THINK AGAIN: WAR Nghĩ lại về chiến tranh

THINK AGAIN: WAR	Nghĩ lại về chiến tranh
World peace could be closer than you think	Hòa bình thế giới có thể gần hơn bạn nghĩ
JOSHUA S. GOLDSTEIN	JOSHUA S. GOLDSTEIN
"The World Is a More Violent Place Than It Used to Be."	"Thế giới ngày nay là nơi nhiều bạo lực hơn trước?"
No way. The early 21st century seems awash in wars: the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, street battles in Somalia, Islamist insurgencies in Pakistan, massacres in the Congo, genocidal campaigns in Sudan. All in all, regular fighting is taking place in 18 wars around the globe today. Public opinion reflects this sense of an ever more dangerous world: One survey a few years ago found that 60 percent of Americans considered a third world war likely. Expectations for the new century were bleak even before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and their bloody aftermath: Political scientist James G. Blight and former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara suggested earlier that year that we could look forward to an average of 3 million war deaths per year worldwide in the 21st century.	Không hề. Đầu thế kỷ 21 dường như ngập trong những cuộc chiến tranh: Những cuộc xung đột ở Afghanistan và Iraq, những trận đánh trên đường phố ở Somalia, người Islamist nổi dậy ở Pakistan, những vụ tàn sát ở Congo, những chiến dịch diệt chủng ở Sudan. Nhìn chung, ngày nay đánh nhau diễn ra liên miên trong 18 cuộc chiến tranh trên khắp toàn cầu. Công luận nghĩ về chiều hướng này như một thế giới nguy hiểm hơn bao giờ hết: trong cuộc điều tra ý kiến cách đây mấy năm, 60 phần trăm người Mỹ coi chiến tranh thế giới thứ ba là có thể xảy ra. Những hy vọng cho một thế kỷ mới là ảm đạm thậm chí trước cả những cuộc tấn công ngày 11 tháng Chín 2001 và hậu quả đẫm máu của nó: nhà khoa học chính trị James G. Blight và cựu Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng Hoa Kỳ Robert McNamara hồi đầu năm ấy cho rằng chúng ta có thể đợi thấy trên toàn thế giới trung bình mỗi năm 3 triệu người chết vì chiến tranh trong thế kỷ 21.
So far they haven't even been close. In fact, the last decade has seen fewer war deaths than any decade in the past 100 years, based on data compiled by researchers Bethany Lacina and Nils Petter Gleditsch of the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Worldwide, deaths caused directly by war-related violence in the new century have averaged about 55,000 per year, just over half of what they were in the 1990s (100,000 a year), a third of what they were during the Cold War (180,000 a year from 1950 to 1989), and a hundredth of what they were in World War II. If you factor in the growing global population, which has nearly quadrupled in the last century, the decrease is even sharper. Far from being an age of killer anarchy, the 20 years since the Cold War ended have been an era of rapid progress toward peace.	Cho đến nay chúng vẫn chưa kết thúc. Thật ra thập kỷ vừa qua đã thấy số người chết vì chiến tranh ít hơn bất kỳ thập kỷ nào khác trong vòng 100 năm qua, dựa trên những số liệu do các nhà nghiên cứu của Viện Nghiên cứu Hòa bình Oslo, Bethany Lacina và Nils Petter Gleditsch, biên soạn. Trên toàn thế giới những cái chết gây ra bởi bạo lực trực tiếp liên quan đến chiến tranh trong thế kỷ mới trung bình là 55.000 người một năm, chỉ bằng nửa con số những năm 1990 (100.000 người mỗi năm) một phần ba con số của chiến tranh lạnh (180.000 mỗi năm từ 1950 đến 1989) và một phần trăm trong Chiến tranh Thế giới Thứ hai. Nếu bạn tính đến sự tăng dân số toàn cầu, trong thế kỷ qua tăng gần gấp bốn lần, thì sự giảm tỉ lệ còn mạnh hơn nữa. Khác xa với một thời đại chém giết vô chính phủ, hai mươi năm sau khi Chiến tranh Lạnh chấm dứt đã là một thời đại tiến bộ nhanh chóng đạt tới hòa bình.
Armed conflict has declined in large part because armed conflict has fundamentally changed. Wars between big national armies all but disappeared along with the Cold War, taking with them the most horrific kinds of mass destruction. Today's asymmetrical guerrilla wars may be intractable and nasty, but they will never produce anything like the siege of Leningrad. The last conflict between two great powers, the Korean War, effectively ended nearly 60 years ago. The last sustained territorial war between two regular armies, Ethiopia and Eritrea, ended a decade ago. Even civil wars, though a persistent evil, are less common than in the past; there were about a quarter fewer in 2007 than in 1990.	Xung đột vũ trang đã giảm phần lớn bởi vì xung đột vũ trang đã thay đổi về cơ bản. Những cuộc chiến tranh giữa các nước thù địch lớn gần như đã biến mất cùng với Chiến tranh Lạnh, mang đi theo chúng các loại vũ khí hủy diệt hàng loạt khủng khiếp. Ngày nay những cuộc chiến tranh du kích không cân sức có thể là khó trị và hiểm ác, nhưng chúng sẽ không bao giờ còn tạo ra những gì giống như cuộc bao vây Leningrad. Cuộc xung đột cuối cùng giữa hai cường quốc lớn, Chiến tranh Triều Tiên, thật sự đã kết thúc cách nay gần 60 năm. Cuộc chiến tranh khủng bố kéo dài liên tục giữa hai kẻ thù truyền kiếp, Ethiopia và Eritrea, đã kết thúc cách nay một thập kỷ. Ngay cả các cuộc nội chiến, mặc dầu là tai họa dai dẳng, cũng ít thường xuyên hơn so với trong quá khứ; năm 2007 ít hơn một phần tư so với năm 1990.
If the world feels like a more violent place than it actually is, that's because there's more information about wars -- not more wars themselves. Once-remote battles and war crimes now regularly make it onto our TV and computer screens, and in more or less real time. Cell-phone cameras have turned citizens into reporters in many war zones. Societal norms about what to make of this information have also changed. As Harvard University psychologist Steven Pinker has noted, "The decline of violent behavior has been paralleled by a decline in attitudes that tolerate or glorify violence," so that we see today's atrocities -- though mild by historical standards -- as "signs of how low our behavior can sink, not of how high our standards have risen."	Nếu thế giới cho ta cảm giác có nhiều bạo lực hơn thực tế, vì rằng chính nó có nhiều thông tin hơn về chiến tranh – chứ không phải có nhiều cuộc chiến tranh hơn. Những cuộc chiến và những tội ác chiến tranh xưa kia ở những nơi xa xôi thì nay thường xuyên xuất hiện trên TV và trên màn hình máy tính của chúng ta, và ít nhiều gần với thời gian chúng xảy ra trong thực tế. Máy ảnh trên điện thoại di động đã biến các công dân thành những phóng viên trong nhiều vùng chiến sự. Những qui phạm xã hội về việc tạo ra cái gì từ những thông tin ấy cũng đã thay đổi. Như nhà tâm lý học Steven Pinker đã nhận xét, "Việc giảm hành vi bạo lực diễn ra song song với sự suy giảm trong thái độ dung túng hoặc tôn vinh bạo lực," do đó chúng ta thấy tính hung bạo ngày nay – dù đã mềm đi bởi những tiêu chuẩn lịch sử - như những dấu hiệu về cách hành xử của chúng ta đã tụt xuống thấp đến thế nào, không phải những tiêu chuẩn của chúng ta đã được nâng lên đến mức nào."
"America Is Fighting More Wars Than Ever."	"Nước Mỹ đang đánh nhiều cuộc chiến tranh hơn bao giờ hết"
Yes and no. Clearly, the United States has been on a war footing ever since 9/11, with a still-ongoing war in Afghanistan that has surpassed the Vietnam War as the longest conflict in American history and a pre-emptive war in Iraq that proved to be longer, bloodier, and more expensive than anyone expected. Add the current NATO intervention in Libya and drone campaigns in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, and it's no wonder that U.S. military spending has grown more than 80 percent in real terms over the last decade. At $675 billion this year, it's now 30 percent higher than what it was at the end of the Cold War.	Đúng và không. Rõ ràng là Hoa Kỳ đã bước vào một tình trạng chiến tranh kể từ sự kiện11/9, với một cuộc chiến vẫn đang tiếp diễn ở Afghanistan đã vượt qua Chiến tranh Việt Nam như cuộc xung đột dài nhất trong lịch sử nước Mỹ, và cuộc chiến tranh chặn trước ở Iraq tỏ ra còn kéo dài hơn, đẫm máu hơn và tốn kém hơn chờ đợi của bất cứ ai. Cộng thêm sự can thiệp hiện tại của NATO vào Libya và những cuộc xâm phạm của máy bay không người lái vào Pakistan, Somalia, và Yemen, và không có gì đáng ngạc nhiên rằng chi phí quân sự của Mỹ đã tăng lên hơn 80% theo giá thực trong thập kỷ qua. Với 675 tỉ $ năm nay, nó đã cao hơn 30% so với cuối thời kỳ Chiến tranh Lạnh.
But though the conflicts of the post-9/11 era may be longer than those of past generations, they are also far smaller and less lethal. America's decade of war since 2001 has killed about 6,000 U.S. service members, compared with 58,000 in Vietnam and 300,000 in World War II. Every life lost to war is one too many, but these deaths have to be seen in context: Last year more Americans died from falling out of bed than in all U.S. wars combined.	Nhưng mặc dầu những cuộc xung đột của thời kỳ sau ngày 11/9 có thể dài hơn những cuộc xung đột của các thế hệ trước, chúng cũng nhỏ hơn nhiều và làm chết ít người hơn. Một thập kỷ chiến tranh của Mỹ kể từ 2001 đã giết chết khoảng 6.000 người so với 58.000 ở Việt Nam và 300.000 trong Thế Chiến II. Mỗi cuộc đời mất đi vì chiến tranh là tổn thất quá lớn, nhưng những cái chết ấy phải được nhìn trong bối cảnh: Năm ngoái số người Mỹ chết do ngã từ trên giường xuống nhiều hơn trong tất cả các cuộc chiến tranh của Mỹ cộng lại.|1|
	[1] Đây là một căn bệnh về rối loạn giấc ngủ, người bệnh ngã từ trên giường xuống trong khi ngủ.
And the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has taken place against a backdrop of base closures and personnel drawdowns elsewhere in the world. The temporary rise in U.S. troop numbers in South Asia and the Middle East, from 18,000 to 212,000 since 2000, contrasts with the permanent withdrawal of almost 40,000 troops from Europe, 34,000 from Japan and South Korea, and 10,000 from Latin America in that period. When U.S. forces come home from the current wars -- and they will in large numbers in the near future, starting with 40,000 troops from Iraq and 33,000 from Afghanistan by 2012 -- there will be fewer U.S. troops deployed around the world than at any time since the 1930s. President BarackObama was telling the truth in June when he said, "The tide of war is receding."	Và cuộc chiến ở Iraq và Afghanistan đã diễn ra trong bối cảnh đóng cửa các căn cứ và rút bớt nhân viên ở các nơi khác trên thế giới. Việc tăng tạm thời quân số Hoa Kỳ ở Nam Á và Trung Đông, từ 18.000 lên 212.000 từ năm 2000 đi ngược với việc rút vĩnh viễn gần 40.000 quân khỏi châu Âu, 34.000 khỏi Nhật Bản và Nam Triều Tiên, và 10.000 khỏi châu Mỹ Latin trong thời kỳ này. Khi các lực lượng Mỹ về nhà từ những cuộc chiến tranh hiện tại – và một số lớn họ sẽ về trong tương lai gần, bắt đầu từ 40.000 lính từ Iraq và 33.000 từ Afghanistan vào năm 2012 – số lính Mỹ được triển khai trên toàn thế giới sẽ ít hơn bất kỳ thời gian nào kể từ những năm 1930. Tháng Sáu Tổng thống Barack Obama đã đúng khi ông nói "Cơn thủy triều chiến tranh đang rút xuống."
