▲

Topic 6 Transportation

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularyanger (ikari)
break down (kowareru; koshoo suru)
convertible (‘open car’)drunk (yopparai)
like (a dollar) (=about)mean (iji no warui)probably (tabun)right away (sugu ni; tadachi ni)
throw up (gero o haku)
unfortunately (ainiku; unwaruku)

cool (kakkoii)
definitely (sonotoori; zettai ni)
depending on whether or not...
(...suruka shinaika shidai; ...suruka shinaika
ni yoru)
mentally unstable (seishinijoo)(I’ve) never heard of... (...kiita koto ga nai)
not that bad (sorehodo waruku nai)pretty bad (kanari hidoi)
stuff like that (sonoyoona koto)take longer than normal(fudan yori jikan ga kakaru)
though (...dakedo)(a) transfer (norikae kippu)
um.../uh... (eeto...)use to (izen wa...)Well... (Eeto...)What is it like?
(Donna kanji desuka?; Donna fuu desuka?)
worse than (...yori warui; ...yori hidoi)
would have to be... (=is...)You’re kidding! (Joodan!; Uso!)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

26

▲

Topic 7 Sports

Tapescript(Matt asks Trevor)

1. Do you play any sports?

Yes, I...uh...surf all the time. Um...when I’m not surfing, I’m usually playing soccer.
Um...I played football and basketball in high school.
Great.
2. What sports do you like to watch?
Uh...I love to watch soccer. Um...I love the World Cup. Uh...football—I’m a big football fan.
Yeah.
So...uh...whenever football’s on, I’m usually watching that.
Okay. Me, too. I like football.
3. What’s your favorite sport?
Uh...my favorite sport, hands down, is surfing.
Yeah.
I love to surf. I...it’s...it’s almost passion.
4. Which sports did you do in junior high school?
Junior high school I played football. I played soccer, basketball, and I tried out for
baseball but I didn’t make the team so...
Mm...it’s okay. You probably...
Yeah.
...did good in soccer.
5. What’s a sport you don’t like and why?
I don’t like baseball because I didn’t make the team. I...I never got over that.
Well, that’s a good reason.
I never got over that.
That’s okay.
6. Are you good at sports?
Um...I’d like to think so. Uh...our team in high school, we won the...um...statechampionships for soccer. Um...I helped on the team so I’d like to think I’m okay. Yeah.
Good.
I’d like to think I’m pretty good athletically.
Great.
7. Are you a member of any sports team or club?
Uh...right now I play soccer.
Um–huh.
Um...for a team out of Mililani...
Oh, really?
...where I’m from. Yeah. So...um...I do...I am part of that team.
Is it year round or...?
Actually, it’s a season. We have a season. Um...there’s two season[s]. There’s asummer season and then there’s a winter season.
8. How often do you exercise?
I try to exercise every day but I’m kind of lazy so I don’t...I...I really don’t exercise as
much as I should.
Oh.
27

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE9. How often do you go swimming? Where do you go?

I’m a lifeguard, so I go swimming about four times a week...uh...when I work, rightbefore work, I’ll usually...uh...jump in the pool and do some laps.
10. Who’s your favorite professional athlete?
Tiger Woods.
Oh, everybody loves Tiger!
Yeah, everybody.
11. What do you think of sumo?
Uh...it’s interesting. It’s an interesting sport. Um...the athletes are huge. Yeah...they
are some of the...
Big guys!
...biggest in the...in the world. I’ve...I haven’t seen a bigger athlete than a sumo wrestler.
12. Would you rather go scuba diving in Guam or skiing in Canada?
I’ll have to say skiing in Canada. Um...I’m from Canada so...
Oh!
...it’d be nice to go home and, you know...
Visit.
...if they’re offering a free trip so...
13. Which sports would you like to try?
I would like to try big game fishing, like fishing for big fish. Uh...like marlin and stu...itlo...it looks interesting.
Great.
Yeah. And I’ve never been so...

▲Topic 7 Sports

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

as much as I should(subeki ryoo; hitsuyoona ryoo)
athletically (undoo senshu to shite)
get over (something) (norikoeru)
hands down (bucchigiri de)hardly ever (hotondo...nai)
huge (hijoo ni ookii; kyodaina)
I’d like to think... (=I think...)I’m pretty good. (Kekkoo tokui desu.)
kind of lazy (chotto namakemono)make (the) team (chiimu ni hairu)
state championships(shuu no senshukenshiai)
try out for (a sport)(...no chiimu ni hairu tame no shiken o ukeru)
violent (booryokutekina)
whenever (...suru toki wa itsumo)won (win) (katta)

actually (jissai)
like (marlin) (=for example)
marlin (makajiki)(I’ve) never been.
(Ima made ni yatta koto ga nai.)offer (a free trip) (teikyoo suru)
passion (joonetsu)
probably (tabun)reason (riyuu)
um.../uh... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)
Well... (Naruhodo...)year round (ichinen o tsuujite; ichinenjuu)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE28

▲

Topic 8 Numbers

Tapescript(Carol asks Katie)

1. What’s your address?

1511 Nuuanu Avenue, #2, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817.
How do you spell the street name?
N–U–U–A–N–U.
Okay. That’s a mouthful.
2. What’s your phone number?
585-6600.
Okay.
3. What’s your shoe size?
Eight and a half.
Mine’s size five; I wear a little smaller.
4. What’s the population of your country?
Three hundred million, I think. Somewhere around there.
Sounds about right—there’s enough people here.
5. What’s the temperature today?
Around, I’d say, eighty degrees.
Yeah, that’s pretty much the way it is every day.
Yeah.
6. How tall are you?
5’9’’.
Ugh—I wish I was 5’9’’! I’m only 5’1’’.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
7. How tall is your dream date and how much does he weigh?
I would say six foot, one-ninety.
That’s a pretty good size.
8. How far can you swim?
Not very far. I’m not a good swimmer.
Especially in the ocean.
Especially in the ocean.
Yeah.
Pools are a little different.
Right.
9. How many students go to your school?
Three thousand.
Wow—that’s a lot of kids in the school!
Um–huh.
10. How many TV channels do you get at home?
I think ni...around nine hundred. I have digital cable so there’s quite a few.
An...any particular channel you like to watch more...movies or...?
Probably MTV.
Yeah, most people do.
29

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE11. How much do you usually pay to get your hair cut?

A lot. Actually, I just got it done and it was one forty.
Oh, my gosh! I only paid sixty for mine.
12. How much do you usually spend a month on transportation?
About twenty dollars on gas.
You don’t have to pay insurance or parking?
Boyfriend does that.
You’re lucky.
13. How much money do you think you’ll make at your first job?
My first job...probably forty to fifty thousand dollars a year.

