Pick Me English as a Second Language Podcast (With Transcripts)

ESL Podcast 232 – Business Bookkeeping

#ESL Podcast 232 – Business Bookkeeping##GLOSSARY**on the side –** extra; in addition to one’s regular job*Janice works as a science teacher at the high school, but she offers privateclasses for younger students on the side to make extra money.**accounting –** the study or job of keeping correct records of money spent andreceived by a business or organization*Kareem is detail-oriented and he’s very good at math. Has he considered acareer in accounting?**bookkeeping –** keeping correct records of money that a business ororganization spends or receives*Shelly and her husband run a small business together. She is responsible formarketing and sales, and he is responsible for bookkeeping.**cash flow –** having enough cash for a business to pay its bills*The company had a problem with cash flow last month, and the owners had torequest a bank loan to pay their employees.**ledger –** the book or computer file in which a business or organization recordsmoney that it spends and receives*Years ago, ledgers were written by hand, but today, they are usuallycomputerized.**debit –** money that is spent by a business or organization; money that should besubtracted or taken away; payments*These records don’t look right. Did you remember to record the debit after wemade that big product purchase?**credit –** money that a business or organization receives; money that should beadded*She was happy to see that there were more credits than debits in her accountlast month.**break-even point –** the point where a business’s revenues (money received) areequal to its total expenses (money spent)*When the business finally reached its break-even point, the owners had a partyto celebrate their success.**asset –** something that has value or is worth money and is owned by a business,organization, or person*Miyung doesn’t have very much money in the bank, but he does have otherassets: a big house, an expensive car, and a new boat.**liability –** money that a business, organization, or person owes to someone else*The bills that a company needs to pay should be listed as liabilities on itsfinancial statements.**administrative expense –** cost of operating a business, such as telephone bills,secretary salaries, and paper for the printers and copiers*Every time we hire a secretary, our administrative expenses go up. Are yousure you need another assistant?**budget –** a plan for how a business, organization, or person will spend money*When the price of gasoline increased, the bus company had to make changesto its budget.**accounts payable –** money that a company owes; bills that a company has notyet paid*Bills are sent to the accounts payable department, where employees enter theinformation into a computer and print a check for payment.**balance sheet –** a document that shows how much money and other assets(things that are worth money) a company has and how much money it has paidover a period of time*Before investing in a company, it is always a good idea to study the balancesheet to learn more about its financial position.**expense –** money that is spent or will need to be spent in the future; cost*College students’ expenses include tuition, books, housing, and food.**receipt –** a piece of paper that is received when one pays for something; proofshowing that a person has paid money for something*The landlord says that I still need to pay him $100 for last month’s rent, but thisreceipt shows that I already paid the rent in full.**to audit –** to look carefully at a business’s financial records to determine if theyare correct*When the company was audited last year, the auditors discovered that theaccountant had been stealing money.**IRS –** Internal Revenue Service; the agency that collects taxes in the U.S.*If you are honest about your finances and pay your taxes regularly, you don’thave any reason to be afraid of the IRS.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Magdalena talking to Rolando about accounting?a) Magdalena is starting a new business and wants some advice.b) Magdalena is being audited by the IRS and needs his help.c) Magdalena wants to hire Rolando as her accountant.2. Magdalena’s current accounting system is:a) Horrible, because she isn’t keeping track of the right information.b) Okay, but it could be improved if she kept better track of her receipts.c) Perfect, so she doesn’t need to change anything.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?on the sideThe phrase *“on the side,”* in this podcast, means something that is in addition toone’s regular job: “Gisele works in a bakery during the day, and sells cakes toher friends on the side.” The phrase *“on the side”* can also refer to a food that isordered and served separately: “Waiter, I’d like a salad, but please put thedressing on the side.” To *“side with someone”* is to support someone in anargument: “The judge sided with the mother and said that the child should livewith her.” Finally, to have something *“on one’s side”* means to have anadvantage: “The politician has a lot of money on his side, so he may get electedsenator even though he isn’t very popular.”to auditIn this podcast, the verb *“to audit”* means to review a business’s financial recordsto see whether they are correct: “We audited the company for two weeks and wedidn’t find any problems.” The verb *“to audit”* can also mean to attend auniversity course without taking the exams or receiving a grade: “He wanted tolearn about Southeast Asian history, but he knew that he wouldn’t have verymuch time to study, so he chose to audit the course.” As a noun, an *“audit”* is theexamination of a company’s financial statements, and it is usually presented inan *“audit report.”* For example, “During the audit, the employees had to workmore than 12 hours per day.”##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, each person is responsible for paying his or her own taxes.When people begin working for a company, they complete a *“W-4 form,”* afederal (national) government document that asks for personal information. TheW-4 determines how much money the company should *“withhold”* or not pay tothe employee so that that money can be paid to the government for taxes.These *“withholdings”* are *“deducted”* (subtracted) from the employee’s *“wages”*(the money that an employee earns). The company collects these *“withholdings”*throughout the year and sends the money to the state and federal governments.In early January each year, employers mail a W-2 form to their employees.These forms show how much money was withheld during the year. People usethese W-2 forms to *“file”* or fill out and submit their tax forms by April 15 eachyear. If the total amount of taxes is more than the amount of the “employeewithholdings,” that person needs to write a check to the U.S. government to payfor what they still owe. If the total amount of taxes is less than the amount thatwas withheld, then the U.S. government owes that person a *“tax refund”* andsends a check to the individual in late spring.If tax forms are filled out incorrectly or if they are submitted late, there are large*“fines”* or money that must be paid to the government as punishment. The IRSaudits individual tax filings to look for these kinds of errors, so it is important forindividuals to keep their receipts and other tax-related documents in case the IRShas questions or finds a problem.Many people are able to file their own taxes, but sometimes the forms are verycomplicated if, for example, an individual owns his or her own business or hasmany *“foreign investments”* (money in businesses in other countries). In thesecases, individuals sometimes hire accountants to file their taxes for them.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 232: BusinessBookkeeping.This is episode 232. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com and download the Learning Guidefor this episode.In today's episode, we're going to talk about doing bookkeeping at a business.Let's get started.[start of story]I have a day job, but I recently started a small business on the side. I didn’t knowanything about accounting and my friend, Roland, said that he would give mesome advice.Roland: So, the reason that you need to do your bookkeeping is so you canmanage your cash flow. Even if you have a lot of orders, you may still haveproblems paying your bills.Magdalena: I see what you mean. Is this the kind of ledger I should be keeping?Roland: Yes, definitely. You want to list your debits on this side and your creditson this side. This will help you figure out important things like your break-evenpoint, your assets and liabilities, your administrative expenses, and whetheryou’re staying within your budget.Magdalena: I wish I had an accounts payable department to help me with allthis. I don’t even know how to create a balance sheet.Roland: It’s not that hard if you use the right accounting program. The first thingto do is to keep track of your expenses. How do you do that now?Magdalena: Oh, I have a system. I keep all my receipts in this bag.Roland: Oh. Well, it’s good that you’re keeping your receipts but you’ll have tokeep better track of them. What would you do if you were audited by the IRS?Magdalena: Don’t even mention the IRS! I’ve got enough problems withoutworrying about them![end of story]This podcast is all about business vocabulary related to accounting. The title ofthe podcast is *“Business Bookkeeping.”* Bookkeeping is keeping correct recordsof the money that you spend and receive. Usually, this is something that acompany or an organization does.The story begins by Magdalena saying that she has *“a day job.”* A day job isyour regular job that you work at from nine in the morning 'til five in the afternoon,for example. She also has *“a small business on the side.”* When we say we areoperating or running a business on the side, we mean that it is extra, it's anaddition to your regular job. There are some other meanings of this expression,on the side, take a look at the Learning Guide for those additional definitions.Magdalena continues by saying that she “didn't know anything about accountingand” her *“friend, Roland, said he would give”* her *“some advice.”