Talk about Wishes in English with Quiz

Intermediate Listening Series 5 Lesson 18- Dialogue about Wishes in English

In this lesson, you listen to an English conversation between two people talking about wishes.

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English Listening Lesson Audio with Script

Lesson Audio

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Lesson Script

Things people would like to do in life.

Sarah: So Adam, we’re talking about bucket lists, so things that you would like to do before you die. So what’s your number one thing on your bucket list?

Adam: Oh, difficult question. Number one, I’d probably have to say, oh, skydiving maybe. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time. And I went bungee jumping in New Zealand. That was fun but I still have not yet been sky-diving. And jumping out of the plane just sounds like an awesome idea to me.

Sarah: What other kind of adventure sports have you done?

Adam: This summer, I was – what did I do? Sand boarding in Peru. That was fun. When I was younger I did a lot of snowboarding and skateboarding. And yeah, I really enjoy extreme sports. I ride a motorcycle currently. If I could I’d love to race cars professionally, although I don’t know how good I’d be at it. But it just looks like so much fun.

Sarah: Yeah. Well, it’s never too late to start something you want to do, so you should add that to your bucket list. So tell me what else is on your bucket list?

Adam: I really want to write a book. Be the author of a novel. I’m always in the process of writing something down but it never seems to come to complete book type end result. But maybe eventually, all of these little things that I have written down will come into a book form and I can publish it and complete my goal.

Sarah: What kind of things do you write? Like what kind of genre or is that kind of all the same or do you write many different styles?

Adam: I wrote a lot of different things. One thing that I write is travel stories from my travels abroad or anecdotes that I come across when I’m traveling. Recently, I’ve been writing jokes. I really enjoy watching stand-up comedy and have got kind of inspired from them to write some stuff down, although I’ve never really presented it.

And I also write, I guess, fantasy stories as well. I have a few short stories but it’s been difficult for me to try to put them into book, like a longer version of them. The details are tricky to write down.

Sarah: Wow! That’s really interesting. Hopefully, one day, we’ll be able to read a book written by you.

Adam: Yeah. That’d be great.

Sarah: Yeah. So tell me what else is on your list?

Adam: The other things would be traveling to Europe, which I plan to do hopefully next summer, so I can cross that one off the list. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe especially Italy and Spain. So I’m excited to get that one done.

And I’d also really like to go to Africa and go on a safari and see, you know, lions, tigers in the wild, in their natural habitat. I’ve also heard that you could see sharks, Great White sharks in South Africa on the coast. I had some friends that went and sat in a cage in the water and had Great White swim by. That sounds like a terrifying and once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m terrified of sharks but it would be quite amazing to see.

Sarah: Yeah. I am terrified of sharks as well, so I probably will not be adding that to my bucket list. But yeah, I hope you get to do everything that’s on your list there.

Adam: Thanks. Me too!

English Listening Lesson Quizzes

Answer these questions about the interview.

1) He wants to _____ .

1. a) bungee jump
2. b) base jump
3. c) skydive

2) He would also like to _____ .

1. a) drive a racecar
2. b) make a car
3. c) fly a plane

3) He wants to write _____ .

1. a) a novel
2. b) a textbook
3. c) a travel book

4) He wants to visit _____ .

1. a) Costa Rica
2. b) Vietnam
3. c) Italy

5) He wants to see _____ in Africa.

1. a) elephants
2. b) sharks
3. c) hyenas

Answers

• 1=c
• 2=a
• 3=c
• 4=c
• 5=b

English Grammar Tips

Coming soon….

English Listening Lesson Phrases

bucket list

What is on your bucket list?

A bucket list is a list of things you want to do in your lifetime. Notice the following:

1. Learning to fly a plane is on my bucket list.
2. Writing a book is on my bucket list.

it’s never too late

It’s never too late to start something you want to do.

People use the phrases “it is never too late” and “it is never to early” to encourage people to do something they hope to do. Notice the following:

1. It is never too late to go to college.
2. It is never too late to learn something new.

anecdote

He writes about his travels in interesting anecdotes.

An anecdote is a short story that helps makes a point about something. Notice the following:

1. She is always telling funny anecdotes.
2. He uses anecdotes to give advice.

cross off the list

I can cross that one off the list.

You mentally cross something off a list, when you have completed it. Notice the following:

1. I finished the report, so I can cross that off the list.
2. I have many things to do which I hope to cross off the list by the new year.

natural habitat

I saw tigers in their natural habitat.

A natural habitat is a place where animals live naturally. Notice the following:

1. You rarely see mountain lions in their natural habitat.
2. We need to protect the bears’ natural habitat.

once-in-a-lifetime

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience is a unique and rare opportunity. Notice the following:

1. The movie role was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
2. This only happens once in a lifetime.

once in a lifetime = adverb phrase
once-in-a-lifetime = adjective

Quizzes for Lesson Phrases

• bucket list
• anecdote
• never too
• cross
• natural habitat
• once-in-a-lifetime

1. He loves to use an……..  to make a point.
2. Polar bears are fun to watch in their…….  .
3. Weddings are usually a………..  event.
4. I hope to……….  that goal off the list.
5. What is on your…….  ?
6. It is……..  early to save for the future.

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