Basic English Conversation: 100 Daily Topics | Topic: 91 -100
Lesson 91: COMPUTER PROBLEMS
- Hi Jason, Sorry to bother you. I have a question for you.
- OK, what’s up?
- I’ve been having a problem with my computer. I know you’re an engineer so I thought you might be able to help me.
- I see. What’s the problem?
- I have a file that I can’t open for some reason.
- What type of file is it?
- It’s a Word document I’ve been working on. I need to finish it by tomorrow.
- Were you able to open it before, on the computer you’re using now?
- Yes, I was working on it last night and everything was fine, but this morning I couldn’t open the file.
- Do you think your computer might have a virus?
- No, I checked and there weren’t any.
- I’m not sure what’s wrong. If it’s possible, email the file to me and I’ll see if I can get it to open.
- OK, I’ll do that when I get home. Are you going to be around tonight?
- Yeah, I’ll be home after 8 PM. Send it to me when you get a chance and I’ll call you later.
Lesson 92: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET DOWNTOWN?
- Hi George, do you know how to get downtown?
- Sure. Why are you going there?
- I want to buy a new computer.
- OK, are you driving?
- Yes.
- Go straight down this road. When you get to the second light, take a left. Then get on the highway and take exit 52.
- That sounds really complicated. Can you tell me again? Which road do I take first?
- You go down this road, then at the second light, turn left. That road is Main street.
- OK, I think I’ve got it now.
- Why are you buying a new computer anyway? Didn’t you just get one a few months ago?
- Yes, but it doesn’t work anymore.
- Where did you buy it?
- At Wal-Mart.
- I think your computer should still be under warranty. You can bring it back to them and they’ll fix it for free.
- I think you’re right. I didn’t think about that. I should go talk to them about it. Where is the closest Wal-Mart?
- It’s about 2 blocks from here. I have to go there to get some stuff now anyway. Do you want to follow me?
- Sure.
Lesson 93: DID YOU SEE THE NEWS TODAY?
- John, did you see the news today?
- No, what happened?
- There was a big earthquake in San Diego.
- Oh my goodness.
- The president was on the news talking about it earlier.
- Was anyone hurt?
- I think they said two people were killed.
- Oh, that’s terrible.
- Yeah, I can’t believe you hadn’t heard about it. They were talking about it on CNN all day.
- Oh, I don’t watch TV that often.
- Don’t you watch the news?
- No, I usually read the news online, but I haven’t had time to turn on my computer today.
Lesson 94: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?
- What’s your favorite sport?
- I like basketball. I watch the games on TV all the time.
- Who’s your favorite team?
- The Boston Celtics.
- They’re really good this year, aren’t they?
- Yes. Do you like them?
- Yes. Everyone around here does.
- Do you think they’ll win the championship this year?
- It’s possible. They have some really good players.
- Did you watch the game last night?
- A little, not the whole thing. I watched the second half though and I saw some of the highlights online.
- It was a great game, wasn’t it?
- Yeah. Do you know who they’re playing tomorrow night?
- I think they’re playing LA.
- That’s going to be a tough game. LA has a good team.
Lesson 95: MAKING A WEBPAGE
- Hi Liz. Are you working on your webpage now?
- No, I’m still waiting for you to send me that image file for the homepage.
- Do you mean you didn’t get it? I sent it to you over an hour ago.
- Let me check. It’s going to take a second ’cause I have to start up my computer.
- Did you get it?
- One second. I just have to open my web browser and check my Hotmail account.
- OK.
- OK, here it is. I got it.
- How do I find the webpage? I tried to search for it on Yahoo but I couldn’t find it.
- Don’t use Yahoo, use Google.
- I tried that also and it didn’t work.
- If you go to Google and search for my name, you should be able to find it.
- Let me try that. I see it now.
Lesson 96: WOULD YOU MIND DRIVING?
- Hey Michael, I’m tired. Would you mind driving for a while?
- Sorry. I would like to, but I don’t know how to drive.
- Really? Don’t you have a license? I thought everyone had a license.
- No, I’ve lived in cities all my life and when I’m at home I usually take the subway or bus.
