves to read horror novels.
Sarah: Really?
John: Yeah, horror books. So she knows a lot of stuff about crime or mysteries or police
dramas and lawyers. She loves that stuff. So my mother is very interested in those kind
of books and movies and TV shows, too. So she's kind of like a detective. My mother is
very smart and enjoys solving puzzles.
Sarah: Wow. It sounds like an interesting family.

Where is everyone?

Daniel: Hey, I'm really sorry I'm late. I came as fast as I could.
Hana: It's OK. Nobody has really come yet.
Daniel: Why? Where are they?
Hana: Well, John is shopping. He is getting some food.
Daniel: OK, what about Emma? Where is she?
Hana: Emma has an exam, so she is studying and she is going to come later.
Daniel: OK, how about Alex? I don't see him around.
Hana: Oh, Alex is over there. He is preparing for the BBQ.
Daniel: Oh, yeah, that's right. And how about Marcus and Emily?
Hana: They are over there. They are playing.
Daniel: Oh, so how many people are left? Who else is coming?
Hana: Uh, I don't know. No one has really contacted me yet.
Daniel: Oh, well, let's hope we can get around ten people maybe.
Hana: Yes, I hope so.
Daniel: Cool!

Where is everyone?
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Hana: Hello!
Daniel: Hello, come in.
Hana: Where is everyone?
Daniel: Well, everyone is doing something right now.
Hana: Oh, really? Where's your mom?
Daniel: My mom? She's at the mall. I think she's shopping. I think she's getting the
groceries for the week.
Hana: Oh! How about your dad?
Daniel: Well, every weekend he goes to the country club, so I think he's playing golf
with his friend now.
Hana: Where's your brother and sister?
Daniel: My brother, he's upstairs. I think he's probably sleeping or playing video games
as he always does. And my sister, she's at school. She's playing soccer cause she has
a game today.
Hana: Oh, really? When does the game start?
Daniel: I think in twenty or thirty minutes.
Hana: Let's go watch it.
Daniel: Really, that sounds fun. Let's go.

Out of Reach

Sarah: Adam, I've been trying to reach you all day. Where have you been?
Adam: Oh sorry, when did you call?
Sarah: I first called you at 3 o'clock.
Adam: Oh, sorry. I was playing soccer.
Sarah: Well, I tried calling you again at 5:00
Adam: Oh, I was going home on the train.
Sarah: Well, why didn't you return my message?
Adam: I was, I was sleeping.
Sarah: Well, what happened when you got off the train?
Adam: As I was leaving the train, I saw a friend and we started talking and I just didn't
look at my phone. What was it that you wanted to talk about?
Sarah: Well, I was thinking about getting a new boyfriend.
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Doing Chores

Sarah: Hey, Adam. Have you done the things I've asked you to do yet?
Adam: What did you ask me to do?
Sarah: I asked you to take out the trash.
Adam: I haven't done that yet.
Sarah: How about wash the dishes?
Adam: I washed a few dishes.
Sarah: Wash the car?
Adam: No, I haven't washed the car.
Sarah: What did you do today?
Adam: I was sleeping mostly.

Wedding Plans

Todd: So, Meg, you're getting married soon. How are things going?
Meg: Things are going pretty well. We have a lot of planning to do.
Todd: I bet. So have you hired a band yet?
Meg: No, we haven't hired a band yet. My brother has some friends who were in a
band. So he's going to ask them.
Todd: Cool. And have you gotten the caterer for the wedding?
Meg: Yes, we have gotten a caterer because the food is very important. So we ordered
it in advance.
Todd: Oh, what kind of food?
Meg: We're going to have traditional American food.
Todd: Oh, nice. Nice. So have you bought a dress yet?
Meg: Yes, of course, I have bought a dress. That's the most important part. So last
week I picked up my new dress.
Todd: Have you tried it on yet?
Meg: Yes, I've tried it on many times already.
Todd: Okay. Cool. Have you shown it to your groom-to-be?
Meg: No. I haven't shown it to my groom-to be because it has to be a surprise on the
wedding day.
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Todd: Oh, that's right. So have you ordered the flowers?
Meg: No, not yet. I haven't ordered the flowers because I'm waiting for some special
flowers from the florist. So still waiting.
Todd: And have you sent out the invitations?
Meg: Yes. We have sent out the invitations. We sent them out maybe a month ago.
Todd: Oh, cool. So then I assume you have booked the hall.
Meg: Yes. We have booked the hall because we wanted to have it at a special hall. So
we booked it probably six months ago.
Todd: Okay. Cool. Well, the only one problem, I didn't get an invite. Am I invited to your
wedding?
Meg: Oh, I brought the invitation with me today.
Todd: Okay. Great. Thanks.

