TAPESCRIPTS

UNIT 1

Lesson 1, ex4a, b

1) The youngest person in my family is my niece Rosemary. She was born only three weeks ago. My sister and my brother-in-law named her after our great-grandmother. Rosemary is such a beautiful name, isn’t it?

2) My great grandfather would be the oldest person in our family. 84 years make him not only the oldest but also the wisest person of our family. We all love grandpa Ron.

3) Well, I would say that my uncle David is the most successful person in our family, though it hasn’t always been like that. At the age of 20 he dropped out of college and his parents, my grandparents, were very disappointed with him. But he started his own business and now when he is only 35, he is a C.E.O. of a very influential corporation in our country. I am very proud to be a nephew of such a smart uncle.

4) The most extraordinary person in my family is definitely my half-sister Kim. She looks like a teenager even though she is 24. She has short dark hair, her nose and eyebrow are pierced and she has a couple of tattoos. She is extremely fond of wearing leather clothes and riding a motorcycle. Kim is an amazing photographer and people pay her a lot of money to shot their weddings.

5) I have never met my brother-in-law. My sister Anna moved to Sydney to do her degree in science 3 years ago. There she met John who also studied at the same college. They fell in love and got married. My parents went to Australia for the wedding, but unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to go with them. But Anna and John are going to visit us here in the US next summer, so I am very excited to meet my brother-in-law!

Lesson 2, ex2b

Song.

(CHORUS:)

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up everybody and sing

Everyone can see we're together

As we walk on by

(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather

I won't tell no lie

(ALL!) all of the people around us they say

Can they be that close

Just let me state for the record

We're giving love in a family dose

(CHORUS x2)

Living life is fun and we've just begun

To get our share of the world's delights

(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future

And our goal's in sight

(WE!) no we don't get depressed

Here's what we call our golden rule

Have faith in you and the things you do

You won't go wrong

This is our family Jewel

(REPEAT CHORUS TO FADE)

Lesson 4, ex.4, 5

Virtual Dating

Virtual dating combines online dating with online gaming. It involves the use of avatars for people to interact in a virtual place that resembles a real life dating environment. For example, individuals can meet and chat in a romantic virtual cafe in Paris or on a Caribbean resort. They can explore together, play games and take relationship quizzes to get a better, deeper understanding of each other. While online dating sites allows members to search on attributes such as education and social status, virtual dating allows users to explore compatibility, sense of humor and rapport. According to Scientific American virtual dating is "the next step in online dating".

Researchers at Harvard have found that "people who had had a chance to interact with each other (by computer only) on a virtual tour of a museum afterwards had more successful face-to-face meetings than people who had viewed only profiles."

Speed dating

The fast-paced world of speed dating gives singles the opportunity to date up to ten other lovelorn singles in one evening. How is this possible, you ask? Each date lasts seven minutes. So even if someone is not a good mixer by nature they don't have to worry as the date doesn't take long. The rules of speed dating are quite simple. A group of singles gathers at a cafe. Armed with a nametag, a card to put down the scores and their sparkling personality, couples are paired up to begin their first date. They are allowed to discuss anything, except their careers, or where they live. After seven minutes of conversation, a bell rings, and the men move on to meet their next date. Following each date, participants mark on a card whether they would have an interest in meeting their date again. If a mutual interest is noted, speed-dating organizers provide each party with the other's phone number within 48 hours.

Arranged Marriages

We live in a society where we are free to fall in love, to date and to make our own mistakes. Our parents can give us suggestions who they think would be good for us. But the decision is ours as our lives. Its not easy for us to imagine that things don’t go this way in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Shri Lanka. Families over there have a tradition of getting their child married through their own selection. Its your family who are responsible for your future financial security and stability. We keep worrying about finding “the right one”. Love often makes us blind to how a person really is. With arranged marriages you don’t have to worry about choosing the wrong person or your parents‘disapproval. Moreover, it was noticed that arranged marriages tend to be more long-lasting and stable. However, you are not guaranteed a romantic soul either.