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.
Roughly ten percent of people in the United States experience addiction. This does not include people who are addicted to things like movies, music, hobbies, or celebrities. But you can be addicted to many, many different things. Addiction is simply when a person feels like they can’t stop doing something.
For example, there are many people who are addicted to watching sports. When football season starts, their eyes are glued to the screen. They are obsessive and can’t stay in the present. They may constantly need to stop in a sports bar to check the score. There are doctors who focus on helping people with sports addiction because it can be a very serious problem.
Dominique thinks that her boyfriend has a sports addiction problem. Listen as Marni gives her some advice in today’s English lesson.
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.
Dominique: Marni, I have a problem.
Marni: What is it?
Dominique: My boyfriend is addicted to watching sports. It’s all he does, like…
Marni: Oh.
Dominique: All he does is watch football, and I don’t know what to do.
Marni: That is a problem, and I’m sorry, I feel you. Have you talked to him about it? I mean, have you said like, “Hey! I’m here too, you’re just glued to the screen watching football”?
Dominique: Yeah, and he says, “Get from in front of the TV right now! I cannot see through you!”
Marni: Oh. So, I mean, you know football season isn’t all year. So, when he’s not watching football, is he present, you know?
Dominique: When he’s not watching football, he’s like following the football players on social media. He’s like, “What is Kevin Durant doing? What is Steve Nash doing? What is Tony Romo doing?” He like switches the sports. Like, he goes into like basketball…
Marni: So he goes to basketball and he’s all into every sport.
Dominique: Yeah!
Marni: OK. So, he’s obsessive, it sounds like. It sounds like chastising him isn’t going to work though… Maybe, you guys need to have a sit down conversation where you’re able to, you know, say, “Hey, we need to create time for this and then create time for us.” Because… otherwise, if he’s not willing to create time for you guys, why are you in this relationship?
Grammar Point
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Quizzes
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Discussion
Dominique has a problem. Her boyfriend is addicted to watching football on TV. It is all he ever does. Marni feels bad for Dominique. That is a serious problem. She asks if she has talked to him about being glued to the screen. Dominique says she tried to, but her boyfriend told her to get out of the way!
Marni asks if her boyfriend is addicted to just football or if he is addicted to watching other sports as well. Dominique says he is addicted to all of it. He even follows the players on social media. Marni says he is definitely obsessive. But chastising him won’t work. Marni suggests that Dominique and her boyfriend have a serious conversation about their relationship.
Are you addicted to anything? What does addiction mean to you?
Comments
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