The Great Seattle Blackout

Sean and Allison meet at a café in Seattle after surviving the recent city-wide power cut.

The Great Seattle Blackout

Listen and choose the right answer

What did Sean find difficult on the very first day of the power cut?

• The lack of internet access
• Cooking food on a camping stove
• Meeting his neighbors

What did Allison and her neighbors do during the evenings without electricity?

• They watched movies on laptops
• They shared wine and played board games
• They complained to the landlord

How did both Sean and Allison feel about the power cut by the end of the week?

• They thought it was pure misery from start to finish
• They admitted it was secretly one of the best weeks they had in years
• They regretted not calling their boss sooner

What structure does Sean use when discussing running water?

• make it clear that I'd never take running water for granted again
• find it hard to live without running water
• consider it essential to have running water

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Allison: Sean! I can't believe we actually survived that entire week without ____ in our apartment building.
• Sean: Well, after the initial shock wore off, I made it clear to myself that I'd never take ____ for granted again.
• Allison: That's so true, heating water on a tiny camping stove was an eye-opening ____ for me.
• Sean: Did you manage to ____ any part of it, or was it just pure misery for you?
• Allison: It really gave us a fresh ____ on how much noise we invite into our lives.

Sources: photo by Thirdman on Pexels