「Beginner」step1 ：初級(jí)入門

    A ： How old is Keith ？

    B ： He's 21. How old is James？

    A ： He's a year older than Keith ， but he looks younger.

    B ： How's your father？

    A ： He's fine. He retired last week. It's a turning point in his
life. Now he can relax and enjoy his retirement.

    B ： He can spend more time with his grandchildren.

    A ： Oh ， I don't think he wants to. He wants to travel to several
different countries around the world.

    B ： So ， he wants to have a more active retirement. Good idea ！

    A ： How do you want to spend your old age？

    B ： In the same way， probably.

    「Intermediate」中級(jí)進(jìn)階

    A ： What's the life expectancy in your country ？

    B ： I'm not sure ， but probably about 75 years. How about in your
country ？

    A ： About 70 ， I think. This newspaper article talks about the problems
of an aging population. It's a problem that will soon affect most of the
world.

    B ： I heard that the government might need to increase the retirement
age ， because otherwise there will not be enough workers to support the
young and the elderly.

    A ： Perhaps we need to have more babies！ Tina gave birth to a baby
boy yesterday.

    B ： Did she？ That's great. However， if we have too many children，
that will have a bad effect on the environment.

    A ： How's your son these days？

    B ： Oh ， he's fine. Kids seem to grow up very quickly nowadays.

    A ： He'll be a teenager before you know it ！ Teenagers are often
rebellious！When do you think it is a good age to have a child？

    B ： I had mine when I was 24. That's a little young.I'd suggest you
wait until you are in your late twenties， or even in your early thirties
if you have a good career.

    A ： Yes， I think you're right. I'm thinking about having a child，
but not just yet.

    B ： Is there a big generation gap between parents and their children
in your country ？

    A ： Yes， there is. Teenagers do not want to live traditonal lives.
They want to go out ， have fun ， and explore the world. They want to
develop their own view of life. Parents usually try to discourage them，
but they don‘t often succeed.

    B ： Parents usually give their children more freedom in my country.
Sometimes they give them too much freedom.

    A ： It's almost impossible to get the right balance. If you are too
strict， kids might ignore you. If you are too lenient， they might go
wild