General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Maria: Oh, hi Dave. Long time, no see!

Dave: Hi Maria. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by.

Maria: Come on in. [Thanks.] Take a seat. Would you like anything to drink? I have Sprite or orange juice.

Dave: Sprite would be fine. Uh, so, how have you been?

Maria: Oh, not bad. And you?

Dave: Oh, I’m doing okay, but school has been really hectic these days, and I haven’t had time to relax.

Maria: By the way, what’s your major anyway?

Dave: Hotel management.

Maria: Well, what do you want to do once you graduate?

Dave: Uh… I haven’t decided for sure, but I think I’d like to work for a hotel or travel agency in this area. How about you?

Maria: Well, when I first started college, I wanted to major in French, but I realized I might have a hard time finding a job using the language, so I changed majors to computer science. [Oh]. With the right skills, landing a job in the computer industry shouldn’t be as difficult.

Dave: So, do you have a part-time job to support yourself through school?

Maria: Well, fortunately for me, I received a four-year academic scholarship [Wow] that pays for all of my tuition and books.

Dave: Wow. That’s great.

Maria: Yeah. How about you? Are you working your way through school?

Dave: Yeah. I work three times a week at a restaurant near campus.

Maria: Oh. What do you do there?

Dave: I’m a cook.

Maria: How do you like your job?

Dave: It’s okay. The other workers are friendly, and the pay isn’t bad.

• hectic (adjective): very busy
  – Life is always very hectic when you’re trying to work and go to school at the same time.
• major (noun or verb): course of study
  – I’m thinking about majoring in computer science next year. (verb)
  – What is your major? (noun)
• land (a job) (verb): to secure, win, or get a job
  – It is becoming increasingly difficult to land a job in the field of language teaching.
• work (your way) through (school) (verb): think through, in this case, work while going to school to support yourself
  – Since my parents had no money, I had no choice but to work myself through school
  – Sometimes we just have to work through many new experiences before we understand the language and culture.