Lesson 2.A - part 2 – page 10

I'll never do that again!

Have I ever made decisions? Me? Oh, Yeah, all the time. I made a terrible decision just the other day. My next door neighbor knocked on my door and said she was going to visit her sister in Canada for a week, so could I feed her cat while she was away? I didn't know her very well, but she said the person who usually takes care of her cat couldn't do it this time. And without even thinking about, I said I'd help her. Now, for me, this was just a terrible decision. I mean, for one thing, I'm allergic to cats. And also, I knew I was going to be really busy at work, I mean really busy. And there was no way I'd have time to take care of it properly. And on top of that, I'm really absent minded person in general. I forget stuff all the time. That's why I don't have a cat of my own. I don't have any pets. I don't even have a plant. But my neighbor just made me feel like I had to help, I guess. So I agreed to do it. And the problems started right away. I was supposed to start feeding the cat on Thursday morning, but I just forgot to do it. I should have marked my calendar so I wouldn't forget, but I didn't. I mean, I told myself to mark that calendar, but I just never did. The next thing I knew it was Thursday afternoon, and I was in the middle of a meeting at work, and suddenly I remembered. So I had to leave work early to go home and feed the cat. Then the next day, I knew I needed to leave work on time to catch the train home and feed the cat. But my boss said I had to stay late to finish this report. So I missed that train, and the next one didn't come for an hour. When I finally got home, the cat was OK, luckily. But he was pretty hungry, and it was the weekend. I brought the cat over to my own apartment. I thought it would be easier to remember it that way. But I really shouldn't have done that because of my allergies. I remembered to feed the cat, but I was sneezing all weekend.

Lesson 1.B - part 6 – page 8

Family reunion:

-Hey, Victor, you're back in town. So, how did it go?

-Oh, it was great. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

-Was your grandma surprised?

-Completely! She knew we'd do something special for her 80^th birthday, but she never expected that the whole family would turn up for a reunion.

-How many people were there?

-Lots, I'd say about 80 or so. Folks showed up from all over the place. We had people from Texas, Chicago, Florida, California and even Mexico. I got to see people I hadn't seen for years, like Lo Ann, my uncle's cousin. Actually, I don't think I've seen her since I was a little kid. Oh, and my brother Rudy was there with his wife and their new baby, grandma's first great granddaughter.

-That sounds like fun. So was there anymore there you didn't recognize?

-Yeah, but that was OK because as soon as we got there, we got there, we each got a name tag showing how we were related to grandma. Like line said:"Victor, Anita's grandson, Hector's son."

-That's a cool idea. So you could immediately see how you were related to someone.

-Yeah, most people have changed a lot over the years, plus my mother in law came along because she hadn't seen any of these people since our wedding, so the name tags worked out really well.

-So, were there other people like your mother in laws? I mean, she's not really a relative.

-Oh, sure. There were quite a few people who weren't directly descended from grandma, but their name tags said who they were and what the connection was.

-Sounds like it must have been a lot of fun. I bet your grandma was happy.

-Yeah, really happy.

Lesson 1.B - part 2 – page 6

 

How are their families different?

-So, Andrea, I heard you're staying with your in laws for the holidays.

-Well, yeah, I guess I've got no choice. My flight leaves tomorrows afternoon. How about you, Paul?

-Actually, I still live with my parents, so I don't have to go anywhere. You know, you don't sound very excited about your trip.

-I guess I'm just a little nervous. The whole time I was growing up, it was just me and my mom and dad. It was quiet around the house, very quiet. But my husband's family is huge. I mean, there're so many people!

-Wow! How many?

-Well, he grew up in an extended family. So there're his parents and his grandparents and his little sister and his two younger brothers, no wait, three little brothers. All under one roof! So that's what, nine total?

-Wow. What do they all do?

-Oh, let me think. My sister in law, she's the youngest, maybe twenty or twenty one. She's a law student here in Chicago. And the oldest brother in law is a musician in New York. The older brothers are a lawyer and what, maybe a teacher, I think. We haven't been married long, so I don't know them that well, you know. But they all seem very nice and friendly. So, how about you? How big is your family?

