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

ESL Podcast 228 – A Christmas Feast

#ESL Podcast 228 – A Christmas Feast##GLOSSARY**the more, the merrier –** the more people there are, the more fun something willbe*Lydia asked if she could bring her cousins to the party, and I said, “Of course!The more, the merrier!”**thrilled –** delighted; very happy*Magdalene was thrilled to learn that she had been accepted at BoondocksUniversity.**fruitcake –** a traditional Christmas cake that contains small pieces of dried fruit*Ashley doesn’t like raisins, so he always picks them out of the fruitcake.**to sit down to (a meal) –** to take a seat at the table and begin to eat a meal*We had just sat down to dinner when the telephone rang, but we didn’t answerit because we didn’t want the food to get cold.**feast –** a very large meal, usually for many people*The wedding feast was delicious, with enough meat, breads, desserts, anddrinks for 300 people.**to go overboard –** to be too enthusiastic about something; to do somethingbeyond what one should; to do too much*Alberto just started a new exercise program, but he’s going overboard andexercising at least two hours a day.**roast –** a large piece of uncut beef or pork cooked in an oven*Grandma Chin has a delicious recipe for a pork roast with an apple-buttersauce.**ham –** pork; the meat from the top part of a pig’s leg*He always has a ham-and-cheese sandwich for lunch.**stuffing –** a mixture of chopped bread, herbs, vegetables, and fruits put inside ofa turkey, duck, or chicken, and cooked in an oven*Their family makes a stuffing with apples and carrots. It sounds strange, but it’svery tasty.**yam –** a vegetable that is orange-colored that is a root of a plant, similar to asweet potato*Do you think we should make some baked yams for dinner?**mashed potatoes –** potatoes that have been cooked and then pressed until theyare smooth, usually mixed with butter and milk, and served with gravy (a darkbrown sauce)*If you eat too much of the mashed potatoes, you won’t have room for turkey.**cranberry sauce –** a dessert that looks like jelly made from cranberries (a typeof sour, red berry) and sugar, usually served with turkey for holiday meals*Could you please pass the cranberry sauce to this end of the table?**eggnog –** a holiday drink made from alcohol, eggs, milk, and spices*Would you like a glass of eggnog or do you prefer soda?**to save room for (something) –** to stop eating before one is full, so that one willbe able to eat something else later*I’m glad you like the salad, but please don’t eat too much of it. Save room forthe pasta!**pumpkin pie –** a dessert baked in an oven, made with soft, sweet pumpkin in themiddle and crust (harder edge) on the bottom and sides*Nancy served us huge slices of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top.**gingerbread house –** a dessert made of cookies flavored with ginger, puttogether in the shape of a house and decorated with candies*The girls tried to make a gingerbread house, but it kept falling down, so theydecided to just eat the gingerbread by itself.**to carve the bird –** to cut an oven-cooked turkey, chicken, or duck into smallpieces for each person to eat*Their grandfather always lets the children help him carve the bird for theThanksgiving dinner.**to do the honors –** to perform a ceremony or ritual; to do an important thing*We need a close friend to give a speech at our wedding reception. Would youdo the honors?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the family invite Adriano and his family over for Christmas?a) The family thought that dinner would be more fun with more people.b) The family made too much food and needs help eating it all.c) The family needed someone to bring a dessert.2. Lucy asks Adriano to:a) Pour the drinks.b) Cut the turkey.c) Bring a fruitcake.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to go overboardThe phrase *“to go overboard,”* in this podcast, means to be too enthusiasticabout something or to do too much of something: “We know the food at schoolisn’t very good, but don’t go overboard while you’re home for the holidays.” Or,“Cynthia went completely overboard when her granddaughter was born, buyingfar too many presents for the baby.” The phrase *“to fall overboard”* or “to jumpoverboard” can mean to fall or jump over the side of a boat or a ship into thewater, usually accidentally. For example, “The child was playing too close to theedge of the boat, and he accidentally fell overboard into the cold water.” On aboat or ship, one should shout, *“Man overboard!”* to make other people awarethat someone has fallen into the water.to do the honorsIn this podcast, the phrase *“to do the honors”* means to perform a ceremony orritual. or to take on an important responsibility: “Maria couldn’t cut her birthdaycake because her arm was broken, so her mother did the honors.” To graduate*“with honors”* means to graduate with very good grades, as one of the beststudents: “Adam received a lot of job offers because he graduated with honorsfrom a very good university.” The word *“honor”* means something that one isvery proud of: *“It was an honor to be asked to speak at the conference.”* *“Honor”*can mean great admiration or respect when it is used in phrases such as “theguest of honor” or *“the seat of honor”*: “When will the guest of honor, Dr. Gopal,be arriving for dinner?” Judges are sometimes called *“Your Honor.”*##CULTURE NOTEChristmas *“carols”* are traditional Christmas songs. Some songs are religious,but others are about Santa Claus and presents, and others are about the joyful orhappy feeling around Christmas. In some cities and towns, small groups ofpeople go *“Christmas caroling,”* singing carols at hospitals, at nursing homes forthe elderly (or older people), or on neighborhood streets. Often people invite thecarolers inside their homes to eat Christmas cookies and drink hot chocolate orhot *“apple cider”* (hot apple juice mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and other spices).At Christmastime, it is common to see a large, decorated tree in the middle ofmany American towns. These trees are often decorated with lights, coloredballs, dolls, or images of animals. A man dressed as Santa Claus often sits infront of the tree. Young children sit on his *“lap”* (the space on the upper part ofone’s legs when one sits down) and tell him what they would like to receive forChristmas. Then Santa Claus tells them to be good and gives them a “candycane” (a red-and-white, hard candy in the shape of a *“cane”* or walking stick).Other, smaller trees are often placed inside office buildings and shopping malls.These *“giving trees”* have special paper decorations. One side of the decorationhas a holiday drawing and the other side has the name and age of a poor child,with that child’s *“wish”* or something that the child wants. People take an*“ornament”* (decoration), buy the gift that the child wants, and then *“wrap”* it(cover it in colored paper). They place the present under the tree and thepresents are given to poor children on Christmas day. Other people choose to*“adopt”* an entire family, providing gifts and holiday food for a poor family thatdoesn’t have enough money to celebrate the holiday.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 228: A ChristmasFeast.Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!This is number 228. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from beautiful Los Angeles, California. I want tothank Santa Claus for coming on our program today and wishing us all a MerryChristmas and Happy Holidays to everyone on this Christmas holiday edition ofESL Podcast.Remember to visit our website and give yourself a Christmas/Chanukah holidaygift by becoming a member of ESL Podcast. If you do that, your present will be aLearning Guide for each episode of this podcast that includes all of thevocabulary, definitions, cultural notes, additional definitions that we don't talkabout on the podcast, as well as a complete transcript of each episode.Our topic today is called *“A Christmas Feast.”* Let's get started.[start of story]This year, our family decided that the more the merrier and invited Adriano andhis family to have Christmas dinner with us. We were thrilled when theyaccepted our invitation.Lucy: I’m so glad you guys could all make it.Adriano: We wouldn’t have missed it for anything. We brought a fruitcake.Lucy: Oh, thanks. Make yourselves comfortable. We’re just about to sit down todinner.Adriano: Wow, it looks like you’ve prepared a feast.Lucy: Yeah, we did go a little overboard this year. We’ve got a turkey, a roastand a ham, and all the trimmings: stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, andcranberry sauce. Help yourself to some eggnog.Adriano: Thanks. Did you do all of the cooking yourself?Lucy: I had some help and everybody brought different desserts. Save room forthe pumpkin pie, the gingerbread house, and the Christmas cookies. Okayeverybody, dinner’s ready. Adriano, would you carve the bird?Adriano: I’d be happy to do the honors.[end of story]Our dialogue today begins by Lucy saying that *“This year”* her “family decidedthat the more the merrier and invited Adriano and his family to have Christmasdinner with us.” The expression the more the merrier, *“merrier,”* means the morepeople you have, the more fun or the more happy something will be. To bemerry, *“merry,”* means to be happy, which is why we say, *“Merry Christmas.”* Wedon't normally say, *“Happy Christmas”* in English, we say, *“Merry Christmas.”*We do say, *“Happy New Year.”* Merry is just another word for happy. Theexpression the more the merrier means more people will be more fun.Lucy says her family was *“thrilled when”* Adriano and his family “accepted ourinvitation.” To be thrilled, *“thrilled,”* means to be very happy - to be delighted. “Iam thrilled that my wife is going to give me a new fifth generation iPod forChristmas.” She doesn't know that yet, but she will!Lucy begins the dialogue by saying, *“I’m so glad you guys could all make it.”