English B2: Pre-print of Two Pilot Units
Transcripts
© 2010 Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Audio 01 – Unit 1: Campus language
Andreas:
So, what are we supposed to do?
Angelika:
Come on Andreas, pay attention!
Andreas:
Sorry!
Angelika:
Anyway, we just have to answer the questions on this handout and talk. That’s all.
Nili:
Ok. Let’s start with this one, shall we? What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Andreas:
Wow, are we supposed to answer honestly?
Nili:
Honesty is always better, isn’t it?
Angelika:
Not necessarily!
Nili:
Well, what’s your answer Angelika?
Angelika:
Hmmm … let me think. I’m really happy when I achieve the challenges I set for myself.
Andreas:
Sorry, what means challenges?
Nili:
Andreas! You heard what the teacher said earlier! You have to say, what does challenges
mean, not what means challenges!
Andreas:
Yes, yes, I know. I’m always making that mistake.
Angelika:
Anyway, um … how should I say … a challenge is something … well it’s something difficult
that you have to do … and if you can do it you have a good feeling about yourself
afterwards.
Andreas:
Ah, ok.
Lee Kit:
Sorry, that is also a new word for me. How do you spell it?
Angelika:
c-h-a-l-l-e-n-g-e.
Lee Kit:
Great. Thank you.
Angelika:
No problem. What about you Lee Kit, what’s your answer?
Lee Kit:
Please, call me Kitty, everybody does.
Angelika:
Ok, Kitty, what’s your answer?
Lee Kit:
I think perfect happiness is not really attainable, but …
Andreas:
Sorry, what means attain …
Nili:
Andreas!
Andreas:
Sorry, sorry, ok, em … what does attainable mean?
Lee Kit:
Attainable … well … if something is attainable, a goal or an aim for example, then it’s
possible to reach or achieve it. If it is unattainable, then it is not possible.
Angelika:
Just imagine that you are in love with a woman who doesn’t even want to talk to you,
Andreas. She would be the unattainable woman!
Andreas:
Ok, thanks. I get it I think.
Lee Kit:
I think if you make attainable goals, realistic goals for yourself and achieve them, then
maybe you can find happiness. But perfect happiness, I think there is no such thing.
Nili:
I agree with you. Let’s try a different question, shall we?
Angelika:
Hmmm. Does anyone know what despise means?
Group:
No, uh uh ….
Nili:
Let’s ask the teacher. Excuse me, could you tell us what despise means, please?
Teacher:
Yes, of course. If you despise someone, you really, really hate them. You have the lowest
possible opinion of them.
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© 2010 Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
English B2: Pre-print of Two Pilot Units
Transcripts
Angelika:
Oh ok, so, for example, I despise people … let me think. I know, I despise corrupt
politicians.
Teacher:
Yes, for example.
Angelika:
Thank you.
Teacher:
You’re welcome. That’s what I’m here for.
Lee Kit:
Which living person do you most despise? This is a strange question for me.
Nili:
Yes, me too. I don’t despise anyone. Hmmm. Let’s try this one: In which situations do you
lie?
Andreas:
Oh, I never lie!
Nili:
That’s a lie!
Andreas:
Yes, it is.
Angelika:
I lie sometimes in order not to hurt people. My boyfriend, for example.
Nili:
Yes, I know what you mean.
Angelika:
And I lie to my parents sometimes, but only about silly things, nothing really serious. Not
really.
Nili:
Yes, I do that too.
Andreas:
What about this question: What is your biggest fear?
Angelika:
Not finishing my studies.
Nili:
Really?
Angelika:
Yes. My parents would be so disappointed, especially my father.
Lee Kit:
That is the same for me. My parents made many sacrifices to make it possible for me to
come here.
Andreas:
What means sacrifices?
Angelika/Nili:
Andreas!!!
Andreas:
I know! That was a joke! Honestly. Anyway, my biggest fear is … um … I don’t know how
to say that in English. How do you say Kakerlake in English?
Angelika:
Mm, I don’t know. I’ll look in the dictionary. Here it is … Kakerlake … cockroach.
Andreas:
Yes, that’s it. Cockroaches. I hate them!
Nili:
Oh! Disgusting!
Lee Kit:
In China we eat them.
Nili:
Kitty, please! That’s horrible!
Lee Kit:
They are very healthy … full of protein. Actually, there are many things in China that we
eat that you don’t eat in Europe, for example …
Andreas:
Thank you, Kitty, you don’t have to tell us! It’s lunchtime soon. We don’t want to lose our
appetites.
Lee Kit:
European people are sometimes very strange.
Nili:
Oh, you know what, I just thought of my answer to the what is your perfect happiness
question!
Angelika:
Ok, tell us!
Nili:
To be able to eat anything I want and never put on weight!
