Afleveringen
-
Learn how to talk about watching a soccer game in English. Shandy and Giuseppe watch from the stands as Shandy's boyfriend Fabio scores a goal and then gets hurt.
Dialogue/Story
Shandy: Oh, that player just hit my boyfriend! Did you see that? That was definitely a penalty.
Giuseppe: No, I didn't. I was watching the goalie. The referee isn't doing anything.
Shandy: I can't believe it. Why isn't the coach talking to that referee? I'm sure the other player deliberately kicked Fabio with his cleats.
Giuseppe: Hey, look! Fabio has the ball and he's taking it all the way down the field. He shoots, he scores! That's his second goal of the game. He's going to win the game for the team.
Shandy: What's he doing now? Why is he on the ground? Is he hurt?
Giuseppe: I don't know. The trainer is helping him off the field. It doesn't look serious.
Shandy: That's good, but he hates sitting on the bench. He won't want to watch the rest of the match from the sidelines.
Giuseppe: Look at the stands over there!
Shandy: What's happening? Why are they all standing up? Oh, they're starting a wave. I thought for a minute that the fans were getting into a brawl.
Giuseppe: It's coming this way.
Shandy: Okay, here we go!
-
Topics
American Movies: The Godfather · Elvis Presley and Graceland · Questions and Answers
Key Terms
godparent
mafia
bribery
corruption
brutal
to legitimize
stillborn
sideburns
the rest is history
mansion
recording studio
artifact
to hinder
to hamper
to impede
the hunt is on
quick and dirty tips -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
In this free lesson, you will learn how to talk about seeing old friends again. Lucy tells a short story about a busy month of meeting people from her past. You will learn natural English expressions for making plans and staying in touch, like "swing by," "make time," "keep in touch," and "catch up."
Dialogue/Story
This has been a month for seeing old friends. I got an email a couple of weeks ago from an old friend from college. She and her family are visiting L.A. for a week. They plan to see family and to visit old friends. Since she moved away, I hadn't seen her in ages. I'm looking forward to meeting her new kids and seeing her again.
Another old friend called this week. She and I were buddies when we were young. She plans to swing by L.A. on her way to San Francisco. We've made plans to have lunch. She works in Washington D.C. and is normally very busy. I'm glad she could make time for us to get together.
When we say good-bye to our friends, we always hope to keep in touch. But, what with this and that, it's sometimes hard to do. With friends that I've fallen out of touch with, it's sometimes hard to meet again and pick up where we left off. We've both moved on to a different phase in our lives. Some of my old friends have become very successful, and are living lives in the fast lane. Other friends are having a more difficult time and are just making ends meet. But, no matter how they're doing, it's always nice to touch base again.
I'm really looking forward to seeing these old pals and catching up after all this time. We just wonât mention how much weâve aged.
-
Topics: American Presidents â Barack Obama; Famous Songs â âAnchors Aweighâ; diffidence versus timidity versus shyness; receipt versus reception; no problem versus not at all versus no big deal
Words:
community organizer
healthcare
candidate
rising star
biracial
campaign slogan
grassroots
polarized
affordable
anchor
ashore
foam
diffidence
timidity
shyness
receipt
reception
no problem
not at all
no big deal -
Letâs not talk about the topic of todayâs episode right now. So, howâs your day going?
Slow dialog: 1:25
Explanations: 4:00
Fast dialog: 18:29Lila: Why arenât you dating? I have so many friends who would love to go out with you.
George: Letâs change the subject. Talking about my love life isnât very interesting.
Lila: But really, youâre not getting any younger andâŠ
George: Moving on! Have you seen any good movies lately?
Lila: Listen, all of your friends are settling down and you donât want to go through life alone and lonelyâŠ
George: That reminds me, didnât you say that you were going to get another dog so that Rover isnât lonely when youâre not home?
Lila: Forget about my dog. You remember Rachel, donât you? She just broke up with her boyfriend and sheâd be perfect for you.
George: Speaking of Rachel, how is her mother? Wasnât she in the hospital?
Lila: If Rachel isnât your type, how about Amina? She has great legs and I know youâre a leg man.
George: And now for something completely differentâŠHow is your diet coming along? Have you lost any weight yet?
Lila: I donât really want to talk about my weight.
George: But I think youâre having trouble shedding those pounds, right? I have lots of suggestions on what you can do.
Lila: Anyway, as I said before, I donât really want to talk about my dietâŠ
George: You need to cut out sweets if you want to lose weight. Are you eating too many sweets?
Lila: Thatâs none of your business!
