分类： Let’s Learn English (Level 2)

Conversation

ANNA: Hello, Ms. Weaver!

MS. WEAVER: Oh, Anna. I’ve invited some people to dinner Saturday. We’re going to that new seafood restaurant — Fish on a Dish.

MS. WEAVER: Why don’t you join us? My treat.

ANNA: Thanks, Ms. Weaver. But I already have plans. My friend has invited me to her houseboat.

MS. WEAVER: Houseboat, really? That’s unique.

ANNA: Yes, it is. In fact, I’m thinking of living on a houseboat.

MS. WEAVER: Aren’t you too tall and klutzy to live on a houseboat?

ANNA: I am not too tall!

(She knocks over a display board.)

PROF. BOT VO: Is Anna really ready for a houseboat?

PROF. BOT: Ms. Weaver invited Anna to dinner. When we make friendly, informal invitations, we use phrases like “Why don’t…?”

PROF. BOT: For example, Ms. Weaver said, “Why don’t you join us? My treat!” That’s: Why don’t plus the subject plus the simple form of the verb.

PROF. BOT: Anna responded to the invitation by saying, “Thanks, but I already have plans.” Keep watching for more examples of informal invitations!

FANNY: Anna, I’m so glad you could come!

ANNA: Hi, Fanny!

FANNY: Hi, this is my son, Phoenix.

ANNA: Hi, Phoenix.

FANNY: How about you give Anna a tour and I will make some lunch?

PHOENIX: Aye, aye, captain!

FANNY: Great!

ANNA: Do you really call her “captain”?

PHOENIX: I kind of have to.

ANNA: So, Phoenix, I think I’d like to live on a houseboat. Do you like living here?

PHOENIX: I love it! It’s much different than living in a house.

ANNA: Oh, I bet. I bet you had to get rid of a lot of stuff, didn’t you?

PHOENIX: No way! We moved from a 3-story house to a boat! So, we really had to downsize!

ANNA: I’d have to get rid of a lot of stuff. I have a rock collection and I have some really big rocks.

ANNA: Can you stop this boat from rocking for a minute?

PHOENIX: No. We’re floating on water. I can’t do that.

ANNA: Well, since you live on the water, aren’t you afraid of great white sharks?

PHOENIX: No, not really. They don’t live in these waters.

ANNA: … that you know of. What about killer whales?

PHOENIX: No.

ANNA: Electric eels?

PHOENIX: No.

ANNA: Barracudas?

PHOENIX: No.

ANNA: Piranhas?

PHOENIX: Uh-uh.

FANNY: You know, Anna, if you’re afraid of sea life, maybe you shouldn’t live on a houseboat. Do you have any boating experience?

ANNA: Oh, oh yeah, Fanny. I have battled the great waters before — once on a swan boat and once in a duck boat … bus. It was a boat that turned into a bus.

FANNY: Yeah, I don’t think that counts.

ANNA: Fanny, does this rocking ever bother you?

FANNY: No, I love it. It goes up and down and side to side and up and down. Anna, I love it!

(Because of the rocking, Anna begins to feel seasick.)

FANNY: Anna, are you feeling okay?

ANNA: Yeah, yeah. You know, I just need some fresh air.

FANNY: Let me open a window for you.

ANNA: No, I need some fresh land air. I mean, I need to breathe air on land. Oh, is that the time? I should really be going.

ANNA: Thanks for lunch, Fanny, and a tour of your houseboat. It’s given me a great idea!

FANNY: You’re going to live on a houseboat?
ANNA: Sort of. Thanks again!

ANNA: Hi! How would you like to hang out on my boat? Great! See you then!

(Ms. Weaver and Anna sit in a boat on land.)

ANNA: …and this is my shark net.

MS. WEAVER: Thank you for the invitation, Anna.

ANNA: Of course, would you like more orange juice?

MS. WEAVER: Uh..

ANNA: (to young man) Ahoy!

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.