General Listening Quiz

Homeowners should always take precautions to protect their places from burglars and theft. In addition to home alarm systems, what are two other things that people can do to protect their homes from crime?

“get (all) worked up” = become upset or emotional
“My mom got worked up when she found out that someone broke into her car and stole her purse.”

“pull the wool over someone’s eyes” = deceive or trick someone
“Don’t let that used car salesman pull the wool over your eyes. Be sure you get a detailed report on that car’s history.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• step out (phrasal verb): leave or go outside a room for a short period of time
  – Be sure to lock the front door if you step out to get lunch.
• out of the ordinary: unusual or unexpected
  – If you notice anything out of the ordinary, call the police.
• disarray (noun): a state of confusion or lack of organization, not tidy
  – The whole house was in disarray when we returned home from the store.
• exterior (adjective): outside
  – The lock on the exterior door to the building needs to be replaced.
• secure (adjective): strong
  – You ought to buy a very secure lock for your bike, so it doesn’t get stolen.
• wise (adjective): smart
  – You would be wise to keep your valuables in a secure place.
• shrubbery (noun): small bushes
  – We planted some shrubbery around our house.
• conceal (verb): hide
  – Burglars sometimes conceal their true identities by wearing different clothes.
• patrol (verb): go around an area to check security
  – The police patrol our neighborhood on a regular basis for suspicious people.
• confrontation (noun): a fight or argument
  – There was a serious confrontation between the neighbors.
• seek out (verb): look for
  – I suggest that we seek out more effective ways to prevent crime.
• deterrent (noun): something that prevents or discourages people from doing something else
  – Keeping a light on in your house can be a good deterrent to burglars while you are away.

What are three things you do to protect your apartment or home from burglary? Use the internet to find two other ideas on how to make your place safer. Are there certain crime-prevention methods that you might see in one culture, but you wouldn’t see them in other countries? You might need to talk to other students to answer this question.

Finding the ideal home security system for your place can take some research. Do you need a full-scale system including motion detectors to protect your dwelling, or is there a similar solution like a watchdog? Use the internet to review two companies and their products and review the advantages and disadvantages of these solutions.