Listening Comprehension - Exercises - Learning English


DIALOGUE

Ella: Are you ready if an emergency were to occur, if some type of disaster were to happen? ‘Cause I am.
Dale:  I am, too.
Ella:  Are you? Good.
Dale:  Absolutely. After the tsunami, after the tornadoes, we know to go to one spot. That’s our number one preparation.

Ella:  I mean, do you think there’s ever a point of people being too prepared, or too paranoid? Or just like, constantly concerned? I mean, I always have a first aid kit or something in my car, but…
Dale:  So fill me in, how can somebody be over-prepared?

Ella:  I don’t know, have you seen people like stockpile gallons and gallons of food and gasoline for this possible disaster that’s gonna happen, though we don’t know when it’s gonna strike?

Dale:  They’re telling us that we should prepare for three days, and that’s minimal.

Ella:  I mean, what’s realistic? What do you got planned in case of a disaster?

Dale:  Just three days worth of stuff, some food, first aid kit. And an evacuation plan, basically going to a central location where your family can all meet. Things do happen. So in my mind, it’s better safe than sorry.

DISCUSSION

Ella asks Dale if he is prepared for an emergency. He says that his family’s top priority was coming up with a place where they would all meet in case they became separated during a disaster. He thinks the most important thing is for them to all be together.

Dale also has enough food and water stored to last for three days. He thinks that this is the minimum that people should do. But Ella thinks it’s possible to go overboard with emergency preparations. She says that some people are too paranoid about the possibility of a disaster.

Is your family prepared for an emergency? What do you think people should do to prepare for a possible disaster?

GRAMMAR POINT

Modal Verbs: Should

Dale says that people should be prepared to survive for three days in case there is an emergency. He uses the modal verb should to give advice. He thinks it is a good idea to be prepared for three days.

Should is a common modal verb, a special kind of verb that comes before the main verb in a sentence and helps to express concepts such as necessity or obligation. Other modal verbs besides should include would, can, and could.

Which is correct, “We should have a meeting place in case of an emergency” or “We should to have a meeting place in case of an emergency”?

QUIZ

1.       Dale thinks people should be prepared for __ days.
a.      2
b.      3
c.       4
d.      5

2.       What does Ella say she keeps in her car?
a.      Spare tire.
b.      Canned food.
c.       Bottle of water.
d.      First aid kit.

3.       Dale prepared for an emergency by __.
a.      storing food
b.      picking a meeting place for his family
c.       getting a first aid kit
d.      All of the above

4.       What was Dale’s top priority in planning for a disaster?
a.      Storing food.
b.      Storing water.
c.       Storing gas.
d.      Piicking a place for his family to meet.

5.       Tsunamis and tornadoes are both __.
a.      Disasters
b.      Paranoid
c.       Safe


Answer keys
1.      B
2.      D
3.      D
4.      D
5.      A