http://www.esl-lab.com/cellphone/cellphonerd1.htm

 

A Free Cell Phone!

 

A Free Cell Phone!

 

 

II. Listening Exercises

Listen to the conversation again by pressing the Play Audio button and read along with the conversation. Review the Key Vocabulary and the sample sentences.

 

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Daughter: Dad. You love me, don't you? Father: Of course, I do. Why do you ask . . . Ah, what's on your mind? Daughter: Well, I saw this great offer for a free cell phone here in the newspaper, and . . . Father: Free? Nothing's ever free. Daughter: Well, the phone is free . . . after a $50 mail-in rebate. Father: Ah, so that's the catch. And why do you need a cell phone anyway? Daughter: Dad. All my friends have one, and I can use it to call you in case the car breaks down. Father: Ah, I don't know. There are always so many fees. Daughter: But the monthly charge for this service is only $29.99, with 1,000 free weekday minutes nationwide, and unlimited weekend minutes. Plus, unlimited, anytime minutes for anyone using the same service. Father: I don't know. Daughter: And you can roll over the extra minutes to the next month instead of just losing them. What do you think of that? Father: Yeah, but what is the term of the service agreement? Daughter: It's only for six months. Father: But what if you cancel early? Daughter: Um . . . Ah, there's a cancellation fee of $200, but with . . . Father: Two hundred bucks! Daughter: Yeah, but you won't have to worry about me while I'm driving the new car. Father: New car? What new car? Daughter: The new car you'll need to buy so I can use the cell phone. I mean, what's is gonna look like if I'm using a cell phone in our old lemon. Father: Teenagers. What'll they think of next?

 

 

Key Vocabulary[Top]

Listen to the key vocabulary and sample sentences:

 

 

• rebate (noun): a refund of part of all of the amount paid
  - The company offers a fifty-dollar rebate on the purchase of a new cellphone.
• catch (noun): a hidden drawback or disadvantage
  - So, there must be a catch to buying this cellphone. I mean, why would the company offer it for free?
• in case (adverb): in the event that
  - Bring your phone in case we need to call for help.
• fee (noun): cost, the amount of money you have to pay for something
  - There are always a number of fees you have to pay when buying a car.
• charge (noun, also a verb): fee, the amount of money you have to pay for something or (as a verb), require someone to pay money for a product or service
  - The store charged me too much for the cell phone, so I'm going to return it.
• nationwide (adverb and adjective): happening around the nation or country
  - The cell phone company is promoting their services nationwide.
  - That company offers nationwide cell phone coverage.
• roll over (phrasal verb): transfer or carry over
  - This is one of the few companies that allows you to roll over your minutes to the next month without losing them.
• term (noun): period of time
  - Over the long term, buying a high-quality phone might make the most financial sense.
• lemon (noun): a defective automobile
  - I bought a used car at a really good price, but it turned out to be a lemon.

 

Vocabulary Activities[Top]

Now, do these exercises to review the vocabulary. Then, return back to the Post-Listening Exercise to use the vocabulary in real conversations.