* Accounting isthe job of keeping correct records of the money you spend; it's very similar tobookkeeping. When we talk about bookkeeping, usually we're talking about aperson who keeps the books or the records for a company, but may notnecessarily be an accountant. An accountant is someone who has a collegedegree and perhaps has a special certification - a special kind of training to dotaxes and that sort of thing. So, accounting is usually something a little morecomplicated than bookkeeping, but they're often used interchangeably as well -that is, one for the otherRoland begins by saying that “the reason that you need to do your bookkeepingis so you can manage your cash flow.” Cash flow, *“flow,”* means having enoughmoney to run your business - to pay your bills. You may, for example, have topay a lot of bills at the beginning of the month but most of your money doesn'tcome until the end of the month, so you have to plan to make sure that when thenew month begins, you still have enough money to pay. This is part of cash flow.Roland says, “Even if you have a lot of orders, you may still have problemspaying your bills.” A lot of orders means a lot of things that people want to buyfrom you. But, if they don't pay you right away - they don't pay you immediately -then you need to have extra money to pay your bills.Magdalena says, “I see what you mean. Is this the kind of ledger I should bekeeping?” A ledger, *“ledger,”* is a book or, nowadays, a computer programwhere a business or an organization puts down the money - records the moneythat it spends and it receives. So, a ledger is a tool that you use in bookkeepingand accounting. It's a list of the things that you have spent your money on andthat you have received money for.Roland says that it is the kind of ledger that she needs. He says you'll, “want tolist your debits on this side and your credits on” the other side. A debit, *“debit,”* ismoney that you spend - money that goes out. Credit, *“credit,”* in accounting, ismoney that you receive - money that comes in to the company.Roland goes on to say that, “This will help you figure out important things likeyour break-even point.” Your break, *“break,”* (hyphen) even, *“even,”* point iswhen you are getting more money in than you are spending. There's moremoney coming in - what we would call revenue - than there is going out - whatwe would call expenses. After you get to that point, you start to make money; it'svery simple!Your assets and liabilities are also things that you can keep track of, or makesure that you have a list of in a ledger. Assets, *“assets,”* are things they havevalue - things that are worth money - things that your business owns, such as abuilding or certain materials you use to make your product. Liabilities, *“liabilities,”*are the things that you have to pay someone else. They're things that you owe tosomeone else, *“owe,”* meaning you have a loan, for example, and you need topay the loan; that would be a liability.Roland says Magdalena can also keep track of her *“administrative expenses.”*We know expenses is money that you spend - money that the company uses topay its bills - to buy things. Administrative is related to the cost of operating yourbusiness - your telephone bill, your electricity bill and so forth.Roland finally says this will also help you know if you are “staying within yourbudget.” A budget, *“budget,”* is a plan for how you are going to be spending yourmoney, in this case. To stay within your budget is an expression that means notto spend more than you had planned to spend.Magdalena says that she wished she “had an accounts payable department tohelp” her *“with all this.”* Accounts payable, *“payable,”* is the money that acompany owes someone else. In most big companies, there's an accountspayable department, and these are the people who pay the bills of the company.The opposite would be accounts receivable, and accounts receivable are thepeople that take the money in - keep track of the money that the company getsfrom its customers.She also says that she doesn't *“know how to create a balance sheet.”* A balancesheet, *“balance,”* sheet, *“sheet,”* is a document that tells you how much money -how much you have in assets - things that are worth money, and how muchmoney you have paid - how much you owe other people. This is a balancesheet. Usually you can see if a company is in good financial condition - in goodfinancial shape - by looking at its balance sheet - a list of all of the things thecompany gets in and all the things that the company spends. A balance sheet islike a short summary of the company's financial situation.Magdalena says she has a system to keep track of her expenses. Remember,expenses is money that you pay someone for the things that your company uses.Magdalena's system is to keep all of her receipts in a bag. Receipts, *“receipts,”*are pieces paper that show that you have paid something to someone. So, whenyou go to the store and you buy a new shirt, the store will give you a receiptsaying here's how much you spent. It's very important for businesses to keeptheir receipts because the government may want to know if they have proof -evidence - that they paid these expenses.That's why Roland says that she needs to prepare in case she is “audited by theIRS.” The IRS stands for the Internal Revenue Service, and it's the departmentin the government that takes care of all of the taxes. To audit someone, *“audit,”*is to look very carefully at the money that they have spent to make sure that it iscorrect. The government wants to make sure that you have not claimed moreexpenses than you really had. To claim expenses, *“claim,”* is to say to thegovernment - to the IRS - “Well, we spent this much money, and we can provethat with some receipts.” If you can't prove it with receipts, and the IRS decidesto look at your financial records, and they think that you are cheating thegovernment - you're not paying enough taxes - well, you don't want to be in thatsituation because you may end up going to jail!Magdalena ends the dialogue by saying, *“Don’t even mention the IRS”* - don't talkabout the IRS. I have *“enough problems without worrying about them!”*Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]I have a day job, but recently started a small business on the side. I didn’t knowanything about accounting and my friend, Roland, said that he would give mesome advice.Roland: So, the reason you need to do your bookkeeping is so you can manageyour cash flow. Even if you have a lot of orders, you may still have problemspaying your bills.Magdalena: I see what you mean. Is this the kind of ledger I should be keeping?Roland: Yes, definitely. You want to list your debits on this side and your creditson this side. This will help you figure out important things like your break-evenpoint, your assets and liabilities, your administrative expenses, and whetheryou’re staying within your budget.Magdalena: I wish I had an accounts payable department to help me with allthis. I don’t even know how to create a balance sheet.Roland: It’s not that hard if you use the right accounting program. The first thingto do is to keep track of your expenses. How do you do that now?Magdalena: Oh, I have a system. I keep all my receipts in this bag.Roland: Oh. Well, it’s good that you’re keeping your receipts but you’ll have tokeep better track of them. What would you do if you were audited by the IRS?Magdalena: Don’t even mention the IRS! I’ve got enough problems withoutworrying about them![end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.If you have a question or comment about ESL Podcast, you can send us anemail at eslpod@eslpod.com.From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We'll seeyou next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 231 – The Supermarket Checkout

#ESL Podcast 231 – The Supermarket Checkout##GLOSSARY**cashier –** a store employee who takes the money for things that a customer buysand provides a receipt*The cashier said he couldn’t help me with the clothes I wanted to buy becausehe works only in the shoe department.**lane –** a narrow (small and long) area in a grocery store where shoppers stand ina line to wait for a cashier to help them make their purchases*I wanted to use the express lane at the grocery store, but in that lane, peoplecan pay only with cash and I needed to use a credit card.**15 items or less –** a restriction at express (fast) checkout lanes at a grocerystore, meaning that only people buying 15 or fewer items may use that lane*Mindy became very angry when she saw that the woman in front of her had atleast 20 items in her basket, even though the sign clearly said, *“15 items or less.”***coupon –** a small piece of paper usually cut from an advertisement or anewspaper that gives a shopper a lower price on a particular item*Brice found a coupon for $0.35 off his favorite brand of shampoo in themagazine.**belt –** a wide band of rubber (soft plastic) that moves along the counter at acheckout lane to move groceries from the end where the shopper is taking itemsfrom their cart to the other end where the cashier is checking prices*Please don’t let your child play with the belt! His fingers might get caughtunderneath it and I don’t want him to get hurt.**cart –** a large basket with wheels and a handle that is pushed through a store bya shopper, who fills it with the items that he or she wants to purchase*Every time I go to the grocery store, I get a cart that has broken wheels!**per pound –** for each pound (one pound is approximately 2.2 kilograms)*In the early summer, strawberries are very inexpensive, but in the winter, theycan cost up to $5 per pound!**price check –** an employee in a store asking or finding out the price ofsomething for a customer*I thought the TV was on sale, but the cashier’s computer showed that it costmore than $500, so I asked her to do a price check to make sure.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of**club card –** a membership card that gives shoppers lower prices on many items*With a club card, my favorite ice cream is only $1.50 this week.**to swipe –** to quickly move one’s card through an electronic machine that getsinformation from the card about the cards’ owners and their accounts*I swiped my credit card four times, but the machine couldn’t read it, so thecashier had to type in the account number by hand.**debit –** a type of card that deducts money directly from a person’s checkingaccount; to take money out of an account*He tried paying for his purchase with his debit card, but the computer told thecashier that he didn’t have enough money in his account.**credit –** a type of card that connects to a credit card account and allows a personto buy something now and pay for it later*When I got my first credit card, my father warned me that if I don’t pay the entirecredit card bill every month, I’d have to pay a lot of interest.**cash back –** money in cash (dollars and coins) that one receives at the end of adebit-card transaction by adding that amount to the total amount of the purchase*Going to the bank to get cash is inconvenient, so we usually ask for cash backat the grocery store instead.**Paper or plastic? –** a phrase used by grocery store cashiers or baggers to askshoppers if they would prefer to have their purchases placed in paper or plasticbags*When the cashier asked, *“Paper or plastic?”* Sharon pointed to the cloth bagsthat she had brought from home and asked them to put her items in thoseinstead.