English, baby!

Mobile Phone

Date: Oct 11 2002

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.

Cell phones are getting much more common in the U.S. There are many options to choose from. Choosing can be easy if you know the right questions to ask.
Below is a conversation that Beth had with a cell phone company recently. She asks many important questions that you should know. Listen, and see if you understand the answers the sales rep gives Beth.

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.

Rep

Beth

Rep: Hi, thank you for calling T-mobile. My name is Marlena. How may I help you today?

Beth: Hi, I’m interested in purchasing the Motorola V60 and I was wondering if you could tell me about your, um, different service plans.

Rep: Okay. Um, and what area are you located in?

Beth: In Portland.

Rep: Is that Portland, Oregon?

Beth: Correct.

Rep: Okay. And what kind of… How many minutes are you looking for exactly?

Beth: Oh, probably about 400 or 500 a month.

Rep: Okay, and what pricing plan are you looking for?

Beth: Uh, well, are there two that I can compare?

Rep: Um, well what we do have… We have a plan for $39.99 and that has 600 whenever minutes, and then on the weekends, you get unlimited weekends.

Beth: And do you pay to roam, or is that…

Rep: No, that’s completely free. Um, I could tell you your home coverage area is the full United States. You have free, nation-wide digital roaming, which includes Hawaii, and you have free, nation-wide long-distance that includes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Beth: Okay. Well, thank you!

Rep: Okay. Well, is there anything else I can do for you today?

Beth: No, that’s it. I’ll go to the store and look at the different phones.

Rep: Okay! Well, thank you for calling T-mobile and you have a great day.

Beth: You too.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

Are you ready to choose a phone? Hopefully this lesson helped you do so. Important things to remember are:
number of minutes
free long-distance or not
roaming policy
how long the contract is
price of the phone
Have fun and good luck!
Your American Friend,
John