TOPICTALKSECOND EDITIONTEACHER’S GUIDEDavid Martin

EFL Press

TOPIC TALKTEACHER’S GUIDE
Copyright © 2006 by David F. Martin
Published by

EFL Press
1-10-19 Kita
Okegawa City
Saitama 363-0011
JAPAN
Tel/Fax (048) 772-7724
http://www.EFLPress.com

Printed in Japan

CONTENTS

I.

General Introduction

1

II.

Answer Keys & Notes

4

III.

Tapescripts & Vocabulary

13

IV.

Extra Questions

86

V.

Listening in Depth

116

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Each unit of Topic Talk takes between 50 and
120 minutes to complete. Each unit of theStudent’s Book provides 50–60 minutes ofclassroom instruction. Teachers can select fromup to another 50 minutes of optional extension
activities from this Teacher's Guide. In addition,
each unit has an optional Warm-Up activity
which can be downloaded from our website atwww.eflpress.com. The time it takes to complete a unit will depend on a number of things:
how the text is used, the level of your students,
the level of their motivation, the cohesivenessof the group, and other factors.
Although the order of the units is somewhat
graded, the units can be done in any order. You
can focus on the units which you feel are mostappropriate to your students’ needs. If you haveless time, you can easily shorten the length of
the activities by reducing the number of questions. Likewise, if you have more time, you canincrease the length of the activities by having
the students practice again with a new partner,
or by having them write more of their own
questions. The photocopiable Extra Questions inthis Guide can be done as homework if appropriate.
For extra listening practice, students can interview the teacher for many of the questions andtake notes while listening. However, some teachers may feel uncomfortable answering a few of
the questions due to their personal nature.
Having the students ask the questions frommemory, without referring to the textbook, canbe an excellent way to review the questions anddetermine whether or not the students havemastered them. Before doing this activity, besure to give the students a few minutes tomemorize the questions.
Each unit of the Student’s Book has three sections—Listen, Practice, and Talk.

LISTEN
This section introduces students to the topic.
Students listen to native speakers doing thesame task they will do in the Talk section.

1

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

Except for the questions themselves, the recordings are completely unscripted and unrehearsed,
and as such are authentic. The underlying approach behind Topic Talk is that students need
to be exposed to authentic English. As authentic
English is used, students are not expected to
fully understand all the language in the recording. Students must simply listen for the native
speakers’ responses to the questions and circle
them. If you have higher-level students or wantto emphasize listening more, you can use the
Listening in Depth photocopiables as well as thetapescripts in this Guide to give the students
further listening practice.
Procedure:
1. Students should first read the questions (andanswer choices) without stopping to look up
new words, trying to get a general understanding of each question.
2. Next, students can refer to the questiontranslations at the back of the Student’s Book
for problematic vocabulary and/or to checktheir comprehension. Students should also
learn the vocabulary listed after the questiontranslations, which is essential to know for
doing the listening task. Depending on yourteaching style (or the students’ learning
style), you may prefer not to use the Japanese translations, but rather explain the
vocabulary directly to your class.
3. Play the recording and have the students
circle the answers they hear. Be sure to tell
the students that some questions have morethan one answer.
4. Play the recording again as necessary. If partsof the recording are too fast for your students, you can read from the tapescript.
5. Write the names of the two native speakers
on the board. This will make it easier totalk about the conversation.
6. Check that the students have circled thecorrect answers by asking them to read out
their choices, or have the students compare
their answers with a partner. Optionally,
photocopy the tapescript and have the students find the answers in the tapescript andcircle them.

7. Finally, students should listen to the entire
recording again with their books closed.

PRACTICE
In this section students practice saying thequestions by repeating them after the recording.
The questions are said first slowly, and thesecond time at natural speed. This is done sothat students will be able to hear how words
are reduced or assimilated in fast speech.
Procedure:
1. Explain the purpose of this section to the students.
2. Play the recording. Have the students repeat
the questions after the recording at natural
speed. Or, if you prefer, the students canrepeat both the slow and fast versions. If you
choose to do both versions, you will need topause after each question.
3. Explain any pronunciation points you feel areuseful. For example, ‘going to’ almost always
changes to ‘gonna’ in natural speech, ‘your’is usually reduced to ‘yer,’ and Wh-Questions
have falling intonation while Yes/No Questions
have rising intonation.
*Note: It is not absolutely necessary to use therecording to do this activity. If you prefer, you
can just read out the questions to your students
at both speeds.

TALK
Encourage students to speak only English when
doing this activity. Students should sit facing
each other. This encourages eye contact andprevents students from seeing their partner'sbook. The person answering should have his or
her book closed.
Also, encourage students to expand on eachquestion and extend their conversations. A
simple and effective way to facilitate this is
to set a time frame for the activity. Simply
tell the students that they are expected tokeep talking (in English) for 10 (for example)
minutes. You can increase the amount of timeas the course progresses and as students gain
more confidence in speaking English. You willneed to give examples of how to expand on
the questions. Emphasize that students are
expected to ask some of their own questions,
not only those in the book. The questions in
the book are meant to be a springboard for
additional conversation.

The time it will take to complete the Talk section
will vary depending on the students’ level andyour class goals. Generally, it should take 20–35
minutes to complete. If you are teaching amixed-level class with a wide range of abilities,
the photocopiable Extra Questions can be given
to the faster groups as they finish their interviews.
Before doing the Talk section it is advisable toteach the following expressions:
How do you spell...?
Could you say that again?
Students will invariably have problems with
spelling as they attempt to write down theirpartner's answers. By preteaching the above
expressions, you will enable students to ask
each other for help in English.
It is also advisable to teach your students how
to write short notes for their partner’s answers
as there is not enough space provided in thechart for anything longer. For a few of thequestions it may be necessary to write theanswers on a separate sheet of paper.
Also, before the students get with a partner,
make sure you give them time to write their own
questions for #14 and #15.
If your students are of a high enough level, andyou want them to at least partially memorize thequestions before beginning their interviews, you
can use the question translations at the back of
the Student’s Book as a memorization tool. Havethe students work with a partner and take turns
quizzing each other. Partner A says the questionin Japanese and B has to supply the English for
it. Continue at a faster and faster tempo until all
the questions have been memorized.
*Note: When the recordings were made, thenative speakers were instructed to say “Number
1,” “Number 2,” and so on before asking eachquestion. This was done so that the students
would have reference points when doing the
Listen section. Students do not need to say thequestion numbers when doing their interviews;
in fact, the conversations will probably flow moresmoothly if the numbers are not said.

Answer Keys & Notes
This section provides answer keys for the Listen
and Listening in Depth sections as well as individual unit notes.

While students are conversing, circulate andanswer any questions they may have.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

2

Tapescripts & Vocabulary
The tapescripts can be used solely as a reference for the teacher, or they can be photocopied and distributed either for classroom use orfor homework. They can also be downloaded
from our website and modified as desired.
Possible ways to use the tapescripts:
1. Have the students read the tapescript andlook up new vocabulary.
2. Have the students read the tapescript tocheck their answers after doing the Listen
section.
3. Students can listen to the recording while
following along reading the tapescript.
4. Students can work with a partner and practicesaying the tapescript for speaking practice.
5. Cut out the parts of the tapescript so thateach question or answer is on one strip ofpaper. Mix up all the strips and have thestudents match the questions with the answers either physically (on their desk tops),
or by giving one strip to each student in theclass to memorize, and then having the students find their match by going around theclass and saying their line until they find theline that matches theirs.
6. Make gaps in the tapescript and have the students listen and fill in the missing words. Possible things to gap out are important vocabulary, reductions, contractions, or assimilations. To test whether or not students havemastered how to say the questions, gap out
all the questions (leaving only the answers),
and have the students write the questions.
The vocabulary is listed in a bilingual format at
the end of each tapescript. Roman characters
are used for the Japanese so that non-Japaneseteachers can access the vocabulary and check
student comprehension where needed. For
those who prefer a pure Japanese version, one
is available at our website. The vocabulary is
divided into two groups: Key Vocabulary whichis crucial to know to be able to do the listeningor speaking task, and Extra Vocabulary selectedfrom the recording. The Student's Book includes
only the former group. The translations of theunit questions (found in the Student’s Book)
are not included in the Teacher's Guide.
The Extra Vocabulary is included mainly forhigher-level students; it is not meant to betaught to lower-level students. It is up to thediscretion of the teacher which vocabulary toteach, or whether to pre-teach vocabulary
before listening to the recordings or to learn
it afterwards.
3

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

Discourage students from attempting to write
the Japanese translations for the vocabulary
above or near their equivalents in the tapescript
or in the Student’s Book. Studying vocabulary
with a translation is often an ineffective way toreview. It is much more effective to look at the(English) context the vocabulary was first encountered in to see if the meaning can be remembered.