**tabloid –** a newspaper with scandalous (shocking) stories about unusual eventsor famous people, usually which cannot or should not be believed*Reading the tabloids is a waste of time. Why don’t you read about world newsinstead?**Do you need any help out? –** a phrase used by grocery store cashiers to askshoppers if they want someone to help them carry their purchases to their car*The cashier asked me if I needed any help out, but I said *“no”* because I onlyhad one small bag of groceries.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does the cashier ask Yong *“Paper or plastic?”*a) He wants to know whether Yong wants a paper bag or a plastic bag.b) He wants to know whether Yong will pay with cash or with a credit card.c) He wants to know whether Yong wants a paper receipt or a plastic receipt.2. How much money is deducted from Yong’s account?a) $47.52 (the total price of the groceries).b) $7.52 (the total price of the groceries minus a $40 gift).c) $87.52 (the total price of the groceries plus $40 in cash).##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?laneThe word *“lane,”* in this podcast, means a narrow (small and long) section in agrocery store where shoppers form a line to wait for a cashier to help them maketheir purchases: “The grocery store was busy yesterday evening and there wereat least five people waiting in each lane.” A *“lane”* can also be a small road,usually in the countryside: *“He lives is the lane behind that big farm.”* On alarger road, a *“lane”* is marked by white or yellow lines and is used to keep carsin a straight line: “In the U.S., the slow lane is on the right and the passing laneis on the left.” A *“lane”* is also a marked section in a swimming pool or on aracetrack used to keep competitors out of each other’s way: “Which lane is yourbrother running in?”beltIn this podcast, the word *“belt”* means a wide band of rubber (soft plastic) thatmoves in a circle over a table to carry items from one end of a table to another:“The luggage belts at the airport were broken, so the poor employees had tocarry all the suitcases by hand.” A *“belt”* is also a narrow strip of leather, cloth, ormetal worn around one’s waist to keep your pants on: “If you’re going to wear ablack suit, you should wear a black belt, not a brown one.” As a verb, *“to belt”* isused informally to mean to hit something or someone very hard. For example,*“The baseball player belted the ball and it flew over the fence.”* *“To belt”* can alsobe used informally to mean to sing very loudly: “At the college football game, thefans from our school belted out our school song when one of the players scoreda touchdown to win the game.”These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, large grocery stores sell many thousands of products and itcan sometimes be difficult to find what you’re looking for. For this reason, largestores are divided into several departments so that shoppers can know where tofind certain items.For example, a *“meat department”* sells chicken, pork, and beef, and theemployees will usually cut meats to whatever size or shape the customerrequests. A *“seafood department”* sells fresh fish and the employees giveshoppers advice about how best to cook different types of fish. A “frozen foodsdepartment” is usually a store *“aisle”* (row) of refrigerators to keep foods cold. Itoffers frozen meats, frozen microwaveable meals, frozen fruits and vegetables,frozen juices, ice cream, and more.A *“produce department”* is full of fresh fruits and vegetables. A “bakerydepartment” sells breads, cookies, and cakes. Many bakery departments willcreate specially decorated cakes for customers’ birthdays, weddings, or holidaycelebrations.Some stores have an *“ethnic foods department”* where shoppers can findunusual food items that are associated with a particular culture, such as Mexican,Thai, or Chinese foods. Other stores have an *“organic foods department”* whereshoppers can find *“organic”* foods that are grown without chemicals.Some larger stores even have *“flower departments”* where shoppers canpurchase *“bouquets”* (arrangements) of fresh flowers. Many expensive storeshave a *“wine department”* that is filled with many types of wines, and expensivegrocery stores often pay a wine expert to help customers choose their wines.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – cThese materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 231: TheSupermarket Checkout.This is episode 231. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com and download the Learning Guidefor this episode. This is an eight to ten page document that contains all of thevocabulary, definitions, cultural notes, additional vocabulary we don't talk abouton the podcast, as well as a complete transcript of this episode.Our episode is called *“The Supermarket Checkout.”* Let's go![start of story]I went to the supermarket to do my weekly shopping. The cashiers at this marketare usually pretty friendly, but this one must have been having a hard day.Cashier: Excuse me, sir, this lane is for 15 items or less. It looks like you havemore than that.Yong: No, actually I have exactly 15. I have some coupons, too.Cashier: Just put those down on the belt and push the cart through, please.Yong: Okay. Can you tell me how much these potatoes are per pound?Cashier: I’ll have to do a price check. Do you have a club card?Yong: Yes, here it is.Cashier: Swipe it through the machine, sir. Your total is $47.52. Debit or credit?Yong: Debit. Could I get cash back?Cashier: [sigh] How much do you want?Yong: I’d like $40.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting ofCashier: Paper or plastic?Yong: Paper, please.Cashier: Are these tabloids yours, too?Yong: Uh, yes, those magazines are mine.Cashier: Do you need any help out?Yong: No, I’m fine. Thanks.[end of story]We take a trip to the grocery store - the store where you buy food, sometimescalled a supermarket, and we are at the checkout stand - the place where youpay. To check out, at a grocery store, means to pay for the food that you arebuying.Our dialogue begins with Yong saying, “I went to the supermarket to do myweekly shopping. The cashiers at this market are usually pretty friendly.” Acashier, *“cashier,”* is the employee - the person who works for the store whotakes your money. You can recognize the word cash, *“cash”* - which meansmoney - in this word.The cashier apparently was *“having a hard day,”* or a difficult day. She begins bysaying to Yong - the customer - “Excuse me, sir, this lane is for 15 items or less.It looks like you have more than that.” At American grocery stores, there'susually one or two checkout stands - places for you to pay - for those that haveten things or less, or perhaps 15 things or less. So, if you're just buying a bottleof Coca-Cola and a pizza, you can go to the, what is sometimes called theexpress, *“express,”* the express lane. A lane, *“lane,”* in this case, is just the line -the place where you are standing waiting for the cashier to take your money.This cashier is telling the person in the dialogue that they have more thanitems and they can't be in the express lane. Yong says, “No, actually I haveexactly 15,” actually meaning in fact I have exactly 15, not 16, not 14. He alsosays, *“I have some coupons, too.”* A coupon, *“coupon,”* is a small piece of paper,usually from a newspaper or advertisement, that gives you a lower price.Sometimes it will be a dollar less or five percent less on one particular food item.This, of course, encourages you to buy that type of food.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting ofThe cashier says, “Just put those down on the belt and push the cart through,please.” She's not very happy. She's telling Yong to put those down, meaningput his items - items is just another word for thing - put those things down on thebelt, *“belt.”* The belt here is a wide piece of rubber or soft plastic that moves in acircle to take the groceries from one end of a checkout stand to the other. So, it'slike an automatic method of moving the food closer to the cashier so he or shecan get the price from it.This word, belt, has other meanings in English as well. If you look at today'sLearning Guide, we talk about so additional meanings of the words belt as wellas the word lane, which we just finished explaining.The cashier tells Yong to *“push the cart,”* *“cart,”* *“through.”* A cart is like a largebasket on wheels. It's what you put your food in, in a grocery store - in asupermarket - and you push it towards the front - towards the checkout stands,and you take the food out of it and you put it on this belt that takes the food to thecashier.Yong says, *“Okay. Can you tell me how much these potatoes are per pound?”*Per pound just means for each pound. We, in the United States, use pounds asthe way of measuring weight. The cashier then tells Yong, “I’ll have to do a pricecheck.” A price check, *“check,”* is when the employee has to ask someone elseto get the actual price of something for a customer. This happens sometimes insupermarkets, and that's what the cashier is doing here.She then asks if Yong has *“a club card,”* *“club,”* card, *“card.”* This is like amembership card that some grocery stores have. In order to shop at the store,you have to have a membership - you have to pay a membership, and usuallythat gives you lower prices. There are other stores that give you a card, and ifyou use the card, you get a discount. You don't have to pay for the card, but youdo get a lower price on some of your food.After the cashier asks Yong for his club card, Yong says, *“here it is,”* somethingyou might say when you are giving something to someone else. He could alsosay, *“here you go.”* The cashier tells him to *“Swipe it through the machine.”* Theverb to swipe, *“swipe,”* in this case means to take your credit card and put itthrough, very quickly, through a little machine that reads your information so thatthe store can charge your credit card for the amount. The verb swipe can alsomean to steal, especially if you're talking about something small, like “I'm going toswipe a pencil from my wife's desk” - I'm going to steal it. I'm sure she's okaywith that, though!These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting ofThe cashier then asks Yong, *“Debit or credit?”* These are two different ways ofpaying for something. A credit card is when the bank lends you money fordays or for a longer period of time until you pay them back; that's a credit card. Adebit card, *“debit,”* is one where you have the money taken out of your bankaccount right away, so there's no loan involved. That is also a popular way ofpaying for things at stores.Yong says that he has a debit card, and asked if he could *“get cash back?”* Oneof the advantages of using a debit card, which takes money directly from yourbank, is you can actually ask the cashier in most grocery stores to give you someadditional money from your account, just like they were a bank or an automaticteller machine - the machine you get money for automatically when you put in thecard.Of course, this is more work for the cashier, so she says, “How much do youwant,” not very nice. And he says, *“I’d like 40 dollars.”