▲

Topic 8 Numbers

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularyaround (=about)degrees (80 degress = 26.7° C)
I’d say... (=I think...)not very far (sorehodo tooku nai)parking (chuushajoo)
pay insurance (hokenryoo o harau)
probably (tabun)

actually (jissai; jitsuwa)
especially (toku ni)
Oh, my gosh! (Oya maa!; Ara maa!)
particular (channel) (tokutei no)
pretty (good size) (kekkoo)
pretty much (daitai)quite a few (kekkoo takusan no)
somewhere around there (=about)Sounds about right.
(Daitai tadashii yoo ni omowareru.)
That’s a mouthful. (Ii nikui.)um-huh (=yes, yeah)
wear (haku)

5’7’’ (5 feet, 7 inches = 170 cm)
5’9’’ (5 feet, 9 inches = 175 cm)
5’10’’ (5 feet, 10 inches = 178 cm)
5’11’’ (5 feet, 11 inches = 180 cm)
6’ (6 feet = 183 cm)
175 pounds (=79 kilograms)
190 pounds (=86 kilograms)
15–11 (15 dash 11)
3,000 (three thousand)
30,000 (thirty thousand)
300,000 (three hundred thousand)
300,000,000 (three hundred million)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

30

▲

Topic 9 Best Friends

Tapescript(Lisa asks Cee)

1. Who’s your best friend?

My best friend is named Andrew.
2. How long have you known each other?
We’ve known each other for twenty-five years.
Wow—that’s a long time!
Yes.
How old are you?
Twenty seven.
So almost your whole life.
Yes.
3. How often do you see each other?
We don’t see each other very much. Only three times a year.
Why not?
He lives far away.
4. Where did you first meet?
We met in elementary school. Um...we were in the same class and then we lived only two
blocks away from each other.
So were you friends right away?
Oh, yeah.
5. Where is he from?
He’s from Washington, D.C.
Is that where you’re from, too?
Yeah.
Oh.
Yeah, we grew up there together.
6. Where does he live?
Well, now he lives in Chicago.
Oh. Is he working there?
Yeah. He works there, and I think he’s going to be getting a house soon, and he’s reallysettled in Chicago.
Oh, how nice. You must miss him.
I do.
7. What does he look like?
Andrew? Well, he’s kind of short, and he’s got blonde hair, and now he wears glasses.
And he’s got a little bit of a belly. He didn’t use to, but he’s getting old now.
Is he hot?
He’s cute.
Oh.
8. What are his interests?
He likes to read science fiction and he...he just really loves...uh...football also. American
football. And we talk really often about the Washington football team.

31

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE9. What is he like?

He’s someone who likes to think. He’s very analytical and he’s a very critical person.
Is he kind of like a nerd?
Um...a little bit. Yeah.
10. What do you have in common?
Well, we both like football and we talk about that a lot. But, also, we’re both very critical
people with big hearts.
Oh! So soft on the inside and kind of rough around the edges.
Yeah.
11. In what ways are you different?
He’s a lot more conservative than I am. Um...he believes in different things when it
comes to politics. Um...but we’re mostly the same.
So you kind of balance each other out a little bit with your differences?
Yeah. Yeah.
12. Do you ever argue?
Oh, we argue all the time. That’s the...my favorite thing about having him as my bestfriend is that we can argue and we can really get mad at each other and it’s okay.
13. Would you let your friend borrow ¥100,000 if you had the money?
Yes.

▲

Topic 9 Best Friends

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

analytical (bunsekitekina)
believe in (something) (shinjiru)
conservative (hoshutekina)
critical (hihantekina)
grow up (seichoo suru)
It depends. (Koto to shidai ni yoru.)kind of (short) (kekkoo)
mostly (taitei wa; hotondo wa)
nerd (otaku)
political (seiji no)science fiction(kuusookagaku shoosetsu; SF)smart (atama ga ii)

almost (hotondo)
differences (chigai; sooi)
far away (tooku hanarete)
get mad at (someone)(...no koto de atama ni kuru)
miss (someone) (...ga inakute samishii)right away (sugu ni)“rough around the edges”(fuchi no mawari wa gotsugotsu de)settled (ochitsuita)
uh.../um... (eeto...)use to (izen wa...)Well... (Eeto...)“when it comes to politics”(seiji no koto ni naru to)whole (life) (subete no; zenbu no)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

32

▲

Topic 10 TV

Tapescript(Cee asks Lisa)

1. How often do you watch TV?

I rarely watch TV.
Um...so you never watch TV at all?
No—I do every once in a while. Maybe two or three times a week.
Nice.
Yeah.
2. What kind of programs do you usually watch?
Well, I have a one-year-old daughter so usually Barney or Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Are they entertaining?
N...I hate them!
Aw!
I wish Barney would just drop dead!
3. What’s one of your favorite shows?
I like reality shows. Like...um... Extreme Makeover.
Hm...
I think it’s fascinating the way they cut people up and make them look better.
Neat.
Yeah.
4. Are there any kind of shows you don’t like?
I don’t like talk shows. Like people talking about their problems.
Um–huh.
Ricky Lake.
Um–huh.
Yeah.
My sister used to watch those all the time.
Yeah. Hm...
5. Do you like ‘Friends?’
No.
No?
No.
Why not?
I’ve never been able to get into that show, you know, like I just...I’ve just never beenable to get into it.
Yeah. You don’t think it’s funny?
No.
Um...
6. Do you like cartoons and which ones do you like?
I used to like cartoons. Um...but now that I have to watch them all the time, I’m just sickof them.
Um–huh.
Yeah.
Um–huh. The stories aren’t very interesting for you?
Not anymore. They’re just repetitive.
33

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEUm–huh.
7. Do you watch the news? Which station?

I do watch the news. Usually I flip channels, so I watch them all. Um...normally I flip
between like three, six, and eight.
Huh—interesting.
8. Who’s one of your favorite TV personalities?
Bob Moore.
Who’s Bob Moore?
He’s a newscaster.
A newscaster?
Yeah.
Great.
He’s hot!
He’s hot. I was...I was going to ask you that but—there it is.
9. Who’s your favorite comedian?
Robin Williams.
Robin Williams.
Yes.
I love Robin Williams!
He’s awesome! He’s so funny!
Yeah.
Yeah.
Have you seen him do stand up?
I have. He drinks like ten water bottles in like thirty minutes. It’s...
Yeah.
Yeah. He’s great.
10. What’s a commercial you like?
I like the M & Ms commercials.
Oh. With the little green, round people?
No, I like the red one.
Oh, the red one.
Yeah.
So they have different personalities?
They do.
Oh. Neat.
11. What TV show is really popular now?
Um...I guess a lot of the reality series are popular, like ‘The Bachelor,’ ‘The
Bachelorette,’...um... ‘Survivor.’
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, those are really popular now.
Yeah.
You watch...do you watch any of those?
From time to time.
Um.
Yeah.
12. What did you watch yesterday?
Yesterday I didn’t watch any TV at all.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE34

Alright.

None.
Good.
I’m really proud of myself for that. Not even ‘Sponge Bob’ or ‘Barney.’
TV free day.
13. Are you going to watch TV tonight?
No.
No.
No.
Why not?
‘Cause I’m not going to have any time.
Oh. What are you going to do?
I think I’m going to go to Dave & Buster’s.
Oh. Alright.
Yeah.

