初级英语口语

Lesson 1

Text A

How Old Is She?

A woman was having some trouble with her heart, so she went to see the doctor.He was a new doctor,

and did not know her. so he first asked some questions, and one of them was , "How old are you?"

"Well," she answered, "I don't remember. doctor, but I will try to think." She thought for a minute and then said, "Yes. I remember now, doctor! When I married, I was eighteen years old, and my husband was thirty. Now my husband is sixty, I know. And that is twice thirty. So I am twice eighteen. That is

thirty-six, isn't it?"

Text B

Could I Speak to Jim,Please?

A:Hello, 332440.

B:Oh hello, Sally. This is Dave Thomson here. Could I speak to Jim please?

A:I'm afraid he's not in at the moment Dave. He went out about an hour ago and

he's not back yet.

B:Any idea when he might be back?

A:Well, he shouldn't be long. He said he was just going to

get some paint. But I wouldn't be surprised if he's stopped off at the pub on the way back.

B:O. K. well , tell him I've called , will you , and I'll try again later.

A:All right. Goodbye , Dave.

B:Thanks then Sally. Goodbye.

Questions on Text B

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your partner.

Accident

The river, you see, was never really safe at that time of the year- early autumn, I mean, when there is heavy rainfall. So when I heard the children had gone swimming, as they used to all spring and summer, I knew there might be an awful accident. And when they came home late without little Katie, I guessed what had happened.

Lesson 2

Text A

But the Chinese Did !

One day Tom said to one of his friends, "I'm going to have a holiday in Peking. But I don't speak Chinese, so I'll go to evening classes and have Chinese lessons for a month before I go."

He studied very hard for a month, and then his holidays began and he went to China.

When he came back a few weeks later, his friend said to him, "Did you have any trouble with your Chinese when you were in Peking , Tom?"

"No, I didn't have any trouble with it," answered Tom. "But the Chinese did !"

Text B

At the Birthday Party

MRs Ross: Welcome, Peter. Give me your coat and hat.

PETER: Thank you, Mrs Ross.

MRs Ross: The boys and girls are in the living room. Wait, I'll call John.

* * *

JOHN: Hi, Peter. Why are you late?

PETER: My mother made me dress up.

JOHN: That's good. Alice has some pretty friends.

PETER: You know I don't like girls.

* * *

PETER: Happy birthday, Alice. Many happy returns of the day. Here's a present for you.

ALIcE: Thank you, Peter. Come into the dining room. I'm going to cut the cake soon.

JOHN: Have some sandwiches , Peter.

PETER: Thanks. John. who's that girl?

JOHN: That's Joan. She's pretty, isn't she? She likes to dance. Ask her to dance.

PETER: Well , I don't know.

JOHN: Don't be afraid. She isn't going to bite you.

PETER: Who's afraid? I'm not afraid.

* * *

PETER: Would you like to dance, Joan?

JOAN: Yes , Thank you. I'd like to dance very much.

Questions on Text B

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your

partner.

Self-service

If you are in a hurry and you want to have a quick meal there is no better place than a self-service restaurant. You go into the restaurant, pick up a tray, knife, fork, and spoon and queue at a counter where the food is on display. You pick out what you want and put it on your tray, which you have to push along a special rack till you reach the cashier. The cashier will give you your bill. After paying, you take your tray to any table you like. You can sit alone or with another customer. You can have a good meal in ten minutes. And-as there is no waiter you don't have to give a tip.

Lesson 3

Text A

There Is Something Very Nice Inside Your Drum It was Jimmy's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of nice birthday presents from

his family, and one of them was a beautiful big drum.

"Who gave him that thing?" Jimmy's father said when he saw it.

"His grandfather did," answered Jimmy's mother.

"Oh," said his father.

Of course , Jimmy liked his drum very much. He made a terrible noise witb it, but his mother did not mind. His father was working during the day, and Jimmy was in bed when he got home in the evening, so

he did not hear the noise.

But one of the neighbours did not like the noise at all , so one morning a few days later, she took a sharp knife and went to Jimmy's house while he was hitting his drum. She said to him, "Hullo, Jimmy. Do you know, there's something very nice inside your drum. Here's a knife. Open the drum and let's find

it. "

Text B

May I See a Hat, please?

MR Ross:May I see a hat , please?

SALESMAN:What size do you take?

MR Ross:I'm sorry. I don't know.

SALESMAN:I'll measure you. . . You take size 6. What colour hat would you like?

MR Ross:Brown, please.

SALESMAN:Here are some nice brown hats.Try this hat on.It's a very good one.

MR ROss:Yes, I like this one.It goes very well with my coat. How much is it? SALESMAN:It's $ 9.95 ( nine dollars and ninety-five cents ). Do you want me to put it in a

box?

Questions on Text B

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your

partner.

The police in the big city were looking for a thief. At last they caught him. But while they were taking photographs of him - from the front, from the left, from the right, with a hat, without a hat - he suddenly attacked the policemen and ran off. They tried to catch him, but he got away.

Then a week later the telephone rang in the police-station, and somebody said, "You are looking for

Bill Cross, aren't you?"

