Track 02
Interviewer: Hello and welcome back to Radio Today. Joining me in the studio now is singer and songwriter, Henry Martin. Thanks for coming in today, Henry.
Henry: That’s a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.
Interviewer: So, Henry. You’re very busy at the moment, aren’t you?
Henry: Yes, that’s right. My new album, Keep in Touch, is on sale now, so I’m doing lots of interviews about it. I just hope people like it!
Interviewer: Well, I know some songs from it and I love them!
Henry: Thanks!
Interviewer: So, tell us something interesting about the album.
Henry: OK. The songs are about very important people in my life. The first song on the album, ‘My Shy Companion’, is about my grandmother, Marta. She’s eighty-seven years old and every day she cooks lunch for her children and grandchildren. That’s usually fourteen people every day! Nobody can cook like her!
Interviewer: Wow, can I come round one day?
Henry: Yes, sure! Everyone loves Marta! She’s so sweet and kind. She’s also very intelligent. She’s bilingual. She speaks Spanish and English. But she wants to be trilingual, so she’s learning German at the moment. Can you imagine? She is amazing!
Interviewer: So, who else do you sing about on the new album?
Henry: Well, the song ‘Share our Feelings’ is about my best friend. My best friend is my brother, Jonas. He can be selfish and rude sometimes, but he’s also a very generous person. We get on well and we really rely on each other. Jonas always helps me through difficult periods of my life. When life is hard, he never lets me down.
Interviewer: Let’s take a break now and listen to the song we’re talking about. Here’s ‘Share our Feelings’. We’ll be right back after this with more questions, so don’t go away.
Track 03
Katie: Come on, Lisa. We’ve got to finish going through these old boxes. Grandma wants us to clear them all away by the end of the weekend.
Lisa: OK. We can probably just throw everything away. It’s just old things and rubbish from when we were kids.
Katie: Hang on! Look at these old photos of us. Aaaaaaah! We used to be so cute!
Lisa: Let me see, oh yes! Look at your hair!
Katie: Ha! But look at your trousers!
Lisa: I know! Look, here’s a picture of me with my favourite teacher, Mrs White.
Katie: I don’t remember her. Why was she your favourite teacher?
Lisa: She was brilliant. All her lessons used to be interesting and fun. Everyone always used to pay attention and nobody ever skipped her classes. We all got good marks in our exams too!
Katie: What did she use to teach you? Was it art?
Lisa: No, it wasn’t. That was Mrs Black!
Katie: Oh yes!
Lisa: Mrs White used to teach history and music. She only taught me history, though. We used to do really interesting projects in her lessons. I remember one project that we did. We had to make a poster about our family history.
Katie: Really?
Lisa: Yes, it was great. Grandma told me all about her mother, Maria. She was born in Spain and she travelled to America with her family when she was 13. Life was really difficult for them at first because they had to start a new life in New York. But in the end, Maria’s father got a job as a fire fighter. Maria worked hard at school and studied English at university. Not many women used to go to university in those days, so she was very special.
Katie: Cool!
Lisa: Maria became a writer! Grandma has some of her books somewhere. Anyway, I made a poster about Maria’s life and I remember that Mrs White put it up on the wall of our classroom. I felt so proud! That was a really important moment for me at school.
Katie: I’m so happy we didn’t just throw all these things away! It’s good to remember the people who were important to us when we were growing up.
Lisa: Yes, absolutely! It was women like Mrs White and our great grandmother, Maria who made me feel confident about myself and made me think that I could do anything with my life. I’m really grateful to them for showing me that.
Katie: I’d love to see that poster you made. Do you think it might still be here in these boxes somewhere?
Lisa: I don’t know! Maybe! Let’s keep looking.
Track 04
Leo: Hi, Pete, how was your holiday in Portugal?
Pete: We didn’t go to Portugal. We went to Spain. It was great! Well, it was great when we finally got there! But we had the worst journey ever!
Leo: Oh no! What happened?
Pete: Well, we had to get a train to the airport. We booked our tickets early in case the train was fully booked. But when we got to the station, they told us that our train was cancelled. So, we had to get a bus instead. They sent us to the bus station and told us to get bus 224 to the airport, but we got on bus 242.
Leo: What? You mean you got on the wrong bus?
Pete: Yes, we did! While we were driving along, I realised our mistake! So, we got off at the next stop. We thought about hitchhiking but luckily a taxi came long. So we got a taxi to the airport in the end because we thought we might miss our flight.
Leo: Oh poor you! Did you get to the airport on time?
Pete: Yes, we did! We got to the departure gate five minutes before it closed.
Leo: Really? I imagine you were glad to board that plane?
Pete: Yes, but that wasn’t the end of it…
Leo: Oh no, what happened next?
Pete: We were sitting on the plane for about 20 minutes and then the pilot announced that it couldn’t take off yet. In the end, the flight was delayed for four hours.
Leo: That’s awful! That happened to us when we went to France last year.
Pete: Anyway, when we got to Spain, a coach was waiting for us. But I couldn’t find my ticket! There was a driver who was very nice and let me get on the coach anyway. It was a long drive through the mountains and I was feeling very ill by the time we arrived at the hotel.
