Take on Listening:Listening and Speaking Strategies
Lesson 5(1)
Part Two Scanning for the Main Idea
Greg: Hi, I’m Greg. How can I help you today?
Customer: I’m interested in buying a CD player, but I’m a little confused. What’s the difference between this Fony CD player and the Yamagoto?
Greg: Well, they’re both $399, but the Fony is a single-disc player and the Yamagoto has a five-disc carousel.
Cust: A five-disc what? I’m lost. What’s that?
Greg: On the Fony, you can only play one CD at a time. The Yamagoto holds five discs, so you can listen to five times as much music.
Cust: Ah…So, do you think the Yamagoto is a better deal?
Greg: Well, it is an unbeatable CD player for the price, but you might want to consider this Demmon over here. It holds five discs and has the direct access feature.
Cust: Direct access? What’s that?
Greg: With direct access all of the buttons that are on the remote control are also on the CD player itself. For example, if you want to choose song number 3, you can select it using the buttons on the remote control or you can punch it in on the front of the CD player.
Cust: Oh, I like that. I wish I had direct access on my TV. My kids are always hiding the remote control and it’s a real nuisance to change the channel without the remote. How much will the Demmon player run me?
Greg: This Demmon will run you $699, but if you wait until Friday, it will be on sale for $9.
Cust: Wow! That’s still $250 more than the other two. What gives?
Greg: Well, it’s not just the direct access feature. The Demmon player has far greater sound. If sound quality is important to you, this is really one of the best. As a matter of fact, all Demmon players have superb sound quality.
Cust: Sound is important. I’m just not too sure if I can afford $9 worth of sound. Do you have a player with the direct access feature that’s a little cheaper than the Demmon?
Greg: Yes, we do. We have a wonderful five-disc Sonapanic with direct access that’s going for $419.
Cust: That sounds a lot more affordable. I’m curious though. The CD players you’ve shown me hold either one or five CDs. Are those the only two choices?
Greg: Oh no. Take a look over here. This Fony Megastorage CD player holds a whopping 200 CDs.
Cust: 200 CDs? You’ve got to be kidding! That’s amazing!
Greg: Yeah! This one only costs $699, has direct access, and comes with a free pair of headphones.
Cust: Don’t you get free headphones with all CD players?
Greg: No. They stopped doing that years ago. Now they only come with the high-end models. This Fony comes with headphones, and the $9 Demmon that we looked at earlier comes with them
as well.
Cust: Well it should for that price. What about the Sonapanic?
Greg: No, sorry.
Cust: Tell me about the warranty with the Soanapanic.
Greg: All Sonapanics come with a two-year warranty.
Cukst: Is that the same for the other brands?
Greg: No, actually, the Fonys are only covered for one year, the Demmon for five years, and the Yamagoto for three.
Cust: Hmm…Well, from very everything you’ve told me, it really sounds like the Sonapanic is the best one for me. It’s the right price and it has all of the features that I want.
Greg: It’s a good choice. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Now, will that be cash or charge?
Cust: Oh—I’m really just looking today. Thank you very much for your time.
Greg: (Somewhat sarcastically) Yes, certainly.
Part Three
Exercise 1B
1. Mom: Now, I want two pounds, dear. How many do you think that is?
Boy: Maybe 100?
Mon: No, silly. That’s far too many. Guess again.
Boy: Maybe ten?
Mon: No, probably about four or five.
Boy: Which one should I take, mommy?
Mom: Oh…The red ones are much sweeter than the green ones. Let’s buy some red ones this time.
Boy: Okay. One … Two…
Mom: Oh no! No! No! Watch out! You have to take them from the top or else they’ll fall all over…
Boy: Whoops! Oh no! They’re falling down.
Mom: Oh my goodness. Look at this mess.
Boy: I’m sorry.
2.
A: Gee. There are so many brands to choose from. I can’t decide.
B: Well, do you like domestic or imported?
A: I’m really not sure. I really never drink alcohol. I’m only getting some now for the party tonight.
B: Well the imported kind is usually a little stronger and it has more flavor.
A: Oh, then maybe I’ll try a few six-packs of this one from Germany.
B: Yeah, but they’re also a lot more expensive than domestic ones.
A: Oh boy. Gee. I really don’t know. Now I’m really confused.
3.
A: Will you look at that guy? He’s got a whole basket full. What does he think he’s doing?
B: I don’t know, but somebody should say something.
A: You have to watch out. I heard about someone who started a flight when they told him to leave the express like. You really have to be careful when you get angry at a stranger. You never know. They might be crazy.
B: Well, then, maybe we should call the manager. Of course he might not have seen the sign. We could just go over to him and tell him in a nice way.
A: That’s the job of the checker. Let’s see what she does when it’s his turn.
B: Oh, let’s just tell him. If he didn’t see the sign, it’s really not fair to make him go back and wait in another line.