Speaking Answer Key
SPEAKING SKILLS Speaking Question 3
Speaking Exercises 5, p. 250; 6, p. 256; 7, p. 261; 8, p. 265
1.
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: 2 many bikes parked in unauthorized places
Op: W—policy ridiculous MPs:
—issues of safety, accidents
—tickets for unauthorized parking
—auth. park. on E & W side campus
R4:
—bike park = 10 min. walk from chem.
class
—bikes parked bad bec no bike racks
—if racks → park < aggressly
—never see accidents
—X like make rule, X find out reasons for bad parking
Sample Answer
The woman is not at all in favor of the policy, which says that bikes will now be getting tickets if they are parked in unauthorized places. The announcement says that there is authorized parking on the sides of campus, but this is ten minutes from the woman’s chemistry class. She says that people park their bikes badly because there aren’t any bike racks to use. She claims that if people had bike racks to park their bikes they wouldn’t park so aggressively. The speakers also say that they never see any accidents, which is a reason given in the announcement for the new policy. The woman doesn’t like that the university is just making a rule about bike parking instead of finding out the reason behind the bad bicycle parking.
2.
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: sell back txtbks 30% rebate Op: W—X happy, can’t sell psych bk M—good idea
MPs:
—X buy old edition of txtbks anymore (if new ed used next semest)
—bec. problms of profs & Ss w/ old ed
R4: M—bought old ed math bk → disaster did wrong prob set
The new policy says that the bookstore won’t buy back old editions of textbooks anymore, and the man thinks it’s a good idea. The reason given in the announcement is that there have been problems with students and professors using old editions of textbooks, and the man describes that situation. He says that in his math class he bought an old edition of a textbook. This caused confusion when the professor assigned the problem sets, and the man says that it was actually a disaster. The woman asks if it’s cheaper to buy used textbooks, and the man says that it is. On the other hand, he says that one new textbook is not so much more expensive and the money saved is not worth the trouble it causes.
3.
thought done grading, but kept getting late
—some excuses X true, X fair 2 on time Ss
Sample Answer
The woman likes the new policy, which says that any late assignments will get a zero with no excuses. For one thing, she says that even if you miss an assignment it isn’t a problem because the lowest grade is dropped, as the announcement says.
At first the man doesn’t see how the policy is fair to students, but the woman goes on to explain it. She says that she was a teaching assistant in a class before and
that so many people handed in late assignments that it caused problems for her.
She also said that some of the students’ excuses weren’t true and that it wasn’t fair to the students who had handed in their assignments on time. She said that she wished the policy had been in place when she was a TA.
Speaking Review Exercise (Skills 5–8), p. 265
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: propose 2 close Franklin weight rm & buy new equip 4 Wash fitness ctr
—complaints that Fkln. w.r. = old equip & nobody uses
—Frkln X renovtn 2 yrs
—X enough aerobic at Wash ctr
Op: M—X like prop R4:
—X many ppl use, but always some
—X need new equip, just functional W—Hard to get machine at Wash
M—only at 4pm, other times X problem
Sample Answer
The proposal is to close the Franklin weight room and use the money saved to buy new equipment for the Washington fitness center. The man is against the proposal for a couple of reasons. First of all, even though the announcement says that nobody uses the Franklin center and the equipment is old, the man says that there’s always someone using the center and that the equipment doesn’t need to be new, just working. The woman says that it’s hard to get an aerobic machine at the Washington center, as the announcement says, but the man replies that it’s only hard around 4 p.m. He says that an hour earlier or later there are plenty of
machines. For these reasons the man doesn’t like the proposal to close the Franklin center.
—Earth crust plates move, edges = most volcan & earthquakes
—middle plates, currents magma rise &
create hotspots
—hotspots → volcan. & earthqu.
2 hotspots (HS) 1. Hawaii:
—pacific plate moves NW, HS stays, volcano forms over HS, then island
—plate moves, volcan extinct & island shrink
—SE, new volcan forms over HS 2. Yellowstone:
—under park, 30mi wide volcan → geysers, etc.
—SW, giant crater from prev erupt prove plate moves NE
—now, land rise → future erupt. super volcan.
