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Perfume

Perfume

Date: Apr 11 2008

Themes: Fashion, Health

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.

Everyone wants to smell good. Of course, not everyone has the same idea of a good smell. Hippies might try to smell like incense and mud. But that’s another story.

When most people want to smell good, they put on perfume. But as with many things, a lot of perfume can be too much of a good thing. Jason had a hard time getting up the elevator to Marni’s apartment because it was full of perfume.

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.

Jason

Jason

Marni

Marni

Jason:  Yeah, sorry it took me so long to get up here. I had to take the elevator twice because…Well, I had to wait for it twice because I hit “up” to get up to your apartment and the elevator came and it was, like, full of perfume. There wasn’t even someone there, it was just someone who had been in it had left this insane perfume smell.

Marni:  Just lingering over…

Jason:  That’s how much perfume she was wearing!

Marni:  Wow, I…

Jason:  So I had to just hit the button for a random floor and let it go up, and then hit it again and wait for another elevator to come down and then come up here. Because I’m actually allergic to perfume.

Marni:  That’s amazing. I, myself, am not a big fan of perfume because it’s just…People, like said person in the elevator, seem to just, like, bathe in it and it’s so overwhelming it gives me headaches.

Jason:  Yeah! Yeah. I don’t know what’s in it, but there must be something somewhat toxic or chemical in it.

Marni:  It’s pretty baffling to me just the way people wear, like men with cologne, they’ll just kind of, sometimes they’ll just douse it on, and I think the point of that is to attract female attention, and it’s the opposite for me. It’s a repellent.

Jason:  Same for me with women wearing tons of it.

Marni:  I don’t get it. But there’s some perfume that I don’t mind the smell of, and some people seem to know how to wear it, but overall…

Jason:  Yeah, a small amount of it, I can see that being helpful for certain situations and things. But it’s nice being allergic to it in a way because I’m not bothered by, you know, natural people smells because they’re the exact opposite.

Marni:  Yeah. But isn’t it interesting? People never think about the fact that you can be allergic to smells and they just, like, put it on willy-nilly.

Jason:  Just broadcast it!

Marni:  Yeah, it’s pretty obnoxious.

 

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Discussion

When the elevator opened up for Jason to get in, there weren’t any people in it, but it was full of perfume. So he pushed a button inside and sent it away and waited for another elevator to take him to Marni’s apartment. He explains that he’s allergic to perfume.

Marni understands. Too much perfume gives her a headache. Neither of them is sure why a lot of perfume can make you sick. There must be something toxic in it.

Jason and Marni understand that a little perfume can be nice. But they think it’s weird when people put on a lot of perfume to try to attract mates. They smell so strongly they probably drive them away!

Do you like to wear perfume or cologne? Can you think of some other things that are only good in small amounts?

 

Comments

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angelicaB

United States

I agree. Too much perfume is really bad and makes your mood change. We should use it in moderation and be simple. You can smell good with the best choice and usage of perfume.

04:57 AM Dec 11 2013 |

1 person likes this

MAYAMY

MAYAMY

Saudi Arabia

i used to love perfume so much but now its the last thing i will think about it i dont know why lol

01:03 AM Dec 10 2013 |

golsa

golsa

Russian Federation

Life is not life without perfume 4 meWink

10:05 PM Nov 13 2012 |

Crizsearch

Crizsearch

Indonesia

There are many fake one JULITO, I’m not a perfume girl so I don’t really like to wear perfume , I mean yes I wear perfume but I prefer light one, not too strong, :D, You know I always get nausea , kinda motion sickness when I take a bus, when I wear perfume mostly make me sick,Cry

01:39 PM Apr 27 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

CRIZ,   a cheap perfume makes me ” sick ” and I am not allergic .  a perfume should be subtle . Smile

10:42 AM Apr 27 2012 |

Crizsearch

Crizsearch

Indonesia

My nose is not sharp enough to distinguish which is which.

10:32 AM Apr 27 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Can you think of some other things that are only good in small amounts?


For me it’s alcohol. The small amount of wine they give you to taste in a store has the better effect on me than a full glass taken at home. I don’t know how it can be explained, but it’s really the most effective amount and “powerful” drink taken in public :) You feel amazing after that sample. In general, alcohol should be taken in small amounts.