Extra Questions
The optional, photocopiable questions in thissection are meant to be an extension to thequestions in the Talk section. They can be used
to give students extra speaking practice, or used
if the teacher runs out of activities and needs tofill in classroom time. They can also be used forextra listening practice if the teacher is interviewed, or they can be assigned for written
homework.
The time it will take to complete the questions
may vary from unit to unit as the number ofquestions is not uniform; some units have only
10 questions and some have as many as 15.
Generally, they should take 20–35 minutes tocomplete.

Listening in Depth
The optional questions in this section give
students more in depth listening practice thanprovided in the Listen section in the Student’s
Book. They are included primarily for higher-level
students, but may be used with lower-level
students as well, depending on your class goals.
Procedure:
1. Before doing the questions, make sure thestudents have completed the Listen section in
the Student’s Book.
2. The students should learn the Extra Vocabulary (located at the end of each tapescript) in
conjunction with this activity.
3. Copy the questions and distribute them to thestudents.
4. Play the recording and have the students
write their answers to the questions.
5. Have the students work with a partner andtake turns asking each other the questions.
6. Have the students listen to the recording
again to check their answers and/or read thetapescript to check their answers.
The time it will take to complete the questions
will vary depending on how they are done.
Generally, they should take 15–25 minutes tocomplete.

ANSWER KEYS & NOTESTopic 1
Notes
LISTEN#5 Wahiwa: This is a city in Hawaii, near Honolulu.

1. Yes. 2. brother: 31 sisters: 33, 35 3. father:56 mother: 54
4. both from Chicago
5. No,
not at all. 6. mom 7. mom: brown hair, about
5’7” dad: dark hair & hazel green eyes, about 5’8’’
8. dad 9. cook, take walks 10. go to the beach,go to movies, have barbecues 11. about once amonth 12. about 80; Chicago 13. No way!

Work late: The whole conversation is filled with
examples of ellipsis such as this one. A useful exercise to make the students more aware of ellipsis is
to write the ellipted forms from the conversation on
the board and have students come up and write thelonger, unellipted versions. For example, “Work late”
becomes “I work late.”

Listening in Depth
1. her brother 2. Hillary and Sharon 3. yes
4. 101
5. Chicago
6. Chicago
7. no
8. shoulder length 9. hazel green (the same color
as her father’s) 10. No, (he doesn’t even know
how to work a microwave.)

Topic 2#7 the coffee shop: John works at an internet cafe.
#9 punching into work: This refers to punching thetime clock at work.

Listening in Depth
1. He works late (at night).
2. about 11:30
3. about 40 minutes
4. He has no time.
5. at work 6. nothing; it’s free 7. at a coffee
shop 8. over 8 hours 9. 5-10 minutes 10. He
uses his cell phone’s clock.

LISTEN
1. apple pie 2. Mexican food 3. apples 4. carrot& celery sticks 5. Yes, I can. 6. I can make anything.
7. Special K & bananas, (orange) juice 8. never
9. (poached) salmon, (steamed) broccoli, rice pilaf
10. (just) vegetables 11. very rarely 12. yes:
Russian, Greek, Thai, Italian 13. calves’ brains

Notes#11 I don’t do that.: This is a very strong way ofsaying she tries not to go to convenience stores.
It’s just better bargains: This is an awkward
way of saying, “They have better bargains” or“The prices are lower.”#13 Prague: the capital of the Czech Republic.

Listening in Depth
1. Because it’s spicy and too full of fat. 2. Because
they’re good in apple pies, they’re healthy, (andthey’re a great snack.) 3. oranges
4. five
5. Yes, she absolutely adores it. 6. pies, casseroles,
roasts 7. No, (she has the same thing every day.)
8. Because breakfast is the most important meal ofthe day. 9. They have better bargains (and it’sfresher). 10. Ethiopian

Topic 4
LISTEN
1. Waikiki 2. about six months 3. Yes. It’s convenient. 4. a friend 5. an apartment 6. small but
nice, on the 6th floor, nice view 7. It’s noisy all thetime. 8. stereo and books 9. nice 10. It’s nearbus stops. 11. on the beach, big yard, pool, jacuzzi,
tennis court, two-story, nice view 12. four times
13. at least two more years

Notes#7, #10 there’s...: This is not a grammatical mistake. Technically, it should be “there are” but mostAmericans use “there’s” in spoken language evenwhen followed by plural forms.

Listening in Depth
1. (go out and) buy a hamburger 2. Chuck 3. on
Maui 4. a studio 5. Because he’s near the street
and there’s a lot of restaurants and bars in the area.
6. no 7. No, not well (but they say ‘hi’ to him.)
8. Maui 9. Four years 10. get his degree

Topic 5Topic 3
LISTENLISTEN

1. 21
2. June 25
3. 1982
4. May 31
5. around 10:00 6. I don’t eat breakfast. 7. about
8:00 8. 1:00 9. starting work; working 10. early
11. yes 12. less than 30 minutes 13. zero

1. all types 2. I don’t have a favorite. 3. Megadeth,Metallica 4. “Take on Me” 5. I always listen tomusic. 6. at home 7. loud music 8. I don’t think I’ma good singer. ; yes 9. about 30 10. yes 11. Red
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

4

Hot Chili Peppers

12. No.

13. I don’t watch any.

Notes

Notes

#3 it’s almost passion: This is a shortened form of“it’s almost like a passion for me.”#4 ‘Take on Me’: 1985 song by the band, Aha. The
music video won numerous MTV music awards.

#7 Mililani: a city near Honolulu, Hawaii.

#7 heavy feedback: He is refering to the vibrationlike noise that some speakers make when playing
very loud music.
#8 get up and go karaoke: By this he just means‘go sing karaoke.’#11 ‘By the Way’: 2002 album by the Red Hot
Chili Peppers.

Listening in Depth
1. jazz, classical, (classic) rock2. heavy metal
3. Aha 4. He turns on the radio. 5. He went to sing
karaoke. 6. some Japanese friends 7. Because
he listens to the radio a lot. 8. a jazz CD 9. Yes,
it was awesome/really cool. 10. a bass guitar

Topic 6
LISTEN
1. I take the bus. 2. about 20 minutes 3. $2.00
4. read, listen to music 5. Yes. 6. A guy threw
up and just sat there. 7. the mean bus drivers,
waiting for the bus 8. yes, six years ago 9. No, I
don’t. 10. Yeah, my mother has a car. 11. I love
convertibles!
12. to the north shore of the island
13. yes, about 4 times a week

Notes
#7 the mean bus drivers: For some reason, bus
drivers, at least in Honolulu, seem to be the grumpiest lot on the face of earth.
#12 the north shore of the island: She is referingto the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii, which has thebest surfing waves in the world.

Listening in Depth
1. 10–15 minutes 2. $1.00 3. everything 4. It
doubles the time. 5. He was really drunk. 6. No,
she thinks they have anger problems and are reallymean. 7. when she was eighteen 8. It broke down.
9. a Thunderbird 10. It has really cool beaches,it’s natural, and it’s fun to watch people surf.

