Unit7Homeandbeyond

Warmingup

Listening&speakingConversation

Scripts

F:Hithere!Iheardthatyou’replanningtoredecorateyourhouse.Whatstyleareyouthinkingof?Itmustbequiteadecision.

M:Yeah,it’sbeenonmymindlately.I’mabittornbetweenminimalismandmaximalism.

F:Whatexactlyareminimalismandmaximalism?

M:Well,minimalismwasanartmovementthatstartedinthe1960s.Itsbasicprinciplesarederivedfromtheconceptof“l(fā)essismore,”thatis,reducingthingsbacktotheirmostbasic.

F:Oh,Isee.So,whatdoesminimalismlooklikeinhomedesign?

M:Inhomedesign,minimalismisallaboutcleanlines,simpleshapes,andmutedcolors.Itusuallyfeaturesanopenfloorplanwithfurniturethatismulti-functionalandcanbeeasilymovedaround.Thistypeofdesigngivestheillusionofmorespace.

F:Interesting.Andwhataboutmaximalism?

M:Maximalismstartedinthe1970s.Itembracesthecoreidealthat“moreismore.”

F:Howdoesthattranslateintohomedesign?

M:Well,whenitcomestohomedesign,maximalismuseslotsofdifferentpatternsandbrightcolors.Itfeaturesheavyfurnitureandlotsofaccessories.Itfeelsvibrantandenergeticbutcansometimeslookabitbusyandcluttered.

F:So,minimalismandmaximalismareonoppositeendsofthedesignspectrum,right?

M:Yeah.Ican’tdecidewhichonesuitsmebetter.Minimalismseemssoorganized,butI’mworrieditmightmakemyhomelooktooempty,youknow?

F:Igetthat.It’slikefindingtherightbalance.Minimalismmightbeperfectforsomeonewhowantsthatillusionofcleanlinessandorder,butitmightnotfeellivedin.Ontheotherhand,

maximalismisgreatifyoulovebeingsurroundedbycolorsandthingsthatmakeyouhappy,butit

canbeabitoverwhelming.

M:Exactly!Iwantmyspacetoreflectme,butIcan’tfigureoutwhichstylealignsmorewithwhatIwant.

F:Maybethere’samiddleground,likeincorporatingsomeminimalistelementswithpopsofcolorandpatterns.Thatway,yougetthebestofbothworlds.

M:That’sagreatidea!

Questions:

Whatistheman’smainconcern?

Whatdoesthemanwanttoachievewithhishomedesign?

Whatsuggestiondoesthewomangivetotheman?

Referenceanswers

Listeningandunderstanding1

1.B 2.C 3.A

2

moreismore

simple

open

multi-functional

heavy

order

empty

vibrantandenergetic

Thinkingandspeaking

Exploringvarioushomedesignstyles

Whatisyourfavoritehomedesignstyle?

Passage1Scripts

Imaginewakinguptofindafreshlybrewedcupofcoffeeandthehousesettotheperfecttemperature.Withsmarthomedevices,thesethingscanhappenevenwhileyouareasleep.

WiththeriseofAIsystems,youcaneasilycontrolthesmarthomedevicesaroundyourhouse.Youcanaskthemtomakecoffee,dimthelightswhenthey’retoobright,orevenmakesurethehouseissafe.Youcanaskthemabouttheweather,tellthemtoplaymusic,orsearchtheInternetforyouifyouhaveaburningquestionabouthistoryorthelatestcookingrecipes.

Buthowfarwillitgo?Well,wealreadyhaveself-drivingcarsandsmarttechnologythatcan

automaticallyorderthedeliveryofcertainproductstorestockourfridgewhencertainsuppliesarerunninglow.So,whileitseemsfornowthatrobotstakingoverallofthedomesticdutiesonlyliveinourimagination,wemightbeseeingitsoonerthanwethink.

Thepotentialofrobotstopre-programandautomatepartsofourlivesenablesustofocusonothertasks,therebymakingourlivesmucheasier.ButaswewelcomesmarthomedevicesandAI

systemsintoourhomes,it’simportanttoconsiderthebalancebetweenconvenienceandpotentialdrawbacks.Arewesacrificingtoomuchprivacyandautonomyforthesakeofconvenience?Howcanweensurethattheyenhanceratherthandiminishourqualityoflife?Theseconsiderationsinviteustocriticallyexaminetheroleoftechnologyinshapingourdomesticenvironments.

