Conversation One
M: When I say I live in Sweden, people always want to know about the seasons.
W: The seasons?
M: Yeah, you know how cold it is in winter? What is it like when the days are so short?
W: So what is it like?
M: Well, it is cold ,very cold in winter. Sometimes it is cold as 26 degrees below centigrade. And of course when you go out, you’ll wrap up warm. But inside in the houses it’s always very warm, much warmer than at home. Swedish people always complain that when they visit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter.
W: And what about the darkness?
M: Well, yeah, around Christmas time there’s only one hour of daylight, so you really looks forward to the spring. It is sometimes a bit depressing. But you see the summers are amazing, from May to July in the North of Sweden the sun never sets. It’s still light in the midnight. You can walk in the mountains and read a newspaper.
W: Oh, yeah, the land of the midnight sun.
M: Yeah, that’s right, but it’s wonderful. You won’t stay up all night. And the Swedes makes most of it often they started work earlier in summer and then leave at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so that they can really enjoy the long summer evenings. They’d like to work hard, but play hard, too. I think Londoners work longer hours, but I’m not sure this is a good thing.
Q19: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?
Q20: What do Swedish people complain about when they visit England in winter?
Q21: How does the man describe the short hour of daylight around Christmas in Sweden?
Q21:What does the man say about the Swedish people?
Conversation Two
W: What kind of training does one need to go into this type of job?
M: That’s a very good question. I don’t think there is any, specifically.
W: For example, in your case, what is your educational background?
M: Well, I did a degree in French at Nottingham. After that, I did careers work in secondary schools like the careers guidance people here is in the university. Then I went into local government because I found I was more interested in the administrative side. Then progressed on to universities. So there wasn’t any plan and there was no specific training. There are plenty of training courses in management techniques and committee work which you can attend now.
W: But in the first place, you did a French degree.
M: In my time, there wasn’t a degree you could do for administration. I think most of the administrators I’ve come across have degrees and all sorts of things.
W: Well, I know in my case, I did an English literature degree and I didn’t really expect to end up doing what I am doing now.
M: Quite.
W: But you are local to Nottingham, actually? Is there any reason why you went to Nottingham University?
M: No ,no, I come from the north of England, from west Yorkshire. Nottingham was one of the universities I put on my list. And I like the look of it. The campus is just beautiful.
W: Yes, indeed. Let’s see. Were you from the industrial part of Yorkshire?
M: Yes, from the woolen district.
Q23. What was the man’s major at university?
Q24: What was the man’s job in secondary schools?
Q25: What attracted the man to Nottingham University?