*Notice the use of the word guys, *“guys,”* here; it's an informal way of referring toyou all. We don't have in English, as in many languages, a plural you, so “youguys” is an informal way of communicating that idea.Lucy says that she is glad that Adriano and his family could make it, meaningcould come to the party. Adriano says, “We wouldn’t have missed it foranything,” it was very important for us, in other words. He says, “We brought afruitcake.” A fruitcake, *“fruitcake,”* (one word) is a traditional Christmas cake thatusually contains little pieces of dried fruit. My mother used to make fruitcakeevery year, and we would give the fruitcake to our teachers for Christmas.Maybe that's why I didn't get very good grades when I was in school, I don'tknow. I'm kidding, of course. My mother made wonderful fruitcake!The expression fruitcake is also sometimes used to mean someone who's crazy -someone who's not very intelligent. *“He's a fruitcake”* means he's kind of weird -he's odd - he's unusual.Lucy says to Adriano, “ Oh, thanks. Make yourselves comfortable. We’re justabout to sit down to dinner.” The expression to sit down to dinner is one that weusually use when we are at home and we are going to eat, in this case, dinner.We probably wouldn't say that in a restaurant. But if someone calls you on thephone and you don't want to talk or you don't have time to talk, you could say, ifit's five, six, seven o'clock, *“We're just about to sit down to dinner”* - we're justabout to eat. This is a good excuse. There is an expression, a sit down dinner,and that just means a dinner where it is more formal - where everyone is sittingdown versus going to McDonald's, for example.Adriano says, *“Wow, it looks like you’ve prepared a feast.”* A feast, *“feast,”* is alarge meal, usually for many different people with lots of different types of food.Lucy says, *“Yeah, we did go a little overboard this year.”* To go overboardmeans to do beyond what you would normally do - to do a lot, usually to do toomuch. To be too enthusiastic about something, that would be to go overboard.So, if you have a fight your friend - a disagreement with your friend - and youdecide to go and buy him a new car because you want him to be happy, thatwould be going overboard. That would be doing too much, unless of course, youhad ruined or destroyed his car, in which case it would not be going overboard.Well, Lucy says she's gone overboard, and then she says all of the things thatthey're going to eat. She says, *“We’ve got a turkey,”* which is traditional for bothThanksgiving and Christmas in the United States. She also says that they have*“a roast and a ham.”* These are other two popular foods for Christmas. A roast,*“roast,”* is a large piece of beef or pork that you cook in an oven. A ham, *“ham,”*is a kind of pork - meat that comes from a pig. Beef comes from a cow; porkcomes from a pig. But we don't say, *“I'm going to eat some cow,”* or “I'm going toeat some pig,” we say, *“I'm going to eat some beef,”* or if it's from a pig, “we'regoing to eat pork.” One type of pork is ham, *“ham,”* which is, I believe, from thetop part of a pig's leg. I don't normally kill my own pigs, but I think that's where itcomes from.Lucy also says that they're going to have all of *“the trimmings.”* The trimmings,when we talk about food, are the things other than the main meat dish, and shelists what those are. She says they're going to have stuffing, *“stuffing,”* which is amix of bread and vegetables, sometimes even fruit, and it's often put inside theturkey or a chicken, maybe duck, and it's cooked inside. It's like little pieces ofcooked bread.Yams, *“yams,”* is a vegetable - it's an orange vegetable. It's like a sweet potato;sometimes people use the same term but they are a little different. Don't ask mewhat the difference it is because I don't like yams or sweet potatoes, but Lucydidn't invite me to dinner, did she? She invited Adriano, so it doesn't matter if Ilike yams or not, I'm not going to eat them!Mashed potatoes are a type of potato, which again is a vegetable that grows inthe ground. Mashed potatoes is when you take the vegetable - the potato - youtake the skin off of it - the outside - and you mash it. To mash, *“mash,”* means tocrush - to make into small, little pieces. Normally with mashed potatoes you putsome milk in, usually some butter, you mix it altogether and it's - it's very good!Cranberry sauce, *“cranberry”* sauce is very popular with turkey, especially atThanksgiving. Cranberry is a fruit. It is usually combined with some sugar; it'salmost like a desert, and it often served with turkey.Finally, at Lucy's feast they're going to have eggnog, *“eggnog.”* Eggnog is aspecial holiday drink that is made from milk and eggs and usually a little alcohol.You can have eggnog with alcohol or without alcohol. Although eggnog andfruitcake are both traditionally popular at Christmas, a lot of people don't likethem.Adriano says, *“Thanks. Did you do all of the cooking yourself?”* Lucy says thatshe *“had some help and everybody brought different desserts.”* She then says toAdriano, “Save room for the pumpkin pie, the gingerbread house, and theChristmas cookies.” The expression to save room for something means don't eattoo much now so that you can eat something different later, in this case thedessert, what you eat after the main meal.A couple of popular desserts for the holidays are pumpkin pie, *“pumpkin”* pie. Apumpkin is a vegetable that is usually associated with Halloween. The inside ofthe pumpkin is mixed together with other ingredients, and you make it into a piethat you bake in the oven. You can eat it hot or cold. A gingerbread house is atraditional Christmas dessert that is made of cookies. The cookies are gingercookies, a type of cookie. You put them into the shape of or you make a littlehouse from the cookies. I, myself, have never eaten a, or part of a gingerbreadhouse, but it is a traditional kind of desert.Lucy says, *“Okay everybody, dinner’s ready. Adriano, would you carve the bird?”*To carve, *“carve,”* the bird usually means to cut the turkey that has been in theoven. You take it out of the oven and you have to cut the pieces of meat off of it.You can also carve a chicken or a duck as well. You put them in a plate - thepieces of meat on a plate and then people can take what they want.Adriano says, *“I’d be happy to do the honors.”* The expression to do the honorsmeans usually to do something important, often something official, but here it justmeans that he will do the carving of the turkey. The expression to do the honorshas some different meanings, if you look at today's Learning Guide, you can findout what the other uses of that expression are, as well as the expression to go alittle overboard.Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.[start of story]This year, our family decided that the more the merrier and invited Adriano andhis family to have Christmas dinner with us. We were thrilled when theyaccepted our invitation.Lucy: I’m so glad you guys could all make it.Adriano: We wouldn’t have missed it for anything. We brought a fruitcake.Lucy: Oh, thanks. Make yourselves comfortable. We’re just about to sit down todinner.Adriano: Wow, it looks like you’ve prepared a feast.Lucy: Yeah, we did go a little overboard this year. We’ve got a turkey, a roastand a ham, and all the trimmings: stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, andcranberry sauce. Help yourself to some eggnog.Adriano: Thanks. Did you do all of the cooking yourself?Lucy: I had some help and everybody brought different desserts. Save room forthe pumpkin pie, the gingerbread house, and the Christmas cookies. Okayeverybody, dinner’s ready. Adriano, would you carve the bird?Adriano: I’d be happy to do the honors.[end of story]Everyone here at ESL Podcast wishes you and your family a very happy holidayseason.The script for today was written, as always, by Dr. Lucy Tse.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 227 – Describing Symptoms to a Doctor

#ESL Podcast 227 – Describing Symptoms to a Doctor##GLOSSARY**stomachache –** a pain in the stomach*Jenny has a stomachache because she ate too much junk food this afternoon.**to come and go –** to appear and disappear; to arrive and leave*Ella is tired because she was coming and going all day yesterday, between herhouse, her work, the school, and store.**heartburn –** a burning pain in the chest, usually caused by something you ate*Whenever Dad eats pizza, he gets a bad case of heartburn.**bloated –** uncomfortably full of food, gas, or water*I drank too much soda with lunch and now I feel bloated.**nauseous –** sick to one’s stomach; a feeling that one wants to vomit or throw up*Standing on the roof of a tall building and looking down makes me feelnauseous.**to press –** to gently push; to push down*The little boy pressed all of the buttons in the elevator so we had to stop onevery floor.**headache –** a pain in the head*Jeremiah says that his neighbors play their music too loudly and that’s why healways has a headache.**fatigued –** very tired*After working 12 hours at the hospital, the doctor was very fatigued and sheneeded some rest.**stuffy nose –** the feeling that something is in one’s nose which makes it difficultto breathe*Grandpa always has a stuffy nose when he visits their house. Maybe he’sallergic to their cats.**cough –** the noise caused when air is forced through one’s throat, especiallywhen one is sick*I would have enjoyed the opera, but it was difficult to hear the singers becausethe man sitting behind me had a bad cough.** sore throat –** a burning pain in one’s throat*My mother taught me that whenever I have a sore throat, I should drink a lot oforange juice and hot tea with lemon.**earache –** a pain in the ear*If a bad earache isn’t treated, the infection can cause a loss of hearing.**stiff –** difficult to move*My body is so stiff today because I went running yesterday for the first time insix months.**to lose feeling –** not to be able to feel anything; to have no feeling in a part ofone’s body*Karen slept on her right arm, and when she woke up, she realized that she hadlost feeling in her hand.**symptom –** a problem with one’s body that shows that someone isn’t healthy*The symptoms of the flu include fever, body aches, and tiredness.**in-laws –** the parents of one’s husband or wife*Ever since my parents died, my in-laws have treated me like their own son.**to admit (someone) –** to send someone to a clinic or hospital for special care,usually overnight*When the doctor couldn’t identify the cause of Carly’s symptoms, he admittedher to the hospital for more tests.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Nick visiting the doctor?a) He feels very sick and has an unusual combination of symptoms.b) He thinks he broke his leg because it is stiff and he has trouble walking.c) He wants the doctor to send him to the hospital so he won’t need to go home.2. Dr. van Eyck believes that:a) Nick isn’t really sick, but he is having trouble at home.b) Nick should take medicine and rest in bed for three days.c) Nick’s symptoms are very dangerous and he should go to the hospitalimmediately.