-Well, when I was a kid, our family was a lot like your in-laws'. It was me, my parents, my older sister and brother and my grandparents too. But both my grandparents passed away a while ago, so it's just the five of us now.

-Are your sister and brother coming in for the holidays?

-Yeah, they're coming with their families. My sister and her husband live near Boston. They have two little girls. Then my brother and his wife and their three kids will come over as well. My brother is a doctor here in Chicago. It'll be great. We love getting together.

-So that's, how many people is that?

-Uh, 12, I think.

-Wow, that's even more than my in laws.

-Yeah. The hard part about it is my mom has to cook so much food. Of course the great thing about having a big family is that there are a lot of people to help her.

Lesson 1.A - part 5 – page 4

Changes:

1: Marcos:

Well, I guess the biggest change in my life over the last five years is that I got married. You know, I used to be into going out with friends every weekend and staying out late. We were pretty wild and crazy back then. Now, I'm more of a family man. I don't mind staying at home, watching TV that kind of thing. I'm even learning to cook. It's not so bad. I guess you could say that I started to grow up. I wasn't so interested in going out all the time. I was ready to settle down and have a family. I have to be honest. My heart wasn't really in the right place before. I mean, before, I didn't mind being, well, a little irresponsible at times, even selfish. I was always out having fun with my friends, but I never wanted to hear about their problems. I just didn't care, but with my wife and little boy, it's different. I'm trying to become more, you know, more kind and generous. I want to be there to help them out, no matter how small the problem.

2: Heather:

I have to say five years ago I was a completely different person. I never said much in a crowd, and I always tried to avoid making small talk with people I didn't know very well. But really, I was just incredibly shy and reserved. Anyway, then I went away to college, and I had this roommate Nora. She had a great sense of humor and laughed at all my jokes. That really gave me a lot of confidence. Nora and I joined a small study group at school. When we finish studying, a bunch of us go out for coffee. Conversation is easy because we all have a lot of same interests. Now my new friends think of me as the funny one in the group. Can you believe it?! So, I'd say I'm much more friendly and outgoing now. I don’t worry about speaking up and giving my opinion anymore. In fact, I'm thinking about joining a few more clubs so I can meet even more new people and do more things.  

 

 

Lesson 12.B - part 2 – page100

Things went wrong:

1: Cindy:

You'll probably be surprised to hear what I did. I was on a business trip. The flight was a long one, and when I arrived at my destination, I was eager to get my bags and get to my hotel to relax. Well, you know, they always tell you to be careful to get the right bag, but I was in a hurry. You can guess what happened. My black suitcase looked just like every other one, so I picked up someone else's. I didn't realize my mistake until I got to the hotel. Well, I immediately called the airport, and fortunately it all worked out. I had to go back to the airport, though, to pick up my suitcase and return the other one. And of course, I also had to apologize. If only I'd checked the name tag more carefully! It's funny, this sort of thing almost never happens to me when I travel.

2: Scott:

 This is kind of a funny story. I was in Panama City and had a layover between flights. I'd arrived at about 6:00 P.M. and my flight out wasn't until about 8:30. Well, my flight was delayed and delayed. It got really crowded at the departure gate. I was getting tired, and there were so many people around. I hate crowds, so I went to sit away from the departure gate to escape the crowds. I was reading my newspaper and feeling drowsy. I wish I'd slept on the flight to Panama. Anyway, the next thing I know, I wake up and there's no one around! The crowd is gone! I'd fallen asleep and missed my flight! They must have made lots of announcements and I missed them all! Boy, did I feel stupid? I had to stay in Panama City overnight and catch a flight out the next morning.

 

 

Lesson 12.A - part 5 – page98

When in Rome…

1: Andrew:

When I was in college, I spent a semester studying in London. And even though we speak the same language, English people and people from U.S. have a… a bad reputation. Some people think we're loud and that we speak our minds too much. So I tried to listen a bit more and not be so assertive, if that makes sense. I wanted to make a good impression. I suppose I shouldn't have worried about it, but I did. I couldn't help it.