* The cashier then askshim, *“Paper or plastic?”* What the cashier is asking here is whether Yong wantspaper bags to put the food in or plastic bags. Most grocery stores give you thechoice of which kind you want. Unlike in some countries, most Americans don'tbring a bag with them to put the food in; they have the store give them the bag.Yong asks for paper, and the cashier says, *“Are these tabloids yours, too?”* Atabloid, *“tabloid,”* is a kind of newspaper or magazine, usually one that has veryshocking or unusual stories. Many of these are about famous people - celebrities- and they like to print or have lots of stories in them about Britney Spears andher baby or Angelina Jolie. Other famous Hollywood stars are often in thesetabloids because people will buy the paper. They're very low quality type ofnewspaper. The most famous one in the United States would be “The NationalInquirer.” To inquire means to ask about. So, *“The National Inquirer”* is a tabloidthat you would find, and they usually have these by the checkout stands in thegrocery stores.Yong says yes, these *“magazines are mine,”* and the cashier finally says, “Doyou need any help out,” meaning do you need someone to help you take yourfood - your groceries - to your car. Notice that the cashier doesn't say, “Do youneed any help,” she says, *“Do you need any help out,”* and that's a particular typeof verb that we would use in this situation when you're at a store - a grocery store- and the cashier is asking if you need help to take the food to your car. Yongsays, *“No, I’m fine. Thanks.”*Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of[start of story]I went to the supermarket to do my weekly shopping. The cashiers at this marketare usually pretty friendly, but this one must have been having a hard day.Cashier: Excuse me, sir, this lane is for 15 items or less. It looks like you havemore than that.Yong: No, actually I have exactly 15. I have some coupons, too.Cashier: Just put those down on the belt and push the cart through, please.Yong: Okay. Can you tell me how much these potatoes are per pound?Cashier: I’ll have to do a price check. Do you have a club card?Yong: Yes, here it is.Cashier: Swipe it through the machine, sir. Your total is $47.52. Debit or credit?Yong: Debit. Could I get cash back?Cashier: [sigh] How much do you want?Yong: I’d like $40.Cashier: Paper or plastic?Yong: Paper, please.Cashier: Are these tabloids yours, too?Yong: Uh, yes, those magazines are mine.Cashier: Do you need any help out?Yong: No, I’m fine. Thanks.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting ofThat's all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (200 7). Posting of

ESL Podcast 233 – Asking for a Date

#ESL Podcast 233 – Asking for a Date##GLOSSARY**to admit –** to say that something is true even if one doesn’t want to; to confess*Last week, one of the football player on the championship team admitted thathe had used illegal drugs to build stronger muscles.**player –** a man who dates a lot of women, often at the same time*Those guys are such players! They hang out in bars nearly every weekendtrying to get women’s phone numbers.**attractive –** pretty; nice-looking*Renee is very attractive. She has long beautiful black hair and green eyes.**to break up with (someone) –** to end a romantic relationship with someone*Clint wants to break up with his girlfriend, but he doesn’t know how to do itwithout hurting her feelings.**geez –** an expression used to express surprise or confusion*Geez, are you still working? It’s almost midnight!**to go for a drink –** to go to a bar or restaurant to drink an alcoholic beverage,such as beer or wine*After the concert, they went for a drink at that expensive new restaurant nearthe concert hall.**Do you mind if I join you? –** May I accompany you? Would it bother (annoy)you if I joined you in what you’re doing?*I heard that you’re going to the movies tonight. Do you mind if I join you?**to try (one’s) luck –** to do something, knowing that it may not work; to try to dosomething, hoping that it will be successful, but not being sure of it*The company wanted to hire someone with 10 years of experience and I onlyhad three, but I decided to try my luck and apply for the job anyway.**to depend on (something/someone) –** to be controlled or determined bysomething or someone else*We’d like to buy a new car, but that depends on whether we’re able to saveenough money.**to go for –** to choose; to select*If I had to choose between a vacation in Asia or Europe, I’d probably go forAsia, because I’ve always wanted to visit India.**I’d like to get to know you better –** I want to learn more about you; I want toknow you better; I’d like to become your friend (or maybe a boyfriend orgirlfriend)*Pierre said he’d like to get to know me better, so we’re having dinner togetherthis Friday.**here’s my number –** here’s my phone number; an expression used when givingsomeone one’s phone number written down on a piece of paper*A beautiful woman walked up to Alberto at the party and said, “Here’s mynumber. Call me.” He was so happy that he couldn’t stop smiling for hours.**charm –** the power to attract other people and make them feel comfortable*Marjorie has such wonderful charm. Everyone loves spending time with her.**flattery –** the use of words that other people want to hear, even if they aren’ttrue; saying things to make other people feel good about themselves, so that onecan get what one wants from them*Mike always uses flattery when his wife is angry. He thinks that if he says thathe likes her hair or dress, she’ll stop being mad at him.**irresistible –** impossible to deny; impossible to say no to*Carina is on a diet, but she never loses weight because chocolate cake isirresistible for her.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Liam ask Debra to go on a date?a) He feels bad that she broke up with her boyfriend.b) He thinks she is attractive and wants to spend time with her.c) He needs someone to go to the art show with him.2. Liam tells Monica that he *“just moved to this area”* because:a) He wants to ask for directions to the grocery store.b) He wants to know where the good restaurants are.c) He wants to give her directions to his house.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?playerThe word *“player,”* in this podcast, means a man who dates a lot of women, oftenat the same time. For example, “If I had known he was a player, I never wouldhave agreed to go on a date with him.” A *“player”* is also a person who plays asport or a game: *“Basketball players are usually very tall.”* A *“player”* can also besomeone who plays a musical instrument: “The piano player knew all of ourfavorite songs.” A *“player”* is also a business or a person who is a leader inbusiness or politics: *“Microsoft is a key player in the computer industry.”* Finally,a *“player”* is an electronic machine that plays music or video, such as a recordplayer or a DVD player: “He bought a new CD player for his car after the old onewas stolen.”to go forIn this podcast, the phrasal verb *“to go for”* means to select something or tochoose something: *“I’m so thirsty! I could really go for a large glass of water.”**“To go for it”* means to try to be successful at something, usually something thatmay be difficult: “People have always told me that I’m too short to be aprofessional dancer, but my teacher convinced me to go for it.” Another similarphrasal verb *“to go into (something)”* means to join an organization, especially ifit’s related to one’s career: “He went into the army when he was 18 years old,and now he’s a captain.” The phrasal verb *“to go on about (something)”* meansto talk about something for a long time, usually while complaining or boring thelistener: “Denzel was so boring at the party! He just went on and on about his joband he didn’t let anyone else talk.”##CULTURE NOTEIt’s very common to go on *“dates”* or informal meetings to try to find a romanticpartner. However, for many people, it’s difficult to meet people to ask for a date,either because they are too busy or because they feel uncomfortable talking tostrangers. Because of this, some companies and organizations offer “datingservices” to help busy or shy people find dates.*“Speed dating”* is popular, especially in large cities. In speed dating, many*“single”* (unmarried people) are in a large room for one hour, often during theirlunch break. The room has many small tables, each with two chairs. Normally,the women remain seated and the men move to a new table every five minutes.Each *“pair”* (two people) talks for five minutes and, if the man and woman likeeach other, they exchange phone numbers. Then the men move to the nexttable. Speed dating allows single people to meet many people in a short amountof time.There are also many volunteer organizations that organize projects for unmarriedpeople to do together. Projects could include cleaning up a park, painting aschool, or playing with sick children. The participants feel good about whatthey’re doing, and at the same time, they meet other unmarried people who havesimilar interests. Similarly, churches have *“singles groups”* where unmarriedpeople study the Bible together or other religious topics while learning abouteach other.Some people dislike using these kinds of dating services and they prefer to havetheir friends help them find a date. Friends may arrange a *“blind date”* for them.This is when two people who don’t know each other meet, usually in a publicplace, such as a restaurant or a cafe. These dates can be *“awkward”* and theman or woman may feel uncomfortable, but sometimes they help people findtheir *“true love”* or the person with whom they want to spend the rest of their life.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 233: Asking for aDate.This is episode 233. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. You can find there a completeLearning Guide for this episode. This is a ten page - eight to ten page guide thatincludes all of the vocabulary words, definitions, sample sentences for each ofthe vocabulary words we talk about, cultural notes, additional information aboutsome words we don't talk about on the podcast and a complete transcript of thisepisode.Our episode is called *“Asking for a Date.”