O R A L P R A C T I C E Lessons 1 - 25 - Shenker

OP 9 - AURAL COMPREHENSION - Julia, the top model, and her new boyfriend
- Here's a little story for you
Read the whole story and then ask the questions, or go through it section by section. Or do a combination.
(221 words; about 1'30")
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Julia is twenty-four. She lives in London. She's a fashion model, and she often works for Vogue magazine.
Julia is tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. She's very beautiful. Of course.
Julia's boyfriend, Bill, is twenty-two. Bill is small, and he's not very good-looking, but he's very nice.
He's a graphic artist, and he's very clever. Bill is Julia's new boyfriend.
Julia's old boyfriend, Steve, is thirty-five. He's tall and handsome and looks like a movie star. He's a
FINANCIAL CONSULTANT for a big insurance company in the City, and he makes half a million pounds a
year. He's got a beautiful apartment, with a wonderful view of the river. He's got an expensive car, and
he likes going to the best restaurants. The problem is, Steve is not very nice.
Julia is very happy with Bill. When she tells her friends about him, they are usually a little SURPRISED,
because Bill doesn't make very much money, he's got a small apartment in Peckham (gesture: away
from the centre), and he drives an old Austin mini. "Oh well, Julia," they say, "it's your life!"
It's TRUE that Bill doesn't make a LOT OF money, In fact, he ONLY makes £15,000 a year. But that's not
a PROBLEM for Julia. She's not INTERESTED in his money. She makes £15,000 a week.
- And now, some questions…
Try to clarify the various meanings of "like" for the students.
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How old is Julia? / Where does she live? / What does she do?
What famous magazine does she often work for? / Is Vogue a financial magazine or a fashion magazine?
/ Do you read Vogue magazine?
What does Julia look like? (prompt as necessary to get info)
Who is Bill? / What does he do? / What's he like? / What does he look like? / How old is he?
Who is Steve? / Is he an old man? / What does he do? / What's his apartment like? / What's his car
like? / What kind of car do you think he's got? / What kind of restaurants does he like? / What does
he look like? / How much money does he make? / What kind of person is he - what's he like?
WAS Julia happy with Steve? (evidently not) / Is she happy with Bill? / Who makes MORE money: Steve
or Bill? / Is Julia INTERESTED in her boyfriend's money? / Why not? / By the way - who makes more
money: Steve or Julia? (If she works every week, Julia can make £780,000 a year.)
If you feel it would be useful - and not boring for the students - do a final (fast) read-through of the
whole story, slightly stressing the key points that came up in the question section. This can be gratifying
for the students, especially if they had difficulty understanding the first time around.
Possible segue:
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