General Listening Quiz

What are some basic ideas or tips for washing and drying clothing without a problem? What temperature water do you use to clean white clothing and colors? Do you sometimes take your laundry to the dry cleaners?

1. 1. Owning a washer and dryer at home is essential for every household.
   2. Laundromats are better than having a washer and dryer at home.
   3. Energy-efficient washers and dryers are always worth the extra cost.
   4. Clothes dryers damage fabrics more than washing machines.
   5. People should air-dry all clothes instead of using a dryer.
   6. Washer and dryer brands make a big difference in quality.
   7. Sharing a washer and dryer in an apartment building is inconvenient.
   8. Washing machines are more important than dryers for laundry.
   9. Automatic settings on washers and dryers make doing laundry too easy.
   10. People rely too much on machines instead of learning traditional washing methods.

“clean out” = to remove things from something
“I’m going to clean out the washer before I put more clothes in. I think someone left paper in some clothing, and it caused a real mess.”

“wash/air your dirty laundry in public” = to talk about personal information in front of other people
“If you want to talk about this matter more, let’s do it at home. You shouldn’t air dirty laundry in public like this.”

“It’ll all come out in the wash” = everything will all be okay in the end
“I know you said some pretty bad things to your husband, but it’ll all come out in the wash. Just apologize for anything you have done, and everything will be okay.

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words that appear in the recording:

• run (verb): put something in the dryer, also use or operate
  – I’m going to run some towels through the dryer. Do you have anything you want to put in?
  – Do you know how to run this copy machine? I can’t figure it out.
• mess (noun): a very dirty or disorganized condition
  Oh, no! Your bedroom is such a mess. Pick up all the dirty clothes and put them next to the washer.
• rough (adjective): difficult
  – We had a rough night and didn’t sleep much because the baby was sick.
• logo (noun): a symbol for a company that goes on its products
  – The company decided to change their logo to give it a new look.
• stain (noun): a mark on clothing or another surface that is difficult to get out
  – I’ve washed this shirt three times in the washer, and the stain still won’t come out.
• fault (noun): mistake or responsibility for a problem
  – I don’t know whose fault it is, but someone mixed my white shirts with the pink towels, and now all of my shirts are pink.
• get back (verb): return to a place
  – Dad will throw the clothes in the washer when he gets back from work.
• appreciate (verb): be thankful for
  – I appreciate your help in washing and drying my clothes this morning. I couldn’t have done it without you.

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

• Mixed-Up Sentence  |  Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

What percentage of people use washers and dryers to clean clothes in your area in your home country? Does your family do this themselves, or do they have another person wash their clothes for them?

Use the internet to learn about laundry customs around the world.

• How has washing clothes changed over time in different parts of the world?
• Do people always use washers and dryers, or do they do their laundry by hand?