General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on New Year’s Day and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Hi everyone. I want to talk about what I do to celebrate the new year. For most people, this will probably sound a little boring, but I prefer to live a simple, yet happy life.

Many years ago when I was much younger, I used to enjoy staying up late with my friends. We would have a party, play games, and eat lots of food. I don’t remember exactly, but I’m sure we didn’t eat a nice tasty salad with plenty of vegetables in it. Rather, we probably just ate greasy, unhealthy food like pizza, burgers, and lots of soda.

Now that I’m older, things have changed. When our kids were little, we sometimes stayed up late with them to celebrate the new year, but those times have changed. I find that every day is a new day, and we don’t have to wait until the new year to change our lives. Each day gives you a new opportunity to be better.

As a result, we don’t do anything special on New Year ‘s Eve. We generally stay home that evening because there are sometimes careless drivers on the road. We sometimes watch a movie or visit with family, but I usually go to bed before midnight. I’m usually not a late (night) person, and I would much rather get in bed around 10:00 ‘clock or so and watch a movie and fall asleep before it’s over.

I just enjoy the simple things of life. Happy New Years.

• will probably (future): also, might 
  – We will probably have a party tonight.
• prefer to (verb): rather 
  – I prefer to call her on the phone. I don’t want to text her.
• used to (verb): something that happened again and again in the past 
  – Maria used to stay up late on New Year’s Eve.
• tasty (adjective): having a good flavor 
  – These cookies are really tasty. Who made them?
• plenty of (quantifier): a lot of 
  – We have plenty of food and cookies for dinner tonight.
• greasy (adjective): with a lot of fat and grease 
  – This meat is very greasy. I think I’ll eat something else .
• unhealthy (adjective): not doing well; likely to make sick 
  – This food is very unhealthy. Your lifestyle is unhealthy, too. You should eat better and get more exercise.
• opportunity (adverb): chance
  – This holiday is a great opportunity for friends and family to get together and celebrate.
• careless (adjective): not careful
  – Don’t be careless and drink and drive after the party. Ask someone to drive you home.