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.
Poker, blackjack, hearts, bridge: the types of card games out there are endless. Some games involve a good deal of strategy, while others are all about luck. Having a bunch of friends over to eat snacks, drink drinks, and play a few hands of cards can be a great way to pass the time.
But card-playing can become dangerous when gambling is involved. Gambling is a serious addiction. People who are addicted to gambling never feel that their winnings are enough. They always have to play again and take the risk of losing everything.
Is Mason addicted to cards? Find out what Lily thinks in this games English lesson.
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.
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Mason: I’m worried I’m on something of a slippery slope ever since I started playing Magic: The Gathering, and I’m kind of afraid of just getting straight addicted to card games of all sorts. And I might become some sort of a gambling addict. So I’m enlisting people for my support group.
Lily: I don’t know that many card games. I know poker, because poker is fairly straightforward, five cards, you can play it with a bunch of other people…
Mason: Oh no, there are so many different ways to play poker. That’s one of the reasons why I’m scared.
Lily: Wait, but how can Magic cards lead into other card games?
Mason: There’s the mechanics of it. You have a deck, you shuffle your cards, you deal them to yourself, right? There’s a physicality of it that I’m finding really, really fun and pleasing. So it’s like, OK, this is something I want to do, how can I do it more? Go to a casino...
Lily: I guess it’s a good way to pass the time, right?
Mason: Sure. And there’s the other level of the strategy of it, and the luck aspect of it, and that’s this intoxicating mix of “I’m kind of in control, but I’m kind of not, and it’s really, really fun.”
Lily: Wow. Well, maybe you are on a slippery slope. I will be in your support group. I will support you in this cards addiction.
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Present Progressive Tense" from this lesson
Quizzes
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Discussion
Mason is worried that his card playing is getting out of control. He’s been enjoying a fantasy game called Magic: The Gathering. It’s not a traditional card game, but he thinks it might be the start of an addiction. He thinks that, before long, he could end up addicted to gambling.
At first, Lily’s not convinced that Mason needs to be so worried. After all, cards are just a fun way to pass the time. But as Mason begins to share more about how much he loves each aspect of playing cards, down to the way they feel in his hand, she realizes that there might be a problem. She offers to help him out with his addiction, if he needs her.
Do you like playing cards? What are your favorite card games? What’s the difference between being addicted to something and simply enjoying it?
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