DVD Movie Rentals

DVD Movie Rentals

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Man: Hey, Kathy. I'm thinking about renting a movie for tonight's party, and I want to know what kind of movies you like.

Woman: Okay. What kind of movies do you have in mind?

Man: Well, what about action movies?

Woman: Ah, I don't really like action movies. Too much violence.

Man: Okay, do you like comedies?

Woman: Now, I do enjoy comedies.

Man: Fine. Well, what do you think of horror movies or love stories?

Woman: Uh . . . I'm not really crazy about horror movies, but love stories are often fun to watch. Oh, and I really like foreign films, too.

Man: Okay. I'll go to the video store and see what I can find. Thanks.

Daily Schedule

Daily Schedule

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Woman: So, what's your usual day like? You always seem so busy.

Man: Well, I usually get up around 5:00 a.m. and work on the computer until 6:00 a.m.

Woman: Why do you get up so early?

Man: Well, I have to leave home at twenty to seven (6:40 a.m.) so I can catch a bus at 7:00 o'clock . It takes me about twenty minutes to walk to the bus stop from my house.

Woman: And what time do you get to work?

Man: Uh, my bus takes about an hour to get there, but it stops right in front of my office.

Woman: That's nice. And what time do you get off work?

Man: Uh, around 5:00 o'clock. Then, we eat dinner around 6:30, and my wife and I read and play with the kids until 8:00 or so.

Woman: So, when do you work on your website? You said one time that you create it at home?

Man: Well, my wife and I often watch TV or talk until 10:00 o'clock. She then often reads while I work on my site, and I sometimes stay up until the early hours of the morning, but I try to finish everything by one or two.

Woman: And then you get up at 5:00 a.m.?

Man: Well, yeah, but it's important to live a balanced life. I enjoy what I do, but you have to set aside time for the family and yourself.

Woman: I agree.

Man: But I think my wife has the toughest job. She spends her whole day taking care of our family . . . taking the kids to school, working in the garden, buying groceries, taking the kids to piano lessons . . . [Wow!] It's a full-time job, but she enjoys what she does.

Woman: Well, it sounds like you're a busy, but lucky man.

Man: I think so too.

College Life

College Life

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Maria: Oh, hi Dave. Long time, no see!

Dave: Hi Maria. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by.

Maria: Come on in. [Thanks.] Take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? I have Sprite or orange juice.

Dave: Sprite would be fine. Uh, so, how have you been?

Maria: Oh, not bad. And you?

Dave: Oh, I'm doing okay, but school has been really hectic these days, and I haven't had time to relax.

Maria: By the way, what's your major anyway?

Dave: Hotel management.

Maria: Well, what do you want to do once you graduate?

Dave: Uh... I haven't decided for sure, but I think I'd like to work for a hotel or travel agency in this area. How about you?

Maria: Well, when I first started college, I wanted to major in French, but I realized I might have a hard time finding a job using the language, so I changed majors to computer science. [Oh]. With the right skills, landing a job in the computer industry shouldn't be as difficult.

Dave: So, do you have a part-time job to support yourself through school?

Maria: Well, fortunately for me, I received a four-year academic scholarship [Wow] that pays for all of my tuition and books.

Dave: Wow. That's great.

Maria: Yeah. How about you? Are you working your way through school?

Dave: Yeah. I work three times a week at a restaurant near campus.

Maria: Oh. What do you do there?

Dave: I'm a cook.

Maria: How do you like your job?

Dave: It's okay. The other workers are friendly, and the pay isn't bad.

Business Communications

Business Communications

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Secretary: Hello, Ultimate Computers. May I help you?

Caller: Yes, this is Jack Kordell from Hunter's Office Supplies. May I speak to Elaine Strong, please?

Secretary: I'm sorry, but she's not in right now.

Caller: Okay, do you know when she'll be back?

Secretary: Uh, yes, she should be here later on this afternoon maybe about 4:30. May I take a message?

Caller: Yes. Ms. Strong sent me a brochure detailing your newest line of laptop computers with a description of other software products, but there wasn't any information about after-sales service.

Secretary: Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to fax that to you?

