Audio Scripts to the Student book (Total English Upper-Intermediate) / NTE_UI_AudioScript_U03

Upper Intermediate

Unit 3 Audio Script

CD 1 Track 17

Well, I’m sure that many people have different definitions of what a hero is, and in most cases we see it in the context of war. Erm, if I had to think of the people who I consider heroic in my life, I would think of people who do things, erm, that we can learn from and things that give us inspiration for how we can react in times of pressure and times of crisis. Erm, and in that sense my father is probably one of my big heroes. Erm, he wasn’t famous, erm, although he travelled internationally and, erm, he achieved a fair high degree of success in his job. He was actually born, erm, not in poverty, but he was born in a mud brick house in the Kalahari, erm, in a family of farmers, sheep farmers, erm, living in the desert. And when I was a young man he told me – and he didn’t tell me this as a lesson really, he was just telling me about something that mattered to him – he told me that his father had once explained to him that a person, a man or a woman, should want no more in life than the satisfaction of being able to rest with their head on a stone. And it sounds perhaps a bit clichéd but I do think, erm, my father actually believed in that, erm, and lived by that. Now what did he do? Well, he was a human rights activist. Erm, his job was mainly to help people who were confronted, erm, by social injustice in one form or another. So, in a way he – he did fight wars, but he didn’t fight his wars with weapons, he fought his wars with words and public opinion, information and at times, erm, the legal system.

CD 1 Track 18

M = Mei, P = Presenter

P: Hello, welcome to Then and Now. Today we’re talking about an incredible country, with a fascinating culture and a long history going back over three thousand years. China is hugely rich in art and culture, and its food and traditions are well-known around the world. But two aspects of China are perhaps lesser known. Firstly, this vast country has a long history of inventing things and secondly, it is now the third-biggest economy in the world, with ultra-modern cities and many booming industries. Today we’ve got China expert Mei Zhang here to tell us all about this flourishing ‘Land of invention’. Hello Mei.

M: Hello.

P: Well, this programme is called Then and Now, so let’s start with ‘Then’ – China’s history, and this idea of a ‘land of invention’. I knew that the Chinese invented paper, but I must admit I didn’t know that they invented so many other important things. Before we talk about those, can you remind us about the story of paper?

M: Yes. It was in one o five AD that paper-making was perfected in China. The first paper was made of silk. Well, it was really the waste from silk-making, which they pulped up to make paper.

P: Of course, paper had an enormous impact on China, didn’t it?

M: Yes, with paper and then printing, it meant people could get information much more easily.

P: Mm. So, what else did the Chinese invent?

M: Well, quite a few simple but important things. I think one of the simplest inventions was the wheelbarrow, invented around two twenty AD, which meant that enormous loads could be carried by just one person – as well as other things that we take for granted today like silk, porcelain, the kite and even the umbrella!

P: And we have the Chinese to thank for fireworks, don’t we?

M: Yes, that’s right! In the eighth century, the Chinese discovered gunpowder. And by the tenth century, it was being used to make fireworks, the gun, the rocket and the bomb – so, it eventually had a huge influence on the whole world, of course. Another major invention was a machine for making cast iron, which they first developed in the 6^th century BC.

P: Wow! That really is a long time ago! That must have made a big difference to people’s lives too.

M: That’s right. A lot of iron was used for agricultural tools, so production was increased hugely, which brings me quite nicely to the present, really – to the ‘Now’ – to present-day China.

P: Mm. Is agricultural production big in China now?

M: Well, yes, there’s a lot of agriculture – about fifteen percent of the economy is based on agriculture. You know, things like rice, tea, cotton and fish. But it’s certainly not just countryside and agriculture. There are some massive cities in China, like Shanghai, whose population is around twenty million. And, as I said, China is now the third-biggest economy globally. Industry is huge and expanding all the time. Production of iron, for example, is growing at a rate of about twenty-two percent a year at the moment.

P: That’s certainly a booming industry. So, what other industries are important now?

M: Well, so many of the things we buy are made in China, aren’t they? Industrial production accounts for over half of China’s economic wealth, including such consumer items as toys, clothes, shoes, cars and electronic goods, as well as the heavier industrial products like iron.

CD 1 Track 19

1

I went out for a delicious meal in a Chinese restaurant recently.

2

I think the giant panda is one of the most beautiful animals in the world.

3

I think that China sounds like a really interesting country and I’d love to visit it.

CD 1 Track 20

C = Carla, J = James

C: So James what do you think, what's the most important invention?

J: Well, perhaps gunpowder.

C: Why do you think that?

