FCE 聽力 Part 4
長訪談三選一

NarratorYou will hear an interview in which a radio host talks to a boy called Daniel about a school exchange programme he did in Taiwan. For questions one to seven, choose the best answer, A, B or C.

WomanNow, in the studio today I've got Daniel, who's just come back from five months at a school in Taichung, in Taiwan, as part of a student exchange programme. Daniel, welcome back! First off — of all the places you could have chosen, why Taiwan?

ManThanks for having me. Honestly, it wasn't my first choice — I'd originally put down Japan, but the places filled up incredibly fast, and Taiwan was the programme's second suggestion. I nearly said no, since I didn't know much about it, but a teacher convinced me to at least read about it before deciding — and once I did, I was more excited about Taiwan than I'd ever been about Japan.

WomanThat's a great turnaround. What surprised you most once you actually got there?

ManThe school days, definitely. Back home we finish around half three, but a lot of my classmates stayed at school, or went to what they call buxiban — extra evening classes — until nine or ten at night. I found that genuinely shocking. I kept asking my host brother when he got to relax, and he just laughed and said this was completely normal for him.

WomanDid you end up doing the same schedule?

ManNot the full thing — my host family said I didn't have to go to buxiban most nights. But I did go a couple of times a week, mostly out of curiosity, and it helped my Mandarin more than any of my actual lessons did.

WomanLet's talk about the language. How was that side of things?

ManRough at the start. For the first month I could barely order food without pointing at a menu. But my host mum was patient — she'd repeat things slowly without making me feel stupid about it, and that made a massive difference. By the end, I could get through a normal dinner conversation, enough to feel part of the family rather than just a guest.

WomanAnd what about the food? Any favourites, or anything you just couldn't get used to?

ManSo many favourites — beef noodle soup became a bit of an obsession. The one thing I never got fully used to was breakfast. Back home it's toast or cereal, but there it might be warm soy milk with a fried dough stick, or a bowl of rice porridge. It's not that I disliked it, it just took months before it stopped feeling strange to eat something savoury that early.

WomanAny particular moment from the trip that's stuck with you?

ManThere's one I keep coming back to. About three months in, a typhoon warning cancelled school for a whole day, which never happens back home. My host family and I ended up just cooking together the entire afternoon instead, and oddly, that ordinary, unplanned afternoon taught me more about how the family actually worked day to day than any of the trips we'd deliberately planned.

WomanThat's lovely. Final question — what would you say to another student who's thinking about doing an exchange but isn't sure?

ManDon't overthink the destination too much. I nearly turned Taiwan down because it wasn't the country I'd pictured, and it ended up being the best decision I didn't really make on purpose. The place matters less than just actually going, and letting yourself be a bit uncomfortable for the first few weeks.