ESL Podcast - Previous Episodes

Slow dialogue: 1:23 Explanations: 3:37 Fast dialogue: 14:58 Giselle: Good morning, Brian. This is Giselle calling from Intergroup in Kansas City. Brian: Hi, Giselle. How are you? Giselle: I’m great, thanks. Listen, the reason I’m calling is that I wanted to touch base with you about the new proposed regulations. Have you had a chance to review them? Brian: We’ve only had time to give them a cursory look, but I think we have a grasp on what the changes will be. I don’t think that most of the new regulations would apply to our class of cargo. As long as our certificates of origin are in order and our shipping agents are well informed of the changes, we won’t have anything to be concerned about. Rest assured we’ll take care of all that. Giselle: That’s good to hear. Won’t the customs procedures be different, though? I understand that there are changes to the regulations affecting which containers we can use and how we transport our freight. Brian: No, lucky for us, all we need to do is to put some additional information on our waybills and make sure our packing lists reflect the same information. Giselle: I’m relieved to hear that. You’ve really put my mind at ease, thanks. Brian: Don’t mention it. While I have you on the phone, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about the latest order? Giselle: No, not at all. Fire away. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:20 Explanations: 3:22 Fast dialogue: 14:03 Alberto: What was that ear-splitting scream?! Melissa: That little girl over there is having a temper tantrum. Alberto: Oh, great! The movie hasn’t even started and that kid is already acting up. Melissa: I hope she’s okay. She looks miserable. Maybe her parents can distract her somehow. Alberto: She’s fine. She’s just looking for attention or frustrated she didn’t get what she wanted. If parents didn’t give in every time their child wanted something, kids wouldn’t throw tantrums. Melissa: I don’t know. When my son was little, he used to throw tantrums when he didn’t know how to tell us what he needed. He got frustrated and sometimes, he would start kicking and screaming. Alberto: Well, I don’t think that’s the case here. Look at those parents. They’re going to buy the girl some candy to quiet her down. That’s just rewarding her for her misbehavior. Melissa: What would you do instead? Alberto: I would set limits so that things like this never happened. In this case, I would give that girl a spanking. It’s all about having consequences for bad behavior. Melissa: Oh, yeah? Did that work with your children? Alberto: Uh, I don’t have any kids. Melissa: That’s what I thought! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: American Cities: Indianapolis; Malcolm Gladwell and his books; to brush up on versus to polish up; to come off; a matter of Words: to observe spectacle to count (something) as (something) racetrack lap canal second only to based in implication fake outlier influential to brush up on to polish up to come off a matter of

