General Listening Quiz

Do you have any emergency supplies or even a 72-hour emergency kit in your house or at your apartment you can use in case of a natural disaster? If so, what are they? What things are most needed in such an emergency to get you by for at least least three days?

1. 1. Every household should have an emergency kit with at least three days of supplies.
   2. It’s more important to prepare for natural disasters than for power outages.
   3. Schools should hold regular emergency drills to keep students prepared.
   4. Knowing basic first aid is essential for everyone in the family.
   5. It’s a waste of time to prepare for emergencies that probably won’t happen.
   6. Emergency plans should be updated every year to stay effective.
   7. Mobile phones are the most reliable way to get information during an emergency.
   8. Local governments should provide emergency supplies to all residents.
   9. It’s better to focus on evacuation plans than on sheltering in place.
   10. Pets should always be included in emergency preparedness plans.

“in a (real) pickle” = a difficult situation
“You’ll find yourself in a real pickle if you don’t have enough water during an emergency.”

“hang loose” = relax or stay calm
“Tell the people to hang loose until help arrives.”

“wacky” = silly or foolish
“My brother had the wacky idea of packing twenty bottles of ketchup in his emergency kit instead of water.”

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• sustain (verb): keep yourself alive
  – You need a lot of water to sustain yourself in the hot desert sun.
• flood (noun): a large amount of water that covers an area that is generally dry
  – We lost a lot of our possessions in last week’s flood.
• power outage (noun): a period of time when you do not have electrical power
  – The power outage lasted over 10 hours, and we had to use flashlights and candles to see in the dark.
• shelter (noun): a structure used for protection from weather or danger
  – After the hurricane, many residents fled to shelters because their homes had been destroyed by wind and water.
• pack (verb): fill or put things into a container like a suitcase or box
  – Hurry and pack your suitcase. We need to leave in 15 minutes.
• purification (noun): the process of removing dirty parts from something (also a verb purify)
  – You really need to purify the water from the stream because it probably contains bacteria.
• murky (adjective): dark and dirty that is difficult to see through
  – The water that comes out of the kitchen faucet is really murky due to the fact that the city is working on some of the water lines in this area.
• spoil (verb): go bad or decay so you cannot eat or drink something any longer
  – The food in the refrigerator started to spoil after the power had been off for two days.
• bulky (adjective): something difficult to carry because of its size
  – Your backpack is too bulky to carry easily in case of an emergency; you should remove some of the items and then repack it.
• nasty (adjective): having a bad smell, taste, or appearance
  – The food looked so nasty that I couldn’t bring myself to try it.
• evacuate (verb): move from an unsafe place to safety
  – In case of fire, the school will evacuate all of its students to a safer location.
• be packed together like sardines (idiom): be crowded together in a small place
  – The emergency shelter was only designed to accommodate 100 evacuees, but because all other shelters were overcrowded, this shelter accepted everyone who came, and the people were packed together like sardines for two days.
• unsanitary (adjective): very dirty and unhealthy
  – The unsanitary conditions at the refugee camp were terrible, and nothing could be done until additional aid arrived.
• poncho (noun): a light coat made a one piece of material to protect you from wind and rain
  – I always carry a poncho in my backpack when I hike in case it starts to rain suddenly.
• be toast (noun, slang): be in a desperate or very difficult situation
  – If you don’t have supplies during a severe emergency, you’re toast, and no one will be there to help you.
• stir-crazy (adjective): very nervous or anxious
  – Many of the people at the shelter have been there for a week, and they are beginning to feel stir-crazy because they have nothing to do, and they don’t know their futures.
• wait out (phrasal verb): wait until something unpleasant finishes or passes
  – We should just wait out the storm before we attempt to cross the river.
• be bored out of your mind (idiom): very bored
  – The students were bored out of their minds during the lecture on ancient religious practices.

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

• Mixed-Up Sentence  | Multiple-Choice Questions |  Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

What are some ways that people can become more prepared in your local area, both individually and as communities? Can you think of a time in your life when you wished that you had been more prepared either for a minor or major emergency? What was the situation and in what ways were you prepared or unprepared for it?

Most people don’t think about emergencies until it is too late. Let’s suppose you have decided to pack a 72-hour kit. Make a list of the top 10 things you would pack in the kit and be prepared to explain your reasons for choosing each one. Would each of these items be easy to find at local stores in your area, or would you have to special order them online?

Now, use the internet and compare specific products or emergency kits by two different companies in terms of the necessity/desirability of each item (“Do I really need this?” or “Would I really enjoy eating this?”), it’s quality, and finally its price.