Referenceanswers

Listeningandunderstanding1

imagination

sooner

focuson

easier

privacy

diminish

2

1. 3. 4. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Thinkingandspeaking

Balancingconvenienceandpotentialdrawbacks

Designingyourownsmarthome

Passage2Scripts

Neighborhoodshopsholdaspecialplaceinourhearts.Theycouldbetheshopthatyourantoasachildtobuywhateverlast-minuteingredientsyourmotherneededtofinishcooking,thebakerywhereyousmelledfreshlybakedbreadeverytimeyoupassed,orthecornergreengrocer’swhereyouenjoyedbuyingfreshfruitandvegetables.

However,theriseoflargesupermarketsposesasignificantchallengetothesecherishedlocalshops,ascompetitionoftenforcesthemtoclosedown.Whilesupermarketsmayofferawiderrangeofproductsandcompetitiveprices,therearemanybenefitsofshoppinginneighborhoodshops.Forone,neighborhoodshopsboastauniquecharm,offeringnotonlylocallysourcedproductsthatareofsuperiorqualitybutalsoasenseofconnectionbetweencustomersandlocalfarmersandshopkeepers.Additionally,ifyoushopinneighborhoodshops,youwillbe

contributingtotheeconomicdevelopmentofyourarea,sincemuchofthemoneyyouspendwillcontinuetocirculateintheneighborhood.

Iftheseneighborhoodshopsdisappear,theconsequencescouldbesignificant.Beyondthedirectimpactslikejoblossesandeconomicdeclinewithintheneighborhood,therecouldbeadeeper,morepervasiveeffectonthecommunity.Theabsenceoftheselocalbusinesseswouldcreateagapinthesocialfabricoftheneighborhood,weakeningthesenseofcommunityandbelongingamongresidents.Moreover,thelossoftheseshopswoulderodeanarea’suniquecharacterandcharm.

Ultimately,aneighborhoodwithoutlocalshopsrisksbecomingalifeless,economicallystagnantenvironment.Therefore,tokeepaneighborhoodalive,weneedlocalshops.

Referenceanswers

Listeningandunderstanding1

aspecialplace

superiorquality

connection

economicdevelopment

decline

communityandbelonging

characterandcharm

alive

2

T

T

F

T

F

Thinkingandspeaking

Largesupermarketsvs.smallneighborhoodshops

Supportingneighborhoodshops

LectureScripts

Citiesarevitaltousall,butfewaretrulybeautiful.Todaywe’regoingtouncoverafewprinciplesthatdeterminehowacitygetstobeprettyorugly.

Onethingwereallyloveincitiesisorder.Ordermeansbalance,symmetry,andrepetition.

However,excessiveordercanbejustasmuchofaproblem.Itcanmakethingsfeelrigidand

alien.Itcancreateanatmospherethatisbleak,relentless,andharsh.Theidealweseekisafusionofvarietyandorder.Consideracitystreetlinedwithbuildingsofdifferentarchitecturalstyles,yetallfallingwithinacohesiveurbanplan.Thisbalancebetweenvarietyandordercreatesavibrantandharmoniousurbanenvironment.

Now,thesecondthingthatmakescitiesbeautifulisvisiblelife.Thinkaboutthestreetswhereyoucanseethingsgoingon:abakery,asnackbar,orabookshop.Thesearethestreetswelovebecausetheyarefulloflife.Insteadofsteriletowersandisolatedhighways,wecherishtheoldstreetswherewecanseepeopleatwork,lookthemintheeyeastheywalkdowntheroad,and

feelconnectedtothem.

Anotherprincipleofattractivecitiesisrelatedtoorientationandmystery.Bydefinition,citiesarehuge,butthecitiesthatalotofpeopleloveoftenfeaturelittlebackstreetsandsmalllaneswhereyoufeelcozyandgetabitlost.We’redrawntothesenseofmysteryandenclosurethatthese

streetsoffer.So,anidealistohavewideopenspacestogetherwithlittlealleysandlanes.Weneedcitiesthatofferustwoimportantkindsofpleasure:thepleasureofmysteryandthepleasureoforientation.

