Intermediate Listening Power

Activity 1.

Listen to the file.

Daily Schedule

Activity 2.

Listening Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. What time does the man get up?
A. at 5:00 a.m.
B. at 6:00 a.m.
C. at 7:00 a.m.

2. What time does he get to work?
A. at 7:00 a.m.
B. at 8:00 a.m.
C. at 9:00 a.m.

3. What does he do with his family around 6:30 p.m.?
A. They read books together. 
B. They play games.
C. They eat dinner.

4. What do the man and his wife do after the kids go to bed?
A. They watch TV.
B. They clean the house.
C. They listen to music.

5. What is one thing the man does NOT say about his wife?
A. She has to take their children to school.
B. She helps the kids with their homework.
C. She goes shopping for food.

Activity 3.

Listening to Details. Listen to the file for the last time and fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

Woman: So, what's your usual day like? You always seem so ⁽¹⁾.

Man: Well, I ⁽²⁾ get up around 5:00 a.m. and work on the computer until 6:00 a.m.

Woman: Why do you get up so early?

Man: Well, I have to ⁽³⁾ home at twenty to seven (6:40 a.m.) so I can catch a bus at 7:00 o'clock . It takes me about twenty minutes to walk to the bus stop from my house.

Woman: And what time do you get to work?

Man: Uh, my bus ⁽⁴⁾ about an hour to get there, but it stops right in front of my office.

Woman: That's nice. And what time do you get off work?

Man: Uh, ⁽⁵⁾ 5:00 o'clock. Then, we eat dinner around 6:30, and my wife and I read and play with the kids until 8:00 or so.

Woman: So, when do you work on your website? You said one time that you create it at home?

Man: Well, my wife and I ⁽⁶⁾ watch TV or talk until 10:00 o'clock. She then often reads while I work on my site, and I sometimes stay up until the ⁽⁷⁾ hours of the morning, but I try to finish everything by one or two.

Woman: And then you get up at 5:00 a.m.?

Man: Well, yeah, but it's important to live a balanced life. I enjoy what I do, but you have to set aside ⁽⁸⁾ for family and yourself.

Woman: I agree.

Man: But I think my wife has the toughest job. She ⁽⁹⁾ her whole day taking care of our family . . . taking the kids to school, working in the garden, buying ⁽¹⁰⁾, taking the kids to piano lessons . . . [Wow!] That's a full-time job, but she enjoys what she does.

Woman: Well, it sounds you're a busy, but lucky man.

Man: I think so too.

Activity 4

Vocabulary. Read and study the following words.

• catch (verb): to get on
  - I have to catch a bus in front of the bus station.

• get off work (verb): finish work
  - She seldom gets off work before 6:00 p.m.

• dinner (noun): sometimes supper
  - We seldom eat dinner after 8:00 p.m.

• stay up (verb): not go to bed
  - I almost never stay up past midnight.

• set aside (verb): reserve, allow, or give a certain amount to
  - You have to set aside enough time to study for your classes.

• toughest (adjective): most difficult, hardest
  - The toughest part about being a parent is setting aside time for both work, family, and self.

• take care of (verb): watch, look after
  - You should take care of yourself so you don't get sick.

• groceries (noun): food and other items at a supermarket
  - Mom is going to pick up some groceries from the store for dinner.

Activity 5.

Discussion. Answer the following questions related to the conversation.

• What is your typical weekday schedule? What time do you wake up and go to work or school? What do you do when you get home? What time do you go to bed?
  
• What is your typical schedule for a weekend? 
• What activities do you usually do with family and friends?