Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
How do you feel when you have a big birthday coming up? Do you start to worry? Do you feel glum? As children, we’re usually very happy about our birthdays. As adults, though, a birthday can become a crisis. We might start to feel nostalgic and think that the future won’t be as good as the past.
When people turn 40 or 50, they often have a midlife crisis. They worry that they’ve made big mistakes in life. Now, there’s a new kind of crisis called a quarter-life crisis. At age 25, many people are changing from university life to life in the real world, which can be difficult and cause a crisis. Or a person might have a job and home already but feel stuck.
Jordin thinks the idea of a quarter-life crisis is ridiculous. Listen to this English lesson to find out if Andy agrees with her.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Jordin: I hear your birthday is coming up. 25! Yeah!
Andy_H: Yeah, it sure is.
Jordin: Why do you sound so glum about it?
Andy_H: Oh, it’s just… I mean, it’s my quarter-life crisis. I just…
Jordin: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry, your what?
Andy_H: Quarter-life crisis. Everyone is supposed to live to 100, so 25 years is a quarter of my life. I don’t know, I’m just feeling really stuck, a little bit nostalgic. I keep comparing myself to other people I see on Facebook who are getting married and they’re getting promoted. I just feel like I need to get my things together.
Jordin: That just seems kind of like a ridiculous thing to call those thoughts and feeling a crisis, like a quarter-life crisis.
Andy_H: Well, it’s just, I feel like I need to start entering the real world.
Jordin: Aren’t you already in the real world?
Andy_H: Well, I am, but I need to start thinking about my milestones. I can’t just be spoiled. You know, when you turn 25, talk to me.
Jordin: Fine.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Jordin wants to know why Andy looks glum. His birthday is coming up, and he’ll soon be 25 years old. He should be excited, right? But being 25 years old means that it’s time to live in the real world. Andy is already feeling nostalgic for the past. He also feels stuck. This feeling is called a quarter-life crisis.
Andy’s friends are living adult lives. They’re working, buying homes, having children, and getting promoted. Andy also wants to experience these milestones in his life. Jordin thinks that Andy is acting ridiculous. Andy reminds her that someday she’ll turn 25, and maybe she’ll have the same kind of crisis.
At what age does the real world start in your culture? Does it cause a crisis for some people?
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