Audioscript

Last April, Gustavo was really busy. He was working at two different jobs. During the day, he was working in an office. At night, he was working at a restaurant. While his friends were spending all their money on entertainment, he was saving money for a trip to Europe. One day, he decided he had enough money. He quit both his jobs and bought an airplane ticket to France. It was hard to say goodbye to his friends and family, but he was excited about his trip. He planned to travel for two months. For two weeks, Gustavo was happy while he was traveling in France and Spain. He saw many famous sights and ate interesting foods. In the third week, he was taking a train through Portugal when a man and a woman sat down across from him. They looked like his parents. Suddenly he missed his family. A week later, while Gustavo was visiting a museum in Italy, he noticed some people his age. They reminded him of his friends back home. He felt homesick. After that, Gustavo emailed his friends and family from Internet cafes in every city he went to.

Audioscript

1.

Friend: Monica! Oh, my gosh … your hair... it’s... it’s blue!

Monica: I know. Do you like it?

Friend: It’s... um… well ... hmm. It’s certainly different.

Monica: I know, I know. It’s a little bright, isn’t it?

Friend: Weren’t you thinking of dying your hair brown?

Monica: I was. But then while I was shopping last weekend, I saw this girl in the mall. She had the most beautiful long, blue hair, and I wanted to look just like her.

Friend: Oh. That’s interesting. But Monica, don’t you have a job interview tomorrow? What’ll they think of your blue hair?

2.

A: Did you see the car Nathan bought last week?

B: Yeah, I heard it before I saw it. It was making a terrible noise. What a piece of junk!

A: His neighbor sold itto him.

B: Yeah, I know. But I thought Nathan wasn’t interested in it. It’s 20 years old and needs a lot of repairs.

A: That’s true. But when the guy finally dropped the price to $800, Nathan decided it was a good deal after all.

B: $800?! Oh, he paid way too much money. That car is in such bad condition, it shouldn’t even be on the road. Somebody should tell Nathan not to drive that thing until he gets it fixed. He’s going to cause an accident

3.

Woman. Hey, Sammy, it’s great to run into you again! Last time I saw you, you were thinking about moving. What happened? Did you move?

Sammy: I sure did! I moved last month to an apartment in the PoplarPark neighborhood. Do you know where that is?

Woman: PoplarPark? Yeah, that’s clear across town. Why’d you go so far away?

Sammy: Well, I work near PoplarPark, and I don’t have a car. I was spending so much time traveling to and from work... It took more than an hour each way, on two different buses! Now, from my new place, I can walk to work in ten minutes.

Woman: Oh, that makes sense. It’s nice to be so close to your job. But we miss seeing you at the coffee shop.

Audioscript

A: I’m here with Ashley Jones, the talented young woman who won $10,000 and a recording contract in the Voice at Teens Singing Contest last night Ashley, you were crying when you received your award. Can you tell us what was going through your mind at that time?

B: Well, my feelings were complicated. I was happy, of course, but also sad.

A: Sad? When you got $10,000 and a recording contract for a CD? You have a very promising future as a singer.

B: I know, it sounds crazy. But I’m starting my university studies next month, and I’m not going to study music, so I decided not to accept that recording contract.

A: Why not? What are you going to study instead?

B: Biology and chemistry. My parents own a pharmacy. They want me to be a pharmacist, work in their store, and eventually take over their business. They let me sing during high school, but now it’s time to focus on my real career. As a pharmacist, I’ll always have a good job and a paycheck.

A: What will you do with the $10,000?

B: Well, my parents want me to use it for my college tuition. So that’s what I’ll do.

A: Will you keep singing for fun?

B: I hope so. ButI probablywon’t have a lot of time.