This support pack accompanies the audio soap opera 'Big City Small World'.

　　This support pack contains the following materials:

　　a pre-listening vocabulary activity;

　　the transcript of the episode;

　　a comprehension activity;

　　three language activities

　　Before you listen

　　Activity 01

　　Match the words at the top to their definitions.

　　a. energetic

　　b. fortunately

　　c. mate

　　d. mess

　　e. negotiator

　　f. quote

　　g. trouble

　　h. upset

　　1. a dirty or disordered condition

　　2. a person who arranges a transaction

　　3. disorder or disturbance

　　4. disturbed emotionally

　　5. friend – colloquial

　　6. full of energy

　　7. state a price

　　8. with luck

　　Transcript

　　Olivia:  Joe!  Can you stop that please!  Can you please come here and sit down!

　　Magda:  Hello there, Olivia.  Who’s this?

　　Olivia:  This is Joe – he’s my nephew.

　　Magda:  Nephew?

　　Olivia: My sister’s son.

　　Magda:  Oh!  I see.  He’s lovely!  I love children...

　　Olivia:  Yeah, they’re great until you have to look after them...

　　Magda:  You’re looking after him?

　　Olivia:  Yeah, just for today, fortunately.  My sister can’t get a babysitter.  But Joe comes to my shop quite often.  He loves it there...unfortunately!

　　Magda:  Why’s that ‘unfortunate’?

　　Olivia: Because he’s a pest, that’s why...

　　Magda:  What’s a ‘pest’?

　　Olivia:  Somebody or something which makes you angry...

　　Magda:  No!!  I don’t believe it!  He’s so sweet!  How old is he?

　　Olivia:  Four, nearly five.

　　Fadi:  Whoooaaaa!  Slow down there, little man!  Who’s this?

　　Olivia:  Fadi, meet Joe.

　　Magda:  He’s Olivia’s nephew.  And a sweet little pest!

　　Fadi:  Oh really!  I didn’t know you were Aunt Olivia!

　　Olivia:  Thank you very much Fadi.  You make me feel old. Listen, have you had a chat with Harry yet?

　　Fadi:  About work?

　　Olivia:  Yeah.

　　Fadi:  No, not yet, but I’m supposed to talk to him today.  He said he’d be in here later.

　　Olivia:  Listen, though, it’s not true what Harry was saying...

　　Fadi:  About what?

　　Olivia:  About me being upset if he can’t do the website for my shop...I don’t mind if he can’t do it!  He wanted far too much money.  I could never have afforded it.  Now it’s ok, because he thinks he’s turning me down...I don’t have to offend him by saying ‘no’! A happy result all round!

　　Fadi:  I see...so I don’t have to bail you out, after all?

　　Olivia:  No!

　　Olivia:  Joe, can you stop that please?  Come over here!

　　Fadi: ...and here he is!

　　Harry:  Alright mate!  Alright Olivia, Magda...who’s this young man?

　　Olivia:  My nephew, Joe.

　　Harry:  Hello Joe!

　　Harry:  He’s very...erm...what’s the word...energetic?

　　Olivia:  I just call him “trouble”!

　　Harry:  So, Fadi, you wanted to talk business?

　　Fadi:  Yeah, finally...well, I’ve got the all clear from my uncle, so we’re on.

　　Harry:  Great.

　　Fadi:  But...

　　Harry:  There’s always a “but”!

　　Fadi:  You’re going to have to do us a favour and come down on the price, mate...

　　Harry:  What price did I quote you?

　　Fadi:  Two thousand five hundred.

　　Harry:  Well, seeing as you’re a friend, I could come down to two thousand four hundred, but not less than that.

　　Fadi:  We can offer two thousand.  That’s our top limit.  We don’t have a bigger budget than that.

　　Harry:  Come on!  You’re joking!

　　Fadi:  Sorry mate.  It’s two thousand, or nothing.

　　Harry:  No way.  Can’t be done.  I’ve got to go now...got to go and see Johnny – he’s offered me a real job...bye all!

　　Fadi:  Oh no, do you think he’s really upset now?

　　Olivia:  I don’t think “upset” is the word....

　　Fadi:  We can go a bit higher actually...I was just trying to be a tough negotiator.

　　Magda:  A bit too tough, I think.

　　Olivia:  You should never mix work and friendship, anyway.

　　Magda:  And you probably shouldn’t have a business meeting in a café!

　　Fadi:  Oh no.  What a mess.  I’d better go.  Hang on..where’s my...where are my....I can’t find my mobile!  Or my keys!  Has anyone seen them?

　　Magda:  Let’s look under the seats...they must be here somewhere...

　　Fadi:  I can’t see anything.

　　Magda:  No sign.

　　Olivia:  How strange...hang on a minute, my nephew’s been terribly quiet for the last five minutes...what’s he up to...Joe!!!

　　After listening

　　Activity 02

　　Choose the correct word(s) in each sentence.

　　1. Olivia is Joe’s nephew / aunt.

　　2. Joe is well / badly behaved.

　　3. Joe is four / five years old.

　　4. Olivia wants / doesn’t want Harry to do her website.

　　5. Fadi’s uncle has agreed to pay exactly / more than two thousand pounds.

　　6. Olivia thinks it is a bad / good idea to do business with a friend.

　　Activity 03

　　Complete the sentences with the names in the table. One of the names is used two times.

　　Fadi

　　Harry

　　Joe

　　Magda

　　Olivia

　　1. ....................is Olivia’s nephew.

　　2. ....................likes children.

　　3. Joe visits ....................’s shop.

　　4. ....................has arranged to meet Harry at the café.

　　5. ....................thinks it is a bad idea to talk business in a café.

　　6. ....................leaves the café upset.

　　Activity 04

　　Find a word in the tapescript that means the opposite of:

　　1. horrible

　　2. fast

　　3. young

　　4. earlier

　　5. sad

　　6. lazy

　　7. lower

　　8. loud

　　Activity 05

　　Fill the gaps with one of the verbs from the table.

　　Bail / bail

　　Come / come

　　Look / look

　　Sit / sit

　　Slow / slow

　　Turn / turn

　　1. I can’t come out tonight, I have to .................... after my brother.

　　2. Please .................... down, I can’t understand what you are trying to say.

　　3. .................... here for a moment and help me please.

　　4. I had to .................... the job offer down because I don’t want to travel so far.

　　5. If you get into trouble, don’t expect me to .................... you out!

　　6. .................... down here and I’ll bring you a coffee.

　　Answers

　　Activity 01

　　1. d; 2. e; 3. g; 4. h; 5. c; 6. a; 7. f; 8. b

　　Activity 02

　　1. aunt; 2. badly; 3. four; 4. doesn’t want; 5. more than; 6. bad

　　Activity 03

　　1. Joe; 2. Magda; 3. Olivia; 4. Fadi; 5. Magda; 6 Harry

　　Activity 04

　　1. lovely; 2. slow; 3. old; 4. later; 5. happy; 6. energetic; 7. higher; 8: quiet

　　Activity 05

　　1. look; 2. slow; 3. Come; 4. turn; 5. bail; 6. Sit