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Home Exchange
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Home Exchange
房屋交换

Learn the First Conditional

Date: Jul 25 2012

Themes: Travel

Grammar: First Conditional

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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The expression “the grass is always greener on the other side” means that we often think other people’s lives are better than our own. We only focus on what they have that we don’t have, and we don’t think about the difficult or negative things they might have to deal with. But what if you could trade lives with somebody else—or at least houses? You might learn to appreciate your own home more. Or who knows, you might find that the grass really is greener on the other side.

House exchange sites help people trade houses for a brief vacation, or even longer. Amy wants to do a long-term home exchange so she can experience life in a different city. Hear her chat with Jason about swapping houses.

俗话说“邻家芳草绿”,这说明,我们总觉得别人活得比自己好。我们经常只关注别人有而我们没有的东西,我们不会想到他们必须要处理的困难或消极的事情。但是如果你能和别人进行生活交易,或者至少是能够交易房屋,那会怎样呢?你可能会知道更加喜爱自己的房子。或者,你可能发现,果然是邻家芳草绿。

房屋交换网站帮助人们交换房屋来短期休假或者居住更长的时间。艾米希望长期交换房屋,这样她可以体验不同的城市生活。听听她与詹森谈论有关交换房屋的事情。

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Amy

Amy

Jason

Jason

Amy:  I have this brilliant plan to do a house exchange for, like, three months. Like just go have a life somewhere else.

Jason:  That would be so fun. You just have to hope that your house looks somewhat like it did when you left, upon your return.

Amy:  I know. That is the question. Can you trust a stranger to just live in your house for a while?

Jason:  Of course, you have their house too.

Amy:  That’s the thing!

Jason:  But you don’t…I mean, maybe you could have your friends come and look at it every now and then and make sure things are OK.

Amy:  Definitely. I think you could have people check in on the place. But I think it’s also kind of just a leap of faith, like, you know, this mutual arrangement, where both parties just agree, “I won’t mess up your house if you don’t mess up mine.”

Jason:  Call me cynical, but people make those agreements and then proceed to do exactly the thing they agreed not to do, even if they don’t mean to.

Amy:  You know, that’s true, but home exchange sites are huge. They’re all over the Internet.

Jason:  It’s true. So it must work sometimes, right?

Amy:  I haven’t read a lot about terrible things happening as a result of a home exchange deal.

Jason:  Well, if it works for you, maybe I’ll give it a shot. ‘Cause it does sound awesome.

 

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Discussion

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Amy wants to do a home exchange for a few months. She wants to live in someone else’s home in another city, and let that person stay in her house in return. This is becoming a more and more common way to see different cities and experience life in a new place.

Jason says that sounds like a lot of fun. But you have to trust a stranger to take good care of your home. In a home exchange, both parties agree to be respectful of each other’s property. It’s an arrangement built on mutual trust.

Jason tells Amy that if she does a home exchange, she should have friends check in on her house while she’s gone. If she does it and it works out well, Jason might want to do a home exchange too.

Would you ever do a home exchange? Where would you want to go? How long would you want to stay there?

 

Comments

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FarukTR

FarukTR

Turkey

I remember a movie, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz in it. It was a funny movie. But i think it is just a movie. In real life. I do  not think so.

07:30 AM Jul 25 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Theme of the lesson reminds me the movie “The Holiday”. 


There were two home exchanges in my life, but they have another meaning than this lesson offers to discuss.


The first one was right after the divorce of my parents 22 years ago and the second one was right after my marriage 12 years ago. Moreover, with home exchange after the wedding there was country exchange simultaneously. It was very challenging time I can tell you. :D


I don’t have an obsessional idea to change anything in my life or try something new for a while, including home ;) Let it be like it is.


I can let my childish dreams out now and tell you that I would want to go to the Easter Island and stay there till the rest of my life, not alone of course ;) with my dear people. Do not take my words seriously they are only fantasies. ;)

Sonia.NJ

Sonia.NJ

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

This idea sounds intresting,doing a home exchange would be a great experience,but to me i’m not sure,i like my home and i can let nobody to live there alone.

05:47 AM Jul 25 2012 |

Raj Aro

Raj Aro

India

Raj: i like my home… and this made me  comfortable , cheerful , and happiness …..........

04:58 AM Jul 25 2012 |

aymoone

aymoone

Saudi Arabia

umm nice one to read about !!! i haven’t heared of this kinda business but i def like the idea and gotta check it out for more and more details … 



03:25 AM Jul 25 2012 |

1 person likes this

Ngubo Sixtus

South Africa

 it is a right thing to do if you exchange your home because you get to know an  enviroment of other cities, you get new friends.

02:57 AM Jul 25 2012 |

Whisper of Hearts

Egypt

fantastic!!


Ihave recently made exchange at my home


and this made me  comfortable and cheerfulWink

02:17 AM Jul 25 2012 |

haitham4vip

Egypt

nice idea


but what about the tools we use or the things we do


we have to manage many things to do ahome exchange

12:22 AM Jul 25 2012 |

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