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New Year's Resolutions

Date: Dec 29 2006

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

New Year’s resolutions are an annual tradition. When 2020 turns into 2021, many Americans will make promises to improve their lives. Maybe they want to lose weight or stop smoking. Maybe they want to spend more time with their families or save more money.

People tend to make resolutions at New Year’s because the start of a new year makes people feel ready for new beginnings. Marking the passage of a year makes people look back on what they didn’t do, and look into the the future with the hope of accomplishing new goals.

Listen to Amanda tell Kevin about her New Year’s resolution.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Amanda

Kevin: 2007 is fast approaching.

Amanda: Yes it is!

Kevin: (I like to hit the table.) Um, any New Year’s resolutions? You know, that, what you decide you’re not gonna do or something you’re gonna do in 2007?

Amanda: I’ve said it for about 10 years.

Kevin: Ok, what is it?

Amanda: Quit smoking entirely.

Kevin: Ok.

Amanda: I don’t really consider myself a smoker, but I do smoke…

Kevin: Social smoker.

Amanda: So, I would like to put an end to it entirely.

Kevin: So you do it socially?

Amanda: I suppose. Well, no not really, because I smoke by myself. So that’s not socially.

Kevin: OK.

Amanda: In the closet.

Kevin: That’s un-socially.

Amanda: So it’s not….

Kevin: So what is that…

Amanda: Anti-socially.

Kevin: So have you ever had a New Year’s resolution that you did keep, stick to?

Amanda: Um, yes. One was to, um, pay more attention to nutrition and exercising and I did do that for January one year.

Kevin: Great.

Amanda: And that was it.

Kevin: Better than nothing.

Amanda: It is better than nothing. But have you noticed that New Year’s, the whole concept of it, doesn’t really have any significance to anyone in the United States compared to other countries?

Kevin: It’s a big party.

Amanda: Chinese New Year, Korea’s New Year. Huge deal.

Kevin: Yeah. It’s kind of just a time for us to eat a lot… eat more food and drink more booze.

Amanda: It’s a little bit of an excuse to party, isn’t it?

Kevin: That’s right.

Amanda: Mm hmm.

Kevin: I think it’s kinda fun.

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Discussion

Kevin and Amanda joke around a lot during their conversation. Kevin makes fun of himself for hitting the table while he’s talking.

When Amanda says she smokes alone in the closet, they start laughing and joking about Amanda’s smoking habits. First Kevin thinks she’s a social smoker, but then they giggle about how she’s just the opposite.

Amanda has tried to quit smoking for 10 years. She only smokes occasionally, but she wants to quit for good.

Do you ever make resolutions?

Do you stick to them?

Comments

seaocean

Taiwan

I have a question about the script. In the script, Amanda says “Um, yes. One was to, um, pay more attention to nutrition and exercising and I did do that for January one year.”

What does “I did do that for January one year” mean here?

2girls

Poland

I never make a New Yaers resolutions because I won’t stick to them for long period of time

Marcin88nyc

Poland

In New York We have a crappy “spree” over the night…. Times Square forbids drinking and huge party…..But why not getting some great buzzer beaters
at our places