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to pressThe verb *“to press,”* in this podcast, means to gently push: “She pressed a bag ofice against her forehead, hoping that it would make her headache go away.” Theverb *“to press”* can also mean to try to persuade or convince someone else. Forexample, “The salesperson is pressing the young family to buy the mostexpensive car, even though they don’t need it.” Another meaning of *“to press”* isto make something flat: “She pressed the flowers between the pages of a heavybook.” As a noun, *“the press”* refers to newspapers and magazines or the peoplewho work for newspapers and magazines. For example, “Americans believe infreedom of the press, which means that the government should not control whatis written in newspapers and magazines.”to lose feelingIn this podcast, the phrase *“to lose feeling”* means to not be able to feel anything:“After the car accident, he lost all feeling in both of his legs and now he can’twalk.” Many idioms use the verb *“to lose.”* For example, *“to lose it”* is aninformal expression that means to be out of control and unable to stop oneselffrom laughing or crying: “When she heard that she had won the lottery, shecompletely lost it and began screaming, laughing, and crying at the same time.”The phrase *“to lose oneself”* means to become very interested in something sothat nothing else is important: “Whenever he plays video games on the computer,he completely loses himself and he doesn’t hear his mother calling his name.”##CULTURE NOTECompanies that create new medicines must spend a lot of money on researchand development. These companies want to know that they will receive moneyfor these medicines once they are ready to be sold to *“consumers”* (buyers). Forthis reason, the United States allows these companies to *“patent”* (legally protect)their medicines.This patent system guarantees that for a certain period of time no other companyis allowed to sell the same medicine. All of the money from sales of the medicineduring this time is kept by the original company. This patent system is good forthe companies that create medicines because it lets them earn back the moneythey spent on research. It also gives them an *“incentive”* or a good reason tocontinue researching and developing new medicines. However, it makesmedicine extremely expensive for consumers in the United States.For this reason, many Americans cannot afford to buy the medicines that theyneed. Fortunately, there are some ways to avoid paying high prices. Somepeople buy only *“generic”* (not name brand) medicines, which are much cheaperthan branded medicines, but contain the same medicine. Other people pay for*“prescription drug”* (medicine recommended by a doctor) insurance, which paysfor a certain percentage of the cost of their medicines.A popular way to avoid paying high prices for medicine is to buy medicines fromother countries. For example, most medicines are much less expensive inCanada than in the United States, so some Americans choose to go on vacationin Canada to buy medicines to bring home or buy them online. Many doctorsand politicians are concerned about the safety of buying medicines in othercountries where quality may not be as high, but until the price of medicines goesdown, many Americans will continue to buy their medicines from other countries.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 227: DescribingSymptoms to a Doctor.This is number 227. 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 a copy of theLearning Guide for this podcast.The topic for today's podcast is *“Describing Symptoms to a Doctor.”* Let's getstarted.[start of story]Dr. van Eyck: Good morning, I’m Dr. van Eyck. I understand that you’re notfeeling well.Nico: That’s right, doctor. I’ve had a stomachache for three days. The paincomes and goes, but I also have heartburn and I am feeling bloated all the time.Dr. van Eyck: Well, let’s take a look. Have you felt nauseous? Does it hurtwhen I press here?Nico: Oh yes, that hurts, and I feel nauseous all the time. But, doctor, that’s notall. I’ve also had bad headaches in the past week and I feel fatigued all the time.Dr. van Eyck: Have you had a stuffy nose, a cough, a sore throat, or anearache?Nico: Yes, I’ve had all of those.Dr. van Eyck: You have? All of them?Nico: And, there’s more. I’ve been feeling pains in my leg. Sometimes it feelsstiff and sometimes I lose feeling in it. I’m having a lot of trouble walking.Dr. van Eyck: I have to say that you have an unusual combination of symptoms.Have there been any significant changes in your life in the past few days?Nico: Well, my in-laws are visiting from out of town. Do you think you’ll need toadmit me into the hospital for tests?Dr. van Eyck: I’m not sure that’s necessary. Are things really that bad at home?Nico: You have no idea![end of story]Our podcast is entitled *“Describing Symptoms to a Doctor.”* Symptoms,*“symptoms,”* are indications or signs that there is something wrong with yourbody. So, if your leg hurts, that's a symptom of, perhaps, a damaged muscle orsome other problem in your leg.This podcast is about telling the doctor what your symptoms are, and we talkabout some common symptoms that you might talk to a doctor about. In ourdialogue, the doctor, Dr. van Eyck, comes in and says to the patient - the personwho is sick - *“I understand that you’re not feeling well.”*The patient, Nico, says, “That’s right, doctor. I’ve had a stomachache for threedays.” A stomachache, *“stomachache,”* is two words made one word. Stomachis where the food goes in your body when you eat, and ache means to hurt. So,when you say you have a stomachache, you mean that your stomach hurts.This poor Nico has “had a stomachache for three days. The pain comes andgoes, but I also have heartburn and I am feeling bloated all the time.” Theexpression the pain comes and goes means that sometimes you have pain andthen, maybe a few minutes later, you don't have pain. Anything that comes andgoes is present and then is not present - you have it and then you don't have it,and then you may have it again.This patient also has heartburn. Heartburn, *“heartburn,”* (one word) isn't reallyabout your heart; heartburn is a pain that you feel near your heart, above yourstomach in your chest, but it is caused by, usually, some problem with youreating - something that you have eaten and you have this pain. So, you canhave a stomachache and you can also have heartburn.Nico also says he's *“feeling bloated all of the time.”* To be bloated, *“bloated,”*means to feel like you're full of water or perhaps food or something else, andyour body feels too full, like you've eaten too much.Dr. van Eyck then asks Nico if he has *“felt nauseous,”* *“nauseous.”* To feel or tobe nauseous means that your stomach is not feeling well, and you think that youmay want to vomit or throw up. To vomit, *“vomit,”* is when food that was in yourstomach goes back out your mouth. Not a very nice thing to happen, for mostpeople. Feeling nauseous is when you feel like you may very soon throw up.Dr. van Eyck says, *“Does it hurt when I press here,”* and obviously, she takes herhand and perhaps puts it on Nico's stomach. To press, *“press,”* means to push -to use force on something, usually with your hand. There are other meanings ofthe word press, and if you look in today's Learning Guide, we talk about someadditional meanings of this word.Nico says, *“Oh yes, that hurts,”* meaning the place where the doctor is pressingher hand is hurting him. He says, he feels “nauseous all the time. But, doctor,that’s not all,” he says. He has even more problems. He says, “I’ve also had badheadaches in the past week and I feel fatigued all the time.” A headache,*“headache,”* is one word like stomachache, and it means, you can guess, thatyour head has some pain. I have a headache, for example, when I watch thetelevision news and see all the terrible things going on the world; that gives me aheadache. What also gives me a headache is my neighbor and his loud noise.Well, I won't tell you about my problems!Nico's problem is that he has *“bad headaches,”* or headaches that are verysevere, we might say, *“severe”* - headaches that hurt a lot. He also feelsfatigued, *“fatigued.”* To feel to be fatigued means to feel very tired.Dr. van Eyck asks Nico about some other possible symptoms. He says, “Haveyou had a stuffy nose, a cough, a sore throat, or an earache?” Let's start with thefirst one of these, a stuffy, *“stuffy,”* nose. A stuffy nose is when your nose hassome liquid in it that makes it difficult for you to breathe using your nose; youhave to use your mouth. If you have a stuffy nose, one thing that you do if youblow your nose, *“blow.”* To blow your nose means to use air to get the liquid outof your nose.Dr. van Eyck asks if Nico has *“a cough,”* *“cough.”* A cough is like this (sound ofcough). That's a cough. A sore, *“sore,”* throat is when your throat hurts. It's likea throat ache, but we don't say throat ache, we say a sore throat. When youswallow, for example, your throat hurts. Your throat is what connects your mouthto your stomach. An earache, *“earache,”* is, again you can guess, a pain in yourear. So, we have stomachache, we have headache we have earache, you canhave a backache, a side ache, where the side of your body aches; all of theseare ways of describing a part of your body that hurts. Nico says, “Yes, I’ve hadall of those,” he has all those symptoms. Dr. van Eyck is a little surprised. Shesays, *“All of them?”*And Nico says, *“And, there’s more,”* meaning I have even more things wrong withme. *“I’ve been feeling pains in my leg. Sometimes”* my leg *“feels stiff,”* *“stiff.”*When we say your leg feels stiff, we mean it's difficult to move - it hurts when youtry to move it. He also says that he's losing feeling in his legs. To lose feelingmeans to not be able to feel anything - to have no feeling in one part of yourbody. This expression, to lose feeling, has some additional meanings, which wediscuss in our Learning Guide.Dr. van Eyck then says, “I have to say that you have an unusual combination ofsymptoms.” This expression, I have to say, is one we sometimes use when weare going to be honest with a person but it may, somehow, hurt them or makethem feel bad. Dr. van Eyck says have you had any other “significant changes inyour life in the past few days?”Nico responds, *“Well, my in-laws are visiting from out of town.”