Transcriptions to be corrected in class

Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2016

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Transcriptions to be corrected in class
ACTIVITY 1:
1. Ben had fun.
2. Sam puts up with Jim.
3. Jeff got sacked.
4. Rob got six texts.

ACTIVITY 2:
1. Jane came home quite late.
2. Pete rode back.
3. Jean sails the Nile.
4. Joe rode on his bike.

ACTIVITY 3:
1. We can remember the instructions.
2. There were two doctors in the conference.
3. You can take as many presents as you like.
4. There can be lots of people waiting for your call.

ACTIVITY 4:
The Beast (Part 1)
I heard a twig snap, a sharp crack. It woke me from a sound sleep, and it may have been a
dream this time. I knew it was the right time, six or so. Pat was right. There was a beast she
had seen out in the cold the day I got up to go for new tools. She said she had tried to catch it,
but had no luck. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. "I can catch it", I thought. I walked
to the door and made no noise. I turned the door knob.

ACTIVITY 5:
The Beast (Part 2)
There it was. It was brown and black, striped and tan, and two feet long. It had a tail near as
long as it was from nose to hind legs. I had to look twice, the eyes were green, I thought she
said they were blue, but no. In the new light of the sun that was low in the sky, the eyes were
deep green. "Here, cat!" I called in a soft, low voice. The cat crouched low; it was scared. I went
back to the house to get a bowl of milk. "She will be ours soon , she is not as scared as she
was" my wife said as she stood at my side to watch. "We will call her 'Cat'.
ACTIVITY 6:
Eye to Eye
The coloured part of the eye is called the iris. There are three basic eye colours: brown, blue
and green. A few albino people have red or pink eyes, but these are very rare. Many people
believe that blue eyes are more delicate than brown ones. In fact they are as tough as brown
eyes, although they are more sensitive to light.
We don’t normally look into someone’s eyes for long, especially when they are very close. Eye
contact can be very threatening, so this is the reason why people don’t look at one another in
lifts. Strong eye contact can also be very intimate. That is why lovers gaze into each other’s
eyes.


Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2016

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ACTIVITY 7:
It was the worst day in my life. I went into the secretary’s office and I picked up the phone. My
wife answered, but then a man’s voice came on the line. He said: ‘We have got your wife and
children here. Listen and follow my instructions and they’ll be all right.’ I was shocked, but I
listened to the instructions. ‘In ten minutes’ time a man in a green jumper will come into your
bank. Give him all the money from the safe. When he telephones me, we’ll release your family.’

He put the phone down. I was scared.
ACTIVITY 8:
Tennis players believe that holding more than two balls while serving will probably bring them
bad luck. Some say that it might be unlucky to step on the court lines during a match. One
famous Russian player has a strict set of rules before every game. When he is in London, he
books the same table of the same restaurant and orders the same menu: fish soup, meat balls
and chocolate ice-cream. British number one, Tim Henman, has a favourite shower at
Wimbledon, which he uses before and after his matches. As you can see, there are lots of crazy
people in the world!
ACTIVITY 9:
Last week, my girlfriend and I went to the Opera Theatre. We had very good seats and the play
was very appealing. I didn’t enjoy it, however. The man and woman that were sitting behind me
kept talking loudly. I got furious, of course, because I couldn’t hear the actors. I turned round
and looked at them angrily. They didn’t pay any attention to me. As you can guess, I decided to
do something in the end. I told them ‘I can’t hear a word!’
‘It’s none of your business,’ the young man said rudely. ‘This is a private conversation.’
ACTIVITY 10:
I have just received an email from my youngest brother, Andrew. God, I miss him! He lives in
the USA now. He has been there for eleven months. He’s is working as a department manager
for a big firm and he has already visited a great number of different places all over the country.
He’s just bought a used car and has gone to Orange, a lovely town on the West Coast. He’s
visiting LA soon. From there, he will fly to New York. My brother has never been abroad before,
so he is finding this trip very exciting.
ACTIVITY 11:
I was having dinner at a restaurant when John Simpson came in. We worked in the same
company years ago, but he is now a bank manager. Rumour has it that although he earns a
good salary, he borrows money from his friends and doesn’t pay it back. John saw me and
asked if he could sit at my table. While he was eating, I asked him to lend me $2. I was
nervous! To my surprise, he gave it to me immediately. ‘I have never borrowed any money from
you,’ John said, ‘so now you can pay for my dinner.’

ACTIVITY 12:
A: Can I see your boarding pass, please?
B: Certainly, officer.
A: How much luggage do you have?
B: I haven’t brought much. Just a carry on.
A: You’re travelling on business, I guess.
B: You’re right. I’ll get to Paris at six thirty a.m. | and I will be returning at
six thirty p.m.
A: What airline have you chosen?
B: American Airlines.
A: All right, Mr. Brown. You can leave now. You have a plane to catch.


Prof. Francisco Zabala - 2016

ACTIVITY 13:
A: Can I help you, Madam?
B: Can I see that DVD player? The silver one.
A: You can’t, I’m afraid. That’s just for display.
B: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What other models do you have?
A: The new Sony has just arrived. It’s a wonderful device.
B: How much is it? Very expensive?
A: It’s quite inexpensive, as a matter of fact. It’s just one hundred dollars.
B: Do you take debit cards?

ACTIVITY 14:
A: Are you there, Dad?
B: I’m here, darling. I’m free right now.
A: I need a hand | with the camera I’ve just bought. I can’t take the
battery out.

B: Wait a second. You’d better read the manual first. Here it says | that
you can’t open the lid | when the red light is on.
ACTIVITY 15:
A: Hi, Hillary. This is Emma speaking.
B: Hi, Emma. Is everything OK?
A: I’m at the bank at the moment. There’s some money missing.
B: That’s sounds bad,| terribly bad. Is that the company’s money?
A: There’s a problem with the deposit you made.
ACTIVITY 16:
A: The computer’s crashed.
B: It’s happened three times today. Have you had the system checked?
A: I do want to have it checked, of course. I’ve found the IT guys,| but
they never come.
B: I hate technicians. I think they enjoy our suffering. What does your
boss say?
A: He wants to have their manager fired.
ACTIVITY 17:
A: Look, the paint is peeling off. And there’s a leak in that corner.
B: We should get the house painted. If not, we won’t be able to sell the
place.
A: How much money do we need?
B: It depends. Do you want to get a permanent | or a temporary repair?
A: I don’t care if the repairs don’t last. I just want to get rid of this
property.

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