LESSON
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
1
Report housing problems
GET READY TO WATCH
Lena has a conversation with her landlord about
a problem. Have you ever had to report a housing
problem? What happened?
WATCH
Watch the video. Complete the sentences
with the words from the box.
sewer handyman low pipes neighbors report
1.
At first, Lena’s landlord told her to call the
.
2.
Lena found out that her
have the same problem.
3.
In Lena’s building, everyone on the first floor has clogged
.
4.
Marcos thinks there’s a problem with the main
connection.
5.
Lena doesn’t want to leave her apartment because the rent is
.
6.
Marcos thinks Lena should
her landlord.
CONVERSATION
A
Watch part of the video. Complete the conversation.
Marcos:
Is everything OK?
Lena:
I was talking to my landlord. He said that I finally have a plumber on the way.
Marcos:
You’re still having plumbing problems?
Lena:
Yes. Our sink has been stopped up for ages.
The water
really,
really slowly.
Marcos:
In the kitchen or the bathroom?
Lena:
Both! We’ve tried drain cleaner, and my
husband even
a piece
of pipe, but nothing works.
Marcos:
Isn’t fixing the sink your landlord’s job?
Lena:
It is, but he resists doing anything for
the apartment.
B
PAIRS
Practice the conversation.
C
PAIRS
Practice the conversation again. Make similar conversations.
Talk about a housing problem.
PAIRS
Lena’s landlord resists calling repair people, but Lena doesn’t want to report him
because she’s afraid he will raise her rent. Should she report him? Why or why not?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Notice the three different vowel sounds in
ran
/
æ
/,
up
/
ʌ
/, and
job
/
ɑ
/. Open your
mouth and put your tongue behind your
bottom teeth for /
æ
/. Open your mouth
wide for /
ɑ
/ and just a little for /
ə
/.
Listen and repeat.
/
æ
/ having
landlord
handyman
/
ʌ
/ husband
plumber
nothing
/
ɑ
/ problem
stopped
blocked
Pronunciation Note
104
UNIT 8
