Video-Task 18
Mary wants to go to Argentina for her holiday next year. Before she goes, she wants to learn some Spanish. She says she’s going to do a Spanish course, and she’s going to study for two hours every day. She’s also going to learn to dance the tango. What do you think about that?
Susan wants to be a complete vegetarian. Two years ago she stopped eating red meat. Last year she stopped eating chicken and fish. This year she says she’s going to stop eating cheese and eggs. She’s going to eat just fruit and vegetables. What do you think about that?
Paul wants to get more exercise. He plays tennis at the weekend, but during the week he hasn’t got time to play tennis, or go running, or go to the gym. So he says he’s going to get a bicycle, and ride it to work every day. What do you think about that?
Francesca wants to get 100 (a hundred) percent on her next Level Exam. She got 95% on her Basic 2 Exam. She says she’s going to study for three hours a day, and she’s going to watch the news on CNN every day. What do you think about that?
Philip wants to be a singer in a rock band. He can play the piano, and the guitar, and the saxophone, but he can’t sing very well. He says he’s going to take lessons from a famous singing teacher, then he’s going to start singing with his brother’s band. What do you think about that?
Every year, for many years, Michael made the same New Year’s Resolution: he said he was going to stop smoking. Now, this is a very common resolution, as any smoker can tell you. They stop for a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months, and then they start again — the idea of never smoking another cigarette is just too much for them.
But about five years ago, in 2005, Michael made a different kind of resolution. He decided that it was impossible for him to stop smoking for the rest of his life — he simply couldn’t do it — but he could stop for one day, just one day. So, that year, he didn’t make a New Year’s Resolution at all — he made what he called a “New Day” Resolution, a kind of mini-resolution. “I’m not going to smoke any cigarettes today,” he said. “What about tomorrow? Who knows?”
Michael repeats this little resolution every day, and he hasn’t smoked a single cigarette for the last five years. Maybe he’ll smoke one tomorrow — who knows?