Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. strange
    • ex. My friend is a little strange; he often talks to his food before he eats it.
  2. sleepwalk
    • ex. James sometimes sleepwalks around the house at night.
  3. avoid
    • ex. Emily doesn’t like to drink, so she avoids parties.
  4. terrify
    • ex. The big, barking dog terrified Peter.
  5. haunted
    • ex. My sister thinks that her office is haunted, so she never works late.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Aaron and Erin Clark bought a 109-year-old house in Jefferson, Missouri. A month after moving in, the family started to experience strange things. The lights, TV, and sink turned on by themselves several times, and the couple also heard voices. Their 8-year-old daughter Raena began to have nightmares and started sleepwalking. Their pet dog also avoided the stairs and other places in the house.

The strange activity in the house terrified the family, and after seven months, they moved out. At first, they wanted to sell the house, but they didn’t want another family to have the same scary experience. Instead, they decided to list it on Airbnb as a haunted house for ghost hunters.

Several groups of ghost hunters have rented the house since it was listed on Airbnb. One group left in the middle of the night after they experienced dark shadows and a really bad smell. The house was also featured on a TV show about ghosts. The Clark family is happy that other people are experiencing the same strange activity that they lived with for seven months.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Ghosts

  • Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think real estate companies should tell people that a house may be haunted? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think is the most famous ghost in your country? Why? Discuss.

Buying a House

  • Do you think that it’s better to buy or rent a house? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think that price is the most important thing to consider when buying a house? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that it’s better to buy a newly-built house or an older house? Why? Discuss.