▲

Topic 10 TV

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

at all (zenzen)
awesome (totemo subarashii)bachelor (dokushin no dansei)
bachelorette (dokushin no josei)‘extreme makeover’ (kagekina henshin)
flip (channels)(channeru o nandomo kaeru)
I guess (=I think)normally (futsuu wa; itsumo wa)
not anymore (ima wa sonna koto nai)probably (tabun)
rarely (mare ni)
sick of (something) (unzari suru)
soap opera (hiru no renzoku dorama)
survivor (seizonsha; ikinokotta hito)
use to (izen wa...datta)
usually (itsumo wa; futsuu wa)

be able to (=can)‘cause (=because)drop dead (kyuu ni shinu)
every once in a while (=sometimes)
fascinating (miryokutekina; omoshiroi)
from time to time (=sometimes)
get into (something) (muchuu ni naru)
like... (=for example...)Neat. (=Nice.)
not even (Sponge Bob) (...sae...nai; ...sura...nai)
personality (seikaku)
proud of (oneself) (hokori ni omou)
repetitive (onaji koto o kurikaesu)
stand up (comedy) (=comedy style telling jokes
standing up in front of an audience)um... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)
Well... (Eeto...)35

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 11 Work

Tapescript(Cee asks Lisa)

1. Do you have a part–time job, and if so what do you do?

I do have a part-time job. I work at an internet cafe. And I make coffee and I help people
with the computers...
Nice.
...and that’s what I do.
2. What does your father do for a living?
He owns a driver’s ed. school.
Oh.
Yeah.
How long’s he been doing that?
He’s been doing it for about two years now.
Nice.
Yeah.
3. Does your mother work?
She does.
What does she do?
She works for my father.
4. Do your brothers or sisters work, and if so what do they do?
No, my brother, John, doesn’t work. Um...he’s in jail.
He’s in jail?
He sure is!
How long’s he been there?
Since he was eighteen.
Wow! How old is he now?
He’s in his 40s.
Wow!
Yep.
5. What kind of work do you want to do in the future?
I’d like to get into the real estate market.
Real estate.
Probably sell houses.
Oh.
Yeah.
6. What’s a part–time job you’d like to have and why?
I think I’d like to be a server only because, you know, I have the opportunity to makereally good tips and...
Yeah.
..., you know, I get paid for being a good employee and giving good service.
Nice.
7. Do you think it’s more important to make a lot of money or to enjoy your job?
I think it’s more important to make a lot of money.
Oh. Wh...did you grow up with a lot of money?
Um...kind of, yeah.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE36

Yeah? Interesting.
8. What’s a job that you wouldn’t want to do?

Anything sit down and boring. Anything monotonous...
Right.
...that’s the same every day.
Same every day.
That would drive me crazy.
Um.
9. When you were a child what did you want to be?
Um...when I was little I wanted to be a garbage truck driver. I wanted to be a garbage
woman.
Nice!
Yeah, I did, you know! They get paid really good money...
Yeah.
...and they only work in the mornings...
Yeah.
...and they have the rest of the day free.
Would you do that now?
No.
Oh.
10. Would you rather be a taxi driver or a police officer?
I think I’d rather be a police officer.
Why?
Um...because I think people would respect me a little more...
Um.
...as a police officer.
Interesting.
Or, they would appear to respect me a little more.
11. Would you rather work indoors or outdoors?
Definitely outdoors.
Um–huh. Yeah—me, too. Some sunshine.
12. What’s a job that you would find really boring?
Um...something indoors like...um...I guess a librarian’s position would be boring to me.
Um.
Um... Yeah, something like that.
Yeah.
Something like secretarial work or... yeah.
Yeah.
13. What’s your dream job?
Anything that would make me a lot of money. Without too much hard work.
Would you rather not work at all?
No, I’d...I’d rather work, you know, only for the sense of self-worth and...
Um.
...you know, just to get out there and use my brain a little bit, but...yeah—anything thatwould make me money.

37

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 11 Work

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularychallenging (yarigai ga aru)
definitely (zettai ni)
drive (someone) crazy(atama o okashiku saseru)
driver’s ed. (untensha no kyooiku)
factory worker (koojoo de hataraku hito)
garbage truck (gomi shuushuusha)
get into (something) (...ni hairikomu)
high-paying (job) (kyuuryoo no takai)
I guess (=I think)I have no idea. (Mada zenzen wakaranai.)jail (keimusho)
janitor (biru no naka o sooji suru hito)
librarian (toshokan shisho)monotonous (taikutsuna; tanchoona)
opportunity (kikai)own (motteiru)
probably (tabun)real estate market (fudoosan gyookai)
secretarial (work) (hisho no)server (=waiter or waitress)

brain (noo)employee (juugyooin)
get paid (kyuuryoo o morau)grow up (sodatsu)in (his) 40s (yonjuudai)
kind of (isshu no; sonna kanji no)like... (=for example)
position (shokugyoo)
respect (sonkei suru)
sense of self-worth(jibun ni kachi ga aru to iu kankaku)
the rest of (the day) (nokori no)um... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)without (...nashi de; ...shinai de)‘would appear to respect’(keii o haratteruyoo ni mieru)
yep (=informal ‘yes’)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

38▲

Topic 12 Vacation

Tapescript(Matt asks Ray)

1. Where did you go?

I went to Los Angeles.
L.A.
Yeah.
2. How long were you there?
About a week. Yeah.
Not too long.
3. How did you get there?
Uh...I flew out there. From Hawaii.
Oh.
4. How long did the trip take?
Uh...the flight was...let’s see...about six or seven hours. It’s hard to re...recall exactly.
Uh–huh.
5. Who did you go with?
I went with...uh...two friends.
That’s nice.
Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
6. What did you do there?
We went to...uh...different amusement parks.
Oh—Cool!
Yeah. It was great!
Which ones?
We went to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
7. Where did you stay?
Uh...we stayed at a friend’s house. In Santa Monica.
So you didn’t have to pay any hotel...?
Right. Yeah, it was free.
Yeah.
8. What kind of food did you eat?
L.A. has so much e... food, ethnic food. It was great! Uh...Indian food. We had...
um...some Persian food.
Wow!
Yeah, it was amazing!
9. What souvenirs did you buy?
Um...in...at Disneyland we bought a few stuffed animals.
Um–hm.
And then...um...
Mickey. Goofy.
Yeah. Mickey and Minnie, and I think my friend bought like a Donald Duck stuffedanimal...

39

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEUh–huh. Yeah.

...for his girlfriend.
10. How much did the trip cost?
Let’s see...it was...the flight was seven hundred dollars, and then I think we spent, or I
spent, a little over a thousand dollars.
Um–huh.
So, yeah, seventeen hundred I guess.
Um–huh.
11. What was the weather like?
It was really warm.
Yeah.
It was beautiful.
12. What did you enjoy the most?
The most? The roller coasters.
Which park had the best ones?
Um...of the ones we went to, Knott’s Berry Farm had some...
The best.
...really good ones, yeah.
Yeah.
13. Did you have any problems?
Um...the freeway had a lot of traffic, but other than that the people were really nice,and like I said, the food was awesome.
Great!

▲

Topic 12 Vacation

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularya few (ikutsuka no)
awesome (totemo yoi)
humid (mushiatsui)
I guess (=I think)
Persian (food) (perushia no)seventeen hundred (=1,700)
stuffed animal (nuigurumi)
traffic (kootsuuryoo)

amazing (odoroku hodo subarashii)
but other than that (shikashi sore igai wa)
Cool! (Sugoi!; Ii ne!)hard to recall exactly(hakkiri to omoidasu no wa muzukashii)
Let’s see... (Eeto...)pay (harau)
uh-huh (=informal “yes”)
um.../uh... (eeto...)um-huh/um-hm (=yes, yeah)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

40

▲

Topic 13 School

Tapescript(Lisa asks Trevor)

1. What do you like best about this school?

Well, it’s a convenient location; it’s right down the street from where I live. Um...also it’sa good school for my major.
What’s your major?
Asian studies.
2. What don’t you like?
Well, I don’t like the classrooms—they’re too hot. And a lot of the buildings are old...are
too old.
3. What’s your favorite subject?
My favorite subject is philosophy actually.
Really?
Yeah.
That was one of my favorite subjects, too.
4. Who’s your favorite teacher?
My favorite teacher would have to be my linguistics teacher, Professor Sanders.
What do you like about her?
Um...she’s funny; she’s nice uh...helpful to the students, always happy when she comes
into class—it makes it very enjoyable.
5. Which subjects are you best at?
I’m best at English subjects with writing.
Do you like math and science?
No, I don’t like math; I don’t like science...
Me neither.
...and I’m not good at them at all.
Too much work, huh?
Yeah.
6. Which subjects are difficult for you?
Math...um...science. Anything that has to deal with facts. History...
Yes/No.
...those are difficult subjects, yeah, for me to... I’m not good at studying.
I’m the same way!
7. Do you ever skip class? Why?
I skip classes to go surfing sometimes if the waves are good, but other than that ‘no.’
Do you ever feel guilty?
Not at all.
8. How much homework do you do per day?
I try to do...um...at least two or three hours and, to be honest, I only end up doing
probably an hour a day...
An hour’s good for me, you know!
...yeah that’s...
I’m lucky if I get thirty minutes in!

