Lesson 34 Section 1

Talking about videos Listen to these people talking about videos.
1.I borrow videos every week. I can watch cartoons or adventures at any time and I can watch them over andover again. I never watch children's programs on television any more.

2.My wife likes the video because she doesn't speak any English. But I say, if she doesn't hear English, how can she learn it? She needs to learn English to meet people and make friends.

3.Videos are ruining the cinema, of course. Too many people copy films instead of buying or borrowing them.There are too many pirates. Of course, more people can see their favorite films now.

Videos are obviously cheaper than the cinema, but they don't have the same effect, do they?

4.I watch the video every day while I knit—mostly old films, ice-skating and pop videos. I used to watch television all the time—news, talk shows, soap operas—anything that was on. Now I can choose what I watch and when I watch it.

5.A lot of educational videos are made with government money and video is used by a lot of schools now. Videos can be used at any time of the day and they can be stopped and replayed. When I was learning to be a teacher we were filmed and we could see our mistakes.

Of course some teachers just put the video on and let it do the work, but it can be extremely valuable in the classroom.

6.I use the video for three things: I record programs when I'm not at home and I watch them when I have time. At work we use videos for training new employees, and I hire films at weekends and my friends come to watch. It makes quite a nice social evening.

Section 2 a.Discussion.

Well, hunk is a verb. And it means to carry something, particularly something that's heavy and difficult to move. So you can say something like 'When I saw the men they were hunking the piano down the stairs.'
Actually, hunk is the cry made by an elephant, especially when it's angry, or it's trying to contact otherelephants. The word sounds like the noise they make 'hunk, hunk.' So you can say, for example, 'The elephants are hunking a lot tonight.'

No, no, the truth is, hunk is a noun. And it means a piece of something, a big thick piece. So if you cut a thin piece of bread, that's not a hunk. When you tear off a thick piece of bread, that's a hunk. Today, for example, I had a big hunk of bread and cheese for my lunch.

b.Mark.

Whew. The disco wasn't bad but I'm glad to escape from the noise. Aren't you?

Ummmmm.Richard, I'd forgotten. You've got a letter. Now where did I put it? There it is. Under the gas bill.

Oh, from my brother.

Good. How many brothers have you got?

Only one.

Name?

Mark.

Older or younger?

Much older.

How much?

Five years.

Get on all right?

Yes, all right.

Tell me about Mark. You must have a lot in common. Such as problems.

Well, when I have a real problem I usually discuss it with Mark.

And what is a real problem?

Money is one. But Mark never minds helping me out.

You say money is one problem. I suppose you mean there are others.

Well, yes. Of course there are. Friends and possessions. He knows who my friends are and I know who his friends are. But when we meet we hardly ever speak. His friends aren't interested in talking to my friends. And my friends think his friends are boring and patronising.

Go on, Richard. You mentioned possessions. What about possessions?

I can never find my favorite cassettes. Mark and his friends keep borrowing them. I suppose Mark has a point when he says he can't find his calculator. I use it whenever I can find it.

So ... if you were in real trouble, who would you contact first?

Mark, of course.

c.Gardening.

Now Mr. Grant has a question, I think, on gardening. Mr. Grant?

Can the team please suggest any suitable gardening task that could be given to young children between eight and twelve years old.

I usually get them to wash my car. But a gardening task, well, what do you suggest, Peter?

There's a great tendency among some people I know to treat young children like slave labor. I don't think you should. I think you should give them a job which is going to be useful to you, not one that you would object to doing yourself and, if possible, one which is going to be of some educational benefit to them. Ajob I would suggest is hand weeding.

You must have thought about this, Jeff. What job would you give them?

Well, I'd sooner have them eating ice cream. No, seriously, I like having young people in the garden. One thing that they enjoy doing, because they get very messy, is cleaning tools, you know spades, rakes and things like that. I mean you give a little boy an old rag to clean them with and he is so happy. Another jobthey love and which I hate absolutely is edging.

You know, trying to give a shape to the lawn. They make a horrible mess of it cutting it smaller and smaller and giving it no shape at all, but they thoroughly enjoy it. The other thing that I like to give them to do is pot washing. They're not so keen on that but I get them to wash the pots. But anything that's going to get them messy, lovely!

What do you say, Susan?

Well, I would say heaven help any young boy or girl who came into my garden because their life would be made a misery. The only way I would let anybody touch my garden is if I was in the garden with them and working alongside, so I think the only thing to do is, whatever you do, work with them and make sure (a) that it's done properly and (b) that they're happy while they do it.