Big Favor

Todd: Hey, Meg. I have a big favor. Can you help me out?
Meg: Sure, what do you need?
Todd: My parents are coming to visit me but I can't go to the airport to pick them up. I
have an important appointment. Do you think you can go to the airport and pick them
up?
Meg: Yeah, absolutely. But what do your parents look like?
Todd: Yeah. Well, they look kind of unique actually, so you can't miss them. My dad,
he's really tall, and he's really hairy. He's got big kind afro-like hair and he's got facial.
He's got a Fu Manchu so he has a mustache and a little goatee, and he's kind of
muscular.
Meg: Wow. So I think I should be able to see your dad very easily.
Todd: Right. So you can't miss him. And also my mom is pretty easy. She's like kind of
sixtyish. She's in her 60's and she kind of has blondish grayish hair. She's kind of
medium build. And she's kind of average height.
Meg: Okay. Well, it sounds like no problem. I think I can find them at the airport.
Todd: Okay. There will be one other person with them and she might be the one
actually looking around trying to find you. And that's my niece.
Meg: Oh, what does your niece look like?

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Todd: Okay. So she's in her 20's. She's very thin, and she has long blond hair. And
yeah, she's quite energetic, so you'll probably see her running around. So I have a
feeling she's going to be the one looking for you.
Meg: Okay, great. Then I'll look for your niece.
Todd: Okay, great. I really appreciate this.
Meg: No problem.

Fit Girlfriend

Meg: Hey, Todd. I was talking to your girlfriend and she seems really fit.
Todd: Yeah. She's very fit. It's kind of a problem actually.
Meg: Oh really? Why?
Todd: Well, she watches what she eats and she's very careful about the food she eats.
So she doesn't eat meat, she doesn't eat fast food. She doesn't eat sugar. She doesn't
drink coffee. So because she doesn't eat or drink all these foods, it's kind of hard if we
go out to dinner or if I want to eat something because then I feel guilty.
Meg: Do you also not eat those foods?
Todd: No. Are you kidding? I mean, I always eat fast food and I love to eat sweets and
stuff like that. So we both love exercise, right. So she exercises a lot. I exercise a lot.
She exercises more than I do but yeah, the diet thing is kind of a hassle.
Meg: Hmm.
Todd: So what do you think I should do?
Meg: Maybe you should also try to be healthy because it sounds like a good idea.
Todd: Yeah, maybe. I'll give it a try. But the thing is, you know, she – there's one other
problem. She eats five small meals a day, so never eats big meals. So we can't go to a
restaurant and stuff like that. So it's just really hard to adjust. I mean, I love a big
breakfast, you know. She never eats a big breakfast. She always eats these small little
meals, so yeah.
Meg: Well maybe, you can cook at home together.
Todd: Maybe. Or maybe I should just get a new girlfriend.
Meg: Maybe. Good luck.