41

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE9. Do you belong to any clubs?

Um...no, I don’t belong to any clubs as of now. Um...next semester I want to try and join
the Japanese club. Um...also they have a...um...philosophy club that I want to join and apoetry club...
Oh.
...that I was kind of checking out so...
That’s a lot for a semester.
Yeah, it’s just pretty much, you know, pick whichever one I like best not...
Okay.
10. What do you usually do on the weekends?
Usually on the weekends...um...I work. Uh...after work I’ll usually go to a bar with acouple of friends...um...or a movie.
Where do you...where do you work?
I work at a hotel.
Which one?
The Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Oh.
Yeah—as a lifeguard so...
11. What do you usually do during summer vacation?
Summer vacation is party time for me.
Alright!
And no school...uh...I just want to...I want to party...um...the days I just, you know, want
to wake up late, and go to sleep later.
Sounds good!
It’s nice.
12. What do you think you’ll do after you graduate?
After I graduate...um...I’ll probably start traveling. There’s a couple of places that I reallywant to see.
Like where would you like to go?
Um...Asia, Europe...um...Australia, South America.
13. Are you interested in studying abroad some day?
Yeah, I would love to study abroad. Um...I’ve actually looked into some programs...um...
in China and...uh...France also.

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

42

▲

Topic 13 School

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

as of now (=now)
convenient (benri)
end up (doing) (to iu kekka ni naru)
inexpensive (takakunai)
location (basho; ichi)
major (senkoo; senmon)
other than that (sore igai wa)
philosophy (tetsugaku)
probably (tabun)
professor (kyooju)
to be honest (shoojikina tokoro)
usually (itsumo wa; futsuu wa)
would have to be... (=I think is...)actually (jitsuwa; hontoo no tokoro)
at all (zenzen)
at least (sukunakutomo)
couple of (=two)enjoyable (omoshiroi; tanoshii)deal with (...ni kankei ga aru)fact(s) (jijitsu)
get (30 minutes) in (=finish in 30 minutes)
guilty (tsumi no ishiki ga aru; yamashii)
kind of (isshu no)
join (kuwawaru; sanka suru)
linguistics (gengogaku)look(ed) into (some programs)(choosa suru; shiraberu)
pick (erabu)
poetry (shi)semester (gakki)um.../uh... (eeto...)Well... (Eeto...)43

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 14 Movies

Tapescript(Cee asks Carol)

1. Do you usually watch movies at home or at the theater?

Mostly I watch them at home because we have cable.
Oh, but...how...do you go to the theater?
Yes, I do. And I enjoy action movies at a theater. I think you get more of the full realmof the entire movie.
2. How often do you go to the movies?
In the theaters, I would say I probably go at least three times a month.
Three times a month. Even though it’s expensive?
Absolutely. I try to go to the bargain...
Oh, nice. Me, too.
3. How often do you rent videos?
Never. I never rent videos because I have cable movies and I just take them from there.
Or pay-per-view, if you count that.
Hm...Nice.
4. What kind of movies do you like?
I guess I prefer comedies and action movies. I like things that are funny but keep you on
your toes.
Indiana Jones or something?
Yeah.
Nice.
And City Slickers.
Mm...westerns.
5. Which do you prefer, action or drama?
Action all the way! Drama’s can get too slow, or they can get too serious.
Oh.
I like action better.
You like high input stuff, right?
Yeah. Steven Seagal.
6. Are there any kinds of movies you don’t like?
I don’t like old westerns or very heavy drama documentary movies. Not in the theaters.
Mm...are they too emotional for you?
No, I just...I don’t know...I don’t want to hear about, you know, other peoples’ woes.
I have my own woes.
Mm.
7. Who’s one of your favorite actors or actresses?
Well, I have to say I really like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I think he is very versatile. I thinkhe’s great in comedy, and he was also good in drama. And he, of course, is great inaction.
To say nothing of politically.
Exactly.
8. What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen?
So far I liked ‘A Home of Their Own.’ About a single mother raising six children in Idaho
during the depression.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE44

Hm...

It was excellent.
9. What’s the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?
‘Down Periscope’ with Kelsey Grammer—it was hysterical!
Did you learn something from it?
Oh, my gosh! I learned how to get along with other people. There was a lot ofcamaraderie.
Nice!
10. What’s the last movie you saw? Who’s in it?
I just recently saw ‘Down with Love’ with Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger, and it
was hysterical. It was really funny—a spoof of 60s movies. Doris Day type of movies.
It was so funny!
Nice. Nice.
11. Which movie do you want to see?
I still want to see ‘The Whole Ten Yards’ with Matthew Perry. It’s the sequel to ‘The
Whole Nine Yards.’ It was really a funny, funny movie! Bruce Wil...Willis was in it, too.
Oh.
Yeah.
Nice.
Yeah.
12. Have you ever seen the same movie more than twice?
Absolutely! I’ve seen movies more than ten times, or even two hundred times. Yeah.
Like which one?
Uh... ‘Romancing the Stone.’Mm.
I’ve seen that two hundred and twenty times.
Wow!
13. Which movie star would you most like to meet?
I guess right now I really would like to meet Bruce Willis. I think he’s pretty awesome.
Hm.
I think he’s a really good actor.

45

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 14 Movies

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

all the way (zettai ni)
at least (sukunakutomo)
awesome (totemo subarashii)
emotional (kanjooteki)heavy (drama) (omokurushii)
hysterical (monosugoku okashii)
I guess (=I think)mostly (taitei; hotondo)
probably (tabun)
recently (saikin)woe(s) (nayami; kanashii dekigoto)
yard(s) (1 yard =0.9144 meters)

absolutely (mochiron; sonotoori)
camaraderie (=friendship)
during (...no aida)
entire (zentai no; zenbu no)even though (...ni mo kakawarazu; ...nanoni)
exactly (mattaku; sonotoori)
full realm (zentai; subete no bubun)
get along with (someone) (...to nakayoku
yatteiku)
I would say... (=I think...)if you count that (moshi sore o kazu ni irerunara)
keep you on your toes(=excited and ready for action)
Oh, my gosh! (Oya maa!)...or something? (...toka?; ...ka nanika?)
pay-per-view (miru goto ni shiharau)
politically (seijiteki ni wa)
raise (children) (sodateru)
sequel (zokuhen; tsuzuki)
so far (ima made no tokoro)
spoof (=parody)
the depression (sekaidaikyookoo)
to say nothing of... (...wa iu made mo naku)
uh... (eeto...)versatile (geitassha)
Well... (Eeto...)TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

