Daily Life - Finding the perfect present (C0178)

A:

Bill. Bill! You gotta help me!

B:

What's wrong? Slow down or you are gonna give yourself a heart attack.

A:

Tomorrow is Christmas and I haven't bought my mom anything! I'm such a bad son!

B:

Take it easy! Let's go tothe mall, window shop a little and see if there is anything she might like.

A:

That's just it! I don't know what to get her! Last year I got her a ring that was two sizes too big and a pair of shoes five sizes too small! I suck at getting presents for people.

B:

That's where you're making a big mistake! You can't just guess peoples' likes or sizes! Especially with clothes or jewelry. On top of that, I think that you should get your mom something that shows how much you love her. Atthe same time you should show her that you took the time and effort tolook for something that she would really like!

A:

Yeah you're right. When it comes down to it, I can be pretty tacky.

B:

Yeah tell me about it. I know! Your mom is trying to learn Spanish right? Why don't you get her a gift certificate for this great website I saw called SpanishPod.

A:

Now that's a great idea!

Key Vocabulary

window shop

examine the shop windows

on top of

in addition to something else

When it comes down to it

when I look at what the whole situation amounts to

tacky

looking cheap, having bad taste

tell me about it

I agree; I understand

Supplementary Vocabulary

voucher

a form or check indicating a credit against future purchases or expenditures

shop till you drop

to shop until one is exhausted

gift card

a plastic card with a certain amount of money on it used to make purchases at select stores or restaurants

last-minute shopping

shopping done just before the deadline

wrack your brain

to think really hard for ideas until it feels like you have put your brain through the torture of "the rack"

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