* Your in-laws, “in-laws,” are usually the parents of your husband or your wife. So, the mother ofyour wife would be your mother-in-law and father of your wife would be yourfather-in-law, and together, we would say they were your in-laws. You can alsohave a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law; these would be the brothers and sistersof your spouse - your husband or your wife. Of course, in-laws, especiallymother-in-laws, are often associated with problems - that people don't get alongwith or like their mother-in-law or their father-in-law. Usually it's the mother-in-law; there are a lot of jokes about this.So, Nico says his *“in-laws are visiting from out of town”* - from another city. “Doyou think you’ll need to admit me into the hospital for tests?” This is a questionhe's asking Dr. van Eyck. To admit, *“admit,”* someone means to send someoneto a hospital. This question is sort of a joke; Nico is hoping to escape his in-laws,if he goes to the hospital, he won't have to be with them.Dr. van Eyck says, “I’m not sure that’s necessary. Are things really that bad athome” - is your situation very bad? And Nico says, *“You have no idea,”* meaningyes, you can't even imagine. Poor Nico!Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.[start of story]Dr. van Eyck: Good morning, I’m Dr. van Eyck. I understand that you’re notfeeling well.Nico: That’s right, doctor. I’ve had a stomachache for three days. The paincomes and goes, but I also have heartburn and I am feeling bloated all the time.Dr. van Eyck: Well, let’s take a look. Have you felt nauseous? Does it hurtwhen I press here?Nico: Oh yes, that hurts, and I feel nauseous all the time. But, doctor, that’s notall. I’ve also had bad headaches in the past week and I feel fatigued all the time.Dr. van Eyck: Have you had a stuffy nose, a cough, a sore throat, or anearache?Nico: Yes, I’ve had all of those.Dr. van Eyck: You have? All of them?Nico: And, there’s more. I’ve been feeling pains in my leg. Sometimes it feelsstiff and sometimes I lose feeling in it. I’m having a lot of trouble walking.Dr. van Eyck: I have to say that you have an unusual combination of symptoms.Have there been any significant changes in your life in the past few days?Nico: Well, my in-laws are visiting from out of town. Do you think you’ll need toadmit me into the hospital for tests?Dr. van Eyck: I’m not sure that’s necessary. Are things really that bad at home?Nico: You have no idea![end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.If you have a question or comment about this episode, you can email us. Ouremail address is 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 226 – Holiday Decorating

#ESL Podcast 226 – Holiday Decorating##GLOSSARY**to decorate –** to make something more attractive by putting objects on it*The students are going to decorate the high school gym so that it looks like adance club for their dance on Friday night.**to go all out –** to put all of one’s energy and effort into doing something*She went all out during the race and finished in first place.**Christmas tree –** a pine tree (or a plastic tree) that people decorate and place intheir homes to celebrate Christmas*Please put all of the presents from your grandparents under the Christmas tree.**ornament –** a small object used for decoration, usually with a string for hangingon the branches of a Christmas tree*My favorite Christmas tree ornament is the blue glass ball that my daughtergave me three years ago.**tinsel –** narrow, thin strips of shiny material used for decoration*The children were supposed to put the tinsel on the Christmas tree, but theyhad more fun putting it in each other’s hair.**wreath –** a circle of flowers and leaves hung on a door or wall for decoration*Everyone who visits their house admires the beautiful Christmas wreathhanging on their front door.**mistletoe –** a plant with green leaves and white berries that is used asdecoration during the Christmas holiday*I’m hanging mistletoe above the doors because tradition says that if a man anda woman stand under the mistletoe, they have to kiss each other.**chimney –** a brick or rock structure that carries smoke from a fireplace, throughthe roof and outside of a house*When we lit the fire, the room started to fill with smoke because we hadforgotten to open the chimney.**stocking –** a very large, colorful sock that is hung near the chimney and filledwith presents the night before Christmas*Last year, Josiah made a giant stocking because he thought he would get morepresents that way.**holiday cards –** a piece of paper folded in half, with a picture on the front and amessage inside, sent to friends and family to wish them happy holidays*This year we are sending a photograph of the children inside our holiday cards,so that our family and friends can see how much they’ve grown since last year.**lawn ornaments –** statues and other objects placed on the grass in front of ahouse as decoration*Look at the lawn ornaments across the street! That family must be very excitedabout the holidays.**snowman –** snow shaped in the form of a person*Myung and Oscar made a snowman with cookies for eyes and a carrot for anose.**reindeer –** a large animal that looks like a deer with long antlers (horns that looklike tree branches) on its head that lives in the snow*According to Christmas stories and songs, Santa Claus uses flying reindeer tohelp him go from house to house, delivering Christmas presents.**Santa Claus –** an imaginary fat, jolly (cheerful) man with a white beard and redclothing who delivers Christmas presents to good boys and girls*Many children behave very well in December because their parents tell themthat Santa Claus will bring them presents only if they are good.**outdoor lights –** lines of multi-colored, white, or blue lights that are placed alongthe roofs, doors, and windows of houses as Christmas decorations*Some neighborhoods are famous for their outdoor lights at Christmas, andmany people drive by to see their decorations.**to string –** to hang decorations in a line*When we learned that Katie was pregnant, we celebrated by stringing pink andblue decorations all around the living room.**it’s no wonder that –** it isn’t surprising that*It’s no wonder that you passed the exam. You have been studying every nightfor almost two months!##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is the family decorating the house?a) Because the house hasn’t been decorated for many years.b) Because this is how the family celebrates the holidays.c) Because Santa Claus visits only decorated houses.2. Where does the family put its holiday decorations?a) Only inside the house.b) Only outside of the house.c) Both inside and outside of the house.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to decorateThe verb *“to decorate,”* in this podcast, means to make something moreattractive by putting objects on it. For example, “For their wedding, theydecorated the room with white, yellow, and gold fabric.” The verb *“to decorate”*can also mean to be placed on something to make it look more attractive:*“Paintings of kings and queens decorated the walls of the old castle.”* “Todecorate” can also mean to give someone a medal or another honor: “Thesoldier was decorated for his bravery in the battle.” A *“decorator”* is someonewhose job is to decorate homes: “We want to hire an interior decorator todecorate our dining room because we don’t think we can do a good job withoutprofessional help.”stockingsIn this podcast, the word *“stockings”* means very large, colorful socks that arehung near the chimney and filled with presents the night before Christmas. In apopular poem, *“The Night Before Christmas,”* the author wrote: “Stockings werehung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) soonwould be there.” The word *“stockings”* can also refer to a thin piece of clothingthat a woman wears over her feet and legs, such as nylons or tights. Forexample, “Do you think black or skin-colored stockings would look better with thisdress?” As a verb, *“to stock”* means to have a supply of goods to sell: “We needto stock more of those notebooks because they are selling very quickly.”##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, many families celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Day bystringing outdoor lights around their houses. Although many non-Christianfamilies also do this, people of other religions may not. These strings of lightscan be all one color, or a mixture of red, blue, green, and yellow. The lights areusually strung along the roof, around doors and windows, and sometimes aroundtrees in the *“front lawn”* (the grass-covered area in front of a home). Sometimespeople use lawn ornaments that have lights, too. Popular lawn ornamentsinclude Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, and stars. Other people prefer todisplay Christian lawn ornaments that relate to a *“nativity scene”* or a sceneshowing the birth of Jesus in the Christian religion, and includes the baby Jesusand his parents, Mary and Joseph.Some families compete with their neighbors to have the biggest or most beautiful*“lawn displays”* or the group of objects they place in front of their homes for otherpeople to see. For this reason, the best lawn displays are often found near oneanother and some neighborhoods become well known for their lawn displays.Often local newspapers provide lists of these neighborhoods so that people candrive through those neighborhoods at night to enjoy the lawn displays.Some cities and towns organize larger displays during the weeks beforeChristmas. During the day, they have holiday parades. At night, they often have*“light shows”* (moving, colorful lights decorating the lawn ornaments). The peoplewho come to these displays usually buy holiday food, such as Christmas cookiesand peppermint candy, and drinks, such as hot chocolate and *“apple cider”* (hotapple juice with cinnamon and other flavors). The money that cities earn fromthese sales is usually used for social projects.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 226: HolidayDecorating.This is episode 226. 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 the LearningGuide for this episode, which contains all of the vocabulary words, definitions,sample sentences, additional cultural notes, explanations of words we that don'ttalk about on the podcast and a complete transcript of this episode.This podcast is about *“Holiday Decorating.”* Let's get started.[start of story]Now that the holidays are here, it’s time to decorate the house. Every year, wealways go all out. We buy a Christmas tree and the kids decorate it withornaments that we’ve bought and made over the years, and with silver and goldtinsel. We also hang a wreath on our front door and I make sure that there’smistletoe above every door. Around the chimney, we hang our stockings, andwhen we get holiday cards from our friends and neighbors, we put them allaround the room.Outside of the house, we have lawn ornaments that we put in the front yard.People who visit our house will see snowmen (and snowwomen), reindeer, andof course, Santa Claus. The best part is the outdoor lights. I string them acrossthe front of the house, around our trees, and in our fence. When I turn them allon, you can probably see our house from miles away. It’s no wonder that peoplecome from all over town just to see our house at night. I have to say that I enjoythe holiday season as much as the kids...and maybe just a little more![end of story]Our podcast is called *“Holiday Decorating.”