General Listening Quiz

What are three ways people waste water at home every day? Do you do these things yourself? Explain.

1. 1. Everyone should be required to conserve water, even if it costs extra money.
   2. Water-saving devices like low-flow faucets are always worth the cost.
   3. People waste water because they don’t understand its importance.
   4. Governments should limit how much water each household can use.
   5. Industries are more responsible for water waste than individual households.
   6. Water conservation is less important in countries with abundant water.
   7. Shorter showers are more effective than turning off the tap while brushing teeth.
   8. Farmers should use less water, even if it reduces crop production.
   9. Water conservation should be taught in schools from an early age.
   10. People who recycle water or reuse it at home are more responsible than those who don’t.

“blow someone out of the water” = destroy or defeat
“The basketball game wasn’t even close. I mean, they blew us out of the water and beat us by 60 points.”

“a fish out of water” = be out of place
“I went to the party with Sarah, but I felt like a fish out of water. I was at least 20 years older than most people there, and I had nothing in common with them.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• exactly (adverb): used to say something is accurate or correct
  – Mark: So, we need to be more careful with the water.
  – Maria: Exactly. I’m glad you agree.
• gallon (noun): 3.785 liters
  – This toilet uses about two gallons of water every time you flush it.
• astronomical (adjective): very, very high or expensive
  – The price of clean drinking water can be astronomical in some places in the world.
• be made of money (verb phrase): be very rich
  – Listen. I’m not made of money, so we can’t spend our money carelessly.
• afford (verb): have enough money to pay for something
  – Right now, we can’t afford a new washing machine, so we’ll have to use the old one for a while.

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

• Mixed-Up Sentence  |  Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

To what degree do you waste water at home or at work? Give specific examples and discuss what you could do better to save water.

Use the internet to find answers to these questions:

• What is the source of the water that you use every day to bathe, cook, and clean (for example, snow runoff, ground water from aquifers, wells, and springs, lakes, rain water, rivers and streams)?
• How is water used in your area (for example, agriculture, in businesses / industry, in homes, for watering personal gardens, recreational facilities like pools and water parks)
• How is this water purified, if needed?
• What are the future water needs where you are?