If the woman doesn't pay her tuition on time, she'll _____.

have to pay a significant late fee

need to wait a semester to take classes
be required to register again for school

The woman is planning to take _______ to school from home.

her game system
Some food
warm clothing

The father suggests a specific major based on the possibility of

______.
traveling to different countries
moving up in the company
earning a decent living

Based on her major, where will she most likely work?

at a bank
for a school
In a national park

! The man is surprised by the fact that his daughter ______.

has earned a scholarship for the first year
Is involved in a serious relationship
already has a part-time job at school
Idioms
"buckle down" = start to work hard
"If you don't buckle down and save money, you'll never be able to afford
college."

"hand to mouth" = with barely enough money to live

"My father lived hand to mouth while he was trying to finish college."

Daughter: Uh, Dad. Are you going to miss me when I leave for college next
week?

Father: Yahoo!

Daughter: No, Dad . . . seriously. I mean you're always talking about how
much money you'll save on food, hot water, and gas while I am gone.

Father: Of course I will . . . no, uh, well, I'll miss you, of course. No, honestly,
I'll miss and worry about you, and you've really tried to prepare yourself. You
know, I'm proud of you for that. You know, getting a university degree is a
real accomplishment.

Daughter: Exactly.

Father: But, let's go over the to-do list. Do you have everything ready? I
mean, did you pay your tuition and housing fees by the deadline? [Yeap.]
Because, you know, if you don't, you'll lose your class schedule, and you
have to register all over again.

Daughter: Yeah, I paid for that a few days ago.

Father: Okay, did you sign up for the meal plan at the university so you don't
have to eat instant noodles everyday?

Daughter: Yeap. But Mom said I could take some food from home to get me
started.

Father: Uhhh, well, yeah. The oatmeal is in the pantry.

Daughter: Dad! Mom said I could take a bag of rice, some canned food, and
...

Father: . . . and grandpa's old army rations.

Daughter: Ugh! Not that old stuff. Mom!

 Father: Okay, okay. And you know you should set up an appointment to
meet with your academic advisor to help you select future classes, right?
[Yeah.] You know, business administration will be a great major for you.

Daughter: Well, Dad, uh . . .

Father: And future possibilities . . . a great salary, opportunities to make a

difference in the community, and [Dad. I changed my major.] supporting . . .

Father: What? You changed you major . . . you switched majors!?

Daughter: Yeah. I really thought about it. After talking it over with Mom, I've
decided to major in wildlife science.

Father: What? What are you talking about?

Daughter: Yeah. I want to degree in wildlife science. You

know, analyzing, maintaining, and conserving national forests and wildlife.

Father: What? Uh, uhh . . .

Daughter: Dad. You can close your mouth now. I mean, I've ALWAYS been
interested in working with nature; [Well.] You know that, and this field will
give me the opportunity to live out my dream. [Well . . . ] I've also looked
through the online university catalog, and I actually qualify for a two-year, full
tuition scholarship.

Father: Wait. When did this all happen?

Daughter: I can even go on to graduate school and further my education . . .

after Todd and I get married, of course.

Father: Graduate school . . . Todd? Wait, wait, wait!! Who's Todd? Ah,
what's next?

Daughter: Thanks for the credit card. Mom said it was a present. And I just
tried it out to make sure it worked, and I had no problem buying my new
laptop computer. [Oh, I'm doomed!] Uh, Dad, where are you going?

Father: Uh, I've decided to enroll in night school to get another degree.
That's the only way I'm going to pay for your college.

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

• yahoo (interjection): shouted when you are excited about something
- Yahoo! I won two tickets to the concert.
• accomplishment (noun): something successful you do after a lot of hard
work
- The company recognized my father's accomplishments and gave him a
promotion.
• tuition (noun): the money you pay to take classes and be taught
- I had to work all summer at two jobs to earn enough money for
college tuition.
• pantry (noun): a small closet or storeroom where food is kept.
- My sister took a lot of food from the pantry before she left for college.
• rations (noun): an amount of food given out for each meal, particularly when
there is not much available in times of war or emergency
- The soldiers survived on rations during the darkest days of the war.
• talk it over (phrasal verb): discuss a problem or situation before you make a
decision
- You really need to talk it over with your parents before you decide to
transfer to another school.
• analyze (verb ): examine carefully
- The rescue workers quickly analyzed the situation before they entered the
building.
• maintain (verb): take care of something so it stays in good condition
- You really need to maintain all of your hiking gear in good condition
because you never know when you'll need it.
• conserve (verb): protect something from destruction or loss
- If the missing hikers conserve their energy and food, they should be able to
survive a few more days.
• live out (phrasal verb): do something you have planned or hoped for
- Although my grandfather was quite old, he was able to live out his dream of
graduating from high school, something he wasn't able to do 60 years ago.
• further (verb): help forward or promote
- The university wants to further educational opportunities by providing
additional scholarships.
• be doomed (verb): certain to die or be destroyed
- My sister's plan to go to college was doomed from the beginning because
she had terrible grades in high school, and she hadn't saved any money for
tuition.
• enroll in (verb): go to or attend
- More and more students are enrolling in computer science because they
see a future in that field.