"War Has Gotten More Brutal for Civilians." Hardly. In February 2010, a NATO airstrike hit a house in Afghanistan's Marja district, killing at least nine civilians inside. The tragedy drew condemnation and made the news, leading the top NATO commander in the country to apologize to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The response underscored just how much has changed in war. During World War II, Allied bombers killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Dresden and Tokyo not by accident, but as a matter of tactics; Germany, of course, murdered civilians by the millions. And when today's civilians do end up in harm's way, more people are looking out for them. The humanitarian dollars spent per displaced person rose in real terms from $150 in the early 1990s to $300 in 2006. Total international humanitarian assistance has grown from $2 billion in 1990 to $6 billion in 2000 and (according to donor countries' claims) $18 billion in 2008. For those caught in the crossfire, war has actually gotten more humane.	"Chiến tranh đã man rợ hơn đối với dân thường?" Khắc nghiệt hơn. Tháng Hai 2010, một máy bay không kích của NATO bắn trúng một ngôi nhà ở quận Marja của Afghanistan, giết ít nhất chín thường dân trong ngôi nhà đó. Tấn thảm kịch đó đã kéo theo lời buộc tội và tạo nên tin tức, dẫn đến chỉ huy tối cao của NATO trong nước này phải xin lỗi Tổng thống Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. Phản ứng này cho thấy rõ chiến tranh đã thay đổi như thế nào. Trong Thế Chiến II, quân đồng minh ném bom giết hàng trăm nghìn dân thường ở Dresden và Tokyo không phải do tình cờ, mà là một vấn đề chiến thuật; Đức, tất nhiên, giết hàng triệu dân thường. Và ngày nay khi dân thường gặp nguy hiểm, thì có nhiều người lo lắng cho họ hơn. Số tiền nhân đạo chi cho việc sơ tán tính theo đầu người đã lên theo giá thực từ 150 $ vào đầu những năm 1990 đến 300$ vào năm 2006. Tổng số viện trợ nhân đạo quốc tế đã tăng từ 2 tỉ $ năm 1990 lên 6 tỉ $ năm 2000 (theo tuyên bố của các nước viện trợ) và 18 tỉ $ năm 2008. Đối với những người bị kẹt trong cảnh giao tranh, chiến tranh ngày nay đã nhân đạo hơn trước.
Yet many people insist that the situation is otherwise. For example, authoritative works on peacekeeping in civil wars (Roland Paris's award-winning At War's End and Michael Doyle and Nicholas Sambanis's Making War and Building Peace), as well as gold-standard reports on conflict from the World Bank and the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, tell us that 90 percent of today's war deaths are civilian while just 10 percent are military -- the reverse of a century ago and "a grim indicator of the transformation of armed conflict" in the late 20th century, as political scientist Kalevi Holsti put it.	Tuy nhiên nhiều người vẫn khăng khăng cho rằng tình hình là ngược lại. Chẳng hạn, các công trình có căn cứ vững chắc về gìn giữ hòa bình trong các cuộc nội chiến (công trình được giải thưởng của Roland Paris Vào lúc kết thúc chiến tranh và Chiến tranh và Xây dựng Hòa bình của Michael Doyle và Nicholas Sambanis) cũng như những báo cáo tiêu-chuẩn-vàng về xung đột từ Ngân hàng Thế giới và Ủy ban Carnegie về Phòng ngừa Xung đột Chết người, cho chúng ta biết 90 phần trăm những người chết trong các cuộc chiến tranh ngày nay là thường dân trong khi mười phần trăm là quân đội – nghịch đảo với cách đây một thế kỷ và "một dấu chỉ độc ác về sự biến dạng của xung đột vũ trang" cuối thế kỷ 20, như nhà khoa học chính trị Kalevi Holsti diễn tả.
Grim indeed -- but, fortunately, untrue. The myth originates with the 1994 U.N. Human Development Report, which misread work that Swedish researcher Christer Ahlström had done in 1991 and accidentally conflated war fatalities in the early 20th century with the much larger number of dead, wounded, and displaced people in the late 20th century. A more careful analysis done in 1989 by peace researcher William Eckhardt shows that the ratio of military to civilian war deaths remains about 50-50, as it has for centuries (though it varies considerably from one war to the next). If you are unlucky enough to be a civilian in a war zone, of course, these statistics are little comfort. But on a worldwide scale, we are making progress in helping civilians afflicted by war.	Tất nhiên là độc ác – nhưng may mắn là nó không đúng. Huyền thoại này xuất phát từ Báo cáo Phát triển con người của LHQ năm 1994, nó đã hiểu sai công trình mà nhà nghiên cứu Thụy điển Christer Ahlström đã làm năm 1991 và ảnh hưởng nguy hại của chiến tranh vào đầu thế kỷ 20 được cô đúc lại một cách ngẫu nhiên với số người chết, bị thương và phải tản cư nhiều hơn nhiều ở cuối thế kỷ 20. Một phân tích thận trọng hơn năm 1999 của nhà nghiên cứu William Eckhardt cho thấy tỉ lệ quân đội chết so với dân thường là 50-50, như trong nhiều thế kỷ (mặc dầu có sự khác nhau giữa các cuộc chiến tranh). Nếu bạn không may là một dân thường trong một vùng chiến sự thì tất nhiên những thống kê này không dễ chịu cho lắm. Nhưng trên quy mô toàn thế giới, chúng ta đang có tiến bộ trong việc giúp cho những người dân thường bị hại vì chiến tranh.
"Wars Will Get Worse in the Future." Probably not. Anything is possible, of course: A full-blown war between India and Pakistan, for instance, could potentially kill millions of people. But so could an asteroid or -- perhaps the safest bet -- massive storms triggered by climate change. The big forces that push civilization in the direction of cataclysmic conflict, however, are mostly ebbing.	"Các cuộc chiến tranh sẽ tồi tệ hơn trong tương lai?" Có thể không. Tất nhiên, mọi chuyện đều có thể xảy ra. Một cuộc chiến tranh đang phát triển mạnh giữa Pakistan và Ấn Độ chẳng hạn có thể có tiềm năng giết hàng triệu người. Nhưng như vậy một tiểu hành tinh hay – có lẽ dự đoán an toàn nhất – những trận bão khổng lồ do biến đổi khí hậu gây ra cũng có thể làm được như thế. Tuy nhiên, những lực lượng lớn thúc đẩy các nền văn minh theo hướng xung đột thảm họa thì hầu như đang giảm xuống.
Recent technological changes are making war less brutal, not more so. Armed drones now attack targets that in the past would have required an invasion with thousands of heavily armed troops, displacing huge numbers of civilians and destroying valuable property along the way. And improvements in battlefield medicine have made combat less lethal for participants. In the U.S. Army, the chances of dying from a combat injury fell from 30 percent in World War II to 10 percent in Iraq and Afghanistan -- though this also means the United States is now seeing a higher proportion of injured veterans who need continuing support and care.	Những thay đổi công nghệ trong thời gian gần đây đã làm cho chiến tranh đỡ man rợ hơn. Những máy bay không người lái ngày nay tấn công các mục tiêu mà trong quá khứ cần đến một cuộc xâm lược với hàng nghìn binh lính vũ trang nặng, di dời số lớn thường dân và phá hủy những tài sản có giá trị trên dường đi của nó. Một sự cải thiện về thuốc men ở chiến trường đã làm cho các trận đánh ít tử vong hơn cho các bên tham chiến. Trong quân đội Mỹ, tỉ lệ chết do vết thương chiến tranh đã giảm từ 30 % trong Thế Chiến II xuống 10% trong chiến tranh Iraq và Afghanistan – mặc dù điều đó cũng có nghĩa rằng Hoa Kỳ ngày nay đang thấy một tỉ lệ cao hơn những cựu chiến binh thương phế cần tiếp tục giúp đỡ và chăm sóc.
Nor do shifts in the global balance of power doom us to a future of perpetual war. While some political scientists argue that an increasingly multipolar world is an increasingly volatile one -- that peace is best assured by the predominance of a single hegemonic power, namely the United States -- recent geopolitical history suggests otherwise. Relative U.S. power and worldwide conflict have waned in tandem over the past decade. The exceptions to the trend, Iraq and Afghanistan, have been lopsided wars waged by the hegemon, not challenges by up-and-coming new powers. The best precedent for today's emerging world order may be the 19th-century Concert of Europe, a collaboration of great powers that largely maintained the peace for a century until its breakdown and the bloodbath of World War I.	Những cuộc dịch chuyển cân bằng quyền lực cũng không buộc chúng ta phải chịu một tương lai chiến tranh liên miên không dứt. Trong khi một số nhà khoa học chính trị lập luận rằng một thế giới càng đa cực thì càng bất tường, dễ thay đổi – rằng hòa bình sẽ được bảo đảm tốt nhất bởi uy thế vượt trội của một cường quốc bá chủ duy nhất, tức là Mỹ – lịch sử địa chính trị gần đây cho ta thấy ngược lại. Quyền lực tương đối của Hoa Kỳ và xung đột trên toàn thế giới trong thập kỷ qua đã lần lượt theo nhau suy yếu. Những ngoại lệ của xu thế này là Iraq và Afghanistan là những cuộc chiến tranh không cân sức do bá quyền phát động chứ không phải bị thách thức bởi những cường quốc mới nổi. Tiền lệ tốt nhất cho trật tự thế giới đang nổi lên hôm nay có thể là Dàn nhạc Châu Âu thế kỷ 19, một sự phối hợp của các cường quốc lớn nói chung đã duy trì được hòa bình trong một thế kỷ cho đến khi nổ ra cuộc Chiến tranh Thế giới thứ nhất đẫm máu.
What about China, the most ballyhooed rising military threat of the current era? Beijing is indeed modernizing its armed forces, racking up double-digit rates of growth in military spending, now about $100 billion a year. That is second only to the United States, but it is a distant second: The Pentagon spends nearly $700 billion. Not only is China a very long way from being able to go toe-to-toe with the United States; it's not clear why it would want to. A military conflict (particularly with its biggest customer and debtor) would impede China's global trading posture and endanger its prosperity. Since Chairman Mao's death, China has been hands down the most peaceful great power of its time. For all the recent concern about a newly assertive Chinese navy in disputed international waters, China's military hasn't fired a single shot in battle in 25 years.	Còn Trung Hoa thì sao, mối đe dọa quân sự đang lớn lên được quảng cáo rùm beng trong thời kỳ hiện nay? Quả thật Bắc Kinh đã hiện đại hóa các lực lượng vũ trang của nó, đưa mức tăng chi phí quân sự lên hàng hai chữ số, hiện nay khoảng một trăm tỉ đô la mỗi năm. Nó đứng hàng thứ hai chỉ sau có Mỹ, nhưng là một hàng hai cách xa: Lầu Năm góc chi tiêu mỗi năm gần 700 tỉ. Trung Hoa không chỉ còn rất xa mới ngang hàng với Mỹ, không rõ là tại sao nó lại muốn đứng ngang hàng. Một cuộc xung đột quân sự (đặc biệt là với khách hàng và con nợ lớn nhất của nó) sẽ làm trở ngại tư thế thương mại toàn cầu của Trung Hoa và gây nguy hiểm cho sự phát đạt của nó. Từ khi Mao chết, Trung Hoa đã là cường quốc lớn hòa bình nhất trong thời của nó. Đối với tất cả mối lo ngại gần đây về một hải quân Trung Hoa mới tự khẳng định trong những vùng biển quốc tế có tranh chấp, quân đội Trung Hoa chưa bắn một phát súng nào trên chiến trận trong vòng 25 năm nay.
"A More Democratic World Will Be a More Peaceful One." Not necessarily. The well-worn observation that real democracies almost never fight each other is historically correct, but it's also true that democracies have always been perfectly willing to fight non-democracies. In fact, democracy can heighten conflict by amplifying ethnic and nationalist forces, pushing leaders to appease belligerent sentiment in order to stay in power. Thomas Paine and Immanuel Kant both believed that selfish autocrats caused wars, whereas the common people, who bear the costs, would be loath to fight. But try telling that to the leaders of authoritarian China, who are struggling to hold in check, not inflame, a popular undercurrent of nationalism against Japanese and American historical enemies. Public opinion in tentatively democratic Egypt is far more hostile toward Israel than the authoritarian government of Hosni Mubarak ever was (though being hostile and actually going to war are quite different things).	"Một thế giới dân chủ hơn sẽ là một thế giới hòa bình hơn?" Không nhất thiết. Cái nhận xét cũ mèm về những nước dân chủ thật sự hầu như không bao giờ đánh nhau là đúng về mặt lịch sử, nhưng cũng đúng là các nước dân chủ luôn luôn sẵn lòng đánh những nước không dân chủ. Thật ra nền dân chủ có thể đề cao xung đột bằng cách khuếch trương các lực lượng sắc tộc và dân tộc chủ nghĩa của nó khiến các nhà lãnh đạo phải nhượng bộ tình cảm gây hấn để giữ được quyền lực. Cả Thomas Paine và Immanuel Kant đều tin rằng nhưng kẻ chuyên quyền ích kỷ thích gây ra chiến tranh, trong khi người dân thường là người phải chịu chi phí, thì bất đắc dĩ phải đánh nhau. Nhưng hãy thử nói điều đó với các nhà lãnh đạo của một Trung Hoa độc tài đang cố gắng kiềm chế để không khích động một chủ nghĩa dân tộc phổ biến ngấm ngầm chống lại những kẻ thù lịch sử là Nhật Bản và Hoa Kỳ. Dư luận công chúng trong một nước dân chủ ngập ngừng như Ai Cập tỏ ra thù địch với Israel hơn nhiều so với chính quyền độc tài của Hosni Mubarack (mặc dù có thái độ thù địch và thật sự lao vào chiến tranh là hai việc hoàn toàn khác nhau).
