Speaking. Chapter 3. Focus A-2

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√ 1 Campus Life




M: Excuse me?
W: Yes, may I help you?
M: I have a question about getting a book.
W: Sure, I can help you with that. Did you need help finding the book?
M: No, I found it. Or at least I found the listing on the computer,
    but it says the book is checked out. So, I wanted to ask if there
    was any way to put my name on a list or something so that I
    can come get the book once it is checked back in.
W: Oh, I see. You want to reserve the book.
M: I guess so. Do you have a reserve list or something?
W: Actually, you can reserve a book using the library computer. Let
    me show you. We can use this computer right over here. You
    can type in the information. I’ll just tell you what you need to
    do at each step.
M: Great. Thanks.
W: Go ahead and type in the title of the book that you need.
M: So, I just do a regular search, like I want to find the book in the
library? Like this?
W: That’s right. Is that the book you were looking for?
M: That’s it. See, it lists a due date next week.
W: OK. There is a button at the top of the screen that will allow
    you to request the next available copy as soon as it comes in.
M: Let me guess: this button that says “request next available copy”?
W: Right.
M: I feel dumb.
W: Not at all. I work with this system every day, so I know all of its
    features. Most students don’t know half of the options available
    to them with our computer system. It can do a lot more than
    students use it for.
M: Now, it’s asking me for my card number and PIN. I guess that
    means my student ID number since that’s what I use as my
    library card.
W: Correct, and your PIN is the same as the PIN number you use
    when you access the university’s online registration or other
    computer services.
M: Then, I just click this log in button down here?
W: Uh-huh, and after your log in information is confirmed, the request
    page should open. There it is. You can see that the box next to the
    “pick up” option is already checked. Just leave that checked,
    and when the book comes in, the circulation desk will email
    you that the book is here. Then, you can come in and pick it up.
M: What if I uncheck the “pick up” box. How can I get the book?
W: Then, the book will be mailed to the address we have on file with
    your student ID card, but mailing the book takes longer. If you
    need the book right away for class or for some research that
    you’re doing, I would suggest just coming in and picking it up.
M: Yeah. I want the book as soon as possible, so I’ll come pick it up.
W: Then you can just click the request button at the bottom of the
    screen and you’re done.
M: OK. Request. Done. That was easy. Thanks for your help.

02 Campus Life



M: Donna? What are you doing? The cafeteria has closed for the
    afternoon. Why are you sitting here?
W: Oh. Nothing. I just didn’t want to go back to my dorm room yet.
M: Uh oh. Roommate problems?
W: Kind of. Yes. I don’t know, Rob. I just don’t think I can live with
    her for the rest of the semester. I mean, she’s not a terrible
    roommate. It’s just the small things that irritate me, and recently
    there have been more and more small things.
M: Well, you can’t spend the rest of the semester here in front of
    the cafeteria. You’re going to have to talk to your roommate
    and let her know what’s bothering you.
W: I can’t do that.
M: Why not? I thought you were living with your old high school
    friend.
W: I am. That’s why I can’t tell her all the things that are bothering
    me. We’ve been friends for years. How can I tell her this long
    list of stuff that she does that drives me up the wall?
M: Are you afraid you’ll offend her or something? Hey, better to talk
    about this and get things out in the open. You might offend her,
    but at least there is chance you can still be friends. If you don’t talk
    to her about how you feel, you could end up going your separate
    ways at the end of the semester and never speaking to each
    other again.
W: The end of the semester. That seems so far away right now. Can’t
   you think of anything else, Rob? Some other way, like a mutual
   friend of ours telling her for me? Do you think that would work?
M: And drag someone else in the middle of the problem? No, that
    is definitely not a good idea. But maybe there is something else
    you can do. You could tell your resident advisor about the problem.
    Then, she could act as a mediator for the two of you.
W: Hey, that’s not a bad idea. I could talk to Beth. She’s cool. I’m
    sure she’d understand.
M: That’s really what resident advisors are there for, you know.
    When roommates are having problems, they try to solve things
    from an unbiased perspective.
W: Did you ever have to ask your resident advisor to mediate a
    problem with your roommate?
M: No. I never had a problem with my roommate. Actually, I never
    saw too much of my first roommate. Either I was too busy with
    stuff, or he was too busy with stuff. We were never in the room
    hanging out together. It was just the place where we both
    slept. And my roommate this semester works in a lab, so I never
    see him either.
W: Lucky you. My roommate is always in our room watching TV.
    That’s one of the things that bugs me.
M: Hopefully, your resident advisor will help you work things out.
W: Yeah. I think I’ll go talk to her right now.

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