Angelika:
Yes! That’s it!
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English B2: Pre-print of Two Pilot Units
Transcripts
Audio 2 – Unit 4A: Introducing the next speaker
Ok, um ... many of you know Harry Marx quite well. He’s been working on the Pacific Rim earthquake
project for longer than anyone else here ... since the very beginning. I’ve known him since he went on
a field trip of mine back in the summer of 2006. He’d just completed an Erasmus year – that was in
Cambridge, wasn’t it, Harry? – and was thinking about changing his course of studies from physics to
geology. Shortly thereafter, I found he’d signed up for one of my courses and was pursuing an M.A. in
geophysics. Well, we were just starting the Pacific Rim project at the time, and he was motivated and
new to the department, so I hired him as a student assistant. During his studies he wisely did several
internships, one of which was a one-month summer internship in earthquake information technology at
UCLA – um, that was in 2009, right? – and that then formed the basis for his post-grad research. In the
meantime, he’s done a few other things, like, um, ah – when were your kids born? 2010 and 2011? –
um right. But Harry’s also pretty far along in his project, actually. So now he’s going to present us some
of his findings. These are results he’s just published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Congratulations on that! Ok then, Harry, over to you.
© 2010 Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Audio 3 – Unit 4A: Introducing oneself
Ok, well, I’m Molly O’Connor, and I’m currently on exchange from the University of Cork in Ireland. I've
been studying German since my schooldays. Lots of my mum’s family are German, which explains a
lot, and I've been to visit them many times.
Right now I'm focussing on getting a better feel for the language spoken here on campus. I’m hoping to
become a professional interpreter and translator when I’ve completed my studies.
What I really want to do is to translate scientific research. I’ve always been interested in natural
science. And that’s actually why I'm here. Professor Hausmann has kindly invited me to translate some
of his articles.
You know, I’m not too keen on earthquakes, actually, and I never thought I'd be studying the
terminology, but this is really interesting.
I’ve been here for about two months already, so now I’ve only got four left.
Audio 4 – Unit 4B: When students make small talk
The transcripts to Audio 4 will be included in the final version of the book.
Audio 5 - Unit 4C: National cultural differences
Speaker A: You know that Jackie is teaching at a university in the USA, don’t you?
Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
Speaker A: Well, she says that her students generally call her Professor Woodman.
Speaker B: But I didn’t know that she was a professor.
Speaker A: Well she isn’t, not in the British sense of the word. I mean, she doesn’t have a PhD or
anything. But apparently in the States even quite junior lecturers are often called professor.
Speaker B: Now, that’s odd.
Speaker A: Isn’t it! But she tells them to call her Jackie and then she becomes Jackie.
Speaker B: I wonder if they also call her ma’am?
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English B2: Pre-print of Two Pilot Units
Transcripts
Speaker A: I’ve actually heard some Asian students do that here .... But it’s strange that the American
students use a title at all. I mean, Americans have this reputation for being informal, you
know ... the shorts, the flip-flops and everything? But I’ve heard that Americans actually
use titles quite a lot, for example when they refer to each other in a more formal context, it
might be Dr This and Professor That.
Speaker B: Hm, we Brits sort of ignore titles, really, at least when we’re talking … play down their
status.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: We have this pretence, don’t we, that everyone’s at about the same level?
Speaker A: Oh, absolutely.
Speaker B: You know how we generally use first names around here with the students? I wonder what
it must be like for the Asian professors. One of my students just got back from an
academic semester abroad in India …
Speaker A: Oh?
© 2010 Cornelsen Verlag, Berlin. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Speaker B: … and he was telling me that professors there are respectfully addressed as Sir or
Madam, never as Professor Jain or Dr Jain or whatever, at least not to their face.
Speaker A: That would be inappropriate?
Speaker B: It’s just not done.
Speaker A: One of my exchange students from Germany had a funny story about a professor of hers.
Speaker B: Yeah?
Speaker A: Well, you know how in Germany the full honorific title is Herr Professor Doktor or Frau
Professor Doktor?
Speaker B: Oh yeah?
Speaker A: Yes, well, this chap was talking about how students address him in emails. He said if they
used Herr, they didn’t really want anything from him.
Speaker B: Ok ....
Speaker A: If they used Herr Doktor, they had some minor request ….
Speaker B: Uh-ha.
Speaker A: But if they used the full title, Herr Professor Doktor, well, there was some major problem ...
some complicated request involved.
Speaker B: Wow. Yeah, well, there seems to be much more flexibility over there in Germany than
meets the eye. It must be a bit confusing for the exchange students.
Speaker A: More flexibility in some places than in others!
Speaker B: Exactly.
Speaker A: I suppose students just really need to keep their eyes and ears open, and do as the locals
do.
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