English Recordings

Excessive drinking is destructive of our health.

My name is Robert Wilson. I am the director of educational programs for the EBC. In other words, I direct the programs and other people write them. I offered David Nelson a job last week. As you see, I am having an interview with Linda Blake now. She has not got any experience in television but I like her. I think she will probably get the job.

My name is Linda Blake. I was born and brought up in a small town in Scotland. I studied at Cambridge for three years. Then I became a teacher. I was a teacher for four years
For the last year I have been working for a women's magazine.
I am trying to get a job with the EBC television company. I do not think I will get it because I have no experience in television. I like my job with the magazine but I would like the one with the EBC even more.

My name is David Nelson. I was born in England but I lived in South America when I was a child. I lived there for ten years. Then I came back to England. I am a journalist. I worked for a London newspaper for five years, and I have been working in television for the past two years. I work for CBCV.
The EBC television company has just offered me a job. I am thinking about the offer. I am considering it very carefully.

Winnie the witch lives in a black house with Wilbur. Wilbur is a black cat with green eyes
When he goes to sleep, Winnie can’t see Wilbur on the chair because the chairs are black
She can’t see him on the floor because the floor is black
She can’t see him on the stairs because the stairs are black
She can’t see him in the bath because the bath is black.
She can’t see him on the bed because the bed is black!
She trips over Wilbur and she falls. Poor Winnie!
She’s very angry and she waves her magic wand ! one two three four five ! abracadabra! : Look at Wilbur ! Wilbur is no longer black. Wilbur is green.
Now she CAN see Wilbur and he’s sleeping on the bed!
So Winnie puts Winnie in the garden. But she can’t see Wilbur in the grass because Wilbur is now green!
Winnie trips over Wilbur and she falls into the rose bush. Poor Winnie!
She is very angry ; she waves her magic wand ; one two three four five ! Abracadabra!
Look at Wilbur ! he’s got a red head, a yellow body, a pink tail , 4 purple legs and blue whiskers!
Poor Wilbur ! he looks ridiculous and he is miserable!
He ‘s now at the top of the tree and all the birds are making fun of his blue whiskers and pink tail! Wilbur is miserable! He wants to be black again!
Winnie loves Wilbur. She wants him to be happy. She waves her magic wand! one two three four five! Abracadabra! Look at Wilbur! He’s black again ! and he’s very happy!
Winnie waves her magic wand! one two three four five ! Abracadabra! Look at the house ! It’s a yellow house with a red roof, a red door, a blue bed, a white bath and the chairs are green. Now Winnie can see Wilbur when he sleeps on the chair, in the bath, on the stairs , on the bed! She can see Wilbur when he sleeps in the grass in the garden. Winnie is very happy!

Thousands of Chinese couples got married on Friday because the date, 4th January 2013, sounds like "endless love until death" when spoken in the Chinese language Mandarin. The newlyweds hoped the day would prove to be an auspicious one on which to tie the knot. At least 10,000 couples walked down the aisle in Beijing alone. Even though registry offices were fully booked, hopeful brides and bridegrooms braved freezing weather in the hope the registrars could fit them in. The government had to lay on thousands of extra staff to accommodate the increased number of people wanting to take the plunge. In Hong Kong, the city's five marriage registries were fully booked by September 20 last year. The city saw 558 people become man and wife on Friday.

Dates that are numerically unique are very popular in China as people believe they are lucky. Matching days, months and years - like 12/12/12 and 11/11/11 - are considered to bring good fortune. The next such date will be January 1st in the year 2101. Newlywed Chen Foshan told the china.org website: "We promised to get married today a long time ago, if doomsday didn't come first." Marriage is becoming big business in China because the country's middle class is booming. People spend a lot of money on extravagant ceremonies and receptions. One of the biggest expenses is an elaborate wedding album. The happy couple is photographed at various locations wearing different costumes. Photos of the actual vows or exchanging of rings are not usually taken.

A couple of days ago, a woman was sexually molested while walking alone at night listening to the music on her smartphone. A surveillance camera at the scene was capturing the crime and the footage helped police catch the attacker right away. The twenty-three year old attacker confessed that he had molested more than 10 women in a similar way. With the universal use of smartphones, people can quickly access information and easily communicate with others on opposite sides of the world through social networking services. On the other hand, when you take public transportation, you can see that people rarely communicate face to face with the people next to them. In addition, you can see a lot of people who walk down the street listening to music, playing games, and talking to their friends on their smartphones. While walking or driving, if you focus on your smartphone, you could fall victim to car accidents or even sexual abuse. If you drive in the same condition, you could also cause a horrible car accident.