- I see. Do you think you’ll learn to drive in the future?
- Yes. I plan to buy a car next year. I think you need one in the US.
- Actually, now that I think about it, a lot of people in cities here take the bus also.
- Well, I’d like to travel more. I’ve been here for a few months already and I feel like I haven’t seen anything yet.
- How are you going to learn to drive? Do you want me to teach you?
- No, I wouldn’t want to trouble you. I’ve already signed up for a class near my house. It starts next month.
Lesson 97: YOUR ENGLISH IS SO GOOD
- Thomas, your English is so good. How did you learn it?
- Well, in my country everyone has to take English starting in the first grade. I’ve been taking English courses for 12 years now.
- Wow, that’s interesting. I remember when we took that trip last year and visited your family. It seemed like there weren’t many people that could speak with me in English.
- Oh, that’s because they don’t speak English that much.
- But they speak it in school, right? Maybe they just didn’t like me so they didn’t want to talk to me.
- No, actually they liked you a lot. They told me they thought you were very nice. They are just shy. They’re not used to talking with foreigners. I remember when I first came to the US. I was really nervous about speaking with people.
- I see. I thought there were lots of Americans teaching English in your country.
- Yes, that’s true. There are probably twice as many now as there were five years ago, but they are mostly in the cities. My family lives in the country.
- I wonder why. Personally, I prefer the country to the city. It’s so quiet and peaceful. If I were to teach, I would want to teach in the country.
- Do you think you would want to teach someday? I know the schools around my town are looking for teachers, so if you want, I can call them and get more information.
- No, I don’t think so. I would need to stay there for a year, and I don’t think I can take that much time off work.
- Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I think you would be a really great teacher.
Lesson 98: GIFTS
- Dorothy, what are your plans for Christmas?
- Oh yes, it’s almost Christmas, isn’t it? I’m not sure what I’ll be doing then.
- Well, if you don’t have any plans, your family could have dinner at my house.
- That’s very nice of you, thanks. Have you finished your shopping yet?
- No, I still have to do that. I think I’ll go to the mall this weekend.
- It’s going to be really crowded at the mall. You should shop online.
- You’re right. My family loves to read, so I can probably get them all presents from Amazon.com.
- What do you think you’ll get for your wife?
- Probably a romance novel. It seems like she’s always reading one of those.
- Don’t you think you should get her something a little more expensive, like jewelry or maybe a new computer?
- Maybe you’re right. It’s hard buying gifts. I think my wife has everything she wants. Maybe I should just ask her.
Lesson 99: ELECTION
- Martin, who are you going to vote for?
- Do you mean for the president?
- Yes.
- I’m not sure yet.
- You should make up your mind soon. The election is next month.
- Yes, I know. I hear about it every day on the news.
- I’m going to vote for Obama.
- I think he is a good choice, but I think McCain would make a good president also.
- I know. They’re both good. It’s hard to decide. McCain is older but he has more experience. Obama seems to have a lot of good ideas, but some people say he wants to raise taxes.
- I heard he wants to lower taxes. It’s hard to know what the truth is. That’s the reason I really don’t pay attention to politics.
- Yes, it can be frustrating, but it’s important and it’s interesting to watch.
Lesson 100: BOOK CLUB
- Hey John, can I talk to you for a minute?
- Sure, what’s up?
- I wanted to let you know about a book club I joined a couple of months ago. I know you do a lot of reading so I thought you might want to come with me next month.
- Oh, that sounds like fun. When does the group meet?
- Usually the last Saturday of the month at 9:30 in the evening. Is that too late for you?
- No, I think that’s ok. What do you talk about in the group?
- Well, every month we choose a new book and then during the next meeting we discuss it.
- What book are you reading now?
- The Kite Runner.
- I’ve heard that’s a good book. What’s it about?
- It is a good book. I’m almost finished. The book is about a boy who grows up in Afghanistan during the 1980s. It’s called the Kite Runner because the main character takes part in a kite flying competition.
- That sounds really interesting. I’d love to come.
- Ok, great. The next meeting isn’t for another two weeks, so you still have time to read the book.
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