Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

UNIT 6
Unit 6, Business, The Q Classroom
Page 97

Teacher: The Unit 6 question is “Why do things yourself?” So let’s get some examples first.
What are some things people do by themselves instead of paying other people to
do them? Yes, Sophy?
Sophy: Repairing things around the house.
Teacher: Great idea! How about you, Felix?
Felix: Car washing. Gardening.
Teacher: OK, good. Yes, Marcus?
Marcus: Making things, like clothes or furniture.
Teacher: Those are good examples. So what do you think, Yuna? Why do people fix things
themselves?
Yuna: Well, it's usually because they want to save money. It costs a lot to hire a repair
person.
Marcus: Yeah, but you have to know what you’re doing! If you don't, you can make it
worse, and then it will cost more.
Teacher: That’s true, Marcus. I remember the time my husband . . . . Well, that's a long
story. What else? Sophy? Why do things yourself?
Sophy: For some people, it's a hobby. For example, I love gardening. I enjoy growing
vegetables, and my family loves eating our own fresh food all summer.
Teacher: What do you think, Felix? Why do things yourself?
Felix: It's very satisfying. My dad likes to make furniture in his free time. He can look at
something and say, “I made that.”

Unit 6, Note-taking Skill, Activity B

Page 98

Reporter: The year was 1976, and two young men were working in a garage. Their names
were Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The garage was at Jobs's parents' home. They
were busy inventing one of the first personal computers for home use. They
introduced their computer to the world in 1977, and they called it Apple II.

The rest, as they say, is history. Apple Computer went on to become one of the most
successful companies in the world. Steve Wozniak left the company in 1987. Steve
Jobs continued to lead the company as it produced things like the well-known
iPhone and iPad. Sadly, Jobs died in 2011.

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 1 of 6

Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

Unit 6, Listening 1, Activity A

Page 100

Part 1

Speaker: In the past, people fixed many of the machines they owned. They repaired
televisions, radios, or even their cars. This saved money, of course, but it was more
than that. For example, fathers and sons often worked in the garage on the family
car. When doing this, skills, “how-to” knowledge, and a love of fixing things passed
from parent to child.

In recent decades, this changed. Many everyday objects are now too complicated
for most owners to repair. Cars have complicated computer systems. TVs do not
have simple parts the owner can replace. With many objects, it is more expensive to
repair an old one than to buy a new one.

Unit 6, Listening 1, Activity B

Page 101

Part 2

Saul Griffith, an inventor, thinks this is a problem. Saul Griffith prepared for his
career as an inventor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Children are losing what Griffith calls a “culture of innovation and
repair.” For Griffith, this means having a feeling of creativity and a “can do” attitude.
Griffith invented an inexpensive system for making eyeglasses and a giant, 3,000-
square-foot kite that can produce electricity. He says that do-it-yourself brings
people closer to the objects they own. They “get involved emotionally” with the
things around them.

Griffith and some colleagues created Howtoons to pass this idea on to today’s kids.
Howtoons is a cartoon series that helps kids learn to think like inventors. Kids can
find Howtoons online or buy the cartoons in book form. With the help of Howtoons,
kids use soda bottles to create rockets or to make “waterscopes” for looking at
objects underwater. They can learn to make their own pens, paper, and ink and to
create many other interesting things.

Howtoons makes science and invention fun. Griffith often travels to science fairs and
museums to present Howtoons to kids. He likes working with kids. He says, “Get
them then, and you get them for life.” For most adults, he feels it is probably too late.

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 2 of 6

Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

Unit 6, Listening 1, Activity D

Page 101

Speaker: In the past, people fixed many of the machines they owned. They repaired
televisions, radios, or even their cars. This saved money, of course, but it was more
than that. For example, fathers and sons often worked in the garage on the family
car. When doing this, skills, “how-to” knowledge, and a love of fixing things passed
from parent to child.

In recent decades, this changed. Many everyday objects are now too complicated
for most owners to repair. Cars have complicated computer systems. TVs do not
have simple parts the owner can replace. With many objects, it is more expensive to
repair an old one than to buy a new one.

Saul Griffith, an inventor, thinks this is a problem. Saul Griffith prepared for his
career as an inventor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Children are losing what Griffith calls a “culture of innovation and
repair.” For Griffith, this means having a feeling of creativity and a “can do” attitude.
Griffith invented an inexpensive system for making eyeglasses and a giant, 3,000-
square-foot kite that can produce electricity. He says that do-it-yourself brings
people closer to the objects they own. They “get involved emotionally” with the
things around them.

Griffith and some colleagues created Howtoons to pass this idea on to today’s kids.
Howtoons is a cartoon series that helps kids learn to think like inventors. Kids can
find Howtoons online or buy the cartoons in book form. With the help of Howtoons,
kids use soda bottles to create rockets or to make “waterscopes” for looking at
objects underwater. They can learn to make their own pens, paper, and ink and to
create many other interesting things.

Howtoons makes science and invention fun. Griffith often travels to science fairs and
museums to present Howtoons to kids. He likes working with kids. He says, “Get
them then, and you get them for life.” For most adults, he feels it is probably too late.

Unit 6, Listening Skill, Activity A

Page 103

1. Griffith invented an inexpensive system for making eyeglasses and a giant, 3,000-
square-foot kite that can produce electricity. He says that do-it-yourself brings people
closer to the objects they own. They “get involved emotionally” with the things around
them.
2. Griffith and some colleagues created Howtoons to pass this idea on to today’s kids.
Howtoons is a cartoon series that helps kids learn to think like inventors. Kids can find
Howtoons online or buy the cartoons in book form.