46

▲

Topic 15 Money

Tapescript(Lisa asks Cee)

1. How much money do you have with you now?

Right now I have twelve dollars.
Twelve dollars? Really!
That’s it.
You know, that’s a lot more than I have right now.
Really?
Nice.
2. Are you saving money to buy something?
I am not saving money to buy anything. There’s not really any stuff that I need.
Oh, you have a very simple lifestyle then.
Yes.
Oh, good for you!
3. Do your parents give you an allowance?
No, my parents don’t give me an allowance but if I need help they will help me and sendme money.
Oh, how nice!
Yeah.
Aw!
4. What have you spent a lot of money on lately?
Lately I spend more money on coffee and chocolate than anything else.
Chocolate, huh?
Ye...love chocolate!
Oh me, too! What kind of chocolate do you like?
The darker, the better.
See, I’m the opposite—I like white chocolate.
Hm. Nice.
But, you know, I can do dark, too.
5. What’s your monthly phone bill normally?
Normally my phone bill is about forty-five dollars, but every once and a while I go overmy minutes that I’m supposed to use on my cell phone and then it’s more expensive.
Really?
Yeah.
So you usually use a cell phone?
I do.
And do you have a home phone?
I do.
6. How much do you usually spend on lunch?
On lunch I usually spend six dollars. About that um...
Where do you usually eat for lunch?
Well I...
Or what do you usually eat?
...I’m vegetarian and so I always go to a couple of vegetarian places that are here in
47

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEtown...um...and...
Like ‘Down to Earth?’
Like ‘Down to Earth’...
I love ‘Down to Earth!’Yes, definitely.
7. How much do you usually spend on the weekends?
On the weekends I usually spend maybe twenty dollars.
And that’s for Saturday and Sunday or...?
Yeah. Well, with my friends and I, sometimes we just like to gather and sing, and dodifferent things which don’t necessarily cost money.
Oh, that’s good!
Yeah.
8. How much did the clothes you’re wearing cost?
Well, my mother gave me this. And my mother gave me this. And this shirt I think costme two dollars.
Two dollars?! Where’d you get it?
I got it at the Goodwill store.
Oh, I’ve been there before.
9. Do you have a credit card?
Yes, I do.
Do you use it much?
No, I don’t use it...um...very much at all. I use it in case of an emergency.
Oh, that’s good.
10. What’s a good buy you’ve gotten before?
My motorcycle. Uh...my motorcycle only cost me a thousand dollars and it gets meeverywhere I have to go.
11. What would you do if you won the ¥100,000,000 lottery?
I would send money to my uncle in California and to anybody else in my family whoneeded it.
Would you give money to me?
If you needed it, I would.
Oh, how nice.
12. Do you ever gamble?
No, not with money.
Have you ever gambled before?
Um...never.
Good for you.
13. Do you ever give money to charities?
I do. Sometimes I give money to ‘Save the Forests’ which helps save old growth forests
here in the United States.

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE48

▲

Topic 15 Money

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

anybody else (dareka)
every once in a while (=sometimes)‘Save the Forests’ (‘mori o mamoroo’)anything else (sonota no mono)at all (zenzen)
couple of (=two)definitely (sonotoori; zettai ni)
don’t necessarily (=may or may not)gather (atsumaru)“gets me everywhere I have to go”(ikubeki tokoro doko ni demo ikeru)
in case of emergency (kinkyuujitai ni sonaete)
like... (=for example...)old growth forest (furui mori)
opposite (hantai)
stuff (=things)
That’s it. (Soredake.)“the darker, the better” (kokereba koihodo ii)
uh.../um... (eeto...)Well... (Eeto...)49

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 16 Restaurants

Tapescript(Lisa asks Cee)

1. How often do you eat out?

Oof—I eat out about two times a month.
Two times a month.
Yes.
So you cook a lot.
Oh, yeah. I like cooking and my girlfriend cooks for me, too.
Oh, how nice!
2. Where do you usually go?
There’s a place that I really like and the name of it is ‘The India Cafe.’ And some friendsof mine work there and they serve delicious food.
Is it very expensive?
Not really. Um...I’d say most plates are about seven dollars.
3. Who do you usually go with?
I go with my friends. Sometimes I go with my girlfriend but, you know, I even like goingto restaurants by myself.
4. How much do you usually spend?
I usually spend maybe ten dollars on myself.
That’s not too bad.
No.
5. Do you ever eat out for lunch?
Not usually, but sometimes I eat at the place that I work, which serves good food.
6. What restaurant near here do you recommend?
Restaurant near here...well, there’s a...a little coffee place called ‘Coffee or Tea,’ which isreally nice. Um...there’s also a place called ‘Mrs. Fong’s.’ I used to live closeby here andshe serves some good Chinese food.
Hm.
7. Have you ever been to Hard Rock Cafe?
Yes, I have.
Do you like it there?
I’ve only been there once when I went to see a band that I really liked.
8. What’s one of your favorite restaurants?
My favorite restaurants...there’s a place called ‘Armand’s Chicago Pizza’ that I used to
go to when I was younger and I still love it. I love pizza.
Me, too.
9. What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
My favorite fast food restaurant is on the campus where I go to university, and it’snamed ‘Ono Pono.’ And it serves really good fast vegetarian food.
10. Where’s a good place to go for a really cheap meal?
There’s a cafe that’s closeby called ‘Bogart’s Cafe.’
Oh, I’ve been there!
Oh, you have?
Yeah.
Nice. Yeah, well they have this one thing, which is a breakfast sandwich with egg and
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

50

spinach and tomato. And it’s really inexpensive.
Like how much is it?
It’s only three-fifty.
Oh, that’s not bad.
11. What’s the most expensive restaurant you’ve ever been to?
Oh, the most expensive restaurant I’ve ever been to was a place called ‘Morton’s,’ andthat was in Washington, D.C. And I went there with so... a bunch of my friends when I
was younger, like seventeen, eighteen years old. Because it was a big, special night andwe were graduating.
Uh–huh. How much did you spend that night?
Woo—I don’t even remember!
A lot?
Maybe fifty dollars a person.
Oh!
12. What kind of ethnic restaurants have you been to?
Well...uh...Indian, Chinese, Ethiopian—
Ethiopian?
...there’s a lot of Ethiopian restaurants in D.C. They’re really good.
Wow!
Yeah.
13. What’s a funny experience you’ve had at a restaurant?
I remember going to restaurants with my grandfather. My grandfather was always
so loud. He would yell at the waiters...or the servers...all the way from across therestaurant. And I used to think it was so funny, but my mom would get reallyembarrassed.