* Holiday usually refers to Christmasand New Years and perhaps Chanukah, the Jewish celebration. This particularepisode is mostly about Christmas decorations, since that is probably the mostpopular holiday celebration, at least in the United States.The story begins by me saying that *“the holidays are here,”* meaning we are nowin the time of the holidays, and *“it's time to decorate the house.”* To decorate,*“decorate,”* means to make something more beautiful or more attractive, usuallyby putting objects - putting something on it, like your house or a tree. There areother meanings of this word to decorate that we discuss in the Learning Guide forthis episode.The story continues that *“Every year, we always go all out.”* That expression, togo all out, *“out,”* means to put all of your energy into something - that you aregoing to do something using the maximum amount of effort. In this case, goingall out means that we bought a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree is a large,usually green, tree that people buy.In many American cities, there are Christmas tree lots, *“lots.”* A lot is just anempty space, usually outside, that has, in this case, lots of Christmas trees andyou can go and buy them. You can't buy a Christmas tree, at least a real tree, ina store - in a regular store; you need to go to one of these temporary stores -these Christmas tree lots - to buy a tree. If you want an artificial tree - a treemade of plastic or metal - then you can get that at a store.Now, this is something I really don't have much experience with; we never had areal Christmas tree when I was growing up. But this is the story, and in the story,there's a Christmas tree. All the kids are going to decorate the tree withornaments. An ornament, *“ornament,”* is an object that you use to decorate.Ornaments are little things for a Christmas tree that you hang on the tree or puton the branches of the tree. Often, these ornaments are round and they have alittle piece of metal on top that you can hang it on the branch of the tree - thearms of the tree that come out.We've also bought some *“silver and gold tinsel.”* Tinsel, *“tinsel,”* is another one ofthose words that you usually only hear during the Christmas season. Tinsel is anarrow piece of a shiny material that's used for decoration. It's usually like a longstring, and the string has metal on it often, or something that is very shiny -something that reflects the light. And often, pieces of tinsel are different colors.In this case, they're silver and gold tinsel. It's traditional to have both Christmasornaments and tinsel on your Christmas tree.“We also hang a wreath on our front door and I make sure that there’s mistletoeabove every door.” A wreath, *“wreath,”* is a circle - a round thing - that is made oftree branches usually. It could also be made of flowers. And, it is somethingthat, in the United States, is often found on the door - outside door - of yourhouse during the Christmas season - during the time of Christmas.I remember when I was young boy, I was a member of the Boy Scouts, which isa voluntary organization of boys - to keep them from causing trouble, I think - andwe used to sell these Christmas wreaths in order to make money for the BoyScout organization. So, I have many memories of going and selling Christmaswreaths.In addition to a Christmas wreath in the story, there's also mistletoe. Mistletoe,*“mistletoe,”* (one word) is a special plant that has green leaves and little whitewhat we would call berries - little round things. And, this little plant, or a piece ofa plant, is used in Christmas; it is often hung up on the top of a door. Now, thetradition is that if you are standing under a mistletoe with someone else, you aresupposed to kiss that person. The other person, you hope, wants to kiss you aswell. If not, then in addition to a kiss, you will also get a black eye when they hityou, especially if you're a man trying to kiss a woman. Well, that's been myexperience!The story continues by saying that *“Around the chimney, we hang our stockings.”*The chimney, *“chimney,”* is a brick or rock part of the house. It is connected tosomething called a fireplace, *“fireplace.”* A fireplace is where you burn woodinside a house to keep it warm.Many houses, now, don't have fireplaces; my house doesn't have a fireplace, butolder houses or houses of rich people sometimes have these old fireplaces. Ifyou burn wood, you will have smoke, and so you need to take the smoke out ofthe room, and you do that through the chimney. It's a long, narrow part of thehouse. On the top of the chimney is at the top of the house, and that's where thesmoke goes outside.Traditionally, Santa Claus, when he comes to visit, will land on the top of yourhouse - the roof of your house - and then come down the chimney. That's whyhis clothes always get dirty, because he's climbing in those chimneys!Well, *“Around the chimney,”* - around the fireplace - *“we hang our stockings.”*Stockings, *“stockings,”* are large, usually very colorful socks. They're big socks,not real socks that you would put on your feet. But, they are large socks that arefilled with presents on the night before Christmas. Again traditionally, you putthings in the stockings - a parent would put gifts in stockings for their children.In my house, growing up, we had a stocking for everyone in the house, whichmeans we had 13 stockings. So, it was sort of like walking into our house and itlooked like my mother was drying the clothes because we had so many of thesestockings!The things you put in a stocking - the gifts - are usually small gifts. They'resometimes called stocking stuffers, *“stuffers.”* To stuff means to put somethinginto something else; that's what you do with a stocking stuffer, a small gift.Another tradition is the holiday card or the Christmas card. These are cards thatpeople send each other. We may also call them greeting cards. The cards havea picture of something related to Christmas - a Christmas tree or perhaps SantaClaus - and you write notes in to your friends and family and wish them a MerryChristmas.You can also make your own cards. Some families make cards with pictures oftheir children and send them to you. It was very popular, and still is in somefamilies, to send out a Christmas letter, where you would describe to your friendsand family everything you did or all the most important things that happened toyou in the past year. These are always very entertaining to get. I supposenowadays you could just have a blog and you wouldn't need to send anyone aletter.The story goes on to say that “Outside of the house, we have lawn ornamentsthat we put in the front yard.” The lawn, *“lawn,”* is the - is the area of grass infront of the house. There's also, often, a lawn in the back of your house. Lawnornaments are figures - objects - statues - that you put in front of your house thatare about Christmas or related to Christmas. Some of these ornaments orstatues are of snowmen. Snowmen are made of snow - round balls of snow - tolook like a man. Usually three balls of snow: one large one, one medium oneand one small one. The small one is the head. There's also lawn ornaments thatlook like reindeers. A reindeer, *“reindeer,”* is the animal, which according totradition, is part of Santa Claus' transportation. And of course, Santa Claushimself.*“The best part,”* I say in the story, *“is the outdoor lights.”* It's become very popularin the United States to put Christmas lights on the outside of your house. Notjust one or two strings of lights, we would call them, but hundreds and hundredsof lights, very sophisticated, complicated sets of lights with different colors. Thishas almost become a competition in some cities, where people try to have themost complicated or most beautiful set of outdoor lights. This is not somethingthat I do, ever, but it is interesting to see because at night you can drive by thehouse and it looks very beautiful with all of these lights on it.The verb that we use is to string. When we say we're going to string lights, wemean we're going to hang them in a line. The lights usually come on somethinglike a long rope, and there are lots of lights in a straight line and you can stringthose, or put those, in the front of your house.I say at the end that “It’s no wonder that people come from all over town just tosee our house at night.” It's no wonder is an expression that means it isn'tsurprising - it's logical - it would be expected that people would come from allover town.Now let's listen to the story, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]Now that the holidays are here, it’s time to decorate the house. Every year, wealways go all out. We buy a Christmas tree and the kids decorate it withornaments that we’ve bought and made over the years, and with silver and goldtinsel. We also hang a wreath on our front door and I make sure that there’smistletoe above every door. Around the chimney, we hang our stockings, andwhen we get holiday cards from our friends and neighbors, we put them allaround the room.Outside of the house, we have lawn ornaments that we put in the front yard.People who visit our house will see snowmen (and snowwomen), reindeer, andof course, Santa Claus. The best part is the outdoor lights. I string them acrossthe front of the house, around our trees, and in our fence. When I turn them allon, you can probably see our house from miles away. It’s no wonder that peoplecome from all over town just to see our house at night. I have to say that I enjoythe holiday season as much as the kids...and maybe just a little more![end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.That's all we have time for today. From Los Angeles, California, I'm JeffMcQuillan. 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 225 – Feeling Homesick

