[originaltext]W: Good evening, professor. My name is Alice Brown.M: Good eveni

W: Good evening, professor. My name is Alice Brown.
M: Good evening, Alice. What is your question?
W: I’ve been studying Spanish for some years. I go to Spain on holiday sometimes. I’ve learnt quite a lot of grammar and vocabulary. But I find it very difficult to speak, and when I went to Spain this summer I couldn’t understand the Spanish people at all. I got really disheartened.
M: Yes, it is a problem. How long have you been studying Spanish?
W: About four years.
M: Yes, how exactly? Go to an evening class, using tapes...?
W: I’ve been going to an evening class and I’ve watched  quite  a  lot  of  the  BBC  television programs.
M: Oh, they’re very good. Did you buy the BBC book?
W: No, we use a different book in the class.
M: Yes, I see, Alice. I always think that learning a language is rather like learning to drive. Now, you couldn’t learn to drive a car by sitting in a classroom or watching television. I think what you need is a lot of practice in using the language.
W: That’s all very well if you live in the country where they speak the language, but I don’t.
M: Yes, I understand the problem. Though even if you live in the country where the language is spoken, you have to reach a certain standard before you are able to have conversations with the natives. I was thinking perhaps you might arrange with another student or students to have regular conversation practice.
W: I see what you mean. Thank you very much, Professor.
M: You are welcome, Alice.