Unit 12: Prices

Basic Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 12: Prices

Word List

afford
altogether
camera
change (n.)
clinic
earrings
expense
hospital
laptop
newspaper
own
population
reasonable (price)
rent (v.)
rich
shampoo
shoes
tax
tuition
a big expense
a very high tax
digital camera
DVD
health insurance
here's your change
I'll take (something)
just looking
keep the price down
movie ticket
neighborhood
on sale
price range
private schools
public schools
(a pair of) sneakers
That comes to (total)
That's (total)
try (something) on
twice that (amount)
two for (a dollar)

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Use the words in the box to complete the crossword.

a. afford
b. movie ticket
c. camera
d. newspaper
e. change
f. on sale
g. earrings
h. shoes
i. laptop
j. try on

ACROSS	DOWN
1. You can buy one at the theater. _____	2. to have enough money to buy something. _____
4. a type of jewelry _____	3. If they are too small, your feet will hurt. _____
7. the money you get back when you buy something _____	5. You read one to learn about the world. _____
8. a small, portable computer _____	6. to wear something to check its size _____
	9. You take pictures with this. _____
	10. When things are cheaper, they are... _____

Answer Key

Can you guess the price of these items in a typical American city? Write the prices in the chart. Then write the prices of the items in your city.

75¢
$1500
$9
$20
$140
$500

	American city's price	Your city's price
1. a movie ticket		_____
2. a newspaper	_____	_____
3. a digital camera	_____	_____
4. a DVD	_____	_____
5. a pair of sneakers	_____	_____
6. a laptop computer	_____	_____

Listening 1

‣ People are asking about prices. Listen and write the price of each item.

_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

Listening 2

‣ Task 1

Listen to cashiers in a store. Write the total amount each person needs to pay and the amount of change each person receives.

1.
total: ⁽¹⁾
change: ⁽²⁾

2.
total: ⁽³⁾_____
change: ⁽⁴⁾_____

3.
total: ⁽⁵⁾_____
change: ⁽⁶⁾_____

4.
total: ⁽⁷⁾_____
change: ⁽⁸⁾_____

5.
total: ⁽⁹⁾_____
change: ⁽¹⁰⁾_____

6.
total: ⁽¹¹⁾_____
change: ⁽¹²⁾_____

‣ Task 2

Listen again. what two things did each person buy? Check (x) the correct answers.

1.
⁽¹⁾ soup
⁽²⁾ soap
⁽³⁾ apples
⁽⁴⁾ tomatoes
⁽⁵⁾ shampoo

2.
⁽⁶⁾_____ CD
⁽⁷⁾_____ DVD
⁽⁸⁾_____ batteries
⁽⁹⁾_____ cassette
⁽¹⁰⁾_____ poster

3.
⁽¹¹⁾_____ newspapers
⁽¹²⁾_____ stamps
⁽¹³⁾_____ books
⁽¹⁴⁾_____ magazines
⁽¹⁵⁾_____ notebook

4.
⁽¹⁶⁾_____ coat
⁽¹⁷⁾_____ T-shirt
⁽¹⁸⁾_____ shoes
⁽¹⁹⁾_____ socks
⁽²⁰⁾_____ tie

5.
⁽²¹⁾_____ chocolates
⁽²²⁾_____ cake
⁽²³⁾_____ soda
⁽²⁴⁾_____ bread
⁽²⁵⁾_____ cookies

6.
⁽²⁶⁾_____ stamps
⁽²⁷⁾_____ magazines
⁽²⁸⁾_____ newspapers
⁽²⁹⁾_____ book
⁽³⁰⁾_____ notebook

Listening 3

‣ Task 1

People are talking about prices in the U.S. and prices in their own country. Listen and check (x) the correct answer.

	Cheaper in their country	Cheaper in the U.S.
1. cars	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. rents	⁽³⁾ _____	⁽⁴⁾ _____
3. clothes	⁽⁵⁾ _____	⁽⁶⁾ _____
4. air travel	⁽⁷⁾ _____	⁽⁸⁾ _____
5. tuition	⁽⁹⁾ _____	⁽¹⁰⁾ _____
6. hospitals	⁽¹¹⁾ _____	⁽¹²⁾ _____

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (x) the correct answer.

	True	False
1. He doesn't own a car in the U.S.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. She lived in a nicer neighborhood at home than the one she lives in now.	⁽³⁾ _____	⁽⁴⁾ _____
3. He bought a lot of clothes before he moved to the U.S.	⁽⁵⁾ _____	⁽⁶⁾ _____
4. She travels by plane a lot in the U.S.	⁽⁷⁾ _____	⁽⁸⁾ _____
5. Public schools in his country are better than those in the U.S.	⁽⁹⁾ _____	⁽¹⁰⁾ _____
6. Hospitals and clinics are expensive in her country.	⁽¹¹⁾ _____	⁽¹²⁾ _____

✺ Pronunciation

Saying large numbers

‣ Pronunciation Help

The use of and is optional in large numbers. Use it between the hundreds and tens, or simply pause. 110 can be one hundred and ten or one hundred ten.

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. a thousand
2. one thousand
3. two hundred and twenty-seven
4. two hundred twenty-seven
5. four thousand-six hundred and eighteen
6. four thousand-six hundred eighteen

‣ Task 2

Read the numbers to a partner. Be sure to stress the correct syllables in each number.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words or number.

A: Excuse me. I need a new computer. What's the price range for your laptops?
B: Well, our lowest-priced laptop is only ⁽¹⁾_____. Our highest-priced modal costs ⁽²⁾_____.
A: That's ⁽³⁾_____! Can you tell me about the low-priced one?
B: Well, it's fine for basic use, if you don't play games much.
A: Well, I am a big gamer, but I don't want to spend over a ⁽⁴⁾_____ dollars, though.
B: This model has a lot of power, and it only costs ⁽⁵⁾_____ dollars. It's very popular.
A: Hmm, let me take a look.

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to stress the correct syllables in the numbers.

✺ Conversation

Work in pairs. Think about how much money you spend each month and what you spend it on. Talk about how much money you spend.

Answer Key

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