General Listening Quiz

Listen to the recording on telemarketing and read along with the conversation. Review the key vocabulary and the sample sentences.

Man: Hello.

Telemarketer: Good evening, Sir. Is this Mr. Charles Philips?

Man: Yes, it is.

Telemarketer: Well, Mr. Phillips. This evening, I’m calling to offer you a special discount on . . .

Man: Ah, no, let me guess. You want to offer me a subscription to the newspaper or a great deal on airfare to Hawaii, right? [Well, . . .]. Or, you want to offer me an unbelievable bargain on flamenco dance lessons.

Telemarketer: No, no, actually . . . Mr. Jones. [Huh?] Oh, sorry. That was the last guy. [Ah, great.] Uh, we want to offer you a free trial membership to our sports club downtown at the introductory price of $39.95 . . .

Man: Thirty-nine ninety-five?!? I thought you said free! Uh, listen. I’m not interested.

Telemarketer: Well, it includes unlimited access to all our facilities, including the gym, weight room, racquetball courts, and swimming pool.

Man: Again, I’m not interested. I have my own fitness program I do around the house anyway.

Telemarketer: Well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

Man: Nah. Like I said, I’ll pass this time. And please put me on your “don’t call” list.

Telemarketer: Okay. It’ll take between four and six months before your name will be removed from our database. [Months?!?] You might be called by another representative during that time.

Man: Ah, man. Ah, great.

Telemarketer: Have a nice evening, Mr. Williams.

Man: Ah, man.

• offer (verb): to provide or make available
  – This hotel sometimes offers rooms on weekdays.
• subscription (noun): a payment for newspapers or magazines for a specific period of time
  – I bought a subscription to the city newspaper for the rest of the year.
• flamenco (noun): a style of dancing common to traditional Spanish gypsies
  – I recently joined a flamenco dance club at the university.
• trial (adjective): the process of testing something to find out about it
  – My brother decided to accept a trial membership to a local health club.
• access (noun): the right to make use of something
  – Only members have access to the swimming pool in the morning.