Off to Osaka

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Meg: Hey, Todd, I want to go to Osaka. What's the best way?
Todd: The best way, you know, it kind of depends on your time and your cost, and your
comfort. The easiest might be the ferry. So the ferry leaves everyday at 7 o'clock. And it
goes overnight and it arrives in Osaka at I think 6 o'clock in the morning. So it's a nice
trip. You're on the boat. You could kind of have dinner on the boat. You go to sleep and
then you wake up, and then you're there. And it costs about $70.
Meg: Sounds pretty good.
Todd: Yeah. It's good. Yeah. But you sleep in a big area with other people. So it's like a
shared sleeping area.
Meg: Right. What are some other ways?
Todd: Well, if you have lots of money, you can take the train. The train is convenient
because it leaves every hour from the downtown station and it takes about four hours,
three and a half hours. You have to transfer the train once. But it leaves every hour. It
costs a little bit. It costs, you know, about 300 bucks. But it's an enjoyable ride and, you
know, you're never stuck in traffic.
Meg: So ferry, train; what else?
Todd: You can take a plane. There are two flights. One flight leaves early in the
morning, another flight leaves in the afternoon. And that's probably the fastest because
if you fly there, it only takes one hour. But it takes 30 minutes to get to the airport. It's
outside of town. And then you have to get there an hour early for your flight and check
in your bags and stuff. So it still takes door-to-door probably 45 hours. And also flights,
they can be cheap, but they're about 100 bucks.
Meg: Oh, okay. Are there any other ways?
Todd: There's one other way. The cheapest way is actually going by bus. The good
thing is, you know, the busses leave every hour. But you must take a bus to Fukuoka
and then transfer in Fukuoka. And it takes a long time. It takes about eight hours to get
there. But it only costs about 50 bucks. And there are some busses that go overnight.
Meg: That sounds pretty good. Well, I like to save money but the bus sounds a little
boring. So maybe I'd rather sleep on the ferry.
Todd: Yeah. I think the ferry is the way to go.
Meg: Thanks.

Guess the City

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Todd: Okay. Sarah and John, we are going to play a guessing game.
Sarah: Great.
John: Sounds great.
Todd: I will describe a city, what city is this in America? First city. It's a really big city
and sometimes, it has cold weather, it has lots of snow. Sometimes it's very hot in
summer. It has all seasons.
John: Well, I know. Is it Milwaukee?
Todd: No, not Milwaukee. It has really tall buildings.
Sarah: I know. I think it's Chicago.
Todd: No, it's not Chicago.
Sarah: Oh.
Todd: It is a very expensive city and maybe it's America's most famous city.
John: Oh, I got it. It's New York City.
Todd: Ping-pong. Okay. Next city. This city has warm weather most of the year. It also
is really, really big, a very big city. And it is famous for movie stars and the movie
industry.
Sarah: I know. I think it's L.A.
Todd: Yes, Los Angeles. Ping-pong.
Sarah: Yay.
Todd: Well, you got it. Okay. Next city. This city has different seasons. It is cold in
winter, a little bit, and it is usually warm in summer. It has lots of fog and it never has
snow.
Sarah: Hmm.
John: Umm.
Todd: It rains sometimes and it has a big famous bridge.
Sarah: Hmm, is it San Francisco.
Todd: Ping-pong.
John: Good job.
Sarah: Thank you.
John: I was going to guess Seattle.
Todd: Okay. Last city. This city is also famous in America, of course. And it has warm
weather, and it is usually hot all year. And it never snows but it rains and it has nice long
beaches.
John: Oh, is it Orlando, Florida?
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Todd: Not Orlando but it is in Florida.
Sarah: Hmm, is it Miami?
Todd: Ping-pong.
John: Good job.
Sarah: Thank you.
Todd: So I think it's tied. 2-2?
John: Yeah. Wow.
Todd: Okay. So one more city. Can you guess the city? Okay. So this city has four
seasons, so it has snow, it has rain, it has beautiful colors in the fall, lots of leaves and it
has old historical buildings.
Sarah: Hmm.
John: Oh. I know it. It's Chicago.
Todd: Not Chicago.
Sarah: No, no. I think it's Boston.
Todd: It is. Ping-pong.
John: Wow.
Todd: Sarah wins. Nice one.
Sarah: Yay. Thank you.