 I loved the life style there. Going out for afternoon tea was fun, and I really loved the old buildings. I mean, they're really old. We don't have anything that old in the U.S., so that part was pretty amazing. Another thing was the TV. The British have a different sense of humor, very dry. I really like it. Their comedy shows on TV are really funny. I'd have to say my experience was a positive one overall, except for the rainy weather, of course. I had trouble getting used to that.

2: Rachel:

I lived in Madrid for a whole year. And I have to be honest and say that at first, well, I wasn't very happy. You see, I was homesick. I missed my family, and I just wanted to go home. Part of my problem was my Spanish. I couldn't communicate very well. But I love to eat and that's what really saved me. You see, once I discovered tapas, oh, let me explain. These delicious appetizers you eat. So, I made some Spanish friends and we'd go out for tapas all the time. I got to eat a lot of delicious food and of course, my Spanish improved dramatically as well. But there was one thing that was difficult to adjust to and that was that dinner was always served at a late hour. I wasn't used to eating at eleven o'clock at night.

3: Layla:

I came over to the U.S. from the Middle East. My family opened up a restaurant here. At first I found it difficult. Everything seemed so different. Just using a pay phone, for example, or going to a doctor, was so different. I was pretty overwhelmed. And I guess because I wasn't feeling comfortable, I tended to make friends only with people from my country. I felt like I was living in a bubble, separated from the rest of the people all around me. But once I started feeling more confident about my English, I started meeting local people. I found them very friendly and open and it turned out to be very easy to make friends. But there was one thing about people from U.S. that bothered me at first. I found it hard to get used to the way they talked so much about themselves. It took me a long time to understand that you supposed to talk about yourself too, because that is how people get to know one another. It's still hard for me to talk a lot about myself, but I'm getting better at it.

 

 

Lesson 11.B - part 4 – page94

Three important values:

Andy: we're back on the street for the "ask the people" portion of our show. Today our question  is what values do you think are the most important and why? Now, I just have to find some people who are willing to talk to me. Excuse me sir?

Man: yes?

Andy: My name is Andy Simons. I'm a reporter for WQZ and we're on the air. Do you have a moment to talk with us?

Man: Well, uh, I'm on my way to work.

Andy: This should just take a moment.

Man: Well, OK, but make it fast.

Andy: OK. We're asking people what they think are the most important values in today's society and why.

Man: Hmm, that's a tough one. I guess I think it's important to listen to your parents. Kids these days, my kids never listen to anything I say.

Andy: Aha, so you think it's important to respect your parents?

Man: That's right. Sorry, I've got to go. Bye.

Andy: Goodbye.boy, Was he in a hurry? Miss! Excuse me. Miss! Hello?

Woman: Hmm, yes?

Andy: Do you have a second? I'm Andy Simons from WQZ. I'm doing a radio show.

Woman: Uh-hah?

Andy: Well, um, we're asking people on the street what values they think are important and why?

Woman: I'm sorry; I don't really have much time.

Andy: It'll just take a second.

Woman: OK, then. I don't know. I guess that honesty is important. You know what they say. Honesty is the best policy.

Andy: That's interesting.

Woman: Well, I mean, you're just going to get in trouble if you're not honest. At least that's been my experience.

Andy: I see.

Woman: Listen. I have to go.

Andy: Thanks. Let's see if I can find one more person. Oops!

Woman: ouch!

Andy: I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there behind me. Are you OK?

Woman: you stepped my toes! What are you doing standing here, anyway?

Andy: Well, actually, I'm interviewing people. I'm Andy Simons from WQZ.

Woman: what's that?

Andy: I'm Andy Simons. From the radio station WQZ. I'm doing on the street interviews.

Woman: Oh, OK.

Andy: We're asking people about values. What values do you think are most important in today's society?