#ESL Podcast 225 – Feeling Homesick##GLOSSARY**long face –** an expression of sadness on someone’s face; the look on a person’sface when they are unhappy*He had such a long face when he got home from work that we immediatelyknew something was wrong.**homesick –** sad to be away from family, friends, and home; missing or longing tobe home*Whenever Alexander looks at pictures of his family, he becomes homesick.**adjustment –** adaptation; change to fit into a new environment or place*It was hard for Sheila’s daughter to make the adjustment to going to daycaremost of the day when Sheila went back to work full-time.**to cope –** to manage or to deal with a difficult situation*She isn’t coping very well with her mother’s death. I wish I knew how to helpher.**to afford –** to be able to pay for something; to have enough money for something*I would like to buy a new computer, but I can’t afford it right now.**to long for (something) –** to strongly want something; to have a strong wish forsomething*They have been studying very hard for final exams, and now that the exams areover, they’re longing for summer vacation.**comforts of home –** things found in the home that make life more pleasant;things that make you feel comfortable and happy at home*After two weeks of hiking in the mountains, we were ready to enjoy the comfortsof home: a hot bath, good food, and a soft bed.**lonely –** sad to not be with other people; sad to be by oneself*He feels very lonely when his wife has to travel for work.**to be depressed –** to be sad, sometimes without an explanation*When people are depressed, they often stay in bed all day.**nostalgic –** sad when remembering a past time or a place far away that is part ofa happy memory*I felt nostalgic when I thought about how my brother and I used to play togetherwhen we were children.**to see through rose-colored glasses –** to see something as being better than itreally is; to see only the good and not the bad*Ever since they got married, they’re always so happy and optimistic! They’reseeing the world through rose-colored glasses.**idyllic –** perfect; without problems; peaceful and beautiful*We had an idyllic vacation in the Caribbean. The beaches were beautiful andquiet, and we were able to forget about all of our problems.**to be bummed out –** to be disappointed, depressed, or sad*Zachary was bummed out when he heard that he didn’t get the job in Peru.**on (one’s) own –** without other people; by oneself*Do you live on your own or do you have a roommate?**misery loves company –** a saying that means that sad people like to be aroundother sad people*Julie and Zelda spend a lot of time together crying about their ex-boyfriends. Iguess misery loves company.**to be up for (something) –** to be willing to participate; to be willing to dosomething*Do you think you’ll be up for a movie tonight after work?##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why does Luis feel homesick?a) Being in his home makes him feel sick.b) He doesn’t like any kind of holiday.c) He misses being with his family.2. What does Annie suggest to help Luis feel better?a) To see things through rose-colored glasses.b) To have a party with other friends.c) To buy airfare to go back home.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?adjustmentThe word *“adjustment,”* in this podcast, means an adaptation or change to fit intoa new environment. For example, “Going to college was a major adjustment forme because I had never lived away from home before.” As a verb, *“to adjust”*can mean to adapt to a new situation: “It was difficult for him to adjust to his newjob.” An *“adjustment”* also means a small change to make something better:*“This chair needs a few adjustments to make it more comfortable.”* When usedas a verb, *“to adjust”* can mean to change something to make it work better. Forexample, *“I need to adjust my watch because it’s five minutes fast.”* Or, “Couldyou please adjust the volume on the TV so that it isn’t so loud?”to be up for (something)In this podcast, the phrase *“to be up for (something)”* means to be willing to dosomething: *“I’m up for some ice cream. Would anyone like to join me?”* Thephrase *“to be up to (something)”* has the same meaning: “If you’re up to it, let’sgo running at 5:30 tomorrow morning.” The phrase *“to be up to (someone)”*means that that person is responsible or will make the decision. For example,*“It’s up to me to make sure that the children are ready for school each morning.”*Or, *“It’s up to him to decide whether we’ll work on this project.”* The phrase “tobe up against (something)” means to face problems: “She was up against manyproblems, but her good attitude kept her from giving up.”##CULTURE NOTEMany U.S. citizens *“live abroad”* (live in other countries). Some live abroad forwork or school, and others live abroad because they want to learn about anotherlanguage or culture. Living in a foreign country is an exciting adventure, butalmost everyone feels homesick during some part of the experience.When Americans living abroad feel homesick, they often wish that they could eat*“comfort foods”* like their parents used to make for them when they were children.Common comfort foods are hot soups, tuna *“casseroles”* (baked noodles withvegetables and cheese), chocolate-chip cookies, and apple pie. The taste ofcomfort foods can help these people remember their homes and happymemories of their families.Americans living abroad often meet with other *“expats,”* (short for *“expatriates”*;people who are living away from their home country). Expats are different from*“immigrants”* because expats are only in the country temporarily, whileimmigrants usually commit to stay in the new country long term and adjust to lifepermanently.Expats sometimes get together to *“recreate”* (create again) the comforts of home.In most capital cities there are clubs for the Americans who live there. Theseclubs often organize special events, such as *“bake sales”* or sales of home-baked bread and desserts that are similar to what they would eat in the U.S.These clubs also help people celebrate American holidays together. Forexample, many Americans living abroad celebrate the Thanksgiving holidaytogether in late November. This helps them feel less homesick even though theyare far away from their families.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 225: FeelingHomesick.This is episode 225. 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 podcast.Today's podcast is called *“Feeling Homesick.”* Let's get started.[start of story]Annie: Why the long face?Luis: I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling a little homesick.Annie: I thought you got over that. I know the adjustment was hard when youfirst got here, but I thought you were coping pretty well.Luis: I was. It’s just that the holidays are coming up and I won’t be able to gohome because I can’t afford the airfare. I’m just longing for some of the comfortsof home, like my mom’s cooking and being around my family.Annie: Yeah, it can get pretty lonely over the holidays. When I first got here, I’dget depressed and nostalgic for anything that reminded me of home. But, youknow, I think I was just seeing things through rose-colored glasses.Luis: What do you mean?Annie: Well, things back home weren’t really that idyllic, but from this distance,all I could think of was the good stuff and none of the bad.Luis: I see what you mean, but I’m still bummed out.Annie: I have an idea. Why don’t we put on our own little holiday celebration?We can have it at my place and we can invite all of our friends who are on theirown this time of year. We’ll each do something that’ll remind us of home. Whatdo you say? Misery loves company, as they say.Luis: You know, I could really go for that. You don’t mind all of the trouble?Annie: What trouble? As long as I don’t have to cook, I’m up for it.Luis: Cool. I’ll ask around to see who else wants to come.Annie: Okay. I’ll do the same.Luis: Thanks. I’m feeling better already.[end of story]This episode is called *“Feeling Homesick,”* *“homesick”* (one word). To feel or tobe homesick means to miss your place where you would normally live. If youmove to another place or you are traveling, you may still want to go back to yourold house and your old friends and your family; this is to be homesick, whensomeone misses their home, either because they have moved or because theyare taking a vacation or a trip somewhere.Annie says to Luis, *“Why the long face?”* This is short for why do you have along face. When we say someone has a long, *“long,”* face, we mean that they'resad - that they're not happy.Luis says, *“I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling a little homesick.”* Annie says, “Ithought you got over that,” meaning I thought that this was no longer a problemfor you. *“I know the adjustment was hard when you first”* moved here.Adjustment, *“adjustment,”* means to adapt or to change to your new place - yournew environment. So, she's saying I thought that although you had a difficultadjustment - it took you some time to get used to this new place - that you wereover that - that you no longer had a problem with that.She says, *“I thought you were coping pretty well.”* To cope, *“cope,”* means tomanage or to deal with a difficult situation. *“I can't cope,”* that would besomething you would say when you feel as though the situation is too difficult.When my 24 nieces and nephews come and visit me, I can't cope. There's toomuch noise - too many of them. Yes, I actually do have 24 nieces and nephews!Well, Annie says that Luis is not coping very well. Luis says that he was copingwell, *“It’s just that the holidays are coming up and I won’t be able to go home,”* hesays. It's just that means the only reason that he is feeling this way is becausethe holidays - Christmas or Chanukah or some other holiday - is coming up andhe *“won't be able to go home.”* When we say something is coming up, we meanit is coming close in time. If today is Monday, Wednesday is coming up - it'sclose in time.Luis says that he cannot *“afford the airfare,”* meaning he doesn't have money forthe airfare. To afford, *“afford,”* means to have enough money to do somethingLuis says that he's *“longing for some of the comforts of home.”* To long forsomething, as a verb, means to want something very badly - to strongly wantsomething. The comforts of home is an expression that refers to the things thatyou like that are in your house or that are in your home. In general, comforts(usually plural) means the good things in life - the things that make your lifepleasant.Annie says that yes, it can be *“pretty lonely over the holidays.”