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I made a terrible social gaffe in Spain the
first time I went there for work purposes. I’d
refused to do the orientation programme
because I’d been to Malaga for a week
a few years before – it was great: sunny
beaches and loads of other expatriates – I
really enjoyed myself. But when I went there
for a week to work it was totally different.
I’d arrived in the afternoon and there was
a car to take me to the hotel from the
airport. I’d missed lunch so I had a snack
at about three o’clock. Then, knowing that
my hosts had insisted on picking me up at
nine o’clock and that I’d agreed to meet
them in the hotel lobby, I thought I would
have my supper before going out for the
evening. Big mistake! I hadn’t realised that
the Spanish eat very late. So there I was in
a very nice restaurant having to choose a
meal at 11 o’clock when I felt stuffed full
from my supper earlier. They encouraged
me to order lots of different dishes. I tried
to eat but couldn’t manage more than two
or three mouthfuls. My hosts thought I must
be unhappy or ill. I could see that they were
very concerned so I decided to tell them
the truth. They nearly fell off their chairs
laughing and told me to forget about eating
any more food. In a funny way, my social
gaffe worked out OK in the end because
everybody was laughing so much that we
were able to talk business in a friendly
atmosphere. But I never went anywhere new
ever again without a full briefing
LESSON 11.4 RECORDING 11.4
Hello, everyone. My name’s James and I’m
from Canada. This morning I’m going to talk
to you about my fascinating home town of
Toronto. I’ve divided my presentation into
three parts. First of all, I’ll start with some
background information, then I’ll move on to
the main sights. Finally, I’ll outline some other
experiences a visitor should try when they
come to Toronto. If you don’t mind, we’ll leave
questions to the end.
OK, I’ll start with some basic information.
Toronto is the capital city of the province of
Ontario, and it’s situated on Lake Ontario. Until
1934, it was called York. It’s got a population of
approximately 2.4 million, so it’s a fairly large
city. It’s an important industrial, commercial and
cultural centre.
Toronto’s getting better and better these days,
as more and more people come from all over
the world to settle here. They enrich our city
greatly with their skills and talents and they
help to create the lively, friendly, cosmopolitan
atmosphere the city is famous for.
LESSON 11.4 RECORDING 11.5
So, what are the main sights of the city? Well,
there are many things to see, but let me focus on
three: the CN tower, City Hall and Casa Loma.
OK, why is the CN Tower worth seeing? Well,
it’s a tall building, a very tall building. Actually,
it’s one of the tallest structures in the world;
it’s 1,815 feet high. Built in 1976 by Canadian
National Railways, it overlooks the city and
you can see it wherever you are in the city. It’s
truly gigantic, incredible, and awe inspiring.
Go up the tower and you get a fantastic view
of the city. And if you’re very brave, why don’t
you stand on the glass floor, 342 metres off the
ground, then look down? And if you can do
that, why not take the elevator and go on up to
the Sky Pod? That’s another 34 storeys higher!
Another great sight is the City Hall. There was
a worldwide competition in the 60s to design
it, and a Finnish architect, Viljo Revell, won the
competition. Unfortunately, he died before it
was opened in 1965. It’s beautifully designed,
and far ahead of its time. Now it’s a very
popular tourist attraction, in fact it’s probably the
most popular attraction. In front of it is Nathan
Phillips Square. The Square is an entertainment
venue, it offers free concerts, ice skating and on
New Year’s Eve, a huge celebration takes place
there.
Finally, Casa Loma. What can I say about this
extraordinary castle? It was called a ‘rich man’s
folly’. People thought Sir Henry Pellatt, the
owner, was crazy to spend so much money on
building the castle in 1914. It cost 3.5 million
dollars, a huge sum in those days. And he went
bankrupt trying to maintain and develop it. Ten
years later, its value was just 27,000 dollars. It
has so many interesting architectural features:
60 large rooms, an immense Great Hall, where
2,000 people can be entertained, a beautiful
library, secret underground passages and
magnificent gardens. It’s a MUST place to visit.
LESSON 11.4 RECORDING 11.6
Finally, I’ll talk about some things a visitor
should definitely do when they come to
Toronto.
Well, how about trying some waffles for
breakfast? They’re sort of pancakes – with maple
syrup – delicious, and typically Canadian food.
