First Listening
Please listen to a short passage carefully and prepare to answer some questions.
While loneliness is very common in the U.S., few people care to admit to it because it is perceived as some sort of social disease. It is seen as admirable for American heroes to bravely go alone into the wilderness and for poets and philosophers to seek out solitude. Some hunters and explorers prefer being alone when hunting while some poets and philosophers enjoy inspiration from solitude. When an individual is not solitary out of choice the experience is both less enjoyable and productive. We all need to talk to someone not only about the big things but also about the little day-to-day things. As a consequence lonely people will talk about the little things to themselves, the cat, the dog and, most embarrassingly, to total strangers. (132 words)
Second Listening
Listen to the tape again. Then answer the following questions with your own experiences.
1. Why are American heroes, poets and philosophers admired for their solitude?
2. Why do people need to talk?
3. How do lonely people deal with having no one to talk to?
