A Day in the Life of a Typical American Family with a Student
Tape Ⅰ
Situation 1: Waking Up
(It is Monday morning. Robert's mom comes into his room and wakes him up.)
Mom:Robert, wake up. It s seven o'clock.
Robert:Oh, mom. Can't I sleep a little longer?
Mom:No. You have to catch the bus at seven forty-five.
Robert:Okay, I'll get up.
Mom:That's a good boy. I'll get breakfast ready while you take a shower.
Robert:Is anyone in the bathroom?
Mom:No, you can shower right now.
Robert:Great. What's for breakfast?
Mom:I haven't decided yet. You just take your shower, brush your teeth and hair, and I'll take care of the food.
Robert:All right. I'll come downstairs in fifteen minutes.
Mom:Ten minutes would be better.
Robert:I'll hurry but I can't promise.
Mom:But you might miss the bus if you wait too long.
Robert:You're right, mom. I'll be down in ten minutes.
Mom:That's a good boy. Hurry up.
Robert:Hey, mom, can you make waffles for breakfast?
Mom:I can't promise, but if you hurry I might make them.
Robert:For waffles, I'll always hurry.
Situation 2: Breakfast
Robert:(Coming downstairs and sitting at the table)
Mom, breakfast smells great. What is it?
Mom:It's waffles, just like you wanted.
Robert:Thanks, mom. You're the best.
Mom:Yes, but only when I make what you want to eat.
Robert:Mom, you know that's not true.
Mom:I know. I was only joking. I also made you some sausage and orange juice.
Robert:Perfect. How did you know sausage and waffles were my favorite?
Mom:Robert, I'm your mother. I know everything about you.
Robert:Not everything.
Mom:Oh, really? What don't I know?
Robert:Well, you don t know I am on the basketball team at school.
Mom:The what?
Robert:The basketball team. I'm on the team and I am playing forward.
Mom:Does your father know about this?
Robert:No. And he doesn't have to know. If you don't tell him....
Mom:Robert, you know I have to tell him. He's your father.
Robert:Yeah, but mom you know he won't understand.
Mom:Yes he will. You just have to explain it to him.
Robert:No, he won't. He just wants me to study. He doesn't like sports at all.
Mom;Yes he does. He plays golf.
Robert:Mom, golf is not a sport. It is a game for old people.
Mom:Be careful. I play golf, too.
Robert:I know. I just mean it's not a sport like basketball.
Mom:Oh, here comes your father now. We'll tell him.
Robert:Do we have to?
Mom:Yes.
Situation 3: Talking to Dad
(Robert s dad comes downstairs and joins Robert and his mom at the table.)
Mom:Good morning, dear.
Robert:Good morning, dad.
Dad:Good morning, you two. What were you just talking about?
Robert:Nothing.
Mom:Robert, tell your father what you just told me.
Dad:What's that, Robert?
Robert:Well, it's really nothing, but I am playing a little basketball after school these days.
Mom:Robert, it's more than just a little basketball.
Dad:Which is it, a little or more?
Robert:Dad, I'm on the basketball team. Isn't that great?
Dad:I'm not sure. You know how I feel about you playing sports and not studying.
Robert:But I am studying dad, I promise.
Dad:I still don t like the idea of you playing when you should be doing schoolwork.
Robert:But I can do both. I can play sports and do my schoolwork.
Dad:Are you sure?
Robert:Yes.
Dad:What do you think, dear?
Mom: I think we should give him a chance. If he can keep good grades in school while playing basketball, then we should let him play. But if his grades are bad, he will have to quit the team.
Robert:Yeah, dad, that's fair.
Dad:Well, it sounds okay. Let s give it a try. But if you don't do your schoolwork, you re off the team. Do you understand?
Robert:Yes. Thanks mom. You're great.
Mom:Your father said yes, too.
Robert:Oh, yeah. Thanks dad.
Mom:Robert, you had better go. You'll be late for your bus.
Robert:Okay, I m going. Thanks for breakfast.
Mom:Hurry up.
Robert:Bye.
Mom:Bye. See you tonight.
Situation 4: Mom and Dad Have a Talk
Mom:He sure is growing up fast.
Dad:Tell me about it. He seems to change every month.
Mom:What do think about him playing team basketball? I'm worried that he'll neglect school and get too involved in athletics and all the other distractions that come with playing sports.
Dad:Oh, I don t know. I know I sounded negative about it just now with Robert, but actually, I m happy he s playing. I played sports from middle school on and it didn't hurt my grades.
Mom:Are you serious? You were lucky to graduate from high school!
Dad:I got good grades at university. Besides, kids should get more out of middle and high school than books and tests.
Mom:But this is the age where he will develope most of his habits; both good and bad. What if he ends up liking sports more than school?
Dad:So what? You say that as if it is the end of the world. When I was his age all I cared about was sports and girls and look at me; I turned out just fine.
Mom:That is because you didn't have any luck at either sports or girls and realized you had better study when you went to college.
Dad:Careful! When you say I didn't have any luck with women that could mean I was unlucky to have married you.