Topic 7

Listening in Depth
1. football and basketball 2. yes 3. No, he
prefers surfing (hands down.) (He loves to surf;
it’s almost passion.) 4. the state championship5. summer and winter 6. No, he tries to, but he’s
lazy (and doesn’t exercise as much as he should.)
7. lifeguard
8. right before work (in the pool)
9. They are huge (some of the biggest athletes in
the world.) 10. Canada

Topic 8LISTEN
1. 1511 Nuuanu Avenue (#2, Honolulu, Hawaii,
96817) 2. 585-6600 3. 8 1/2 4. about
300,000,000 5. around 80 degrees 6. 5’9’’
7. 6’, 190 pounds 8. not very far 9. 3,000
10. around 900 11. $140 12. about $20
13. $40,000–50,000 a year

Notes
Only the street address is given in the Listen section
answer choices (due to space constraints). However,students are expected to give their full addresswhen answering.
#1 15-11 (answer choice): Students should learn
how to say the ‘dash’ as most Japanese addresses
are given this way.
#3 8 1/2: 25.5 cms.
size 5: 22 cms.
“I wear a little smaller.”: A more common way
to say this would be “My size is smaller” or “My feet
are a little smaller”.
#4 Many students will have no idea what the population of Japan is. Nevertheless, they can ask someone else in the class, or ask the teacher if necessary.
300 million: This was the approximate population of the USA at the time.
there’s...: See Note for Topic 4, #7.
#7 In the Practice section both the ‘she’ and ‘he’versions are said for this question. In fast speech,the ‘h’ is dropped in ‘he.’#10 there’s...: See Note for Topic 4, #7.

LISTEN

Listening in Depth

1. Yes, I play soccer and I surf.
2. football,soccer 3. surfing 4. basketball, football, soccer
5. baseball: didn’t make the team 6. I’m pretty
good. 7. Yes, I play for a soccer team. 8. I try to
exercise every day. 9. about four times a week, inthe pool at work 10. Tiger Woods 11. It’s interesting. 12. skiing in Canada 13. big game fishing

1. Hawaii 2. Honolulu 3. 96817 4. five
5. Normal (—it’s pretty much the way it is every day.)
6. No, (she’s only 5’1’’.) 7. Yes. 8. MTV 9. $60
10. her boyfriend

5

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDETopic 9
LISTEN
1. Andrew
2. 25 years 3. three times a year
4. in elementary school
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Chicago 7. short, blonde hair, wears glasses,
cute, a little fat 8. reading science fiction, football
9. very analytical, very critical 10. both like football, both are very critical 11. His friend is moreconservative. ; His friend has different politicalbeliefs. 12. Yes, all the time. 13. Yes.

Notes
For Questions #5, 6, 7, and 9 in the Practice section
both the ‘she’ and ‘he’ versions are said in therecording. In fast speech the ‘h’ is dropped in ‘he.’
For Question #8 both the ‘his’ and ‘her’ versions aresaid. The ‘h’ in both ‘his’ and ‘her’ is usually dropped
in fast speech.
#7 ‘belly’: As used here, this word means ‘fatstomach.’Listening in Depth
1. 27 2. He lives far away. 3. two blocks
4. Washington, D.C. 5. a house 6. Yes. 7. theWashington football team 8. a little bit 9. mostly
the same 10. No, (it’s his favorite thing about
having him as his best friend. They can get really
mad and it’s okay.)

Topic 10#8 ‘David Letterman’ (answer choice): A talk show
host widely regarded as one of the funniest men in
America.
‘I was going to ask you...’: Lisa is always saying
this guy or that guy is ‘hot,’ so Cee is teasing her.
‘there it is’: By this he means, “And now you
said it (like I thought you would).”#9 ‘drinks like ten water bottles...’: When Robin
Williams does stand up comedy he really gets into it,
sweating profusely. But ten water bottles is probably
an exaggeration.
#11 ‘The Bachelor’: An ABC reality series in which
one handsome, successful and likeable, single man
searches for the woman of his dreams.
‘The Bachelorette’: A show similar to The
Bachelor, but where a single woman searches forthe man of her dreams.
‘Survivor’: A reality show in which viewers
watch a bunch of people trying to survive, stranded
in some remote place.
#13 ‘Dave & Buster’s’: A US restaurant chain which
not only serves food, but has large game/entertainment areas inside the restaurants as well.

Listening in Depth
1. one 2. No, (she hates them.) 3. talk shows
4. She’s never been able to get into it (and she
doesn’t think it’s funny.) 5. Because she has towatch them all the time (and so she’s sick of them)(and they are just repetitive.) 6. a newscaster7. He’s hot. 8. Yes, (he loves him.) 9. the red
one 10. She won’t have any time.

LISTEN
1. about 2 or 3 times a week
2. Barney, Sponge
Bob Square Pants
3. Extreme Makeover 4. talkshows
5. No, I don’t like it. 6. no: I used to but
not now. 7. yes: usually 3,6, or 8
8. Bob Moore
9. Robin Williams
10. The M & Ms commercials
11. The Bachelor, Survivor, The Bachelorette
12. I didn’t watch any TV. 13. No.

Notes#2 ‘Barney’: ‘Barney & Friends’, a popular show forpreschoolers. Barney is a purple dinosaur.
‘Sponge Bob Square Pants’: A popular cartoon
for kids.
#3 ‘reality shows’: Real life dramas on TV.
‘60 minutes’ (answer choice): A popular documentary on CBS that has been on TV for decades.
‘Extreme Makeover’: A reality show in whichpeople’s wishes come true by having their looks
altered, and lives and destinies changed.
‘cut people up and make them look better’: Thisrefers to the plastic surgery that is done to thepeople on the show to improve their looks.
#4 ‘Ricky Lake’: A talk show.
#5 ‘Friends’: A comedy about six close-knit friends
living in New York City. At the time, this was themost popular show on TV in the States.

Topic 11
LISTEN
1. Yes, I work at an internet cafe. 2. He owns adriver’s ed. school. 3. Yes, she does. 4. No, mybrother doesn’t work. 5. sell real estate 6. aserver: You can make good tips. 7. make a lot ofmoney 8. anything boring
9. a garbage truck
driver 10. a police officer 11. outdoors 12. alibrarian or secretary 13. an easy, high-paying job

Notes
For the Extra Questions #5-15, students must
answer about a job they have. If a student does
not have a job, s/he can make up the information.
#8 ‘sit down’: She uses this verb here as an adjective.

Listening in Depth
1. She makes coffee and helps people with the computers. 2. about two years 3. She works for her
father. 4. He’s in jail. 5. in his 40s 6. Yes, (kind of.)
7. They get paid really good money and they only
work in the mornings (and have the rest of the day
free.) 8. No. 9. She thinks people would respect her
a little more. 10. Yes, (she’d still rather work for thesense of self-worth and to use her brain a little.)
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

6

Topic 12
LISTEN
1. Los Angeles 2. about a week 3. I flew.
4. 6-7 hours
5. with two friends 6. went toamusement parks 7. at a friend’s house 8. ethnic
food 9. stuffed animals 10. $1700 11. reallywarm and beautiful 12. the roller coasters
13. There was a lot of traffic.

6. westerns, heavy drama documentaries
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger 8. A Home of Their Own
9. Down Periscope 10. Down with Love; Ewan
McGregor & Renee Zellweger
11. The Whole Ten
Yards 12. yes 13. Bruce Willis

Notes#2 go to the bargain: She means “go to the matinees when the movies are discounted.”#3 just take them from there: By this she probably
means either watch the movies or record them.

Notes#4 ‘City Slickers’: 1991 comedy with Billy Crystal.

#7 Santa Monica: a city about 7 miles north of L.A.

#7 to say nothing of politically: This expression
means “And he is great politically, too.” At the time,
Arnold was the governor of California.

pay any hotel: Matt probably meant to say ‘payfor any hotel’ or ‘pay for a hotel’ here.

Listening in Depth
1. Hawaii 2. Disneyland, Universal Studios, Knott’s
Berry Farm 3. Santa Monica 4. Indian and Persian
5. Yes, it was great (amazing).
6. Donald Duck7. his girlfriend
8. $700 9. Knott’s Berry Farm
10. Yes, (they were.)

Topic 13

#8 ‘A Home of Their Own’: The correct movie title
is ‘A Home of Our Own,’ a 1993 movie starring Kathy
Bates.
#9 ‘Down Periscope’: 1996 movie starring Kelsey
Grammer and Lauren Holly.
#10 ‘Down with Love’: 2003 movie.
‘Doris Day’: One of the top female movie stars
from the 60s, and one of the greatest singers of alltime.
#11 ‘The Whole 10 Yards’: 2004 movie.

