General Listening Quiz

"Souvenir Shop"

Level:	Topic:	Speakers:	Length:
intermediate	traditional souvenirs	man - woman	01:55

Pre-Listening Exercise

What are some popular and traditional souvenirs that you can buy in your hometown? What is special about them? How much do they cost?

Idioms

"talk shop" = only talk about one's business or profession
"He's boring to be around because he only talks shop his job."

"a steal" = something that is so cheap that it feels like you are stealing it
"This dress was a steal. It only cost $5."

Listening Exercise

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

What does the salesperson try to sell the man first?

a necklace

a bracelet

a ring

Shop Employee: Okay. Well, how about this nice pearl necklace? It’s locally sourced from the nearby sea. Customer: Uh, yeah…Let me see that. .Oh, no. NO! That’s way too expensive. I’m not going to spend $120 for something like that.

Why is the man not interested in that item?

It was the wrong style.

It was made of cheap materials.

It was too expensive.

Customer: Uh, yeah…Let me see that. .Oh, no. NO! That’s way too expensive. I’m not going to spend $120 for something like that.

The man doesn't want to buy his wife the watch because ______.

it isn't a name brand model

she already has one

it doesn't look attractive

Customer: Oh, OH! That’s way too expensive, plus she already has a watch and a phone, so she can check the time of day whenever she likes.

The shirt costs _____

$30

$35

$25

Shop Employee: Ok, um. What about this nice shirt? It’s made with many traditional designs, local tailor. Only $30.

The man can't go to another souvenir shop because ______.

he doesn't have enough time

they are located too far away

they are all now closed

Shop Employee: Yeah, good luck. They [What?], they all closed while you were carrying on. I mean, we closed 15 minutes ago. [Oh!]. You can pick up something at the airport if you want, but they’ll charge you an arm and a leg.

Post-Listening Exercise

What kind of souvenirs have you ever bought in the past? Did you buy them for yourself, or did you buy them for someone else?

Online Investigation

Use the Internet to find popular souvenirs for one or more of these places. What is the item? About how much does it cost? What special meaning does it have for this country?

Peru
Japan
China
Mexico
Germany
Italy
India
Egypt
Thailand
Russia
Saudi Arabia
(a country of your choice)

See Listening Script

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