George: My sentiments exactly!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
-
Topics: Movies â Die Hard; American Authors â Emma Lazarus; in front of versus ahead of versus before; as if versus as though versus as for; to take stock
Words:
to be separated
to give (something) another try
to freshen up
hostage
safe
cowboy
to be descend from
to be well received
to dedicate
to persecute
to huddle
to yearn
in front of
ahead of
before
as if
as though
as for
to take stock -
Topics: Famous Americans â Muhammad Ali; The Golden Gate Bridge; valuable versus invaluable; north/south versus northern/southern; common ground and universal experience
Words:
to take up
professionally
agile
to reign
nationalist
social activist
to be drafted
to indict
bridge
strait
fog
precaution
dizziness
valuable
invaluable
north / south
northern / southern
common ground
universal -
Topics: Famous Americans â Charles Schultz and Peanuts; The Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve; to be pleased to versus to be happy to versus itâs (oneâs) pleasure to; to sit versus to seat; willy-nilly
Words:
cartoon
freelance
folks
memoir
tomboy
national park
national preserve
glacier
mine
to designate
volcano
to be pleased to
to be happy to
Itâs (oneâs) pleasure to
to sit
to seat
willy-nilly -
If you canât read this, then put on your glasses and listen to this episode on having bad eyes.
Slow dialogue: 1:07
Explanations: 2:45
Fast dialogue: 15:19Sue: This medication Iâm taking is messing with my vision. Everything is blurry.
Hamed: Thatâs a good reason for you to stay home from work today.
Sue: I canât. I have to give a presentation this afternoon and I canât flake out on my coworkers.
Hamed: What good are you to them if youâre blind as a bat?
Sue: Everybody else will have crystal clear vision, so all I have to do is to put in an appearance. Things may not be as sharp as Iâd like them to be, but I can still make out people and objects â as long as theyâre really big.
Hamed: I donât think your coworkers are going to want you to blindside them today with your strange behavior. Youâre going to do more harm than good.
Sue: I can see well enough. I only see double if I move my head like this. WhoaâŠ
Hamed: At this point, I donât care if you have X-ray vision. That medication is affecting more than your vision. Itâs impairing your better judgment!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
-
Learn how to take and leave phone messages in this podcast.
Slow dialog: 0:57
Explanations: 3:42
Fast dialog: 21:10I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. As soon as I walked in the door, though, the phone rang.
Paolo: Hello.
Evelyn: Hi, could I speak to Tony?
Paolo: Heâs not here right now. Can I take a message?
Evelyn: Do you know when heâll be back?
Paolo: No, I donât.
Evelyn: Okay. Iâll call back later. Thanks.
âŠâŠ
Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.Paolo: Hello.
Pam: Hi, is Tony there?
Paolo: No, heâs out.
Pam: Could I leave a message?
Paolo: Sure. Give me a second to get something to write withâŠOkay, Iâm ready.
Pam: Could you tell him that Pam called and ask him to call me back as soon as he can.
Paolo: Does he have your number?
Pam: He should, but Iâd better give it to you. Itâs 279-555-6347.
Paolo: Okay, Iâll tell him.
Pam: Thanks.
âŠ..As soon as I put down the receiver, the phone rang again. I couldnât believe it.
Paolo: Hello.
Susan: Hi, is this Tony?
Paolo: No, Iâm his roommate, Paolo. Tonyâs not here right now.
Susan: I need to get a hold of him. Do you have his cell number?
Paolo: Uh, yeah, I do, but Iâm not sure he wants me to give it out.
Susan: Oh, Iâm sure heâd want me to have it.
Paolo: I tell you what. Why donât I take your number and have him call you back?
Susan: I really need to get a hold of him right away.
Paolo: Iâll give him your message as soon as he gets home.
Susan: Fine. This is Susan and my number is 742-555-3655. Please make sure he gets it. Itâs important. Bye.
Paolo: Bye.
As soon as she hung up, I took the phone off the hook for the rest of the night. Iâd had enough of being Tonyâs answering service for one night!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
-
Learn how to ask for clarification in English in this podcast.
Slow dialog: 0:54
Explanations: 2:29
Fast dialog: 12:46I was negotiating a contract with a new business partner, and we had a meeting to clarify the terms.
Bill: If I understand the terms correctly, the length of the contract would be one year with a one-year option. Is that correct?
Ms. Samuels: Do you mean the contract for equipment rental or the one for training?
Bill: I was under the impression that both contracts had the same terms.
Ms. Samuels: Yes and no. Let me see if I can clarify that. The terms are the same except that the contract for training has a clause that allows for the cancellation after the first six months.
Bill: Could you elaborate on that?
Ms. Samuels: Sure. What I mean is that either side could cancel the training contract after the six months as long as itâs in writing.
Bill: Let me see if I have that right. This contract is for six months of training, but if it isnât cancelled, continues for another six months. Is that right?
Ms. Samuels: Yes, thatâs right.
Bill: Okay, thatâs clear enough. Letâs move on to the other terms . . .
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