▲

Topic 16 Restaurants

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

embarrassed (hazukashii; kimari ga warui)
loud (urusai)
not usually (futsuu wa shinai)
serve (shokuji o dasu)
server (=waiter, waitress)
yell at (someone) (donaru)“all the way from across the restaurant”(resutoran no hantaigawa kara zutto)bunch of (=a large group of)closeby (sugu chikaku no)
graduate (sotsugyo suru)
I’d say... (=I think...)inexpensive (takakunai)
like (how much) (=about)spinach (hoorensoo)
uh.../um... (eeto...)use to (izen wa...shita)
Well... (Eeto...)51

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 17 Animals

Tapescript(Cee asks Carol)

1. What’s one of your favorite animals?

I guess I would have to say a ferret.
Why?
Because they’re cute and cuddly.
2. What are three animals you think are really cute?
I think koala bears are cute, and bunny rabbits are cute, and little puppies—they’re so
cute, too.
Aw!
Yeah.
3. What stuffed animals do you have or did you use to have?
I have a st... a variety of stuffed animals. Cows and dogs and penguins.
Do you have them from when you were little still?
All of them from when I was a child. Since I was two.
4. What cartoon or movie do you like that has animals in it?
Well, everybody’s favorite—Bugs Bunny. He was the best! And that poor coyote! I feelso bad for him!
Do you still watch those?
Absolutely!
Nice!
5. What animals do you think are really grotesque or scary?
Rottweilers. They’re really scary. I think it’s just a scary animal even though it is a dog.
Um.
And bears. I don’t like bears, either.
Have you ever seen one?
Yes, I have. Up close and personal.
In the woods? In the forest?
Yes.
Wow!
Yes.
6. What kind of interesting wild animals have you seen before?
I’ve seen wild boar and tigers and elephants.
Out in the jungle?
I... in Africa.
Wow!
Yeah. It was pretty cool.
Yeah.
7. Have you ever ridden a horse?
Yes, I have actually. Just a month ago—I was horseback riding on Kaua’i.
Oh, fun!
Um–huh.
On the beach?
No, in the mountains.
Oh.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE
52
Yeah.

8. Have you ever had a pet? What kind?

I had a snake. It was an eight-foot boa constrictor.
Wow—that’s scary!
Not at all. He was cute!
9. What was its name?
His name was Harvey, and we even had a little collar and leash for him. It’s true.
10. What strange or unusual thing did it do?
Well, every morning when Harvey wanted to go out, he would come and coil himself
around my right leg.
Oh, my gosh!
And squeeze.
Squeeze your leg?
Yeah...not too tightly, but he definitely came and coiled around and squeezed. Either
myself or one of my roommates.
11. What kind of pet would you like to have?
I would love to have a little mouse. A friend of mine has a mouse and it’s so cute andeasy to care for.
12. Do you like cats or dogs better? Why?
I think I like cats better only because you don’t have to take them out for a walk in foul
weather.
Um. That’s a good reason.
Yeah.
13. If you could be any animal, what would you be? Why?
I would want to be a bird so I can fly free and just see the whole world. That’s exactly...
Any kind of bird?
A dove.
Um...
Doves are a symbol of love, and I have a lot of love inside.

▲

Topic 17 Animals

Key Vocabulary
boa constrictor (=a kind of very large snake)coil around (...no mawari ni makitsuku)
cuter (motto kawaii)
either...or... (...ka...ka dochiraka)
foul weather (akutenkoo)
kitten (koneko)
puppy (koinu)
rottweiler (=a kind of dangerous dog)
snake (hebi)
squeeze (shimetsukeru)
tightly (shikkari; kitsuku)
wild boar (inoshishi)

Extra Vocabulary
Absolutely! (Mochiron!)actually (jissai ni)
at all (zenzen)
collar (kubiwa)
53

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

cuddly (dakishimetaku naruyoona)definitely (zettai ni)
dove (yamabato)
easy to care for (sewa ga kantan)
even though (...nimo kakawarazu)
exactly (masashiku; choodo)“I feel so bad for him!” (Kawaisoo!)
I guess... (=I think...)I would have to say... (=I think probably...)leash (doobutsu o tsunagu kawahimo)
Oh, my gosh! (Hee!; Ee!)pretty cool (totemo kakkoii)
That’s a good reason.
(Sore wa mottomona riyuu desu.)
um... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)
Well... (Eeto...)▲

Topic 18 Shopping

Tapescript(Cari asks Lisa)

1. What kind of things do you like to shop for?

Everything—from clothes to jewelry to groceries—I just like to spend money.
Do you buy a lot of purses?
Oh, yeah!
Yeah. Me, too.
2. What’s something you’ve bought recently?
A little Prada bag.
A little Prada bag. What color is it?
Black.
Nice.
3. What’s your favorite shopping area?
I like Ala Moana Shopping Center. It has...
That’s a...
Yeah, it has a bit of everything.
Yeah, definitely. It’s an outdoor mall, right?
Yeah, it’s got cheap stuff and expensive things so...
Yeah.
...I’m very happy there.
Cool.
4. Which department store do you go to most often? Why?
Usually Macy’s ‘cause they have the most sales.
Um–huh.
And best deals.
5. Where did you buy the shoes you’re wearing now?
I bought them at Payless.
How much were they?
About ten dollars.
Oh, okay.
6. Where’s a good place to buy cheap but fashionable clothes?
Waikele Outlet Shops.
Is it just a variety of different outlet stores?
Yeah.
What’s your favorite one there?
Saks.
Saks?
Yeah.
Do they have a Coach outlet store there?
They sure do!
Oh—awesome!
7. Are you a good bargain shopper?
No!
Not at all, huh?
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

54

Not at all. I try but it just doesn’t work out that way.
8. What’s the most money you’ve spent on a piece of clothing?
I think it was like five-hundred-dollar pants.
Oh, my gosh! Were they like dress pants, or were they jeans?
I think they were Versace, and I’m pretty sure I tried to return them the next day.
Buyer’s remorse!
Yeah, definitely!
9. About how much money do you spend on presents a year?
Honestly, about five hundred dollars.
Five hundred?
10. Do you usually buy Christmas presents for your family?
Yep.
Do you have a big family?
Huge!
Yeah. Do you have any kids?
I have a daughter. One.
Do you spoil her at Christmas time?
Last Christmas I kind... Well, you know, she’s only one right now, so last Christmas she
was like six months or something like that and there wasn’t too much that we could buy
her, you know.
Yeah. Yeah, she’s so little. Exactly.
Yeah, we’re kind of worried about next Christmas, though. She’s getting more and more
expensive.
Yeah, exactly.
11. What are two videos you’ve bought before?
‘Shrek’ and ‘Finding Nemo.’
I love ‘Finding Nemo!’
Me, too!
It’s such a cute movie.
12. Do you often buy things you don’t really need?
All the time!
Like what...what’s the most...like purses or shoes?
Oh, you name it! You know, just...I just buy everything in excess.
Okay.
And paper towels, toilet paper, shoes, clothes...
Alright.
13. What’s something you want to buy but can’t afford?
I’d like a new car.
What kind of car do you want to get?
I’d like the Audi A8.
Nice!
Yeah!

55

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 18 Shopping

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularybuy (something) in excess(yobun ni kau; kajoo ni kau)
can’t remember (omoidasenai)‘cause (=because)(best) deal(s) (okaidoku hin)from (clothes) to (jewelry)(...kara ...made)groceries (shokuryoozakka)
like (what?) (=for example)
never bought (katta koto ga nai)
not at all (zenzen)
spend (money) (okane o tsukau)
usually (itsumo wa; taitei wa)
yep (=informal ‘yes’)
You name it! (Nan demo!)a bit (=a little)
awesome (sugoi)
Cool. (Iiwa ne.)definitely (zettai ni; mattaku)
exactly (sonotoori)honestly (shoojiki ni itte)huge (totemo ookii; kyodaina)
huh? (deshoo?)“it doesn’t work out that way”
(sonoyoona kekka ni wa naranai)kind of (worried) (chotto)
Oh, my gosh! (=Wow!)
pretty sure (kanari kakushin ga aru)
purse (=handbag)
return (something) (kaesu; henpin suru)
right? (deshoo?)something like that (sono gurai)
spoil (someone) (... o amayakasu)
stuff (mono; nanika)“there wasn’t too much that we could buy her”
(kanojo ni katte agerareru mono wa amari nakatta)
though (...dakedo)
um-huh (=yeah)
Well... (Soo desu ne...)worry about (something) (shinpai suru)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

