Learn English with this gift cards English lesson

Intro

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

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• criticize
• cop out
• turn out
• impersonal

• incredibly
• picky
• select
• suit

• consider
• taste

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

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We all have them: those people in our family who are incredibly picky. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend looking for the perfect gift, they will never be happy with what you select. The shirt is the wrong color. The candle smells funny. Whatever you give them, it’s the wrong thing. So what do you do?

One way to avoid stress when shopping for picky people is to give them a gift card. That way they can shop for themselves and find something that suits their taste. With a gift card, Mom can never criticize the flowers you buy her, and Aunt Shelby can’t complain about the box of chocolate. Problem solved.

Of course, some people think gift cards are too easy. For them, it’s a cop out. They’d rather spend hours searching for the perfect gift, even if it turns out to be the wrong thing.

Rafael is looking for a present. Find out why he chooses a gift card in this English lesson.

Dialog

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

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

Rafael

Marni

Rafael:  Hey, so how much money do you think I should put on this gift card? I’m getting it for my mom as a gift.

Marni:  Really? You’re getting your mother a gift card? Don’t you think that’s kind of a cop out?

Rafael:  Well, the thing about my mom is that she’s really picky. She always wants ten different options for what she can get herself for Christmas or New Year’s, so I just let her select her own gift and get her a gift card that can get her lots of different stuff.

Marni:  Well, I guess you have sound logic. I just think they’re so impersonal. I mean, it’s your mother. You know her taste, right? Couldn’t you go out and pick her out something that she would really like?

Rafael:  To be honest, usually when I do that, it ends up being the wrong thing.

Marni:  Well, it sounds like your mother is incredibly picky. You know gift cards are so easy, and people just give gift cards. I feel like nobody’s putting any thought into gift-giving anymore. Nobody really takes the time to consider the person and pick out something that’s really meaningful.

Rafael:  Maybe the bright way of looking at it would be to say, “Here’s this gift card. Now I can get myself a gift of choice.”

Marni:  I guess. I just feel like it’s a lost art: gift-giving.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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