| Level: | Topic: | Speakers: | Length: |
| difficult | emergency kits | man – woman | 03:57 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Do you have any emergency supplies or even a 72-hour emergency kit in your house or at your apartment you can use in case of a natural disaster? If so, what are they? What things are most needed in such an emergency to get you by for at least least three days?
Idioms
“in a pickle” = a difficult situation
“You’ll find yourself in a real pickle if you don’t have enough water during an emergency.”
“hang loose” = relax or stay calm
“Tell the people to hang loose until help arrives.”
“wacky” = silly or foolish
“My brother had the wacky idea of packing twenty bottles of ketchup in his emergency kit instead of water.”
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
What are some ways that people can become more prepared in your local area, both individually and as communities? Can you think of a time in your life when you wished that you had been more prepared either for a minor or major emergency? What was the situation and in what ways where you prepared or unprepared for it?
Online Investigation
Most people don’t think about emergencies until it is too late. Let’s suppose you have decided to pack a 72-hour kit. Make a list of the top 10 things you would pack in the kit and be prepared to explain your reasons for choosing each one. Would each of these items be easy to find at local stores in your area, or would you have to special order them online?
Now, use the Internet and compare specific products or emergency kits by two different companies in terms of the necessity/desirability of each item (“Do I really need this?” or “Would I really enjoy eating this?”), it’s quality, and finally its price.