Pre-Intermediate Listening Practice

Jill: There you are Ben.

Ben: Hi Jill.

Jill: The information about the evening classes I sent off for has arrived.

Ben: What evening classes?

Jill: You know...you said you would do an evening class with me if I sent off for the information and we chose something interesting.

Ben: Oh that! That was ages ago. I thought you had forgotten all about it.

Jill: No way! I can't believe it took them so long to get back to me, but here it is. Are you pleased?

Ben: Err, yeah, sure. Can we look at this another time? I've got a lot to do this evening.

Jill: Hey, we've waited long enough for this. A lot of these courses start next week so we need to get enrolled as soon as possible. Right, here are the general courses. They don't include foreign languages or academic subjects. They're on the other side. You said you weren't interested in doing a language, didn't you?

Ben: I'm having enough problems with German at college. I don't want to get even more confused with another language.

Jill: OK, OK. There are plenty of other courses. What do you think?

Ben: Flower arranging. That's a real course? Why would someone want to do that. And it runs for 18 weeks.

Jill: What are you complaining about? You sit in front of the TV watching baseball for 3 hours every Saturday and many people would find that boring too.

Ben: OK, relax. Let's see what else is there....

Jill: Photography for Amateurs. That looks interesting. It started last week, but I don't think that would be a problem. You like photography, don't you Ben?

Ben: You're right. That would be good, but look at the price. $280 is too much for me. I wonder why it's so expensive. But, hey, at least it's cheaper than the Italian wine course. Look at that - $400.

Jill: I imagine you have to taste a lot of wine every week. That course doesn't start for a month anyway. How about Introduction to Antiques. I have a friend who's interested in antiques and he makes a lot of money buying cheap antiques on e-bay and selling them for a profit.

Ben: Look at this. Web Design for Beginners. I have always wanted to make a website. It only runs for 6 weeks and it's pretty cheap. What do you think?

Jill: I spend too much time in front of a computer at work. I don't want to see a computer in the evening too. I would prefer the antiques one to be honest.

Ben: Look at that one. That sounds perfect.

Jill: Be Your Own Car Mechanic. Starts next week. Less than $200.

Ben: Jill, I was being sarcastic. I don't even have my license yet.

Jill: Oops, I forgot about that. Art Appreciation, starts next week, very cheap. Lasts 24 weeks though. I don't want to commit myself to 6 months.

Ben: No, you're right. That's too long. Hey, look, how about Indian Cooking. Starts this week. A little bit expensive.

Jill: $190. I suppose that's for all the ingredients. You know how much I love Indian food.

Ben: Yep, me too. What do you think?

Jill: Sounds like a great idea. I'll call them tomorrow to see if there are still spaces available.

Ben: Tell me the number now. I'll call them right away. No time like the present.

Jill: 794-6654. Oh, but there won't be anyone there now. It says to call between 8am and 8pm. We'll try in the morning.

Ben: This will be great. We can have our own Indian dinner parties.