General Listening Quiz

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

Dave: Hi Randall. [ Hi ] Come on in.

Randall: Uh, yeah, I stopped by to see if you were still looking for a roommate to share your house.

Dave: Yup. I sure am. Ever since I cut back on my working hours to go to school, I’ve been really strapped for cash.

Randall: Oh.

Dave: Hey, let me show you the place. Uh, here’s the living room.

Randall: Oh. It looks like you could use a new carpet . . . and those stains?

Dave: Well. I’ve had a few problems with some former roommates. I know it needs to be cleaned, but I just don’t have the money to do it right now.

Randall: Oh. And what about the kitchen?

Dave: Right this way. Look. It’s completely furnished with all the latest appliances, except . . .

Randall: What?

Dave: Well, the refrigerator door is broken . . . a little bit . . . and it won’t shut all the way. It needs fixing, but don’t worry. I’ve just improvised by pushing a box against it to keep it shut.

Randall: Hmm. Great.

Dave: Ah. It isn’t that bad.

Randall: Well how about the bathroom?

Dave: Well . . .

Randall: No, no. Don’t tell me. The toilet is clogged, and the sink has a few leaks.

Dave: No, those work fine, but, uh, the tile in the shower needs to be replaced, and the window needs fixing.

Randall: Let me see. The tile . . . what? The window? Where’s the window pane?

Dave: Well, that’s another slight problem. I’ve put up a piece of cardboard to keep out the [ Hmmm ] rain and the snow , and if it gets a little cold, you can always turn up the heat. Well, you used to until the central heating went out. [Oh boy.]

Randall: Hey, I think I’ve seen enough. I can’t believe you’ve survived under these conditions.

Dave: So what do you think? You really can’t beat a place like this for $450 a month. So it has a few problems, but we can fix those.

Randall: Uh, no thank you. I think I’ve seen enough.

• share (verb): use together 
  – My son didn’t want to share his toys.
• be strapped for cash (idiom): have little money
  – I’d love to help you, but I’m strapped for cash this month.
• furnished (adjective): having furniture and appliances
  – I’m looking for a furnished apartment.
• appliances (noun): electronic devices often used in the kitchen including the stove, microwave, blender, dishwasher,and refrigerator
  – This store sells excellent appliances.
• improvise (verb): to use another way of doing something to accomplish your goal
  – I didn’t have the right brushes to paint the living room, so I had to improvise.
• window pane (noun): the glass part of the window
  – The window pane in the bedroom needs replacing.
• beat (verb): be better than
  – I’ve looked around the best prices on paint, and this store beats any other place around.