General Listening Quiz

“Happy Birthday”

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
easy	birthday party	man – boy	01:07

Pre-Listening Exercise

What activities do people do at a birthday party in your country? Also, what traditional foods do people prepare and eat at such events?

Idioms

“turn” = become a year older
“Our youngest daughter is going to turn 16 this week, and we’re all excited to celebrate her special day.”

“mooch off of someone” = expect someone to pay your expenses
“Hey, now that you’ve turned 25, don’t you think it’s time to stop mooching off of mom and dad?“

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

What is the boy's name?

Michael

Mitchell

Matthew

Father: Hi Michael. Happy Birthday! How old are you today? Son: Seven.

How old is the boy turning in the conversation?

nine

eight

seven

Father: Hi Michael. Happy Birthday! How old are you today? Son: Seven.

What does he want to do first?

open presents

play outdoor games

eat cake and ice cream

Father: Alright. So what should we do first? Son: How about cake and ice cream?

In the game, you have to ______.

catch a ball

touch another person

hide from others

Son: Um . . . one person is it, and the person who is it tries to tag everyone [Alright. And then . . . ] before I tag someone and then, another person tags me.

Who is coming to the party?

friends, cousins, and grandparents

grandparents, cousins, and uncles

aunts, grandparents, and cousins

Father: Oh, wow. And whose coming over later today for your birthday? Son: Well, everyone. Uh, my cousins, all my aunts and grandmas, grandpas.

Vocabulary Practice

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

Post-Listening Exercise

Share a story about one of your favorite birthdays. How did you celebrate the day, and what made it special? Did you eat any special foods? What presents did you receive? Are there any unique birthday traditions and customs in your family or culture?

Online Investigation

Although everyone has a birthday once a year, the way that we celebrate this day is often different from person to person, from family to family, and from culture to culture. Use the Internet to learn about different birthday traditions from two cultures other than you own and report on how these customs are similar or different than your own

See Listening Script

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