* Lonely, *“lonely,”*means to not be with other people - to be sad because you are by yourself; youdo not have other friends or family near you. Notice that she uses the expression*“over the holidays,”* we use that to mean during the time of the holidays.Annie says that when she first got to the city where they live, she would “getdepressed and nostalgic for anything that reminded” her of home. To bedepressed means to be very sad. Sometimes, you don't even know why you'resad; sometimes you do. If you come home and there's no food your refrigeratorand you're hungry, you could get very sad - very depressed. This happens to mealmost every day!To be nostalgic, nostalgic,” means to think about something in the past, and to bea little sad remembering someone or someplace in the past that is part of happymemory. So, it was happy back then, and you're thinking back on that particulartime or place or person, and you feel a little sad because you miss that person.You would like to have those happy times again.Annie goes on to say that she thinks she was “just seeing things through rose-colored glasses.” To see something through rose, *“rose,”* (hyphen) coloredglasses means to think something is better, or to see something as being betterthan it really is. So, you're being too optimistic; you're thinking things are better,but the reality is in real life, they're not as good as you think they are.Luis asks Annie what she means, and she says that *“things back home,”*meaning in the place where she grew up - where her family is, things were not*“really that idyllic,”* *“idyllic.”* To be idyllic means to be perfect, without anyproblems. To be peaceful, that would be idyllic. A vacation in Hawaii on thebeach, for me, that would be idyllic; the perfect thing. In fact, I think I need avacation, don't you? Let's all meet in Honolulu, Hawaii over the holidays. I'll seeyou there!Luis says, *“I see what you mean,”* meaning I understand you, “but I’m stillbummed out.” To be bummed, *“bummed,”* or to be bummed out, either one ispossible, means to be disappointed - to be depressed - to be sad. Someonecould say, *“I'm really bummed about the game today”* - I'm really sad about whathappened.Annie then has an idea; she suggests that they have their own holidaycelebration. They can all go over to her house - she and her friends and Luisand anyone else who is *“on their own this time of year.”* To be on your ownmeans to be alone or by yourself. She says, *“Misery loves company.”* This is anold expression. Misery, *“misery,”* means something that is sad - something thatcauses you to be sad.So, *“Misery loves company,”* here company means other people; it doesn't meana business. The word company can also mean other people. You may say, “Ican't talk to you right now on the phone, I have company,” meaning I have peoplevisiting me - people - other people who are here. So, misery loves companymeans people who are sad like other people who are sad - want to be with them.Luis says that he *“could really go for”* Annie's idea, meaning he really likes it.She says that it would not be a lot of trouble because she is *“up for it.”* To be upfor something means to be willing to do something. Someone may say to you“Hey, let's go to Honolulu with Jeff McQuillan and everyone who listens to theESL Podcast for the holidays,” and you say, *“Sure, I'm up for it,”* meaning yes, Iam willing to do that. Well, back to the real world here. Luis and Annie say thatthey're going to get together, and that's the happy end to our story.Now let's listen to the dialogue again, this time read at a normal speed.[start of story]Annie: Why the long face?Luis: I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling a little homesick.Annie: I thought you got over that. I know the adjustment was hard when youfirst got here, but I thought you were coping pretty well.Luis: I was. It’s just that the holidays are coming up and I won’t be able to gohome because I can’t afford the airfare. I’m just longing for some of the comfortsof home, like my mom’s cooking and being around my family.Annie: Yeah, it can get pretty lonely over the holidays. When I first got here, I’dget depressed and nostalgic for anything that reminded me of home. But, youknow, I think I was just seeing things through rose-colored glasses.Luis: What do you mean?Annie: Well, things back home weren’t really that idyllic, but from this distance,all I could think of was the good stuff and none of the bad.Luis: I see what you mean, but I’m still bummed out.Annie: I have an idea. Why don’t we put on our own little holiday celebration?We can have it at my place and we can invite all of our friends who are on theirown this time of year. We’ll each do something that’ll remind us of home. Whatdo you say? Misery loves company, as they say.Luis: You know, I could really go for that. You don’t mind all of the trouble?Annie: What trouble? As long as I don’t have to cook, I’m up for it.Luis: Cool. I’ll ask around to see who else wants to come.Annie: Okay. I’ll do the same.Luis: Thanks. I’m feeling better already.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was by Dr. Lucy Tse. And of course, I'll ask Dr.Tse if she wants to come with us all to Hawaii! Remember to visit our website ateslpod.com, and of course, to return again and listen to us here on ESL Podcast.From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. We'll see you next time onESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

ESL Podcast 224 – Holiday Promotions

#ESL Podcast 224 – Holiday Promotions##GLOSSARY**to come up with (something) –** to think of something, usually a new idea or asolution to a problem*How did you come up with that idea? I’ve never heard anything like it before.**holiday promotion –** activities to increase sales during the holiday season,usually in November and December*The store’s holiday promotions are incredible! They sell everything at 30% offof its regular price.**inroad –** progress; advancement*Japanese car companies rapidly made inroads into the U.S. automobileindustry.**gift-buying market –** the economic market of people (group of buyers) who buypresents*Was there an increase in the gift-buying market during February for Valentine’sDay?**retail sales –** sales of small number of products to individual buyers (not to otherbusinesses)*Because it was extremely hot last August, retail sales of air conditionersincreased significantly that summer.**sales cycle –** the same time of year when there are very high or low sales*Most types of products have predictable sales cycles. For example, sales ofschool supplies and children’s clothing are highest right before the school yearbegins.**innovative –** new and creative; original*Everyone admires her innovative ideas for making this a better team this year.**brick-and-mortar store –** a business that serves customers in a real store, notthrough a website*My mother likes to see and touch what she’s buying, so she prefers shopping atbrick-and-mortar stores.**computer savvy –** knowledgeable about computers*Today, children are often more computer savvy than their parents are.**more likely than ever –** more likely now than anytime before; more probablethan before*Harold’s boss yelled at him yesterday in front of all of the other employees, andnow it’s more likely than ever that he’ll quit his job.**to capitalize on –** to take advantage of, to profit from*The team capitalized on its early lead and won the game by more thanpoints.**to slash prices –** to greatly reduce prices, usually during a sale*When one company slashes prices, many competing companies feel pressuredto do the same because they fear losing their customers.**inventory –** a complete list of what is in a place, such as the products a storehas available for sale*We are closing our store for two days to do an inventory of what we have in thestore.**stock –** the number of products that a store has available for sale*I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have that product in stock, but I think our downtownstore does.**gimmick –** an unusual or clever trick to encourage people to buy something*His sales gimmicks were so annoying that most people left the store withoutbuying anything.**to jump-start –** to start quickly*He jump-started his career in business by getting a graduate degree when hewas very young.**to count on (someone) –** to rely on someone; to depend on someone*I can’t attend the meeting so I’m counting on you to tell me what was discussed.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. How does this company plan to enter the gift-buying market?a) By opening a brick-and-mortar store.b) By thinking of creative ideas for holiday promotion.c) By slashing prices.2. This company’s customers:a) Like to buy products online.b) Like to buy products from companies that use sales gimmicks.c) Like to buy products at brick-and-mortar stores.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?promotionThe word *“promotion,”* in this podcast, means the things a business does toincrease sales: “The new store is offering a great promotion this month: ifcustomers buy two sweaters, a third sweater is free.” *“Promotion”* can also referto activities that encourage people to support an idea or belief: “The Center forthe Promotion of Peace works to prevent wars in Asian countries.” As a verb, “topromote” means to help sell a product: “Authors often promote their books bysigning them in a public place, like a bookstore.” The verb *“to promote”* can alsomean to help something happen: “Supporting private businesses is one way thatgovernments can promote economic growth.” Another meaning of *“promotion”* isa move to a better job: “She received a promotion to vice-president of salesbecause of her excellent work on the sales team.”stockIn this podcast, the word *“stock”* means the amount of products that a store hasavailable to sell: “We need to order more AA batteries because we’re out ofstock.” Or, *“Are any of the blue dishes still in stock, or have we sold them all?”* A*“stock”* can also be a share in a company, making you one of the owners: “I wishI had bought stock in that company ten years ago.” A *“stock”* is also a liquid usedto make soups: “My mother makes an excellent vegetable stock by boilingcarrots, onions, and potatoes in water for two hours.” As a verb, *“to stock up”*means to buy a large quantity of something to use later: “We stocked up on somuch toilet paper when it was on sale that we won’t need to buy anymore thisyear.”##CULTURE NOTEStores in the United States often offer *“sales”* to attract customers. Sales areshort periods of time when the prices of certain of products are reduced orlowered. There are many different types of sales.Some sales offer low prices for specific categories of products. For example, a*“white sale”* offers lower prices for *“household goods”* such as towels, dishes,sheets, blankets, and small kitchen electronics, such as a coffee maker. “Back-to-school sales” happen in late August, before the academic year begins inSeptember. During a back-to-school sale, school supplies (such as paper,notebooks, pens, and pencils), children’s clothing, and backpacks cost less thanusual.Other sales, such as Memorial Day sales and Labor Day sales, are related tospecific U.S. holidays. The most famous of these sales is the “day-after-Thanksgiving sale,” which happens in late November on Friday after theThanksgiving holiday. This day is also called *“Black Friday,”* because the phrase*“in the black”* means to make money (*“in the red”* means to lose money). This isthe biggest shopping day of the year and many people stand in lines in front ofstores for hours so that they can be the first ones to enter the store when itopens. Prices on certain items are extremely low, and some stores offer freegifts to the first 100 customers who enter the store that day.An *“early-bird sale”* offers low prices to shoppers who arrive at the store early inthe morning, sometimes as early as 6:00 a.m. Recently some businesses,especially *“car dealerships”* (stores selling cars), offer *“employee-pricing sales.”