Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Student 1: Sorry. Sorry, excuse me. I'm just … just coming to sit over here. Phew. Hey. How's it going? So, what have I missed?
Student 2: Nothing. He just started around five minutes ago.
Student 1: Did he say anything about the mid-term?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: About the mid-term tests. Did he say anything about when he was going to hand them back?
Student 2: He's almost finished marking them, he said. We get them next Tuesday.
Student 1: I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. When do we get them?
Student 2: Tuesday. Next Tuesday.
Student 1: OK. Got it. Sorry. What page are we meant to be on?
Student 2: Page 34.
Student 1: Page … 34. Oh, wait. I don't have my textbook. Can I … share with you? Wow. This is hard stuff.
Student 2: Mmm.
Student 1: What does SEO mean?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: SEO. This is all about SEO but he hasn't said what it means.
Student 2: Search engine optimisation. How to appear on internet searches.
Student 1: Internet searches. Right. Right. OK.
Student 2: He said what it meant.
Student 1: What?
Student 2: He explained it before you got here.
Student 1: Oh. Right. OK.
Student 2: Can you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to the lecture.
Student 1: So am I. Sorry. Sorry, one more question. What does this have to do with the American Revolution?
Student 2: What?
Student 1: I don't get it. Why is he talking about search engines in a course on the American Revolution?
Student 2: What are you talking about? This is a class on software engineering.
Student 1: You mean, it's not Early American History?
Student 2: You're in the wrong class.
Student 1: Oh, wow. Now it all makes sense. I'm so sorry.
Student 2: It's fine.
Student 1: Here, I'll just … excuse me. I'm in the wrong class. Excuse me. Thanks. Sorry.
Hello shahhoseini
I don't find that you use 'they' or 'them' excessively here, but if you wanted to avoid them, you could use simple imperatives instead of 'They must ...'. For example: 'Come to class on time, Listen carefully,' etc. That would also reduce the user of 'must'; alternatively, you could use 'should' or 'have to' or both to vary things a bit.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team