Conversation:

Fumi:  What chapter did Mr. Johnson want us to read for homework in history class?

Hana:  Beats me.  We could call Sarah and find out.

Fumi:  Maybe we could put it off and do it tomorrow night.

Hana:  I don’t think so.  I remember he said we had to write a chapter summary and hand it in tomorrow.

Fumi:  That’s right.  I forgot.  Let’s call Sarah right away.

Hana:  Hang on.  I just remembered something.  Sarah told me she is looking after her niece tonight , so she won’t be home.

Fumi:  Let’s look up her aunt and uncle’s number in the phone book and call her there.

Hana:  Good idea.  Go ahead.  I’ll turn down the music.

Vocabulary:

• chapter:  part of a textbook
• history:  the story of people, countries, and war
• summary:  a short paragraph with the main ideas
• niece:  brother’s or sister’s daughter
• aunt:  mother’s or father’s sister, or uncle’s wife
• uncle:  mother’s or father’s brother, or aunt’s husband

Idioms:

beats me            I don’t know
find out             get information
put off                do (something) at a later time
hand in             give to the teacher/boss
right away       immediately
hang on            wait
look after         care for
look up             get information from a book or the Internet
go ahead          start / go before
turn down      decrease (sound, light, or heat) / say no to an offer

Notes:

Beats me and search me have the same meaning.

Hand in and turn in have the same meaning.

Hang on and hold on have the same meaning.

Look after and take care of have the same meaning.

Go ahead has 2 meanings.  The second meaning is “go before.
Example:  You only have a few items to buy, so you can go ahead of me.

Turn down has 2 meanings:  The second meaning is “say no to an offer.”
Example:  I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie with me, but she turned me down.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot