Beginner Listening Series 5 Lesson 4- Dialogue about Childhood Dreams in English
In this lesson, you listen to an English conversation between two people talking about childhood dreams.
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English Listening Lesson Audio with Script
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Lesson Script
Warren: So Lindsay what about your dreams? What did you want to be when you were ten years old?
Lindsay: When I was ten years old I wasn’t very realistic but I knew I wanted to be very powerful so I thought the dream job would be Wonder Woman. She can fly anywhere, she has the powers to do good and to help everyone and she’s very bad ass, so I wanted to be just like her. Unfortunately it didn’t come true as I’m not Wonder Woman right now.
Warren: No, I can see that but it seems like you had a good imagination as a kid. But I guess that probably changed as you got older? What about when you were fifteen?
Lindsay: When I was fifteen I still wanted to be very powerful and very strong but I had a more realistic idea of what I wanted to be, but I still didn’t know a lot about the world so I just wanted to be a very powerful businesswoman. I had no idea what kind of business and I had no idea what that actually meant but I wanted to wear an all black suit and have a briefcase and go to work in a nice office and drive a nice car and do something that was very powerful but I had no idea really what a powerful businesswoman does.
Warren: That seems like a pretty good dream for a fifteen year old, but I guess you probably had a better idea when you were twenty. So what about then?
Lindsay: When I was twenty then I still wanted to be powerful and strong. I guess you can see the common theme here but then I had an even more realistic idea of actual real professions so at that time I was quite social, I really enjoyed going to parties and I was living in New York at the time so I thought the perfect job for me would be a public relations specialist. I thought I could be one of those people that plans parties or handles the PR, the publicity for celebrities. I had a dream of maybe working for Madonna or working for a famous TV show and handling all their publicity representation.
Warren: That’s great. It seems like you had a better idea by the time you were twenty. I guess you probably have some dreams now even, so what kind of dreams do you have now?
Lindsay: Well then when I was twenty, I was quite egotistical. I just wanted, I only thought about myself and how I could have more money and be more powerful but then something changed when I started traveling and seeing the world where I decided that I’d rather have a job that does something good for the world and gives back to the community and to the people. So now I’m a teacher and I really enjoy that and the idea of making a difference in people’s lives and in the future maybe when I get older, I hope to start an animal shelter so that when animals are left on the street or abandoned they can come to my shelter and I can provide a happy home for them.
Warren: Wow, that’s a great vision for the future.
Lindsay: Thanks.
English Listening Lesson Quizzes
Answer the following questions about the conversation.
1) Why did Lindsay want to be Wonder Woman?
- a) She can help people.
- b) She can fly.
- c) She liked Superman.
- d) She is beautiful.
2) And why did Lindsay want to be a businesswoman?
- a) To be powerful.
- b) To wear black suits.
- c) To have a big house.
- d) To tell people what to do.
3) Why did Lindsay thing a PR specialist would be the perfect job?
- a) She wanted to work with celebrities.
- b) A friend could get her a job.
- c) She was a social person.
- d) She liked planning parties.
4) What made Lindsay change her mind about being a PR specialist?
- a) She stopped liking parties.
- b) She met people from other countries.
- c) She wanted to help people.
- d) She found a man and got married
5) What does she want to do in the future?
- a) Help homeless people.
- b) Help homeless animals.
- c) Make a difference in people’s lives.
- d) Have a lot of children.
Answers
- 1=a,b
- 2=a,b
- 3=a,c
- 4=b,c
- 5=b,c
English Grammar Tips
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English Listening Lesson Phrases
realistic
When I was ten years old I wasn’t very realistic.
When we are realistic, that means we make decisions based on facts and not unlikely hopes and dreams. Notice the following:
- I’m trying to be realistic about my chances.
- As a manager, he needs to be realistic.
the power to do good
She has the powers to do good and to help everyone.
When we have the power to do good, that means we have the power to cause positive change. Notice the following:
- Politicians have the power to do good, but rarely do.
- I truly believe the power to do good is in all of us.
common theme
I guess you can see the common theme here.
Here, a common theme means things that are somehow connected. Notice the following:
- The stories have a common theme.
- Yeah, I can see a common theme.
egotistical
When I was twenty, I was quite egotistical.
Someone who is egotistical thinks they are better and more important than others. Notice the following:
- He’s an egotistical person.
- Stop being so egotistical!
make a difference
I really enjoy the idea of making a difference in people’s lives
The idea of making a difference means to help others reach their goals in life. Notice the following:
- We all have a teacher who’s made a difference in our life.
- Making a positive difference in someone’s life is a good feeling.
Quizzes for Lesson Phrases
- realistic
- do good
- common theme
- egotistical
- difference
- I see a ……….. in the students’ comments about their teachers.
- She gave me a ……….. appraisal of my chances.
- A teacher must realize she has the power to………. in a child’s life.
- At his age, I’m surprised that he’s still so…………. .
- My goal is to make a …………. in other people’s lives.
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