来自世界不同地方的六位学生在美国相遇。他们都是交换学生，到美国大学就读一个学期，学习英语，了解美国文化，同时修专业课程。英语“日常会话” (Everyday Conversations)系列围绕这六位学生在美国的经历展开。这套材料适于中级或中级以上英语水平的学生使用。
在这个对话中，三个学生（Lucía, Ajay, and Jana）谈到领导作用，特别是女性在世界各地的领导地位。
Lucía: Studying for this political science exam is driving me crazy!
Jana: Relax. Ajay and I were planning to take a study break, so we can help you study.
Ajay: Yeah, of course. What do you need to know for the exam?
Lucía: Well, at the moment, I’m learning that women leaders of countries are rare.
Ajay: I mean, I knew there were fewer female leaders than men, but how rare?
Lucía: Of all the elected heads of state in the world, less than 10 percent are women.
Jana: Less than 10 percent? That’s a terribly low percentage.
Ajay: I don’t understand why more women aren’t elected. Women have excellentleadership qualities.
Jana: Yeah, we do! For example, I can definitely multitask. And when I’m working on an engineering project, I have to collaborate. Those are both qualities that leaders should have.
Lucía: Absolutely. And you’ve seen me on the soccer field, so you know I’mstrategic and decisive.
Jana: Also excellent qualities for leaders. And women also have grit. So many women have fought for what they believe in, even in the face of opposition.
Ajay: You didn’t have to convince me. I think both of you would make fantastic leaders. Wait, aren’t both of you leaders of clubs on campus?
让我们来学习一些词语（也可阅读英文解释）：
在这个对话中，“driving me crazy” 的意思是“让我感到烦恼或沮丧”。
A study break：学习间歇，即学生放下学习从事其他活动的时候
A head of state：国家首脑，国家领导人；An elected head of state ：民选国家领导人
To elect ：选举
Leadership qualities：领导素质，领导才能
To multitask：同时从事多项工作或数件事情
To collaborate：合作，指与其他人为达到一个共同目标而一起努力
Strategic：战略上的
To be decisive：果断
Grit：勇气，坚毅
词组 in the face of opposition 的意思是，在面对反对意见的情况下或在面对阻力的时候
在这个对话中， wait 是wait a minute/second/moment的简略说法，即等一等，等一下，可以表示说话人刚刚记起或想起了某事。
美国高等院校中常会有各种俱乐部，例如体育俱乐部，某种业余爱好的俱乐部，等等。
有兴趣听更多英语对话吗？请浏览“英语学习”专题网页。
American English 网站提供可供英语学生和教师免费使用的多种英语资源。American English Facebook网页提供每天更新的英语学习资料。
“日常会话”由美国国务院教育与文化事务局英语语言项目处（Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs）资深项目官员海蒂·豪兰（Heidi Howland）编写。
Everyday conversations: Women’s leadership [audio]
Six students from around the world meet. What do they have in common? They are all exchange students studying at a U.S. university for a semester. Throughout the semester, they learn more English, learn about U.S. culture, and learn more about their fields of study. This series of Everyday Conversations is about these six students and their experiences during a semester at a university in the U.S. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.
In this conversation, three students (Lucía, Ajay, and Jana) talk about leadership, particularly the leadership of women around the world.
Lucía: Studying for this political science exam is driving me crazy!
Jana: Relax. Ajay and I were planning to take a study break, so we can help you study.
Ajay: Yeah, of course. What do you need to know for the exam?
Lucía: Well, at the moment, I’m learning that women leaders of countries are rare.
Ajay: I mean, I knew there were fewer female leaders than men, but how rare?
Lucía: Of all the elected heads of state in the world, less than 10 percent are women.
Jana: Less than 10 percent? That’s a terribly low percentage.
Ajay: I don’t understand why more women aren’t elected. Women have excellentleadership qualities.
Jana: Yeah, we do! For example, I can definitely multitask. And when I’m working on an engineering project, I have to collaborate. Those are both qualities that leaders should have.
Lucía: Absolutely. And you’ve seen me on the soccer field, so you know I’mstrategic and decisive.
Jana: Also excellent qualities for leaders. And women also have grit. So many women have fought for what they believe in, even in the face of opposition.
Ajay: You didn’t have to convince me. I think both of you would make fantastic leaders. Wait, aren’t both of you leaders of clubs on campus?
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
In this context, the phrase “driving me crazy” means “making me annoyed and frustrated.”
A study break is a short period of time when a student stops studying and does another activity.
A head of state is a person who is selected to be the head of the government of a country. An elected head of state is a person who is selected by voting to be the head of the government of his or her country.
To elect means to select someone by voting.
Leadership qualities are the characteristics that leaders often have or that people think leaders should have.
To multitask means to be able to do several different things at the same time.
To collaborate is to work with one or more other people in order to achieve a common goal, create something, or do something.
Strategic means related to a plan of achieving a purpose or goal.
To be decisive means to make decisions quickly and with confidence.
Grit is a characteristic that means having mental courage and determination.
The phrase in the face of opposition means the time you meet or deal with the people or group you are competing against, as in business or a game.
In this context, the word wait is short for wait a minute/second/moment. This means that the person speaking has just remembered or thought of something.
In colleges and universities in the U.S., there are often clubs. A club is a group of people who meet to participate in activities or events, such as a sport, hobby or other shared interest.
Ready to learn more English? Our materials can help.
The American English website offers a variety of free resources for learners and teachers of English. The American English Facebook page posts learning materials for English-language learners daily.
Everyday Conversations are developed by the State Department’s Heidi Howland, a senior program officer in the Office of English Language Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
