1º BTO. Listening pg 11 Unit 1.

OVER TO YOU LISTENING UNIT 1, PG 11.Ex.-7b

Presenter: Hello. This week on People Watch we´re discussing friendship and today I'd like to welcome two remarkable friends, Noah and Marissa.

Noah and Marissa: Hello.

P: Marissa, forgive me, but you´re a little older than Noah…

M: A bit! I´ll be 88 next month. I`ve known Noah since I was 86. Old enough to be his great-grandmother.

N: Yes- we met just after your eighty-six birthday.

M: We´ve been friends since you were sixteen. But I feel l´ve known you for much longer. 

N: It´s strange; we’re different ages, and we share few of the same hobbies, but we’re really close friends We’re both quite fun-loving people; not serious. I remember the day we met. I wore a long, stripy scarf I’d knitted myself- a bit like the one I’m wearing today. Marissa couldn’t stop laughing. She thought I looked like that science fiction guy…the Doctor from Doctor Who!

P: That´s an unusual hobby

N: You mean knitting? Yes, my classmates think it’s strange! But I like it because it’s something you can do anywhere - on the bus, on the beach…I hate being lazy. I get bored easily. I’m more interested in photography, actually, but you can´t do that all the time!

P: Do you knit, Marissa?

M: Well, I did once, many years ago, but I was never very keen. Back then, all girls learnt to knit and cook. But I wanted adventure. I raced cars…

P: Wow!

N: You should see Marissa´s website! There are photos of her in sports cars, with long, dark hair under her helmet. She looks amazing!

M: It´s a bit shorter and greyer now, sadly! I stopped racing at 40, but after that I climbed Everest, and did over a hundred parachute jumps - my last one back when I was 81.

N: Yes, Marissa´s much more exciting than me!

P: So, how did you meet?

M: Through Friends4Life, a wonderful charity. Since I became ill a few years ago, my life has changed. I don´t go out very often now. No more parachuting! My husband died years ago, so I’m on my own. It can be quite lonely. My neighbours work long hours, and my old colleagues and friends live quite far away. I discovered Friends4Life  online one day. Kind, friendly volunteers, like Noah, come to see elderly people like me for a chat.

N: I volunteer, because… well, if I’m honest, it was Mum’s idea! She thought I should do something sensible and responsible for my CV, to help me get a university place. I never expected to make a great friend like Marissa. We’re always chatting on the phone. We often talk for hours!

P: Is the age difference a problem?

N: No. Why should it be? People are people. They’re warm or cold, welcoming or unfriendly -whether they are sixteen years old or a hundred! There are a lot of strange rules about age. Like, only young people can be interested in extreme sports, and classical music and knitting are old people´s hobbies. Oh, and you can only get on with people your own age! Why? It´s good to have variety.

P: Absolutely! Well, if anyone wants to learn more…

VERBS + -ING / TO INFINITIVE FORMS: Apart from the verbs seen in the unit you must remember that after certain verbs we can use an -ing form or a to infinitive and the meaning is the same. These are verbs such as begin, propose, forbid, intend, start: Ex: They started to answer / answering the e-mails.
mean, regret, try + -ing refer to the past and followed by to infinitive refer to the future.
Ex: I regret to say I feel ill / I regret saying what I said.
However, after other verbs, there is a change in meaning. These verbs are:
Forget + -ing: indica que se nos ha olvidado algo que ocurrió en el pasado:
Ex:We forgot meeting her cousin. 
Forget + to infinitive: significa olvidarse de hacer algo:
Ex: He always forgets to bring the keys.
Remember + -ing: se refiere a algo pasado:
Ex: I remember giving them their tickets.
Remember + to infinitive: se refiere al futuro:
Ex: Remember to call Laura before you go.
Stop + -ing: significa dejar de hacer algo:
Ex: Bob stopped going out with Gina.
Stop + to infinitive: interrumpir una acción para hacer otra cosa:
Ex: Can we stop to have some coffee? 
Try + -ing: experimentar:
Ex: Try adding more sugar.
Try + to infinitive: hacer un esfuerzo:
Ex: Try to take more exercise.
Go on + -ing: continuar haciendo algo:
Ex: Go on telling me the story.
Go + to infinitive: hacer algo distinto:
Ex: Try to find another hobby.
Links: Gerund or infinitive1; Gerund or infinitive2; Gerund or infinitive3