English Conversation Practice

What is Mark doing, Alex? I haven't seen him in a while. He's playing a new computer game he got yesterday from his uncle. I have to say, I don't let Bob spend too much time on his computer. I don't think it's healthy for teens to spend too much time indoors playing computer games. They should be out in the open air more frequently. I see what you mean, but you can't stop kids these days playing computer games. This is their favorite pastime. I prefer Mark spending time indoors in front of his computer than hanging out with the wrong people. Well, I think it's bad for kids' eyes to use computers for a long time. They already use them a lot to do research for their homework, so they should find some other activities, too, as a means of relaxation. Like what? You could sign him up for swimming or tennis. Or maybe chess, you know. That's not a bad idea, actually. He might like such activities. I think kids should have a good balance of screen time, outdoor activities, hobbies, and face-to-face time with friends. I think you're right. I'll give it a go and see if he likes it. Thanks for the suggestion. You're welcome. Hi, Bill. You look upset. What's the matter? Oh, I'm just a bit fed up. Why? What's wrong? Well, it's my car. It keeps breaking down and is causing me a lot of anxiety. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I can imagine how hard that must be for you. I've had a lot of repairs over the past two years. New tires, new gearshift, new headlights, new steering wheel. Things like that. A couple weeks ago, a family friend of ours replaced a few parts. Then just last week, my car broke down on the side of the road. The check engine light came on and I had to get it towed. You're joking. I'm afraid not. Once at the shop, they replaced the spark plug, wires, and coils and gave me an oil change. I thought it was fine and hoped my car would be OK for a while. But today, the check engine light came on again. No way. And you had invested so much in it. Exactly. I really don't know what to do. I'm tired of pouring money into this car. I also can't afford a new one. But all this anxiety over my car is really exhausting. I can understand it's really tough. I'm not sure what to tell you as to what choice or direction to go. My instinct is to say, ditch it and buy something else. But you say you cannot afford to buy. Can you afford constant repairs? That, or you find some way to live on public transportation for a while in order to save up some chunk of money to buy another car. Thanks for the advice. I'll surely consider it. Did you try the vanilla cake? It's magnificent. Yes, I did. It's delicious. Indeed. But I prefer the chocolate cake. Really? I'm exactly the opposite. I like vanilla way better than chocolate. Well, I don't mind vanilla. I'm fine with it. But chocolate is my favorite. I've always loved it. I see. What beverage do you prefer to drink with your food? It depends on the food. I like to drink Coke with pizza, burgers, and oily dishes. They are just not the same without it. I love drinking hot sweet tea with sandwiches, unsweetened black coffee with donuts and other desserts, and water with chocolate and dry fruits. I see. I prefer wine with oily dishes. Occasionally, I will pair my meals with soy milk for protein and calcium. I'm not too keen on wine except for cooking. Wine brings out flavors in all kinds of dishes. What about beer? Do you like it? I prefer to drink beer in the summer because it's really refreshing. That's right. Me too. How about music? Do you like this song? Yeah, I like it. It's OK. But I prefer pop music. I'm crazy about it. It can easily bring the best mood out of me and lift my spirits. I'm fine with it. But I like Latin music better than pop music, especially salsa. I just feel so attached to the Latin culture. It makes me feel so good. It makes me dance all the time. I like it too. What do you feel about hip hop? Oh, I can't stand it. Me neither. Oh, this is a salsa song. Would you like to dance? Yes, I'd love to. Oh, no. Nick and Tina are here too. If they see us, they'll surely try to invite us somewhere again. Let's better go. Hi, guys. Fancy meeting you here. Tina, Nick. What a pleasant surprise. Haven't seen you in a while. I'm glad we bumped into you. How are you doing? We're fine, thanks. And you? Couldn't be better. Listen, we're going bowling tonight. Would you like to come? Oh, I'm afraid we can't come tonight. We're having dinner with my parents. We're going to a restaurant. Oh, that's nice. Where exactly? We're going to that new restaurant in Bridge Street. It's Italian. Oh, I know that one. It's next to the pharmacy. Yes, exactly. I'm sorry. What about tomorrow afternoon? Would you like to come to the tennis club with us? We're going to have so much fun. Oh, we have plans. We will be celebrating Leslie's recent promotion with her colleagues at her workplace. What a coincidence. I got promoted, too. I will tell you all about it. Let's go out for lunch this Saturday. Unfortunately, I'm working on Saturday, so I'm afraid it's impossible. No problem. We understand. We know you're busy. I have a better idea. We'll come to your place tomorrow evening and have dinner. I can't wait. I'm sure we're going to have a great time. Oh. Good morning. This is front desk. How may I help you? Good morning. I'm calling from room 304 to make a complaint. Yes, what seems to be the problem? I'm afraid your people are very rude. All I wanted was a little extra sleep this morning because my husband and I went to a wedding last night. But at 8 AM, there was all this vacuuming outside my room. I asked the housekeeper nicely to stop vacuuming and do it later, but she refused. She didn't care at all that her vacuuming was so disturbing for us. I am terribly sorry. It must have been very inconvenient for you. I apologize that the attendant didn't realize that vacuuming would be so disturbing. You have my word that we will sort this out. I will call up there now and have her stop. