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.
The expression “the grass is always greener on the other side” means that we often think other people’s lives are better than our own. We only focus on what they have that we don’t have, and we don’t think about the difficult or negative things they might have to deal with. But what if you could trade lives with somebody else—or at least houses? You might learn to appreciate your own home more. Or who knows, you might find that the grass really is greener on the other side.
House exchange sites help people trade houses for a brief vacation, or even longer. Amy wants to do a long-term home exchange so she can experience life in a different city. Hear her chat with Jason about swapping houses.
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.
![]() Amy |
![]() |
Amy: I have this brilliant plan to do a house exchange for, like, three months. Like just go have a life somewhere else.
Jason: That would be so fun. You just have to hope that your house looks somewhat like it did when you left, upon your return.
Amy: I know. That is the question. Can you trust a stranger to just live in your house for a while?
Jason: Of course, you have their house too.
Amy: That’s the thing!
Jason: But you don’t…I mean, maybe you could have your friends come and look at it every now and then and make sure things are OK.
Amy: Definitely. I think you could have people check in on the place. But I think it’s also kind of just a leap of faith, like, you know, this mutual arrangement, where both parties just agree, “I won’t mess up your house if you don’t mess up mine.”
Jason: Call me cynical, but people make those agreements and then proceed to do exactly the thing they agreed not to do, even if they don’t mean to.
Amy: You know, that’s true, but home exchange sites are huge. They’re all over the Internet.
Jason: It’s true. So it must work sometimes, right?
Amy: I haven’t read a lot about terrible things happening as a result of a home exchange deal.
Jason: Well, if it works for you, maybe I’ll give it a shot. ‘Cause it does sound awesome.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "First Conditional" from this lesson
Quizzes
Lesson MP3
The iTEP® test
-
Sponsored by
Discussion
Amy wants to do a home exchange for a few months. She wants to live in someone else’s home in another city, and let that person stay in her house in return. This is becoming a more and more common way to see different cities and experience life in a new place.
Jason says that sounds like a lot of fun. But you have to trust a stranger to take good care of your home. In a home exchange, both parties agree to be respectful of each other’s property. It’s an arrangement built on mutual trust.
Jason tells Amy that if she does a home exchange, she should have friends check in on her house while she’s gone. If she does it and it works out well, Jason might want to do a home exchange too.
Would you ever do a home exchange? Where would you want to go? How long would you want to stay there?
Comments
China |
Jordan |
Russian Federation |
China |
Russian Federation |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Serbia and Montenegro |
Palestinian Territory, Occupied |
Russian Federation |
Egypt |
Egypt |
Argentina |
Japan |
Morocco |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Egypt |
Indonesia |
China |
Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Belarus |