Why then do democracies limit their wars to non-democracies rather than fight each other? Nobody really knows. As the University of Chicago's Charles Lipson once quipped about the notion of a democratic peace, "We know it works in practice. Now we have to see if it works in theory!" The best explanation is that of political scientists Bruce Russett and John Oneal, who argue that three elements -- democracy, economic interdependence (especially trade), and the growth of international organizations -- are mutually supportive of each other and of peace within the community of democratic countries. Democratic leaders, then, see themselves as having less to lose in going to war with autocracies.	Vậy tại sao các nước dân chủ hạn chế các cuộc chiến tranh của họ trong các nước không dân chủ hơn là đánh lẫn nhau? Không ai biết thật sự tại sao. Như Charles Lipson có lần đã châm biếm về khái niệm một nền hòa bình dân chủ "Chúng ta biết nó có tác dụng trong thực tế. Nay chúng ta còn phải xem nó có tác dụng trong lý thuyết hay không!" Lời giải thích tốt nhất là giải thích của các nhà khoa học chính trị Bruce Russett và John Oneal, họ lập luận rằng ba yếu tố - dân chủ, tương thuộc kinh tế (đặc biệt là thương mại) và sự lớn lên của các tổ chức quốc tế - là ủng hộ lẫn nhau và ủng hộ hòa bình bên trong cộng đồng các nước dân chủ. Các nhà lãnh đạo dân chủ tự thấy họ có ít cái để mất hơn trong việc chiến tranh với các chế độ chuyên quyền.
"Peacekeeping Doesn't Work." It does now. The early 1990s were boom years for the blue helmets, with 15 new U.N. peacekeeping missions launched from 1991 to 1993 -- as many as in the U.N.'s entire history up to that point. The period was also host to peacekeeping's most spectacular failures. In Somalia, the U.N. arrived on a mission to alleviate starvation only to become embroiled in a civil war, and it quickly pulled out after 18 American soldiers died in a 1993 raid. In Rwanda in 1994, a weak U.N. force with no support from the Security Council completely failed to stop a genocide that killed more than half a million people. In Bosnia, the U.N. declared "safe areas" for civilians, but then stood by when Serbian forces overran one such area, Srebrenica, and executed more than 7,000 men and boys. (There were peacekeeping successes, too, such as in Namibia and Mozambique, but people tend to forget about them.)	"Gìn giữ hòa bình không có tác dụng" Bây giờ nó có tác dụng rồi Đầu những năm 1990 phát triển mạnh những mũ sắt xanh, với 15 phái bộ gìn giữ hòa bình mới của Liên Hiệp Quốc từ 1991 đến 1993 – bằng số lượng của LHQ trong cả lịch sử đến thời gian ấy. Thời kỳ này cũng tiếp nhận những thất bại ngoạn mục nhất của lực lượng gìn giữ hòa bình. Tại Somalia, LHQ đến với sứ mạng làm nhẹ bớt nạn đói nhưng rồi chỉ để lâm vào một cuộc nội chiến và vội vã rút ra sau khi 18 binh sĩ Hoa Kỳ chết trong một cuộc đột kich năm 1993. Ở Rwanda năm 1994, một lực lượng yếu của LHQ không được sự trợ giúp nào của Hội đồng Bảo an đã hoàn toàn thất bại trong việc ngăn ngừa một cuộc diệt chủng giết chết hơn một nửa triệu dân. Ở Bosnia, LHQ tuyên bố "những khu vực an toàn" cho dân thường, nhưng sau đó khi các lực lượng Serbia lúc đó tràn qua một khu vực như thế, Srebrenica, và hành hình hơn 7000 người và trẻ em trai. (Cũng có những thắng lợi của lực lượng gìn giữ hòa bình, như ở Namibia và Mozambique, nhưng người ta dường như muốn quên chúng)
In response, the United Nations commissioned a report in 2000, overseen by veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, examining how the organization's efforts had gone wrong. By then the U.N. had scaled back peacekeeping personnel by 80 percent worldwide, but as it expanded again the U.N. adapted to lessons learned. It strengthened planning and logistics capabilities and began deploying more heavily armed forces able to wade into battle if necessary. As a result, the 15 missions and 100,000 U.N. peacekeepers deployed worldwide today are meeting with far greater success than their predecessors.	Để đáp lại, LHQ giao viết một báo cáo năm 2000, do nhà ngoại giao kỳ cựu Lakhdar Brahimi giám sát, xem xét các cố gắng của tổ chức này đã trở nên hỏng như thế nào. Khi đó LHQ đã sắp xếp lại nhân sự của lực lượng gìn giữ hòa bình trên khắp thế giới còn 80 phần trăm, nhưng khi nó bành trướng trở lại thì LHQ thích ứng với những bài học đã học được. Nó củng cố các năng lực kế hoạch và hậu cần và bắt đầu triển khai nhiều lực lượng vũ trang nặng có khả năng can thiệp vào các trận địa nếu cần. Kết quả là 15 phái bộ và 100.000 binh lính gìn giữ hòa bình của LHQ được triển khai trên toàn thế giới ngày nay đang đạt được thành công lớn hơn rất nhiều so với những người tiền nhiệm của họ.
Overall, the presence of peacekeepers has been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of a war's reigniting after a cease-fire agreement. In the 1990s, about half of all cease-fires broke down, but in the past decade the figure has dropped to 12 percent. And though the U.N.'s status as a perennial punching bag in American politics suggests otherwise, these efforts are quite popular: In a 2007 survey, 79 percent of Americans favored strengthening the U.N. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement -- there's plenty. But the U.N. has done a lot of good around the world in containing war.	Nhìn chung, sự hiện diện của các lực lượng gìn giữ hòa bình tỏ ra đã giảm được một cách đáng kể khả năng châm ngòi lại những cuộc chiến tranh sau một hiệp định ngừng bắn. Trong những năm 1990, khoảng một nửa số cuộc ngừng bắn bùng nổ trở lại, nhưng trong thập kỷ qua con số này đã giảm xuống còn 12 phần trăm. Và dù cho địa vị của LHQ chỉ như một cái bung xung muôn thuở trong nền chính trị Hoa Kỳ khiến cho ta nghĩ ngược lại, những cố gắng này rất hợp lòng người: trong năm 2007, 79 phần trăm người Mỹ ủng hộ củng cố Liên Hiệp Quốc. Như thế không phải là nói rằng không còn gì phải cải thiện, thật ra còn rất nhiều. Nhưng LHQ đã làm được nhiều việc tốt trên khắp thế giới trong việc ngăn chặn chiến tranh.
"Some Conflicts Will Never End." Never say never. In 2005, researchers at the U.S. Institute of Peace characterized 14 wars, from Northern Ireland to Kashmir, as "intractable," in that they "resist any kind of settlement or resolution." Six years later, however, a funny thing has happened: All but a few of these wars (Israel-Palestine, Somalia, and Sudan) have either ended or made substantial progress toward doing so. In Sri Lanka, military victory ended the war, though only after a brutal endgame in which both sides are widely believed to have committed war crimes. Kashmir has a fairly stable cease-fire. In Colombia, the war sputters on, financed by drug revenue, but with little fighting left. In the Balkans and Northern Ireland, shaky peace arrangements have become less shaky; it's hard to imagine either sliding back into full-scale hostilities. In most of the African cases -- Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ivory Coast (notwithstanding the violent flare-up after elections there in late 2010, now resolved) -- U.N. missions have brought stability and made a return to war less likely (or, in the case of Congo and Uganda, have at least limited the area of fighting).	"Một số cuộc xung đột không bao giờ kết thúc?" Không bao giờ nên nói không bao giờ. Năm 2005, các nhà nghiên cứu ở Viện Hòa bình đã mô tả đặc điểm các cuộc chiến tranh từ Bắc Ailen đến Kashmir, là "cứng đầu cứng cổ, trong đó họ chống lại mọi loại dàn xếp và giải pháp." Tuy nhiên, sáu năm sau, một sự việc lạ lùng đã xảy ra: tất cả chỉ trừ một vài trong số các cuộc chiến tranh này (Israel-Palestine, Somalia, và Sudan) đã hoặc kết thúc hoặc có những bước tiến cơ bản đến kết thúc. Ở SriLanka, thắng lợi quân sự kết thúc chiến tranh, mặc dầu chỉ sau một tàn cuộc dã man trong đó cả hai bên bị cho là đã phạm những tội ác chiến tranh. Kashmir đã có một cuộc ngừng bắn khá yên ổn. Ở Colombia, chiến tranh tiếp tục một cách lẻ tẻ, được tài trợ bởi nguồn thu nhập từ ma túy, nhưng còn lại ít những cuộc đụng độ. Ở Balkans và Bắc Ailen, những dàn xếp hòa bình yếu ớt đã trở nên không còn yếu nữa, cũng khó hình dung nó có thể trượt trở lại những hoạt động chiến tranh qui mô lớn. Trong phần lớn các trường hợp ở châu Phi, - Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Cộng hòa Dân chủ Congo, và Bờ Biển Ngà (mặc dù bạo lực lại bùng lên sau những cuộc bầu cử năm 2010, nay đã được giải quyết) – các phái bộ LHQ đã mang đến ổn định và làm cho tình hình khó trở lại một cuộc chiến tranh hơn (hay như trong trường hợp Congo và Uganda, ít nhất đã có vùng chiến tranh hạn chế)
Could we do even better? The late peace researcher Randall Forsberg in 1997 foresaw "a world largely without war," one in which "the vanishing risk of great-power war has opened the door to a previously unimaginable future -- a future in which war is no longer socially-sanctioned and is rare, brief, and small in scale." Clearly, we are not there yet. But over the decades -- and indeed, even since Forsberg wrote those words -- norms about wars, and especially about the protection of civilians caught up in them, have evolved rapidly, far more so than anyone would have guessed even half a century ago. Similarly rapid shifts in norms preceded the ends of slavery and colonialism, two other scourges that were once also considered permanent features of civilization. So don't be surprised if the end of war, too, becomes downright thinkable.	Chúng ta còn có thể làm được tốt hơn nữa không? Nhà nghiên cứu hòa bình đã quá cố Randall Forsberg năm 1997 đã thấy trước "một thế giới nói chung không có chiến tranh" thế giới trong đó "đang biến mất nguy cơ chiến tranh giữa các cường quốc lớn mở ra cánh cửa vào một tương lai trước đây không thể nào tưởng tượng nổi – một tương lai trong đó chiến tranh không còn được xã hội thừa nhận nữa, và hiếm hoi, ngắn và nhỏ về qui mô." Rõ ràng là chúng ta chưa đi đến đó. Nhưng qua nhiều thập kỷ - và tất nhiên kể từ khi Forsberg đã viết những dòng này những qui phạm về các cuộc chiến tranh và đặc biệt về việc bảo vệ thường dân bị kẹt trong các cuộc chiến tranh đã tiến bộ nhanh chóng hơn nhiều so với bất kỳ ai có thể phán đoán thậm chí cách đây nửa thế kỷ. Tương tự, sự chuyển đổi nhanh chóng trong các qui phạm đã đi trước sự kết thúc chế độ nô lệ và chủ nghĩa thực dân, hai tai họa khác mà có lúc đã được coi như những đặc điểm vĩnh viễn của nền văn minh. Vậy cũng đừng ngạc nhiên nếu sự kết liễu chiến tranh cũng trở nên việc có thể nghĩ bàn một cách rõ ràng rành mạch.
Joshua S. Goldstein is professor emeritus of international relations at American University and author of Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide.	Joshua S. Goldstein là giáo sư danh dự về quan hệ quốc tế tại Đại học Tổng hợp Hoa Kỳ và là tác giả cuốn: Thắng cuộc chiến tranh về chiến tranh: Sự giảm xung đột vũ trang trên toàn thế giới
	Translated by Hiếu Tân
Nguồn: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/08/15/think_again_war