LISTEN
1. It’s a convenient location.; It’s a good school for
my major. 2. The classrooms are hot.; The buildings are too old.
3. philosophy 4. Professor
Sanders
5. English
6. math, history, science
7. sometimes: to go surfing 8. about an hour
9. No, I don’t. 10. go to movies, go to bars, work
11. party 12. travel 13. Yeah, I’d love to.

‘The Whole 9 Yards’: 2000 movie with Bruce
Willis and Matthew Perry.
#12 ‘220 times’: It’s not clear if she is exaggerating here or not.
‘Romancing the Stone’: 1984 romantic adventure starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner andDanny DeVito.

Listening in Depth
Notes#1 Asian studies: Trevor is a student at the University of Hawaii, which has one of the top Asian studies
programs in the world.
#6 ‘Yes/No’: She means subjects that are factual,with a lot of Yes/No Questions.
#10 The Hilton Hawaiian Village: The largest hotelin Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii.

1. action movies 2. Because she has cable (at home)(and she can see movies that way.) 3. Drama’s can
get too slow or too serious. 4. She doesn’t want tohear about other peoples’ woes. 5. Because he isvery versatile. (He’s great in comedy, drama, andaction.) 6. a single mother who raised six children(in Idaho during the depression.) 7. She learned
how to get along with other people. 8. a comedy
9. Matthew Perry & Bruce Willis 10. 220#12 ‘there’s a couple...’: See Note for Topic 4, #7.

Topic 15

Listening in Depth
1. Asian studies 2. Yes. 3. She’s funny, nice, helpful
to students, and always happy when she comes intoclass. 4. linguistics 5. No, (not at all.) 6. (at least)
two-three hours 7. She’s lucky if she does 30
minutes. 8. the Japanese club, the philosophy club,
the poetry club 9. at a hotel (The Hilton Hawaiian
Village) 10. Asia, Europe, Australia, South America

Topic 14
LISTEN
1. at home 2. at least three times a month
3. never4. comedies, action
5. action
7

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDELISTEN
1. $12 2. No, I’m not. 3. No, they don’t. 4. coffee,
chocolate 5. $45 6. about $6 7. maybe $20
8. $2 9. Yes, I do. 10. my motorcycle 11. givesome money to my family 12. No, never
13. Yes—sometimes.

Notes#4 I can do dark, too: A more common way to say
this would be, “I like dark chocolate, too.”#6 ‘Down to Earth’: Without a doubt, the best
health food store in Honolulu. They also have fastvegetarian food.

#8 ‘Goodwill’: A huge used clothing and goods
chain. They have everything from clothes to furniture to music.
#12 not with money: He seems to be implying herethat he gambles with things other than money, but
his meaning is not clear.

Listening in Depth
1. Because there’s not really any stuff that heneeds. 2. Yes, (if he needs help, they will help him
and send him money.)
3. Dark—(the darker, thebetter.)4. White—(but she likes dark, too.)
5. Because he does things with his friends (likegather and sing) (which don’t cost money.) 6. at
the Goodwill store 7. No, (he doesn’t use it verymuch at all.)
8. He uses it in case of emergency.
9. $1,000 10. Save the Forests

Topic 16
LISTEN
1. about two times a month 2. The India Cafe
3. by myself, friends, girlfriend
4. about $10
5. Not usually 6. Coffee or Tea, Mrs. Fong’s
7. Yes, I have. 8. Armand’s Chicago Pizza
9. Ono Pono 10. Bogart’s Cafe 11. Morton’s
12. Chinese, Ethiopian, Indian 13. My grandfather
yelled at the servers at a restaurant.

Notes#9 ‘Ono Pono’: This is on the campus of the University of Hawaii. The name is Hawaiian.
#11 ‘Morton’s’: A high class steak restaurant.
#12 ‘there’s a lot of...’: See Note for Topic 4, #7.
#13 ...or the servers: Cee corrects himself here
after having said ‘waiters’ because the politicallycorrect term is ‘servers’ nowadays.

Listening in Depth
1. about $7 2. Chinese 3. There was a bandplaying there that he really liked. 4. on the campusof Cee’s university 5. fast vegetarian food 6. abreakfast sandwich (with egg, spinach, and tomato.)
7. $3.50 8. about $50 9. Because he was graduating (and it was a special night.) 10. his mother

Topic 17
LISTEN
1. ferrets 2. puppies, koala bears, bunny rabbits
3. cows, penguins, dogs
4. Bugs Bunny
5. bears, rottweilers 6. elephants, tigers, wild boar
7. Yes, I have.
8. yes: a snake
9. Harvey
10. He squeezed my leg. 11. a mouse 12. cats:
You don’t have to walk them in bad weather.
13. a bird: I can fly free and see the world.

Notes

which is used to hunt rats and rabbits. It’s sometimes kept as an exotic pet.
#3 ‘were little still’: A more common way to say
this would be, “Do you still have them from when
you were little?”#4 ‘that poor coyote’: In the cartoon, Bugs Bunny
always ends up the winner over his rival, the coyote.
#5 rottweiler: a strong and dangerous dog often
used as a guard dog.
‘up close and personal’: This phrase normallymeans “very close and intimate” but here she uses
it in a negative sense.
#7 Kauai: one of the Hawaiian islands.

Listening in Depth
1. Because they’re cute and cuddly. 2. Yes, (absolutely.) 3. a dog 4. Yes, (she has, upclose andpersonal, in the forest.) 5. in Africa 6. in themountains on Kauai 7. an 8-foot boa constrictor
8. every morning when he wanted to go out
9. Because they are so cute and easy to care for.
10. a dove

Topic 18
LISTEN
1. clothes, jewelry, groceries
2. a Prada bag
3. Ala Moana Shopping Center 4. Macy’s; They havethe most sales. 5. Payless 6. Waikele Outlet Shops
7. no
8. $500
9. about $500
10. yes
11. ‘Shrek’, ‘Finding Nemo’ 12. yes 13. a new car

Notes#3 Rodeo Drive (answer choice): This is a famousand expensive high-class shopping area in Beverly
Hills, California.
Ala Moana Shopping Center: The largest shopping mall in Honolulu, Hawaii. At one time, it was
the largest outdoor mall in the USA.
#4 Macy’s: one of the oldest and largest department stores in America.
#5 Payless: a large discount shoe store chain.
#6 Waikele Outlet Shops: a huge outlet area in
Honolulu.
Saks: Saks Fifth Avenue—a classy, upscale
department store from New York City.
Coach: a popular designer brand.
#8 Versace: a super expensive designer brand.
“buyer’s remorse”: The meaning of this phrase
is roughly ‘to regret buying something because it
was too expensive or because it was bought on
impulse.’#11 ‘Shrek’: a 2001 computer animated movie.
‘Finding Nemo’: a 2003 computer animatedmovie.

#1 ferret: a smallish animal with a pointed nose
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

8

Listening in Depth
1. yes 2. black 3. outdoor 4. about $10 5. Saks
6. yes 7. Versace 8. She tried to return them.
9. everything—paper towels, toilet paper, shoes,
clothes, etc. 10. an Audi A8

Topic 19

dork or a loser. 2. No, (because she doesn’t feel
comfortable in them.) 3. Coach and Louis Vuitton
4. Macy’s
5. If there’s a special occasion (like abirthday or some dinner.) 6. a flip phone 7. No,
she can’t stand it (because she doesn’t know how
it works.) 8. usually blonde or (darker) black
9. Because her daughter pulls them. 10. Because
it would probably hurt really badly.

LISTEN
1. Yes, I think so. 2. I eat healthy food.; I don’t eat
too much. 3. at least three times a week 4. Yes,
it is. 5. not very often
6. Yes, I do. 7. Yes, I
do. 8. No, I’m not. 9. No, never. 10. No, I don’t.
11. I have some stress. 12. I try to get 7-8 hours.
13. feel love and peace in your heart

Notes#5 “I eat junk food not very often”: A more common way to say this would be, “I don’t eat junk foodvery often.”#6 “There’s a lot...”: See Note for Topic 4, #7.
#11 is a big part of that: ‘That’ here means ‘being
able to handle stress.’

