Q2e Listening & Speaking 3: Audio

Script
UNIT 8
Unit 8, Behavioral Science, The Q Classroom
Page 175

Teacher: Unit 8's question is “What can we learn from success and
failure?” Let's start by talking about ways that people can be
successful. Sophy, what are some types of success?
Sophy: People can be financially successful, or successful in school, or
they can have a good family life.
Teacher: OK, let's take success in school. Yuna, what can we learn
from success in school?
Yuna: We learn which habits are important. We study hard and pass
the test. This teaches us to keep studying. If we don't study and
we fail, we learn the same thing.
Teacher: True! Success and failure can teach the same kinds
of lessons. How about success or failure in our personal lives?
What can we learn from that? Felix?
Felix: Well, you can learn from your relationships with people.
If I have a good friendship with someone, it teaches me about
what I value in a friendship, like honesty. If I lose a friend
because I lied to him, it teaches me not to lie to my friends in
the future.
Teacher: What do you think we can learn from success and failure,
Marcus?
Marcus: I think we learn more from failure. When I fail at something, I
know I need to learn a lesson, so I really pay attention. If I'm
successful, I might not think about why I am successful.
Teacher: Good point.

Unit 8, Listening 1, Activity A, C; Unit 8, Listening Skill, Activity A

Page 178, 181

Professor: OK. So, last week we looked at various definitions of

success, and common ways people measure success—
through status, fame, money, possessions, and so on. Now this
week I want to expand on this and ask you to question the
importance of success, and what it really means to be
successful.
We learn from an early age that success is good...something we
should try to achieve through a combination of hard work and
determination. You all know the expression “If at first you
don't succeed, try, try again.” Well, some research suggests
that trying really hard to achieve something might actually be
the wrong thing to do. It all depends on whether your goal is

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Q2e Listening & Speaking 3: Audio
Script
achievable. To give you an example, imagine a short, thirty
year- old man who smokes forty cigarettes a day. Should he
give up his job to take up basketball in the hope of becoming a
major basketball star? I don't think so! So, the first point I'd
like to make is that you need to be realistic about what it is
you want to achieve. Chasing an impossible dream, one that
you can never reach, is a frustrating waste of time and energy.
Make sure the success you're aiming for is achievable. If it isn't,
then readjust your goals to something more reasonable,
something that you can achieve.
The second point I want to make is that of course success is
good, but trying to become successful shouldn't take over your
life. You shouldn't become so determined to succeed at
something that it causes you stress or anxiety. People who put
too much importance on succeeding at something, and then fail,
can have serious psychological problems.
This brings me to another point, which may shock you. Success
isn't always a good thing. Success in one area can bring
problems in others—for instance, a successful career might
result in the end of a marriage. Good relationships take time and
effort, and if someone is working hard at developing their
career all the time, then their family life and relationships can
suffer as a result. Take for example, all the famous people we
hear about getting divorced in the media. These TV presenters,
sports stars, and so on are at the top of their profession, but
they pay a price with their personal lives. A close friend of mine
from my high school days is a successful businessman, but he
got divorced last year. He says his career ruined his marriage.
So, be careful what you wish for, and make sure you know the
downside, as well as the up.
The final point I want to make in this introduction is that we
need to remember that our definition of success changes with
age. What people want to achieve in high school is different
from what they want to achieve when they are 20, or 40, or
even 70. So, for example, success for my grandfather is getting
out of bed in the morning! Be aware that our goals change over
time. You may want a sports car now, but when you have three
children maybe you'll want a big family car instead! It's
important to recognize that our goals can change, as our lives
change.

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 Q2e Listening & Speaking 3: Audio
Script
Unit 8, Listening Skill, Activity B
Page 181

Paul: After I graduated from college, the only thing I wanted was to make money. I was
money hungry. For example, I only chose jobs that paid well! I guess that's kind of
natural, to want to earn lots of money. But I was also really concerned about my
status at work. I mean, I felt the best way to measure my success—apart from my
salary—was by my job title. So, to give you an example, I left one company to
work for another because the job title sounded better! Amazing now that I think
about it, but true! ... Well, then, about a year ago, I found out I had cancer. I spent
six months in and out of the hospital. I'm better now, but being successful these
days, for me, is not about being a multimillionaire—it's about being healthy. For
instance, jogging in the park is a success, to me. I love it, and it doesn't cost
anything! I also value my friendships more. I got back in touch with my old college
classmates, and we get along really well...So for me, for example, I see
reconnecting with my old college friends as a great success. It's really made me a
lot happier.