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KET1: KEYS

1. B 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. C

6. F 7. G 8. E 9. B 10.A

11.B 12.C 13.A 14.A 15.C

16. ELAINE

17. GRAND HOTEL

18. 8.30 p.m.

19. FRIEND

20. 7245936

21. 98 WARNOCK

22. the BANK

23. 21st MAY

24. £ 350 (or more)

25. travel BAG

KET2: KEYS

KEYS:

1C 2C 3A 4B 5C

6E 7H 8C 9B 10F

11A 12B 13C 14C 15A

16-TUESDAY

17-11:30

18-40

19-SANDWICH

20-MALLET

21-GARDEN

22-CLOCK

23-CLOTHES

24-175

25-5:30

LISTEN CAREFULLY

UNIT 9: UNIT 9 Shops and shopping

Activity 1

paperback weekend groceries frying pan ladder garden tools coffee table tennis shoes photography magazine newspaper

Activity 2

Shirley and Roger are talking about the things they’ve got to do when they’re out. Tick the places they’ll go to on the list below. A Well, the first thing we should do is post these letters. B Yes. Then after that, I’d like to buy some shelves for the living room. A That’s a good idea, but we mustn’t forget to get some cat food for Sandy. There’s only one tin left. B And I think I’d like to buy a nice cake for the weekend.

Activity 3

Roger’s going to the supermarket. He’s checking the things below in the kitchen. Listen and decide whether there’s a lot, a little, or none at all. Tick the correct box. 1 Mm. We’ve only got two slices of bread left. I’d better get some more. 2 There seems to be a whole packet of butter, so I won’t need to get any more. 3 We’ve run out of milk. I’d better get some. 4 We still have two boxes of eggs, so I won’t get any. 5 We’ve got about half a pound of sugar - that should be enough for the rest of the week, but I’ll get some anyway. 6 Now vegetables.. . Urn. We’ve only got a couple of tomatoes and a few beans. I’ll get some more. 7 I’ve got a full bottle of cooking oil. I won’t get any more. 8 The ketchup is finished. I’d better get a new bottle.

Activity 4

Shirley and Roger are deciding where to buy some of the things they need. They’ll go to one of the places below. Listen and tick the name of the shop they’re going to. 1 A We could get the meat at Ace or Star Supermarket. B Let’s got to Ace. It’s difficult to get a parking space at Star. 2 A Where shall we go for the bread? B West’s and King’s are both very good. But I think the bread’s fresher at West’s, so let’s go there. 3 A Where do you want to get the flowers? B There’s always a better choice at Regal, but the staff are always so rude. I don’t want to shop there again. 4 A We’ll have to get some paint. I see there’s a sale on at Crest. B Ted’s have also got a sale on this week, as well. A But there’s more choice at Crest, so let’s go there. 5 A I want a couple of books. Shall we go to the University Bookshop? B Yes, good idea. They’re not usually as expensive as Hill’s Bookshop. 6 A Do you want to get your shoes at Ellis’s or Liberty’s? B Well, I’d like to go to Liberty’s but I don’t think they’re open today. A Oh well, we can try Ellis’s. 7 A And we’d better get some vegetables. B Yes, but let’s not go to Rollins. Their vegetables are never very fresh. Now listen again. Why did they decide to go to the shops they chose? Tick the reason below.

Activity 5

Some of the items below are for sale in a newspaper. Listen to people phoning to ask questions about them. Number the eight things talked about from 1-8. 1 A And is it colour or black and white? B It’s colour. A What size is it? B It’s nineteen inches. A And how old is it? B It’s only six months old. 2 A Is it a single or a double? B It’s a single. A And it’s quite new, isn’t it? B Yes, it was brand new when I bought it two weeks ago. 3 A How many miles has it done? B Fifty thousand. A Is it a two or four-door? B It’s got four doors. A And how long have you had it? B Six years. 4 A Has it got any drawers? B Yes, it’s got two drawers in the front. A And it’s only three months old? B That’s right. 5 A How big is it? B It’s about a metre and a half tall and seventy centimetres wide. A And the freezer is at the top? B That’s right. A How long have you had it? B For five years. 6 A Has it got a flash? B Yes. And it’s also got a cover. A How long have you had it? B Only nine months. 7 A What about a dryer? B Yes, its a dryer as well. A And how old is it? B We bought it last year, so it’s almost a year old now. 8 A My son loves fish, so it would be good. How big is it? B It’s seventy centimetres wide, forty centimetres high, and thirty centimetres deep. A And have you had it for long? B No, we only bought it last month. Now listen again. How old is each thing? Tick the correct box.

Activity 6

Listen to people asking where places are in a department store. Mark each of these places. 1 A I’m looking for the toy section, please. B It’s in the middle of the shop, in front of the escalator. 2 A Where’s the magazine section? B The magazines are at the back of the shop, in the corner on the left. 3 A Where’s the sports department, please? B Near the back of the shop, in front of the till. 4 A Could you tell me where the menswear section is? B Yes, it’s down on the left near the back of the shop, opposite the jewellery section. 5 A Where are the women’s clothes please? B About half way down on the right, opposite the escalator. 6 A Where can I find the kitchenware, please? B Go to the back of the store. It’s in the right hand corner 7 A I’m looking for the cosmetics counters. B They’re down here on the left, just before you get to the plant section.