Listening in Depth
1. Because he’s a vegetarian. 2. walking, riding his
bicycle, Tai Chi, (and a little basketball) 3. sweets
like chocolate 4. bananas, mangoes, and papayas
5. a multi-vitamin 6. No, (he used to be overweight
when he was younger.) 7. Because it’s good for his
body. 8. No, never. 9. He doesn’t take things too
seriously, eats well, and meditates. 10. He has towake up early in the morning to pick up trash in thepark (for community service.)

Topic 21
LISTEN
1. 10–12 times 2. abroad 3. The Philippines
4. Middle Eastern countries
5. 3–4 days
6. plane 7. boyfriend or alone
8. United
9. money problems 10. No, I didn’t. 11. pineapples, aloha shirts, macadamia nuts 12. Where’s
the phone?, Do you speak English? 13. yes

Notes#9 it came through: By this, I assume she meansthat her credit card approval came through, or themoney her parents wired her finally came. It is notclear.
#11 slippers: She is not referring to bedroom
slippers, but rather “thongs.” In Hawaii, thongs arecalled “slippers.”

Listening in Depth
1. England, Sweden, Norway 2. Singapore &Australia 3. It’s much more adventurous & exciting. 4. She gets pretty excited so she starts early.
5. It’s faster, more exciting, and adventurous.
6. It gives her a feeling of independence. 7. Her
credit card didn't work. 8. No. 9. Fiji 10. Spain

Topic 20
Topic 22

LISTEN
1. a variety of clothes 2. Yes. 3. tiny tops, mini
skirts, low-rise jeans 4. about $3,000 5. yes:Louis Vuitton, Coach, Prada, Guess 6. anywhere
7. about 20 pairs 8. about 2-3 times a week
9. everything, but especially pink 10. Yes, I havea Nokia. 11. No, I don’t. 12. my wedding ring
13. They look good on some people.

Notes#1 “wear your skirt”: The meaning of ‘your’ here issimply ‘a.’
#6 Macy’s: a large department store chain in theUSA.
#11 a darker black: Lisa’s hair is black, so shemeans dying her hair darker than it already is.
#13 [it]...[it]: She meant to say “They do...” here.

Listening in Depth
1. Because if you’re not in fashion, you look like a
9

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDELISTEN
1. magazines 2. nonfiction 3. at home 4. about$6 5. John Grisham 6. The Bible 7. The Cat in theHat 8. No. 9. Cosmopolitan 10. No, I don’t.
11. every day 12. the front page 13. a children’s
book

Notes
#5 ‘you’ve watched the movie’: Cee meant to say,
“Do you watch his movies, too?”

Listening in Depth
1. She likes looking at the pictures. 2. biographies
3. six 4. $1 5. No, (she doesn’t usually buy
books. When she wants to read a book she goes tothe library.) 6. Yes. 7. Dr. Seuss 8. No, but she
makes her husband do them. 9. She thinks they’rekind of stupid. 10. at the gym

Topic 23
LISTEN
1. about two weeks ago 2. about once or twice ayear 3. get a lot of rest, drink fluids 4. almost
every day 5. No, not usually. 6. No, I’m not allergic
to anything. 7. Yeah, I had a kidney infection.
8. a few days ago
9. about 102° F
10. Yes, I
have. 11. Yes. 12. Yes, I have. 13. about two or
three days a year

#12 the Macy’s Parade: Macy’s is a large department store chain in the US which puts on a televised
New Year’s parade every year.

Listening in Depth
1. her mother, grandmother, and sisters 2. a real,natural tree 3. her nieces, nephews, and parents
4. She gave it to herself.
5. One (whole) year
6. Yes, it was fantastic. 7. the neighborhood
children and friends 8. friends and family 9. twoof her nieces, her nephew, and her boyfriend
10. drinking problems (alcoholism)

Notes#1 the stomach flu: You will need to explain what
this illness is as it is hard to translate. Stomach flu
is an illness caused by a virus that is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness.
#6 sulpha: an antibacterial drug.
tetracycline: an antibiotic.
#10 Colorado River: a major US river that runs from
Colorado through California, going through the Grand
Canyon.
Labor Day: a major US holiday which comes on
the first Monday in September and is dedicated tothe social and economic achievements of American
workers. Although primarily an American holiday, it iscelebrated by other industrialized nations as well.

Topic 25
LISTEN
1. I was afraid of the dark. 2. black bears 3. I’m
not afraid of any. 4. Yes! 5. No, I’m not. 6. Not
at all. I enjoy it! 7. Gerald’s Game 8. I was in aplane crash. 9. I don’t think so. 10. nervous people
11. Not at all. 12. my future, my health 13. noNotes#7 ‘It really [did].’: She meant to say, “It reallywas.”#9 an apparition: An apparition is some inexplicablething that is seen, but isn’t really a ghost.

Listening in Depth

Listening in Depth

1. the stomach flu 2. Her work is stressful.
3. penicillin, sulpha, tetracycline, caffeine, chocolate
4. about a year and a half ago 5. only for about
eight hours 6. She had a bug bite that was itching.
7. 106° F 8. She took penicillin and she’s allergic toit. 9. all over 10. She fell while riding a dirt bike.

1. bees and mosquitos 2. Because she was in a planecrash before. 3. Yes. 4. roller coasters (and high,fast rides.) 5. Yes, (she gets along with him very
well.) 6. Stephen King 7. Yes, she did. 8. Both
engines went out. 9. into the Pacific Ocean 10. She
uses her mind to forget where she’s at and justfocuses on the speech.

Topic 26

Topic 24
LISTEN
1. Christmas: The world becomes a family.
2. Mother’s Day: I sent everybody flowers.
3. Christmas, Independence Day, Thanksgiving
4. decorate my house, serve food to the homeless
5. 12-14 6. a trip to Ireland 7. make a haunted
house 8. Yes, I buy flowers. 9. Yes, I did.
10. I spend it at home with friends. 11. watchedfireworks on the beach 12. watch the Macy’s
Parade and rest 13. I helped homeless people.

Notes#8 In Japan, girls give guys valentines and not viceversa. But in the U.S.A. giving is reciprocal.
#10 ‘it’s just warmer’: By this she means it’s more
intimate and friendly.
the dropping of the ball: The drop of theilluminated, thousand-pound crystal ball, which sits
atop One Times Square building in New York City,
starts promptly at 11:59 pm on New Year’s Eve.

LISTEN
1. the beach 2. McDonald’s 3. Yes, I am. 4. anamusement park 5. long hair 6. long hair, beautiful, nice smile, light eye color 7. nice personality,
nice smile 8. about my age 9. Yes. 10. yes
11. Yeah, I do. 12. No, never! 13. I’m not sure if
I would.

Notes#2 Happy Meal: a set meal at McDonald’s for kids.
#6 everybody else’s: This is a shortened form of“everybody else’s date.”#8 “I don’t yo...too young or too old”: Here hemeans, “I don’t want someone too young or too
old.”#9 “If you have to force”: It’s not clear what Mattmeans here but most probably he means, “If you
have to force the kiss, it’s not such a good idea.”#10 “to do anything about it”: By this Trevormeans, “to take action on your feelings and ask thegirl out on a date.”
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

10

Listening in Depth
1. Because it’s cheap and he likes to watch thesunset. 2. Because he was young (and didn’t havemuch money.)
3. Osaka, Japan 4. about six
months 5. Because if the date is boring, you can(still) have fun. 6. No, (he doesn’t really care forshort hair.)
7. nice personality
8. Yes, (two or
three year’s difference is okay for him. 9. It takes
a lot of pressure off guys. It’s stressful being a guy
because they always have to ask the girl out.
10. It was awful.

Topic 27

6. No, I haven’t. 7. No, never. 8. Yes, three times
before. 9. call 911; hide 10. try to find a man tohelp; call 911 11. I have good door locks and aburglar alarm.; I’m cautious and alert. 12. A guy set
his car on fire. 13. For: You should die for a very
serious crime.