Sample Answer
The reading and lecture are about hotspots, which are currents of magma underneath the middle of Earth’s crustal plates. The professor says that Hawaii was formed as the Pacific plate moved northwest over a hotspot, which causes
volcanoes to form above it. As the volcanoes form, they rise out of the water to become islands, but when the volcano moves away from the hotspot, the volcano goes extinct and the island begins to shrink from erosion. Meanwhile, a new volcano and island begin to form to the southeast. Similarly, a giant volcano in the middle of the North American plate is the cause of Yellowstone’s geothermal activities. Craters
to the southwest of the park from past eruptions prove that the plate is moving in a north-easterly direction, and the land under the park is currently rising because of the super-volcano below.
2.
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: Election polling = survey how ppl feel, count
MPs:
—sample of ppl, extend 2 whole pop, use stats
—sample bias = sample X truly represent whole pop
EX: sample bias affect elect results
—past, phone poll = exclude ppl w/o phone (exclusion bias)
—now, land-line poll = ↑ old, rural (w/out cell), ↓ young, urban (w/cell)
—self-select bias: ↓ ppl X care/ignrnt,
↑ ppl opinionated
—all cases, bias bec not rep whole pop
—stats adjustmnts 2 counter bias
Sample Answer
The lecture gives a couple of examples of how sample bias has affected telephone polls. Polls are surveys of people to find out how they feel, and they can have biased results if the sample of people who answer doesn’t represent the whole population. The first example the professor describes is that the first telephone polls excluded people who didn’t have phones. Later, when younger, more urban people started to get cell phones, there was a bias toward older and rural people who still had land lines. The final example was called self-selection bias, where people who don’t care or don’t know about an issue don’t answer, and so they exclude
themselves from the sample. In all of these cases, the lecture says that statistics have to be used to adjust for the different kinds of bias.
3.
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: 2 types long term memrs MPs:
—implicit = body, how 2 do thgs (stored by other path)
—explicit = events, exper (stord by hippocampus)
EX:
H.M. → surgery destroy hippo
—X remember any exper. after surgery (e.g.
meet somebody or news)
—memory of exper. before surgery OK
—learn trace maze in mirror (hand coordination)
—good at it, but X rembr ever doing
Sample Answer
The lecture describes the patient H.M. and how he remembered different things. H.M. had surgery that destroyed his hippocampus, which is how explicit memories are stored. Explicit memories are things like experiences and facts, so H.M. couldn’t remember any experiences after his surgery, like meeting someone or hearing a news story. On the other hand, H.M. was trained to do a maze with his hand while looking in a mirror. This was a body or motor memory, which are called implicit memories. H.M. learned how to do this hand-coordination task because the implicit memories are not stored through the hippocampus. This shows how H.M.’s destroyed hippocampus prevented him from remembering explicit experiences, but not implicit motor activities.
Speaking Review Exercise (Skills 9–12), p. 283
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: Transcendentalism (T) = philos, relig, art mvmt 19th cent US
EX:
—2 T works: Emerson, Nature, 1836
MPs:
—react 2 other phil, distinct Americ
—man good
—individ self-improve thru nature, senses
—T → social justice, equal
Fuller, Woman in 19th Century, 1845
—Nat: relation betw. human & nature
—written Am style, X Euro
—relig by be part of nature X rational of time
—away from civ, understand intuitvly &
devlp
—Wom: encourage W 2 self-develop
—1st Amer feminist
—W responsible 4 indiv spirituality
—social justice anti-slavery (amoral)
Sample Answer
The lecture discusses two Transcendentalist books by Emerson and Fuller, called Nature and Woman in the Nineteenth Century. The reading defines
Transcendentalism as a movement in philosophy, religion, art and other areas in 19th century United States, and it described some of its characteristics. The professor said that a major idea from Emerson’s book was that in nature, far from civilization, man could understand the universe intuitively. This corresponds to the characteristic mentioned in the text that says Transcendentalism emphasized individual self-improvement through nature. The lecture also says that the book had its own American style, which goes along with the idea from the reading passage that Transcendentalism reacted against other philosophies and styles. The second book, by Fuller, also emphasized that individuals, in this case women, were
responsible for their own spiritual self-improvement. Fuller’s book was also against slavery, a social justice cause, which the text points out as a typical element of Transcendentalism.
Speaking Question 5
Speaking Exercises 13, p. 289; 14, p. 293; 15, p. 298
1.
P (Problem): W—computer crash, presentation on cmptr.