Caller: Yes, but our fax is being repaired at the moment, and it won't be working until around 2:30. Hum . . . could you try sending that information around 3:30? That should give me time to look over the material before I call Ms. Strong, say, around 5:00.

Secretary: Sure. Could I have your name, telephone number, and fax number, please?

Caller: Yes. Jack Kordell and the phone number is 560-1287. And the fax number is 560-1288.

Secretary: Okay. Jack Kordell. Is your name spelled C-o-r-d-e-l?

Caller: No. It's Kordell with a "K" and two "l's." K-o-r-d-e-l-l."

Secretary: All right, Mr. Kordell. And your phone number is 560-1287, and the fax number is 560-1288. Is that correct?

Caller: Yes it is.

Secretary: All right. I'll be sure to send you the fax this afternoon.

Caller: Okay, bye.

Clothing Styles

Clothing Styles

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Ashley: Hey, Jake. Are you ready for your trip?

Jake: Well, not really. I still have to buy some clothes.

Ashley: Well, what's the weather like where you're going?

Jake: Well, uh, it's really hot in the summer, so I'm going to buy some shorts, sandals, and a few t-shirts.

Ashley: What about the rest of the year?

Jake: People say that the fall can still be warm until November, so I'm going to buy some jeans and a few casual shirts.

Ashley: Will you need any warm clothes for the winter?

Jake: Well, the weather doesn't get too cold, but it often snows in the mountains, so I'm going to buy a couple of warm sweaters, a jacket, and a hat. I don't have room in my suitcase to pack a coat, so I'm going to wait until I get there and buy it when I really need it.

Ashley: Are you going to take anything else?

Jake: They say it rains cats and dogs in the spring, but again, I'll probably just wait and pick up a raincoat or an umbrella later on. But, I'm going to take a good pair of shoes because I plan on walking to and from school everyday.

Ashley: Do you need any clothing for formal occasions?

Jake: Well, you never know when you might need something on the spur of the moment for a wedding or maybe someone's graduation, or a nice date, so I'll probably take some nice slacks, a dress shirt, and a couple (of) crazy ties or two.

Ashley: Um, that makes sense.

Jake: And I'll just rent a suit or tuxedo if I need anything more formal. Hey, maybe I'll get married.

Ashley: You? Married? Hah!

Jake: Wait. What are you trying to say?

Ashley: I just can't imagine you decked out in a tuxedo for any formal occasion. [What?!] I mean, for high school graduation, you wore an old pair of jeans and tennis shoes.

Jake: Hey, there was a reason for that, so let me explain. [Yeah, ha, ha.] No, really. You see, it goes like this . . .

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is Coming!

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Man: Well, Christmas is almost here. So, what do you want from Santa this year?

Micky: A toy car and walkie-talkies.

Man: Really? Well, and what about you, Emily? What do you want for Christmas?

Emily: If I can't have a Barbie radio, um, I would have some fragile dolls. And if I can't have some fragile dolls, it doesn't really matter what I get.

Man: Wow. Well, I'm excited, and Santa is coming. And how is Santa going to get inside the house, Micky?

Micky: Um, go down the chimney . . .

Man: Okay, so he's going to go down the chimney, and should we prepare anything for Santa?

Micky: Yeah!

Man: What are we going to prepare for him, Emily?

Emily: Um. We could prepare some cookies for him and some hot chocolate, and, um, we could give Rudolph some, um, hot chocolate in a bowl and a cookie. And we could give some of the reindeer some cookies and some hot chocolate in a bowl.

Man: Well, what do you think? They, Um, reindeer probably don't eat cookies, but what else could we give them, Micky?

Micky: Um, apples.

Man: Ah, that's good. And, uh . . .

Emily: Oranges and bananas.

Man: Okay and what time do you think we should go to bed?

Emily: Um, seven.

Man: About seven o'clock. Well, that's exciting. I'm really happy that Christmas is coming.

Camping under the Stars

Camping under the Stars

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Paul: Sara, I've been looking forward to our yearly campout for three weeks. [Me too] It's going to be a wonderful day for hiking tomorrow. The great outdoors. Camping under the stars . This is the life.

Sara: Yeah, but Paul, I'm a little bit worried about the weather though. The weatherman said it was going to rain later tonight.