Woman: Privacy. I'd have to say privacy. I think people need to respect each other's privacy. Like right now. You really need to leave me alone. Ha!

Andy: Uh, oh, well, um, sorry. Uh, folks, that's all the time we have today for our shows. Today's question was: " what values do you think are important in today's society and why?" after this experience, I'd have to say that one thing we all need to work on is being kinder, especially to news reporters. This sure is a tough job. This is Andy Simons of WQZ radio station signing off until next time.

 

Lesson 11.A - part 2 – page88

Finders keepers:

1: Aaron:

I was with my son at the supermarket. He was about eight years old at the time, and he found a wallet on the floor. Inside it was a hundred dollar bill! A hundred dollar! He picked it up and got all excited. In fact, neither of us could really believe it. He started talking about all the things he would buy. Right away I told him that we couldn't keep it. He seemed disappointed at first. We started asking people if they had lost anything. After asking around for a while, we hadn't found anyone and I was beginning to think we had asked everyone. But then, as we were walking to the front of the store, I noticed a man, actually my son noticed him, pacing back and forth, shaking his hand and muttering something. I thought it was probably his wallet, so we asked him and it was. My son felt better when he saw how relieved the man was about getting his money back. That was our good deed for the day, and the man gave my son ten dollars as a reward for returning the wallet.

2: Leanne:

I was on a train from Washington to New York last month when I found a book lying under my seat. It was so strange. It was just a little book not an expensive one. It was probably only worth a few dollars. Well, I really wanted to read it. It was pretty interesting, and by the end of the trip I was still reading it, so I decided to keep it. I took it home and finished it. Now, every time I see it on my bookshelf, I wonder if I shouldn't have taken it or not. I mean, do you think I should have returned it to the train conductor? Who knows? Like I said, it wasn't a very expensive book, so I didn't really feel guilty about taking it.

Lesson 10.B - part 2 – page84

If this is correct, say, "Yes":

-Hello. Thank you for calling the dial Rit pharmacy's automated phone message system. Please listen carefully to our menu options: If you are calling from a physicians' office, say "physician". If you need to speak to someone at the pharmacy, say "pharmacist". If you are calling to refill a prescription and know your prescription number, say "refill". If you wish to hear these options repeated, say" repeat".

-refill.

-Using your automated voice recognition system, please say your prescription number, which is located in the upper right hand corner in the pink shaded area.

-0422708837.

-I heard 0422708837. If this is correct, please say "yes".

-Yes.

-Now say the phone number where you can be reached at in case the pharmacist has a question.

-555 333 5123.

-I heard 555 333 5123. If this is correct, please say" yes".

-Yes.

-your refillable prescription will be really by 8:15 A.M. If you would like to pick it up then, say "yes". If you would like to pick it up later, please say "later".

-Later.

-What time would you like to pick up your prescription?

-Uh, nine?

-I'm sorry. I can't understand you.

-I said "nine".

-I'm sorry. I can't understand you.

-Nine, nine, nine.

-I'm sorry. I can't understand you. Please call again later. Thank you for calling the dial Rit pharmacy. Goodbye.

-!!!!!!!

Lesson 10.A - part 2 – page80

It's really irks me!

1- Jane:

-Hi Jane, say, are you OK? You're looking a bit tired.

-Oh, I am. It's my neighbors.

-Oh, so they're acting up again.huh?

-Yep. Unfortunately they are.

-What is it this time? Loud music again!

-Well, not exactly. You've been to my apartment, right?

-Yeah, I've been there once. It's a nice place.

-Well, thank you. So you remember I live on the top of the floor, right?

-Well, last night around midnight, my neighbors decided to go up on the roof.

-The roof? What for?

-Apparently they had this guy in from out of town and they wanted to show him the view. Can you believe it?! I'm fall asleep and all of a sudden I hear: stomp, stomp, stomp! They're walking around on the roof. It sounded like my ceiling was going to fall in.

-So, what did you do?

