In this section you will hear two very different perspectives on quality of life issues. Barbara, a teacher who lives in New York City, discusses urban, suburban, and rural lifestyles. Kenny, an environmental consultant, explains the reasons he has moved from one place to another.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEWS

SHARING YOUR OPINION

1 Fill in the chart with your opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of life in urban, suburban, and rural environments. Use the box on the right to help you. It shows some of the different factors that affect our quality of life.

ґ N

Some factors
that affect
quality of life

Beauty
Cleanliness
Convenience
Education
Employment
Entertainment
Family life
Pace of life
Safety

Transportation

V )

Share your ideas in a small group. Add the ideas of other group members to your chart.

О GETTING STARTED

In this section you will leant about the worldwide trend toward living in an urban environment, or city. You will begin to think about the advantages and disadvantages of city life.

READING AND THINKING ABOUT THE TOPIC

1 Read the following passage.

Cities dominate social, economic, and cultural affairs today, but this was not always true. We lend to accept cities as facts of life, but actually they are a relatively recent phenomenon. A century ago, 86% of the world still lived in rural (country) areas, but today about 50% live in rural areas and about 50% live in urban areas (cities). By 2025, it is estimated that over 60% of the population will live in urban areas or suburbs (smaller communities just outside of a city).

City residents are offered a rich life full of excitement and opportunity. All over the world, more and more people are moving to urban environments in search of better jobs, a better education, or the possibility оГ more lifestyle choices. However, there are also many serious problems in cities, including homelessness, environmental pollution, crime, and noise.

Answer the following questions based on the information in the passage.

1 How has the population of urban areas changed during the past century?

2 Why do people move to cities?

3 What problems have developed in cities?

З I Read these questions and share your answers with a partner. 1 What features of city life appeal to you?

‘ 2 What features of city life do you dislike?

EXAMINING GRAPHIC MATERIAL

1 What is the approximate population of the world today?

2 What can you predict about the population of the world in the year 2050?

3 In "Reading and Thinking About the Topic,” you read that more and more of the world’s population is moving to urban areas. What effect do you think that will have on urban life? What effect will it have on rural life?

1 Read the following questions about Part Two of the lecture. Think about what kind of information you will need to answer them.

1 Why must an applicant be able to participate well in an interview?

2 Which basic computer skills are expected in an office environment today?

3 How was information stored in the past? How is it stored today?

4 What are some ways to acquire or improve the skills you need?

Listen to Part Two of the lecture and take notes on your own paper. Use the questions in step 1 as a guide to help you listen for the important points.

Use your notes to answer the questions in step 1. Share your answers with a partner. You can take turns explaining your answers orally. Or, you can write your answers and then exchange what you have written. Answer as fully as you can.

AFTER THE LECTURE

SUMMARIZING WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD

Remember that only the most important points of a lecture should be included in a summary.

Write a one-paragraph summary of the lecture. Include these words in your summary:

traditional computer research skills

apply interview technology acquire

APPLYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Look al this cartoon. Work with a partner and take turns answering the following questions.

1 Who do you think the woman is talking to?

2 Do you think the person the woman is talking to will agree with her opinion about what is important?

Look at this cartoon. Work with your partner and make up the rest of the conversation between the two men in the cartoon. Take turns acting the parts of “Bob” and "the other man.”

SHARING YOUR OPINION

Answer the questions below in a small group.

1 What do you think are the three most important qualities in an employee? Why?

2 What job skills do you think people will need by the year 2050?

It is important to learn to pay attention to a speakers stress and intonation because they are a central part of the speaker’s message. There are several basic patterns in spoken English that you need to be familiar with.

1 A loud or emphasized word can indicate the importance of one particular idea. It can also show contrast between two ideas:

The SECRET to preparing yourself for the working world today is. . .

In the PAST, these skills were not necessary, but NOWADAYS, they are.

2 A rising tone often indicates that the speaker is asking a question.

______ -^w

Did you check your resume before you sent it?

3 A falling tone indicates that the speaker is making a statement or has completed a list.

You have to be prepared for todays workplace.

_________ fh_____________ r

You need to be able to type fast, do research online, and " ^

prepare PowerPoint presentations.

1 Work with a partner. Take turns reading the following sentences aloud. Predict how the speaker might use stress and intonation to draw attention to what he is saying.

• Circle the words you think the speaker will stress.

• Draw arrows to show rising or falling intonation.

1 Well, what are the skills that you need?

2 Then you decided where you were going to apply’, put your resume with a cover letter in a stamped envelope, and waited anxiously for someone to get back to you.

3 In fact, technology has not so much changed the process as enhanced it.

4 You can research employment not just in your city, but also in your state, your region, your country, and even other countries.

5 hr addition to using newspapers and the phone, the Internet has become the tool of preference for getting more details on job openings, applications, and other necessary information.

Now listen to these sentences. Check to see if your predictions were accurate. Correct the circles and arrows you drew if necessary.

З I Compare what you heard with vour partner.

GUESSING VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT

1 The following items contain important vocabulary from Part One of the lecture. Work with a partner. Using the context and your knowledge of related words, take turns trying to guess the meanings of the words in bold.

1 making phone calls to prospective employers

2 put your resume with a cover letter in a stamped envelope. . .

3 The tools used are much more advanced, and they require more skills and expertise.

4 Technology has not so much changed the process as enhanced it.

5 This makes the search more open.

6 people of different socioeconomic backgrounds from all over the world

7 The Internet has become the tool of preference for getting more details.

8 You might have had a desk full of newspaper ads just to keep track of where you should apply.

Work with your partner. Match the vocabulary terms with them definitions by writing the letter of each definition below in the blank next to the sentence or phrase containing the correct term in step 1. Check your answers in a dictionary if nccessaiy.

a possible

b a letter to explain what you are sending c improved

d organize and remember e social and financial status in society f attempt to find something g ability h favorite way

In this section you will hear and take notes on a two-part lecture given by Graciano E. Matos, who works in a career counseling office at a college. In his lecture, entitled Basic Work Skills Necessaiy in the Twenty-first Century, he will explain how technology has impacted office jobs.

BEFORE THE LECTURE

PERSONALIZING THE TOPIC

In his lecture, Graciano E. Matos compares old and new wavs to get jobs and discusses the computer skills necessaiy for work in modern offices.

1 Read the following list of computer skills. Use the list to give a grade to yourself and an older or younger family member or friend.

A = excellent; В = good; C = average; D = very weak; F = failing

Older or Younger You Relative or Friend

Using e-mail

Learning to use new software

Understanding hardware problems

Cheating documents in Microsoft Word Doing research online

Using spreadsheets

Creating Microsoft PowerPoint presentations Making business cards and flyers

Creating and organizing databases

Whose grades were generally higher – yours or those of your relative or friend? Why?

Discuss the questions below with a partner. Then share your answers with the class.

1 How do computers currently help you in your studies or in your profession?

2 How do you think you can improve your computer skills?

3 How do you think the Internet can help you look for a job?