* Let's go![start of story]I admit it. I’m a player. I work in an office where there are a lot of attractivewomen. Take Debra, for example. I heard that she just broke up with herboyfriend last week so I decided to ask her out.Liam: Hi, Debra. How’s it going?Debra: Okay, I guess. How about you?Liam: I’m doing okay. You know, I’m going to an art show this Saturday. Wouldyou like to come with me?Debra: Geez, I’m pretty busy this weekend.Liam: That’s too bad. How about going for a drink after work today?Debra: Well, I don’t know...Liam: Come on. It’ll be fun and we can try that new place down the street.Debra: I guess that’ll be okay, but just a drink, right?Liam: That’s all and I promise I won’t even try to buy you dinner.Debra: [laughs] Okay, then. I’ll see you after work.I ask women out wherever I see them, even ones I’ve never met before. At arestaurant, if I see a woman eating by herself, I usually say: “I just hate eatingalone. Do you mind if I join you?” The other day, I saw a woman at the grocerystore and tried my luck.Liam: Hi.Monica: Hi.Liam: I’ve just moved to this area and was wondering if you could recommend agood restaurant around here.Monica: That depends on what kind of food you like. There’s a good Italianrestaurant on Elm Street, or there’s a good Thai place on Lyndon Avenue.Liam: Which one do you prefer?Monica: I like them both, but I’d probably go for the Italian place.Liam: In that case, would you like to join me for dinner sometime?Monica: I’m not sure. I don’t even know you.Liam: You’re right, but you seem really nice and I’d like to get to know youbetter. What do you say?Monica: Well, maybe. Here’s my number. Call me and we’ll talk about it.Liam: I’ll do that. I’m looking forward to talking with you again.It’s as easy as that. I don’t try to be a player. All it takes is a little charm and alittle flattery, and women will find you irresistible.[end of story]Our dialogue in this episode is all about dating, and we have a man, Liam andtwo different women, Debra and Monica. We watch Liam try to get dates withthese different women.Liam begins by saying, *“I admit it. I’m a player.”* To admit, *“admit,”* somethingmeans to say something is true even if you don't want to say it. It's likeconfessing something. Well, what Liam is confessing here is that he's *“a player.”*Player, *“player,”* is an informal expression or informal word that means a manwho dates a lot of women, usually at the same time, often without the otherwomen knowing that you are dating more than one woman. So, Liam says he's*“a player,”* just like me!He says, *“I work in an office where there are a lot of attractive women.”*Attractive, *“attractive,”* means pretty or good looking. He says, “Take Debra, forexample,” meaning let's start talking about Debra as an example. He says, “Iheard that she just broke up with her boyfriend.” To break up with someonemeans to end a romantic relationship - to stop a romantic relationship. Thishappens here in Hollywood, here in Los Angeles, all the time among celebritiesand stars. So, to break up with someone means to end your relationship.Liam then starts talking to Debra, he says, *“Hi, Debra. How’s it going?”* Shesays, *“Okay.”* What about you - *“How about you?”* Liam says he's *“doing okay.”*He says he's *“going to an art show”* on Saturday. An art show would be a showlooking at pictures or paintings. Of course, Liam is trying to impress Debra -make Debra think that he is a very cultured person.He asks Debra if she would like to come with him, and Debra says, “Geez, I’mpretty busy this weekend.” This is what the women always used to tell me when Iasked them out on a date! The expression geez, *“geez,”* is one we use toexpress surprise, or perhaps confusion. Well, Debra is perhaps a little surprisedand she says that she's *“busy this weekend.”*Then Liam, who, of course as a player, tries to get women to date him, goes onto say, *“That’s too bad. How about going for a drink after work today?”* To go fora drink means to go have an alcoholic beverage or a soda, maybe a beer, withsomeone in a bar. And Debra says, *“Well, I don’t know,”* and Liam starts to try toconvince her; he says, “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun and we can try that new placedown the street.”Debra finally says, *“I guess that’ll be okay, but just a drink, right,”* meaning they'rejust going to have a drink, more or less as friends, nothing serious.Liam, lying of course, says, “That’s all and I promise I won’t even try to buy youdinner.” To buy someone dinner - for a man to buy a woman dinner is usually asign that he wants to date that woman.Liam goes on to talk about how asks women out - he asks them to go on a datewith him. To ask someone out is to ask them to go on a date. He says he asksthem out whenever he sees them, even ones he's *“never met before.”* He thengoes on to say that when he's at a restaurant and he sees “a woman eating byherself,” he'll say to her, *“Do you mind if I join you,”* meaning is it okay that I sitdown with you - will it bother you?He says, *“The other day,”* meaning in a recent day - recently, “I saw a woman atthe grocery store and I tried my luck.” To try your luck at something is to dosomething even if you know it may not be successful - even if you know it maynot work. To try your luck - you hope you are successful.Liam, of course, begins by simply saying, *“Hi”* to this woman. The woman,Monica, says, *“Hi,”* and then he, again, probably lying - probably not telling thetruth - says, *“ I’ve just moved to this area”* - I've just moved to this part of the city -*“and was wondering if you could recommend a good restaurant around here.”* Ofcourse, what Liam is doing here, as all men know, is trying to start a conversationand trying to find an excuse to talk to this woman.Monica says, *“That depends on what kind of food you like.”* The expression thatdepends on, means that is determined by or that would be influenced bysomeone or something else. So, she's saying here, well, there may be goodrestaurants, but it depends on the restaurant - the kind of restaurant that you like.She then says, *“There’s a good Italian restaurant,”* and there's also “a good Thaiplace.” Thai, *“Thai,”* refers to Thailand - the country - and Thai food is verypopular in many large cities, like Los AngelesLiam says, *“Which one do you prefer?”* Which one do you like? And Monicasays, *“I like them both, but I’d probably go for the Italian place.”* To go for, here,means to choose or to select. It also has other meanings, this expression, to gofor. If you look at the Learning Guide, you will see some additional meanings forthis expression, but here it means to select.Liam, says, *“In that case, would you like to join me for dinner sometime?”* Liamis what we would call very smooth. To be smooth, *“smooth,”* if you're a manmeans that you have a certain talent about getting women to go on dates withyou, or to say the right thing so they will go on a date with you.Monica says, *“I’m not sure. I don’t even know you.”* Remember, they're at agrocery store. Liam says, “You’re right, but you seem really nice and I’d like toget to know you better,” meaning I'd like to find out more about you. “What doyou say?” What do you say here means what do you think - what is yourdecision? Monica says, “Well, maybe. Here’s my number. Call me and we’ll talkabout it.” Here’s my number means here is my telephone number.Liam says, *“I’ll do that. I’m looking forward to talking to you again.”* He ends thestory by saying that *“It’s as easy as that,”* meaning it's very simple; you just haveto do what he did. He says he doesn't *“try to be a player. All it takes,”* he says -all that is necessary - all that you need - “All it takes is a little charm and a littleflattery, and the women will find you irresistible.”A little charm, *“charm,”* means the power to attract other people - to make themfeel comfortable. If we say about a person, *“He's very charming,”* we mean thatother people like him - he has a good way of relating to other people - talking toother people. Flattery, *“flattery,”* are words that you use - things that you say tosomeone else to compliment them - to make them feel good about themselves.What Liam is saying here is that if you have a little charm, and if you can givewomen some flattery, they *“will find you irresistible.”* To be irresistible means thatit is impossible for them to say no - for someone to deny. If a person isirresistible, you mean that the women will have to say yes because they can't sayno.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]I admit it. I’m a player. I work in an office where there are a lot of attractivewomen. Take Debra, for example. I heard that she just broke up with herboyfriend last week so I decided to ask her out.Liam: Hi, Debra. How’s it going?Debra: Okay, I guess. How about you?Liam: I’m doing okay. You know, I’m going to an art show this Saturday. Wouldyou like to come with me?Debra: Geez, I’m pretty busy this weekend.Liam: That’s too bad. How about going for a drink after work today?Debra: Well, I don’t know...Liam: Come on. It’ll be fun and we can try that new place down the street.Debra: I guess that’ll be okay, but just a drink, right?Liam: That’s all and I promise I won’t even try to buy you dinner.Debra: [laughs] Okay, then. I’ll see you after work.I ask women out wherever I see them, even ones I’ve never met before. At arestaurant, if I see a woman eating by herself, I usually say: “I just hate eatingalone. Do you mind if I join you?” The other day, I saw a woman at the grocerystore and tried my luck.Liam: Hi.Monica: Hi.Liam: I’ve just moved to this area and was wondering if you could recommend agood restaurant around here.Monica: That depends on what kind of food you like. There’s a good Italianrestaurant on Elm Street, and there’s a good Thai place on Lyndon Avenue.Liam: Which one do you prefer?Monica: I like them both, but I’d probably go for the Italian place.Liam: In that case, would you like to join me for dinner sometime?Monica: I’m not sure. I don’t even know you.Liam: You’re right, but you seem really nice and I’d like to get to know youbetter. What do you say?Monica: Well, maybe. Here’s my number. Call me and we’ll talk about it.Liam: I’ll do that. I’m looking forward to talking with you again.It’s as easy as that. I don’t even try to be a player. All it takes is a little charmand a little flattery, and women will find you irresistible.[end of story]The script for today's dialogue was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.That's all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 230 – A New Year’s Cruise