Slow dialogue: 1:19 Explanations: 3:55 Fast dialogue: 15:25 Ryan: It’s really nice of you to make dinner for me. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a home-cooked meal. Corrie: I’m happy to do it. First, though, let’s see what you have in your fridge. Ryan: I have tons of food in there. Corrie: What is that? It looks moldy. Ryan: Oh, that’s cheese. I’m sure it’s still good, if we just cut off the moldy parts. Corrie: Okay, but look at the “best if used by” date. This expired three months ago. What about this? Ryan: That’s hamburger. Maybe you could make some spaghetti with meatballs. Corrie: Not with this rotten meat. It’s definitely gone bad. Can’t you tell by the discoloration? Meat isn’t supposed to be gray. Ryan: I guess you’re right. I bet this milk isn’t any good either, is it? Corrie: Nope. It’s gone sour, and you might as well throw out this bread, too. It’s stale. Ryan: Isn’t there anything you can use in this kitchen? Corrie: Well, this oil is rancid, this butter looks tainted, the vegetables are wilted, and even your canned goods are rusted. You do have a lot of food in your kitchen, but it’s been here a long, long time. Ryan: I don’t like things to go to waste. Corrie: I guess not. I’m still willing to make you dinner, but we’ll have to do some shopping. My cooking isn’t the best, but I don’t usually give people food poisoning, and I don’t want to start now. Ryan: Okay, okay, give me a list and I’ll go to the market. Corrie: And while you’re there, I’ll see what I can do about getting rid of all of this hazardous waste! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:17 Explanations: 3:07 Fast dialogue: 14:01 Anton: Look at that guy. He’s been in town two weeks and he’s already throwing his money around. Vanessa: You know as well as I do that money talks. He’s just trying to make a splash in the business community. Anton: If that were all he was doing then I wouldn’t say anything, but he’s a social climber of the worst kind. Who does he think he is? Vanessa: He’s someone who’s used to getting his way, that’s obvious. He’s not the first affluent person to try to buy influence and social standing in a community. Anton: Yeah, but look at all of the people in this town throwing themselves at him! Vanessa: He has donated generously to the town and given to the arts. He’s even given money toward building the new community center, and it wasn’t chump change either. If he wants to be a patron in this town, who are we to look a gift horse in the mouth? Anton: Right, so spreading money around gives him the right to walk around like he owns this town? Vanessa: Is this a case of sour grapes? Anton: Ha, right! Haven’t you heard? Money is the root of all evil! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Famous Americans: Orville and Wilbur Wright; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; each day versus every day versus everyday; split infinitives; to spare (someone) (something) Words: to credited (someone) with (something) to spark aviation glider kite hall of fame to induct controversial criticism big-name exhibit to reflect each day every day everyday to spare (someone) (something)

Slow dialogue: 1:11 Explanations: 3:05 Fast dialogue: 15:49 Michael: I have some qualms about how we’re handling these accounts. Leona: What do you mean? Michael: There are strict regulations governing what we can and cannot do, and I think we’re violating those regulations. Leona: Listen, it’s a matter of interpretation. We’re not flouting any regulations. We’re just not following the letter of the law. Michael: I, for one, think that we’ve crossed the line. I’m not against some creative accounting, but what we’re doing is bordering on criminal. Leona: Aren’t you blowing things out of proportion? The government makes laws knowing that people are going to try to get around them. There are always loopholes and that’s why they turn a blind eye to most of these types of activities. As long as we comply with most of the regulations, we’re not going to get into any hot water. Michael: I appreciate your confidence, but I don’t share it. I think we’re in for some major problems if we don’t change the way we do business. Leona: Come on, let’s go get some coffee and see what we can do about that overactive conscience of yours. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:08 Explanations: 2:55 Fast dialogue: 15:15 Sheila: Where are you going? Rudy: I’m going to the video store to rent a movie for tonight. Do you want to come? Sheila: You don’t need to do that. We can watch nearly any movie you want online. Rudy: Oh, you mean we can pay to download it? Sheila: Yeah, we can download it, but we don’t have to pay for it. Rudy: What do you mean? You’re not using a file-sharing site, are you? Sheila: Of course, I am. Everybody is doing it. Rudy: Aside from the ethical issues, it’s so frustrating watching videos online. The ones that stream are constantly pausing to buffer. The interruptions drive me crazy! Sheila: Yeah, sometimes, but there’s usually a workaround. Rudy: Even so, the movies are usually pirated and they’re so grainy. I want to watch something in high definition. Come on, let’s go to the video store. It’ll be my treat. Sheila: All right, if you insist, but why can’t we just pay to download it right here at home? Rudy: We could do that, but where would we get the popcorn? Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Author/artist royalties & ASCAP; house swapping; hop in versus pop in versus drop in; compound nouns Words: royalties intellectual property copyright cause estate to enforce to swap stranger to match up arrangement housing market desperate to hop in to pop in to drop in

