M: Sure. This is a good time for me to take a break from the carpet, anyway.

W: That's very nice of you.

Text 7

W: Hi, I'd like one ticket for the jazz concert at 7 o'clock.

M: I'm sorry, but there are no more tickets for tonight's concert. But we do have some seats for the same performance this weekend. Are you interested in that show?

W: Oh, that's a pity. I won't be here then. I'm just here in Paris for a friend's birthday celebration. And I'll fly back to New York tomorrow. Do you have any other suggestions for things to do?

M: Well, why don't you go to the museum instead? It's nearby and they have a wonderful art collection of Chinese paintings. I just saw it myself last weekend.

W: That sounds like a good idea.

Text 8

M: Do you have the latest information on the hotel?

W: Yes, I think so.

M: Right. Tell me something about it.

W: OK. The hotel is in Sitges, a small town which is 37 kilometers away from Barcelona. And there is a bus stop right outside the hotel.

M: That's good. The hotel we booked last year was near a busy road, and it was 2 kilometers from the beach. I hope this hotel isn't like that.

W: No, it's only about 100 meters away from the beach.

M: OK. What about the entertainment?

W: There's tennis, table tennis, volleyball and mini golf. Oh, they also organize football matches. It used to have KTV and keep-fit classes, but now they're closed.

M: Oh, what a pity. What about the overall price?

W: Well, it's the high season(旺季) so the price is really high for the moment, $800.

M: Wouldn't it be better to cut it down to $699? We can try to bargain with the hotel manager.

W: OK. Let's do it.

Text 9

W: Ted, I heard that it took you seven years to finish college. Why did it take you so long?

M: That was because I changed my majors several times. When I went to Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland ten years ago, I wanted to become a dog trainer. But my university did not offer any such degree programs. So I chose engineering.

W: Did you love engineering?

M: Not really. My parents suggested I choose it. I was just twenty years old then and I still followed my parents' advice. So I chose it. But a few months later, I realized it really wasn't what I wanted. So I changed my major to biology.

W: Why didn't you finish this major?

M: I decided I did not want to spend my life working in a laboratory. In my second year, I changed my major to another field of interest:fine art.

W: Did you finish it?

M: No. After two years of studying fine art, I felt that I preferred art as something I did for pleasure, not for work.

W: So what did you choose in the end?

M: Computer game design.