Here is Level 2, Lesson 16: “Find Your Joy!” adapted from VOA Learning English.
- Listen, read, translate if needed, and practice along with the audio player and dialogue below.
Anna: Hi, Kaveh! Let’s go to lunch!
Kaveh: Ooh, I know a great place. When I first started working here, I would go every day!
Anna: Great. Oh, no.
Kaveh: What’s wrong?
Anna: I lost my key! I just had it this morning.
Kaveh: You should check the Lost & Found office.
Anna: Great idea. Where is it?
Kaveh: Oh, it used to be across from the cafeteria. But now it’s down in the basement next to the elevators. It’s really hard to find.
Anna: The Lost & Found is hard to find. That’s funny.
Kaveh: It is.
Professor Bot: I hope Anna can find the Lost & Found office!
Used to and would describe something that happened repeatedly in the past.
Kaveh uses would when he says, “When I first started working here, I would go every day!
There are two differences between used to and would.
Number 1: We use would only when we say the time period first.
Number 2: For verbs like be, think, feel, see and understand, we can only use used to.
Kaveh says, “It used to be across from the cafeteria.”
Keep listening for more!
(A worker moves the sign for the Lost & Found office. So, Anna walks into the wrong office without knowing it.)
Serenity: Come in! I am Serenity.
Anna: Hi, Serenity. I’m Anna!
Serenity: Please, sit down. How can I help you?
Anna: I lost something very important.
Serenity: Shh. I already know. You need help.
Anna: Yes. I need help finding the key …
Serenity: Shh. You need to find the key – the key that will give you happiness.
Anna: Yes. Finding this key will make me very happy.
Serenity: First, Anna, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
Anna: Okay.
Serenity: I used to be a very important person with a very important job. I made a lot of money — I mean a lot.
Anna: Wow. Good for you!
Serenity: No! No, it was bad for me. I lost the most important thing – the key! You’ve lost it too, haven’t you, Anna? Haven’t you?
Anna: I guess. So, how does this work? Do I have to fill out a form or something?
Serenity: No. No forms. Just answer this one question: As a child, what did you use to do to feel happy?
Anna: When I was little, I used to sing all the time with my family. Those were good times.
Serenity: Singing is so joyful! I used to sing. But now that I’ve started my business, I’ve just been too busy. Too busy! Anna, why don’t you sing again?
Anna: I sing everywhere! I sing in the office. I sing on the metro. I sing in the elevators. I sing on the escalators. I sing in the bathroom. Serenity! Serenity! I really need to find my key. Yeah!
Serenity: Yes, we need to find the key … the key to happiness.
Anna: No, no. I just need to find the key to my apartment.
Serenity: I used to know. But now I don’t! Do you, Anna?
Anna: I don’t know. I think I left it in the ladies’ room. You know, this isn’t the Lost & Found, is it?
(Anna starts walking out of the room)
Serenity: It could be the Lost & Found. I’m lost! And I used to find joy for people! I used to find joy!
Anna: You know, this is a bad time for you. I’ll find the Lost & Found myself. Bye, thanks.
Serenity: I used to find joy. I used to find joy! I used to find joy!
Anna: Ah, I found my key!
Serenity: I used to find joy!
Pofessor Bot: Oh no. Serenity lost her joy. But at least Anna found her key!
2. Watch Lesson 16: “Find Your Joy!” American English video lesson.
3. Take the Lesson 16: “Find Your Joy!” quiz to check your American English knowledge. Click here to take the quiz.
4. Answer the following question in the comments section below:
What did you used to do when you were younger? What would people in your country traditionally do for work and for fun? What would they eat and where would they like to go in your country?
About the Author
Hello everyone
I used to go to the pool every day when I was younger, but now I don’t do that because I am an old man and I can’t swimming.
Hello. I’m Danijela.
Very interesting lesson also video with Ana.
When I was a little girl, at first I would think it was happiness to have beautiful things and money, then I used to realized that joying is loving, being healthy and have good family and friends.
Thank you very much Maestro Sersea.
Hello everyone
What did you used to do when you were younger?
From monday to friday, I used to go to school. To 4:00 pm I would go every day to practice football and then I made my homework and go to sleep
What would people in your country traditionally do for work and for fun? What would they eat and where would they like to go in your country?
Usually, people wake up early in the morning, have breakfast, get their clothes and go to their jobs. At weekend take advantage to share with their families and friends.
In the Quiz I got 3 of 5.
Thank you Maestro
Hello , hind from Iraq.
My score was 4/5
Hello , hind from Iraq.
We used to do when we were younger, we used to play traditional game street and used to eat more chocolate and used to visit neighbors .
Thank you sir
Lesson 2.16.4 Year 2
Answer the above question
Being the elder one, besides my studies, I would stitch and knit for my younger siblings. At that time ready -made clothes were not available easily.
In my country, Pakistanis people would traditionally do wood carving, marble carving, clay pottery, blue pottery, camel lamp, carpet, ajreck, and cotton garments.
They used to eat very simple food like bread with tea, Mutton, chicken, vegetables, etc….
Greetings Maestro Sersea
I used to go to school,after school I hang out with my friends to go to play or we meet together to study, the fridays and sundays I used to go to the church. I live in an industrial zone, so that there are many shopping mall, supermarkets and manufactors of differents industries all these are resources of employments and a lot people of my neighborhood work in them. Commonly, For fun, they attend to familiar parties, go to see a films at a movie theather and other get out to visit turistic zone specially the weekend or holidays but anothers enjoy takeout meal in their homes any people dine out with their family members, at food fast restaurant, and others hang out with friend to get out to dance.
Traditionally junks food are their favorites, so you can find the food courts crowded specially
the weekends people’s enjoy eating fried chicken, pizza, Chinese food, mexican food or cafeterias this kind of restaurant and business remain crowded .
Best Regrads