Basic English Quiz

These words appear in the conversation. What do you think the man talks about with the woman? Think of these ideas before you listen.

• early, bus, library, sandwich, friends, gym, guitar, girlfriend, call, evening

“crack the books” = start studying

“The reason why he isn’t doing very well is that he rarely cracks the books.”

“cut class” = miss school

“Although some of my daughter’s friends cut class a lot, she is at school every day.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. Then, review the script to this listening activity at the bottom of the page.

Tell a partner six things you usually do every day: two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and two in the evening. Talk about where you do these activities and if you do them by yourself or with someone else.

Woman: So, what is your schedule like every day?

Man: Well, uh, I get up around a quarter to six ( 5:45 ) in the morning.

Woman: Wow! That’s kind of early.

Man: A little. Then, I eat a quick breakfast, and I catch the bus at, uh, 7:00. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the bus stop.

Woman: That’s a pretty good walk.

Man: Yeah, and uh, next, I work at the library from 8:00 to 11:15 or so, and I have classes from noon until about five.

Woman: Um.

Man: And then I catch the bus back home, and I arrive . . . well, you know how the traffic is. It depends on traffic, but around 6:15, and I make a sandwich or something for dinner, and then I walk to the gym and meet some of my friends, uh, there [ Oh, that sounds fun. ] around 7:00. [ Around 7:00? ] You know Steve? [ Uh-huh. ] Yeah, he and I usually go. Steve and uh, what is her name? The new girl, um. I think her name is Amy.

Woman: So you have a group you work out with then?

Man: Right.

Woman: That sounds fun.

Man: And we exercise, play basketball, lift weights . . . . you know, do things like that . . . for about an hour and a half.

Woman: Wow. Do you do that every night?

Man: Oh, no. I usually go to the gym on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And on Wednesdays, I take guitar lessons [ Ooh, fun! ] Yeah, uh, in the evening at a music school, you know, just around the corner from my house.

Woman: Oh, that’s convenient.

Man: Yeah, yeah. It’s really nice.

Woman: Well, I was wondering when do you get time to see your girlfriend.

Man: That’s the problem. I only see her on Tuesdays in the evening and on Saturdays and some Sundays. I mean, we usually text each other every day, and I sometimes call her during my lunch break.

Woman: Oh, that’s nice.

Man: It sounds like you have a very busy schedule.