*These sales offer the general public the same *“discounted”* (lower) prices that arenormally offered only to the store’s employees.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 224: HolidayPromotions.This is episode 224. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California. How are you today?In this podcast, we are going to talk about buying things, or actually, sellingthings for the holiday season. Remember, this episode will also have a LearningGuide on our website. The Learning Guides include all of the vocabulary,definitions, sample sentences, additional definitions that we don't talk about onthe podcast, cultural notes and a free trip to Los Angeles. Well okay, not a freetrip to Los Angeles, but everything else is on the Learning Guide! You can findthose that at eslpod.com. Now let's get started.[start of story]My boss asked me to come up with some holiday promotion ideas so that we canmake inroads into the gift-buying market. For us to stay competitive, ourcompany has to increase retail sales for this important sales cycle. My boss isexpecting some innovative ideas from me.Since we’re an online business and not a brick-and-mortar store, we can’t justput signs in the window or do other types of traditional advertising. Lucky for us,though, consumers are increasingly computer savvy and are more likely thanever to buy online. That’s something we want to capitalize on.Like other companies, we’re willing to slash prices to attract holiday shoppers.We have a large inventory and we don’t have to worry about running out of stock.The trick is, how do we increase sales without resorting to gimmicks? Dressingup salespeople to look like Santa Claus may work for some businesses but notours.I’m just hoping that I can come up with some fresh ideas to jump-start this salesseason. I know that my boss is counting on me.[end of story]The title for our podcast today is *“Holiday Promotions.”* Holiday, when we aretalking about December in the United States, means Christmas and the Jewishcelebration of Chanukah. A promotion, *“promotion,”* is when a company tries tosell something; it's like a sale. It's something special a store will do to try to getpeople to buy gifts - buy things from their store. That's one meaning of the wordpromotion, for additional meanings take a look at today's Learning Guide.Our story begins by the woman saying that her boss had asked her “to come upwith some holiday promotion ideas.” To come, *“come,”* up with is an idiom, whichmeans to think of - to invent - to create a new idea. “I'm going to come up withsome new things to do on ESL Podcast” - I'm going to create - I'm going toinvent. That is the meaning of that expression.So, she has *“to come up with some holiday promotion ideas,”* and the reasonshe's doing this is that her company wants to “make inroads into the gift-buyingmarket.” To make inroads, *“inroads,”* (all one word) means to make progress - toadvance. Usually, we use this when we are talking about moving into a new area- making progress into a new and sometimes difficult area for our company or forwhatever organization you're a member of.Well, this company wants to make progress - inroads - into gift-buying markets or*“the gift-buying market.”* The market is the group of people who will buy and sellthings, in this case, will buy things. She's talking about the gift-buying - peoplewho will buy gifts - buy presents for the holiday season. The word gift-buying ishyphenated, *“gift-buying.”* You could also say, *“the car-buying public,”* or “car-buying market,” or *“the PlayStation Portable Three-buying public.”* You can usethat *“-buying”* with any sort of product or whatever is being sold.She continues by saying that for her company *“to stay competitive,”* meaning tobe as good as other companies, they have “to increase retail sales for thisimportant sales cycle.” Retail, *“retail,”* refers to things that you, as an individual,go in and buy in a store; that would be retail. The opposite of retail is wholesale,*“wholesale,”* (one word) and wholesale is when companies buy from othercompanies, usually things that they are going to use and make for their ownproduct.This company wants to increase its retail sales in *“this important sales cycle.”*The word cycle, *“cycle,”* here just means the time or season of the year - theparticular period that we're talking about. For more information on the kinds ofsales that are popular in the United States, take a look at the culture note intoday's Learning Guide.The story continues with the woman saying that they have “an online business,not a brick-and-mortar store.” Brick-and-mortar has become more popular inrecent years as a way of distinguishing an online store - a website store - with aphysical store - an actual store that you can go and visit. The physical storewould be called a brick-and-mortar store. Brick, *“brick,”* is a kind of baked claythat usually is in the form of a rectangle, and it's used to make buildings. It's amaterial for making buildings. Mortar is a kind of cement that you put in betweenthe bricks to keep the bricks together - to keep them from falling down.She later says that *“consumers”* - people who buy their products - the things theysell - *“are increasingly,”* or in higher and higher numbers, *“computer savvy.”* Tobe savvy, *“savvy,”* means to be knowledgeable about something - to know a lotabout a particular topic. Customers are *“computer savvy,”* and because of that,*“are more likely than ever to buy online.”* The expression *“more likely than ever”*means that they have a better chance of doing this than before - that things havechanged in such a way that now it is much easier or much more likely - muchmore probable - that they will do this.*“That’s something we want to capitalize on,”* she says. To capitalize, *“capitalize,”*means, in this case, to take advantage of - to profit from. The word capitalize, asa verb, can also mean to make a letter bigger versus smaller. The first letter of asentence in English is capitalized; you capitalize the letter. Here it meanssomething very different; it means to take advantage of.*“Like other companies,”* she says, her company is “willing to slash prices toattract holiday shoppers.” To slash, *“slash,”* means, here, to cut or to reduce.So, the company will lower the prices in order to get more people to buy - “toattract holiday shoppers.” Shoppers is just another name for consumers.She says that they *“have a large inventory.”* Inventory, *“inventory,”* is a word weuse to describe how much of a particular product you have. Usually, it's a list ofwhat is in place, such as all of the things in your store. So, if you sell cars andyou have ten cars to sell, you have ten cars in your inventory.Because her company has *“a large inventory”* - they have a lot of things they cansell - they're not worried *“about running out of stock,”* *“stock.”* Stock is thenumber of things that you have in your store. The expression *“out of stock”*means you don't have any of that in your store to sell. The opposite of out ofstock would be in stock. So, you may ask someone at the store, “Do you havethis shirt in stock,” means do you have it here at your store. Again, like manywords in English, stock has several different meanings; take a look at theLearning Guide today for additional meanings.The woman is worried, in our story, about increasing “sales without resorting togimmicks.” A gimmick, *“gimmick,”* is some unusual trick that would encouragepeople to do something, usually to buy something. Resorting to - the verb toresort to - means that it is not something that you want to do. It's going lower interms of your standards or what you think is acceptable. “Don't resort to callingpeople bad names,” that means don't go that low in terms of your standards oryour ethics or your morals.Here, when she says, *“resorting to gimmicks,”* she means that it's not somethingthey want to do - they don't want to have gimmicks to sell their products. Shegives an example of that as *“Dressing up salespeople to look like Santa Claus,”*that would be a gimmick - a trick to get people to buy more.She ends her story by saying that she hopes she “can come up with some freshideas,” or new ideas, *“to jump-start this sales season.”* The expression to jump,*“jump,”* start, *“start,”* means to begin something quickly, usually to beginsomething that is difficult to start. In this case, she wants to jump-start sales -she wants increase the sales quickly right at the beginning.She says, finally, that she knows that her boss is counting on her. To count,*“count,”* on someone means to rely or depend on something or someone.Now let's listen to the story, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]My boss asked me to come up with some holiday promotion ideas so that we canmake inroads into the gift-buying market. For us to stay competitive, ourcompany has to increase retail sales for this important sales cycle. My boss isexpecting some innovative ideas from me.Since we’re an online business and not a brick-and-mortar store, we can’t justput signs in the window or do other types of traditional advertising. Lucky for us,though, consumers are increasingly computer savvy and are more likely thanever to buy online. That’s something we want to capitalize on.Like other companies, we’re willing to slash prices to attract holiday shoppers.We have a large inventory and we don’t have to worry about running out of stock.The trick is, how do we increase sales without resorting to gimmicks? Dressingup salespeople to look like Santa Claus may work for some businesses but notours.I’m just hoping that I can come up with some fresh ideas to jump-start this salesseason. I know that my boss is counting on me.[end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by Dr. Lucy Tse. Remember, if youhave a suggestion or comment about this podcast, you can email us. Our emailaddress is 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.