Finally,makecitieslocal.Wedon’twantbuildingstolookthesameeverywhere.It’shugelydisappointingwhenyoutravelforhoursonlytolandandfeelyoucouldbeanywhere.Citiesneedtohaveastrongcharacterwhichderivesfromtheuseofdistinctivelocalmaterialsand

architecturalstyles.

Overall,thebeautyofcitiesisfoundintheblendofvarietyandorder,vibrantstreetlife,theintriguinglayout,anddistinctivelocalcharacter.

Questions:

Whatdoesthespeakersayaboutbeautyincities?

Accordingtothelecture,whatistrueaboutorderincities?

Whydopeoplecherisholdstreets?

Howdomanypeoplefeelaboutlittlebackstreetsandsmalllanes?

Referenceanswers

Listeningandunderstanding1

fusion

life

wideopenspaces

pleasure

materials

architecturalstyles

2

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

Thinkingandspeaking

Whichcityisyourfavorite?

Ideasformakingyourcitymoreattractive

ViewingandspeakingScripts

OnarecentMondaymorning,thecitizensofKanawhaCounty,WestVirginia,cametocheckoutanewchapterinthelifeofanoldinstitution.

“Thesearenolongerwarehousesofbooks.Thesearemarketplacesofideas.Thisisacommunity’slivingroom.”

Aftermorethantwoyearsand32milliondollarsinrenovations,downtownCharleston’spubliclibraryreopenedtothepublic.Inside,visitorsdiscoveredabrand-newcafé,atool-lendinglibrary,(and)an“idealab”fullofthelatesttechnology.Therewasanexcitementyoucouldseeandhear,whichisexactlywhatthelibrarianswerehopingfor.

“Librariansfromtimeimmemorial,like,you’re,‘Shh.’”“Arewebeyondtheageofshushing?”

“We’rebeyondtheageofthat,yeah.”

Frompodcastingboothstocomputerizedsewingmachinestoaugmentedrealityscreens,thefacilityhasbeenupdatedforthemodernage.

“ItellyouwhatI’mnotseeinghere;I’mnotseeingatonofbooks.”

“Yeah,no!Wehave3Dmachines;wehaverobotics;wehave3Dpens.”

Whiletherearestillplentyofbooks,theredesignallowedthestafftorethinkhowtheyweredisplayed.

“Itwasmoreabouttheengagement,howwewantedourpublictoengagewithinthelibrary.Anditwasn’tattheshelves.Itwasn’tjustgrabbingabookandthenleaving.Wewantedthemtostay.”

Acrossthecountry,libraryattendancehasdeclined21percentfrom2009to2019.Butborrowinghasactuallyincreased;it’sjustmovedonlineascollectionshaveshiftedfromphysicaltodigitalmaterial.That’scausedlibrariestoshifttheirthinkingintermsofwhatmightbringpeoplethroughthedoors.

“Goodmorning.Welcome.Goodmorning.Welcome.”

AustinPublicLibrarydirectorRooseveltWeeksbeginseachdaygreetingpatronsastheyenterthedowntownbranch.“Hey,boss,what’sgoingon,man?”The200,000-square-footbuildingfillsupfast.

“Imeanyou’vebeenopenforallofnineminutesatthispoint,andit’sbustlingalready.”“It’salwayslikethat.”

PeoplecometoAustin’slibrarytoplayboardgames,videogames,(and)gamesofgiantchess.Alongsidetheactualbooks,thereareChromebooksandMacBookstocheckout.Theteenareahostsjamsessionsfeaturingthelibrary’scollectionofguitars.

“Whatdoyouthinkisthemostunexpectedphysicalitemthatyoucancheckoutatthelibrary?”“Seeds.”

“Seeds?”

“Yes.Ifyouwanttoplantagarden,wehaveseedsthatyoucancheckout.”

“So,that’snotsomethingyouhavetoreturn,right?There’snot(no)latefeesonseeds.”“The‘return’is,comeandshowuswhatyougotfromyourgarden.”

WhenAustin’sCentralLibraryopenedin2017,itinstantlybecameacommunityhub.Visitationincreasedinsubsequentyears.

“Wereyouhereonopeningday?”

“Oh,Iwashere.Youknowwehad17,000peoplewaitingtogetintothisbuilding.”

Thebuildingitselfispartofthedraw:brightandopen,fullofspacestoloungeandmeet.Modernlibrariesareattemptingtomeettheneedsoftodaywhilestayingflexibleforthefuture.

