Episode 34

EPISODE 34
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

SHOPPING  

 

I must say I hate going shopping, even though everybody has to go shopping (= to buy things like clothes, cosmetics, CDs, etc.) once in a while, sometimes even more often than that. Women especially love shopping and they can spend lots of time just seeking out the best skirt or blouse and it usually takes hours, even if they make a shopping list (= a list of things to buy).
Can you imagine spending your Saturday afternoon in a shopping mall (= a shopping center)? Many people like window shopping (= looking around shops without buying anything), but it seems so boring to me. Somehow, I don’t see myself going on a shopping trip (= looking around different shops for a long time). Shop windows (= the window at the front of the shop) may be beautiful and attractive, but how many times can you look at different ones? I can’t stand shopping around (= looking around different shops to find the best price). When I want to buy something, I want to come into a shop, choose something and buy it, as simple as that.

 

More contexts for the new words:

• I buy my vegetables at a local market. (= an open area with many little shops)
• Harrod’s and Macy’s are department stores. (= big shops which sell many different things)

 

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Choose the best word to complete the sentences. Try not to look at the text above.

 

1. I spent five hours shopping around/ about/ above.
2. Galeria Mokotów and Złote Tarasy are Warsaw’s biggest shopping mills/ malls/ mules.
3. I always write down the things I want to buy on a buying/ spending/ shopping list.
4. If you just look, but don’t buy anything, you go show/ window/ door shopping.
5. They walk/ run/ go shopping once a week.

 

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Complete the questions with the key words from the text. Then answer them.

 

1. Which shopping m……………………….. (eg. Arkadia) is your favourite?
2. When did you last go on a shopping t……………………? What did you buy?
3. Do you always write down the things you want to buy on a shopping l………………………? Why/ why not?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

Look at this sentence from the text:

 I hate going shopping.

 

After ‘hate’, the verb has to be in the ‘-ing’ form. So we can say:

I hate flying by plane.
I hate traveling by car.

Other verbs which follow the same pattern are:

to like, to enjoy, to love, to dislike, can’t stand

So we can say:

I like swimming.
I can’t stand cooking.

 

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ John is so boring at parties.

B/ Yes, he is. He always TALKS SHOP.

 

If you talk shop, you talk about work or business.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If something SELLS OUT, it disappears from shops.

The jeans were so popular that they sold out in 10 minutes.

 

2. If you SELL something OFF, you sell it cheaply because you don’t want to have it.

The pink trousers weren’t selling so the manager sold them off cheaply.

 

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Match the sentence halves

 

1. I went to get some bread, a. stop talking shop.
2. The company will have to sell off b. a few factories to avoid bankruptcy.
3. Let’s eat and relax – c. but the shop had sold out.

 

 

NEWS

 

MALL PROTESTS

The inhabitants of Warsaw’s Kabaty have started a campaign against the construction of a new shopping mall in their area. The construction company wants to situate the new mall in the place of the Tesco supermarket, which is an ugly metal building. They say the new investment will benefit everyone in Warsaw, and will be much prettier than the current shop. The people living in the district, however, oppose the idea, claiming that the proposed shopping mall will be detrimental to the beauty of the area, and it will bring too many people next to their quiet homes. They have written a letter of protest to the President of Warsaw, in which they outline their concerns.

 

GLOSSARY

– benefit – be good for

– claiming – saying

– detrimental – harmful

– outline – describe

– concerns – worries

 

 

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