General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on how to quit smoking and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Woman: Hey. Are you okay?

Man: Yeah. I just have a cold, I think.

Woman: No, no you don’t. You’ve sounded like that for a while. You smoke, and you’re dying from it.

Man: What? Well, you know, I’m just . . .I’m just a casual smoker. I can quit anytime I want.

Woman: No, you can’t. You smoke t-, you smoke two packs a day, and I DON’T call that a casual smoker.

Man: Hey, it’s my choice, so butt out. We’ve talked about this before, and I’m tired of you, mom, and dad nagging me about it all the time.

Woman: Okay, but what about your kids? Don’t you worry about how your smoking is affecting them?

Man: It’s not a problem. I smoke outside.

Woman: Yeah, but don’t you worry that they’ll start smoking too?

Man: No. They won’t. I know my kids. I trust ’em [them].

Woman: Yeah, yeah. Didn’t you say that Jacob got caught smoking a week ago at school?

Man: Yeah, but it was the first time . . . He’s . . . he’s under a lot of pressure these days.

Woman: Yea, right. The first time you know of. He’s lying to you.

Man: I trust him.

Woman: Really. Well, what about these cigarettes? I . . . [ Which? What? ] Right here! [ Oh, oh! ] I found them in his clothes when he stayed over last night. Listen.

Man: No, they . . . They’re probably not his!

Woman: They’re his. He’s following your example. You can’t expect him NOT to smoke when you smoke yourself.

Man: Hey. Don’t tell me how to raise my kids. It’s my job.

Woman: I won’t have to. You’re killing yourself, and someone else is going to be raising your kids for you.

Man: What does that mean?

Woman: Figure it out. Listen. I (‘ve) gotta [got to go] now. If you want to talk more, I’ll be at mom’s house.

Man: Whatever.

• sound like (verb): seem, appear 
  – It sounds like Andrew has a serious problem with alcohol.
• casual (adjective): happening at certain times, not usual 
  – My brother says he’s just a casual drinker, but he often gets drunk at home.
• butt out (verb): not interfere or get involved in someone’s personal matters 
  – Why can’t you just butt out of my personal life? I don’t want your advice or help.
• nag (verb): annoy or complain about something by asking repeated questions 
  – My sister always nags me about not cleaning my room.
• trust (verb): believe somewhat is honest 
  – I don’t trust my roommate because he doesn’t tell the truth all of the time.
• get caught (verb): someone discovers that you are doing something 
  – Ashley got caught drinking in the bathroom at school.
• figure something out (verb): begin to understand something 
  – When is Bryan going to figure out that he can’t smoke in front of his kids?