EC116_Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 116

TOPICS

Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, progress versus process, would in the past tense, to

be on the chunky side

_____________

GLOSSARY

fairy – an imaginary, small person in many stories who can fly and has other

magical powers

* Tinkerbelle is a famous fairy in the story of Peter Pan.

baby tooth – a tooth in a child’s mouth that falls out and is replaced by a larger,

adult tooth

* How old were you when you lost your first baby tooth?

there’s no such thing as (something) – a phrase used to mean that something

doesn’t exist, or that something isn’t real

* My professor said that there’s no such thing as an energy source that’s

completely good for the environment. They all hurt the planet in some way.

bunny – a rabbit; a small or young rabbit

* The bunnies in this field have white bodies with brown ears and tails.

basket – a container made from small pieces of grass, plastic, or wire that are

woven (folded on top of one another) together to hold things

* The waiter brought her a basket filled with teabags to choose from.

hunt – a search for something that is hidden and difficult to find

* When I was growing up, our birthdays always began with a hunt for our

presents.

eggshell – the hard, thin, white or brown skin around an egg that must be broken

and thrown away before eating the egg

* The cook was careless when breaking open the egg and there were little pieces

of eggshell in the food.

palm – the inside part of one’s hand, between the wrist and the fingers, that is

covered with lines

* Shane held the small bird in the palm of his hand to show his sister his new pet.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 116

thumbs up – a gesture in which one folds one’s fingers into one’s hands and

holds one’s thumb up in the air to show one’s approval of something

* If you answer correctly, the teacher will give you a thumbs up.

air quotes – a gesture in which one holds up the index and middle fingers of

each hand in a “V” shape near one’s shoulders at each side of one’s head and

moves the fingers up and down two or three times, used to show that what one is

saying at that time is the words of another person, or to show that one doesn’t

really mean what one is saying

* Iris was telling a funny story about her co-worker, but she didn’t want to use his

name, so instead she used air quotes every time she referred to him, saying “Mr.

Stupid.”

to give (someone) the finger – to flip someone off; to make a rude and

offensive gesture in which one holds up the middle finger of one’s right hand with

the back of one’s hand toward another person to say, “fuck off” or “fuck you” (an

extremely rude phrase used to show that one is angry with another person)

* The men were making rude comments about the women walking by, so one of

the women gave them the finger.

to flip (someone) off – to give someone the finger; to make a rude and offensive

gesture in which one holds up the middle finger of one’s right hand with the back

of one’s hand toward another person to say, “fuck off” or “fuck you” (an extremely

rude phrase used to show that one is angry with another person)

* When another driver almost hit her car, Rachel yelled and flipped him off.

progress – advancement toward a goal; the process of improving or changing

over time

* Have you made any progress on your college applications yet?

process – the things that must be done to make something happen

* Buying a metro ticket is a four-step process: (1) choose which ticket you want to

buy, (2) put your money in the machine, (3) push the “okay” button, and (4) take

your ticket.

to be on the chunky side – to be a little bit overweight; to be a little bit fat

* I hadn’t seen Harold in a year, so I was surprised to see that he is now on the

chunky side.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 116

WHAT INSIDERS KNOW

Gang Signs

A “street gang” is a group of young people who spend a lot of time together and

often “get into trouble” (behave badly and create problems) and fight with other

gangs. In larger cities, gangs can be very dangerous, with members killing

members of other gangs. Many gangs have “gang signs” (things that they do or

use to show which gang they belong to). These gang signs can include clothing,

“tattoos,” “graffiti,” and hand signs.

Typical gang clothing includes “leather jackets” (coats made from cow skin),

“chains” (metal rings that are connected together), and colored “bandanas” (a

square piece of colored fabric that is usually worn on one’s neck or head).

Another common gang sign is a “tattoo” (a permanent drawing on one’s skin,

made by using a needle to put colored ink under the skin). Normally all the

members of one gang will have the same tattoo design.

Other gangs like to use “graffiti” (text or drawings painted onto public walls,

where they shouldn’t be) to “mark their territory” (show which areas belong to a

particular gang). Sometimes the graffiti is very “elaborate” (detailed), but other

times it is just a “tag” (a simple symbol for the gang that can be painted quickly).

Gangs often paint their graffiti over other gangs’ graffiti, and this is known as

“mark out” graffiti.