"Yes. "

"Well, he left here for Waterbridge an hour ago. "

Waterbridge was a small town about 100 miles from the city. The city police at ence sent four different photographs of the thief to the police in Waterbridge.

Less than twelve hours later they got a telephone call from the police in Waterbridge. "We have

caught the fourth this evening, we think. "

What's the Matter with You?

MRs

Good afternoon, Dr Dawes.

WELsH:

DR

Good afternoon, Mrs Welsh .

DAwEs:

MRS

Please come this way,Doctor.Peter's in this room.

WELSH:

DR

Well, Peter.I'm sorry you're ill. What's the matter with you?

DAwEs:

PETER:I don't know,Doctor. I'm ill.I have a headache and a stomachache.

DR

Show me your tongue.What did you eat yesterday?

DAwEs:

PETER:Well,Doctor,I. . .

DR

Did you eat any cake?

DAwEs:

PEKE:Yes,I ate some cake.

DR

Did you eat any ice cream?

DAwEs:

PETEK:Well,yes,I did.I ate some ice cream.

DR

Did you eat any candy?

DAWEs:

PETER:Well,yes,I did. I ate some candy.

DR

Young man,tell me everything you ate yesterday evening.

DAwES:

PETER:WeII, Doctor.I went to a birthday party.

DR

I see!How many pieces of cake did you eat?

DAwEs:

PETER:Three,Doctor.

DR

How many plates of ice ream did you eat,young man?

DAwEs:

PETER:Gosh,Doctor.I had only three plates of ice cream.John had four.

Text B

How Did You lose Your Way?

Mrs Brown's old grandfather lived with her and her husband. Every morning he went for a walk in the park and came home at half past twelve for his lunch.

But one morning a police car stopped outside Mrs Brown's house at twelve o'clock, and two policemen helped Mr Brown to get out. One of them said to Mrs Brown, "The poor old gentleman lost his way in the park and telephoned to us for help, so we sent a car to bring him home. " Mrs Brown was very surprised, but she thanked the policemen and they left.

"But, Grandfather, " she then said , "you have been to that

park nearly every day for twenty years. How did you lose your way there?"

The old man smiled ,closed one eye and said, "I didn't

quite lose my way. I just got tired and I didn't want to walk home ! "

Questions on Text B

7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading and retell the story to your

partner.

One morning a man was crossing a narrow bridge when he saw a fisherman on the shady bank of the deep, smooth river under him,so he stopped to watch him quietly.

After a few minutes, the fisherman pulled his line in. There was a big, fat fish at the end of it.

The fisherman took it off the hook and threw it back into the water. Then he put his hook and line in again. After a few more minutes he caught another big fisb. Again he threw it back into the river. Then, the third time, he caught a small fish. He put it into his basket and started to get ready to go. The man on the bridge was very surprised, so he spoke to the fisherman. He said, "Why did you throw those beautiful, big fish back into the water and keep only that small one?"

The fisherman looked up and answered, "Small frying-pan. "

Lesson 5

Text A

Summer Plans

Peter and Mary are talking about their plans for the summer. Mary is going to work in the city, but Peter is going to go to camp. Mary thinks that their friend John is going to the mountains with his family.

PETERL:What are you going to do after you return from Washington?

MARY:I'm going to stay in the city.

PETER:What will you do all day?

MARY:I'm going to work with my father at the store. In the evening,I'll read books.

On weekends, I'll go to the beach with my family.

PETER:Have you ever worked?

MARy:No, but I can learn. What are you going to do this summer?

PETER:I'm going to camp. I've gone to camp for four summers.

MARY:I've never gone to camp. What do you do there?

PETER:We do many things . In the morning, we go swimming and boating. In the afternoon, we play basketball or tennis. We sit around a campfire at night.We sing or tell .

stories.

MARY:That sounds wonderful.

PETER:It is wonderful. What's John going to do this summer?

MARY:I think he's going to the mountains with his parents.

FETER:Well, so long, Mary. Have fun.

MARY:You too , Peter. Give my regards to John.'8 I'll see you in September.

Text B

My Dishwasher

Mrs Williams lived in a small street in London, and now she had a new neighbour. Her name was Mrs Briggs , and she talked a lot about her expensive furniture, her beautiful carpets and her new kitchen.

"Do you know, " she said to Mrs Williams one day, "I've got a new

dishwasher. It washes the plates and glasses and knives and forks beautifully. "

"Oh?" Mrs Williams answered. "And does it dry them and put them in the cupboard too?"

Mrs Briggs was surprised. "Well," she answered, "the things in the machine are dry after an hour,but it

doesn't put them away,of course. "

"I've had a dishwasher for twelve and a half years," Mrs Williams said.

"Oh?" Mrs Briggs answered. "And does yours put the things in the cupboard when it has washed

them?" She laughed nastily.

"Yes , he does," Mrs Williams answered. "He dries the dishes and puts them away. "

Questions on Text B

7. Read the following dialogue once. Underline the key words while reading and retell to your partner the

dialogue in your own words.

Frank and Charles discuss last night's television programme.