Paul: Ah. nonsense. Nothing can spoil our adventure. Those weather reports are never right.

Sara: And it said there was a chance of high winds.

Paul: Ah. Don't worry.

[thunder]

Sara: Paul. Paul. Did you remember to bring our raincoats just in case, like I told you?

[light rain]

Paul: Uh . . . no. I left them on the front porch.

[heavy rain]

Sara: What are we going to do now?

Paul: We'll have to sleep in the car! Hurry get in!

[door shut]

Sara: So, Paul, what are we going to do now?

Paul: How about playing a card game?

Sara: Uhh. I left them next to the picnic table. [Hmmm] Hey, you don't want me to go out in this rain and get them, do you?

Paul: No. That's okay. So what now?

Sara: Well, we could head down the mountain and stay at that hotel we passed on the way up, or go home.

Paul: Hmm, why don't we just make the best of it here and hope the weather clears.

Sara: That's a good idea.

Apartments for Rent

Apartments for Rent

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Roger: Hello.

Ann: Hello Roger? This is Ann.

Roger: Oh hi, Ann. How have you been? And how's your new apartment working out?

Ann: Well, that's what I'm calling about. You see, I've decided to look for a new place.

Roger: Oh, what's the problem with your place now? I thought you liked the apartment.

Ann: Oh, I do, but it's a little far from campus, and the commute is just killing me. Do you think you could help? I thought you might know more about the housing situation near the school.

Roger: Okay, what's your budget like? I mean how much do you want to spend on rent?

Ann:Uh, somewhere under $200 a month, including utilities, if I could. Oh, and I'd prefer to rent a furnished apartment.

Roger: Hmm. And anything else?

Ann:Yeah, I need a parking space.

Roger: Well, I know there's an apartment complex around the corner that seems to have a few vacancies. I'll drop by there on my way to class today.

Ann: Hey, thanks a lot.

Roger: No problem.

A Day at School

A Day at School

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Randall: Hello. Today I'm interviewing Joshua on his experiences going to a Japanese school. Now Joshua, what time do you go to school?

Joshua: Eight O'clock.

Randall: Eight O'clock. And do you go by yourself, or on a school bus?

Joshua: No, I have a group that goes with me.

Randall: So you go with a group?

Joshua: Uh-huh.

Randall: Now what kinds of things do you take to school?

Joshua: I take my taiso fuku, that is gym clothes, and I take my backpack and my books [ Oh, okay. ] and stuff like that.

Randall: Okay and what is the first thing you do when you get to school?

Joshua: We do "kiritsu, rei."

Randall: "Kiritsu" and "rei." Now what are those?

Joshua: It means "stand up, bow."

Randall: Stand up and bow.

Joshua: Uh-huh.

Randall: And what do you study at school?

Joshua: We study kokugo, that is writing and reading and stuff like that [ Okay ], and sansu, that's math. [ Okay. ]. And, let's see . . . , we do gym too.

Randall: Okay, and where do you eat lunch? Do you have a lunchroom or cafeteria?

Joshua: No, we eat in our classroom.

Randall: You eat in your classroom! [ Yeah. ]. Oh wow. That is very interesting. Now what time do you come home from school?

Joshua: We come home sometimes at 3:00 and sometimes at 2:00.

Randall: Okay, well thank you very much Joshua.

Joshua: You're welcome.

Answering Machine

Answering Machine

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[Phone ringing . . .]

Bill: Hey, this is Bill. I'm sorry I'm not in. Just leave a message.

[Beep]

Hey Bill. This is Hank. I'm just calling to let you know that I'll be a little late to the game tomorrow night. I have to work a few extra hours to finish a report. I should wrap things up sometime between seven and eight though. Oh, then I'm planning on dropping by Lisa's house for about an hour since she's been sick recently. And, uh, one more thing. I'll swing by my house to pick up some food for the game. See you then.

Listening Exercises

Easy

1. Answering Machine
2. A Day at School
3. Apartments for Rent
4. Camping under the Stars
5. Christmas is Coming!
6. Clothing Styles
7. Business Communications
8. College Life
9. Daily Schedule
10. DVD Movie Rentals

Medium

Difficult