CD Dialogue: Whose Age Is It?
The teacher plays a short CD twice. The script is: 'Boy: Hello. My name is Ken. I am eleven. Are you a new student? Girl: Yes, I am. My name is Lucy. Ken: How old are you, Lucy? Girl: I am twelve. Ken: Where are you from? Girl: I am from Australia. Ken: Welcome to our school. Girl: Thank you.' After the second playing, the students answer three questions. The class has practised 'How old are you?' but not 'Where are you from?'. Some students hear 'eleven' and 'twelve' as the same word because the ending is weak. Others answer with the boy's information because Ken speaks first and speaks more than Lucy does.
1. How old is Lucy?
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Twelve. Follow the name, not the first number you hear. Ken says 'I am eleven' - that is Ken. Then Ken asks 'How old are you, Lucy?' and Lucy answers 'I am twelve'. Two ages appear (11 and 12), so the item tests who said which number. When a recording gives two numbers, write each one next to the speaker's name before you choose.
2. Where is Lucy from?
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Australia. Ken asks 'Where are you from?' and Lucy answers 'I am from Australia.' The question word where asks about a place or country, not about age or school. If your class has not practised this phrase, you can still answer: listen for the word that comes right after from - here it is the name of a country. Words like eleven and Australia sound very different, so the meaning is safe even if the ending is weak.
3. Who is the new student, Ken or Lucy?
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Lucy. Ken asks 'Are you a new student?' and Lucy says 'Yes, I am.' Ken also says 'Welcome to our school', which is what a person already at the school says to a newcomer. Answer with the person who says yes to the question about being new, not the person who asks it. The person who asks is usually the one who already knows the place.