大城市小世界 Series 1 Episode 4 - We Have a Mission!

 　　Introduction

　　This support pack accompanies the audio soap opera 'Big City Small World'.
　　This support pack contains the following materials:
　　a pre-listening vocabulary activity;
　　 the transcript 1 of the episode;
　　a comprehension activity;
　　three language activities
　　Before you listen
　　Activity 01
　　Match the words and phrases at the top to their definitions.
　　1. accommodation
　　2. afford
　　3. flat
　　4. grateful
　　5. greedy
　　6. jealous
　　7. keen
　　8. landlord
　　9. leave off!
　　10. loads
　　11. matter
　　12. mission
　　13. offend
　　14. reasonable
　　15. sensitive
　　16. shared house
　　17. upset
　　a. a lot of (informal)
　　b. a person who owns and rents out a flat, a house, etc.
　　c. a place to live
　　d. a set of rooms for living in which are part of a larger building
　　e. an excessive desire for food, drink, etc.
　　f. an important job that someone believes it is their duty to do
　　g. based on or using good judgment 2 and therefore fair and practical
　　h. easily affected 3 in an emotional way
　　i. enthusiastic about something or someone
　　j.  have enough money to buy or do something
　　k.  house that you live in with other people who are not family
　　l. hurt somebody’s feelings
　　m. showing or expressing thanks, especially to another person
　　n. the reason for pain, worry or a problem
　　o. unhappy and angry because someone has something or someone you want
　　p. used to tell someone to stop being annoying
　　q. worried, unhappy or angry
　　Transcript
　　Harry 4: Well Sarah, here’s the paper...I was looking at jobs...but you’ll need the “accommodation” page!
　　Olivia: Hmmm, not very sensitive, Harry...
　　Harry: Have to go now...see you all!
　　All: Bye!
　　Olivia: What’s the problem with your flat, then Sarah?
　　Sarah: Well, I was renting a room in a shared house, but now the landlord has decided 5 to sell the house, so we all have to move out...
　　Magda: Oh no...that can be really difficult in London. It’s so expensive here...
　　Sarah: I know, I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford it...
　　Olivia: Tell me about it!
　　Sarah: About what?
　　Olivia: Sorry...I just mean, I know how expensive life is!
　　Sarah: Why’s that?
　　Magda: Olivia wants Harry to set up a website for her, but he’s asked for loads of money!
　　Fadi: Yeah...me too!
　　Magda: I think he’s greedy.
　　Fadi: I’m not sure about that...he’s a professional after all. He’s right to ask a reasonable amount for his work.
　　Olivia: You’re just like him, I can see...only interested in money!
　　Magda: Yeah, that’s right...
　　Fadi: Leave off...I’m not only interested in money. I like football too...
　　Olivia: I don’t think I can afford it, but I don’t know how to say “no” without offending him now.
　　Sarah: Do you think he’ll be offended?
　　Olivia: Perhaps...
　　Fadi: I shouldn’t worry. He’s not a very sensitive guy, is he?
　　Olivia: No! I like him, though...
　　Fadi: Oh yeah?
　　Olivia: Not in that way...he’s just a friend...
　　Fadi: “Just a friend”, eh?
　　Olivia: Are you jealous?
　　Fadi: Get out of here! Course I’m not. I’ve got lots of girlfriends...
　　Magda: And they only ever last for two weeks!
　　Fadi: I like to keep them keen!
　　Sarah: Oh yeah, sure...
　　Fadi: Listen, Olivia, if it makes it easier for you, I think I’m going to take Harry up on his offer. I’ll get him to do some work for me, then it won’t matter if you turn him down.
　　Sarah: I do some work for a website, Olivia. It’s called DimSum.co.uk – it’s for the Chinese community in Britain. I could find out who does their website – they might be cheaper.
　　Olivia: Could you do that for me? I’d be really grateful.
　　Sarah: Sure, no problem.
　　Olivia: And we’ll try and help you find a flat!
　　Sarah: Thanks!
　　Magda: How long have you got before you have to move out?
　　Sarah: Only a month.
　　Magda: That’s not long.
　　Fadi: I’ll ask around, see if anyone I know has a room free in their house...
　　Magda: I’ll do the same thing...
　　Olivia: Me too!
　　Magda: Ok everyone...we have a mission!
　　Fadi: Find Sarah a place to live!
　　Olivia: And tell Harry he’s greedy!
　　Sarah: I think this might be difficult....
　　Magda: What? Finding you a flat, or upsetting Harry?
　　Sarah: Both!
　　After listening
　　Activity 02
　　Who (Sarah, Olivia, Harry, Fadi or Magda) …
　　1. ... is worried about accommodation?
　　2. ... complains about life being expensive?
　　3. ... thinks Harry is a good worker?
　　4. ... is worried about upsetting Harry?
　　5. ... makes fun of Fadi’s love life?
　　6. ... offers to find another website designer?
　　Activity 03
　　Fill the gaps in the text with the words at in the table.
　　a. accommodation
　　b. flat
　　c. house
　　d. landlord
　　e. room
　　f. shared
　　g. to live
　　h. to rent
　　I’m looking for a new place (1) ......................... My (2) .........................  wants to sell the (3) ......................... that my (4) ......................... is in. I’d love to find a small (5) ......................... in the town centre but it costs a lot of money (6) ......................... a place for one. The (7) ......................... pages of the newspaper are full of (8) ......................... houses, so I’ll phone a few and see if I am lucky.
　　Activity 04
　　Put the adjectives into the correct column, depending on whether their opposite takes the prefix 6 'in-' or 'un-'.
　　certain
　　clear
　　expensive
　　experienced
　　reasonable
　　sensitive
　　in
　　un
　　Activity 05
　　Rearrange the words to make grammatically correct sentences.
　　1. problem What’s flat with the your?
　　2. is. I expensive life know how
　　3. interested not in money. I’m only
　　4. very, a he sensitive He’s not guy is?
　　5. you do Could for that me?
　　6. help and you a We’ll try flat. find
　　Answers
　　Activity 01
　　1. c; 2. j; 3. d; 4. m; 5. e; 6. o; 7. i; 8. b; 9. p; 10. a; 11. n; 12. f; 13. l; 14. g; 15. h; 16. k; 17. q
　　Activity 02
　　1. Sarah; 2. Olivia; 3. Fadi; 4. Olivia; 5. Magda; 6. Sarah
　　Activity 03
　　1. g; 2. d; 3. c; 4. e; 5. b; 6. h; 7. a; 8.f
　　Activity 04
　　uncertain; unclear; inexpensive; inexperienced; unreasonable 7; insensitive
　　Activity 05
　　1. What’s the problem with your flat?; 2. I know how expensive life is.; 3. I’m not only interested in money.; 4. He’s not a very sensitive guy, is he?; 5. Could you do that for me?; 6. We’ll try and help you find a flat.