56

▲

Topic 19 Health & Fitness

Tapescript(Carol asks Cee)

1. Are you healthy?

I think I’m healthy ‘cause I am a vegetarian.
2. What do you do stay healthy?
I pay close attention to the foods that I eat. And I try not to overeat or eat too much.
3. How often do you exercise?
I exercise at least three times a week. Um...just walking from place to place helps, too, or
riding my bicycle. Um...but I do do some Tai Chi and I used to play basketball, but not somuch anymore.
4. Is your diet healthy?
I think my diet is very healthy.
Well, that’s good. It’s important.
Yeah.
5. How often do you eat junk food?
I eat junk food not very often at all. Maybe just once a week. My main junk foods I...I do
eat sometimes are sweets. I really like chocolate.
6. Do you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables?
I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. There’s a lot even growing in my back yard. I getbananas from back there, and mangoes and papayas.
Do you eat meat?
I don’t eat meat. I’m a vegetarian.
7. Do you take vitamins?
I do take vitamins. I take a multi-vitamin once a day.
8. Are you overweight?
No, I’m not overweight. Most people think I’m kind of skinny.
Have you ever had a weight problem?
When I was younger, all the kids used to make fun of me because I was overweight, butthen I got really tall when I was fifteen.
9. Have you ever been on a diet, and if so did you lose weight?
I’ve never been on a diet. I just try to eat right and sometimes I’ll fast, I won’t eat any
food at all, just because it’s good for my body.
10. Do you smoke?
No, I do not smoke. Never have.
That’s good. Smoking is not good for you.
Yeah.
11. Do you have a lot of stress?
I have some stress, but I’ve learned that...not to take things too seriously...um...
Do you have specific ways that you handle stress?
Sure. I think...um...I think eating well and being healthy is...is a big part of that.
Yeah.
I think meditating is a big part of it, too.
12. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I try to get seven or eight hours of sleep. But lately I’ve only been sleeping four or five
hours because I have to wake up early in the morning.
57

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEFor work purposes or for school?

Well, I[ha]...’m doing community service so I’m picking up trash in the park. Uh...every
morning at six in the morning.
Good reason to get up early!
13. If you want to live a long life, what should you do?
The main thing I think is just to feel love in your heart and a lot of peace, too. For
yourself and for the people around you.

▲

Topic 19 Health & Fitness

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

at all (zenzen)
at least (sukunakutomo)
Average, I guess.
(Tabun futsuu da to omou.)‘cause (=because)
not very often (sorehodo ooku nai)
pay close attention to (something)(... ni kibishiku chuui o harau)skinny (yasesugi)
so so (maa maa)‘a big part of’ (that) (ookina yakuwari)
backyard (uraniwa)
community service (shakai hooshi)
eat right/eat well (=eat healthy food)
fast (danjiki)handle stress (sutoresu o kaiketsu suru)
kind of (skinny) (isshu no)lately (saikin)make fun of (someone) (... o karakau)
meditate (meisoo suru)
not so much anymore (saikin wa sorehodo shinai)
pick up trash (gomi o hirou)
purpose(s) (mokuteki)reason (riyuu; wake)specific (ways) (gutaitekina)
Tai Chi (taikyokuken)
take (something) seriously(... o shinkoku ni uketomeru)
uh.../um... (eeto...)use to (izen wa...shita)
Well... (Soo desuka... ; Soo desune...)TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE58

▲

Topic 20 Fashion

Tapescript(Cari asks Lisa)

1. What kind of clothes do you usually wear?

I like to wear a variety of clothes...like...um...some days I’ll wear your skirt, or jeans—I’m
comfortable in anything.
2. Do you think it’s important to be in fashion?
Absolutely! Otherwise, you look like a dork.
Or a slob.
Or a loser.
3. What kind of clothes are in style now?
A lot of girls are wearing mini skirts and low–rise jeans paired with a tiny top.
Oh, do you wear a lot of low–rise jeans?
No, I’m not comfortable in them.
I love low–rise jeans.
4. About how much money do you spend on clothes per year?
I’m not sure about the exact amount, but I’d probably say close to three thousand
dollars a year.
Oh, okay. That’s not that bad.
5. Do you own any designer brands? Which ones?
I own a lot of designer brands. Um...I own a lot of Guess. Uh...I like designer handbags.
Um–huh. Like what brands?
Coach, Prada...
Oh, yeah, love Coach!
...Louis Vuitton.
Oh, definitely!
6. Where do you usually buy your clothes?
I buy them anywhere. Um...I shop at Macy’s a lot.
Um–huh. I like Macy’s, too.
7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I have a closet full of shoes. Um...I’d say probably half a dozen pairs of athletic shoes,
and maybe three or four pairs of pumps, and maybe about ten pairs of platforms.
Oh, my gosh!
8. How often do you get dressed up?
Um...like maybe two or three times a week.
Like when you go ou...do you go out on the weekends ever?
Sometimes...
Yeah.
...you know, like if there’s a special occasion of some sort, like a birthday or, you know,some dinner or something, then I get dresed up.
Okay.
9. What colors look good on you?
Everything, but I particularly like pink.
I love pink.
10. Do you have a cell phone? What type is it?
I do have a cell phone. It’s a...Nokia.
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TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEIs it a flip phone, or is it just a regular cell phone?

It’s a flip phone.
Okay.
I can’t stand it! I don’t know how it works.
11. Do you ever dye your hair?
Not anymore. I used to.
What colors did you use to dye it?
Nothing really outrageous. Um...I...usually just like blonde or, you know, like a darker
black.
Um–huh.
12. What kind of jewelry do you wear?
Mostly just my wedding ring now.
Um–huh.
Yeah.
And you...do you ever wear earrings or necklaces?
When I’m not around my daughter. ‘Cause she just pulls at everything.
13. What do you think of nose rings?
They look good on some people.
Yeah.
You know. I don’t think I’d ever get one myself. Um...mostly because it’d probably hurtreally bad and...
Yeah.
...you know. But [it]...[it] does look good on some people.

▲

Topic 20 Fashion

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

Absolutely! (Zettai ni!; Mochiron!)athletic shoes (=shoes for sports)
baggy (dabudabu no)
close to (=about)
comfortable (kokochiyoi; rakuna)exact amount (seikakuna kingaku)
half a dozen (=6)
hardly ever (hotondo...nai)
I’d probably say... (=I think...)like (what brands) (=for example)
look stupid (bakappoi)
low-rise jeans (matagami no asai ‘jeans’)
mostly (omo ni)
not anymore (ima wa...nai)
once a month (tsuki ni ikkai)
particularly like (toku ni suki)
platforms (atsuzoko no kutsu)
probably (tabun)tiny (top) (=very small)use to (izen wa...shita)

can’t stand (something)(gaman dekinai; taerarenai)‘cause (=because)
definitely (zettai ni; sonotoori)
dork (kawarimono)how (it) works (tsukaikata)I don’t think I’d ever...
(Zettai ni...shinai to omou.)it’d probably hurt (sore wa tabun itai)
loser (rakugosha; makegumi)
Oh, my gosh! (Oya maa!)otherwise (moshi soodenakereba)
outrageous (toppina; medatsu)
paired with (=together with)pull (hipparu)slob (bushoomono)
special occasion of some sort(nanika no tokubetsuna gyooji)
That’s not that bad.
(Sonnani mo waruku nai.; Sorehodo hidoku nai.)um... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

