General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on hair loss problems and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Heather: Ron, what are you doing?

Ron: Ah, nothing. I’m just looking up some information on the Internet.

Heather: Like what? Let me see.

Ron: No, no, it’s okay. I mean, you know . . .

Heather: Baldness? What are you looking that up for? [Well, you know . . . ] I . . . I mean, you’re not that bad off.

Ron: Ah, there you go. Bringing it up again!

Heather: No. I mean it. You look great! Honestly, it’s not that bad.

Ron: Hey, I get enough of it from friends, and . . . and . . . the people at work, and now from you!

Heather: Well, maybe you could wear a toupee? I think you’d look great.

Ron: Oh no. And have it slip off my head onto my date’s dinner plate as I lean over to kiss her? Uh-uh.

Heather: Well, have you ever thought about seeking medical advice? There are new advances in medicines that not only retard hair loss, but help regenerate new growth.

Ron: Ah, I still don’t give much credibility to medical treatment to prevent permanent hair loss.

Heather: Well, what about accepting the fact that you’re just losing your hair?

Ron: Oh, I just can’t give up hope. I know appearances shouldn’t matter, but I don’t know. I just feel that women just avoid me.

Heather: Come on. You can’t be serious.

Ron: No really. I’ve seen it many times. It just, I . . . I don’t know . . .

• baldness (noun): hair loss
  – Baldness affects many men in their twenties and thirties.
• to bring something up (verb phrase): to start talking about something
  – Please don’t bring up the subject again. We’ve already discussed it many times.
• toupee (noun): a fake hair piece for men
  – I thought about buying a toupee, but I’d rather not wear one.
• uh-uh (paralinguistic expression): informal way of saying “no.”
  – Aren’t you going to the party tonight?
  Uh-uh. I have finished a 20-page report by Monday, and I’m only on page one.
• retard (verb): slow or prevent
  – This toothpaste is good for retarding cavities.
• regenerate (verb): to start or stimulate new growth
  – We hope that this medication with regenerate new nerve endings.