Finally, hand signs are a common gang sign. Many gang members put their

fingers in the shape of a letter that identifies their gang. Other gangs use special

gang “handshakes” (ways to touch another person’s hand, usually to say hello,

goodbye, or to show agreement). Some gangs prefer hand signs over other

types of gang signs because they aren’t always “visible” (able to be seen), like

tattoos are.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 116

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You’re listening to ESL Podcast English Café number 116.

This is the English Café episode 116. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming

to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,

California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. If you go there, you can download a Learning

Guide for this episode, an 8 to 10 page guide to help you improve your English

even faster. You can also take a look at our ESL Podcast Store, which has some

additional courses in business and daily English.

On this Café, we’re going to talk about two fictional characters that are very

popular in the United States among children. They are the “Tooth Fairy” and the

“Easter Bunny”; we’re going to talk about what those characters are and why

they’re famous in the U.S. We’re also going to talk about four common hand

gestures. Every culture, every country has its own way of using body language

and gestures – movements of your hands and arms – to express certain ideas.

We’re going to talk about some of the common hand gestures in American

culture. And as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started.

The first thing we’ll talk about on this episode is the Tooth Fairy and the Easter

Bunny; let’s begin with the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy is a traditional fictional –

imaginary – children’s character that parents tell their children about. The Tooth

Fairy gives children a small amount of money, or sometimes a small gift, in

exchange for a baby tooth when it falls out of the child’s mouth. In other words,

when a child loses one of his teeth – and of course, all children lose their first set

of teeth when the second, larger set comes in; these are sometimes called “baby

teeth.” When a child loses a baby tooth, the Tooth Fairy takes it and gives them

money in exchange for, or in return for the tooth.

Now, when a child loses his or her tooth, they put it underneath their pillow – the

thing they put their head on in the bed – before they go to sleep. So, let’s say a

child loses his tooth in the afternoon, that night he would clean it and put it

underneath his pillow. When the child wakes up the next morning, the tooth is

gone and there is a quarter (25¢) or a small amount of money where the tooth

had been.

Now, in some families the custom is a little different. The child puts the tooth in a

glass of water next to his or her bed, and then the parent – well, the Tooth Fairy

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 116

takes the tooth out and puts a coin in. Of course, it’s the parent who is doing

that, but you probably guessed that since there is no such thing as a Tooth Fairy.

When we say “there’s no such thing,” we mean it doesn’t exist. But, the Tooth

Fairy is very popular, very common; almost every American family will have

parents that tell their children about the Tooth Fairy, and give their child a quarter

or a small coin when they lose a tooth.

The reason for this custom – this tradition – is probably to give children a small

reward when they lose something, like their tooth. It may also be a little painful

for them. It, in other words, gives them a little something to look forward to; even

though they lost their tooth, now they have a quarter. I have always thought that

there should be, for adults, a “Hair Fairy,” so that if you lose your hair, you can

put it under your pillow and get some money for it. If we did that, I would be a

rich man! But that idea has not become very popular.

The other fictional character for children that we’ll talk about today is the Easter

Bunny. A “bunny” (bunny) is another word for a “rabbit,” a small animal that

jumps up and down.

The Easter Bunny brings children gifts and candy on Easter Sunday. Easter

Sunday is a celebration in Christian churches of the resurrection of the Christian

savior, Jesus. Easter Sunday is not an official holiday, but it is celebrated in the

United States on a Sunday during the springtime. The “Easter Bunny” is the

imaginary character that brings children small gifts on the morning of Easter. So,

a child goes to sleep, wakes up, and just like Santa Claus at Christmas, there are

small gifts for the child. Usually, the gifts are in what we call a “basket,” which is

a small, round container. In some families, the children leave carrots out where

the Easter Bunny will be coming, because the idea is that rabbits like to eat

carrots.

The Easter Bunny also usually hides eggs that children will try to find on Easter

morning. These could be real eggs that are “hard-boiled,” meaning you cook the

egg so that it is solid. More popularly, however, parents buy plastic, colored

eggs, and they put candy or some sort of sweet inside of the egg. The most

popular candy for Easter eggs is jellybeans. When I was growing up, every

Easter morning we would wake up and we would have an “Easter egg hunt.” “To

hunt” here means simply to look for. So, we would have this Easter egg hunt,

and we would go around the house looking for these little plastic eggs that had

candy in them. Of course, my older brothers or my parents were the ones that

hid the Easter eggs – I think! In any case, Easter egg hunts are actually very

popular; sometimes you will even see them at a park.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: