月度归档： 2022年9月

Conversation

Anna: This article is so interesting. Pete, listen to this: “Somewhere in the world there is someone who looks just like you.”

Pete: No one is this handsome.

Anna: Oh Pete, there’s something between your teeth.

(Pete tries to clean his teeth.)

Pete: It is gone?

Anna: No. No. It’s still there. There. You got it. But think of it: There could be two of us in the world!

Pete: Two Annas?

Pete: Actually, Anna, maybe your silly article is right. Yesterday at work, I met a woman who looks just like you.

Anna: Really? Wait, are you making fun of me?

Pete: Not this time.

Pete: She’s tall and has curly hair. But even her face looks like yours. I think she’s a career consultant.

Anna: I bet she has a lot of great advice. I can’t wait to meet her.

Pete: Yes, you can. I met her and she is very difficult.

Anna: Pete, she’s just new. We have to give her a chance. What’s her name?

Pete: Evelyna or something like that. You can’t miss her. She always wears a hat.

Penelope: So, Anna, have you met the new consultant yet?

Anna: No. But I’ve already heard. We look alike, don’t we?

Penelope: Yeah, but you don’t act alike. You’re much nicer than she is.

Anna: Maybe she gets nervous at new jobs. Or maybe she’s shy. Let’s not judge, Penelope.

Penelope: She’s not nervous or shy. She’s mean.

Anna: You know, we should get to know her better. Let’s invite her to lunch!

Penelope: Sorry but I’m busy that day.

(Penelope walks away. Anna yells after her.)

Anna: Oh, that’s too bad. Hey, I haven’t picked a day yet!

(Anna and Pete are playing a game.)

Anna: This is going to be so much fun. Boy, I can’t wait to play this game.

Evilana: How much longer are you going to be?

Anna: We’ll be just a minute …

(Anna turns around and sees her look-alike.)

Anna: You must be Evelana. I’m Anna. We are look-alikes!

Evilana: No, we’re not. And my name is pronounced “Evil-ana.”

Pete: Oh. This is going to be fun.

Evilana: You had better hurry up. I need this room for a lecture. It’s called: “If You Want to Win, Others Must Lose.” What is all this stuff, anyway?

Anna: It’s a game. We’re going to play at lunch.

Evilana: It’s a stupid child’s game!

Anna: It’s a fun game. But yes, it is for children.

Evilana: Well, you may be childish but I’m not. And you look stupid with that thing on your head.

Anna: Well, you look serious with that look on your face. Come on, Pete. Let’s play somewhere else.

Pete: Actually, I’m going to stay for Evilana’s lecture.

Anna: Fine. You can learn new ways to beat people.

Evilana: He will. He will.

(Days later, Anna and Penelope are playing the game. Pete comes in. He has a problem with his eye.)

Anna: Okay. Am I a food?

Penelope: Nope.

Pete: Hey, do you guys have room for one more?

Penelope: Sure, Pete! Come on over. What happened to your eye?

Pete: Evilana “accidentally” hit me. And she didn’t even say sorry. She’s so mean!

Penelope: I told you so.

Anna: Here, Pete. Put on this headband. You’ll feel better. Penelope, you’re right. Evilana is an awful person!

Penelope: And violent. And now we have to work with her!

Anna: Haven’t you heard? She’s gone! She was given another assignment.

Penelope: What assignment?

Anna: I’m not sure. I think it has something to do with outdoors. Anyway, let’s play! Pete it’s your turn.

Conversation

ANNOUNCER: When last we saw Anna, she had made a new friend. And they had been talking about superheroes for a while when suddenly Anna became Lightning Bolt Lady!

ANNOUNCER: She tried to find her superpowers. But it did not go well.

ANNOUNCER: She can’t fly, become invisible or create a force field. And she really cannot walk through walls. Ouch, Lightning Bolt Lady.

ANNOUNCER: She had been walking into that wall for about 15 minutes when she had a great idea.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: I just had a great idea!

ANNOUNCER: I can’t wait to hear this one! But first, let’s talk about grammar.

ANNOUNCER: Professor Bot is on vacation this week. I’m the announcer. So, I’m going to tell you about the past perfect continuous.

ANNOUNCER: We use this verb tense to show that an action started in the past and continued to another time or action in the past.

ANNOUNCER: For example, I said, “She had been walking into that wall for about 15 minutes when she had a great idea.”

ANNOUNCER: Had been walking is the past perfect continuous of the verb walk. It’s had been plus the -ing form of the verb.

ANNOUNCER: You’ll hear me use this verb tense a few more times today.

ANNOUNCER: Now, what am I forgetting? Oh right! Lightning Bolt Lady’s great idea.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: If I want to know my superpowers, I’ll need to learn about lightning!

ANNOUNCER: So, she read many books about lightning.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Wow. A lightning strike usually lasts less than a second.

(She tells this to a person and he slowly moves away.)

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Lightning is really fast and I like speed walking. So, maybe one of my superpowers is super-speed walking! (to stranger) Bye!

(She begins to super-speed walk.)

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Check! Super-speed walking is definitely one of my superpowers.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Lightning has millions of volts of electricity. Amazing!

(She puts her hand up and lightning bolts shoot from her fingers.)

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Wow! I can charge a lot of batteries with this superpower!

ANNOUNCER: She had been looking for hours for someone to help when she found her chance.

WOMAN: Hello? Hello? I’m sorry. I’m going to have to call you back. My phone is dying.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Excuse me, I can charge your phone.

WOMAN: Really? Thanks!

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: I’m Lightning Bolt Lady!

(She takes the woman’s phone and shoots it with a lightning bolt. But it turns into ashes. Then, she gives the woman lots of money and smiles and says goodbye.)

ANNOUNCER: She had been practicing her superpowers all day. Suddenly, she heard a terrible sound – a child’s disappointment.

ANNOUNCER: These children tried to light a fire for over an hour. But then, they gave up.

PARENT: Hey kids, that wood will never burn. It’is too wet.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Small humans, what is wrong?

CHILD: Stranger danger!

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: I’m Lightning Bolt Lady!

YOUNG MAN: Oh no. It’s you.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: (to YOUNG MAN:) We meet again. And guess what: I found my superpowers.

CHILD: Well, we need a fire to toast the marshmallows to make S’mores.

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: I can help.

YOUNG MAN: We don’t need a super-speed walker but thanks!

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Super-speed walking is just one of my superpowers. I can also do this!

(She tries to use her lightning bolts but it doesn’t go well.)

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Sorry! Let me do it again.

(She lights the fire with her lightning bolts.)

CHILDREN: Thanks, Lightning Bolt Lady!

YOUNG MAN: Lightning Bolt Lady

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: You’re welcome. But you don’t have enough firewood. Using my super-speed walking, I will get more.

(She super-speed walks around to get firewood.)

PARENT: Lightning Bolt Lady, come back! A lightning storm is coming!

LIGHTNING BOLT LADY: Not a chance! There’s not a cloud in the …

CHILD: Lightning Bolt Lady, are you okay?

CHILD: Where’s your super-suit?

ANNA: Oh no! I’ve lost my superpowers!

YOUNG MAN: It’s starting to rain. Do you want to go inside and eat some S’mores?

ANNA: You read my mind.

ANNA: You know, I thought mind reading would be one of my superpowers. But it wasn’t.

CHILD: That’d be a cool superpower.

CHILD: But I’d rather be able to talk to animals.

Conversation

ANNA: Hi! I see you like superhero culture. Me too.

ANNA: In fact, tonight I’m going to the big superhero convention. Are you going?

YOUNG MAN: Um, I don’t know.

ANNA: Well, you’d better decide soon. Last year, it sold out.

ANNA: So, since we’re talking about superheroes: would you rather become a superhero by accident, like Spiderman, or be born a superhero, like Wonder Woman?

ANNA: Take your time. It’s a big question. I thought about it for days –

YOUNG MAN: Okay. If I had to choose, I’d rather be born a superhero.

ANNA: I’d rather become a superhero by an unexpected accident!

YOUNG MAN: Aren’t all accidents unexpected?

ANNA: Well, yeah.

YOUNG MAN: What was that!? Are you okay?

ANNA: I’m better than okay. I feel super!

PROF. BOT: Oh No! Anna was just hit by lightning. She had better get help.

PROF. BOT: We use had better to give advice. It is very informal and stronger than should and ought to. For example, Anna says: “You’d better decide soon. Last year, it sold out.”

PROF. BOT: When we use had better, we usually shorten the word had for personal pronouns.

PROF. BOT: We use would rather to say what we or someone else prefers to do or have. For example, the boy says: “Okay. If I had to choose, I’d rather be born a superhero.

PROF. BOT: With would rather, we also shorten the word would when used with personal pronouns. Keep watching and listen for had better and would rather.

YOUNG MAN: You’d better see a doctor.

ANNA: I’ve never felt better!

YOUNG MAN: You were just struck by lightning!! And what happened to your hair and your clothes?

ANNA: I don’t know. Wait, I do know. This is my super suit! And this is my origin story.

YOUNG MAN: What are you talking about?

ANNA: An origin story tells the beginning of a superhero. You should know that.

YOUNG MAN: You’re not making any sense, lady.

ANNA: I would rather be called Lightning Bolt Lady! It’ll sound great in a theme song: Lightning Bolt Lady!

ANNA: Now, I need to find my superpowers —

YOUNG MAN: Um, I really think —

ANNA: Wait. Don’t tell me. I’ll read your mind. You are thinking you’d like to be my super helper.

YOUNG MAN: I was not thinking that.

ANNA: … that you’d like to live in a treehouse.

YOUNG MAN: No.

ANNA: … that you should eat more vegetables.

YOUNG MAN: Please, stop talking. You really should get some help.

ANNA: Mind reading is not my superpower. Maybe I can become invisible. I … am … invisible!

ANNA: You can’t see me. Who am I? I’m not here. You can’t see me.

YOUNG MAN: I can see you and so can everybody else.

ANNA: No power of invisibility. Maybe I can create a force field. I feel it working. Nothing can hurt –

(Someone throws a piece of paper and it hits her head.)

ANNA: Ow, that wasn’t very nice. I see I have a lot of work to do. Well, goodbye, non-super person!

YOUNG MAN: Wait. I’d better go with you. You might get worse…if that’s even possible.

ANNA: That’s very nice of you, ordinary human. But I’d rather go by myself. This is a quest.

YOUNG MAN: Every time you speak, I get more confused.

ANNA: A quest is a part of all superhero stories. You really need to work on your superhero studies. Now, stand back. I’ve never flown before.

YOUNG MAN: And you’re not flying now.

ANNA: Flying is also not my superpower. That’s too bad. It’s going to be expensive to Uber everywhere. You know, I’d rather walk. It’s a nice day. Goodbye, non-super person.

YOUNG MAN: I am not talking to strangers again.

ANNOUNCER: Will Lightning Bolt Lady find her superpowers … ever? Ouch! Did that brick wall hurt? Will the young man ever talk to a stranger again?

ANNOUNCER: Find out on the next episode of Let’s Learn English!