Guess the Movie

Todd: Okay, guys. We will do another guessing game. This time, guess the movie.
Sarah: Sounds fun.
Todd: Okay. This movie is very famous. It's about 20 years old, maybe 18 years old.
And it is about a love story and about two people that meet on a big ship and the ship
sinks.
John: Oh, it's really, really famous. Is it Titanic?
Todd: You're right. Ping-pong.
Sarah: Titanic. Titanic.
Todd: Okay. The next movie is also a famous movie, but I never saw this movie, but I
know about the movie. And the movie is about a fight. A fight between two creatures,
and both creatures, monsters, come from the ocean. They come out of the ocean and
they fight each other.
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John: Two monsters from the ocean.
Todd: Sometimes, they fight in Japan but the last movie, the monsters fight in America.
I think they fight in San Francisco.
Sarah: Ah, is it Godzilla?
Todd: Ping-pong.
Sarah: Yay.
John: Good job.
Sarah: Thank you.
Todd: Okay. So the next movie is also a movie many teenage boys like, and it's also
about fighting. And it's about machines that fight each other. And I think the machines
come from space. So the machines are not from earth and machines can change, and
the machines have special powers.
John: Machines that have special powers and change.
Sarah: I know. It's Transformers.
John: Oh, is that right?
Todd: Yes, Transformers. Ping-pong.
Sarah: Yay.
Todd: Okay. So now, I'm going to go way back. Way back. So this is a movie, also
about an alien. And this alien is very kind and the alien is very shy and the alien meets a
boy.
John: Oh, I know it.
Todd: And they become friends.
John: Do they ride a bicycle?
Todd: They do ride a bicycle.
John: It's ET.
Todd: That's right. Ping-pong.
John: Yes!
Sarah: Good job.
Todd: Okay. So now, one more movie. Okay. So this movie is also old. This movie is
maybe over 25 years old – oh, over 20 years old.
John: I'm better at the old ones.
Todd: Yeah. And in this movie, there is a scientist. And the scientist is trying to find a
special treasure, and he goes all around the world and he needs to find a special

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treasure. And he goes to Egypt. He goes to Asia. And he wants to find something but he
has to fight people in the movie.
John: I think it's Indiana Jones.
Todd: Ping-pong. John wins.
John: Yeah.
Sarah: Good job. That's great.
John: I tried really hard.

Talking Language

Sarah: So tell me, what languages do you speak?

Todd: Well, I speak two languages. I speak Thai and I speak Japanese. But my
Japanese is not so good and my Thai is just okay.
Now, I live in Japan so I study Japanese and I use Japanese everyday. I can speak
Japanese at the supermarket. I can use Japanese at a hotel or with a taxi driver, but I
cannot have a long conversation.
Yeah. And you, what languages do you speak?
Sarah: Well, I speak English, of course. And I speak Spanish and Japanese.
Todd: Wow. Spanish.
Sarah: Yeah. I lived in Ecuador, and so I spoke Spanish everyday, a lot. I used to think I
was fluent. Maybe I forgot some Spanish now.
Todd: Oh, so you can read, speak, write everything?
Sarah: Yeah. In Ecuador, I did everything. I signed my cellphone contract. I could read
that in Spanish. I was – all of my friends I spoke Spanish with, and I spoke Spanish all
the time. But my Japanese is like yours. I can speak only enough to go to the grocery or
ask when the bus leaves or buy a train ticket.
Todd: Yeah. It's difficult. It's hard to have a good conversation in Japanese. But I can
read Japanese. I studied Kanji.
Sarah: Oh really?
Todd: So my reading is okay, but my speaking is just really bad. I have bad
pronunciation. So because my Japanese pronunciation is not very good, Japanese
people don't like to speak Japanese with me, I think.
Sarah: My Spanish pronunciation is really bad because I always spoke with other
foreigners who are also studying Spanish. So there would be a Korean person, me, a
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Norwegian person, and we were all speaking Spanish together. So we all had bad
pronunciation.
Todd: Yeah.
Sarah: What about Thai?
Todd: Yeah. I can speak Thai. My Thai is different. My Thai pronunciation is okay. So I
can have conversations in Thai. I lived in Thailand when I was young, so – or I was 22
to 26. So I studied it and I like Thai. But reading in Thai is difficult for me.
So I can read Japanese better than I can read Thai but I can speak Thai better, and my
Thai listening is better also.
Sarah: Ah. Do you have any Thai friends?
Todd: I do have some Thai friends. And now, I study Thai on Facebook. So everyday, I
check my friends' messages on Facebook. And then I use Google translate to learn new
words. So it's very good. Yeah.
Sarah: Do you think you'll live in Thailand again, someday?
Todd: Maybe. I will visit Thailand again. I don't think I will live in Thailand again. But I
like to go to Thailand because Thai is fun to speak and Thailand has great food and
great weather, good beaches. So it's nice.
Sarah: Oh great.
Todd: What about you? Do you want to live in Ecuador, again?
Sarah: Not Ecuador. I love Ecuador but I want to live in another Spanish-speaking
country. I'd like to live in Argentina, maybe or Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is part of
America but they speak Spanish there.
Todd: Yeah. I hear Puerto Rico is really nice.
Sarah: Yeah. I went there for one week and it was just amazing. It has beaches and
mountains, and the people are really fun. And it's a really exciting place to visit.