Activity 7

You will hear people buying presents. Listen and decide what you think they will buy. Tick the correct item. 1 Well, I gave her a record last year. This year I’d better get something different. Er. Perhaps some perfume because she doesn’t really like jewellery. 2 I think he’d like some clothes. Perhaps a sweater, a scarf maybe, or some socks? Could I see the sweater, please? I don’t think the socks or the scarf are the right colour. 3 This red blouse is nice. The yellow one’s too bright I think, and the green one isn’t as pretty. 4 Yes, he loves toys. The tank’s quite fun. And this little car’s nice, and so’s this red lorry. But I think I like the lorry best. 5 The vase is pretty but it’s very expensive. Oh, this dish is nice. . . but I think I like the plate better. 6 I’m sure she’d like this necklace. The bracelet’s lovely and so are the ear-rings, but I don’t think she wears bracelets or ear-rings very often. 7 Well, I don’t want to get anything very expensive. The soap’s only £4. The aftershave’s £8. That’s too much. And the cologne’s £15. No, I don’t think I want to spend more than £5.

UNIT 10

Going on holiday
Activity 2
Listen to these people on holiday planning what they’re going to do. Number what you hear from 1 -5.

1 Well, the bus will pick us up at nine o’clock. The tour lasts about four hours, so we should be back at about one o’ clock. 2 There’s a show at eight p.m. and then the late show is at eleven p.m. Let’s go to the late show. 3 The seafood here is supposed to be really good. Let’s try it, shall we? I’m really hungry. 4 It says in the guide book they’ve got a lot of famous paintings. Let’s go and have a look. It’s free, too. 5 The prices here are supposed to be quite good. I really need some new clothes and some shoes... Let’s go and see what we can find.

Activity 3

Listen to people talking about their holidays. What places did they visit? Tick the places they visited in each list below. 1 We really loved Japan. We wanted to go to Korea, too, but there wasn’t time. Then we went on to Hong Kong. I love Chinese cities. We finished with a week in Thailand. It was all very exciting. 2 Well, we started in Holland, but decided not to go to France. So we went to Spain instead. It’s a beautiful country. We didn’t go to Italy this year, but went straight on to Greece. 3 I’m sorry we went to Los Angeles. It’s an ugly place. But we loved San Francisco. Then we went on to Boston. We had to change planes in Chicago. We had a couple of days in Boston and New York, and then found we didn’t have time to go to Washington. 4 We started in Paris and drove up to Brussels. Then we flew to Munich for a week. We were going to stop in Vienna, but we didn’t have time, so we went on to Rome. Some friends came up from Naples to join us.

Activity 4

Listen to people talking about different cities. What can you do in each place? Tick the lists below. 1 It’s not really the best place to shop. Prices are too high there nowadays. But the food’s great and quite cheap. It’s a wonderful place just to walk around in and look at the old buildings. But there aren’t any interesting museums or art galleries, I’m afraid. 2 It’s a very nice place to visit if you like being outdoors. The scenery is beautiful. Take a bus trip around the island, and sail around it if you have time. You can also go skiing. Unfortunately, the water is too cold there for swimming. You probably won’t like the local food. It’s very spicy. 3 There are very good beaches there. Everything’s quite cheap, so take plenty of money with you! There’s not much else to do. There’s only one hotel and no interesting old buildings. 4 There are several excellent museums and art galleries. If you like Chinese food you should visit Chinatown. It’s fairly quiet at night though. It doesn’t have any good nightclubs or theatres.

Activity 5

Listen to people getting ready for their holidays. Tick the things they’re going to take with them. 1 I’m not going to take many things with me this time, so I won’t need the big suitcase. Let’s see. I think we can buy presents for our friends when we get there. They’ll have music on the plane, so I won’t need my personal stereo, but I’d better take something to read. It’ll be fairly cool at this time of the year, so I don’t suppose we’ll be doing any swimming. I’d better pack the umbrella in case it rains. I’ll need a thick coat, too, if it’s going to be cold. That’s about everything. 2 I’ll put all our things into the big suitcase. Now, where are those presents we bought? I’ll put them in the top. I think I’ll get a new camera as soon as I arrive. I won’t take my old one. You might want to listen to music on the plane, so I’ll take the personal stereo. I won’t take these books, they’re too heavy. The weather should be good at this time of the year, so we’ll be able to do some swimming. We won’t need coats or umbrellas. I’ll put in some air-sickness tablets in case we need them.

Activity 6

Listen to people talking about their holidays. Did they enjoy themselves? Tick the best answer. 1 The people were very friendly and the hotel was great. It was a really wonderful holiday. 2 Well, the food was good but the prices were terrible. And the hotel wasn’t very quiet. 3 The beaches are beautiful but the cities are very dirty. And don’t travel on the local buses, they’re awful! 4 Everyone was so rude, and the food wasn’t very good. We’ll certainly never go there again. 5 The temperature was just right. We both like hot weather. The hotel was very cheap too, and the local food is delicious. 6 Oh, the scenery’s beautiful, lovely lakes and mountains. And prices are much better than here. It’s a pity the weather was so bad while we were there, though. 7 I enjoyed the shopping best of all. The department stores are great. The hotels, of course, are very clean and modern and the staff are so helpful.

Activity 7

Listen to questions about travel and choose the best answer. 1 How did you enjoy your trip? 2 Have you been here long? 3 How long are you going to be here? 4 Where did you go for your holiday? 5 When did you get back from Japan? 6 Have you ever been to Australia? 7 How long were you away? 8 What did you think of Wales?

LISTEN CAREFULLY U9-15

KET1: KEYS

1. B 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. C

6. F 7. G 8. E 9. B 10.A

11.B 12.C 13.A 14.A 15.C

16. ELAINE

17. GRAND HOTEL

18. 8.30 p.m.

19. FRIEND

20. 7245936

21. 98 WARNOCK

22. the BANK

23. 21st MAY

24. £ 350 (or more)

25. travel BAG

KET2: KEYS

KEYS:

1C 2C 3A 4B 5C

6E 7H 8C 9B 10F

11A 12B 13C 14C 15A

16-TUESDAY

17-11:30

18-40

19-SANDWICH

20-MALLET

21-GARDEN

22-CLOCK

23-CLOTHES

24-175

25-5:30

LISTEN CAREFULLY

AUDIO

CD1

CD2

UNIT 9: UNIT 9 Shops and shopping

Activity 1

paperback weekend groceries frying pan ladder garden tools coffee table tennis shoes photography magazine newspaper

Activity 2

Shirley and Roger are talking about the things they’ve got to do when they’re out. Tick the places they’ll go to on the list below. A Well, the first thing we should do is post these letters. B Yes. Then after that, I’d like to buy some shelves for the living room. A That’s a good idea, but we mustn’t forget to get some cat food for Sandy. There’s only one tin left. B And I think I’d like to buy a nice cake for the weekend.

Activity 3

Roger’s going to the supermarket. He’s checking the things below in the kitchen. Listen and decide whether there’s a lot, a little, or none at all. Tick the correct box. 1 Mm. We’ve only got two slices of bread left. I’d better get some more. 2 There seems to be a whole packet of butter, so I won’t need to get any more. 3 We’ve run out of milk. I’d better get some. 4 We still have two boxes of eggs, so I won’t get any. 5 We’ve got about half a pound of sugar - that should be enough for the rest of the week, but I’ll get some anyway. 6 Now vegetables.. . Urn. We’ve only got a couple of tomatoes and a few beans. I’ll get some more. 7 I’ve got a full bottle of cooking oil. I won’t get any more. 8 The ketchup is finished. I’d better get a new bottle.

Activity 4

Shirley and Roger are deciding where to buy some of the things they need. They’ll go to one of the places below. Listen and tick the name of the shop they’re going to. 1 A We could get the meat at Ace or Star Supermarket. B Let’s got to Ace. It’s difficult to get a parking space at Star. 2 A Where shall we go for the bread? B West’s and King’s are both very good. But I think the bread’s fresher at West’s, so let’s go there. 3 A Where do you want to get the flowers? B There’s always a better choice at Regal, but the staff are always so rude. I don’t want to shop there again. 4 A We’ll have to get some paint. I see there’s a sale on at Crest. B Ted’s have also got a sale on this week, as well. A But there’s more choice at Crest, so let’s go there. 5 A I want a couple of books. Shall we go to the University Bookshop? B Yes, good idea. They’re not usually as expensive as Hill’s Bookshop. 6 A Do you want to get your shoes at Ellis’s or Liberty’s? B Well, I’d like to go to Liberty’s but I don’t think they’re open today. A Oh well, we can try Ellis’s. 7 A And we’d better get some vegetables. B Yes, but let’s not go to Rollins. Their vegetables are never very fresh. Now listen again. Why did they decide to go to the shops they chose? Tick the reason below.

Activity 5

Some of the items below are for sale in a newspaper. Listen to people phoning to ask questions about them. Number the eight things talked about from 1-8. 1 A And is it colour or black and white? B It’s colour. A What size is it? B It’s nineteen inches. A And how old is it? B It’s only six months old. 2 A Is it a single or a double? B It’s a single. A And it’s quite new, isn’t it? B Yes, it was brand new when I bought it two weeks ago. 3 A How many miles has it done? B Fifty thousand. A Is it a two or four-door? B It’s got four doors. A And how long have you had it? B Six years. 4 A Has it got any drawers? B Yes, it’s got two drawers in the front. A And it’s only three months old? B That’s right. 5 A How big is it? B It’s about a metre and a half tall and seventy centimetres wide. A And the freezer is at the top? B That’s right. A How long have you had it? B For five years. 6 A Has it got a flash? B Yes. And it’s also got a cover. A How long have you had it? B Only nine months. 7 A What about a dryer? B Yes, its a dryer as well. A And how old is it? B We bought it last year, so it’s almost a year old now. 8 A My son loves fish, so it would be good. How big is it? B It’s seventy centimetres wide, forty centimetres high, and thirty centimetres deep. A And have you had it for long? B No, we only bought it last month. Now listen again. How old is each thing? Tick the correct box.

Activity 6

Listen to people asking where places are in a department store. Mark each of these places. 1 A I’m looking for the toy section, please. B It’s in the middle of the shop, in front of the escalator. 2 A Where’s the magazine section? B The magazines are at the back of the shop, in the corner on the left. 3 A Where’s the sports department, please? B Near the back of the shop, in front of the till. 4 A Could you tell me where the menswear section is? B Yes, it’s down on the left near the back of the shop, opposite the jewellery section. 5 A Where are the women’s clothes please? B About half way down on the right, opposite the escalator. 6 A Where can I find the kitchenware, please? B Go to the back of the store. It’s in the right hand corner 7 A I’m looking for the cosmetics counters. B They’re down here on the left, just before you get to the plant section.

