懂你英语 Level 4 - Unit 1 - Part 4
Listening
QuickServe 2.0
QuickServe is a successful home repair company.
It provides quick, reliable repair services to homes.
It was established five years ago, and has been expanding rapidly.
In the last two years, it has opened offices in three new cities.
Because of its rapid growth, it has to hire many new employees.
In the last 6 months, it has hired 50 new employees.
The total number of employees in the company is now over 500.
And the number of customers has increased to more than 5000.
The company has also improved its business model.
Instead of offering only repair services, it can now help customers to upgrade their appliances.
QuickServe does this by giving a choice.
Customers can choose to repair an appliance or upgrade it by buying a new one.
If they choose to buy a new one, they will get a discounted price.
So a customer can either repair a broken refrigerator for a small fee or buy a new one.
If they buy a new one, they will get a discounted price, along with free installation.
This is possible because several appliance manufacturers have agreed to give QuickServe big discounts.
QuickServe then installs the new appliance and removes the old one.
Feedback from customers has been positive.
A high percentage of customers have taken advantage of this new service.
As a result, QuickServe has developed a great reputation.
Its dedication to high quality service has proven to be successful.
Its word-of-mouth approach to advertising has been cost effective.
The appliance manufacturers have also been happy with the results.
Their growing relationship with QuickServe has helped to increase their sales.
The world’s population
The world’s population is growing.
There are now over 7 billion people in the world.
During the 20th century, the population grew from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.
It's now growing at a rate of around 1.1 percent per year.
That means an increase of about 80 million per year.
By 2024 the population is expected to be around 8 billion people.
The growth rate used to be higher.
In the late 1960s, the rate of growth was about 2%.
Since then, the growth rate has declined.
It is estimated that the growth rate will be less than 1% by 2020.
By the year 2050, the growth rate should be even less.
Even with a declining growth rate, the population will continue to grow.
But it will grow at a slower rate.
In the past 50 years, the worlds population has more than doubled.
It has doubled from around 3 billion in 1960 to more than 7 billion in 2011.
The rate of growth varies by country.
The growth rate in India is more than twice that of China.
And the growth rate in Nigeria, Which is in Africa, is more than twice India's growth rate.
Russia on the other hand has had a negative growth rate in some years.
When a country has a negative growth rate, its population is decreasing.
Vocabulary
Contemporary People
Co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs was a major figure in the computer industry.
He was self-centered and difficult to work for, but he led the development of many great products.
He died of cancer when he was just 56 years old.
Jack Ma is one of the richest and most famous men in China.
He comes from a poor family and failed his college entrance exams twice.
Despite his many failures he has built one of the world’s largest internet companies.
David Beckham is one of the world’s richest and most famous athletes.
He started playing professional football when he was just 17.
Much of his success as an athletes is because he practiced harder than many other players.
As a young girl in Pakistan, Malala became famous for her writings on women’s education.
In 2012 she was shot in the head and nearly killed.
She survived the injury and became the world’s most famous teenager.
Born in 1942, Stephen Hawking was one of the world’s most famous scientists.
When he was 23, he was diagnosed with ALS, a rare disease of the nerves.
Because of his disease, he was unable to walk and talk.
Vocabulary
Personality Types
Shy people are usually quiet and uncomfortable around other people.
They generally dislike going to social events such as parties.
It’s often difficult to make friends with a shy person because they won’t open up.
Outgoing people enjoy being with others and are comfortable in social situations.
They are friendly and pleasant to be with, though sometimes they can’t be trusted.
Self-centered people like to be the center of attention.
They like people to look at them and pay attention to them.
Self-centered people often talk too much and don’t listen enough.
Selfish and greedy people don’t share things with others.
They keep things for themselves and always want more.
People who are responsible and trustworthy are important in almost any situation.
They can be depended on to get things down.
These people can be trusted.
Dialogue
relationship Advice
M：Hey, Steven, you know I’m your friend, right?
Steven：Sure. I know that. What are you trying to say?
M：I’m sorry to say this. But I think you are making a fool of yourself.
Steven：how am I making a fool of myself?
M：Your girlfriend is taking advantage of you.
Steven：Taking advantage of me?
M：Yes, I think so. She’s just using you.
Steven：So, maybe she is. But I don’t mind. Even if she is using me, it’s OK. I’m using her too.
M：What do you mean? Are you joining in love with her?
Steven：Yes, I’m in love with her, but that doesn’t mean I’m not using her too.
M：I don’t understand. What do you mean?
Steven：Maybe I’m using her because I enjoy being in love. I can’t imagine life without her. Even if she hurts me sometimes, I love her.
Even if she hurts him sometimes, he enjoys being in love with her.
M：Do you trust her?
Steven：Yes, I trust her. She tells me what’s important to her. She’s honest with me. She is never lied to me about anything important.
M：Are you honest with her?
Steven：Yes, we are honest with each other even when it hurts. And because we are honest with each other, we trust each other.
M：OK, so you don’t think you’re being taking advantage of?
Steven：No, I don’t, as long as she is honest with me. The day she isn’t honest with me is the end of our relationship. And when that happens, my heart will break. But until then, I’m her man.
M：OK, I think I understand. I didn’t think you knew what was going on.
Steven：I’m not as stupid as I looked, my friend. Being in the love with her makes my life exciting.
M：Well, I hope you’re right.
To make a fool of someone means to make them look stupid.
