4. Livre D'eleve: Alter Ego

Camille looked up. Sitting across from her was a young man with a messenger bag and a sharp, inquisitive look. He looked exactly like one of the stock photo models from the textbook's listening exercises. In his hand, he held a cup of espresso. "Pardon?" Camille stammered, her heart racing.

Camille blinked. She was no longer in her room. She was sitting at a tiny, round metal table on the terrace of a bustling café in Lyon. Alter Ego 4. Livre d'eleve

"We are discussing the article from Dossier 3 regarding environment and consumerism," the man said smoothly in fast, perfect French. "You seemed lost in thought. Do you think green initiatives are moving fast enough, or is it just corporate window dressing?" Camille looked up

Camille panicked. This was a classic B2 production orale task. Her brain scrambled to find the right vocabulary. Connecteurs logiques. Subjonctif. Expressing nuance. She had studied them, but using them in a real conversation was terrifying. In his hand, he held a cup of espresso

As a rapid-fire French conversation about societal trends filled her quiet bedroom, something strange happened. The text on the page began to shimmer. The colorful margins of the textbook bled outward, spilling off the desk like wet paint. The smell of her bedroom vanished, replaced instantly by the rich aroma of roasting coffee beans, melted butter, and fresh rain on cobblestones.

Camille took a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a second, visualizing the textbook page. She remembered the grammar box. "D'accord," she said, squaring her shoulders. "À mon avis, il est primordial que les grandes entreprises fassent plus d'efforts pour protéger la planète, bien que ce soit difficile."

Camille sighed, rubbing her eyes, and pressed play on the accompanying CD-ROM audio track.