Notes#1 Carol lives in the USA and the President at thetime was George W. Bush.
#7 always: It’s very hard to believe that Carol has
never driven over the speed limit, etc. but anythingis possible.

Listening in Depth
LISTEN
1. 24–25 2. 27 & 39 3. at least 3 or 4 years
4. probably not 5. Definitely. 6. No, I wouldn’t.
7. romantic, devoted, religious 8. Definitely.
9. traditional
10. about 100
11. Tahiti
12. Yes, very. 13. No, I probably wouldn’t.

1. a hit and run car accident
2. California
3. Because of so much war. 4. an emerald birthstone ring 5. No, she didn’t. 6. Yes, (many years
later.) 7. No. 8. Outside (or in another room)—(she almost walked in on them.) 9. Absolutely.
10. He was just crazy.

Listening in Depth
1. 28 2. 21 (see her answer to #4) 3. yes
4. yes 5. romantic 6. ideally three 7. her relatives 8. yes 9. 25 years 10. No, (she said
they’re going to be together forever).

Topic 28
LISTENLISTEN
1. It’s a bad habit. 2. I enjoy gambling. 3. I love
this school. 4. No, I don’t. 5. yes 6. It’s a goodright. 7. I disapprove of him.
8. yes9. no
10. I’ve never had it. 11. Pitt 12. Carrey
13. happiness

Notes

1. No. 2. Yes, I do. 3. Yes, I do. 4. Yes, I believe
in horoscopes. 5. No, I don’t. 6. Yes. 7. Yes, I did.
8. No. 9. O 10. I don’t think so. 11. Breaking amirror is unlucky. 12. Yes. 13. friends

Notes#8-10 Most Americans do not believe blood types
can tell a person's personality. In fact, many people
have never even heard of this idea and do not know
their blood type except for medical purposes.

Listening in Depth
1. (He thinks he will stay) on earth. 2. No, he thinks
he will be an animal. 3. Because people have seen a
lot of them. 4. He thinks you have to get to know
someone first (and can’t judge them on their looks.
You have to see if you are compatible.)
5. Mars
6. Because he’s at every mall in America at the same
time.
7. no
8. no 9. Because his family is not
close(-knit) (and don’t worry about him). 10. No,
only a few.

Topic 29
LISTEN
1. The government is in good shape and the President is in control. 2. drug-related crimes 3. Yes, I
have. 4. Israel 5. Yes, someone stole my ring.
11

Topic 30

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE#1 cowboy killers: This expression means thecigarettes are strong, strong enough to kill cowboys.
#3 do you plan on graduating?: He is teasing
Jerome because Jerome mentioned ‘hot chicks’ as areason for liking his school.
I’m going to drop out: He is, of course, saying
this facetiously.
#5 I don’t see why not: You will need to explain
the meaning of this common expression, using thegloss at the back of the Student’s Book if necessary.
#6 I’m not sure about you!: Jerome is, of course,
teasing Nick, insinuating that Nick is crazy.
#7 Both Jerome and Nick are Americans, and theleader he was referring to was George W. Bush, whoat the time was the President of the USA.
#9 SPCA: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals. This nonprofit, charitable organization isdedicated to the welfare of all animals. They provide
refuge, medical care, nourishment, and a second
chance for life for unwanted animals.
#11 in Titanic or something: Jerome is obviously
not a DiCaprio fan. Dicaprio was the star of the
Titanic, which was the top grossing movie of all time.
how many posters...: Again, Nick is teasing
Jerome.
#12 [pretty both]: He meant to say “bothpretty...”Bruce Almighty: 2003 movie starring Jim
Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, and Morgan Freeman.
Ace Ventura I & II: 1994 & 1995 movies
starring Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox.

Listening in Depth
1. yes 2. Since he was 15; 11 years 3. MarlboroReds
4. once or twice a week
5. He loves thepeople and there are a lot of hot chicks. 6. No,
she’s from a foreign country.
7. no
8. No (hecan’t stand them.)
9. zero 10. Bruce Almighty(and possibly Ace Ventura I and II.)TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE12TAPESCRIPTS & VOCABULARY▲

Topic 1 Family

Tapescript(Lisa asks Cari)

1. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I do. I have one brother and two sisters.
Are you closer to your brother or your sisters?
Um...I’m closer to my brother actually.
2. How old is your brother?
Um...I think my brother is like...I thi...thirty-one.
And how old are your sisters?
Uh...my sister, Hillary, is about thirty-three and my sister, Sharon, is thirty-five.
Oh.
3. How old are your parents?
Um...I think my father’s about fifty-six and my mom is fifty-four.
Wow—they’re old!
Really—you think that’s old?
Yeah.
My great grandmother’s a hundred and one. That’s old!
That is! She’s ancient!
4. Where are your parents from?
Uh...they were both born and raised in Chicago.
Do they still live there?
Um–huh.
5. Are your parents strict?
Um...no, they’re not strict at all.
6. Do you get along with your mom or dad better?
I definitely get along with my mother better.
Do they get along with each other?
No, they don’t.
Oh, I’m sorry.
7. What do your mother and father look like?
Um...my mom’s about 5’7’’ and she’s got...um...shoulder-length brown hair, and myfather is probably 5’8’’ and he’s got...um...dark, chestnut colored hair and hazel greeneyes.
8. Do you look more like your mom or your dad?
Um...I look more like my father.
How so?
Um...I have like a lot of his...his facial features, as well as like my hands look like myfather’s, and my eyes are the same color as my father’s.

13

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEYou have nice eyes.

Thanks!
9. What do your parents do in their free time?
Um...my mom likes to...uh...my mom likes to take walks, and my dad...um...my dad likes
to cook.
Oh. He likes to cook, huh?
Yeah, he loves cooking.
That’s interesting. My dad doesn’t even know how to work the microwave.
Really?!
Really!
10. What things do you do together with your family?
Um...we usually...uh...do barbecues at each other’s houses, um...or we’ll go to themovies, and sometimes we go to the beach if it’s really nice out.
11. How often do you see your aunts, uncles, and cousins?
Um...pretty frequently. I’d say...uh...about like once a month.
Do you have a big family?
Uh...yeah. I have a decent-sized family.
12. How old are your grandparents? Where do they live?
Um...I’m not really sure how old my grandparents are. I think they’re around...um...eighty
years old and they live in a suburb of Chicago.
13. Do you want to live with your parents after you get married?
No way! I would never want to live with my parents after I got married!

▲

Topic 1 Family

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularyalmost never (hotondo...nai)
an only child (hitorikko)
at all (zenzen)
definitely (zettai ni)
great grandmother (hii obaa-san)hazel (eyes) (usuchairo no me)
I’d say... (=I think...)like (31) (=about)
No way! (Tondemonai!)pretty frequently (kekkoo hinpan ni)
probably (tabun)
suburb (koogai)

actually (jitsuwa; hontoo no tokoro wa)
ancient (=slang for “very old”)
as well as (=and also)(be) close to (someone) (... to shitashii)born and raised (umare sodatsu)
chestnut colored (kuriiro no)decent-sized (family) (=pretty big)doesn’t even (know) (...sura; ...sae)
each other (otagai)
facial features (kaodachi)
How so? (Donna tokoro ga?)microwave (denshi renji)“nice out” (=nice weather)shoulder-length (hair) (kata ni todoku nagasa)
um.../uh... (eeto...)um-huh (=yes, yeah)

5’7’’ (5 feet, 7 inches =170cms)
5’8’’ (5 feet, 8 inches =173cms)

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

14▲

Topic 2 Food

Tapescript(Cee asks Carol)

1. What’s one of your favorite foods?

My favorite foods...mm...I’d have to say apple pie.
Hm...Why do you like apple pie so much?
Because I can make them from scratch, and they’re the best, and everybody loves them.
2. What’s a food you hate?
I hate Mexican food!
Why do you hate Mexican food?!
‘Cause it’s spicy and it’s too full of fat. Ugh!
Oh!
I don’t like it.
3. What’s your favorite fruit?
My favorite fruit are apples because not only are they good in the pies, but they’re justa great snack. And they’re healthy.
Hm...yeah. Do you like oranges?
Oh, I love them!
Do you like mangoes?
Mangoes not too much, but I like oranges. Oranges are better.
Mm...
Fresh orange juice.
Mm...
4. What’s your favorite snack or dessert?
My favorite snack is definitely fruit...uh...or vegetables actually. I really love carrot andcelery sticks.
Nice!
Yeah.
5. Can you cook?
Yes, I can. And I’ve been cooking since I was five years old.
Do you love cooking?
I absolutely adore it, and I love cooking for large groups of people.
Nice.
6. What can you make?
I can make anything you want. I can make pies, casseroles, and roasts.
Can I go to your house for dinner?
Any time!
Nice!
Sure!
7. What did you have for breakfast today?
Every day for breakfast I have a bowl of Special K and bananas, and I drink some orange
juice, and maybe some decaf coffee.
So you always have the same breakfast?
Every day.
That’s interesting.
15

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDEYeah.
8. How often do you skip breakfast?
Never. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I never skip it.
Ever, ever, ever?
Never. No, never have.
Wow!
Yeah.
I skip breakfast all the time.
9. What did you have for dinner last night?
Last night I had poached salmon with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf. And I made it
myself.
Mm—that sounds good!
Very healthy.
Did you have it in your apartment?
Yes.
Nice.
Absolutely.
10. What kind of toppings do you like on your pizza?
Just vegetables. I’m not really a meat person. I prefer just vegetables.
Just vegetables?
Yeah. But it’s healthier—the cheese, the vegetables.
All kinds of vegetables?
Uh...anything but mushrooms and onions.
Mm...
Yeah.
Yeah.
11. How often do you buy food at a convenience store?
Very rarely. I don’t do that. I prefer going to the grocery store. It’s just better bargains,
and that’s the way I do it.
It’s [more] fresh.
Yes.
Yes.
12. Do you like ethnic food? What kinds?
I absolutely love ethnic[s] foods. I love Italian food. I love Greek food.
Mm...Yes.
I love Russian food and Thai. Thai is one of my favorites.
Oh, I love Thai food!
Oh, isn’t it great?
Uh...in D.C. they have wonderful Ethiopian food.
Oh.
I love Ethiopian food, too.
Mm...I don’t think I’ve ever had Ethiopian. I think it’s a little spicy for me.
Well, yeah.
Yeah.
A lot of ethnic foods are spicy.
13. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
When I was in Prague we were served calves’ brains.
Oh!
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

16

That definitely was different!
Brains!?
Calves’ brains.
That’s gross!
Yeah.

▲

Topic 2 Food

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary“a meat person” (=a person who likes meat)
anything but... (...igai nandemo)
calves’ brains (koushi no noomiso)
definitely (zettai ni)
grasshopper (inago; batta)
Greek (food) (girishia)
grocery store (=supermarket)
meal (shokuji)
poached (salmon) (‘musu’ to ‘yuderu’ noaidakurai no ryoori no shikata)prefer (...no hoo ga suki)
rarely (mare ni)
steamed (broccoli) (mushita)

absolutely (danzen; mattaku)
actually (jitsuwa; hontoo no tokoro wa)
adore (daisuki)‘cause (=because)
D.C. (=Washington, D.C.)
decaf (=coffee with no caffeine)“different” (=not normal; strange)“full of fat” (shiboo ga takusan)gross (kimochi warui; iyana)
I’d have to say... (Shiite iu nara...)make (something) from scratch(saisho kara tezukuri suru)
not only...but... (...dakedenaku...)serve(d) (tabemono ya nomimono o dasu)
since... (...no toki kara; ...irai)
Special K (=a kind of healthy cereal)
Sure! (Mochiron!)

17

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 3 Time

Tapescript(Dave asks John)

1. How old are you?

Twenty–one.
Wow—you’re a lot younger than me. I’m forty–four.
Forty–four.
Yeah.
2. When’s your birthday?
June twenty–fifth.
June twenty–fifth. So it’s coming soon.
Coming soon.
3. What year were you born in?
1982.
1982.
4. What’s the date today?
Date is Ju...May thirty–first.
5. What time do you usually get up?
Around ten.
Ten?
Ten.
Pretty late.
Pretty late.
Why do you get up so late?
Work late.
What time do you usually finish work?
About eleven–thirty and drive home to Wahiwa for about a forty–minute drive.
6. What time do you eat breakfast?
Don’t eat breakfast.
Why don’t you eat breakfast?
No time for it. I wake up at lunch time pretty much.
Oh...
7. What time do you usually eat dinner?
About eight o’clock.
Do you usually eat at home or...?
I eat at work.
At the coffee shop?
At the coffee shop.
Do you have to pay for the food?
Nah, it’s free. As long as you’re on the clock, it’s free.
So you can eat as much as you want?
Well, can’t do that but...
You can eat a...
...you can eat...
...a good meal for free.
Yeah.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE18

Wow—you’re lucky.
8. What time do you usually go to bed?

One.
One o’clock?
One o’clock.
How much sleep do you usually get?
Over eight hours.
That’s good.
9. What were you doing at 3 p.m. yesterday?
Uh...punching into work.
So you were just starting work.
Just starting work.
At 8 p.m.?
Working.
You were still working.
Still working.
Finish at...what time?
Yesterday I finished at ten–thirty.
Ten–thirty.
10. Are you usually early, on time, or late?
Early.
Early? How early do you usually get to places?
I try to be in the five-to-ten minute range.
11. Do you usually sleep in on Sundays?
Yeah, usually.
12. How much time do you spend on the phone each day?
Less than a half an hour. Less than thirty minutes.
That’s on your cell phone?
Cell phone.
13. How many watches do you own?
Hm...zero.
No watch?
No watch.
How do you know what time it is?
I got a cell phone. Got the little clock on it, so I use that.
Oh, I see. I see.

▲

Topic 3 Time

Key Vocabulary

Extra Vocabularycell phone (keitai denwa)
It varies. (Iroiro desu.)
less than (30 minutes) (...inai)
meal (shokuji)
pay for (something) (harau)
pretty (late) (kekkoo)
still (working) (mada)“as long as you’re on the clock”(kinmu jikan no aida nara)“as much as you want” (hoshii dake)
Nah (=informal “no”)
pretty much (hotondo)
range (...to...no aida)
Well... (Eeto...)19

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 4 House & Home

Tapescript(Ray asks Matt)

1. Where do you live?

I live in Waikiki.
2. How long have you lived there?
I’ve lived there about six months.
Six months. Wow.
Yeah, not too long.
3. Do you like it? Why or why not?
Um...I enjoy it because it’s right in the heart of the city and I can...um...go out and geta hamburger at two in the morning if I want to, or whatever I need is right outside my door.
Yeah, sounds convenient.
Yes. Yeah—convenient.
4. Who do you live with?
I live with a friend...um...named Chuck. And I know him from...uh...Maui actually.
5. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
Uh...an apartment. Studio apartment.
6. What’s it like?
Well, it’s small but it is nice. And I have a nice view on the sixth floor.
Cool.
7. What’s something you don’t like about your house?
I don’t like that it’s noisy all the time...uh...
Oh.
...because [I’m] near the street and there’s a lot of restaurants and bars in the area so I
always hear so...some...some kind of noise.
8. What things in your bedroom are most important to you?
Uh...probably the stereo because I like...I love to have my music. And my books because
I like to read.
Me, too.
9. What are your neighbors like?
Uh...my neighbors are nice. Uh...I don’t really know them too well. Um...on the left ofme live a Japanese couple who don’t speak very much English but say ‘hi.’ And to theright of me is a local guy who seems very nice.
10. Is your home near a train or bus station?
Um...I live on...on the street I live...uh...there’s bus stops all along.
11. What does your dream house look like?
Mm...my dream house is on the beach. It’s got a big yard, pool, a jacuzzi, maybe a tennis
court...um...two–story, nice view.
I can picture it perfectly!
12. How many times have you moved before?
Let’s see...I’ve moved about four times. Four times. Um...the last move was here to...uh...Waikiki so...
Where were you before?
On Maui. I lived there four years, and then before that California.
You moved a lot!
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

20

Yeah. Well, yeah.
13. How much longer do you think you’ll live where you are now?
At least two more years ’til I get my degree.