Slow dialogue: 1:28 Explanations: 3:07 Fast dialogue: 14:41 Gail: Oh! Mike: Are you okay? Gail: Yeah, I’m just not used to these crutches yet. The doctor said I should start using them if I ever want to get out of this wheelchair, but I don’t have the strength to stand up. Mike: You’ll get the hang of it. Don’t lose heart. Gail: It should be easy now that my arm is out of the cast, but it just seems impossible. I feel I’m going to lose my balance each time I try to stand up. Mike: Try again, and this time lean on me and I’ll try to serve as your legs until you can find your balance. Gail: I wish I didn’t feel so utterly useless. It’s so frustrating! Mike: I know. Just keep your eye on the ball and give it another try. The next thing you know, you’ll be limping along and then running a marathon. It’s just a matter of time before you get your mobility back. Gail: Yeah, right. Okay, first things first. Let’s see if these useless legs of mine will cooperate this time. Script by Dr Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:28 Explanations: 3:10 Fast dialogue: 12:23 Edward: Would you dance with me? Bella: Me? I’d like to, but I don’t dance. Edward: Why? Bella: I have two left feet. I’m so clumsy, first I’d step all over your feet, and then I’d stumble all over the dance floor. Edward: I don’t believe that. I bet you’re very graceful on the dance floor. You wouldn’t stumble; you’d glide across that floor. Bella: I’m the most uncoordinated person alive. When I was little, I was even more awkward. My mother hated taking me shopping because I was so accident-prone. Everywhere we’d go, I was like a bull in a china shop. I’m not like Rosalie. Look at her. She’s so elegant. Edward: Rosalie has nothing on you. Dance with me and I promise to catch you if you trip. Bella: What if I step all over your feet? Edward: You won’t get the chance. My feet will be moving so quickly, I will dazzle you with my agility and finesse. Bella: Okay, you asked for it! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Classic comic strips with a political/social commentary bent; child protection laws; uncalled for; state versus status; as though Words: comic strip bent commentary wry editorial pages registry sex-offender parental consent abused neglected suspicion uncalled for status state as though

Slow dialogue: 1:13 Explanations: 3:27 Fast dialogue: 14:21 Emil: Have a seat. As you know, we need to talk about your annual performance evaluation. Is there anything you’d like to say before we get started? Sandra: Yes, there is. I’ve tried really hard this year to improve on some of the shortcomings identified in my evaluation last year. Emil: Hmm, I’m afraid that’s not reflected in this year’s evaluation. Your supervisor noted on the report that you’ve been performing below par for several months now, and your productivity is down, too. Sandra: I can’t imagine why she would say that. If I haven’t excelled on the new project, I’ve at least pulled my weight. I don’t think she can fault me on that. Emil: On the contrary, she thinks that you’ve been slacking off and not giving 100 percent. Sandra: I have had some personal issues, but I didn’t think they had been affecting my work. I guess I’ve let them bring down my performance. Emil: This was a hard decision, but we’re putting you on probation for the next three months. You’ll have another evaluation at the end of that time. If your performance isn’t up to par by that time, we’ll have to think about letting you go. Sandra: That won’t happen. I’m going to pull out all the stops to prove myself. Emil: Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:29 Explanations: 2:55 Fast dialogue: 14:58 Danny: You’re going to the prom. How exciting! How should we style you hair? Clarissa: I’m really not sure. I was hoping you would have some ideas. Danny: I do, but first we need to see if we have the right tools. Let’s look in your bathroom. Here’s some shampoo and conditioner, but where are the gel, mousse, and hairspray? Clarissa: Here, they’re on this shelf. Here’s a hairdryer and some rollers, too. Do you think we’ll need the curling iron or the flat iron? Danny: I’m not sure, but put them here, just in case. Okay, now I need a brush and comb, and some bobby pins. We’ll need some elastic bands, too, to pull your hair back. Clarissa: Here, they’re all in this drawer. Danny: Oh, this is a pretty barrette, but we won’t need it for tonight. Okay, ready for the transformation? Clarissa: I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Danny: Okay, let the fun begin! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Ask an American: private gun ownership; north of; compulsory versus mandatory versus obligatory; mayday Words: semiautomatic round to ban outlawed to arm social issue law-abiding hunting high heels part of the equation north of compulsory mandatory obligatory mayday