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I promise you it won't happen again. Good. Thank you. I appreciate it. We can move your checkout time to 3 PM if you'd like to make up for the inconvenience. Oh, well, that would be nice. We'll check out by 3 PM then. Thank you. Don't mention it. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. OK, thank you. Mike, are you working tomorrow? Yeah. I'm scheduled to come in at 2 PM. Do you have plans for tomorrow morning? No, I don't. Why? I have just found out that my mom is in hospital because she broke her arm. So I'm leaving town tonight. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. The problem is I'm having a hard time finding someone to cover my shift. I've already asked Sam and Judy, and they are too busy. Would it be possible for you to come in at 9? Sure, I'll do it. You can count on me. You are a lifesaver, Mike. It's good to know that I can count on you. I owe you one. Next time you need time off, please let me know. You don't owe me anything. You helped me out many times too, so we're even. I wish your mother a speedy recovery and a return to full health. Thanks, Mike. Hi, Angela. What's up? Oh, hi, Lucy. I'm a bit stressed. Stressed about what? About my math test tomorrow. I always get the jitters the day before a math test. Although I studied hard, I have a hard time understanding the complex problems, so I doubt I'll do well on it. I'm afraid I'll fail. Have you thought about getting a tutor? Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay for one. My family's budget is pretty tight right now. Well, I'm good at math. I can tutor you for free. Wow, thanks a lot. That's very nice of you. So is your test in algebra or geometry? It's in algebra. I am very good at algebra and even better at geometry. You can come over to my place after dinner, and I'll help you study for your test. Cool. I really appreciate it. Hello, Mr. Carter. Hello, Liam. Why didn't you turn in your homework in class today? What happened? Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it. How's that? I just got stuck at the third question. I found it too difficult. I spent a lot of time trying to solve it. You could have just skipped it and tried the other exercises. Maybe you could have solved them. I know, but I was already too frustrated. That's why I gave up trying. Did you ask someone for help? No, I didn't. You could have sent me an email and told me about it. I would have helped you. Or you could have said something about it in class, but you didn't say anything. I expected more from you. I'm sorry I disappointed you, Mr. Carter. I regret giving up so easily. I wish I had tried to solve the other exercises too. And you're right. I should have told you about this in class. OK, I'll let it slide this time. But from now on, please ask me for help if you can't do your homework. OK, I promise I will. Mel, you said you were going to the library today, right? That's right. Why? Well, the library is next to the post office, so I was wondering if you could mail a package for me. Well, I could only do it later today if it's OK for you. At 11, I have my Spanish course. And then I'm having lunch at about 1230. What about afterward? I'm going to attend a seminar at 1 PM. And then you're going to the library? No, I'm meeting a friend after that to study for the physics test, which is coming up on Monday. How long does it take for you to study? Oh, I'm not sure yet. Well, you seem very busy today. I don't want to add one more task to your packed schedule. I'll better go by the post office myself tomorrow. Sorry I couldn't help. It's all right. Don't worry. Hey, Jennifer. Do you have anything planned for the weekend? No, I don't. I'm staying at home because I have an important project to finish. A group of us are going to check out a new cafe on Carpenter Street on Saturday. Why don't you come along? It will do you good to loosen up a little and chill out after working so much. Oh, you mean the Little Collins Cafe? Yes, exactly. Have you already been there? No, I haven't. But I've heard about it. I'd love to come and loosen up a bit. You won't regret it. They have good fresh food, great coffee, sourdough breads, and awesome desserts. What time on Saturday? I'm not sure yet. I'll give you a call this evening and let you know the exact time. Is 8 o'clock OK? A little earlier, perhaps. Make it 7.30. OK, perfect. Talk to you then. Thanks for watching, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this.