S1: W—ask prof 4 extra day
(M—maybe prof. say no, or say yes, but expct ↑ & be angry) S2: M—call friend Tom to get presentation off computer (M—just got help from Tom, he has other paper to do) Op (Opinion): call friend Tom & make it up to him (dinner?)
Sample Answer
The problem is the two people have a presentation the next day, but the computer where they had the presentation won’t even turn on. Of the two solutions they come up with, I would choose the second one: call their friend to help them. It would be better than taking a chance that the professor gets angry at them. Plus, even though the guy just had his friend help his girlfriend with her computer, he could promise to make it up to his friend. If his friend can help them, the man ought to buy him dinner or something to show he appreciates the favor.
2.
P: M = terrible notes
(M—write lots in class, later X make sense)
S1: W—do like her & rewrite notes aft class, make ready 4 review later (M—X time after)
(W—do wkend, save time)
S2: W—note-taking srvc = ppl take notes & sell (M—maybe X good, X understand)
(W—maybe, also + $, but probly good 4 study) Op: rewrite own notes
Sample Answer
The problem that the man has is that when he takes notes in class, he doesn’t understand them later when he studies for an exam. The woman
recommends rewriting his notes or using a note-taking service, but I think he should rewrite his notes. The woman is right that it helps a lot to write the notes again so they make more sense, and also that it will save him time because rewriting the notes is like studying them. Before the exam he won’t have to study as much. It’s also true that he may not be able to understand someone else’s notes if he pays for an expensive service.
3.
P: roommate X sleep, studies → M =light sleeper, X sleep well S1: W—tell him stay out
(M—but rm mt needs things in room, X fair) S2: W—tell rm mt to get sleep meds
(M—X offend rm mt) (W—> tired next day) S3: W—sleep mask & earplugs
Op: try sleep mask & earplgs, then tell rm mt study outside rm
Sample Answer
The man’s problem is that both he and his roommate have problems sleeping. His roommate is an insomniac and studies all night, and that causes the man to sleep badly because he is a light sleeper and wakes up a lot. The woman suggests that he use a sleeping mask and earplugs, and I think that’s the best thing to try first because it doesn’t inconvenience anyone. If that doesn’t work, though, I think he should tell his roommate to study outside of the room. It’s not really fair, but it’s fairer than the man taking medication if he doesn’t want to.
Speaking Review Exercise (Skills 13–15), p. 298
Sample Answer
The woman has the problem that she doesn’t understand the lectures in her biology class. The man gives her a few suggestions about what to do, and I think she should do a combination of two of them. She should follow his first
recommendation and read before the class. This will probably help her understand the lectures better. The man also advises her to go to office hours and get help, and I agree with this. The reason is that the teaching assistants can tell her what to study for the exam, and also she shouldn’t feel stupid because she doesn’t understand. It happens to most people in college at some time.
P: W—horrible test, X understand lecture S1: M—read b4 lecture, prof build on read
(W—Hard, but have 2)
S2: M—office hrs, explain prob.
(W—went, many ppl w/ good ?s, felt stupid) S3: M—swallow pride or pay tutor
(W—maybe tutor X know what prof wants)
Op: do 2 things: read b4 class & go to office hrs 4 help, X feel stupid
Speaking Question 6
Speaking Exercises 16, p. 303; 17, p. 308; 18, p. 313
1.
Top: 2 ways ↓ pollution: set limits or charge $ Main Ideas:
—set limits
—tax
Supporting Details:
+ gov’t direct control level
-X incentive to go below set limit, so comps emit 2 limit, even when new tech help clean
+ incentive 2 go below limit bec ↓ tax -X direct control:
—price ↓: companies just pollute
—price ↑: kill companies w/ tax
Sample Answer
The professor in the lecture talks about some advantages and disadvantages of two ways to reduce pollution. The two ways are for the government to set limits of how much pollution can be emitted, and for the government to tax the pollution. The lecture says that the advantage of setting maximum limits on the amount of pollution is that the government has direct control over how much of the pollution companies put into the environment. The disadvantage described is that since there isn’t any reason for companies to pollute less, they never do, even if it’s possible through new technology. The advantages and disadvantages of the other system, a tax on the pollutant, are the converse. The downside is that the government doesn’t directly control how much of a pollutant there is and can make mistakes if the price of the tax is too high or low. On the other hand, the advantage is that with a tax, companies have an incentive to reduce the pollutant more and more because they can pay less of the tax.
