General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on donating cars and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Woman: Hey, how are things going?

Man: Well, to be honest, things aren’t going well for us.

Woman: How come?                                                   

Man: Well, I lost my job a month ago, and my wife was in the hospital for three weeks. And now, our bills are piling up, and last week, our car died, and it’s going to cost about $2,500 to repair it. And that’s way more than it is worth. I mean, it has almost 275,000 miles.

Woman: Wow. I’m really sorry to hear that.

Man: Thanks.

Woman: Uh, hey listen. I have an older car that I’m not using now. I’ll donate it to you.

Man: No, no. I can’t accept it.

Woman: Please, take it.

Man: Are you sure?

Woman: Of course, the car needs a new oil change and a couple new tires, but otherwise, it runs great.

Man: That’s very kind of you.

Woman: All you owe me is one of your homemade peach pies. That will make us even.

Man: Okay, thanks.

• How come? : Why?
  – How come you didn’t come to school yesterday?
  – A: I’m really worried about my future. >>> B: How come?
• pile up (verb): increase to an amount that is difficult to manage or pay 
  – Our medical expenses have been piling up for months.
• owe (verb): need to repay money to a person, company, or bank 
  – How much do you owe your parents for school?