60

▲

Topic 21 Travel

Tapescript(Jessica asks Leilani)

1. How many times have you traveled abroad?

I’ve traveled abroad many times. I’d probably have to say around 10 to 12 times.
Wow! Where did you go?
Oh, I went to many places. Let’s see...I started out in Europe. I went toEngland...um...Sweden, Norway...I went down to Singapore, Australia...just soon...countries like that.
2. Would you rather travel abroad or somewhere in your own country?
Definitely abroad. Traveling abroad is much more adventurous and exciting rather thanstaying in your own country, you know. Be adventurous and go somewhere else.
3. Which country do you most want to visit? Why?
Hm...it might sound weird, but I would definitely like to visit the Philippines. I like thefood, the people, the beaches—it’s pretty interesting to me. I’d like to check that placeout.
4. What’s a country you’d never want to visit? Why?
I don’t think I’d want to visit the Middle East, especially right now with all the war goingon. I don’t think it’s very safe.
5. How long does it take you to pack for a one–week trip?
Hm...I get so excited I start early. It...it would probably take me a couple days...maybe
3 to 4 days to pack, even [for it’s one]...even if it’s for a one-week trip. I get pretty
excited, so I like to start early.
How many suitcases would you bring?
Hm...probably one, maybe two. But I...I like to travel light.
6. Do you prefer to travel by plane, train, or bus?
By plane. I love the excitement of the plane...get you there faster; it’s moreadventurous.
7. Who do you prefer to travel with?
Well, I like to travel with my boyfriend, but I definitely like to travel by myself, too. It
gives me some independence that I enjoy feeling.
8. Which foreign airline would you prefer to fly on?
Well, my favorite is United Airlines. I think that they’re the best. Although it is an
American airline, it does go to other international countries, which I like.
9. What's your biggest fear when traveling?
My biggest fear when traveling alone is probably when my credit card or ATM carddoesn’t work. That happened to me once and I almost got stranded in New Zealand.
So...my fear is definitely of running out of money or my credit card not working.
Did you have to borrow money?
No, I just...one lady almost let me borrow money, but coincidentally, at the very lastminute, it came through.
Good.
10. Did you go on a school trip in high school?
No, I never did unfortunately.
11. If you were going to Hawaii, what kind of souvenirs would you buy?
Hm...I would definitely buy aloha shirts—I love those. Um...probably some macadamia
nuts; I’d try to bring some pineapples back with me, maybe some slippers or a straw hat.
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TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE12. What are 2 useful phrases for travel?

Two useful phrases for traveling would probably be “Do you speak English?” That's kindof important, especially if that’s the only language that you speak. And maybe “Where’s
the phone?” ‘cause that can be important sometimes, too. So “Do you speak English?”and “Where’s the phone?” would be pretty important.
13. Are you planning to go anywhere this year?
Definitely yes. I’m planning on going to Fiji for Spring Break, and over the summer I’dlike to go to Spain, and well, we’ll see what else comes up this year.

▲

Topic 21 Travel

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

adventurous (bookenteki)
ATM card (=bank card)
definitely (zettai ni)
doesn’t work (tsukaenai)
get robbed (gootoo ni au)
independence (dokuritsu; jiritsu)
I’ve never been abroad.
(Kaigai ni itta koto ga nai.)
Middle East (chuutoo)
run out of (money) (okane ga soko o tsuku)
sound weird (kimyoo ni omoeru)
Spring Break (haruyasumi)
too far away (toosugiru)
unfortunately (zannennagara)almost (moosukoshi de)although (...dakedo)
borrow (kariru)
by myself (jibunjishin de)
check (something) out (... o shiraberu)
coincidentally (sore to dooji ni)
especially (toriwake)even if (tatoe...datoshitemo)
get stranded (tachioojoo suru)(war) going on (sensoo ga okotteiru)
hm... (soone...)it came through (umaku kaiketsu shita)
Let’s see... (Eeto...)pretty (interesting) (kekkoo kyoomibukai)
probably (tabun)see what else comes up (hoka ni nani ga okoru
ka mattemiru)
somewhere else (dokoka betsu no basho)
straw (hat) (mugiwara)
travel light (sukunai nimotsu de ryokoo suru)
Well (Soone...)TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

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▲

Topic 22 Books, Magazines & Newspapers

Tapescript(Cee asks Lisa)

1. What kind of things do you usually read?

You know, I don’t usually read very much. But I like flipping through magazines.
Hm.
Looking at pictures.
Picture books.
2. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
I like nonfiction.
Oh. Interesting.
Yeah, like biographies...
Oh.
...reading about other people.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I guess magazines are usually nonfiction, too.
Sometimes. Depends on the magazine.
Hm.
3. Where do you usually read?
On my couch.
On your couch?
Yeah.
In your living room?
In my living room.
Is it comfy there?
It sure is!
Oh, good.
4. How much do you spend on books and magazines a month?
Let’s see...um...I subscribe to six different magazines and they’re about a dollar each, so
about six dollars a month for magazines.
Wow.
Yeah. And I don’t usually buy books. Um...when I want to read a book, I go to the library.
Um.
5. Who’s your favorite writer?
I like John Grisham.
Oh, you like John Grisham.
Um–huh.
Have you read a lot of his stuff?
A few of his things.
But you’ve watched the movie...
Yes.
You watch the movies, too.
I watch the movies first.
Great.
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TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE6. What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The best book I’ve ever read...um...The Bible.
The Bible.
The Bible.
Did you get...did you have one when you were younger, too?
Yes.
Um.
7. What was one of your favorite books as a child?
Dr. Seuss...um...what was... ‘The Cat in the Hat.’
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Nice.
Um–huh.
Do you still have your copy of it from when you were a ch...?
No. No.
8. Are you reading any books now?
No.
No.
9. What’s your favorite magazine?
I kind of like ‘Cosmo’— Cosmopolitan.
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
Cosmopolitan. Do you like all the quizzes? Do you do all...fill out all the...?
No, I don’t do those. I make my husband do them, though. Like, you know, they havequizzes for guys and girls?
Yes.
Yeah.
10. Do you like comics? What’s your favorite one?
You know, I don’t like comics. I think they’re kind of stupid.
Oh.
11. How often do you read the newspaper?
Every day.
Every day?
Every morning. It’s part of my routine.
Um.
Have the paper, a cup of coffee...
On the couch or in your kitchen?
No, I usually go to the gym.
Oh.
Yeah.
12. Which section do you usually read first?
The front page.
The front page?
Yeah.
Um. And what...how about second?
The second page. And third is the third page.

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

64

13. If you wanted to write a book, what kind of a book would you write?

Probably a children’s book.
Oh.

▲

Topic 22 Books, Magazines & Newspapers

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularyalmost never (hotondo...nai)
autobiography (jishoden; jiden)couch (=sofa)
kind of stupid (chotto bakageteiru)
probably (tabun)
subscribe to (... o yoyaku koodoku suru)
The Bible (seisho)a few (ikutsuka no)biography (denki)
comfy (igokochi ii; kaiteki)(it) depends on... (... ni yoru; ... shidai)
fill out (something)(... ni kinyuu suru; kakikomu)
flip through (para para to mekuru)
I guess (=I think)
It sure is! (Totemo!)
Let’s see... (Eeto...)Like... (=For example...)my routine (nikka)
stuff (mono)
though (...dakedo)
um... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)

65

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE