Task 1

When do you think is a good time for a person to learn a second language?

I think a good time for a person to learn a second language is around middle school. First, kids in middle school are capable of understanding grammar. Of course it's ideal for a person to learn a language in a natural setting, but since most people don't have the privilege of living abroad, grammar learning is a big part of mastering a language. And I think the earlier one learns grammar, the better. So middle school is a good time to start actually understanding a second language. Second, based on my personal experience, I started learning English since 7th grade. I feel it's important to start relatively early and take baby steps. We started with “good morning” and “how are you” and took time to learn more complicated things. If I had started learning English in high school, I wouldn't have had such a solid foundation.

Task 2

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Friends can maintain friendship even if they have disagreements.

I agree that friendships can be maintained in the presence of disagreement. True friends should not only support each other, but also challenge each other. When we disagree with our friends on something, as long as it's not about strict moral principles, we open our minds to different ways of thinking. For example, last week I had an argument with a good friend about playing video games. I didn't like video games at all, but he gave me a few good reasons why video games are good for our brains and stuff. I still don't like video games, but I get what he was saying and stop judging gamers. Plus true friendships only become stronger in the face of challenges, so not only can we maintain our friendship in times of disagreement but we also improve it.

Task 3

The school plans to prohibit bicycles on campus because it's too dangerous for pedestrians to have bikes around and the school provides bus service for students to get around.
The woman in the conversation disagrees with this plan. First, accidents often happen at night because of low visibility on campus. It's not really dangerous to bike in the day. Second, the campus is very big, and the bus comes only once an hour. It runs around all buildings on campus and you have to wait for an hour if you miss one, both of which take a lot of time.

Task 4

Animals protect their territories by defending those of their own species but not of others. For example, during breeding seasons, a kind of bird would attack other birds that make different sounds from its own. But if it hears familiar calls, it won't attack or chase the birds making the calls.

Task 5

The woman's problem is that she's invited to a conference in New York but she's concerned about her living arrangement. The first solution is to live in a hotel, but it's very expensive. If she does that, she has to save money on lunch and miss some events like concerts and stuff. The second solution is to crash at her aunt Mary's place, but it's an hour away from the conference venue which means she will then miss the dinner after the conference and thus the opportunity to meet famous professors.

Task 6

The professor talks about two ways a third party can help resolve problems between two people. The first is mediation. For example, two roommates are having a conflict. They will then find a mutual friend to come up with a solution they both agree on. The second is arbitration. For example, the two roommates can tell a third person the story that caused the conflict, and the third party agrees with one and disagrees with the other, and the two roommates have to accept the result no matter what.