Activity 7

You will hear people buying presents. Listen and decide what you think they will buy. Tick the correct item. 1 Well, I gave her a record last year. This year I’d better get something different. Er. Perhaps some perfume because she doesn’t really like jewellery. 2 I think he’d like some clothes. Perhaps a sweater, a scarf maybe, or some socks? Could I see the sweater, please? I don’t think the socks or the scarf are the right colour. 3 This red blouse is nice. The yellow one’s too bright I think, and the green one isn’t as pretty. 4 Yes, he loves toys. The tank’s quite fun. And this little car’s nice, and so’s this red lorry. But I think I like the lorry best. 5 The vase is pretty but it’s very expensive. Oh, this dish is nice. . . but I think I like the plate better. 6 I’m sure she’d like this necklace. The bracelet’s lovely and so are the ear-rings, but I don’t think she wears bracelets or ear-rings very often. 7 Well, I don’t want to get anything very expensive. The soap’s only £4. The aftershave’s £8. That’s too much. And the cologne’s £15. No, I don’t think I want to spend more than £5.

UNIT 10

Going on holiday
Activity 2
Listen to these people on holiday planning what they’re going to do. Number what you hear from 1 -5.

1 Well, the bus will pick us up at nine o’clock. The tour lasts about four hours, so we should be back at about one o’ clock. 2 There’s a show at eight p.m. and then the late show is at eleven p.m. Let’s go to the late show. 3 The seafood here is supposed to be really good. Let’s try it, shall we? I’m really hungry. 4 It says in the guide book they’ve got a lot of famous paintings. Let’s go and have a look. It’s free, too. 5 The prices here are supposed to be quite good. I really need some new clothes and some shoes... Let’s go and see what we can find.

Activity 3

Listen to people talking about their holidays. What places did they visit? Tick the places they visited in each list below. 1 We really loved Japan. We wanted to go to Korea, too, but there wasn’t time. Then we went on to Hong Kong. I love Chinese cities. We finished with a week in Thailand. It was all very exciting. 2 Well, we started in Holland, but decided not to go to France. So we went to Spain instead. It’s a beautiful country. We didn’t go to Italy this year, but went straight on to Greece. 3 I’m sorry we went to Los Angeles. It’s an ugly place. But we loved San Francisco. Then we went on to Boston. We had to change planes in Chicago. We had a couple of days in Boston and New York, and then found we didn’t have time to go to Washington. 4 We started in Paris and drove up to Brussels. Then we flew to Munich for a week. We were going to stop in Vienna, but we didn’t have time, so we went on to Rome. Some friends came up from Naples to join us.

Activity 4

Listen to people talking about different cities. What can you do in each place? Tick the lists below. 1 It’s not really the best place to shop. Prices are too high there nowadays. But the food’s great and quite cheap. It’s a wonderful place just to walk around in and look at the old buildings. But there aren’t any interesting museums or art galleries, I’m afraid. 2 It’s a very nice place to visit if you like being outdoors. The scenery is beautiful. Take a bus trip around the island, and sail around it if you have time. You can also go skiing. Unfortunately, the water is too cold there for swimming. You probably won’t like the local food. It’s very spicy. 3 There are very good beaches there. Everything’s quite cheap, so take plenty of money with you! There’s not much else to do. There’s only one hotel and no interesting old buildings. 4 There are several excellent museums and art galleries. If you like Chinese food you should visit Chinatown. It’s fairly quiet at night though. It doesn’t have any good nightclubs or theatres.

Activity 5

Listen to people getting ready for their holidays. Tick the things they’re going to take with them. 1 I’m not going to take many things with me this time, so I won’t need the big suitcase. Let’s see. I think we can buy presents for our friends when we get there. They’ll have music on the plane, so I won’t need my personal stereo, but I’d better take something to read. It’ll be fairly cool at this time of the year, so I don’t suppose we’ll be doing any swimming. I’d better pack the umbrella in case it rains. I’ll need a thick coat, too, if it’s going to be cold. That’s about everything. 2 I’ll put all our things into the big suitcase. Now, where are those presents we bought? I’ll put them in the top. I think I’ll get a new camera as soon as I arrive. I won’t take my old one. You might want to listen to music on the plane, so I’ll take the personal stereo. I won’t take these books, they’re too heavy. The weather should be good at this time of the year, so we’ll be able to do some swimming. We won’t need coats or umbrellas. I’ll put in some air-sickness tablets in case we need them.

Activity 6

Listen to people talking about their holidays. Did they enjoy themselves? Tick the best answer. 1 The people were very friendly and the hotel was great. It was a really wonderful holiday. 2 Well, the food was good but the prices were terrible. And the hotel wasn’t very quiet. 3 The beaches are beautiful but the cities are very dirty. And don’t travel on the local buses, they’re awful! 4 Everyone was so rude, and the food wasn’t very good. We’ll certainly never go there again. 5 The temperature was just right. We both like hot weather. The hotel was very cheap too, and the local food is delicious. 6 Oh, the scenery’s beautiful, lovely lakes and mountains. And prices are much better than here. It’s a pity the weather was so bad while we were there, though. 7 I enjoyed the shopping best of all. The department stores are great. The hotels, of course, are very clean and modern and the staff are so helpful.

Activity 7

Listen to questions about travel and choose the best answer. 1 How did you enjoy your trip? 2 Have you been here long? 3 How long are you going to be here? 4 Where did you go for your holiday? 5 When did you get back from Japan? 6 Have you ever been to Australia? 7 How long were you away? 8 What did you think of Wales?

UNIT 11

Transport

Activity 2

You will hear sentences containing one of the phrases below. Tick the phrase you hear. 1 I’ll be riding a blue moped. 2 I’ve just bought myself a gold sports car. 3 I’ll be driving a bright blue van. 4 The one you want is a green bus. 5 There it is, coming in now. The green plane. 6 Try to get the fast train. 7 I’ll be in a dark brown Mini. 8 She drives a light blue Toyota.

Activity 3

You will hear people describing their transport. Tick the correct box, a or b. 1 I’ve got one of those big old American cars. It’s huge. 2 I’ve just bought a moped. But I can’t use it at night because it doesn’t have any lights. 3 I’ve got a new Japanese car. It’s a two-door model. 4 Our van’s great. I like the sliding doors. It’s so easy to get in and out of. 5 I’ve just bought a sports car. The top folds right back. It’s really fun. 6 I ride a bicycle. Unfortunately, it’s not one of those light modern bicycles, but a really old one.

Activity 4

You will hear people asking about buses from the bus station to the places below. What number bus or buses can they take and how often do the buses go? If a bus goes every 20 minutes, write 20 mins under ‘frequency’ 1 A What bus can I take to get to the zoo, please? B Either a 17 or a 24. A And how often do they leave? B Every 20 minutes. 2 A What number is the airport bus, please? B That’s a number 25. A Does it go very often? B Every five minutes. 3 A I want to get a bus to the museum, please. B Yes, you can take a number 44 or a number 50. A How often do they leave? B Every half hour. 4 A What bus will take me to the university, please? B The university? That would be number 16 or number 22. A And do they leave often? B Yes, every 20 minutes. 5 A Can I take a bus to the hospital from here? B Yes, you want a number 65. A And when does it leave, please? B There’s one every 45 minutes. 6 A What bus should I take to go to the public library? B Number 13. It leaves every quarter of an hour.

Activity 5

You will hear people talking to a taxi driver. Where does each passenger want to go? Number the places 1-6. 1 Oh, I hope we won’t arrive late. My flight leaves in half an hour. 2 Yes, we’re having dinner there with friends. I hear the food is very good. 3 Can you drive a little faster, please? My class starts in ten minutes. I don’t want to be late or the professor gets very angry. 4 It starts at 7.30, so there’s plenty of time, and we’ve already got the tickets. 5 Please drive as quickly as you can. My appointment with the doctor is for 10.45. 6 I haven’t been there before. I believe they’ve got some very good French paintings.

Street directions

Activity 1

You will hear visitors in a city asking where places are. Listen and circle the place which is closer to the speakers. 1 A Is the Bank of Scotland in this street? B Yes, it’s about two hundred yards further on. A And how about the Clydesdale? B That’s quite a long walk the other way. 2 A How far is the Star Supermarket from here? B Let’s see. It’s about half a mile. A And what about the Everfresh? B That’s just a little way down the street. 3 A Is the Palace Restaurant far away? B No, keep going for about two hundred yards. A And what about the Hong Kong Restaurant? B You’ve just passed it. It’s about half a minute’s walk from here. 4 A Where’s the Royal Hotel, please? B It’s on the other side of town. It’s about five miles from here. A And what about the Rose Hotel? B That’s about twenty minutes walk from here. 5 A How can I get to the Natural History Museum? B Take a taxi. It’s about two miles from here. A And what about the Museum of Modern Art? B It’s in the street parallel to this one, about two minutes away. 6 A I’m looking for Mediterranean Travel. B You’re a long way away. It’s at the very end of North Street. A I see. And what about National Travel? B Oh that’s even further. It’s out by the railway station.

Activity 2

You will hear people asking where the places below are. Number the correct places on the map. 1 A Where’s the nearest chemist, please? B It’s on the corner of West Street and Cross Street. 2 A Is there a post office near here? B Yes, in Newman Street, next to the art gallery. 3 A Excuse me, where can I find a bookshop? B There’s one on the corner of Cross Street and Newman Street. 4 A Could you tell me where the supermarket is, please? B Yes, in West Street, between the cinema and the hotel. 5 A I’m looking for a petrol station. B There’s one opposite the art gallery, in Newman Street. 6 A Is there a bus stop near here? B Yes, in front of the church in Newman Street.

Activity 3

Listen to people being given directions to the places below. Mark the directions on the map and write in the correct letter for the places they’re looking for. 1 A I’m looking for the Star Hotel. B Oh, yes. Go along Bell Lane until you come to the bridge. Cross over the bridge and it’s on your left. 2 A Is there a bank near here? B Go down to the end of Pine Street and turn right into Harris Street. The bank’s on the right. 3 A I’m looking for a hairdresser. B Let me think. Oh, yes. I know where there’s one. Go down Bell Lane and turn left into Oak Avenue. You’ll find one on the corner of Oak Avenue and Harris Street. 4 A Where’s the nearest supermarket, please? B Just a second. Go down Pine Street and turn into Hopper Road. Walk right to the end, and you’ll see one on your right. 5 A Can you tell me where I can find a travel agent? B Certainly. Go down Bell Lane, cross the bridge, and there’s one on your right, opposite the hotel. 6 A I’m looking for a dry cleaner. B Urn, let’s see. Go down Pine Street and turn into Harris Street. You’ll see one on the left, just past the corner.

