Furniture Store: New Items for Your Apartment

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IDIOMS!

"on ice" = do nothing about something until a future time
"We were going to buy some new furniture, but the low advertised prices ended yesterday, so we've put the plan on ice."
"tighten your belt" = spend less money
"She wanted to redecorate her house with new furniture, but she has had to tighten her belt since she lost her job."

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[Text Completion | Quiz Script]

Furniture Store

I. Pre-Listening Exercises
II. Listening Exercises
III. Vocabulary
IV. Post-Listening
V. Online Investigations

Level:	Topic:	Type:	Speakers:	Length:
difficult	furniture	radio commercial	man	01:00

I. Pre-Listening Exercises [Top]

What kinds of information do you hear in typical radio or TV commercials, let's say, for a department store (e.g., store hours, telephone number, etc.)? What types of promotions do companies advertise to get you to buy their products?

HELPFUL TIP: Listening to radio commercials is a good way to improve your comprehension skills, and commercials usually contain a self-contained message in just 30 seconds. What images, pictures, or sound might you hear in an ad on living room furniture?

What furnishings do you see in this picture?

II. Listening Exercises [Top]

First, listen to the conversation by pressing the "Play Audio" button, and answer the questions. Press the "Final Score" button to check your quiz.

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[ Other Audio Options: Play RealMedia | Play Window Media ]

Listen to the conversation again as you read the Quiz Script.

III. Vocabulary Activities [Top]

Review the key vocabulary from the conversation: [ Why do these? ]

III. Post-Listening Exercises [Top]

Describe your current housing situation. Discuss the number of rooms it has, its location and convenience to other area attractions and businesses, and the terms of the housing agreement. Then, explain what you like most about the place.

V. Online Investigations - [ What's This? ] [Top]
Imagine you are renting a two-bedroom apartment in the US while you are studying English. You have about $2,500 to furnish your apartment with some basic necessities including a sofa, a table and chairs for the kitchen, a bed, and a TV. Find two Web sites that sell such household furnishing and compare the prices of the items above. Also, determine whether the company delivers to your local area and how much taxes and handling fees would cost.

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