T.14. The forgetful generation

P = Presenter

P Hi, and welcome to What's your problem? How's your day been so far? Have you done all the things you planned? Kept all your appointments? Oh - and did you remember to send your mother a birthday card? If so, good for you! If not - well, you're not alone. Many of us in the busy twenty-first century are finding it more and more difficult to remember everything. Once upon a time we just blamed getting older for our absent-mindedness, but now experts are blaming our modern lifestyle. They say that we have become 'the forgetful generation' and that day after day we overload our memories.

Ellen: Last year I finished university and I got a job in the same town, Canterbury. And one day, for some reason, rather than go to work for 9 o'clock, I got the bus and went to the university for an 11 o'clock lecture. I was sitting there, in the lecture room, and I thought to myself, 'Why don't I know anybody?' Then suddenly I remembered that I'd finished university and that I was two hours late for work!

Josh: I'm studying law in London now, and, erm, at the end of last term I packed my suitcase as usual and went to King's Cross station to catch the train home. I was sitting reading on the train, revising for my exams, and the inspector came to check my ticket. He looked at it and said, 'Thank you, sir. We'll be in Newcastle in about an hour.' Suddenly I thought, 'Newcastle!?! I don't want to go to Newcastle. My parents live in Plymouth!' You see, when I was a child I lived with my parents in Newcastle, but we moved to Plymouth when I was ten. I couldn't believe it. How could I have been so stupid?

Fiona: Some time ago I got dressed, ready to go to work. I put on my smart black suit. I'd been working at home the night before - preparing for a very important meeting the next day, and I remembered to put all the right papers into my briefcase. I left home and walked down to the bus stop. Just before I got on the bus, I looked down, and I was still wearing my fluffy, pink bedroom slippers!

T. 15. Gender roles

Todd: So, Kadi, you are from Estonia. Can you talk about gender roles for the new generation compared to the older generation?

Kadi: Yes, in Estonia, we have this kind of Western type of family, a woman doesn't have to be a housewife. She can work. She can do whatever she likes. Even maybe the tendency right now is that women are becoming more masculine. Often it happens that women make more money than men do and they're the ones who bring the bread in the house. Yeah, compared to Eastern society where usually women are considered as housewives. They just have to clean and cook and raise the kids, and in my country ... no ... there's not such a thing and I think it always has been like that. I'm not quite sure but.

Todd: Who does the chores like cooking and cleaning?

Kadi: Yeah, I think we all do it. We don't have that kind of rule that women only have to clean and cook. Of course in some families, it is like that because women are better cleaning, especially, rather than men are, but yeah, men are quite good cooks.

Todd: What do people do for childcare? Like who takes care of the children?

Kadi: Nannies. Yeah. We have nannies for working mothers, they usually like hire people to watch over the children and just they play with them and also like kindergarten, like children start going to kindergarten in Estonia when they're really young, maybe from three months I think even, yeah, you can go to work when your child is like half-a-year old. Just go to work. Take a child there, and people are going to care about her.

Todd: Is the nanny expected to cook and clean as well?

Kadi: It depends of on the contract. It depends on the contract. Yeah, if you hire a person who that you say you're gonna pay him or her, usually her, like for cleaning, cooking, taking care of the children, whatever, it depends on the contract.

T. 16. Job interview

Interviewer:How would you describe yourself?

Andrea:I would describe myself as someone who is ambitious, hardworking and motivated by challenge. My language and interpersonal skills have allowed me to successfully manage various international projects for the British Council over the past few years.

Interviewer:What influenced you to choose a career in cultural relations?

Andrea:Well, I've always been fascinated by the British/American language and culture, and how it has become so globally important.

Interviewer:Tell me about your current job. What have you been doing?

Andrea:As you can see from my CV, I have been working as a project coordinator for the British Council in Rome for several years. My job has mainly involved organizing special events, such as the Social Diversity event, which took place last month in Amsterdam. I have also helped prepare budget forecasts for various projects.

Interviewer:How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?

Andrea:Well, during my period as a project coordinator for the British Council, I've had to work within an international team and deal with outside partners. I've had to motivate others to meet deadlines, and I get on well with everyone.

Interviewer:Tell me about a major problem you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?

Andrea:While I was coordinating a British Council project in Rome, one of the main speakers fell ill a few days before the event. Against the odds, I managed to successfully work with our partners and reschedule the project events. I was under a lot of pressure, but in the end, the problem was resolved.

Interviewer:How do you handle pressure?

Andrea:I actually work better under pressure and I've found that I enjoy working in a challenging environment.

Interviewer:Why do you want to work for this company?

Andrea:Well, I am an ambitious person and I want to be part of a well-established company. I believe the job is tailored to my skills and experience, which include language skills and managing international projects.

T.17. Fairy tale

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters.

One day when she was at the spring an old woman came up and begged for a drink. ‘Why, certainly, good mother,’ said the beautiful girl. ‘You are so beautiful,’ she said, when she had finished drinking, ‘and so polite, that I am determined to bestow a gift upon you. I grant you that with every word you speak, a flower or a precious stone shall fall from your mouth.’ Now this old woman was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor peasant woman to see just how far the girl’s good nature would go.

‘I beg your pardon, mother,’ said the poor child, ‘for having taken so long,’ and as she spoke these words, two roses, two pearls, and two large diamonds fell from her mouth.

‘I must send my own daughter there. Come here, Fanchon. Look what comes out of your sister’s mouth whenever she speaks! Wouldn’t you like to be able to do the same thing?’

No sooner had she reached the spring than she saw a magnificently dressed lady, who came out of the woods towards her and asked for a drink. ‘Do you think I have come here just to get you a drink?’ she said the rude girl arrogantly. ‘Do you think I brought a silver flask here just to give madam a drink? Yes, that’s just what I think! Have a drink, if you must!’‘Very well! In return for your lack of courtesy I grant that for every word you speak a snake or a toad shall drop out of your mouth.’

As soon as her mother saw her returning she cried out, ‘Well, daughter!’‘Well, mother?’ replied the rude girl. As she spoke, two vipers and two toads fell from her mouth. ‘Heavens!’ cried the mother. ‘What do I see? Her sister is the cause of this. She will pay for it!’ Off she ran to beat her, but the poor child ran off and escaped into the woods nearby.

T.18. Wildlife

As I mentioned, there’s a huge range of wildlife in the highlands, but for those visiting the area there are some basic ground rules that are essential if we are to protect it. Firstly, you should make every effort not to disturb birds and animals, and one way of doing this is to blend in with your surroundings, for instance by avoiding brightly- colored garments such as orange anoraks. To see wildlife clearly, it’s best to use binoculars, keeping your distance. This is particularly important during the breeding season. Wherever possible, use a hide so that they are less likely to detect your presence. Surprising though it may seem, visitors are advised to use their cars where no purpose-built hides are available, as people are apparently less likely to startle animals if they stay inside their vehicles. You may even find that creatures come up close to where you’re parked, in which case until they’ve gone before you move off. It should really go without saying that’s essential to be as quiet as possible, though sadly some people need reminding of this. Oh, and one other thing: wild animals and pets don’t mix, so please leave your dog at home, or at least somewhere he or she can’t chase the wildlife or damage their habitat.