Mom:All right, I'll admit that after you entered university you got your act together. But, what are we going to do about Robert?
Dad:Nothing. As it is, he is doing fine in school and so we will give him a chance and see if he can handle both basketball and his studies. Who knows? We may have a future NBA star for a son.
Situation 5: On the School Bus
(Robert goes outside and catches the bus. His friend Billy is already on the bus.)
Robert:Hey, Billy, what s up?
Billy:Hey, Bobby. How are you?
Robert:My name is Robert, not Bobby.
Billy:And my name is William, but everybody calls me Billy.
Robert:Well, that's you, not me. Please call me Robert from now on.
Billy:Okay, Bob.
Robert:Very funny. I m going to start calling you William.
Billy:No, I hate that name. I promise to call you Robert, if you promise not to call me William.
Robert:I promise. You see how easy that was. Hey, are you going to practice today?
Billy:Practice? What practice?
Robert:Basketball practice, of course.
Billy:I almost forgot. Yeah, I m going. What about you? Did your dad give you permission?
Robert:Yep. Can you believe it? The old man is not so bad.
Billy:I think your dad is really cool. He s way better than my dad.
Robert:That's what you think, but it's not true. He only wants me to study, but my mom helped me so now I can play sports too.
Billy:What about your grades?
Robert:I promised that I would get good grades.
Billy:What if you don't?
Robert:If I don't, then I have to quit the basketball team.
Billy:I know you'll be studying hard this year.
Robert:Yes, I will. I like basketball enough to make me want to study hard.
Billy:Yeah, school is not so bad if you can both study and play.
Situation 6: Basketball
(David is sitting behind Robert and wants to talk about basketball.)
David:I heard you guys talking about basketball. Who do you think is the greatest player ever?
Robert:That's easy, it s Michael Jordan.
David:I don t think so. I think it Shaquille O'Neal.
Robert:What?! Shaq?! Jordan is way better than Shaq!
David:No way. Jordan has more fancy moves, but Shaq is better.
Robert:Are you crazy?! Shaq is just big and that is all. Jordan is a better shooter. He has better defense. He is more fun to watch. And he has won more championships. How do you say Shaq is better?
David:I don't know.
Robert:What do you mean, you don't know?
David:I mean I don't know much about basketball. I just heard my older brother saying Shaq was the best.
Robert:You don't know much about basketball and you are fighting with me. Are you on the basketball team?
David:No. I'm in the chess club.
Robert:Chess club?! Then you should talk about chess and not basketball.
David:Sorry. Hey, do you like chess?
Robert:I hate it. It is the most boring game on earth.
David:You shouldn't say that. It is really fun.
Robert:Okay, I m sorry. I promise not to talk about chess if you promise not to talk about basketball.
David:Okay, I promise.
Situation 7: First Period
(Robert s first period of the day is English class. His teacher is Mr. Hubbard.)
Mr. Hubbard:Good morning, class.
Class:Good morning, Mr. Hubbard.
Mr. Hubbard:Did all of you have a fun weekend? How about you Robert, how was your weekend?
Robert:It was pretty good.
Mr. Hubbard:Robert, this is an English language class. Please speak a little more. Tell us all about what you did on Saturday and Sunday.
Robert:Let s see. On Saturday I went out to dinner.
(Robert stops and doesn't say anything more.)
Mr. Hubbard:Will you tell the class and me where you went out to dinner and what you ate?
Robert:Yes. I went to T.G.I.Friday's with my parents and my friend Tommy. I had a steak with french fries and Tommy had spaghetti. After dinner we both had a big bowl of ice cream for dessert. And then we played video games. And then....
(Mr. Hubbard thinks that Robert will never stop talking and so stops him.)
Mr. Hubbard:Thank you, Robert. That is enough.
Robert:But I thought you wanted to hear everything. I have a lot more to tell you.
Mr. Hubbard:No, that will be fine. Class, please open your books to page fifty-six. Today we are going to talk about....
(Robert interrupts Mr. Hubbard.)
Robert:But Mr. Hubbard, I still have a lot to say.
Mr. Hubbard:Good. Then you can tell me what you thought of the story on page fifty-six.
Robert:I didn't read it. I was busy.
Mr. Hubbard:Busy? Busy eating ice cream?
Robert:No, busy practicing basketball. I'm on the team.
Mr. Hubbard:I don't care. All I care about is if you do your English homework or not. I think I'll have to call your parents.
Robert:No, please don t.
Mr. Hubbard:Why not?
Robert:I promised my parents I would get good grades if they let me play basketball.
Mr. Hubbard:Well then you will have to study hard or I will call them next time.
Robert:Thank you so much. I will study hard, I promise.
Situation 8: Second Period
(Robert's second period of the day is a computer class. His teacher is Ms. Cross.)
Ms. Cross: Class, please sit down.
Robert: Ms. Cross, can I go to the bathroom?
Ms. Cross: Of course not. You just had a five-minute break. Why didn't you go then?
Robert:I was busy getting ready for this class.
Ms. Cross:You should have been ready for this class last night. You will just have to wait.
