Level6 Unit1 Part4 Listening
John and Lindaare worried about their future. They both have good jobs, but they areconcerned about the economy. Of the two of them, Linda is the most worried. Shewants the security of owning her own home. Her husband disagrees. As a result,they often fight about money. They live in a nice apartment, but the rent goesup every year. So now they are trying to decide whether or not to buy a house.
Linda wants tobuy a house, but John is against the idea. He thinks prices are too high, andhe doesn't want to be trapped. If they owned a house, it would be moredifficult to move somewhere else if things changed. For example, what wouldhappen if he lost his job? If he lost his job, they might want to move toanother city or country. If they owned a home or flat, it would be moredifficult to move. If they decided to move, they would probably have to sell. Ifprices had risen, they would be okay. In fact, they might even make a profit. However,if prices were down when they had to sell, they would lose money.
Last week Johngot some bad news. His company isdownsizingand moving its head office to another city. It's moving because it canno longer afford to do business where they are now. Expenses are too high,especially salaries, so it's more difficult to compete with other companies. Infact, several other companies will be moving out too. Office space is expensivein the area, along with the cost of living for employees. As a result, it'sbecoming more difficult to hire good employees. Nobody wants to live thereunless their salary can support a good standard of living.
With all ofthese changes, John thinks there's a good chance that he will be transferred tothe new head office. This could happenfairlysoon. If so, it would be foolish to buy a house at this time. Lindastill disagrees about buying a house, but she is willing to wait a year to seewhat happens. She hopes that they won't have to move, but they may have tounless John is willing to change companies. She would prefer not to move,because she doesn't want to lose her job.
Now they have to consider what they'll do if he's transferred. John has to decide whether or not he should begin to look for a new company. If he could find another job in the area, it would put less stress on his wife. If they stay and can wait for a while, maybe housing prices will begin to come down. If prices don't come down，then he and his wife will continue to disagree about buying a house.Sooner or later they are going to have to make a decision and stop fightingabout it.
Level6 Unit1 Part4 Dialogue
Are you havingany luck finding a new girlfriend?
No, I'm not.
I haven't foundanyone I like.
So far they areall after my money and a fancy lifestyle.
What willhappen toreal love?
I don't know.
The samethought has occurred to me lately.
I'm afraid I'mbecoming a bit ofa cynic.
I was justreading about some new robots called AIs.
They haveartificial intelligence or AI.
Yes, AIs.
I've heardabout it, and they've been in some movies too.
Evidently,these new AIs can be very attractive companions.
What do youthink about that?
You must bekidding!
Relating to asmart robot?
It sounds sickto me.
I don't know,maybe not.
I wonder whatit would be like to have an AI girlfriend.
Maybe you couldprogram it to be like your dream woman.
A dream woman？No.
Well, it's aninteresting idea but hard to imagine in reality.
I guess itcould be fun for a while, but then it would get boring, don't you think?
For sure, noreal emotion.
Everythingwould bemechanical andartificial, even the language.
There wouldn'tbe a soul inside, just an empty machine.
Well, notnecessarily.
That woulddepend on how intelligent it is.
There are somewho saythat AIs are going to bemore intelligent than we are.
Hmm, I've heardof that too.
In fact, theymay even be a threat to us, right?
Anyway, if itwere possible, would you want a woman you could control?
A woman I couldcontrol?
No, I can'timagine it.
Most of thewomen I've been with have tried to control me!
Well, that'sone of the differences between menand women.
We see thingsdifferently.
We nevermeasure upto their standards, hahaha.
However, ifthere is real love, the bonds between two people can be very deep.
It may nothappen very often, but I've seen it.
Yes, that'swhat I'm looking for.
I hope it's notjust a dream.
If that's whatyou want you are probably not going to find her in the bar.
Maybe I'll justlet people know I'm looking for someone nice.
Be sure theydon't tell her you're rich.
Maybe I canhelp you find someone.
You have mypermission.
And just forfun, I'll start checking out some of those smart robots.
It soundscrazy, but I'm curious.
With all thelonely people out there, it may turn out to be a huge business.
Level6 Unit1 Part4 Reading
Mysteries ofthe Mona Lisa
Withouta doubt, one of the world's most recognizable pieces of art is the Mona Lisa.Painted in the 16th Century by Leonardo da Vinci, it continues to attractcrowds ofpeople who arecaptivated by the mysterious woman intheportrait. Herenigmatic smile andpenetrating gaze reach out through theages as if she were alive today.
Critics and art lovers still argue about her identity. One theory is that theway she posed suggests that she was with child. Another theory argues that herhairless face - nobrows orlashes - indicates that she was aprostitute.
Itseems that in 16th Century Italy women working in the world's oldest professionhad hairless faces in order to make themselves more sexuallyarousing. There is, however, evidencethat at one time the woman in the portrait had thickeyebrows. Perhaps they wereinadvertently erased when the painting was cleaned. Nobody knowsfor sure.
Thepainting itself has an interesting history. With the death of Leonardo, it wentto his friend King Francois , and then to Louis XV and the Palace ofVersailles. It wasn't until 300 years after itscompletion that it was recognized as amasterpiece. For a time, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte hung it in hisbedroom. Eventually, it found a permanent home when it was added to thecollection of the Louvre in Paris. In 1911 it was stolen by a museum employeeand twoaccomplices. This theftmade the painting famous all over the world. During World War II it was takenaway and hidden from the Nazis, as were many important works of art. Today thepaintingresides at the Louvre,captivating a whole new generation. Whoever she was, the mysteries surroundingthe Mona Lisa continue toengage ourimaginations.
A Story ofFriendship and Love
Thisis the story of a donkey named Jellybean and a goat named Mr.G. For ten yearsthey lived together on a farm owned by a woman who loved animals but couldbarely care for herself. She had dozens of animals, but the living conditionsfor all of them weredeplorable.Finally, an animal rescue organization came and took the animals away,relocating them to animalsanctuaries.
Throughout their years at the farm, Jellybean and Mr.G had beeninseparable. Wherever the donkey was,the goat was never far away. For some reason, they hadbonded, and nobodysuspectedhow strong the bond had become.
When Jellybean was taken to a local animal rescue center, Mr.G was moved to acenter far away. When he arrived, he refused to eat. Not only did he refuse toeat, but he refused to get up or move around. He spent his days lying in acorner of the barn, barely lifting his head. The staff at the center tried feedinghim treats, including apples and sweets, but nothing worked.
Asthe days went by, he continued to weaken. The staff had to move him physicallyto ensure he didn't spend too long lying down. Worried that he was ill, theygave him a series of health examinations, but none showed anything wrong.Finally, they realized that he was depressed andmourning the loss of his best friend.
Withhis condition getting worse,drastic measureswere required. A volunteer at the center offered to make the 14-hour round-tripjourney tofetch Jellybean sothe two could bereunited.
OnceJellybean arrived and the goatsensed hispresence, he rose to his feet,breathed in deeply and rushed to his friend's side. Shortly after that, hebegan to eat, moving the entire staff to tears. Such a beautiful reunion wasinspiring - an amazingtestimonial tothe depth of nonhuman emotions.
Since the video of the reunion was posted on the Internet, it has been viewed by millions. and from now on, the two friends will remain together.