-Well, after about fifteen minutes, I got dressed and went up there and asked them to be quiet. I was so mad but they said they were sorry and that and that they hadn't realized I'd been able to hear them. I told them it was OK but then of course after that, I couldn't go back to sleep.

-Oh, don't you hate it when that happens? You can't fall asleep and then you know it. It's morning and the alarm is going off.

2- Kyle:

-Hey Kyle! So how was the movie?

-Well, I didn't really enjoy it very much.

-Why? That film got great reviews. It's really popular.

-Oh, the movie was fine. I just got irritated by the people sitting in front of me.

-What happened?

-well, first they came in late. It took them a while to go into their seats. All this was happening right during an exciting part of the movie. And then they started talking.

-Oh, I hate when that happens.

-There were two of them, a man and a woman. The man had seen the movie before. And get this, he was telling the woman the entire story. Like they were the only two people in the theater!

-Unbelievable! Did you do anything about it?

-Well, no! But another person asked them to be quiet, politely, of course.

-Did that work?

-No. they just started arguing. Their voices were getting louder and louder. One guy was saying" you shouldn't talk in the movie" and the other guy was saying" I paid my money and you can't tell me what to do".

-So, what finally happened?

-Well, I went and found the usher because it was getting out if hand. Everyone quieted eventually. But it was too late. They had ruined the movie for me. 

Lesson 9.B - part 5 – page76

Different approaches to problem solving:

1: Dominique:

I used to see something I liked and I would just buy it. But now I'm saving for my future. I mean some day I want to own my home. Anyway, I find making expensive purchases quite difficult. Probably because now I don't want to make a mistake and get stuck especially for something that costs a lot of money like a car. So, when I bought my car, I knew I just couldn't go to a used car lot and choose one. No impulse buys for me. I needed a lot of time to think it over and consider the options. So, first I read consumer magazines and did research online to see how their cars were rated. I wanted to know the average prices and safety records of different cars. I mean, you never know. And once I decided which one I liked. I read the classified ads until I found someone who was selling one used. I suppose you could say that my approach takes a lot of time but once I make up my mind I feel secure in my decisions. It's so different from the way I used to be.

2: Carla:

I'm in charge of hiring new staff for my department at work. Recently, I had to hire someone for a pretty important position in the company. Now I had it narrowed down pretty quickly to two people: Tony and Max. It was a little harder after that because they had very similar resumes and they were both really impressive during the interview. Now I had to admit that I hate to waste time making decisions. So here's what I did. First, I wrote down a few important questions and called each person right away to talk to them one last time. Then I hung up the phone, looked at the clock and gave myself five minutes to decide. It didn't even take me that long. Tony had said he would work for less money than we were offering so I hired Max. I didn't want to hire someone who was willing to settle for less. The way I see it, you just have to go with your instincts, that is you do what you think is best and then just hope that it works out. I mean we all get strong feelings about things and usually those feelings are right. The important thing is to act quickly. I've been pretty lucky so far. The people I've hired have all worked out, no major problems yet.

3: Wayne:

Now I know why I never used to get anything done. I used to try and make important decisions all by myself but I would just get really confused. It was like the more I thought about something and considered all the options, the more frustrated I got. I could sit and analyze something forever. My friends say that I can always see both sides of everything which makes it hard to decide on anything. You can imagine how irritated my friends must have been with me. I finally got tired of never accomplishing anything. Now when I have to make an important decision, I talk to a lot of people and get their input. When I was deciding where to spend my winter vacation last year, I asked everyone for their opinion. Basically what I did was pose this question: where would you go in December if you had three weeks? I listened to all the answers and then made my decision and then, after that, I searched on the Internet for the best price. You might think I'm strange but it worked. Based on everyone's advice I, I went to Miami. I had an amazing vacation and I got a great deal too.

Lesson 9.A - part 6 – page72

How are they different?