J: Because it's … even though it's had quite a negative influence on world history it has had a significant in … influence on world history. It changed, um, the power in – in global communities …

C: But it only changed, erm, in some countries. I don't think you can really say that that has had the biggest effect in every single nation or every single country. And also, I mean if you take into account what a negative influence it's had too, I don't think it is the most important, because the most important is more influential and – and therefore positive.

J: Right OK, so we could argue that importance – or that we want to look at importance from a positive perspective, yeah?

C: I think so, yeah.

J: So what would you say?

C: Well I would actually say paper. I think paper really changed, ah, changed the world. Changed how the fact that we, ah … you can document history, can communicate, that was really the first way of … of communicating something, ah, in a concrete way rather than just word of mouth.

J: Communication, yes … and communication which you can hold on to rather than – yes, as you say, rather than just anecdotal.

C: And we … and we would never have had computers if we hadn't had paper I think. And it's a knock on effect.

J: Although, ironically, we possibly don't need paper now that we have computers.

C: I still write letters.

J: Yes – we're sat here with paper in front of us, both of us, yeah.

C: Exactly, I don't think …

J: You write letters?

C: Of course. Do you not?

J: I don't, no, I only write emails now.

C: I send birthday cards and …

J: Birthday cards yeah, yeah you're right.

C: What about the computer, then? Was that really as fundamental as the others?

J: It's changed our lives, hasn't it … our generation?

C: Unfortunately, yes.

J: Erm, for work it's something that we use all day every day.

C: Mm … But then again, so has the light bulb.

J: Yes the light bulb is something, the light bulb … and what's the other one and the wheel, and paper to an extent, you don't even notice them any more, whereas a computer, a telephone you would … you would notice.

C: Yeah, because they were all invented before we came along.

J: Yeah, they've become normalised.

C: Exactly.

J: So, what would you say, what would you say is the most important, pa … would you stick with paper, or the computer?

C: I … no, I think paper.

J: Yes I like the communication idea. It has, it has, erm, changed the way that communication happens throughout the world. Yeah OK, paper it is.

CD 1 Track 21

I really like the town where I live and I think one of the main reasons is that, in terms of shopping, there’s a lot of variety. The main street has many different types of shops. Some of them are run by local people and they have been there for a long time. I like going into these shops because you get very good service. They are always very helpful and friendly. Also, if you’re buying food, like vegetables, meat or fish, for example, the food is always fresher, tastier and cheaper than in the large supermarkets. There’s one large supermarket in the main street which is very convenient for lots of the basic things you need to buy. I’d say that I’m very lucky because there’s such a good variety of shops in walking distance of where I live. I have a mixture of local shops and large supermarkets and therefore I have the best of both worlds.

CD 1 Track 22

There's a saying that your school days are the best days of your life. Well, I definitely wouldn't agree with that. My life since leaving school has been much more interesting and rewarding and I definitely wouldn't want to live my school days again. But that said, my memories of school were pretty good, and I've still got really good friends that I went to school with, you know, thirty years ago. When … when I was at school, there was some idea that if you studied hard and you passed your exams and maybe went to university and got a degree, that somehow you were … you know, guaranteed to get a good job and a good salary. But with the benefit of hindsight I've realised that while that's true to an extent, success in life is really about what you can do, not what you know. And I think that in schools these days with … with teaching these days across all subjects, they have a much greater emphasis on vocational skills where school children learn to think and they learn to apply their knowledge, which I think can only be a good thing. When I was at school the most important subjects were English and maths, and I don't really think that's changed. Of course it's essential to have, you know, good language and communication skills, and a good grasp of, you know, at least basic mathematics, whatever you end up doing in life. But, erm, in addition to English and maths, I think it's become more and more important to learn a foreign language. I think it really opens up opportunities for work and travel, and I really regret not studying harder in French class at school. I left school without any foreign language qualifications which, erm, which is a real shame. But you know I shouldn't complain, I ended up with a career in marketing which is stable and yes, you know, I find it interesting and enjoyable, and you know, I'm … I'm quite good at it. But looking back, I wish I'd followed my heart at bit more and not just my head. When I was at school, I was really passionate about drama and the arts, but I never studied it or pursued it. My parents always encouraged me to be, you know, sensible and study maths and sciences, which I did, and, you know I … I was quite good at those

subjects … but now, now I'm, you know, I'm a bit older and wiser, one of the biggest lessons I've learned in life is that you can … if you can find your passion in life, you should follow it whether it's art or science or sport or economics, whatever, it will inspire you and it will energise you and you're more likely to be happier and fulfilled in life, and you're more likely to be good at it too.

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