Unit 8, Listening 2, Activity A, B

Page 183, 184

Carl Simmons: Hello everyone, my name is Carl Simmons, and I would like to talk to you
about the other side of success. failure. Just as success is something we all want,
failure is something that we all fear. Yet failure is an important stage on the road
to success, and I'd like to illustrate this with some examples. You've all heard of
Stephen King...well, perhaps you also know that 30 publishers turned down his
first book, which led him to throw it in the trash. Michael Jordan—the basketball
superstar—was cut from his high school basketball team because he “lacked
skill.” John Grisham, the top novelist who's now a multimillionaire, was turned
down by sixteen agents and publishers before he had his first book published. All
these are examples of people who experienced failure but then went on to
succeed. I think there are two points I'd like to emphasize here. The first is that
we shouldn't be afraid of failure, because we can learn from it. Being successful is
great, but it doesn't always teach you a lot. You can learn a lot more from your
failures than you can from your successes. Take Michael Jordan, for example. He
learned from his mistakes. He worked out what he was doing wrong, changed his
game, and improved to become the best basketball player in the world! The same
goes for Akio Morita, the founder of Sony Corporation. The first product he made
was a rice cooker that didn't work; it burned the rice, rather than cooking it! He
sold fewer than one hundred of them and lost a lot of money. But he learned from
the experience, and of course today everyone knows the name Sony!
The second point I want to make about failure is that you must not permit failure
to defeat you. Failure is something to be encouraged by. Don't give up too easily!
Remember John Grisham...his first book, A Time to Kill, wasn't a success when it
was published. Only 5,000 copies were printed, and he ended up buying a lot of
them and selling them himself! But he didn't give up. He continued to develop his

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 Q2e Listening & Speaking 3: Audio
Script
writing, and his next novel, The Firm, was a great success. So, what I'm saying is
believe in yourself and never give up. Did you know that Thomas Edison tried
more than 9,000 times before he managed to make the first light bulb work? He
learned from his mistakes, and so must we all.
I'd like to suggest that it is because of their failures that these people became such
great successes. You need to experience failure and learn from it, in order to really
succeed. Failing is a good preparation for life. It makes you stronger and more
able to overcome life's problems. Don't be scared of failure! It might sound
strange, but letting go of your fear of failure may help you to succeed.

Unit 8, Pronunciation, Example 1

Page 189

Just as success is something we all want, failure is something that we all fear.
Just as success is something we all want, failure is something that we all fear.

Unit 8, Pronunciation, Example 2

Page 189

You can learn more from your failures than you can from your successes. Success
for my grandfather is getting out of bed in the morning! Failing is a good
preparation for life.

Unit 8, Pronunciation, Activity A

Page 189

1. Failure is an important stage on the road to success.

Failure is an important stage on the road to success.

2. We shouldn't be afraid of failure, because we can learn from it.

We shouldn't be afraid of failure, because we can learn from it.

3. Failure is something to be encouraged by.

Failure is something to be encouraged by.

4. Don't give up too easily.

Don't give up too easily.

Unit 8, Pronunciation, Activity B

Page 189

1. Failure is an important stage on the road to success.

2. We shouldn't be afraid of failure, because we can learn from it.
3. Failure is something to be encouraged by.
4. Don't give up too easily.

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 Q2e Listening & Speaking 3: Audio
Script
Unit 8, Pronunciation, Activity D
Page 190

You need to experience failure and learn from it, in order to really succeed. Failing
is a good preparation for life. It makes you stronger and more able to overcome
life's problems. Don't be scared of failure! It might sound strange, but letting go of
your fear of failure might help you to succeed.

Unit 8, Speaking Skill, Activity A

Page 190

1. Professor: So you need to make sure the success you're aiming for is achievable.
Student 1: Sorry, I don't get what you mean.
Professor: What I'm trying to say is be realistic with the goals you set for
yourself.
2. Professor: Success in one area can bring problems in others.
Student 2: What do you mean exactly?
Professor: Well, to give you an example, someone can be at the top of her career,
but her family life might be in crisis as a result.

3. Professor: Keep your desire for success in proportion. Student 3: Do you think
you could say a bit more about that?
Professor: Yes. I mean don't let your desire for success become greater than
other important areas in your life.
4. Professor: Our definition of success alters with age. Student 1: Can you give an
example, please? Professor: Sure. Someone of twenty might view success as being
rich, but at fifty that same person might think of success as a happy family life.

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