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Maria	Alex

Views #1194 | Intermediate (B1)

His Bad Habits

Maria talks with Alex about some of his bad habits that he thinks he should change.

Script
Vocab
Quiz

Maria: Any habits you'd like to change?

Alex: I would like to change my habits of buying bad food and drinks.

Maria: Oh, yes.

Alex: It's so easy.

Maria: So dangerous.

Alex: And especially when you're at university and they only sell the bad stuff because it's just so much easier to do than to cook a good meal. I'm a pretty good cook.

Maria: I noticed.

Alex: Thank you. My mother taught me to cook well but I don't, I don't know, sometimes I just cannot be bothered so I wish I had the habit of just always being much better with my food. That would help with the weight as well. What else? Habits, habits? I have some bad habits that I would like to change. I have the bad habit of having to sleep with a duna, a duvet cover on. I have to have something like heavy otherwise I can't sleep.

Maria: Why do you see that as a bad habit?

Alex: Because in summer, I have to crank the air conditioning up to really, really high so as a result you know I end up wasting electricity so easy. I wish I had the habit of turning my computer off as well. I leave it on all the time.

Maria: So you're an electricity waster?

Alex: Yeah, sorry, sorry world. Where is it the islands are flooding in the South Pacific?

Maria: Everywhere.

Alex: It's all my fault. So yeah, turning lights off, remembering my key would be good. I always forget my key. I actually thought I lost my key the other day and nearly had a coniption fit so yeah.

Maria: Drinking habits, any good, any bad?

Alex: Drinking? Alcohol?

Maria: That was the point.

Alex: I get too excited too quickly and just want to go dancing but the good thing about the dancing is that then you don't drink alcohol because at a certain point you have to drink water.

Maria: That's true.

Alex: Do you know what I mean? So like I don't go too far off the deep end.

Maria: You can't really drink anything when you're dancing then you spill it all over the floor.

Alex: Yeah, so that helps I guess.

Maria: That does help.

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

cannot be bothered

My mother taught me to cook well, but sometimes I just cannot be bothered.

When you 'cannot be bothered' to do something, you think it takes too much time and effort. Notice the following:

Sometimes I cannot be bothered to dry my hair.
He cannot be bothered to get out of bed right now.

crank up

I have to crank the air conditioning up to really, really high.

You can use the phrasal verb 'crank up' to refer to using something at a high level or to its full potential. Cranking up the air conditioning means that you are using the air conditioning on high power at its coldest setting. Notice the following:

I love this song. Crank it up.
I'm freezing. We need to crank up the heat in here.

a conniption fit

I lost my key the other day and nearly had a conniption fit.

A 'conniption fit' is a hysterical outburst of emotions, usually anger, frustration or worry. Notice the following:

If I don't find my keys in the next five minutes I am going to have a conniption fit.
When she doesn't get her way she has little conniption fits.

at a certain point

At a certain point you have to drink water.

When you get to 'a certain point,' it means that you have reached a certain place or level. Notice the following:

At a certain point I knew that I would never be able to swim to the other side.
At a certain point it really doesn't matter if it gets much colder because you can't feel your feet anyway.

go off the deep end

I don't go too far off the deep end.

Here, going 'too far off the deep end' refers to getting too drunk or going too crazy. Notice the following:

When he hears that news, he is going to go off the deep end.
Keeping things at the house organized usually keeps her from going off the deep end.

Vocabulary Quiz

bothered • cranked • conniption
certain • deep end

She basically has a fit if anyone touches her things.
She's so sad that she cannot be to fix herself up and go out to have some fun.
When he started talking about inventing his own language, we knew he'd really gone off the .
You can try to stay awake all night, but at a point you will have to get some sleep.
He watches TV with the volume so up that nobody can even have a conversation.

Answer the following questions about the interview.

His Bad Habits

Vocabulary Quiz

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