Computer Geek

Sarah: Todd, why do you have three computers?

Todd: I know. It's crazy. I do have three computers. Before, I had four computers. Now,
I only have three computers.
I have three computers because I use computers for my job. So I have one computer for
my house. One laptop computer for my house. And I always keep that computer at my
house. So it's heavy. It's a MacBook Pro. And I don't like to carry it, so I leave it home.
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And I have a MacBook Air. It's very light. It's not heavy. And I use my MacBook Air
when I travel, when I go to school, when I go downtown to a café.
So yeah, I have one computer for home and one computer for when I travel.
Sarah: And how about the other one?
Todd: Oh, the other computer. The other computer is old. It's also a MacBook Pro, and
it's seven years old.
Sarah: Wow.
Todd: Yeah. It still works. It works really well but I use it as a backup computer. So
sometimes, I need a computer in case one computer fails. Also, sometimes my friends
need a computer and I lend my computer to my friends.
Sarah: Oh, that's nice.
Todd: Yeah. It's easy. I like that.
Sarah: What do you do if you need something that's on the other computer?
Todd: Well, I use cloud computing, so I use Dropbox. So Dropbox shares everything.
So all computers are linked and they share all the files. So it's no problem.
Sarah: How about phones? How many do you have?
Todd: I have three phones, also for my job. I have an iPhone. I have a Samsung
Galaxy. And I have a Nokia Windows phone.
Sarah: Oh really?
Todd: Yeah.
Sarah: Which one do you like the best?
Todd: Hmm, that's tough. I think I like the Samsung Galaxy the best because it's bigger
and it's easy to read. But the iPhone has good apps. I like the apps on the iPhone, and
the iPhone is very reliable. So it always works.
So yeah.
Sarah: How about the Nokia?
Todd: The Nokia is also a good phone. It's a Windows phone, and I travel a lot so when
I travel, I always take the Nokia phone and I use a new sim card in the country, and that
is my phone when I travel.
I usually leave my Galaxy phone or my iPhone at home.
Sarah: You say you use your phone for work. How?
Todd: So I create websites and so I need to check how websites look on different
phones. So every time I make a website, I check it on the Nokia phone. I check it on the

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Samsung phone. I check on the iPhone. So I make sure the website works on all
smartphones.
Sarah: Does the website often have problems with one phone or a different phone?
Todd: Usually not. Usually, everything is okay. But sometimes, media files like audio
files or video files do not work on the phones. So sometimes, I have to change things.
But usually, it works.
Sarah: Ah.
Todd: How about you? How many computers do you have?
Sarah: Well, at home, we have one laptop. And it's kind of big, so I don't usually take it
out with me. And then we have a personal computer, and we also have a tablet, an
iPad.
Todd: Oh yeah.
Sarah: And I don't use the iPad very much. It's usually used by my daughter. She's two,
and she loves to play games on the iPad.
Todd: Right.
Sarah: So it's an expensive toy.
Todd: So your daughter likes the iPad, you like the laptop.
Sarah: I like the laptop, yes.
Todd: And the personal computer?
Sarah: The personal computer is my husbands. And we also use it as the family
computer when we want to watch a movie or watch a TV show. Something like that.
Todd: Oh wow. Sounds good. And phones?
Sarah: Phones. Well, I have my own phone. I have Sony phone. It's an Xperia. And I
like it. It's big, so sometimes my fingers can't reach all the buttons but I can watch
videos on it. I like that. And when I leave the country, I can't use it in other countries. But
I can use the Wi-Fi. So that's convenient.
Todd: Yeah, that is convenient. Okay. Thanks a lot, Sarah.
Sarah: Thank you.