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 3 of 6

Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

3. With the help of Howtoons, kids use soda bottles to create rockets or to make
“waterscopes” for looking at objects underwater. They can learn to make their own
pens, paper, and ink and to create many other interesting things.

Unit 6, Listening Skill, Activity B

Page 103

Speaker: Here’s the latest, greatest thing in do-it-yourself ideas for kids. It’s a computer
program called Scratch. Scratch contains simple programming tools designed for
kids from age 8 to 16, although many adults enjoy using it as well. With Scratch,
users can create things like greeting cards, games, and animated cartoons. They can
even add sound to their creations.

Scratch is based on a system of blocks. On screen, the blocks look a lot like building
blocks. There are blocks for sound, animation, and several other features. To create
an animation in Scratch, you arrange blocks one on top of the other. When you’re
finished, you click a green flag and the program then performs all of the steps in
order.

You can create a simple animation in Scratch in only a few minutes. Objects in
Scratch are called “sprites.” You start by selecting a sprite, for example a cat, and
then you choose a motion block to make the sprite move. Add a “start” block and in
less than a minute your sprite is moving. You can create several sprites at the same
time and they can interact with each other.

One of the advantages of Scratch is that it’s easy to create simple things like greeting
cards, but it can also be used for complicated projects, such as long stories. Scratch
provides students with a good introduction to the basics of computer programming.
In fact, some colleges are using Scratch in beginning computer science classes.
Teachers say that it also improves students’ math and reading skills.

Unit 6, Listening 2, Activity A, B, D

Page 106

Host: Today we're talking with small-business advisor Harry Watkins about some of
the latest business trends. You all know about DIY, or do-it-yourself, where
people make and repair things themselves. Well, now people are talking about
"sell-it-yourself." You know, Harry, in the past, when people made things, they
had to look for other people to sell them or market them. Nowadays all that is
changing.
Harry: That's absolutely true. People today are more self-sufficient when it comes to
starting a new business. One person can make a new product and sell it to
consumers, with little help from other people.
Host: Can you give us an example?
© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 4 of 6
Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

Harry: Of course. One great example is what we call the "indie" or independent craft
movement. Artists and craftspeople still sell their works at fairs and in stores,
but now they are selling them online as well.
Host: Can you explain how this works? It seems to me that most people don't have the
skills they need to create their own websites and sell things online.
Harry: That's not really what I meant. You don't have to have your own website. You
can sell through other sites that do the work for you. Here's just one example.
There's a website called Etsy.com. By joining Etsy.com, people can sell their
items online, everything from jewelry to furniture to paintings.
Host: Doesn't it cost a lot?
Harry: Not when you compare it with other methods. Etsy charges a small fee for each
sale, and the seller is responsible for mailing the item to the buyer. Still, sellers
usually keep more of their profits this way. More than 185,000 craftspeople from
all over the world sell their products on Etsy to more than a million customers.
And, Etsy isn't the only site. There are other similar sites.
Host: Hmm. Now that I think of it, this is happening in other areas as well, for example,
in book publishing. Now almost anyone can publish a book online.
Harry: Right! Online publishing is a good example of being self-sufficient in a new
business. On some websites you can publish your book for free.
Host: For free? But how does the website make money?
Harry: Let me explain. The website takes the money from the sales and then gives a
percentage of it to the author.
Host: OK. So, suppose I want to publish a book online. How do I do it?
Harry: Well, it is a big DIY project. First you have to edit the book very carefully. Then
you have to design a cover for it and write a blurb about it.
Host: Excuse me. A blurb? What's that?
Harry: It's a short paragraph or two that describes the book. It has to make people want
to buy it. Oh, and I almost forgot, both craftspeople and writers have to decide on
a price for their product.
Host: Don't people have to promote their books? You know, put ads in magazines or
on television. That can be expensive.
Harry: That's another part of the DIY process, but it's not that hard. First, people see the
book on the website. That's a kind of free advertising. That's why it's important
to have good covers and blurbs. Then people use social media to tell everyone
they know about the book. Also when people read the book, they write reviews
to say if they liked it or not. If the book gets good reviews, more people will want
to read it, and so on. A friend of mine published a cookbook online.
Host: A cookbook?
Harry: That's right, a cookbook with foods that are healthy and also delicious. The book
is doing very well. He's even getting invitations from TV programs to come and
cook some of his foods on their shows.

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 5 of 6

Q2e Listening & Speaking 2: Audio Script

Unit 6, Vocabulary Skill, Activity A

Page 110

1. These skills, “how-to” knowledge, and a love of fixing things passed from parent to
child. Knowledge
2. Saul Griffith is an inventor with a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Technology
3. Howtoons is a cartoon series that helps kids learn to think like inventors. Series
4. At an online site called Etsy.com, people can sell their handmade items online,
everything from jewelry to woodworking. Jewelry
5. I know an author who writes modern versions of folk tales. Folk
6. With Scratch, it’s easy to create greeting cards with animated cartoons. Animated

Unit 6, Pronunciation, Examples

Page 114

Many authors sell their work online.

His car had a flat tire.
He’s flying a big black kite.
I’m reading an online newspaper.

Unit 6, Pronunciation, Activity A

Page 114

1. Their business advisor recommended that they raise their prices.

2. The business became more successful after they started the website.
3. I think customers prefer to shop in real stores most of the time.
4. I don’t think companies are going to stop publishing paper books soon.
5. There are several great crafts stores on Main Street.
6. He hopes to sell lots of books online.

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 6 of 6