Pre-Listening Exercise
Describe different types of exercise that are helpful in these areas: flexibility, strengthening, and endurance. What kinds of workouts do you do?
Idioms
“throw in the towel” = give up and accept defeat
“Jim realized he couldn’t continue the race, so he threw in the towel.”
“put on pounds” = gain weight
“He’s put on a few pounds this past year, so he decided to start jogging.”
Script (only click after finishing the exercise below)
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Josh: Hey, I hear you and Stephanie are really getting serious.
Michael: Yeah, I think she’ll be impressed with my new exercise program.
Josh: What? What are you talking about? What exercise program? What did you tell her?
Michael: Well, you know, I enjoy staying in shape. [Right] First, I generally get up every morning at 5:30 a.m.
Josh: Oh, yeah. Since when? You don’t roll out of bed until at least 7:30 p.m.
Michael: No, no, and on Mondays and Wednesdays, . . .
Josh: Ah, not another tall tale . . .
Michael: I almost always go jogging for about a half hour, you know, to improve my endurance.
Josh: Hey, jogging to the refrigerator for a glass of milk doesn’t count.
Michael: Of course, before I leave, I usually make sure I do some stretches so I don’t pull a muscle on my run.
Josh: Right. One jumping jack.
Michael: Then, I told her that I usually lift weights Tuesdays and Thursdays for about an hour after work.
Josh: Humph.
Michael: This helps me build muscle strength.
Josh: A one-pound barbell.
Michael: Finally, I often go hiking on Saturdays with my dog [What dog!?], well, and I like hiking because it helps me burn off stress and reduce anxiety that builds up during the week.
Josh: Oh yeah, those lies.
Michael: Well, uh, as for Fridays, I sometimes just relax at home by watching a movie or inviting you over to visit.
Josh: If I buy the pizza.
Michael: But . . . bu . . . And on Sundays, I take the day off from exercising, but I usually take my dog for a walk.
Josh: Forget it. She’ll never buy this story.
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
- generally (adverb): usually
– She generally does aerobics right after she gets up. - tall tale (noun): unusual or unbelievable story
– His running in a 100 kilometer race is just a tall tale. He gets tired just walking to the kitchen table. - endurance (noun): the ability to keep doing something difficult for a period of time
– I don’t know if he has the endurance to play the entire basketball game. - burn off (verb): get rid of
– The teacher had the boy run around the gym to burn off his extra energy. - anxiety (noun): feelings of being worried
– Working out at the health club helps me get rid of anxiety and frustration from work. - buy a story (idiom): believe something that is probably not true
– Don’t buy his story that he exercises everyday. It’s just not true.