“Moreandmoreoftheselibrariesarebeingbuiltsothattheyhaveveryopenfloorplans.AndIthinkpartofthatisthatvisionof(the)longterm.Wedon’tknowwhatthenextthingmightbe.”MiguelFigueroaistheformerdirectoroftheCenterfortheFutureofLibraries.

“It’sreallyeasytothinkaboutthefutureasexclusivelytechnological.AndIthinkalotoflibrariesarekeepingpacewiththat.Atthesametime,Ithinkwe’restartingtoseethatthere’sareallygreatfuturefortheseinstitutionsas(a)place–thevalueofhavinganopenpublicplaceinyourcity,inyourneighborhood.”

Publiclibrariesarepublic–aplacewhereeveryonecancometogether.Inoneroom,recentimmigrantspracticeEnglish;inanother,first-timecomputeruserslearnhowtonavigatetheInternet.TheInternet,analways-onlimitlesshubofinformation,didn’treplacelibraries;itmayhavemadethemmoreessential.

Thesideeffectsofsomeofthetechnologieswere(are)thatwedobecomesofocusedononlineinformationoronlinediscoursethatweforgethowtoconnectwithotherpeople.Librariesretrainyou,Ithink,tobeamemberofthepublic,tobepartofthecivicdiscourse.

Questions:

WhattrendhasbeenobservedinlibrariesacrosstheU.S.?

Whatisonethingmodernlibrariesaredoingtoaddressfutureneeds?

Whatdowelearnaboutthefutureoflibraries?

Referenceanswers

Viewingandunderstanding1

1.B 2.A 3.B

2

32milliondollars

tool-lending

thelatesttechnology

Augmentedreality

engagement6)200,000

guitars

Seeds

communityhub

increased

Thinkingandspeaking

Whatisyourexperienceoflibraries?

Rethinkingtheroleoflibraries

Unitproject

FurtherlisteningConversationScripts

F:HeyMike.Asanexpertinarchitecture,whatdoyouthinkisthemajorchallengeforarchitectstoday?

M:Well,Maria,Ithinkit’ssustainability.It’sabouthowtouseresourcesefficiently.Forexample,wecanusesmartglass,whichcanchangeitstransparencyandtintwiththepushofabutton,thuskeepingtheinteriorfromheatingup.

F:Wow,that’simpressive.What’sonthehorizonforbuildingsustainablebigbuildings?

M:Wewanttogettonet-zeroorevennet-positiveenergy.Whenyoubuildsomethingnew,thereisalwaysenergyconsumedintheconstruction:thefossilfuelsusedtocreatebuildingmaterials,theheatyouusetomoldthosematerials...Thatmeansyouarealwaysstartingatanumberthatisnotzero.So,wewanttobeabletogeneratepoweratsourcetooffsettheenergywe’reusingtobuildthebuildingandtheenergywe’reusingindailyactivities.

F:Ah,gotit.So,netzeromeansabuilding’senergyconsumptionmatchestheenergyitgenerates,right?

M:Exactly!Andnetpositivemeansitproducesmoreenergythanitconsumes.

F:Howclosearewetothatgoal?

M:Well,we’vedesignedanumberofnet-positiveenergybuildings,butwehaven’tbeenabletobuildanyyet.ThePearlRiverTowerinGuangzhou,China,gotprettyclose.Itproducesmostofthepowerituses.

F:Whatisthebiggestchallengeforbuildingnet-positiveenergybuildings?

M:Thepaybackperiodforasystemthatwouldgenerateenergyatsource,atthebuilding,isquitelong…about18to20years.It’shardtoconvincepeoplethattheyneedtopaysuchhighcostsforsomethingthatwillonlybenefitthemfinanciallysofarintothefuture…

Questions:

WhatdoesMikeidentifyastheprimarychallengeforarchitectstoday?

WhatdoesMikesayaboutnet-positiveenergybuildings?

Whatisthemaindifficultyinbuildingnet-positiveenergystructures,accordingtoMike?

Referenceanswers

1.C 2.D 3.B

Passage1Scripts

Intheheartofeverycommunityliesagreenspace,aplacewherelaughterechoesthroughthetrees,childrenplay,andfamiliesgather.Yet,beyondthevibrantpresent,communityparksoftenholdatreasuretroveofhistory,weavingtogetherthepast,present,andfutureofaneighborhood.