1. He played me for a fool and had deceived my expectations.
2. He cut her off in mid-sentence.
3. Some idiot cut in front of me on the freeway and almost caused an accident.
4. He wasn't really cut out to be a teacher.
5. Basketball's popularity cuts across racial lines.
6. I came across this photograph among some old newspapers.
7. Jobs like this don’t come along very often!
8. Their marriage was coming apart.
9. I came away with a good impression.
10. Then, everything Williams had said came back to me.
11. Don’t let money come between you and Dave.
12. Why don’t you come down to Florida sometime?
13. Why don’t you come up to Canada for the weekend?
14. The school came down hard on the students who were caught drinking.
15. The court came down on the side of the boy’s father.
16. It all comes down to money in the end.
17. Bring the rope – it might come in handy.
18. After the riots, the police came in for a lot of criticism.
19. Come off it! Do it right away!
20. What time does the show come on?
21. The lights suddenly came on in the theater.
22. Some of our wedding photos didn’t come out.
23. When I came to, I was lying on the grass.
24. Have you decided on a name for the baby?
25. See what you can dig up on this guy John.
26. She dug her fingernails into my arm.
27. Medical bills forced her to dip into her savings.
28. He's always dishing out unwanted advice.
29. He dished up a great dinner.
30. If there are mistakes, the teacher makes you do it over.
31. That long walk did me in.
32. I’m sorry to drag you into this mess.
33. How long are you going to drag this discussion out?
34. We dragged the name out of him.
35. He did not want to write the letter and dragged his feet for days.
36. Ann refused to be drawn into our argument.
37. A good writer draws on his or her own experience.
38. She just needed someone to draw her out and take an interest in her.
39. The director drew the meeting out with a lengthy speech.
40. Mom drilled it into us that we shouldn’t talk to strangers.

Chicago teachers have gone on a strike due to its new teacher evaluation system, which would use students' standardized test scores to evaluate the teachers' performances. If teachers were to fail to improve their students' test scores, they would be fired. Teachers in the city and union supporters strongly believe that it is unfair and inaccurate for the following reasons.

The first reason is that all of their students are subject to different circumstances. A lot of Chicago students suffer economic disadvantage. Teachers who deal with these people would produce relatively poor outcomes, compared to the ones who teach students from affluent districts.

In addition, having inadequate school facilities is one of their striking points. Chicago teachers and students have suffered from lack of playgrounds, libraries, and even air conditioners. On this issue, Chicago Mayor states that it was irrelevant because Chicago has wonderful weather and it is mild outside. In reality, the city does not has enough money to provide these facilities to schools.

Teachers will not stop their movement. They have gradually exercised their influences, forming some strong teacher unions not only in Chicago, but also in other cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. Their protests are getting a higher profile.

Heb 13:1 Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love.
Heb 13:2 Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!
Heb 13:3 Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.
Heb 13:4 Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.
Heb 13:5 Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,"
Heb 13:6 we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
Heb 13:7 Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all.
Heb 13:8 For Jesus doesn't change--yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.
Heb 13:9 Don't be lured away from him by the latest speculations about him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don't seem to do much for those who buy them.
Heb 13:10 The altar from which God gives us the gift of himself is not for exploitation by insiders who grab and loot.
Heb 13:11 In the old system, the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. The blood is then brought inside to the altar as a sacrifice for sin.
Heb 13:12 It's the same with Jesus. He was crucified outside the city gates--that is where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God's altar to cleanse his people.
Heb 13:13 So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is--not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus.
Heb 13:14 This "insider world" is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come.
Heb 13:15 Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus' name.
Heb 13:16 Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship--a different kind of "sacrifice"--that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
Heb 13:17 Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?
Heb 13:18 Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we're doing or why, but it's hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God.
Heb 13:19 Pray that we may be together soon.
Heb 13:20 May God, who puts all things together, makes all things whole, Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant, Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd, up and alive from the dead,
Heb 13:21 Now put you together, provide you with everything you need to please him, Make us into what gives him most pleasure, by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah. All glory to Jesus forever and always! Oh, yes, yes, yes.
Heb 13:22 Friends, please take what I've written most seriously. I've kept this as brief as possible; I haven't piled on a lot of extras.
Heb 13:23 You'll be glad to know that Timothy has been let out of prison. If he leaves soon, I'll come with him and get to see you myself.
Heb 13:24 Say hello to your pastoral leaders and all the congregations. Everyone here in Italy wants to be remembered to you.
Heb 13:25 Grace be with you, every one.