UNIT 12

Jobs

Activity 1

accountant architect bank clerk car mechanic cashier computer programmer dentist designer doctor engineer estate agent hairdresser journalist librarian lorry driver model nurse pilot police officer receptionist sales assistant secretary social worker university lecturer

Activity 2

You will hear people describing some of the things they do at work. Listen and tick the activities they describe. 1 Well, when people come in to borrow some money from the bank, I have to talk to them and ask them a lot of questions, about who they are, where they work, how much money they have, and so on. 2 I meet the guests at the airport and drive them to their hotel. 3 I spend most of my day in front of the typewriter. We have so many letters to send out every day. 4 Well, my job is to find the right kind of house for people. They tell me the kind of house they want to buy and I try to find them something suitable which is for sale. 5 Well, the first thing I have to do every morning is to go round and give everyone their post. 6 Yes, people bring in their televisions when they break and I try to mend them. 7 As soon as each machine is made, my job is to make sure it works properly before we sell it. I have to look over each machine very carefully. 8 I wait for the doctor’s patients to phone every morning and tell me when they want to come in for an appointment.

Activity 3

You will hear people talking about their occupations. Listen and number six of the occupations below from 1 - 6. 1 Yes, it’s a wonderful job. I like teaching. I also like the long summer holidays. The students are very nice, too. 2 It’s an interesting job, but I often have to work long hours at the hospital. Sometimes I start work at eleven in the morning and work through till ten in the evening. 3 It’s a good job. People come from all over the world to stay at our hotel, because we’re famous for our food. 4 I’ve always wanted to do this kind of work. I love cars and engines. Of course, it’s quite dirty work, but the money’s good. 5 It’s all right. I like typing and the people in my office are very nice to work with. 6 I love my work. I’m able to wear all sorts of strange and beautiful costumes, and it’s exciting to see photographs of myself in the theatrical magazines.

Activity 4

You will hear people talking about the jobs they used to have and the jobs they have now. Listen and tick their present job. 1 Yes, I really like my new job. I find it’s more interesting being a nurse than a social worker. 2 The job at the library was too boring. Now I work in a shop and I meet lots of interesting people. 3 Well, my salary was higher when I was a driver, but I do get a lot of money in tips. 4 I love my job. When I was at the hospital I had to work every night. Now I just work from nine till five. 5 Well, I don’t work with computers any more in my new job. I work with money. That’s much more interesting. 6 The thing I didn’t like about being a driver was the long trips away from home. The garage where I’m working now is just five minutes away. 7 It’s different working in an office from working at a college. But I like it. I don’t have to correct students’ homework.

Activity 5

You will hear Ms Patel telling her secretary what she wants her to do today. Listen and number five of the activities below from 1 - 5 in the order she talks about them. Now, first of all, could you call up Mr Stevens? I’d like to meet him on Friday at 10 a.m. Then I’ll need the sales report. Could you finish typing it this morning, please? Don’t forget to go to the post office after lunch. I need to send a package to Switzerland. Then perhaps you could call British Airways and try to get me on a flight to Paris on the 16th. See if you can get me a hotel too, will you? Oh, and I won’t be able to meet Ms Cairns this afternoon. I’ve got to go to the airport. Could you call her and tell her? Perhaps she can meet me on Thursday.

Activity 6

Jane is staring a new job in an office. Helen is showing her where things are in the stationery cupboard. Listen and number the correct place in the picture. The letter paper is here on the second shelf, on the left- hand side and the envelopes are on the top shelf, on the right. You’ll find pens next to the letter paper and notebooks on the top shelf, on the left hand side. On the bottom shelf there are elastic bands and sellotape. The elastic bands are on the right and the sellotape is on the left.

Activity 7

Listen to people asking where places are in an office block. Each person is at X. Number the correct places. 1 A Where’s the coffee bar, please? B It’s on the next floor up, at the end of the corridor on the right. 2 A I’m looking for the accounts department. B It’s the last door on the right. 3 A Where’s the manager’s office, please? B It’s the first door on the left. 4 A Where’s the toilet, please? B It’s on the next floor up, the last door on the left, opposite the coffee bar. 5 A Am I on the right floor for Mr Smith’s office? B No, you’ll have to go upstairs. It’s the office at the top of the stairs, on the left. 6 A Where’s the stationery store? B There’s one upstairs, next to Mr Smiths office. 7 A Which is Ms Randall’s office? B It’s the second door on the right. 8 A Where’s the photocopier, please? B At the end of the corridor, on the left. 9 A Where’s the post room, please? B Just here on the right. Leaving messages

Leaving messages

Activity 1

Listen to people ringing an office to ask to speak to someone. The person is not in. Tick what the callers will do. 1 A Could I speak to Miss Cole, please? B She’s on another line at the moment. Would you like to wait? A All right. 2 A Mr Sampson, please. B I’m afraid he’s at a meeting right now. Would you like to leave a message? A Well, is Mr Day there? B Yes, just a moment. 3 A May I speak to Miss Hennings? B I’m afraid she’s not in. Would you like to leave a message? A Well, actually, I wanted to meet her tomorrow at ten. Is she free? B Yes, she is. Your name, please? 4 A Is Mr Platt in, please? B He’s busy right now. Would you like to leave a message? A It’s all right. I’ll call back this afternoon. 5 A Mrs Gordon, please. B I’m sorry, she’s not here today. A Oh. Then could I speak to Mr Harper, please? B Yes, just a moment. 6 A I’d like to speak to Mrs Wilson, please. B She’s at a conference at the moment I’m afraid. A Oh. Could you ask her to call Ted Collins on 467 3445? B Yes, all right.

Job interviews

Activity 1

Listen to four people being interviewed for jobs. Tick the correct information below. 1 A And did you go to college? B No, just secondary school. A I see. Now let me tell you a little about the job. We make television sets here and also car radios. B That sounds interesting. A Have you ever worked in a factory? B No, I haven’t. 2 A So you went to college in Ireland, did you? B That’s right. A Now, most of our guests come from Europe. Do you speak any foreign languages? B I speak a little French and Spanish. A Very good. Have you worked in a hotel before? B I worked in a small hotel for three months once in the summer. 3 A Could you tell me about your education? B I left school last month. A I see. Now in this shop we sell mostly to tourists. Do you like meeting people? B Yes, Ido. A Good. Have you had any experience working in a shop? B No, I haven’t. 4 A And when did you leave college? B I graduated from Ealing Technical College in 1980. A I see. You’ll be working in the library; the doctors use the library a lot and some of the nurses do, too. B Fine. A Now, you say you worked in a hospital library in India? B Yes, for five years.

Activity 2

You will hear questions from a job interview. Listen and choose the best answer to each question. 1 What did you do before you came to Europe? 2 Have you got a driving licence? 3 How many languages can you speak? 4 How well do you type? 5 Where did you go to college? 6 How many years were you at college? 7 How long were you in your last job? 8 What was your salary in your last job?

UNIT 13

Leisure activities

Activity 2

You will hear short telephone conversations. What was each person doing when the phone rang? Number six of the pictures below from 1 - 6. 1 A Hello Sandy. It’s Karen here. B Oh,hello. A What are you doing? B I’m still studying for next week’s exam. I think it’s going to be a difficult one. 2 A Hello Betty. Everything nearly ready for the party? B Not quite. I’ve still got some cakes to make and I haven’t started on the vegetables yet. 3 A Is that you John? This is Ted. B Oh hello. Listen, can I call you back later? I want to watch the last few minutes of the game. Aren’t you watching it? 4 A Hi, Mark. How’s everything? B I’m a bit busy right now. We’ve got guests coming for the weekend and the house is so untidy. I hate housework! 5 A Oh, hello Fran. Are you busy at the moment? B Not really. I was just reading about that awful fire last night at the Palace Hotel. A Oh yes, that was pretty bad. 6 A Jane, this is Margaret. Are you busy? B Well yes. Actually I’m just painting the ceiling.

Activity 3

You will hear people talking about the things they like and don’t like doing in their spare time. Listen and tick how much they like each activity. 1 Well, I don’t mind playing cards sometimes. But I prefer playing snooker myself. It’s a little more exciting. 2 Everybody else in my family really loves sports. My brother’s a very good tennis player and my sister’s an excellent swimmer. I just find all sports boring and a waste of time. 3 I enjoy them from to time but not too often. I don’t like meeting people all that much. When I know everybody there, then I enjoy it. 4 I wish I could eat out every night. It’s so nice not to have to cook and wash up. 5 Yes, Tim and I go dancing about twice a week, and more often sometimes. It’s a great way to relax and meet people. 6 I used to watch TV every night. Last year the programmes were really good. But I don’t like this year’s programmes as much. There are only a few I really like watching. 7 Oh yes, I have the radio on all the time. Mostly I prefer pop music but sometimes I also listen to classical music or jazz. 8 I never use my kitchen except to make coffee. It’s so much easier to eat out. Of course, it costs more but it’s much more fun.

Activity 4

Listen to people getting ready to do something. Tick what you think they’re going to do. 1 Well, it’s a nice day and it’s not very windy. I don’t think the water will be too rough. Don’t forget to bring the towels, will you? 2 Hurry up, now. I asked for a table for eight o’ clock, so we don’t want to be late. 3 Have you got the tickets? Now what time does it start? Is it eight o’ clock? 4 There are three new players in our team this week. I hope they’re good. 5 Well, there’s a film on Central at 7.30. It’s got Madonna in it. I hear it’s very good. 6 Could you get the table ready? I want to tidy the bathroom before they get here. 7 I’ll bring the ketchup. Have you got the meat and the potatoes?

Activity 5

You will hear people talking about things they’ve done. Listen and tick how much they enjoyed them. 1 A What did you think of the film? B Well, the music was good and the colour was beautiful, but the story was pretty boring. I fell asleep twice! 2 A How was the party? B Huh. Do you like loud music, lots of cigarette smoke, a small crowded room, and not enough food? 3 A Did you enjoy the concert? B It was the best concert I’ve been to in years. It was great music and it was beautifully played. 4 A What did you think of the lecture? B She had some interesting things to say at first, then it got very difficult to understand. 5 A How was the restaurant? B Well, my steak was overcooked, and the waitress was quite rude. I don’t think I’ll go there again. 6 A What was Bill and Vicki’s party like? B So many interesting people and wonderful food. 7 Thanks for returning the book. How did you like it? B I couldn’t put it down. She writes so well and the story’s very exciting.

Invitations and arrangements

Activity 1

You will hear people inviting a friend to go somewhere with them. Listen and tick whether they said ‘yes’ or ‘no,. 1 A How about going to a disco tonight? B I’d love to, but I’ve got to do some homework. 2 A Would you like to see a film at the weekend? B I’d love to. I haven’t seen one for ages. 3 A Any plans for tomorrow night? There’s an interesting lecture at the museum. B Not tomorrow. There’s something I’ve got to do. 4 A How about having dinner together over the weekend? B Oh, that would be nice. 5 A Do you want to play tennis on Sunday afternoon? B Oh, I’ve got friends coming round on Sunday, I’m afraid. 6 A Like to have a drink after work? B I’ve got to work late today. Some other time, maybe. 7 A Why don’t we go to the beach this Saturday? B Great. What time do you want to meet?

