|I. Pre-Listening Exercises [Top]|
What kinds of schools supplies do you usually need to buy before the start of a new academic year (e.g., pen, pencils, laptop or desktop computers, PDA, calculators)?
HELPFUL TIP: Having an answering machine with a clear message can help your caller know exactly what information they should record (e.g., their name, the time they called, and a short message).
|II. Listening Exercises [Top]|
Listen to the conversation by pressing the “Play Audio” button and answer the questions. Press the “Final Score” button to check your quiz.
Girl: Dad, I need a few supplies for school, and I was wondering if . . . .
Dad: Yeah. There are a couple of pencils and an eraser in the kitchen drawer, I think.
Girl: Dad, I’m in eight grade now, and I need REAL supplies for my demanding classes.
Dad: Oh, so you need a ruler too?
Girl: Dad, I need some high-tech tech stuff like a calculator, a Palm Pilot, and a laptop computer.
Dad: Uh. I didn’t have any of that when I was in middle school, and I did just fine.
Girl: Yeah, and they weren’t any cars either, WERE there. [Hey] And things are just more progressive now.
Dad: Well, we can rule out the hand pilot [Palm Pilot, Dad]. Whatever, AND the computer . . . unless mom lets you sell the car. And as for the adding machine [Calculator]. Yeah, I think mine from college is kicking around here somewhere.
Girl: Dad, I need a calculator for geometry, and I have heard you can download free software from the Internet.
Dad: Great. My daughter will be playing video games in geometry class.
Dad: Okay. How much is this thing going to cost me?
Girl: Well, I saw it at the store for only $99, WITH a $10 mail-in rebate, or you could buy it online.
Dad: Oh. Do they throw in a few aspirin so your father can recover from sticker shock?
Girl: Dad. Please!!!. Everyone has one [I’ve heard that before.] and you always say you want me to excel in school, and I’ll chip in $10 of my own, and I’ll even pick up my room [Hey!!].
Dad: Hmmm, 100 bucks.
Dad: Well, you’ll be supporting me in my old age, so, I guess so. When do you need it?
Girl: Now, right now. [Now!] Mom’s already waiting in the car for us. [Huh?] She said she would buy me an ice cream if I could talk you into to buying it for me today.
Key Vocabulary [Top]
- demanding (adjective): requiring great effort or work
– My history teacher is very demanding. She expects student to memorize so many facts.
- mail-in rebate (noun): refund or return of money sent to the purchaser after buying goods
– It took two months to receive my mail-in rebate from that company.
- throw in (phrasal verb): add as an extra item
– The computer store threw in a free set of speakers when I bought a computer.
- sticker shock (noun): great surprise at the sales price of an item
– I can’t get over the sticker shock of seeing the price of cars these days.
- chip in (phrasal verb): add or contribute
– My father chipped in money so I could by my first laptop.
- buck (noun): informal for dollar
– It only costs a few bucks to buy some folders and notebooks for school.