TAPESCRIPT

PART 1: Mark: Elena, can I ask you for some advice? I’m having dinner at Kenji’s house tonight... Elena: Don't worry, Mark. What are you wearing? Mark: Well, I thought about wearing my black suit to be respectful, but Kenji told me that his parents are quite relaxed. So, I decided to just wear a nice shirt and jeans. Elena: That sounds like a good choice. Are you bringing a gift? Mark: Yes. I was going to buy a fancy melon... Elena: That's a nice gesture, but maybe too formal... Usually, a nice box of cookies or chocolates is safer. Mark: Okay, I'll get cookies then... Elena: The most important thing is the shoes. You must take them off at the door. Mark: Oh right! I have a bad habit of forgetting that... Elena: And table manners? Can you use chopsticks? Mark: That’s my biggest fear. I’m terrible with them. I usually drop the food. I hope they have a fork for me! Elena: I'm sure they will understand... Mark: We were planning to watch a movie... but... we are going to play video games instead. PART 2: James: Hi everyone... Today I want to share my experience visiting the "Cloud Village"... The bus broke down halfway up the hill... By the time I finally checked into the homestay, the sun had already gone down, and it was 7 p.m. Most ethnic groups build houses near rivers... But this group is different. They build their stilt houses high up on the mountain slopes to avoid floods... I wanted to buy a costume, but it was too expensive. I looked at fabric, but no space. Finally, I found a lovely silver bracelet for my sister. I heard mountain food can be extremely spicy... But actually, the dishes they served were quite mild, fresh, and tasty. The village has electricity... but the sad part is that most of the young people are moving to the big cities to find office jobs.