General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording picnic preparations and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Scott: Dave. I’m going to the supermarket to pick up food and drink for Saturday’s picnic later. Any suggestions?

Dave: Well, everyone’s been talking about having a barbecue down by the river, so why don’t you pick up some hamburger and hot dogs?

Scott: Okay, but how much hamburger meat are we going to need? And hot dogs too?

Dave: Uh, oh, I don’t know. How about three pounds of hamburger and a couple packages of hot dogs?

Scott: Oh, that’s not going to be enough. Do you remember the last picnic we went on? Your roommate, Jim, ate about ten hamburgers by himself!

Dave: You’re right. Let’s see. I [‘d] better write this down. Uh, let’s see about nine pounds of hamburger meat and, uh . . . , seven packages of hot dogs.

Scott: And you better pick up some chicken for those who don’t like hamburger or hot dogs.

Dave: Okay. How about five or six bags of potato chips?

Scott: Humm. Better make that eight or so.

Dave: Alright. Oh, and we’re gonna [going to] need some hamburger and hot dog buns. How about five packages a piece? I think that sounds about right.

Scott: Yeah, you’d better pick up some mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise too.

Dave: Okay. What else? Uh, we’re gonna [going to] need some soft drinks. How about ten of those big 2-liter bottles?

Scott: Sounds fine, but be sure to buy a variety of drinks.

Dave: Okay. And what about dessert?

Scott: Well, maybe we could ask Kathy to make a few cherry pies like she did last time.

Dave: Well, I wouldn’t mind that, but you know, she’s been very busy working two jobs, so I’d hate to ask her, [Oh, hum . . . ] and uh . . . Hey, why don’t you whip up some of your oatmeal cookies? [Well . . .] Hey, you could even ask, uh . . . , what’s her name . . . yeah, the new girl, Susan, the one that moved [in] across the street! [Well . . .] I bet she’d be willing to help you! [I don’t know . . . ] She’s a real knockout!

Scott: Nah, I don’t think I could ask her . . .[Ahh!] I don’t know her phone number, plus . . .

[Doorbell rings . . . ]

Dave: Hey, you don’t need to. She’s at the door!

Scott: What do you mean?

Dave: Well, I thought you two would hit it off, so I called her up saying I was you, and I invited her over to watch a movie.

Scott: You did what???

Dave: Wait, wait, wait, wait . . . [uhhhhh . . . ]

• supermarket (noun): a place where you buy food or other household goods, also grocery store 
  – She went to the supermarket to buy food for dinner.
• talk about (phrasal verb): discuss 
  – Let’s get together after class to talk about tonight’s party.
• pound (noun): a common measure of weight in the US, also 16 ounces
  – The turkey weighs over 25 pounds, so there should be enough to feed all our guests.
• package (noun): a container often used for food
  – He said he bought three packages of cookies to feed the kids an afternoon snack.
• you better (modal of advice): informal for “you had better” or “you’d better” and is generally used when there could be a negative consequence or result if the advice isn’t followed
  – I told her that she better make enough food for 20 people, or some of the guests won’t be happy or satisfied.
• whip up (phrasal verb): prepare quickly 
  – There’s no time to fix a big dinner, so I’ll just have to whip up a simple salad.
• bet (verb): strongly believe or have faith in
  – This cake has a nice flavor. I bet she added some cinnamon to the recipe.
• knockout (noun): a very attractive or beautiful woman
  – Hey, you’ll love her roommate. She’s a real knockout, and she isn’t dating anyone.
• nah: informal for “no”
  – Nah, I don’t want to go out to eat. Let’s just eat something easy at home.
• hit it off (phrasal verb): get along well
  – I thought they would hit it off and go on another date, but it turns out that they didn’t have much in common.