#ESL Podcast 230 – A New Year’s Cruise##GLOSSARY**New Year’s Eve –** the holiday celebrated on December 31; the night before theNew Year (January 1)*Normally their children go to bed early, but on New Year’s Eve they’re allowedto stay up until midnight.**harbor –** an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls to protectboats from bad weather*The storm destroyed the boats that were on the ocean, but the boats in theharbor weren’t damaged at all.**cruise –** a relaxing journey on the ocean, usually for a vacation*After they were married, they went on a two-week cruise in the Caribbean.**fireworks –** small objects that explode in the sky with a loud noise, producingbright lights in many colors, usually used for celebrations*Many American towns and cities use fireworks to celebrate the country’sIndependence Day on the fourth of July.**marina –** a harbor (an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls toprotect boats) that is built especially for small boats, often with wooden walkwaysover the water to get access to the boats.*Pedro and his uncle often fish in the marina where the fish are used to smallboats coming and going.**to board –** to get on a ship, airplane, bus, train, or another large vehicle for manypeople*Melissa was a little bit nervous as she boarded a plane for the first time.**this was no... –** this was not a...*He took a long time getting dressed, because he knew that this was no ordinaryday.**boat –** a vehicle that floats and moves on the water and carries people or cargo(good and products)*During the summer, they take their boat to the lake every weekend.**upper / lower –** located above (upper) or below (lower) something else*Unlike the lower floors, the upper floors of this office building have wonderfulviews of the city.**deck –** a floor or level of a ship or bus*Some busses in London have two decks. Tourists like to sit on the top deck sothat they can see the city.**crew –** the staff or workers on a boat or ship*Did all members of the crew return to the ship by 5 p.m.?**on board –** on or inside a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Move aside, please, so everyone can get on board.**life jackets –** vests (jackets with no arms) that people wear so that they will floatif they fall into the water, usually filled with air or other material*These boats are supposed to have enough life jackets for everyone on board.**captain –** the highest-ranking (most important and powerful) member of thecrew; the person who leads, runs, or manages everything on a boat or ship*It looks like a bad storm is coming! Does the captain seem worried about it?**passenger –** a person or guest traveling on a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Their boat is small and can only hold seven passengers.**seasick –** a bad feeling in one’s stomach and dizziness caused by being onmoving water, usually when one is on a boat or ship*Andrea gets seasick very easily, so she always has to take a pill before shesteps onto a boat.**Coast Guard –** a part of the U.S. military that protects the people and land alongthe country’s coasts (where water and land meet)*Our boat’s motor stopped working while we were a mile from land, so we had towait for the Coast Guard to come help us.**on shore –** on land; off of a boat or ship*Do you know what time we’ll be able to go on shore?**to walk the plank –** to walk down a long, flat piece of wood that goes out from aship over the water; in stories, pirates (thieves in ships who steal from other shipsand boats) made people walk down the long, flat piece of wood to their death*In many movies about pirates, a beautiful young woman is forced to walk theplank, but someone always saves her before she falls into the water.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the friends decide to take a harbor cruise on New Year’s Eve?a) Because they didn’t get invited to any parties.b) Because it’s how they celebrate the holiday every year.c) Because they wanted to try something new.2. The cruise was:a) On the ocean near the city.b) On a lake near the city.c) On a river that runs through the city.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?cruiseThe word *“cruise,”* in this podcast, means a relaxing journey in a luxurious orfancy boat: “He asked her to marry him while they were on a romantic harborcruise.” As a verb, *“to cruise”* can mean to take a cruise: “They saw a lot ofmonkeys while they were cruising down the Amazon River.” The verb *“to cruise”*can be used informally to mean to move in a car at a constant speed: “They werecruising at 85 miles per hour when they were stopped by a police officer forspeeding.” Many cars have *“cruise control,”* which is a small button near thesteering wheel that the driver can turn on to have the car maintain a constantspeed without the driver having to constantly step on the gas or brake pedals.boardIn this podcast, the verb *“to board”* means to get onto a boat, ship, airplane, train,or bus: “When he boarded the bus, he was disappointed to see that there weren’tany empty seats.” To be *“on board”* means to be on a boat, ship, airplane, train,or bus: “They had planned to be on board the 7:00 train, but there weren’t anyseats.” As a noun, a *“board”* is a long, flat piece of wood that is used to buildfloors, fences, walls, and other things: “He bought some wooden boards to builda doghouse.” *“Boards”* are also used for equipment used in some sports, suchas snowboarding or surfing: “Surfing can be dangerous if the board hits you onthe head.” A *“board”* is also a group of people who lead an organization: “Thismonth, the board of directors is deciding whether it will sell the company.”##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, many people enjoy owning a boat and using it with theirfamilies on the weekends, boating on the country’s lakes, rivers, and “coastalwaters” (the ocean water near land). However, owning a boat is a bigresponsibility and there are many boating laws in the U.S. The laws are differentin each state, but they have many things in common.Many boating laws are related to safety. Most states have laws requiring that lifejackets or specific safety equipment be carried on the boat. There are also lawsabout using lights at night and *“minimizing”* (keeping low) noise. In addition,there are laws that *“prohibit”* (not allow) people from driving a boat if they are*“drunk”* or drank too much alcohol.The owners of boats with *“motors”* (a machine that moves a vehicle) and largeboats without motors usually need to register their boats with the stategovernment. This usually requires presenting identification, proof that you ownthe boat, and an *“annual fee”* (a payment of money made every year).Often the boat *“operators”* (the people who drive a boat) must have a boating*“license,”* a document that permits them to drive a boat. Whether someoneneeds a license depends on the type of the boat and the speed of the boat. Thelaws and the requirements to get a license *“vary”* or are different by state, butthey all require that a person pass a test about boat laws. Getting a license alsomay require taking a class about boat safety.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 230: A New Year’sCruise.This is episode 230. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California. Today we have a special New Year's edition ofESL Podcast. Our topic today is going to be talking about “A New Year’sCruise.”Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. There you can download theLearning Guide for this episode that contains all of the vocabulary, samplesentences, additional vocabulary and a complete transcript of this podcast. Nowlet's get started.[start of story]My friends and I decided to do something a little different this year. Instead ofgoing to a crowded club or throwing a party on New Year’s Eve, we decided totake a harbor cruise instead. The cruise would be four hours long, and itincluded dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of the fireworks.On that day, we drove to the marina and we were among the first to board theship. This was no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.The crew helped us get on board and showed us where the life jackets were incase of an emergency. Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.We had a great time. I didn’t get seasick as I’d feared, and we didn’t have to callout the Coast Guard, either. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore. Finally, the captain joked that if we didn’t leave, he’d make us walk theplank![end of story]Today, we learned what Lucy and her friends did on New Year's Eve; they wenton a New Year's Cruise. A cruise, *“cruise,”* is usually a relaxing trip that you takeon an ocean, usually for a vacation. Here in Los Angeles, you can take a cruisedown to Mexico - down to the Baja region of Mexico. You can also take a cruiseto Hawaii, which will take you a couple of days, and you go on a very large ship.Well, this is a cruise not of Hawaii or down to Mexico; this was just a short cruisethat Lucy and her friends went on. I, apparently, was not invited, which is a littlesad!Lucy says that her friends and she “decided to do something a little different thisyear. Instead of going,” she says, “to a crowded club or throwing a party on NewYear’s Eve,” they *“decided to take a harbor cruise instead.”* Normally on NewYear’s Eve, which is the evening before New Year’s - the evening of December31st - they go to a club, which would be a dance club - a place to dance to music- or they throw a party. Notice the expression to throw, *“throw,”* a party, means toput on a party - to have a party at your house or your apartment. But instead ofdoing those things, they *“decided to take a harbor cruise.”*The harbor, *“harbor,”* is an area in the ocean that is next to the land. Usually ithas walls that are built to protect the boats and the ships. So, it's the placewhere you can think of the boats and ships parking; it's sort of a parking lot onthe water for ships and boats.The harbor cruise then was a cruise on a boat around the harbor - around theother boats. Usually those are short cruises; in this case, I believe it was “fourhours long.” The cruise “included dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of thefireworks.” The fireworks, *“fireworks,”* (always plural) are little things that youshoot up into the air and they explode and you see a light. Fireworks are verycommon for many celebrations - big celebrations: the Fourth of July - and insome cities, there are fireworks on New Year's Eve. In Los Angeles, there areplaces that have fireworks on New Year's Eve.Lucy says that on the day of New Year's Eve, they “drove to the marina and wereamong the first to board the ship.” The marina, *“marina,”* is a harbor that is builtespecially for smaller boats, and usually there are walkways - sort of woodensidewalks - to walk out and get on the boat. We have a very large marina here inLos Angeles called Marina del Rey - the Marina of the King - and the marina hasfireworks, where they have fireworks out over the ocean or near the ocean.Lucy says that she and her friends were *“the first to board the ship.”* To board,*“board,”* means to get on a ship or an airplane. You can also board a train or abus. Anything that carries a lot of people, we say that you board. So, if you're atthe airport and they say, *“The flight will be boarding in ten minutes,”* that meansthat people will be getting on the plane in ten minutes. So, don't go and buysome coffee, you may miss your flight - you may not get on the plane in time!Lucy and her friends boarded the ship. She says, *“This was no little boat.”