Activity 2

Listen to people arranging to do something. What are they going to do? Write down the day they will meet and the time. 1 A How about going to see Rocky 6 on Saturday? B Oh, I’ve already seen it. A Would you like to go dancing, then? B I’d love to. A Shall we meet around nine o’ clock at Spat’s? B OK. See you on Saturday at nine. 2 A Why don’t we eat in town this weekend? B That’d be nice. A Do you like Italian food? B Yes, I love it. A Is Sunday night any good for you? B I’d prefer Saturday. A Right. Let’s meet here at 7.30. B Fine. 3 A It’s Josie’s birthday on Friday. Shall we go over to her place? She’s invited a lot of people. B Yes, let’s. What time on Friday? A She asked us to come at about seven. 4 A Let’s go to the park on Sunday afternoon. B Good idea. A We could take some sandwiches and have lunch by the river. B Yes, and I can cook some chicken. What time do you want to go? A Let’s leave around eleven o’ clock.

Activity 3

Choose the best response to the questions you hear. 1 Doing anything this weekend? 2 Do you like Mexican food? 3 What did you think of the lecture? 4 Do you play much sport? 5 How about going to a film tonight? 6 Do you like playing cards? 7 How was your weekend? 8 Did you enjoy the party?

UNIT 14

Instructions

Activity 2

Listen to people describing how to use different pieces of equipment. Number the things they talk about in the correct order, from 1 - 4. 1 Well, you go into the booth and you’ll see the machine on the wall. Put in two 5Op coins. Press the button at the side. Now sit on the chair and look at the red light. 2 First you have to choose how many hours you want to park. Now put your money in at the top and the ticket comes out here at the bottom. 3 Right. You start by putting your money in here. Then choose how you want your coffee - black, with milk, with sugar. Now press the button marked start. You take your coffee out here. 4 First, choose the size you want. Next, choose the number of copies you need. Now put your document down flat on top of the glass here. Then close the lid and press the start button.

Activity 3

You will hear a recipe for chicken cooked with aubergine, garlic, sauce and herbs. Listen to the instructions and number eight of the sentences from 1-8. It’s quite simple really. First cut up the garlic into very small pieces. Next cut up the chicken into very thin slices. After that cut up the aubergine, also into thin slices. Now fry the garlic until it turns light brown. Then add the chicken and the aubergine to the frying pan and stir it in. Then add the sauce and the herbs. Lastly, add two cups of water. Now leave it to cook for ten minutes.

Activity 4

You will hear a sales assistant telling a customer how to look after some of the things below. Number six of them from 1 - 6 in the order in which you hear them. 1 Well, you can clean it with a vacuum cleaner, of course. Or you can wash it by hand, too, if you want to. You can also take it to a dry cleaner. 2 Don’t wash them in the washing machine. It’s better to take them to a dry cleaner to be cleaned. 3 You can wash him with shampoo in the bath once a week. He will like it and itll keep him nice and clean. 4 Keep it in a cool place. Don’t put it near a window or the sun will make the water too hot. 5 Keep the needle clean at all times or it’ll damage your records. You can use a clean soft cloth to clean your records. 6 Polish it once a week with a good polish. Don’t put anything hot on it and don’t spill water or liquids on it.

Activity 5

Listen to a sales assistant telling someone how to clean and look after different things. Tick the advice the sales assistant gives. 1 You should wash these by hand. It’s better not to wash them in the washing machine. 2 These should be washed in the washing machine to get them really clean. 3 Don’t use hot water to wash these. Use warm water only. 4 It’s best to wash these by hand in warm water. Don’ dry clean them or they may lose their colour. 5 You can’t iron this cloth. Just hang it up to dry. 6 You can use a fine oil to clean this table. Don’t use soap and water on it at any time. 7 Just put these in the washing machine when they’re dirty. 8 The dishwasher won’t clean these very well, so you’ll have to wash them by hand.

Activity 6

Listen to these customers saying what they need done. Tick what they want. 1 Just a little off the top and sides, please. Not too short. 2 A Would you like me to shampoo it first? B It’s all right, thanks. I’ll do it myself at home. 3 Now when you’ve washed this, could you mend this little hole at the back, please? 4 A Shall I fill the tank, sir? B Yes, please. 5 A I wonder if you can fix this leg, please. It’s quite loose. B And then you want it painted dark brown? A No, light brown, please. 6 A Now, would you like a polish as well as a checkup? B Yes, that’s a good idea. 7 A Do you want us to paint it when we finish the repairs? B It’s all right. I’ll paint it myself. 8 Now, you want it cleaned. And would you like a new strap? B No, I think the strap’s all right, thanks. 9 A So you want these heeled. And would you like new soles as well? B Urn, yes please.

Activity 7 (1 14)

Mrs Potter is asking her children to do things. She wants them to do some things now and some things later. Tick what she wants them to do first. 1 You can make the beds after you finish ironing the clothes. 2 Let’s wash the dishes and then we can tidy the living room. 3 I don’t think the plants need watering right away but the cooker really does need cleaning. 4 Before you cut up the vegetables, could you cut up the meat? 5 Clean the windows before you do the dishes. 6 You’d better polish the table. We can do the vacuuming later. 7 After you tidy the bedrooms, I’d like you to clean the bathroom.

Activity 8

Your flatmate Elaine likes moving things around in your flat. Listen to her deciding what to change. Draw a line from each item to its new position. She makes six changes. 1 You know, the bookcase doesn’t look very nice near the window. Why don’t we bring it over here by the door? 2 I think that new painting will look better in the dining room than in the living room. Let’s move it. 3 I think we’ll bring the coffee table out of the study and put it back here in the living room. 4 Why don’t we move that rug back to the smaller bedroom? It doesn’t look right in the living room. 5 That vase would look nice in the dining room. I don really like it in my bedroom. 6 Shall I take the typewriter back to the study? I’ve finished with it.

UNIT 15

Airports

Activity 2

You will hear sentences containing some of the places below. Number the places you hear from 1 - 7. 1 Please take this to immigration. 2 You’ll find a telephone booth at the end of the lounge. 3 The restaurant is on the next floor. 4 You should wait by the departure gate. 5 Please ask at the information desk. 6 I’ll meet you in the departure lounge. 7 There’s a post office next to the bank.

Activity 3

Listen to airport announcements for the people below. Match each name with the correct announcement. 1 Calling Fiona Johnson. Fiona Johnson. Please go to the meeting point. 2 Yau Chit Man. Yau Chit Man. Please meet your party at the Cathay Pacific check-in. 3 Mr Hisashi Uematsu. Mr Hisashi Uematsu. Please report immediately to the Japan Airlines ticket counter. 4 Calling Linda Kennedy. Linda Kennedy. Please come to the Singapore Airlines desk. 5 Mr Henri Bourassa. Mr Henri Bourassa. Please go to the Air France desk for a message. 6 Jean Halpern. Calling Ms Jean Halpern. Please go at once to the information desk.

Activity 4

Listen to these airport announcements and complete the missing information about each flight. 1 Announcing the departure of flight BA 445 to Athens at 20.35, gate number 16. BA 445 at 20.35, gate number 16. 2 Announcing the departure of flight BA 116 to Mexico City leaving at 16.45 from gate number 13. Flight BA 116 at 16.45 from gate number 13. This flight is now boarding. 3 British Airways announce the departure of flight BA 360 to Boston, leaving at 15.25 from gate 7. Last call for flight BA 360 to Boston, leaving at 15.25 from gate 7. 4 Announcing the departure of TWA flight 44 to Los Angeles, departing at 6.05, gate number 12. TWA flight 44 at 6.05, gate number 12. 5 Japan Airlines announce the departure of flight 176 to Tokyo at 5.45, boarding at gate 17. Flight JAL 176 at 5.45, gate 17. 6 World Airlines announce the departure of flight 375 to San Francisco, boarding at gate 3 at 5.10. Flight WA 375 leaving at 5.10 from gate number 3. 7 Air France announce the departure of flight AF 86 for Paris, leaving at 11.15 from gate 15. Flight AF 86 leaving at 11.15 from gate 15.

Activity 5

The people below have just arrived at the airport. They want different kinds of hotel accommodation. They each dial a hotel and receive a recorded message. Listen to the message and tick what you think each caller will do next. 1 Thank you for calling the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza Hotel offers first-class accommodation with rooms starting at £55 a night. 2 This is the Orchard Hotel. The Orchard Hotel offers you comfortable and convenient accommodation in the heart of the business district and only minutes away from the central shops and offices. Rooms at the Orchard Hotel... 3 Welcome to the Seaview Hotel. With a beautiful view of the sea from all rooms and just a short walk to the beach, the Seaview offers reasonably-priced family accommodation. To make a reservation... 4 This is the Shangri-la Hotel. The hotel is situated in the centre of the city. The Shangri-la Hotel has rooms priced from £50 to £100 a night... 5 Thank you for calling the Regent Hotel. The Regent is located in the centre of the city, near the British Museum, and is about one hour by bus from the airport. Prices start at 6 Welcome to the Miranda Hotel. The Miranda offers clean and comfortable accommodation for the business traveller, with prices starting at £45 a night. All rooms are single rooms at the Miranda.

Activity 6

You will hear people who have just arrived at an airport phoning friends. Their friends are out. They leave a message on their friend’s answering machine. Tick the messages they leave. 1 Hello, Jean. This is Annette. I’m at the airport. Our plane’s stopped for an hour and we leave shortly for New York. How is everyone? Sorry we didn’t manage to have a chat. 2 Hello. This is David. I’ve just arrived at the airport. I’m having trouble finding a hotel. Can I stay with you for a few days? I’ll call you back in an hour. 3 Good afternoon. This is Don Wilson. I’ve just arrived and I’ll be booking into the Plaza Hotel. Can you call me there this evening? 4 Hello. This is Brenda. I’m here for a few days to attend a conference. I hope we can get together soon. I’m staying at the Convention Hotel. 5 Hello. This is Nigel. I’ve just got here. I’ll be busy for the next couple of days, but can we meet on Saturday or Sunday? I’ll call you tonight. 6 This is Janet Simpson. I’ve just arrived. Are you free to have dinner with me tonight? I’d like to take you out to a nice restaurant. Immigration

Activity 1

You will hear questions asked by a customs or immigration officer at the airport. Tick the best answer to each question. 1 How long are you going to be here? 2 What’s the purpose of your visit? 3 How much money did you bring with you? 4 Where will you be staying? 5 What flight did you arrive on? 6 Is anyone travelling with you? 7 May I see your passport? 8 Which one is your bag?