Secondly, if you like sports, you should go to
see a hockey game – an ice hockey game -
featuring the local Maple Leaf team. They’ve
won many championships and are one of the
top ice hockey teams in North America. Hockey
is physical, fast and exciting. It’s a rough game,
a contact sport, but thrilling and skilful.
I’d also like to suggest that visitors should
try and experience the Caribana festival,
which takes place every year from mid July
to early August. It is one of North America’s
largest street festivals and is based on the
Trinidad carnival. The first one took place in
1967, when the city’s Caribbean community
celebrated the 100th anniversary of Canada.
It just got bigger and bigger so that today it
attracts more than a million visitors.
To sum up, I’d just like to say that Toronto is
a modern, exciting, and welcoming city just
waiting to be explored. I do hope you will be
able to add it to your list of destinations and
we look forward to showing you the very best
which Toronto has to offer.
That’s all from me. Any questions?
LESSON 11.4 RECORDING 11.7
It’s got a population of approximately 2.4
million, so it’s a fairly large city. It’s an important
industrial, commercial and cultural centre.
Toronto’s getting better and better these days,
as more and more people come from all over
the world to settle here. They enrich our city
greatly with their skills and talents and they
help to create the lively, friendly, cosmopolitan
atmosphere the city is famous for.
So, what are the main sights of the city? Well,
there are many things to see, but let me focus on
three: the CN tower, City Hall and Casa Loma.
OK, why is the CN Tower worth seeing? Well,
it’s a tall building, a very tall building. Actually,
it’s one of the the tallest structures in the world;
it’s 1,815 feet high.
LESSON 11.4 RECORDING 11.8
P = Presenter, M = Mary Robinson
P:
... and welcome to today’s edition of
Daybreak
,
where my guest is Professor Mary Robinson,
the author of a new book on improving reading
skills.
M:
Hello, Pam, and good morning everyone.
P:
Yes, hello, Mary, and thanks for joining us.
Perhaps we could start with you telling us a bit
about why you wrote the book?
M:
Yes, sure. Well, I’ve noticed that among
the sort of students I meet at the university,
there seems to be a decline in the amount of
reading they do, both for their studies and for
pleasure. This is a real shame because there
is a clear link between the amount you read
and your ability to express yourself. Also, it
seems that reading is the best way of acquiring
knowledge. For example, research into how
people acquire knowledge has shown that
people who watched more TV were more
likely to get general knowledge questions
wrong, and this is independent of intellectual
ability.
P:
Really, how interesting.
M:
Yes, it seems the more reading you do, the
better, whatever it is. Reading increases
vocabulary, improves your general knowledge
and keeps your memory and reasoning abilities
working well.
P:
That’s got to be a good thing! So what tips can
you give for improving reading?
M:
Obviously, it depends on the sort of reading
you’re doing. However, I think students are
often not selective enough about what they
choose to read and then they focus too much
on details. It’s very important to get an overall
idea about what you’re reading and to make
full use of any headings and subheadings to
help guide your reading, and stop you wasting
time reading unnecessary information. Also,
I think it’s crucial to engage with what you
read. People often think of reading as a one
way process, but in fact it should be a two way
process ...
P:
Can you explain what you mean there?
M:
Of course. To be an effective reader, you
should always be thinking about what the
writer may say next, and also questioning what
you read. Think about if you agree or disagree
with what you’re reading, with the opinion of
the writer, with their logic, conclusions and
arguments ... that sort of thing.
P:
Right. Anything else?
M:
Well, one particular problem that I’ve noticed
is foreign students who focus too much on
unknown vocabulary. This can make reading
very time-consuming as they constantly stop to
look up words in their dictionaries.
P:
Yes, I see. In fact, I think people often do that in
their own language too.
M:
When they’re studying, indeed. However,
often, you can work out the meaning of the
word by reading on and looking at the context
it’s used in, or at least make an educated guess.
For people who want to improve their reading
speed, a good tip is to use your finger, but not
to follow the words on the line. No, the secret
here is to move your finger down the page as
you read, as this will train your eyes to move
more quickly down the text and keep you
moving forward.
P:
That’s a good tip. Well, thank you very much,
Professor, and good luck with the book.
M:
Thank you, Pam.