Withincommunityparks,monumentsandmemorialsstandtall,tellingtalesofpasteras.Whetherhonoringlocalheroes,commemoratingsignificantevents,orcelebratingmilestones,these

physicalmarkersserveassilentguardiansofthepast.Eachstructureinvitesresidentstoconnectwiththehistoryoftheircommunity,groundingtheminanarrativethattranscendstime.

Aswestrollthroughthepark,westeponthegroundthathaswitnessedthehighsandlowsof

communitylife.Historicalgatherings,culturalcelebrations,andsignificanteventshaveunfoldedintheseopenspaces.Andit’snotjustthebigmomentsthatmatter.Everychild’slaughterontheswings,everygameplayedontheplayground,andeveryfriendshipformedinthesandboxaddtothepark’sstory.Thesememoriesbecomealivingtestamenttotheenergyandlivelinessofthe

community.

Nature,too,contributestothehistoricalnarrativeofthepark.Thebiodiversitywithintheparktellsataleofadaptationandcoexistence.Nativeplantsandanimalshavethrivedinthisgreenhaven,adaptingtothechanginglandscapeandbecominganintegralpartofthepark’snaturalhistory.

Inessence,communityparksarelikelivinghistorybooks,connectingustoourpastwhilealsocreatingmemoriesforthefuture,allbeneaththeshadeoftheirtrees.

Questions:

Whatroledomonumentsandmemorialsincommunityparksplay?

Whatdoesthepassagesayabouteverydayactivitiesinthepark?

Whyarecommunityparksdescribedas“l(fā)ivinghistorybooks”inthepassage?

Referenceanswers

1.A 2.C 3.D

Passage2Scripts

The36linesoftheNewYorksubwaysystemhavelongservedasthearteriesofthecity,lovedbylocalsandtouristsalikefortheirabilitytotransportpassengersacrossalmosteveryborough.

Iusedtotakethesubwaywithmyfathereverydayfromkindergartentofifthgrade.Whilesomefifth-gradestudentsmight’vetalkedtotheirdadsabouthomeworkorsportspractice,weplayedagamecalled“Observe,Perceive,andWonder.”Theideawastopickafellowpassenger,observethedetailsoftheirappearance,andthenformsomeperceptionabouttheircharacter.Oncethatwasdone,youwouldletyourimaginationtakeyouintoastoryabouttheirlife.

Now,Itakethesubwayalone.Offtomeetfriends,offtodothingsonmyown,andmakeupalifethatmyfatherwon’tbepartof.ButeverynowandthenIfindmyselfdroppingintothegameof

“Observe,Perceive,andWonder.”Inwonderingaboutotherpeople’slives,Imeetthewonderofmyown.IcatchglimpsesofmyselfinthestoriesthatIimagineforthem.MostofourtimeinNewYorkisspenttryingtogetthingsdone,tryingtoholdontoourlittlepiecesofprivacy,andavoid

collidingwitheachother.Asubwaycarisastrangespaceinwhichweareconfrontedwiththevarietyoflife,whichwearealwaystoobusytoappreciate.

Ifeltthisatsixyearsold,andIfeelitnow:astrongconnectiontomyfellowNewYorkers.ForabriefmomentIampartoftheirlives,andweareone,alltravelingtogetherunderthecity,unitednotbyourdestinations,butbyourjourneys.

Questions:

Whatdoesthespeakersayaboutthegamethatsheusedtoplaywithherfather?

Whatdowelearnaboutthespeaker’scurrentsubwayrides?

Whatdoesthesubwaycarmeantothespeaker?

Referenceanswers

1.C 2.C 3.A

LectureScripts

Inthelastsection,wesawthatnewironandsteelmanufacturingprocessesopenedupthepossibilityoftoweringbuildings.Butthisisonlyhalfthepicture.Beforehigh-riseskyscraperscouldbecomeareality,engineershadtomakethempractical.

Skyscraperswouldneverhaveworkedwithoutthedevelopmentofelevatortechnology.Inmostskyscrapers,theelevatorshaftsmakeupthecentralcore.Figuringouttheelevatorstructureisabalancingactofsorts.Asyouaddmorefloorstoabuilding,youincreasethebuilding’sca