Leo: But at least you got there. Did you have a good time after that?
Pete: Yes, it was a great holiday. It’s a place where you can really relax. Until the journey home…
Leo: Oh no! What happened then?
Pete: I’m only kidding! The journey home was very easy!
Track 05
Shop assistant: Hello, can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I need to return this suit, which I purchased last Wednesday.
Shop assistant: OK, and what’s the problem with it?
Customer: It doesn’t fit me. The trousers are too long and the jacket is too short.
Shop assistant: Oh dear, would you like to try on another suit in a different size?
Customer: No, not really. I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’d just like a refund, please.
Shop assistant: Do you have your receipt?
Customer: No, I don’t. Do I need it?
Shop assistant: Yes, I’m afraid you do. Our policy is that we only give refunds to customers if they have their receipts and if they bring the product back less than thirty days after they bought it.
Customer: OK, so what can you do for me then?
Shop assistant: I can exchange the suit for another one.
Customer: Hmmm, I’m not very happy about that. There are a lot of shops that let you have refunds even if you don’t have your receipt.
Shop assistant: I’m very sorry. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do.
Customer: OK, can you help me to find the right size?
Shop assistant: Yes, of course. I think this size is better for you than the one you bought. Also, it’s on sale until Tuesday. There’s a fifteen per cent discount so it’s cheaper than the one you bought. It’s a real bargain! You might have enough money to get something else as well.
Customer: OK, that sounds good. Can I try it on?
Shop assistant: I’m afraid there aren’t any changing rooms open on this floor. But you can go upstairs or downstairs. There are a few changing rooms on the ground floor and there are lots on the second floor.
Customer: OK, I’ll be right back.
Shop assistant: Is it any good?
Customer: Yes, I really like it and it’s £10 cheaper than the other suit. I’d like this blue tie as well, please.
Shop assistant: Yes, of course. I’ll just take it over to the checkout …
Track 06
1
I’ve got a friend who is a vegan. She’s been a vegan for a long time. Her family are all meat eaters, so she cooks her own meals. Sometimes she cooks for them and they enjoy her cooking, but she can’t persuade them to change completely. She thinks I am unhealthy because I eat meat twice a week. She keeps telling me what I should eat but I’m sure she’s wrong. As far as I’m concerned, I’m as healthy as I should be, and I’m not changing my lifestyle for hers.
2
The first time I got a headache, I just took an aspirin and went to bed. A few days later, I got another one, this time worse than before. Then, I started getting them more and more often. In the end, my friend told me I should go to the doctor so, finally, I did. The doctor advised me to have an eye test as I might be getting the headaches because I need glasses. She was right! Now I can see better and my headaches have gone away.
3
I play a lot of tennis, and I always take care about what I eat. I even go to the doctor for regular check-ups and follow his advice. So, I was quite shocked when, after my last visit, I found out that I wasn’t as healthy as I thought. I don’t really need to change my lifestyle, I just need to continue getting lots of exercise and eating well and, during the winter, I should try to take some Vitamin D because I don’t spend enough time in the sun.
4
I started a diet a few days ago. I read about it on the Internet. It’s quite a strange diet and a friend told me to go to the doctor to get some expert advice before I started following the diet. I was impatient, though, and couldn’t wait. I know it wasn’t a very sensible thing to do. I’ll probably go to the doctor next week and have a blood test, just to make sure it isn’t doing me any harm.
5
I love the Internet, and I often use it to look up symptoms I think I’ve got! Sometimes it’s quite scary because websites often say it could be something very serious. Of course, they also say it could be nothing at all, but I never believe that! Last week, I thought I had a tropical disease that no-one in Britain has ever had before. I even went to the doctor about it and couldn’t believe it when he said I was perfectly fit and healthy.Track 07
Boy: What are you going to do when you leave school? Are you going to move away from home?
Girl: No, I’d love to move in with my friends. But I don’t have enough money to rent a flat at the moment.
Boy: Yeah, rents are really expensive. You could find a job for a year to earn some money and then go to university after that.
Girl: No, I don’t want to do that. I’ll probably go to university here in the town where I live. It’s a great place to study anyway.
Boy: Oh yes, that’s a good idea.
Boy: I can’t believe that this is our last day of school!
Girl: I know! I’m really looking forward to getting out in the world! I’ve got a lot of good friends here, but it’s great to move on and try new things.
Boy: Yeah, that’s true. I just feel a bit anxious about what lies ahead though. It’s scary.
Girl: Don’t be sacred! You’re going to be fine. You should always be optimistic about the future.
Boy: You’re right, there’s no point in thinking about the negative things in life. I’m going to make lots of new friends and I’m going to have a great time!
Man: Wow, you look great. What’s different about you? New hair colour?
Woman: No, that’s all natural! But I had a haircut last week. Do you like the new style? I just wanted to change my look a bit.
Man: Yeah, of course. I can see the difference now. You had long hair for years, but short hair really suits you. I’m thinking about a change too. Maybe I’ll grow a moustache or get a piercing?
Woman: I don’t like piercings! Moustaches are quite cool, as long as you grow a beard as well.
Man: OK, I’ll do that then.
Woman 1: I’m exhausted! Jack woke me up at...
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