Coffee as well, one two cups is good, but  three has an opposite effect - you feel sleepy and even sort of depressed. And, of course, any drug should be taken in small amount as a pain killer.


About perfume, how true it should be in a small dose. When you go to a store to buy perfume, you never figure out which one is good. Lot’s of perfume in the air. Even you  you spray on a sample, it can hardly give you an idea if it’s good or not. Because it’s not evaporated, it’s not blended with you, the chemistry hasn’t started working. It’s just an amount of alcohol. But when a person wears it, you can tell right away - oh, that’s what i like.

09:58 AM Apr 27 2012 |

kotlesya

kotlesya

Belarus

Praise be to God, I’m not allergic!


If I were Jason I would enjoy my trip in the elevator, smelling the odor of the perfume in it :D.  


Frankly to say, I like when people leave the slight tail area of their perfume. 


Perfume is very important to me to wear but the amount of the perfume I use on my skin is slightly “visible”. I never leave the tail area of the perfume. You will smell the scent of my perfume if you embrace me :) 


It is quite sexy and exciting when I hug my sweetheart and there is a slight odor of his perfume on the neck or chest ;)


Can you think of some other things that are only good in small amounts? – make up is only good in small amounts. Let you face be natural Smile

07:00 AM Apr 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

L♥vely Aйgel

Oman

I Love perfume :)

06:22 AM Jan 14 2012 |

1 person likes this

Bruce_zhou

China

It comes to perfume,as for me ,it’s ok,i never allergic to some brand perfume,but if someone who wearing perfume so much ,maybe i feel not well,expecial ,some women get perfume too much ,let me feel little headache,as far as i know,many many men from europe like cologne very much and also strang smell when we standing closed,from my point of view,if you get little perfoum maybe it’s better,not need wearing so much.i remember that the perfoum from france at the very begging,i forgot the story exact,but it’s truely perfume from france first.

11:47 AM Oct 17 2011 |

ilovepeace

ilovepeace

Hungary

perfumes r great :) hey anyone can help me? do u know the perfume called Barony Brazil?

08:17 AM Oct 16 2011 |

KardelenF

KardelenF

Turkey

I very love perfumes…they very sweet and sexy odor.I think interesting sexy odor.I like perfume….Laughing

07:02 PM Oct 15 2011 |

1 person likes this

Maria del Alba

Spain

I like perfume a little, i am hooked on arabic, oriental and floral fragances although some people think they are hard to smell. For example my mother, like Marni, usually have headaches when smelling some kinda perfumes I like to wear.


I think the point of some of the industrial perfumes is catching the attention of the opposite gender and that’s why they are so strong and they sometimes have pheromone in them.

02:04 PM Oct 03 2011 |

natal1_0509

Ukraine

i love perfumes so much!!! but it is better to put not too strong and no too much parfum when u will know that u'll be at work for example with a lot of different people , and if everybody put on them very strong parfums, all of them will have headache. all people cann't love ur perfume. but if u go to theatre, some evening where will be not so close contact with people i can put more strong parfumes

04:29 PM Jan 31 2011 |

miro83

miro83

Tunisia

l like perfume so much

06:04 PM Aug 10 2010 |

Grazyna Krauze

Poland

To be honest fragrance of perfume may be drop of genuine perfume is my life.But sometimes it can be real obstacle in contact with people for example in elevator.when somebody is allergic to smell. I must confess it is awkward situation.

04:03 PM Jul 11 2010 |

aslian

aslian

Turkey

i love perfume!!xD

09:33 AM Apr 10 2009 |

AnDrEi_17

Uruguay

I love perfumes, but I only like sweet, soft perfumes for women, but in a man, I love men who use strong colognes, I find them irresistible

10:43 PM Apr 17 2008 |

haiduongshânn

Viet Nam

yessss! I sometime use perfume in especial accasions as new year, valentine, meeting friends, etc. I do not like to attract someone by perfume, I want to do it by mystyle , for example in wearing.

 

09:44 AM Apr 17 2008 |

haiduongshânn

Viet Nam

yessss! I sometime use perfume in especial accasions as new year, valentine, meeting friends, etc. I do not like to attract someone by perfume, I want to do it by mystyle , for example in wearing.

 

09:44 AM Apr 17 2008 |

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