English Recordings

“I know this is a long shot, but I’m here looking for a ruby ring that would have been sold here in 1957. Is there any chance you would have such a thing?” Susie asked with little hope.

The man smiled as he rose out of his chair. “I almost don’t believe it. I think I have exactly what you’re looking for!” Susie’s eyes went wide as the old man wandered into the back of the store. There was no way that he would still have a ring in his pawn shop that was sold to them over sixty years ago. It was unbelievable.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” The old man asked as he returned to the front of the store. He carried an open ring box, containing a ruby-encrusted ring that certainly looked like it came from the right time period.

“Um, it could be. I’m not entirely sure what it might have looked like.” Susie confessed. “Can you maybe tell me more about it?”

“Well, I remember a woman sold it here when I was just a boy when my father ran the store.” he explained. “I remembered her very well because she seemed very upset to be selling the ring.”

“Do you remember anything else about her?” Susie asked.

“Well, not really, sorry to say, since it was so long ago.” he answered. “I just remembered that she was sad, and that I felt bad for her. You see, in those days, we had a policy that items would not be put for sale for a month after we bought them, to ensure that someone would have time to come buy back an item if they just needed quick cash,” the shopkeeper explained.

“I knew she probably would, since she seemed so distraught to be selling it. Even after the thirty-day buy back time was up, she never came back. Without telling my father, I hid the ring away, and he never noticed it was gone.” He smiled as he sat back down. 

“I’d given up hope a long time ago, but I couldn't bring myself to sell it. I’m honestly shocked to see you come in here looking for it! Are you a relative of hers, or something like that?” the old man asked.

“Uh, not exactly.” Susie answered. “I’m just doing a bit of… research on the family.” She lied, knowing that the old man would probably not believe her if he told her about Abby’s ghost, or worse, think that she was crazy. She decided to continue their business before he could ask any follow-up questions. 

“How much do I owe you for the ring?” Susie asked.

“Oh, let’s say… fifty dollars. I should be asking a lot more, but given the history of it I’ll offer you a discount.” the old man offered.

Susie sighed a little bit as she fished out her wallet to buy the ring. Thank god for the discount, there was no way Susie could have afforded a full-price ruby ring. Abby was lucky she was nice enough to do this for her.

A POSTER
A MICROPHONE
TO WIN
TO LOSE
TO HESITATE
A COMPETITION
NERVOUS
A PRIZE
A DAY
A PET
AN ANIMAL
FOR EXAMPLE
STUDENTS
PUPILS
TO SIT DOWN
TO SPELL
THE AUDIENCE
A CHAIR
A CONTEST
A TRAILER
A WINNER
A LOSER
TO STAND UP
TO AWARD
A SEASON
A WEEK
NEXT
LAST
FOR INSTANCE
A LABEL
TO ASK
CHILDREN
CONTESTANTS
TO WATCH
TO SPEAK UP
THE RULES
TO ANSWER
TO TAKE PART IN
TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF
CONGRATULATIONS
TOMORROW
YESTERDAY
SUCH AS
TO MISSPELL
WORDS

Exercise 1: Listen and repeat

where were
hate ate
hat had
two do
bin been
thing think
so saw
buy pie
not note

Exercise 2: circle the word you can hear

were
ate
hat
do
been
thing
so
note

Fewer and fewer people buy newspapers because they prefer digital devices.

Readers often say that they want to save time and money.
They also think that reading the news online is cleaner and more convenient.

British tabloids are famous for their catchy headlines, their huge pictures and their short articles.

The serious press offers quality articles whereas tabloids concentrate on gossip, use popular language and contain too much advertising.

After another child was found dead, the police warn people of hot car dangers.
They give a simple piece of advice : always look at the back seat before leaving your car.
Between 1990 and 2017, 937 children died from being left in hot cars.
When the outside temperature is 93 degrees, a car can reach 125 degrees in just 20 minutes.
It can quickly raise body temperature to dangerous levels.

Entertainment.
There can be little doubt that technology has impacted the world of entertainment massively in recent years. TV is an entertainment sector that technology has had a big effect on. With Satellite TV and cable boxes, you have more channels than ever to watch now. Movies or shows are recorded straight onto the hard drive of your box, which has seen off video recorders and VHS tapes. Hollywood and indeed the whole film industry has changed due to tech over the years. Technology has swept through the gaming sector as well. New consoles and games use the latest microchips to deliver sound, graphics and gameplay that are now light years ahead of what came before. In addition, the internet has allowed online and eGaming to spring up and become popular. Eventually, many people love to settle down with a good book, magazine, or newspaper. However, you no longer have to go out and buy them because you can access them all online.

Halloween
Halloween, name applied to the evening of October 31, preceding the Christian feast of Hallowmas, Allhallows, or All Saints’ Day. The observances connected with Halloween are thought to have originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on that evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits. The Druids customarily lit great fires on Halloween, apparently for the purpose of warding off all these spirits. Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last evening of the year and was regarded as a propitious time for examining the portents of the future. The Celts also believed that the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening. After the Romans conquered Britain, they added to Halloween features of the Roman harvest festival held on November 1 in honor of Pomona, goddess of the fruits of trees. The Celtic tradition of lighting fires on Halloween survived until modern times in Scotland and Wales, and the concept of ghosts and witches is still common to all Halloween observances. Traces of the Roman harvest festival survive in the custom, prevalent in both the United States and Great Britain, of playing games involving fruit, such as ducking for apples in a tub of water. Of similar origin is the use of hollowed-out pumpkins carved to resemble grotesque faces and lit by candles placed inside

Homes.
Technology has become the greatest gift to humanity. It has also changed how we live at home. We rely on smart washing machines, smart TVs, and other furniture and appliances that have made the job easier and quicker. During the 80s or the 90s, remote controls were all the rage. Now, voice commands have replaced them. Gone are the days when you needed a personal human assistant to remind you of things you need to do. Today, we all have smartphones and smart speakers that follow our commands to set the alarm, call someone, and look up information, among others. Robot vacuum cleaners have replaced traditional vacuum cleaners. You can now tell your robot vacuum cleaner to hoover the floor while you are at work and then come back to a perfectly clean house! Technology has made life a lot easier – plus, it has made homes more comfortable and convenient for living.

Ahoy Matey ! If you want to find my treasure, follow my instructions!
You must start at Square Rock. Walk along the beach for two hundred metres.
You mustn’t go to the lighthouse, you must turn right and go through the cave.
After the cave, you mustn’t go straight ahead, you must turn left at Round Rock.
At Crocodile Pond, you must cross the bridge and turn right immediately. Be careful ! There are crocodiles !
Walk twenty metres West and climb up the Giant Coconut Tree.
You must get the key to the chest at the top of the tree.
Climb down the coconut tree and walk straight ahead to the North West. Then turn left at the crossroads and walk until you get to the South of Green Lake.
At Snake River, you must take the boat and sail down the river. You mustn’t swim in the river, there are poisonous snakes !
Once you get to the open sea, sail to Shark’s Teeth Rocks and the treasure chest is there, underwater, between the rocks. Can you swim ? I hope you can, ah ah ah !

1) What do you like to do?
2) I like to travel.
3) What else do you like to do?
4) I love to watch movies.
5) What else do you like doing besides this?
6) I love to drink coffee.
7) Do you like to watch movies more than to travel?
8) No, I like to travel more.
9) What do you like to do more: to drink coffee or to travel?
10) I like to travel more.
11) Is there anything you like doing more than traveling?
12) No, there is nothing that I like doing more than traveling.