新视界大学英语视听说教程2 - Unit5

Unit 5 Inside view Conversation 1

Have you got your tickets for the play? What play?

The play which OUDS are producing.

You know, the play I'm in at the Oxford Playhouse. Oh, that play! Well, er ... What about you, Janet? What's the play called?

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett. You are coming, aren't you? Beckett? Why not?

Well, um, I'm sure you'll be totally brilliant, Mark ...

but I wish I could understand the play. It doesn't make sense. If only you were more patient, Kate. Beckett's a fascinating writer.

You'll come though, won't you, Janet? You really ought to see something like this at least once during your stay in Oxford. Well, I'm not sure. Oh, come on! Please!

But if Kate doesn't understand the play, there's no way I'll be able to follow it. Do you want to go?

Well, I love going to the theatre,

and I'd really like to see Mark acting.

And actually, yes, I think I should see a play by Samuel Beckett. Good! So you're coming, Janet. I wish you'd come, too, Kate. It's a really good performance.

Well, OK, but I'm only doing it because you're in it. When is it on?

Next Tuesday to Saturday. How about going Friday night?

That's great. But you'd better get your tickets soon, because we're expecting a full house. Conversation 2

Well, what did you think? It was ... very interesting.

I didn't have a clue what was going on. Absolutely nothing happened!

I don't know why I bothered coming to see it. I thought Mark was brilliant. Yes, I did too, of course ...

But I wish I had read the play before I saw it. If only I had known the story,

it might have been easier to follow it. How long do you think Mark will be?

I guess he needs to get changed first. He said he'd join us as soon as possible. Here he is. Hi, Mark!

Hi, what did you think? How was I? It was ... very challenging. It was so-so.

But you were brilliant! Well done! You were awesome, Mark.

Everyone adored your performance. Darling, you were to die for! OK, OK, don't exaggerate. I wasn't that good! Anyway, I've got some great news! Tell us!

We've started talking about next term's OUDS play. What's it going to be?

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare!

Great! And who's going to play Hamlet? Don't tell me. Let me guess!

To be or not to be - that is the Question!

I don't believe it. You're going to play Hamlet?

Come on, let's celebrate ... from Beckett to Shakespeare. Today Oxford, tomorrow, Hollywood! Outside view

So, what do you guys want to watch? Uh, I don't know. What's on?

How about a documentary on the History Channel? I like watching history programmes.

I don't really like watching the History Channel. How about a baseball game? From 1973? No thanks! How about a cooking show? Yeah, I love watching cooking shows. What? I do!

Uh, I don't like cooking shows. Uh, let's watch some music videos. This is awful!

Can you see what's on another channel? Yeah, sure. What channel? Uh, anything but this.

These television viewers are trying to decide on a programme to watch, by clicking on channels and seeing what's on.

This practice is known as channel surfing.

In the past, it was not difficult to decide what to watch on TV. There were only three channels to choose from. Cable television has changed all that. There are so many channels,

and so many different kinds of programmes to watch, many viewers find it difficult to decide what to watch, even when they are watching by themselves. This business traveler doesn't like anything.

Many people like a particular type of programme. Part 2

TV programmes I like watching are cooking shows, um, comedy shows.

I usually watch dramas, um, murder mystery programmes, quizzes, comedies. I like watching talk shows.

I guess of all my favourite TV shows I'd like news programmes. I like to watch soap operas and news. I like to watch, um, comedy shows.

Well, I like good drama, I like, uh, a lot of the cop shows, um, I like a lot of the, ah, science fiction shows and uh, good history. TV programmes I like to watch are like sports, uh, automotive, uh. Discovery, that type of thing. Hey, look Swordfish is on. John Travolta and Halle Berry? No, I've already seen that twice. I hate that movie.

OK. How about The Matrix

That's OK. But I've seen it too many times. Yeah, me too. But I love that movie. You guys, there's nothing on. Yeah, you're right.

Hey, how about we go out and get some pizza? That's a good idea. Turn that off Listening in Conversation 1

I'm so glad she won the Oscar for Best Actress. She was the best by far!

If you ask me, they're pretty much all the same. What is the man's opinion of the actress? Conversation 2

What an awful play!

The writing was hopeless and the acting was really poor. It was a complete waste of money.

We could have stayed at home and watched television. Where did the conversation most probably take place? Conversation 3

You often see Mark and Jane together at the opera, but I understand they live completely separate lives now. Well, it's a bit like acting. You have to keep up appearances. What do we learn about Mark and Jane? Conversation 4

So if I give you ten dollars for two tickets, you can give me six dollars' change. Whatever you say. I'm hopeless at maths. How much is a ticket? Conversation 5

I seem to have lots of spare evenings these days.

How would you spend your time if you wanted to go out? If I were you, I'd go dancing.

It's a great way to meet people and make new friends. What does the woman say? Speech

And the nominations for Best Movie

in this year's International Entertainment Awards are as follows:

AD 2050, a science fiction adventure story with amazing special effects ... a- world where humans live side by side with animals, b- beings and ... things from beyond our earth, c- our sun and its stars. APPLAUSE

Two Hearts as One, a charming romantic comedy where boy meets girl, girl meets another boy, the other boy meets another girl, and, well, you'd better go see the film! APPLAUSE

Western Summer, set in the 19th century among the pioneers moving to settle in the West...

but with a strange and painful ending. APPLAUSE

The Beast in Us All, a thriller set in the New York subway, which comes alive when the subway closes for the night. Make sure you get that last train home! APPLAUSE

And last but not least, The Sicilian Connection,

the story of five generations of an Italian family in New Jersey, and the relationships they keep with their relatives back in Europe. APPLAUSE

And the winner is ... The Sicilian Connection\\ Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of everyone who worked on The Sicilian Connection, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.

Speaking for us all, we feel so honoured by the award. Personally speaking, I've a few very special people

I'd like to give thanks to.

First of all, I wouldn't be where I am today without... Conversation Lovely evening!

Yes, it would be good to do something. How about going to a country pub? OK, where do you suggest?

What about the one just off the main road towards Henley? The King's Head? That's the one!

Yes, but the trouble is, it gets so crowded at weekends in the summer, especially if the weather is good.

What I'd really like is somewhere to sit on the grass with a beer, and to be able to talk and hear what I'm saying. Yes, the problem is that so many of the things we like to do are determined by the climate.

I mean, I'm sure the King's Head is empty in the winter.

Do you know what the most popular leisure activity in England is? Watching football? Fishing. Fishing?

Apparently, more people go fishing than do any other activity. Even in bad weather. And its nearly always the men as well. And they can be so bad- tempered if you get too close. It would be nice just to go for a walk

like they do in Italy and Greece, just before dinner, when everyone gets dressed up,

and walks up and down the main street, looking at each other, and meeting friends.

But you couldn't do that here, because it would start raining ... True.

So what's on television?