Getting Ready
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
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American city’s price |
Your city’s price |
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1 a movie ticket |
$9 |
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2 a newspaper |
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3 a digital camera |
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4 a DVD |
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5 a pair of sneakers |
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6 a laptop computer |
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Answer
Your own answers
Listening 1
People are asking about prices. Listen and write the price of each item.
Answer & Transcript
1 $55 2 $1,899 3 $36.95
4 $26.95 5 $14.25 6 $125
Transcript
1
A: Can I help you?
B: Yes, how much are these shoes?
A: They’re on sale, Let’s see… They’re $55.
B: Uh-huh.
A: Do you want to try them on?
B: No, thanks.
2
A: How much is this computer?
B: It’s on sale for $1,899.
A: $1,899!
B: Do you want to buy it?
A: That’s okay. I’m just looking.
3
A: This tie isn’t bad. How much is it?
B: It’s $35.95.
A: $36.95. Well, maybe I don’t really need a tie. Thanks, anyway.
4
A: These shorts are nice, aren’t they?
B: Yes, and they’re only $26.95. Do you want to take them?
A: Yeah, I think I will.
5
A: How much are these earrings?
B: They’re only $14.25.
A: They’re nice. I’ll take them.
B: Okay.
6
A: That camera looks interesting. How much is it?
B: It’s on sale. It was $145, but now it’s only $125.
A: Hmm. Well, I’ll think about it.
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: ……………….
change: ……………….
2 total: ……………….
change: ……………….
3 total: ……………….
change: ……………….
4 total: ……………….
change: ……………….
5 total: ……………….
change: ……………….
6 total: ……………….
change: ……………….
Answer
1 Total: $7.50, Change: $12.50
2 Total: $27.90, Change: $2.10
3 Total: $9.65, Change: $10.35
4 Total: $12.15, Change: $7.85
5 Total: $12.49, Change: $7.51
6 Total: $18.25, Change: $7.75
Task 2
Listen again. What two things did each person buy? Check (✓) the correct answers.
1 ◻ soup
◻ soap
◻ apples
◻ tomatoes
◻ shampoo
2 ◻ CD
◻ DVD
◻ batteries
◻ cassette
◻ poster
3 ◻ newspapers
◻ stamps
◻ books
◻ magazines
◻ notebook
4 ◻ coat
◻ T-shirt
◻ shoes
◻ socks
◻ tie
5 ◻ chocolates
◻ cake
◻ soda
◻ bread
◻ cookies
6 ◻ stamps
◻ magazines
◻ newspapers
◻ book
◻ notebook
Answer & Transcript
1 soup, shampoo
2 DVD, batteries
3 newspapers, magazines
4 T-shirt, socks
5 chocolates, cookies
6 magazines, book
Transcript
1
Let’s see. Soup. That’s two for a dollar. And a bottle of shampoo – $6.50. So that comes to $7.50 and your change is $12.50.
2
Okay, now – let me see what you’ve got. The DVD- a good one, one of my favorite movies – is $22.95, and the batteries are on sale for $4.95. So, let me see… That comes to $27.90. So here’s your change, two dollars and ten cents.
3
Yes, can I help you? Okay. Let’s see. The newspapers are $1.50, and the magazines will cost another… $8.15. Yes, so that’s, let me see, $9.65, right? Here’s your change, $10.35.
4
So you’re taking the T-shirt – nice choice. The color looks good on you. Okay, that’s $8.95, then the socks. They’re another $3.20, so that’s $12.5, and here’s your change, $7.85.
5
Mmm, I like chocolates, too. Okay, that’s $9.50 for the chocolates. And chocolate chip cookies, too. Mmm. You really do like chocolate. The cookies are $2.99. So that’s $12.49. And here’s your change, $7.51.
6
Is this all? Okay. Let’s see. Now the magazines are $6.25. And you’re taking the book? That’s $12.00. So that comes to $18.25 altogether. And here’s your change. That’s a dollar seventy-five.
Listening 3
Task 1
People are talking about prices in the U.S. and prices in their own country. Listen and check (✓) the correct answer.
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Cheaper in their country |
Cheaper in the U.S. |
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1 cars |
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2 rents |
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3 clothes |
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4 air travel |
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5 tuition |
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6 hospitals |
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Answer
1 Cheaper in the U.S.
2 Cheaper in their country
3 Cheaper in the U.S
4 Cheaper in the U.S
5 Cheaper in the U.S
6 Cheaper in their country
Task 2
Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (✓) the correct answer.
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True |
False |
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1 He doesn’t own a car in the U.S. |
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2 She lived in a nicer neighborhood at home than the one she lives in now. |
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3 He bought a lot of clothes before he moved to the U.S. |
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4 She travels by plane a lot in the U.S. |
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5 Public schools in his country are better than those in the U.S. |
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6 Hospital and clinics are expensive in her country. |
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Answer & Transcript
1 False 2 True 3 True
4 True 5 False 6 False
Transcript
1
I could never buy a car at home because we pay a very high tax on cars. Only rich people can really afford to buy a car at home. Here in the U.S., I drive a nice new car and I can easily afford it. You don’t have to be rich to own a car, which is great.
2
At home it only costs about $300 a month to rent a nice apartment. That’s what I used to pay for a four-room apartment in a good neighborhood. Here in the U.S., I pay more than twice that for a much smaller apartment, and it’s not in a very nice neighborhood.
3
I bought a lot of clothes in my country before I moved to the U.S. because everyone told me how expensive American clothing is. I was kind of surprised that I could get nice clothes here for very reasonable prices. In fact, it costs me less for clothes here than it used to cost me at home.
4
In my country, not a lot of people travel by plane because it costs more than most people can afford. But the U.S. is such a big country and the population is large, so you have a lot of people traveling by plane. That’s what keeps the prices down. That means I can afford to fly here and I do it all the time. I couldn’t do that at home.
5
Most people send their children to private schools at home because the public schools are not very good. You have to pay a lot to do that, so it’s a big expense for many people. Public schools are better in the U.S., and they’re free, so most people here send their children to public schools.
6
Here in the U.S. you need to have health insurance because it costs a lot to see a doctor or to enter a hospital. At home, you don’t have to pay much to see a doctor or go to a hospital because most of the clinics and hospitals are run by the government.
Conversation Corner: Talking about prices
Task 1
Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.
A: Excuse me. I need a new computer. What’s the price range for your laptops?
B: Well, our lowest-priced laptop is only …………………… . Our highest-priced model costs …………………… .
A: That’s ……………………! 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 …………………… dollars, though.
B: This model has a lot of power, and it only costs …………………… 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.
Answer & Transcript
A: Excuse me. I need a new computer. What’s the price range for your laptops?
B: Well, our lowest-priced laptop is only three hundred twenty-nine ninety-nine. Our highest-priced model costs two thousand one hundred ninety nine ninety nine.
A: That’s expensive! 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 thousand dollars, though.
B: This model has a lot of power, and it only costs seven hundred ninety nine dollars. It’s very popular.
A: Hmm, let me take a look.
