Content Warning: This conversation deals with tragedy, car accidents, and death.
| Level | Topic | Speakers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficult | Christmas Story | Man | 03:07 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What is the meaning of Christmas to those that celebrate this day? Use the internet to answer these questions, or discuss them with other students. What do you think is the meaning of the title, “The Christmas Gift,” in this story? What ideas come to your mind when you think of Christmas gifts?
- Giving expensive gifts shows how much you care.
- People often feel pressure to buy the “perfect” gift for the holidays.
- Children should learn to appreciate fewer gifts at Christmas.
- A meaningful gift doesn’t have to cost any money.
- Advertising affects what people think they should give as Christmas presents.
- It’s okay to regift something you don’t need if it’s still useful.
- Gifts should always match the personality or interests of the person receiving them.
- Giving gifts at Christmas is becoming less personal and more commercial.
- Adults should be just as excited about gifts as children.
- Some families would be happier if they skipped gift-giving completely.
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:
-
horrendous (adjective): terrible
– Over twenty people lost their lives in the horrendous accident. -
collide (verb): run into, crash into
– The boat collided with another ship in the dense fog. -
tomb (noun): grave, a place where the dead are buried
– The tomb of the unknown soldier is buried on the hill over there. -
engulf (verb): surround or enclose
– The smoke from the fire engulfed the entire house. -
to be unfolded (verb): to reveal or disclose
– The true facts of the case were unfolded after extensive interviews with witnesses. -
attic (noun): the area between the ceiling and the roof
– We keep our presents in the attic until Christmas Eve so the kids won’t find them. -
recount (verb): to retell, like a story
– My father used to recount his Christmas memories when I was a child. -
charity (noun): love
– We should show acts of charity to those less fortunate throughout the year.
Post-Listening Exercise
- What was the Christmas “gift” Ray gave to others?
- What did the narrator mean when he said that Ray believed that “the best Christmas gifts came not from the gift received, but from those given, and that those acts of charity should remain anonymous”?
- Discuss the teachings of other religions or moral lessons when it comes to charity and kindness towards others.