General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on sleeping problems and insomnia and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Woman: James, JAMES! Wake up!

Man: What? Why did you wake me up?

Woman: It is 2:00 in the afternoon.

Man: Only 2:00? I’m going back to bed.

Woman: No, you have to get up. You will be late for that class again.

Man: Ah, can’t you just take notes for me again?

Woman: No, I did that last time, and I am not doing that again. You need to get more sleep and get into a better routine.

Man: Routine? Like what?

Woman: Yeah. You should get up no later than 6:30.

Man: 6:30?

Woman: That gives you plenty of time for a 30-minute workout.

Man: You (‘ve) got to be joking! No way. And I already exercised. I turn off the alarm clock, and it takes a lot of strength and endurance to get up at that unspeakable hour.

Woman: You need to get to bed no later than 9:00.

Man: Ni . . . Nine?

Woman: Yes, you need at least eight hours of sleep . . . that’s what science says. and sleeping in class does NOT count. Going to bed at 3:00 in the morning is a terrible way to live. I mean, how many hours do you even get?

Man: Well, wait. I get about five hours . . . wait, wait, well? Four hours, [If you’re generous] or, or, or . . . well, sometimes, three, but I do better on less sleep. And I don’t want to sleep my life away.

Woman: No, this is unbelievable. You need sleep. Caffeine isn’t an acceptable substitute. I have seen you fall asleep while driving . . . James, James. Do NOT fall asleep while I’m talking to you.

Man: I’m not. I’m just resting my eyes.

Woman: Oh, oh, sure, fine, fine. Yo . . . You fail that class . . . see if I care.

• routine (noun): a regular way of doing things 
  – What is your daily routine at work these days?
• plenty of (quantifier): a lot of 
  – You should get plenty of sleep tonight because you have a final test at school tomorrow.
• workout (noun or verb): a time of physical exercise to improve your fitness and health 
  – What kind of exercise do you do for your workout? (noun) 
  – I’m going to workout with Maria and Jacob this morning. I think we’re going to lift weights. (verb)
• endurance (noun): the power to do something hard for a long time 
  – Do you think you have the endurance to run a marathon without much sleep?
• unspeakable (adjective): impossible to describe in words, very bad 
  – I can’t imagine the unspeakable pain the family felt when their dad died.
• something doesn’t count (verb): something that is not accepted or allowed 
  – You said you were going to make breakfast for me this morning, but a small piece of toast doesn’t count.
• caffeine (noun): a substance that you sometimes find in coffee, tea, and soft drinks that makes you feel more awake 
  – That drink contains a lot of caffeine, so it might keep you up tonight.
• substitute (noun or verb): something or someone that takes the place of something or someone else 
  – I need to find a substitute to teach my class. I’m not feeling well. (noun)
  – The coach of the team decided to substitute me for Steve because I was injured (verb).
  – If you don’t like strawberries in your ice cream, you can substitute them for blueberries or other fruit.