Frank:Did you watch television last night, Charles?

Charles:Yes , I did.

Frank:It was a good game, wasn't if?

Charles:Oh, I didn't watch the football match. I wanted to , but my wife

preferred to see the

Frank:What a pity. It was quite exciting. Both teams played very well.

Charles:How did it finish?

Frank:It finished in a draw. What was the film like?

Charles:It was quite good. But.I missed the beginning of it because I had to eat first.

Frank:Did your wife enjoy it?

Charles:No , she didn't. After half an hour slie stopped watching and started to read a

book.

Lesson 6

Text A

How to Make Everybody Happy

Peter's uncle lived in the country. Once Peter went to stay with him for a few weeks. Whenever they went for a walk or for a drive in the car and they passed somebody, his uncle waved. Peter was surprised, and said, "Uncle George, you know everybody here. Where did you meet them all?"

"I don't know all these people , " said his uncle.

"Then why do you wave to them?" asked Peter.

"Well, Peter," answered his uncle, "when I wave to someone and he knows me, he is pleased. He continues his journey with a happier heart.

But when I wave to someone and he doesn't know me, he is surprised and says to himself `Who is that man? Why did he wave to me?' So he has something to think about during the rest of his journey, and that makes his journey seem shorter. So I make everybody happy. "

Text B

What Wonld You Like to Do Tonight?

Mary's cousins, Fay and Rosemary, are still at her house. The girls want to go to the movies. They look in the newspaper to see what time the movie starts. After seeing the movie, they go to an ice cream parlor

and order their favorite desserts.

MARY: Girls , what would you like to do tonight?

ROSEMARY: Do you ever go to the movies?

MARY: Of course. I often go to the movies.

ROSEMARY: Well, let's go to the movies.

MARY: There's a good movie near here: "Summer in Maine"

FAY: Fine. I heard it's a very good movie.

RosEMARY: Let's find out what time it starts.

MARY: Let's look at the newspaper. Movie programs are usually on page nine.

FAY: Here it is. "Summer in Maine " starts at 8 o'clock.

Questions on Text B

7.Read the following conversation once. Underline the key words while reading and retell to your partner

the dialogue in your own words.

Fred:If I won the Pools, I'd go round the world.

Bert:Would you? I wouldn.'t.

Fred:What would you do?

Bert:Oh, I don't know. I'd buy a big house with a garden for my wife and kids, I

suppose. But it's difficult to imagine having a lot of money.

Fred:One thing's certain. If I had a lot of money, I wouldn't work any more.

Bert:Wouldn't you? What would you do with all that spare time?

Fred:As I said, I'd go round the world.

Bect:What would you do after that?

Fred:Oh, I don't know. It'd take me a long time to go round the world.

Bert:It doesn't sound very exciting.

Fred:Anyway, we haven't won the Pools, and we're not likely to win them. So there

isn't much point in talking about it, is there?

Bert:I'd be happy if I got a rise.

Fred:And my wife would be happy if I bought her a mink coat.

Bert:Well , I'm not likely to get a rise and you haven't the money for a mink oat, so

let'scome down to earth and have another drink.

Fred:What'll you have?

Bert:I'll have a pint of the best.

Fred:I'd have a Scotch if I were you. We deserve it.

Bert:All right. Make it a double, will you?

Text A

After a Heavy Snowstorm

One night there was a heavy snowstorm, and in the morning Mr Smith's garden was full of deep snow. Mr Smith wanted to take his car out, so he paid a man to clean the path from his garage to his gate. He said to this man, "Don't throw any snow on that side, because it will damage the bushes in my garden;

and don't throw any snow into the street, or the police will be angry. " Then Mr Smith went out.

When he came back, the path was clean and the snow from it was not on the bushes, or the fence, or the street. Mr Smith was very pleased-until he opened the garage to get his car out! The garage was full to the top with all the snow from the path, and his car was somewhere under it all!

Text B

No Baseball Today

PETER:Can you play baseball with me today?

JoHN:No, I can't. I'm sorry. I have to help my mother. We're going to move tomorrow. PETER:Where's the new house? Is it far from here?

JoHN:No, it's not far. It's near our old house.

PETER:Can I help you pack?

JoHN:Sure. Thanks.

* * *

PETER:What can I do?

JoHN:Take the books out of the bookcase. Put them in this box.

PETER:Well, the books are in the box. What can I do now?

JoHN:Take the magazines out of the bookcase. Put them in that box.

PETER:All right.

JoHN:Peter ! Pack them. Don't read them.

PETER:These magazines are interesting. May I borrow one?

JOHN:Of course.

PETER:Thanks, John.

Quiestions on Text B

7. Read the foilowing passage once. Undertine the key words whiie reading and retell the story to your

partner.

A Better Mailman !

I worked as a mailman for a short time. However, I am afraid of dogs and I had a lot of trouble. One day I tried to deliver some letters to a big house. I started to open the gate and all of a sudden a huge dog ran toward me. It growled and barked at me , so I threw the letters over the fence. The dog picked them up and carried them into the house. The dog was a better mailman than I was!