مکالمه انگلیسی بین دو نفر درباره سالن ورزش

Rebecca: Hey, Jim, I’m going and looking for a gym. Actually, I hear you’ve joined a gym. Which one?

Jim: Yeah, actually, there’s a real nice gym down town. It just opened about a month ago. Maybe two months ago. It’s really nice.

Rebecca: OK, what’s the name of it?

Jim: The name is Fitness Club.

Rebecca: Good name.

Jim: Yeah, so, and it’s pretty much has everything. I mean it has, you know, free weights, of course and it has all the latest machines.

Rebecca: Ah, good.

Jim: Actually some of the machines are kind of tricky, I really don’t know how they work yet. I’ll have to ask the staff.

Rebecca: So it’s more than a treadmill? It’s a whole big machine that you don’t know how what to do?

Jim: Exactly. I’m actually afraid to get on the thing. I don’t want to break it, you know.

Rebecca: Is there people that can help you?

Jim: Yeah, actually, that’s part of the problem is that you can’t use any of the equipment unless you get trained for it. They’re really specific, so you have to have guidance. It’s kind of annoying actually because, you know, everything… they have a system and they know based on, you know, your membership what machines you can use and what you can’t.

Rebecca: OK. But what happens if, like I’ve been to a gym before do I still need to get the training before I start?

Jim: Yeah. That’s how I was. I told them that I, you know, had been lifting weights for awhile and they didn’t care, so you have to get certified to use all the equipment. It’s kind of inconvenient.

Rebecca: OK, so, do they have classes though?

Jim: They do. Actually, they pretty much have everything. They have yoga, kick boxing, spin classes, dancing, so the schedule looks pretty diverse.

Rebecca: Oh, that’s good. I do prefer classes than the weights.

Jim: Only one thing that’s bad about the classes though is that cause it’s new, and it’s a new gym and there’s lots of people and it looks like it’s pretty crowded in there, I think you have to reserve what classes you’re going to join.

Rebecca: Oh, really.

Jim: Yeah, isn’t that terrible.

Rebecca: Oh, geez, I usually just like to walk in.

Jim: Right, right, right.

Rebecca: Yeah, when you feel like going to the gym, you go.

Jim: Right, right. One thing that is nice though is they have an actual gym floor, like a basketball gym, so you can play basketball. They have volleyball tournaments, so I mean, if you like more traditional sport, like tennis, they also have tennis courts. You can do that as well.

Rebecca: Oh, that’s good. I do like tennis. I love tennis actually.

Jim: Well, actually, if you’re interested I’d be glad to take you down to the gym and show you. I think you get a free trial workout.

Rebecca: OH, that’s good. That’s good. So how much would it cost per month?

Jim: Well, cause it’s new it’s kind of expensive. It costs about fifty dollars a month.

Rebecca: Oh, wow!

Jim: Yeah, but if you buy a membership, a two-year membership, you can get a two year membership, I think for eight hundred dollars, so it saves you some money so it’s kind of reasonable.

Rebecca: And I suppose if you pay for two, you know you have to go then.

Jim: Right. Right. It’s eight hundred dollars for two years, five hundred dollars for one year, or fifty dollars a month.

Rebecca: OK, yeah.

Jim: Oh, one thing that’s really cool too is that they have a social center. They have like an area where you can get like fruit drinks and coffee and stuff like that and just hang out. It’s quite nice.

Rebecca: That’s good. So after the workout, go and have coffee.

Jim: Right. Right.

Rebecca: Lovely. OK. So, yeah, I would love to come and have a look at it.

Jim: OK, well next week, anytime, just give me a call. I’ll take you there.

Rebecca: Alright. Great. Thanks.

Answer the following questions about the conversation.

1) The gym opened _____ ago

1. a) four days
2. b) four weeks
3. c) four months
4. d) four years

2) He talks about getting ________ .

1. a) a personal trainer
2. b) a work out partner
3. c) certified

3) He says you can take _____ classes

1. a) spin
2. b) dance
3. c) ballet
4. d) yoga

4) You can play _____ .

1. a) soccer
2. b) tennis
3. c) volleyball
4. d) basketball

5) How much is a two-year membership?

1. a) 50 dollars a month
2. b) 500 dollars
3. c) 800 dollars

6) What can you do in the social center?

1. a) Hang out
2. b) Train in pairs
3. c) Have coffee

Answers

• 1=b
• 2=c
• 3=a,b,d
• 4=b,c,d
• 5=c
• 6=a,c

real nice

There’s a real nice gym down town.

Here, the word ‘real’ means ‘very.’ In spoken English we sometimes say ‘real nice’ instead of ‘really nice’. Notice the following:

1. He’s a real nice guy.
2. That’s a real nice place to hang out.

more than

It’s more than a treadmill?

We use this phrase to show something as more features than most people think it does. Notice the following:

1. Hanoi is more than just a tourist town. It is a business center as well.
2. My dog is more than just a pet. He is a security guard and friend as well.

tricky

Some of the machines are kind of tricky.

When something is tricky, it is a little bit complicated. Notice the following:

1. This problem is very tricky.
2. The car navigation system is tricky to use at first.

get certified

You have to get certified to use all the equipment.

When you get certified to do something, you get official permission to do so. Notice the following:

1. He just got certified to drive a cab in the city.
2. You must be certified to teach at a high school.

down

I’d be glad to take you down to the gym

Here, the word ‘down’ has no meaning, but is often added in spoken English with movement verbs. The following sentences have the same meaning.

• I can take you down there.
• I can take you there.
• I am going down to the store. Wanna come?
• I am going to the store. Wanna come?

• real
• more than
• tricky
• certified
• down

1. My laptop is ……. just a computer. It is also my main music player.
2. Transferring flights can be …. sometimes.
3. I can take you ….. to the stop if you like.
4. He is now ………to be a doctor.
5. She is a  ……nice lady.