* “Thiswas no” is another way of saying this was not a little boat. This is a somewhatdifficult expression, *“this was no.”* It's used before an object - a noun - in asentence without any articles - without any indefinite articles, like *“a”* or *“and”* ordefinite articles, like *“the.”* You can say, *“This was no little boat,”* meaning thiswas not a little boat. But, if you use the word *“a”* or *“the,”* you would have to say,*“not.”* *“This was no little boat,”* *“This was not a little boat,”* notice the difference.A boat, *“boat,”* is something that floats on the water. It stays on top of the waterand you can get into it and you can move across the water. If it's a very largeboat, we often call that a ship, *“ship.”* So, Lucy says in the story here that “Thiswas no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.” Thedeck, *“deck,”* of a ship is the level - think of it as the floor of the ship, so therecould be more than one level - more than one floor. We also use that term if youare talking about a bus. If the bus is what we would call a double decker thatmeans it has two decks. These are, or were, popular in London; I'm not sure ifthey still are. If you go to London, you can probably find a double decker bus - abus with two decks. The top deck is called the upper deck, and the bottom iscalled the lower deck.Well, this is a large ship. *“The crew helped”* Lucy and her friends *“get on board.”*The crew, *“crew,”* are the people who work on the boat - the staff of the boat orthe ship. To help someone get on board means to get inside the boat, or a planeor a train. So, they helped them *“get on board”* - they helped them board wouldbe the same meaning - *“and showed us where the life jackets were.”*When you go on a ship, they usually have - in fact, they have to have, accordingto most state laws, some sort of life jacket. A life jacket is usually just a vest, notan actual jacket; it is like a jacket with no sleeves for the arms, and it floats. So,in case the boat has a problem and you have to go out into the water, even if youcan't swim, if you have a life jacket you can still survive - you can still float on topof the water. So, they showed Lucy and her friends the life jackets in case therewas an emergency.*“Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.”* The captain, *“captain,”*is the person who is in charge of - who is the head of the ship; we call thatperson the captain. So, *“the captain came out,”* meaning he went outside andgreeted - said hello to the people who were getting on the boat; we would callthose people the passengers. A passenger, *“passenger,”* is anyone who travelson a boat or a ship, an airplane, a train, a bus - any of those things, you can callthe people passengers.You can even talk about a passenger in a car. We often use the term “thepassenger side,” which in an American car would be on the right side of the car.In a car in Great Britain, it would be on the left side.Lucy said she and her friends *“had a great time.”* They *“didn't get seasick.”* Toget seasick, *“seasick,”* means to get sick because of the motion of the water.The words sea, *“sea,”* is another word for an ocean - it's like an ocean. So,seasick is getting sick, usually to your stomach. You may even get a little dizzy ifyou are on the water.Lucy jokes that they *“didn’t have to call out the Coast Guard, either.”* The Coast,*“Coast,”* Guard, *“Guard,”* is part of the United States military. They are thepeople who protect the coasts of the United States, which are the part where thecountry is next to an ocean; that would be the coast. Here in Los Angeles, we'reon the West Coast; New York City is on the East Coast.So, the Coast Guard was not called, meaning they didn't have any emergencies.She said that she and her friends “had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore.” To go on shore, *“shore,”* means to leave the boat and go back on land.*“Finally,”* Lucy says, *“the captain joked that if”* they *“didn't leave”* the ship, “he’dmake” them *“walk the plank!”* The expression to walk the plank is an old one thatyou sometimes see in movies about pirates - thieves - people who steal fromother ships and boats. A plank, *“plank,”* is a long piece of wood. In the old days,especially in the movies, if you were somehow caught by the pirates - the thieves- you might be forced to walk out on a long piece of wood and, of course, jumpoff - you would have to die in the ocean. So, the expression here by the captainis a joke, saying well, if you don't leave, I'll make you walk the plank, just like thepirates did.If you've seen the famous movie, *“Pirates of the Caribbean,”* we call it in English,with that really ugly actor - what's his name? Johnny Depp, I think he callshimself - then you know what I'm talking about. I'm just kidding, of course!Now let's listen to the story, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]My friends and I decided to do something a little different this year. Instead ofgoing to a crowded club or throwing a party on New Year’s Eve, we decided totake a harbor cruise instead. The cruise would be four hours long, and itincluded dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of the fireworks.On that day, we drove to the marina and we were among the first to board theship. This was no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.The crew helped us get on board and showed us where the life jackets were incase of an emergency. Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.We had a great time. I didn’t get seasick as I’d feared, and we didn’t have to callout the Coast Guard, either. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore. Finally, the captain joked that if we didn’t leave, he’d make us walk theplank![end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by - who else? Dr. Lucy Tse.That's all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 229 – Irritating Co-Workers

#ESL Podcast 229 – Irritating Co-Workers##GLOSSARY**to get on (someone’s) nerves –** to annoy someone; to irritate someone*I love my sister, but we really get on each other’s nerves sometimes.**cut that out! –** a rude (not polite) expression meaning *“Stop that!”* or “Stop doingwhat you’re doing!”*Can you please cut that out? I can’t talk on the phone while you’re making somuch noise!**to drive (someone) crazy –** to annoy someone; to irritate someone*Josephina’s mother always comes into her room without knocking and it drivesher crazy.**to slurp –** to make a loud noise while drinking a beverage*I really hope that the kids will remember not to slurp their soup at dinner tonight.**you’ve got to be kidding me –** you must be joking; I can’t believe what I’mhearing; you can’t be serious*You were never allowed to watch TV when you were growing up? You’ve gotto be kidding me!**to shoot the breeze –** to have a relaxed conversation about things that aren’timportant*Aleksay doesn’t really like fishing, but he does like spending time on the boat,just shooting the breeze with his friends.**to not be able to stand (something) –** to not be able to tolerate something; tobe frustrated and tired of something*I can’t stand the way my girlfriend is always trying to tell me what to do with myfree time.**no skin off my nose –** something that does not matter to someone because itdoes not affect him or her; it doesn’t matter to me*Jacqueline can sit in the front seat if she wants to. It’s no skin off my nose.**pent-up –** built up over time; an emotion that has been growing stronger overtime but has not been let out*He didn’t cry when his father died, but at the funeral, he cried for hours with allof his pent-up feelings of anger and sadness over his death.**close quarters –** cramped or crowded space; a room with little space for thepeople in it*In college, I lived with three other guys in a small apartment. Those closequarters made it hard to have any privacy.**to let off steam –** to do or say something that lets someone get rid of negativeemotions that have been growing over time*I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I was just letting off steam from my frustrationat work, but it really had nothing to do with you.**to keep (something) up –** to continue to do something*You played really well in the basketball game yesterday! If you keep it up, you’llbe the next team captain.**to forgive and forget –** to stop fighting, apologize, and behave as if a fight hadnever happened; to reconcile and be friends again*The brothers had a huge fight five years ago and stopped talking to each other,but last week, they finally decided to forgive and forget.**truce –** an agreement to stop fighting*Jill has been fighting with her roommate all week. Her roommate wants to calla truce, but Jill isn’t interested. She’s still too angry.**considerate –** thoughtful of another person’s feelings; careful not to hurtsomeone else’s feelings*Manuel is the most considerate person I know. He always thinks before hespeaks, and he never says anything that would hurt someone else’s feelings.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Isabel irritated by Pete’s friend Deepak?a) Because he interrupts her phone calls.b) Because he leaves the window open and lets in the breeze.c) Because he comes to the office to talk too often.2. Pete is upset with Isabel because:a) She is too noisy.b) She took his pencil.c) She uses his phone.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?close quartersThe phrase *“close quarters,”* in this podcast, means a cramped or crowdedspace, or a room with little space for the people in it: “The soldiers live in veryclose quarters.” A *“quarter”* can also refer to one-fourth (1/4) of something: “Therecipe says that we should use a quarter of a cup of sugar and three-quarters ofa cup of flour.” A *“quarter”* is also one-fourth (1/4) of an academic year at somecolleges and universities: “Even though she received all A’s in the fall quarter,she almost failed in the winter and spring quarters because of family problems.”A *“quarter”* is also a 25-cent coin: *“This public telephone accepts only quarters.”*Finally, a *“quarter”* can refer to a part of town: “The French Quarter of NewOrleans was destroyed by the flood last year.”to keep it upIn this podcast, the phrase *“to keep it up”* means to continue to do something:*“Michael is eating too much. If he keeps it up, he’ll weigh 300 pounds soon.”*The phrase *“to keep it real”* is an informal expression that means to not be fakeor superficial, or to not pretend to be something that one is not: “Dominiquealways keeps it real. No matter what kind of people she’s with, she neverchanges how she acts.” The phrase *“to keep it down”* means to be quieter or tostop making a noise: “Okay kids, keep it down in your room or you’ll have to stopplaying that game.” The phrase *“to keep (something) under wraps”* means to nottalk about something or to keep something a secret: “We need to keep thisproject under wraps, because if our competitors hear about, they will try to copyus.”