Brothers Fight

Todd: So, Greg you were saying you had brothers and they always picked on you like
all older brothers do.
Do you have any stories about what your brothers used to do to you?
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Greg: Ah, yes, you know I think back on some of the crazy fights we had and it is
absolutely amazing that we are all still alive.
One time, I was closing the garage door and I didn't see my brother, my oldest brother
walking behind me and I pulled the door down and it hit him in the head.
Todd: Right, ooh, ow!
Greg: A complete accident, but he just got so angry. He had a pair of shoes that he
was holding in his hand, and I think he was going to polish them or something, and he
just took the shoe and he smacked me as hard as he could right in the stomach.
Todd: Oh, that's gotta hurt.
Greg: Oh, it hurt so much. I bent over and I got so angry and I looked in the garage
and I saw a big piece of metal pipe
Todd: Oh, no!
Greg: And I held it like a spear, and I ran after him, and he of course ran away. I was
chasing him around the house and he ran into the front door, and I threw the spear, as
hard as I could, and it went like a, I threw the pipe, and it went like a spear, through the
air, and he closed the door right behind him, and it put a hole in the door.
Todd: Oh, man, it was gonna hit him. It would have hit him.
Greg: It would have hit him actually.
Todd: Wow. You don't even want to think what could have happened if it had hit him.
Greg: Yeah, it's amazing that we're still alive. We used to have fights with baseball bats
and branches and things.
Todd: Well, it must have been good, made you tough and strong for all the other kids at
school.
Greg: Yeah, they thought I was crazy.

Amazing Mom

Ruth: So, Akane, tell me about your family. Who do you get on well with
in your family?
Akane: Well, I think I get along the best with my mother, I would say.
Ruth: So, why is that?
Akane: Well, I think it probably has to do with the fact that we're both female. I mean
the only other people in my family are my father and my brother.
Ruth: So, what does your mom look like?
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Akane: Well, she's actually taller than me. She has dark hair and a pretty firm build.
Um, she's not too thin and not too fat, and yeah!
Ruth: And what does your mom do? Does she have a job?
Akane: Oh, good question. She's actually a hair dresser. Yeah, so she does my hair
and she's also an aesthetician as well so I get free skin care products from her.
Ruth: Oh, that's fantastic. So what does your mom like to do when she is not working?
Akane: Well, she used to take sewing lessons, so she really likes to sew things
like her own curtains and she even made me some clothes a few times.
Ruth: Wow, so she's talented.
Akane: Yeah, she's quite artistic.
Ruth: So when did you last see your mom or speak to your mom?
Akane: Well, the last time I saw her was this spring. I stayed at my parents house for
about a week and, yeah, that's when I saw her.
Ruth: Was that a couple of months ago?
Akane: Yeah, a couple of months ago, that's right.
Ruth: And what was the last thing your mom bought for you?
Akane: Actually, just before I came here, we went shopping together and because I
have to fly away to a new country she bought me some new clothes. She bought me a
new coat actually.
Ruth: Wow, that's really nice. Well, thanks for that Akane.

Akane's Vacation
Last year, I went to Portugal just after Christmas. And I stayed there until… well, just
after New Year's this year. In Portugal, I met up with one of my friends from Toronto.
He had family that lived in Portugal, because his family was originally from Portugal.
So, they were kind enough to let me stay with them. I didn’t know any Portuguese,
except for some simple words like “hello”, and “thank you”. I learned some simple
words through an audio CD, before I went there. And the people that I stayed with
didn’t know very much English either. However, we got along surprisingly well.
They were surprised that I was able to eat some of their exotic foods. They made some
delicious meals every single day, like octopus, tripe and rabbit. It is quite exotic, but
I thought it was quite good. They also made some excellent desserts, like crème
caramel, and a rich sponge cake that they call Paon d’lo.

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Howard's Vacation
OK, now I'll talk about my winter vacation. This winter vacation I spent two weeks in my
hometown which is Daytona Beach, Florida. It was wonderful. The weather was warm
every day. It was sunny every day and the temperature was almost 80 degrees.
I visited my mother and I spent every morning having a nice leisurely cup of coffee and
reading the newspaper and after that I got my bicycle out and and rode down to the
beach and enjoyed the sun and the surf, and came back home and read a book and
went to bed early.
I had a wonderful time. I saw a couple of new movies, when I was home in Florida.
I saw The Aviator and also an interesting movie called Spanglish, which I hope you all
can see because it's an interesting movie about English and the Spanish.

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