[Listening Easy] Camping under the Stars – KEY

What camping gear would you take to the mountains to make it a pleasurable experience (e.g., tent, cooking stove, etc.)? What problems could occur and what precautions would you take to prevent them?

“no spring chicken” = no longer young
“I don’t think he’ll be able to hike to the summit because he’s no spring chicken.“

“play it safe” = be careful and not take chances
“My knee still hurts, so I’m going to play it safe and not go jogging today.“

A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.

 

Paul: Sara, I’ve been looking forward to our yearly campout for three weeks. [Me too.] It’s going to be a wonderful day for hiking tomorrow. The great outdoors. Camping under the stars . This is the life.

Sara: Yeah, but Paul, I’m a little bit worried about the weather though. The weatherman said it was going to rain later tonight.

Paul: Ah. nonsense. Nothing can spoil our adventure. Those weather reports are never right.

Sara: And it said there was a chance of high winds.

Paul: Ah. Don’t worry.

[Thunder]

Sara: Paul. Paul. Did you remember to bring our raincoats just in case, like I told you?

[Light rain]

Paul: Uh . . . no. I left them on the front porch.

[Heavy rain]

Sara: What are we going to do now?

Paul: We’ll have to sleep in the car! Hurry get in!

[Door shut]

Sara: So, Paul, what are we going to do now?

Paul: How about playing a card game?

Sara: Uhh. I left them next to the picnic table. [Hmmm] Hey, you don’t want me to go out in this rain and get them, do you?

Paul: No. That’s okay. So what now?

Sara: Well, we could head down the mountain and stay at that hotel we passed on the way up, or go home.

Paul: Hmm, why don’t we just make the best of it here and hope the weather clears.

Sara: That’s a good idea.

• nonsense (noun): untrue or incomprehensible statement or idea
  – Stop talking nonsense and tell us exactly what happened.
• spoil (verb): ruin; frustrate; block; prevent
  – I hope this bad weather doesn’t spoil our picnic this afternoon.
• porch (noun): a small area just outside the front door of homes where you can sit and relax
  – Let’s go sit on the porch and enjoy the cool evening breeze.
• head down (phrasal verb): go down
  – I’ll head down to the store after dinner to pick up some milk.
• make the best of it (idiom): do what you can under the circumstances
  – We’ve had to make the best of it ever since dad died last year.