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Camping

Date: Oct 10 2008

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.

In our modern society, most people have to go out of their way to be in nature. Camping can be a fun way to get back to basics, but it also requires a lot of equipment and isn’t all that comfortable.

Marni likes to find a nice camp site, set up a tent, and sleep in the the great outdoors. But Mason isn’t really into camping anymore. Listen to the two of them talk about it.

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.

Marni

Mason

Marni: Finally went camping for the time in two years.

Mason: Two years?

Marni: I know! I was so sad. It had been two years.

Mason: That’s not too far off for me.

Marni: But we live in this beautiful place where we should be taking advantage of camping as much as possible.

Mason: Yeah, I think I’m little bit too highbrow for camping now.

Marni: What!? I love it! I love camping. Waking up and waking up with the sun, and you know the sound if you camp by a creek, you have the water. I love it.

Mason: I don’t know, I’ve gotten kind of spoiled by people who have cabins and it’s not cold and I won’t get mauled by bears.

Marni: Down sleeping bag.

Mason: Down sleeping bag doesn’t do anything about roots and rocks in your back.

Marni: Therm-a-Rest does, c’mon.

Mason: Therm-a-Rest does a little something. The whole waking up with the sun sounds better than it actually is in fact.

Marni: I love it! C’mon!

Mason: Don’t you just wake up exhausted?

Marni: No!

Mason: I get back from a weekend camping and I’m like, “Oh my God, I don’t want to do anything. I need another weekend.”

Marni: Well, there’s a little bit of that. A little downtime where you veg out. But you gotta, you know, be strategic about it. Get up early enough and…

Mason: I’ll tell you one thing, gourmet camping breakfasts cannot be beat. Camping eggs, camping bacon, camping coffee. It is! It’s like a whole different incarnation of that food item when you have it when you’re camping. It’s just better.

Marni: Cooked over the open fire. It’s like you’re a pioneer!

Mason: That I cannot dispute.

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Discussion

Marni thinks two years is too long to go without camping, especially when you live near lots of nice places to camp. Mason says he’s more into cabins these days. They’re more comfortable.

But Marni likes the sound of a creek or waking up to the early morning sun. Mason thinks that sounds like more fun than it is and says that camping always makes him tired.

Marni admits that camping can be tiring, but says you just have to plan a few hours to rest before you go back to work the next week. And Mason admits that there is one thing he likes about camping. Anything he cooks on a camping trip tastes better, he says, and Marni agrees.

When’s the last time you went camping? Do you enjoy roughing it or do you prefer more comfortable ways to spend time in nature?