UNIT 1
Takeshi: Man, look at that! In New York there’s always something being built. And everything goes up so quickly … you never know what’s going to be around next week.
Roberto: Yeah, but on the other hand, sometimes I wonder about overcrowding. Maybe they need to start building down more.
Takeshi: Building down?
Roberto: Yeah, it’s when you build underground instead of aboveground.
Takeshi: Nah, that’s too much like living in a cave. I love the skyscrapers! They are the most incredible feats of engineering!
Roberto: True. And some of the first ones were built right here in New York City.
Takeshi: That’s right! You know, I wonder what New York looked like before all these buildings popped up.
Roberto: I don’t know, but I’d like to see this one when it’s finished.
Takeshi: Yeah. I’ll bet it’ll be something fantastic!
Roberto: Maybe … what do you think it’s going to look like?
Takeshi: I don’t know … but you know what? I’m going to remember what it looked like.
Roberto: What are you talking about? And why are you taking pictures? There’s nothing there.
Takeshi: OK. You know how some people get famous because they have pictures of movie stars or performers before they make it big?
Roberto: Yeah?
Takeshi: Well, some buildings and architectural structures get to be famous too, like the
Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building … right?
Takeshi: Right! But there will be. Someday this very spot may become really well-known — like maybe it’ll be some incredible hotel that the rich and famous stay at. And I’ll be the only one with pictures of it before it was built. Cool, huh?
Roberto: Uh … you are too much. Hey, let’s ask this guy what your “famous” building’s going to be. (to passing construction worker ) Excuse us, can you tell us what this is going to be when it’s finished? Maybe a fancy hotel or something?
Construction worker: Fancy hotel? (laughs ) No, this isn’t going to be a hotel. It’s going to be a parking garage.
Roberto: A parking garage. Uh … huh. Thanks.
Takeshi: Well … maybe … someone rich and famous will park here.
UNIT 2
Prof. Morgan: Good. So change the first part and make those corrections and your paper will be great.
Tara: OK. Thanks for all your help, Professor Morgan. I’ll e-mail my paper to you later today.
Prof. Morgan: You know, technology is amazing. In high school I used to write my term papers on a typewriter.
Tara: It must have taken a long time to write a paper on a typewriter.
Prof. Morgan: Well, I was pretty fast, but I made some mistakes. Actually, the typewriters weren’t that bad. Now, as for the first computers … oh my gosh!
Tara: What do you mean?
侯佩岑内衣Prof. Morgan: The first computers were so unreliable. They used to crash all the time. An
d they were not as affordable or as fast as they are now.
Tara: Mine’s pretty fast, but not as fast as some of the newer, more expensive ones.
Prof. Morgan: I know! And nowadays, almost everyone has a computer. In those days, nobody had their own computer. We used to use the ones at the university.
Tara: In the computer lab?
Prof. Morgan: Yeah, that’s all we had. I’ll never forget, one spring, during final exams. Everybody was working on their term papers, and the electricity went out!
你到底爱谁djTara: So? No big deal … laptops have batteries …
Prof. Morgan: Yes, but remember, in those days we didn’t have laptops. If your computer crashed, you lost everything.
Tara: Everything?
Prof. Morgan: Everything. We used to lose information all the time, but that time it was terrible. Everybody lost their papers that afternoon … including me.
我的心太乱Tara: What did you do?
Prof. Morgan: I went back to the good, old-fashioned way.
Tara: You mean typewriters?
Prof. Morgan: Nope. I used something more affordable, portable, reliable, disposable, something that always worked.
Tara: What was that?
Prof. Morgan: (holds up pencil and paper) The first word processor.
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