##CULTURE NOTEMany companies and organizations try to improve relationships among theiremployees by forming sports leagues at work. A *“league”* is a group of sportsteams that play games against each other to determine which team is the best.Playing on a work-based sports team is a good way to make friends with your co-workers, and is also a good way to meet people who work for other companies inyour industry or field.Common work-based sports leagues are for: *“softball,”* a game that is similar tobaseball, but that uses a larger ball; *“volleyball,”* which uses a large white ballthat the players hit back and forth over a net; or *“bowling,”* a game where playersroll a large heavy ball to knock down *“pins”* (pieces shaped like bottles).Most of the teams are *“co-ed,”* meaning that men and women play together, butsometimes there are separate teams for men and women. Sometimescompanies and organizations buy *“uniforms”* (special clothing that is the same forall players on a team) for their employees. People who play in sports leaguesoften bring their athletic clothing to work and change clothes at the end of theday. They leave the office together to go to the game. Family members oftencome to watch the games and sometimes they play, too.Work-based sports leagues are mostly interested in having a good time and don’tcare very much whether they win or lose. But other sports leagues are extremelycompetitive and the teams welcome only good athletes. This is especially truefor work-based sports leagues that have prizes for the winners.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 229: Irritating Co-workers.This is episode 229. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Be sure to visit our website at eslpod.com, and download the Learning Guide forthis episode.On this podcast, we are going to talk about people you work with that maysometimes irritate or bother you. Let's get started.[start of story]Since our office reorganization, I’ve been sharing an office with Isabel. We’vebeen getting on each other’s nerves.Pete: Hey, Isabel, can you cut that out?Isabel: Cut what out? I’m not doing anything.Pete: You’re tapping your pencil on your desk. It’s driving me crazy.Isabel: Okay, I will if you’ll stop slurping your coffee.Pete: I don’t slurp my coffee. And plus, how can you hear it when you’reshouting into your phone all the time?Isabel: You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re complaining about me talking on thephone when your friend Deepak stops by ten times a day to shoot the breeze? Ican’t stand that guy.Pete: It’s no skin off my nose if you don’t like Deepak. Look, we have a lot ofpent-up anger from working in these close quarters, and it’s probably okay to letoff steam once in a while. But, it’s probably not a good idea to keep it up. I’mwilling to forgive and forget if you are.Isabel: Fine. Let’s call a truce. I’ll try to be more considerate and to keep thenoise down.Pete: Yeah, I’ll try to do the same.[end of story]Our podcast today is called *“Irritating Co-workers.”* To irritate, *“irritate,”* means toget someone mad or to bother someone.Our story begins by Pete saying that since their office had been reorganized -since they had changed the company and who was working with whom - now hehas to share *“an office with Isabel. We’ve been getting on each other’s nerves,”*Pete says. To get on someone's nerves, *“nerves,”* means the same as to irritatesomeone. It's another way of saying that you are bothering or annoyingsomeone. To annoy, *“annoy,”* is similar to irritate. So, you're getting on mynerves - or that person is getting on his nerves.Pete says, *“Hey, Isabel, can you cut that out?”* To cut something out means tostop it. It's an informal expression, usually something that would be consideredimpolite or rude. If you say to a child, *“Cut that out,”* you're telling the child tostop doing what they're doing. So, it's not a nice thing to say, not something youwould want to say to your co-workers - the people you work with.Isabel says, *“Cut what out? I’m not doing anything.”* And Pete says, “You’retapping your pencil on the desk.” To tap, *“tap,”* means to hit lightly. Isabel istaking her pencil and she's hitting it on the desk several times. Pete says thatthis is driving him crazy. To drive someone crazy is, again, similar to to get onsomeone's nerves; it means to annoy or to irritate. There was also a song, I thinkin the 1980s, (Jeff sings) *“She drives me crazy - ooh - ooh.”* When a womandrives you crazy, you mean you love her a lot - you are very excited to be withher. It means something very different than the normal meaning, which is whensomeone drives you crazy, they bother you - they annoy you. Unless it's abeautiful woman, in that case, it would be a good thing!Isabel says, *“Okay,”* I'll stop tapping my pencil, if you, Pete, will “stop slurpingyour coffee.” To slurp, *“slurp,”* means to make a noise when you are drinkingsomething. It's considered somewhat rude in United States to do that. Forexample, if you are sipping your tea and you go (Jeff slurps), that would beconsidered impolite - not a nice thing to do.Pete says that he doesn't slurp his coffee - he disagrees with Isabel. *“And plus,”*he says, or in addition, “how can you hear it when you’re shouting into yourphone all the time?” Because Isabel talks into her phone loudly, Pete is sayingthat she could not hear him slurping his coffee, even if he was slurping his coffee.Isabel says, *“You’ve got to be kidding me!”* This, again, is an informalexpression, which means you must be joking - I can't believe I'm hearing whatyou are telling me or you cannot be serious - this is wrong - you've got to bekidding me. Not something you would say to your boss; maybe something youcould say to a friend. It means that you don't believe the other person.Isabel says, “You’re complaining about me talking on the phone when your friendDeepak stops by ten times a day to shoot the breeze?” Isabel is saying how canyou complain about me when your friend is always here talking to you. To shoot,*“shoot,”* the breeze, *“breeze,”* means to gossip - to talk, usually not aboutanything very serious, to have a relaxed conversation.Isabel goes on to say, *“I can't stand”* Deepak - *“I can't stand that guy.”* To not beable to stand someone or something means to not be able to put up with or totolerate someone or something - to be frustrated - to be tired of being botheredby that thing or that person. If you say, *“I can't stand my mother-in-law,”* youmean I don't like her - I don't get along with her. That's just an example, ofcourse!Pete says, *“It’s no skin off my nose if you don’t like Deepak.”* The expression it'sno skin, *“skin,”* off my nose, *“nose,”* means that something isn't important ordoesn't matter to someone because it doesn't effect him or her. You might say,*“It's snowing in Moscow, but that's no skin off my nose,”* meaning I don't care - itdoesn't bother me - it's not important to me because I'm not affected by it.Pete says, “Look, we have a lot of pent-up anger from working in these closequarters.” When something is pent-up, *“pent”* (hyphen) up, you mean that it isbuilding up over time. Usually emotions that you haven't expressed, anger forexample. It's something that bothers you for a long time; you can get pent-upanger. The anger is inside you and it hasn't been let out, and that's what Pete issaying. *“We have a lot of pent-up anger.”*The reason is because they are working in close quarters, *“quarters.”* Quarters,here, just means the space or an area. Close quarters would mean that it is avery crowded space, where you don't have a lot of room, and that is the problemwith Pete and Isabel. They're in an office and they have to share one office.Pete says, *“it’s probably okay to let off steam once in a while.”* The expression tolet off steam, *“steam,”* means to do something to get rid of those negativeemotions - those negative feelings. Maybe you will go play a sport or maybe youwill yell or get angry at someone to let off steam.*“It’s probably not a good idea,”* Pete says, *“to keep it up.”* To keep something upmeans to continue to do something. Someone says to you, “Keep it up, you'redoing a good job,” you mean continue doing what you are doing. It could be agood thing; it could be a bad thing. To keep it up means to continue.There are other meanings of the word or expression keep it up and closequarters, and we talk about those in today's Learning Guide. Take a look at that.Pete says, *“I’m willing to forgive and forget if you are.”* The expression to forgiveand forget means to stop fighting, apologize to the other person and behave oract as if nothing had happened. To forgive and forget means to forgive the otherperson and forget about your disagreements.Isabel says, *“Fine”* - okay. *“Let’s call a truce.”* A truce, *“truce,”* is an agreementto stop fighting, usually between two countries, but here she's using it to meanbetween herself and Pete. *“Let’s call a truce,”* notice we use the verb to call,means let's begin - let's start a truce - let's stop fighting. WhileIsabel says, *“I’ll try to be more considerate and to keep the noise down.”* To beconsiderate, *“considerate,”* means to be nice to someone - to be thoughtful - tobe careful not hurt someone else's feelings. To keep the noise down means tobe less noisy - not to be so loud.And Pete says, *“Yeah, I’ll try to do the same.”* So now, everyone is happy.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]Since our office reorganization, I’ve been sharing an office with Isabel. We’vebeen getting on each other’s nerves.Pete: Hey, Isabel, can you cut that out?Isabel: Cut what out? I’m not doing anything.Pete: You’re tapping your pencil on your desk. It’s driving me crazy.Isabel: Okay, I will if you’ll stop slurping your coffee.Pete: I don’t slurp my coffee. And plus, how can you hear it when you’reshouting into your phone all the time?Isabel: You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re complaining about me talking on thephone when your friend Deepak stops by ten times a day to shoot the breeze? Ican’t stand that guy.Pete: It’s no skin off my nose if you don’t like Deepak. Look, we have a lot ofpent-up anger from working in these close quarters, and it’s probably okay to letoff steam once in a while. But, it’s probably not a good idea to keep it up. I’mwilling to forgive and forget if you are.Isabel: Fine. Let’s call a truce. I’ll try to be more considerate and to keep thenoise down.Pete: Yeah, I’ll try to do the same.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.That's all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.This is the last podcast of 2006, so we'll see you next year on ESL Podcast! is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.