Yoshiko:

In some ways, small ways, I’m just a typical Japanese teenager. I go to high school five days a week just like everyone else. I have interested similar to most of my friends. A bunch of us joined the sports club at school. Right now it's our volleyball season. When the weather gets nicer, we'll start track. And oh yeah, I love Hip-Hop music. It drives my parents crazy. There is one way I’m different though, I spent almost six years living outside Japan. My father's company transferred him overseas to Mexico and of course we went with him. Fitting into a foreign culture was really tough at first but I guess I'm lucky in a way. I learned to speak Spanish fluently and I made a lot of good friends there. We still email each other almost every day. So you can see that I'm really quite a bit different from my classmates.

Renato:

I don't know my life is pretty typical, I think. I head off to school at seven in the morning and school finishes around the middle of the afternoon. After school, I usually study or play soccer. On weekend I like to get together with my friends. We usually hang out in one of the shopping centers. Everyone just shows up there on Saturdays and Sundays. It's a lot of fun most of the time. I think one way I'm kind of different is that I like to, to do my own thing sometimes. I don't always want to hang out with the group, you know, my friends always want me to hang out with them but I don't always listen to what they say. I guess you could say that I think for myself. Sometimes it makes my friends upset but too bad, that's just the way I am. But really overall I think I'm pretty typical for my age.

Suzanne:

Hmm, I guess I worry about the same things other kids my age do, you know, grades and getting along with my parents and stuff like that. I guess I'm doing ok in school but I have to study really hard. I just want to make sure that my grades are good enough so I can get into a decent university. I'm pretty much like everyone else. I go to classes, attend club meeting after school and then do my homework at night. Weekends are great because I get to sleep late and oh yeah; I'm also a member of the orchestra at school. I play violin. My school is a little different from other school in the US though. We study all the core subjects like most other students. In the morning, science, math, English, history, the usual stuff but unlike the other schools, we study things like music, dance and art in the afternoon. See, I go to the special school for the arts. A lot of us have dreams of becoming dancers or singers someday. That's why we spend so much time learning about the arts. So yeah, I guess my life pretty different from most kids like my age.

Lesson 8.B - part 5 – page68

1-Bill Bower man:

Good ideas often start with a really silly question. Bill Bower man was making breakfast one day. As he stood there making Waffles for his son, he wondered what would happen if he poured rubber into his Waffle iron. Later, he tried it and the result looked something like the bottom of most sneakers we see today. Still, when he took this idea to several existing shoe companies, he was literally laughed at. In fact every single shoe company turned him down. Though he was rather discouraged, Bower man preserved and went on to form his own company: making Nike athletic shoes.

2-Fred Smith:

Sometimes good ideas grow out of frustration. When Fred smith was a student at Yal University, he had some paperwork that he needed to have delivered across the country the next day. Smith was amazed to find out that overnight delivery was impossible. He sat for a long time wondering why. Why couldn't there be a reliable overnight mail delivery service? He decided to design one and then turned his design into a class project. His business professor gave him only a C for his efforts. However, smith was not through. He refined the ideas in that class project and eventually turned them into one of the first and successful overnight mail services in the world: FedEx

 

Lesson 8.A - part 5 - page64

Creativity at work:

1-Samira:

Well, um, I guess I'd have to stay that creativity is essential to my work. I'm an architect and the creative part is looking at old things and trying to make them look new. What I mean is we recycle a lot of ideas and then adapt them to fit our needs. And of course we have to stay on top of new trends. We have to know all about new building styles and efficient ways to use energy; you know, um, the kinds of things that homeowners worry about. No one wants a house that isn't heated or cooled efficiently or one that looks outdated. And we work long hours but I have to say: the job's pretty interesting. You never know what to expect next.

2-Alex:

Well, I run my own small business. I think all business owners especially small business owners have to be pretty creative. I mean we have to do everything. I do the work, answer the phones and take care of the accounts whatever. And you know, there are so many potential problems and there is no one else to turn to. I mean I can't just ask my boss for help. I am the boss. The hardest part is figuring out how to identify your customers. Who are they? Where are they? How can you get to them? You also need to think to think creatively about the competition. How can you make your business services more attractive than what the competition has to offer? Well, it's certainly challenging and I think it requires a lot of creativity.

