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　　Barney and Patty are friends living in Taiwan. They are considering trying a new hobby.

　　P:I've got it! We're both crazy about swimming and going to the beach, so maybe we should take up scuba diving.

　　B:Hey, that's not a bad idea! Then we could go diving with devilfish in Hawaii!

　　P:One thing at a time, Barney. Before we do anything, we need to assess our ability to cope with the physical requirements of diving.

　　B:What's to assess? You have to be in decent health and able to swim about a hundred and eighty meters.

　　P:All right. But before you go tearing off to the sea half-cocked, we need to take a training course --- to get our feet wet, so to speak.

　　B:Um ... will that put a big dent in our bank accounts? Would we have to buy a ton of fancy equipment?

　　P:Nah. The dive school provides all that stuff. Eventually, though, we'll probably want to buy our own gear. Masks and snorkels, at least.

　　B:You know, there are lots of organizations that provide scuba lessons and certification. Which one should we go to?

　　P:All the agencies teach the same basic skills. What's important is finding an instructor who can meet our needs.