General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on buying college textbooks and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Carl: Hey, Sis. Are you interested in buying some  books for school? You can really save money that way.

Ashley: Well, what do you have?

Carl: Well, let’s see. I have a science book called, Today’s World, and I’m selling it for thirty dollars.

Ashley: Thirty? That’s a little expensive for a beat-up book like that.

Carl: Uh, maybe so, but I bought it for sixty. Plus, I wrote a lot of notes in the book that should help you with the class . . . if you could read my writing.

Ashley: What else are you selling?

Carl: Okay, I have an English writing textbook for fourteen dollars, a math book for twenty-three, and a novel for only seven bucks.

Ashley: Uh, Hmmm.

Carl: It’s up to you. You know, these things go fast. I mean you have to listen to my advice as your older brother.

Ashley: Psh. I’ll take the English book and the novel. I need both of those for sure. I think I’ll hold off on buying other books for now. [Okay.] Teachers are always changing their minds about textbooks. [Alright.] And, what are those books?

Carl: Which ones? Ah, ah, nothing. [Wait, wait, wait, wait!] Never mind.

Ashley: Finding Your Perfect Someone. You’re selling it for forty dollars? What’s, what’s this all about? And the price?

Carl: Well. You . . It’s a . . . It’s just a marital relations class. You know about finding a partner. You know, mom’s always, you know, on me about that. And, what does it matter to you anyway?

Ashley: Forty dollars? That’s a little expense.

Carl: Well, they guarantee results, but ah, never mind. You would never understand.

Ashley: What about this one? Introduction to Gourmet Cooking? Why did you take this class? You hate cooking.

Carl: Well, um, I have a friend who’s into cooking, and she’s [She?] . . . I mean, my friend’s taking the class. I mean, ugh, does it really matter?

Ashley: A marriage class . . . a close female friend . . . a cooking textbook . . . I think I get the picture. Mom’s going to be excited about this.

Carl: Ah, you got it all wrong. So, do you want to buy any of these textbooks or not?

• sis (noun): informal for sister 
  – Hey, sis. Do you want a ride to school today?
• beat-up (adjective): in bad condition 
  – I don’t care if the book is all beat-up as long as it is cheap.
• buck (noun): informal for dollar 
  – You can save a few bucks if you buy used books from friends or online.
• hmmm: a sound that people make when they are thinking about what to say
  – Hmmm. That’s a difficult question. Let me think about it.
• psh: expression of lack of respect
  – Did she really say that she studies really hard? Psh. She’s always skipping class, so there’s no way she is doing well in school.
• hold off on (phrasal verb): wait
  – My daughter decided to hold off on attending college this semester.
• never mind: don’t worry about something 
  – Well, never mind. I think I’ll buy the book online instead. Thanks for offering to sell me your book.
• be on someone (phrasal verb): complain about someone or something that a person does 
  – His wife is always on him for spending so much money on textbooks and then not attending classes regularly.
• be into something (phrasal verb): be interested in something 
  – My brother is really into swimming. He goes to the pool everyday.
• ugh: expression of dislike or disgust 
  – Ugh. I can’t believe you didn’t pass that class even though you spent so much money on books and tuition. I guess that’s your fault because you never went to class much.
• get the picture (idiom): understand
  – Kathy says she doesn’t want to go out with me, but I think I get the picture now. She’s just not interested in me.
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