3-Naomi:

I'm an interior designer so what I do is go into people's home and create a suitable environment for them. You know, my clients, they don't know what they want. So I have to look at their homes and help them decide what would look best. Not every idea works in every home. You have to match the appropriate idea with the right place. So after I come up with an idea, I present it to my client. Sometimes they don’t like my first idea and boy that can be frustrating. You have to start all over again. So I need creativity to both come up with the ideas and to communicate them. Creativity also comes in handy when I want to convince a client that my idea is the best one. I don't always succeed but I do manage to get my way a lot on the time.  

Lesson 7.B - part 5 - page60

Health and Technology:

-Sport and weather are coming up. But first, hear is health watch with our medical specialist Dr Linda Byrne. Dr. Byrne, there is no question that technological advances in the last decade or two have made our lives easier, but all this technology has its downsides as well, doesn't it?

- That's right, Peter. Especially for those suffering with syndromes caused by  the stress of our high tech lifestyles.

-And this is a relatively recent development, isn't it?

-Definitely. Such syndromes were nearly unheard of in 1980 before the growth of the Internet and the high tech industry. Since 1990, however, nearly 300 cases of technology related stress syndrome were identified. There was a slight drop off after 1990. But soon the number of cases jumped to three times 1990s rate which is where it stands today.

-Could you give us some examples?

-Well, one of these syndromes is eyestrain. In which the eyes become red, watery and itchy. Eyestrain is caused by long hours in front of the computer and compounded by long nights playing video games or watching TV without getting much sleep. One treatment that's recommended is to get away for several days and just look at some beautiful natural scenery with no computers. The second is the well known carpal tunnel syndrome, a very painful condition of the hands and arms caused by the overuse of keyboards and mice. A trained physical therapist can help with a regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises that have brought good results in many cases.

-So, the syndromes are usually physical?

-There can also be psychological problems. Take for instance, a third syndrome we informally call gadget addiction.  It applies to people who use electronics all day long, nonstop. These people have a deep sense of loneliness whenever they hang up their cell phone or log off the Internet. One suggested treatment is to learn to disconnect from the wired world. Leave technology behind for a few hours. Take up a creative hobby or go for a bike ride with friends just be sure to leave all the gadgets alone.

-Thanks Dr. Byrne. And for more information go to our website and click on our health watch link. And then turn off the computer.

Lesson 7.A - part 4 - page 55

How do you feel about the Internet?

-Our question is how do you feel about the Internet? Call in and let us know.

?Hear is our first caller. What's your name

-It's Edward.

-Hi Edward. How do you feel about the Internet?

-Well, I use it every day at work. It's true that it makes my life easier. Email and instant messaging are especially useful for me at work. When I'm at home, I do a little online shopping because it's just so convenient. There's no doubt that it's a useful tool, but it's not healthy to    spend too much time with it, if you ask me.

-Ok, Thanks Edward. Let's take another call. Hello, What's your name?

-I'm Ting.

-How do you feel about the Internet,Ting?

-Well, basically I'm the outdoorsy type and I'd much rather be kayaking or hiking than web surfing. But, I'll admit that the Internet is the best place to get the news so I'll go online for a couple of minutes a day. Plus, I'm taking this class that's only offered online. So I have to use the Internet for that class and to do homework for it too. So I'd have to say that online is not my favorite place to be.

-Fair enough Ting. We've got time for one more call. Hello, What's your name?

-Maria

-How do you feel about the Internet, Maria?-Well, I don’t know how I'd live without it. I use it at work, Of course, but that's only the beginning. As soon as I get home, I log on to my favorite chat room to talk to my friends. We've all got webcams set up so we can see each other too. Plus, I'm always downloading the latest computer games I love to play. Oh, and I've just started my own blog. When I'm online, I'm having so much fun that I sometimes forget the time and...

-Well, that's all we have time for today. Tune in again tomorrow for.....