Robert:Okay, but can I show you my homework first?
Ms. Cross: Yes, of course you can.
(Robert takes a CD out of his backpack.)
Robert:I made a computer game called Space Killer.
Ms. Cross:How do you play it?
Robert:You are flying in a space ship and you have to fight against aliens.
Ms. Cross:How do you win?
Robert:You can't ever kill all the aliens, but whoever gets the most points wins.
Ms. Cross:And how do you score points?
Robert:You score points by killing aliens. You get one point per alien, and ten points for destroying an alien ship.
Ms. Cross:That sounds very violent.
Robert:No. It's just fun. And most computer games now are much more violent than this one.
Ms. Cross:Well then, let's see if it works.
(Robert takes his CD and puts it into a CD-ROM drive.)
Wow, that looks great. You did a good job. I'm giving you an “A.”
Robert:Thanks, Ms. Cross.
Situation 9: Recess 1
(After his computer class, Robert gets a fifteen minute break that is called “recess.”)
Billy:Hey Robert, how were your classes?
Robert:They were great. My English teacher, Mr. Hubbard, gave me a second chance to do my homework, and my computer teacher, Ms. Cross, really liked the computer game I made.
(Billy looks a little sad.)
Billy:I wish I could say the same. My history teacher hates me. He says he is going to call my dad so I can't play basketball.
Robert:Who's your history teacher?
Billy:Mr. Cranston.
Robert:Oh yeah. I had him last year. He was really mean.
Billy:Yes, he still is really mean. He knows how much I like sports and still he is going to call my dad.
Robert:Maybe not.
Billy:What do you mean?
Robert:I mean last year I had this same problem.
Billy:What did you do?
Robert:I wrote an extra report and he agreed not to call my parents.
Billy:Do you think he'll do that for me?
Robert:I don't know but you should try.
Billy:You re right. I'll ask him. Hey, let s go talk to some girls.
Robert:Good idea.
Situation 10: Recess 2
(Robert and Billy find Michelle.)
Robert:Hey, there's Michelle. Why don t you go talk to her?
Billy:I'm shy. You talk to her. I'll listen.
Robert:What? It was your idea to talk to girls.
Billy:I know, but now I m scared.
Robert:You chicken. Okay, I'll talk to her. Watch and learn.
(Robert begins talking to Michelle while Billy listens and laughs.)
Robert:Hey, Michelle, what s up?
Michelle:Nothing much. What's up with you?
Robert:Nothing. Oh, but I made the basketball team.
Michelle:Cool. What position do you play?
Robert:I play forward. I could play guard, but I'm tall so the coach wants me to play forward.
Michelle:I don't really know the difference between guard and forward, but it's great that you are on the team. I'm a cheerleader, you know?
Robert:No, I didn't know that. You re pretty enough to be a cheerleader though.
Michelle:Stop it. You're lying.
Robert;No, really, you're very pretty.
Michelle:Really? Then why don't you ever talk to me?
Robert:I'm talking to you now.
Michelle:That's true. Do you have a girlfriend?
Robert:No. Do you have a boyfriend?
Michelle:No....
Robert:Will you come watch basketball practice today after school?
Michelle:Yes. I have cheerleading practice then too.
Robert:Great. I'll see you then.
Michelle:Okay, see you then.
Situation 11: Social Studies
(Robert s third period class is social studies in which students learn about different countries and societies. His teacher s name is Mr. Bert.)
Robert:Mr. Bert, I m sick. Can I go to the nurse's office?
Mr. Burt:No, not yet. Today we are going to talk about Japan and Korea, and I think you should stay here. After we talk, if you are still feeling sick, you may go to the nurse's office.
Robert:All right. When does the class start?
Mr. Bert:Right now. Class, today we are going to talk about Japan and Korea. These countries are very far away from America, but they are very important. When I was young we didn't learn about Asia in school, and so we knew very little. These days, however, politics, economics, and the internet have made our relationship to Asia closer than ever. And the two countries we have the closest relationship to are Japan and Korea.
Robert:Why do we have a close relationship with Japan and Korea?
Mr. Bert:Well, Robert, we buy more than half our cars, computers, and other electronics from those two countries. But, more importantly, they have long and interesting histories and cultures. Let me start with the history and culture of Korea.
Robert:Why?
Mr. Bert:Because, actually, much of Japan's history and culture comes from Korea. In the twentieth century, Japan became more developed and more famous than Korea, but for much of history Korea was ahead of Japan....
Robert, are you still sick?
Robert:No. Please keep talking. This is really interesting.
Situation 12: The Nurse s Office
(After social studies, Robert suddenly feels sick again and so doesn't go to his history class, but instead goes to the nurse's office.)
Nurse: What is your name?
Robert:Robert Wallace.
Nurse:And what is the problem, Robert?
Robert:My stomach hurts.
Nurse:You have a stomachache, anything else?
Robert:No.
Nurse:Okay, take this medicine. You should feel better in about twenty minutes.
(The nurse gives Robert some water and medicine which he takes. She comes back after about twenty minutes.)