▲

Topic 4 House & HomeKey Vocabulary

Extra Vocabulary

all along (the street)(zutto; saisho kara saigo made)at least (sukunakutomo)
convenient (benri)for the rest of my life (shinu made)I really can’t say. (Hakkiri ienai.)
local (guy) (jimoto no)noise (soo’on)
noisy (urusai)
on foot (aruite)
probably (tabun)“right in the heart of” (domannaka)“right outside my door” (doa o deruto sugu)
seem(s) nice (yosasoo ni mieru)
two-story (nikai date no)whatever (I) need(hitsuyoona mono wa nandemo)
yard (niwa)

actually (jitsuwa; hontoo no tokoro wa)
cool (kakkoii)
degree (gakui)“don’t know them too well”(karera no koto wa amari yoku shiranai)“I can picture it perfectly!”(Hakkiri to me ni ukaberu koto ga dekiru!)
Let’s see... (Eeto...)studio (=a small, one-room apartment)‘til (=until)
um.../uh... (eeto...)Well... (Eeto...; Soo desune...)21

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE▲Topic 5 Music

Tapescript(Matt asks Ray)

1. What kind of music do you usually listen to?

Wow—I listen to all types of music.
Uh–huh. From jazz to rap or classical or...?
Not much rap, but jazz, classical...um...classic rock. Yeah—all types.
Good.
2. Who’s your favorite singer or group?
Oo—um...let’s see. I don’t really have a favorite singer or group.
So many to choose from, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Seriously.
3. Who did you like when you were in junior high school?
In junior high...let’s see...I liked a lot of heavy metal. MegaDeth, Metallica...
Hardcore!
Yep, hardcore stuff.
4. What’s one of your favorite songs?
One of my favorite songs...geez...um...‘Take on Me’ by Aha.
Oh, yeah. I remember that song.
Absolutely not hardcore!
No! Opposite. It’s a good song, though.
Yeah.
5. How much time do you spend listening to music?
Wow—I’m always listening to music.
6. Where do you usually listen to music?
Uh...let’s see...well, right when I get home, the first thing I do is I turn on the radio. So,
mainly at home.
Um–huh.
7. What kind of music do you dislike?
Loud, obnoxious music like...um...stuff with heavy feedback.
8. Are you a good singer? Do you like karaoke?
I love karaoke, but I don’t think I’m a good singer.
Do you get up and go karaoke every once and a while?
Yeah, I went last night.
Really?
Yeah.
What did you sing?
Um...lots of Japanese songs.
Yeah?
Because I went with some Japanese friends.
Oh, okay.
9. About how many CDs do you own?
Um...I don’t own very many. I guess I’d say about thirty.
Thirty CDs.
I listen to the radio a lot.
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

22

Uh–huh. So you don’t buy...buy a lot of music?

No.
10. Have you bought any good CDs recently?
Actually, the other day I bought a great jazz CD.
Oh. Who was the artist?
It’s a compilation, a mix of several classic artists.
Oh, the classic style.
Yeah.
Good.
11. What are some concerts you’ve been to before?
I went to an awesome Red Hot Chili Peppers concert a couple of years ago.
Oh, man, that must have been great!
Yeah, it was good fun.
Which album was that for?
Um...I think it was for the...uh...the one with ‘By the Way’ on it.
Oh, ‘By the Way.’ Yeah.
Yeah.
That’s a great album.
Yeah, it was a really cool concert.
12. Can you play any musical instruments?
N...I tried to learn, but no.
Do you have any?
Um...I have a bass guitar.
Oh.
Yeah.
That’s good.
13. What kind of music shows do you watch on TV?
I don’t watch shows on TV really.

▲

Topic 5 Music

Key Vocabulary
actually (jissai; jitsuwa)
awesome (sugoi)
I guess I’d say... (=I think...)I’m pretty good. (Kekkoo tokui desu.)
I’m terrible. (Heta desu. ; Umakunai desu.)
mainly (omo ni)
not very many (=not a lot)
not very well (sorehodo umakunai)
obnoxious (fukaina; shinkei ni sawaru)
the other day (senjitsu)
types of (=kinds of)Extra Vocabulary
a couple of (=two)absolutely (mattaku; kanzen ni)cool (kakkoii)
every once in a while (=sometimes)
geez... (eeto...)23

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE

good fun (tanoshii)
hardcore stuff (kagekina mono)
huh? (soodeshoo?)
Let’s see... (Eeto...)Oh, man... (=Wow!)
opposite (seihantai)“right when I get home” (ie ni kaeru to sugu ni)
Seriously. (=Yeah, really.)
several (ikutsuka no)“so many to choose from”(sentakushi ga amari ni takusan aru)
stuff (mono; nanika)
That must have been great!
(Subarashikatta ni chigainai!)though (...dakedo)
uh-huh/um-huh (=yes, yeah)um.../uh... (eeto...)Well... (Eeto...)yep (=informal “yes”)

▲Topic 6 Transportation

Tapescript(Lisa asks Cari)

1. How do you get to school?

Um...I usually take the bus to school.
2. How long does it take?
Um...it usually takes...um...depending on whether or not I catch it right away...if I catch it
right away, it probably takes like twenty minutes for me to get to school.
That’s a long time!
Really?
Yeah.
Ah, it’s not that bad.
Well, how long do you usually wait for the bus?
Um...probably like ten, fifteen minutes.
That’s a long time!
3. How much is the bus fare?
Uh...right now the bus fare is two dollars.
You’re kidding!
No.
Two dollars! That’s...
Yeah, it’s not that bad. You get a transfer, too so...
But that’s each time.
Yeah.
Oh. It used to be like a dollar.
Yeah, it did.
4. What do you usually do on the bus?
Um...I usually listen to music on my headphones or I read a book.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Oh, I listen to everything. Um...right now I have Maroon Five, though, in my CD player.
Maroon Five...
Maroon Five.
...I’ve never heard of them.
Yeah, they’re a really good band.
5. Do you ever travel during rush hour?
Unfortunately, I do travel during rush hour.
Does it take very much longer during rush hour than normal?
Ah, yeah. Probably doubles the time.
6. What’s a funny or strange experience you’ve had on the bus?
Uh...one of the strangest experiences I’ve had on a bus would have to be...uh...watchingsomebody throw up on the bus and just sitting there and not getting up...off the bus.
Oh, god! Was...was the person like mentally unstable or something?
No. No. He was just really drunk.
Oh, he was drunk.
Yeah, it was pretty bad.
Yeah!
TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE24

7. What are two things you dislike about taking the bus?

Um...two of the things I dislike about the bus—probably waiting for the bus and...um...
the mean bus drivers.
Yeah, they all have anger problems, don’t they?
Yeah, they really do. Definitely.
God, they’re so mean!
They are.
They’re like worse than taxi drivers.
8. Do you have a driver’s license?
Yeah, I do.
When did you get it?
Uh...I got it about six years ago when I was sixteen.
Wow—you got it really young!
Yeah...that’s not that young!
Well, I got mine at eighteen.
Oh, okay.
9. Do you have a car?
Um...no, I don’t have a car anymore. It broke down like a year ago.
10. Does your family have a car?
Um...yeah, my mother does have a car.
What does she have?
She has...um... What kind of car does she have? She’s got a Thunderbird.
Wow!
Yeah.
That’s a fast car!
Yeah.
11. What’s your favorite type of car?
Um...anything that...that’s a convertible.
Oh, I love convertibles!
I know! Definitely!
12. Where’s a good place to go for a drive?
Um...I like to go to the north shore of the island.
What is it like up there?
It’s just a really really...um...cool... There’s really cool beaches up there, and it’s really
fun to go watch people surf, and stuff like that.
Oh. Very natural.
Yeah—definitely.
13. Do you have a bicycle?
Yeah, I do have a bicycle.
How often do you use it?
I ride it about four times a week.

25

TOPIC TALK TEACHER’S GUIDE