Lesson 04 - Chance of A Lifetime

Lesson 04: The Chance of a Lifetime
Jenkins is telling David about a “great opportunity” – but should David invest in it? Listen
to their conversation and answer the comprehension questions below:
Listening Comprehension
1. Jenkins wants David to invest...
a. $4,000
b. $14,000
c. $40,000
2. What's the relationship between the two men?
a. childhood friends
b. cousins
c. co-workers
3. The last bad investment David made was in...
a. a failed company
b. a house
c. a car
4. Jenkins is excited about a company in the area of...
a. agriculture
b. manufacturing
c. technology
5. David doesn't want to risk his money because...
a. he's saving for a house
b. his son will go to college soon
c. he'd like to take a vacation with his wife
6. Jenkins found out about this opportunity from...
a. hearing about it in the news
b. researching on the internet
c. a man who came into his shop
Conversation Text Vocabulary
David: No way… uh-uh… not my hard-earned
hard-earned dollars =
dollars. money that required a
lot of work to earn
Jenkins: It’s the chance of a lifetime, Dave. Lighten
lighten up = don’t be
up, man.
so serious
David: Jenkins, you’re nuts if you think I’m going to nuts = a slang word for
invest four thousand dollars into a stock that I know “crazy”
nothing about. stock = a piece of

ownership of a
Jenkins: Dave, I’m your best friend. We’ve known company
each other since the second grade. You can trust me, lead you astray =
man. Would I lead you astray? deceive you, take you
in the wrong direction
David: Yes, you would. Remember the time you
talked me into =
talked me into buying that 1967 convertible convinced me
Volkswagen? The chance of a lifetime you told me…
clunker = a slang word
that clunker cost me more in repairs than I care to for an old car that
remember. tends to break down
take the world by

Jenkins: Okay…okay…so I was wrong about that. No
surprise = surprise and
one’s perfect. But this is different, Dave. Ocean Tech is amaze the world
going to take the world by surprise. Do you know sonar = technology for
that Ocean Tech is developing a new sonar making scans
underwater
technology that the Navy is interested in buying?
Dave, if we invest now we’ll be millionaires! Ocean dirt cheap = extremely
inexpensive
Tech stocks are dirt cheap right now.
David: I’ve never even heard of Ocean Tech, Jenkins,
and I work for the Department of Defense. If a deal Vocabulary
involving the Navy was in the works, I would be
in the works = in
aware of it. progress, or being
planned
Jenkins: Dude – I’m your pal, I’m offering you a
pal = an informal word
chance of a lifetime and all you do is give me the third
for “friend”
degree.
give me the third
David: Jenkins, I have eight thousand dollars in degree = ask a lot of
aggressive questions
savings. Mandy and I are getting married in four
months. I still have to save up another seven thousand down payment = the
initial payment for a
dollars to make the down payment for the house I house
want to buy Mandy. I ain’t about to gamble with my
I ain’t = a very informal
money. way to say I’m not
Jenkins: But just think… if you buy four thousand gamble = take risks
with money, which
dollars’ worth of Ocean Tech stocks at twenty dollars
could result in losing it
a stock… and then Ocean Tech sells the stocks for
make a fortune = get a
eighty-dollars, you’ll make a fortune.
LOT of money
David: Nothing in life is that easy, Jenkins… sounds to scam = fake

me like this Ocean Tech company is a scam. And man, opportunity
do you fall for scams. Let me guess… some smooth- fall for = believe in
something that isn’t
talking guy in a fancy suit driving a fancy car came
true
into your coffee shop and told you about Ocean Tech…
smooth-talking =
maybe even showed you some papers… charts and
someone who speaks
graphs? well and can convince
people
Jenkins: Uh…well…okay, sure…Mr. Rogers showed
me some papers. But the papers he showed me were Vocabulary
well researched.
lingo = specialized
David: And he used a lot of business lingo, right? vocabulary in a certain
area
Jenkins: He spoke with intelligent understanding of complimentary = free
the business world.
on top of that = in
addition
David: Uh, huh, sure. I bet you even gave him
complimentary coffee? legit = legitimate, real
for crying out loud =

Jenkins: I… didn’t charge him for his cappuccino, if
an informal expression
that’s what you mean. used to express
annoyance
David: So your coffee shop didn’t even make a profit
I was taken = an
on this guy. And on top of that, you gave him a four
informal way to say I
thousand dollar check. was cheated/deceived
Jenkins: Hey, Dave, what’s with you? This guy was

legit. He was driving a Porsche for crying out loud.
David: Jenkins, did you even take the time to research

and see if Ocean Tech was a real company?
Jenkins: I…uh…no…oh man, I was taken, wasn’t I?
David: You were taken, but I won’t be. I’ll see you
later.
Vocabulary Quiz
Complete each sentence with the right word. Two words are not used.
complimentary in the works making a fortune pals

dirt cheap legit nuts stocks
gambling lighten up on top of that talk me into
1. After ______________________ in the diamond market, the Johnsons made

numerous donations to charity.
2. At the library's annual book sale, the books were ______________________ - it was
10 for a dollar!
3. Chris has already founded two companies, and in an interview he said a third
was ______________________ - to be launched next month.
4. Every time you buy a pair of shoes at that store, you get a ______________________
pair of extra shoelaces.
5. He lost all his money by ______________________ on sports games and horse races.
6. I've already made my decision. Please don't try to ______________________
changing my mind.
7. My son and his ______________________ stayed up all night playing video games.
8. She's ______________________ if she thinks she can run a marathon with zero
training. There's no way she'll make it.
9. That job opportunity sounds too good to be true. Are you sure it's
______________________?
10. Why do you always have to take things so personally? I wish you'd
______________________; I was just joking.
Speaking Task
Jenkins is more impulsive (acts spontaneously without thinking) and David is more
cautious (slow to act, wants to analyze the situation first). Which one are you? Would
you describe yourself as a risk-taker (someone who likes to take risks) or as risk-
averse (someone who prefers to avoid risks)? Also, talk about a time when you have
taken some sort of risk – it doesn’t have to be financially – and what happened as a
result. Record your answer at www.speakpipe.com/espressoenglish or record and
MP3 and sent it to me at [email protected]
Answers
Comprehension Questions
1. a
2. a
3. c
4. c
5. a
6. c
Vocabulary Quiz
1. making a fortune
2. dirt cheap
3. in the works
4. complimentary
5. gambling
6. talk me into
7. pals
8. nuts
9. legit
10. lighten up

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Lesson 04: The Chance of a Lifetime

nothing about. stock = a piece of

take the world by

David: Nothing in life is that easy, Jenkins… sounds to scam = fake

for crying out loud =

Jenkins: Hey, Dave, what’s with you? This guy was

David: Jenkins, did you even take the time to research

Jenkins: I…uh…no…oh man, I was taken, wasn’t I?

complimentary in the works making a fortune pals

1. After ______________________ in the diamond market, the Johnsons made

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