W: My family and I lived in a flat until last spring. We weren't happy there. The building was crowded and noisy, and the manager didn't fix things. We decided to move. But most flats in this city

I don't know what to do about my mother. She is always criticising me -- the way I dress, the way I speak or look... I can't even read a book without her interrupting me to ask what it's about and

I was born right here in this house and I've lived in this city all my life. That seems unusual these days, doesn't it? But it's the way it used to be in the old days. People never used to move aw

Have you ever had to decide whether to go shopping or stay home and watch TV at the weekend? Now you can do both at the same time. Home shopping television networks have become a way for many peop

Women’s fashions tend to change more rapidly and radically than men’s. In the early 1900s, all women wore their skirts down to the ankle. Today, skirt length varies from floor-length to ten inches abo

Mrs. Smith lived with her daughter and her son in a big city. She was already in her seventies. Every morning after breakfast she went for a walk in the park and came home at half past twelve for her

Henry's family had a picnic over the weekend. They asked their friends, Nancy and her husband, to go with them. On Sunday morning, Henry's wife, Kate, got up early to prepare sandwiches for the picni

Man: Betty, Is family life in Britain very different from family life in your own country? Woman: No, I don’t think so. But I have noticed a few differences. Man: Oh, such as what? Woman: Well, the

W: Why the long face? M: I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling a little homesick. W: I thought you got over that. I know the adjustment was hard for you when you first got here, but I thought you were

W: Did you get an invitation to Kelly’s party? M: Yes, I did. I’m going to send my regrets. How about you? W: I’m trying to find an excuse not to attend, without Kelly taking offense. M: Couldn’

I guess I'm just like everybody else. I could do without Mondays. On the weekend, I can kick back and relax, but I dread going back to work when the weekend is over. This morning was particularly he

Girl: Dad, I'm bored today. I wanna go to a movie. Dad: A movie today? Well, I don't know. Here, let me look at the newspaper. Okay. Ah, here's the movie. That starts in the afternoon at 2:45. Well

Woman: So, what's your usual day like? You always seem so busy. Man: Well, I usually get up around 5:00 a.m. and work on the computer until 6:00. Woman: Why do you get up so early? Man: Well, I

Father: Time to eat! Daughter: Coming. Oh, I'm starving. Good, good. Oh yuck! What's that? Father: Ah, now don't complain! Daughter: But what is it, and where is mom? Father: Now, mom put me in

Girl: He's here. Bye Dad. Dad: Wait, wait, wait . . . Where are you going? Girl: Dad. I've already told mom. I'm going out tonight. Dad: Who with? You mean you're going on a date? Girl: Yeah.

Stuart: Amy. So, how are you doing? Amy: Oh, hi Stuart. School is so crazy these days, and when I'm not at school, I'm at work. Stuart: Hey, listen. I'm getting together with Sara and Paul tonight

Son: Dad. Can I go outside to play? Dad: Well, did you get you Saturday's work done? Son: Ah, Dad. Do I have to? Dad: Well, you know the rules. No playing until the work is done. Son: So, what

Ted: So, Susan, do you have anything planned for this Saturday? Susan: Uh, I'm kind of busy. Why do you ask? Ted: Oh, I was wondering if you'd like to get together and do something, like catch a m

Tom: Hi. I don't think we've met. My name's Tom. Jenny: Hi, Tom. Nice to meet you. My name is Juanita, but everybody calls me Jenny. Tom: Nice to meet you, Jenny. So, where are you from? Jenny:

Man: Hi young lady. How may I help you? Girl: Well, . . . yeah. I'm looking for a Father's Day's gift. Man: Okay. How about getting your father a new wallet? Girl: Hmm. How much is that wallet?

I had an appointment with my hairdresser today. It has been too long since I had my hair cut. My bangs were too long, I had split ends and my roots were showing. I was a mess! I arrived for my appoi

I'm the first to admit that I am hooked on reading magazines. I've been this way as long as I can remember. I love picking up magazines about different topics. Currently, I subscribe to about six or s

My friend Julia called me the other day. She wanted to grab some lunch and asked me if I wanted to go to the local fast food place down the street. I said sure, even though I knew it wouldn't be good

I visit my hometown about once a year. This year, I was in town for about five days and there was a family get-together. It wasn't a family reunion since it was just my immediate family, but still, th

As I was driving home from work, my car started acting up. It was making a strange noise and the engine was running roughly. When I got home, I popped open the hood to see if there was anything wrong.

My nephew's wedding is coming up this Saturday, and I thought it would be nice to take some candids for the happy couple. My wife, who's the photographer in the family, wasn't around today, so I decid

I'm one of those people who doesn't have much of a fashion sense. I mean, I know that you shouldn't wear a pink shirt with green pants, but beyond that I'm pretty much a basket case when it comes to p

I needed a new dress for a wedding I was attending next week so I went to the mall during my lunch hour. The mall had a big variety of stores, including two department stores so I was sure to find som

My niece is turning 8 next week and I decided to buy her a new pet. She had been asking her parents for a pet for a long time. But, they were worried about taking care of a pet. I told them I would go

I was driving down the Santa Monica freeway yesterday, headed towards downtown, when all of a sudden I saw my engine light come on. Needless to say, that's not the sort of thing one likes to see. So I

It's Friday night and my roommate and I feel like staying in. We've both had a tough week at work and decided to have a low-key evening. On my way home, I stopped at the video rental store and rented

Believe it or not, I don't own an iPod. I know, I know. I'm really behind the times, but I have an excuse. I've been so busy at my work lately, I haven't had time to take a break. So finally yesterday

Well, I was born and raised in Minnesota, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to be exact. I won’t say how long ago that was, but let’s just say I’m no spring chicken. I grew up there with my rather large family

I fell into the habit of reading the newspaper every morning when I was a kid. Back then, there used to be two daily newspapers—morning edition and an afternoon edition. Nowadays, of course, many citi

One of my favorite hang-outs is a cafe near where I live called Bolivar in Santa Monica. It's only five minutes away, and it’s never too busy to find a table. Sometimes it can be bustling, but that's

Three rich brothers each wanted to do something special for their elderly mother on Mother's Day. The first brother bought her a huge house. The second brother gave her a limousine（豪华轿车）, with a drive

Walking up to a department store's cloth counter, a pretty girl asked the clerk, "I want to buy this material for a new dress. How much does this cost?" "Only a kiss a yard,” replied the tricky male

As he lay on his deathbed, the man confided (吐露) to his wife, "I cannot die without telling you the truth. I cheated on you throughout our whole marriage. All those nights when I told you I was workin

A young couple gets married, and the groom asks his bride if he can have a dresser drawer of his own that she will never open. The bride agrees. After 30 years of marriage, she notices that his drawe

A new business was opening and one of the owner's friends wanted to send flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card; it said "Rest in Peace".

Two drunks are walking along. One drunk says to the other, "What a beautiful night, look at the moon." The other drunk stops and look at his drunk friend. "You are wrong, that's not the moon, that

A man is driving down a country road, when he spots a farmer standing in the middle of a huge field of grass. He pulls the car over to the side of the road and notices that the farmer is just standing

While my brother was abroad, his wife wrote to him daily. She always wrote some abbreviated notes on the outside of the envelopes. One day, my brother received a letter with the familiar “SWL” (seale

Mabel is talking to her friend, Jane. She is discussing her husband. Mabel: “My husband and I have a division of labor. I decide all the small things, while he takes all the big decisions.” Jane: “Y

A strong young man at the construction site was bragging（吹牛）that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of John, one of the older workmen. After several minu