General Listening Quiz

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

Sales Associate: Hi. Can I help you with something today?

Customer: Yeah. I need some new running shoes.

Sales Associate: Okay. What kind of running are you doing? Um, are you preparing for a road race? Are . . . do you need some trail shoes? We have them all.

Customer: Well, I need some street shoes, and I need them to make me run fast, I mean real, real fast.

Sales Associate: Well, sir, how fast you run depends on many things and . . .

Customer: But, you, but, you don’t understand. You see, I’ve been dating this woman, and well, I kind of told her that I’m a pretty good runner, and uh . . .

Sales Associate: Well, how much, how much DO you run? Do you run 10Ks, marathons? What exactly are you doing?

Customer: Well, I don’t run really. I mean I run out to get the newspaper in the morning. Listen, I twisted the truth a little.

Sales Associate: Um, yeah, I’d say. How much does she run?

Customer: Uh, she’s completed, I think, about 20 marathons, all under three hours.

Sales Associate: Serious?

Customer: Ah, yeah! I mean . . .

Sales Associate: You’re toast. You’re in some serious hot water. The only good new shoes are going to do for you is so you can kick yourself for not having been honest with her. Look, just tell her the truth.

Customer: Ah, ooooh! I have a leg cramp coming on. Believable?

Sales Associate: No. She’s not gonna [going to] buy that story. Look. Just be frank with her . . . . apologize. She may or may not accept your apology, but at least you can look at yourself in the mirror and recognize that you told the truth. That way, you can live with yourself another day.

Customer: Yeah. I realize that now.

Sales Associate: Hey, here’s one idea. Tell her the truth, and see what she says. If she forgives you, and you really want to start running, then I suggest signing up for the 5K race we’re sponsoring next month. This can get you started on a new path to fitness and a positive relationship.

Customer: And if she doesn’t forgive me?

Sales Associate: Mm . . . Sorry. That’s just the consequence of not telling the truth.

• complete (verb): finish 
  – My sister completed the marathon in under four hours.
• be toast (idiom): be in trouble 
  – You’re toast if you don’t apologize to your wife.
• be in hot water (idiom): be in trouble 
  – Lauren is going to be in hot water if she doesn’t clean the house before the wedding reception.
• buy (a story) (idiom): believe something that someone tells you 
  – My parents bought my story. They think that I am going to spend the night at my friend’s house.
• be frank (verb): be honest and tell the truth 
  – Why weren’t you frank with your boss about the job? It always pays to be honest.
• live with oneself (idiom): accept a mistake or difficult situation 
  – How can he live with himself? He stole money from the company, but he was justified in doing so.
• sponsor (verb): support someone or something like a sports event with money or other goods 
  – We are looking for companies to sponsor the race. Would you be interested in doing so?