2.
Top: creative prob solve = original & appropriate Main Ideas:
—smartphone
—Ford Motor Co’s rubber plant Brazil (Fordlandia)
Supporting Details:
—all functions exist before, X integrated
—new interfac need & tech (speed, pwr) = approprt & original
—disease & labor probls
original idea, but X appropriate
—fail: X produce any rubber
Sample Answer
The lecture discusses two characteristics of creative problem solving, which are originality and appropriateness, and the professor gives two examples, one successful and the other not. The first example is the smartphone, which is original because it integrated all of the functions that existed before with a new interface.
The lecturer says that it’s appropriate because people needed all of these functions in one device, and the technology, the computing speed, and power existed to do that. On the other hand, the professor gives the example of Fordlandia, which was the Ford Motor Company’s attempt to build a rubber plantation in Brazil. The idea was original, but because there were problems with labor, and there was disease in the rubber trees, it wasn’t appropriate. Therefore, Fordlandia was a failure and didn’t produce any rubber.
3.
Top: Polynesians, where from?
Main Ideas:
Tradit = “Lapita Only”
Evidence + Linguistic Archaeology Evid -
mtDNA
Supporting Details:
Taiwan 4K yrs ago → E of Australia 1K yrs ago → Polynesia
Similar language: Hawaii & Taiwan Similar pottery: Lapita
mtDNA: Poly ppl come from mainland SE Asia X Taiwan, have 2 adjust original theory
Sample Answer
The “Lapita Only” hypothesis that the lecture talks about says that Polynesian people came from a group that arrived in islands east of Australia about a thousand years ago, originally coming from Taiwan four thousand years ago. The evidence in favor of the theory is the fact that there are similarities between the languages of the Polynesian people in Hawaii, for example, and Taiwan. The professor also says that there is archaeological evidence in the form of similar pottery, called Lapita pottery.
However, the lecture says that the mtDNA evidence does not support the traditional theory because it shows that ancestors of Polynesians came from mainland
Southeast Asia and not Taiwan. The professor concludes by saying that the original theory will have to be adjusted based on DNA evidence.
Speaking Review Exercise (Skills 16–18), p. 313
Topic: protein structure: primary (1st) & secondary (2nd) Main Ideas:
Proteins = chains amino acids (aa’s) 1st struct.= sequence aa’s
—each aa different
2nd struct = 3-dimensional folds of aa chain.
Supporting Details:
—20 aa’s: heads + tails
—heads look same, tails all different
—some like water, some X like, +/- chrg, etc.
—diff. aa’s interact: go in/outside protein, form bonds
—all interactions → 3-D shape
Sample Answer
The lecture explains primary and secondary protein structure. Proteins are chains of amino acids, and there are 20 different amino acids. The primary structure of the protein is how these amino acids are hooked together; that is, it’s the order of the amino acids to make a chain. Each amino acid is different, and it interacts with its environment differently. Like, for example, some amino acids like or don’t like water or have electric charges. In the chain, the different amino acids interact with each other and fold up to form three-dimensional shapes. This three-dimensional shape is the secondary structure of the protein.
Speaking Post-Test, pp. 314–317 Question 3, p. 315
Reading Passage Listening Passage
Top: King Cafeteria closed May1 – summer
MPs:
Op:
W—X like other cafts or sandw fr café
—expanded menu
—↓ waste
—cardholders, use at 3 other cafeterias, 4 cafes
M—worth it, diff. types of food (Mex, Chin) like North Caft.
W—true, North food good, unfair they like food, we X like
M—help anyone live this side campus next yr
R4: work all summer, ready 4 next yr., new equip: ↓ energy, H2O
Sample Answer
The man is happy about the announcement, which says that King Cafeteria will be closed for repairs and modernization. The woman says it will be a pain to go to other places to eat, but the man thinks it’s worth it. He tells her that the expanded menu that the announcement mentions is going to be different types of food like ones already served in the North Cafeteria, and she agrees that the food there is good. He also says that the cafeteria is closing before the end of the year so they can work all summer to install new equipment that will save energy and water. For these reasons, he’s happy about the announcement.
Question 4, p. 316
—divide knowledge & responsib. → Ss must
—divide knowledge & responsib. → Ss must