esl听力材料

ESL Podcast 1097 – Landscaping a Home

Mona: I want a lawn. I’ve always pictured our new house with a lawn.

Kellan: Lawns require a lot of water and upkeep. I think we should use hardscape for most of the yard and plant only drought-tolerant plants.

M ona: I don’t want my yard to be full of gravel and rocks. I picture a water feature in the middle, with annuals and perennials planted all around it, surrounded by a big, beautiful lawn.

Kellan: We can have some kind of slow-growing ground cover if you want to, but the rest isn’t practical.

Mona: I don’t know what you mean. We can plant a hedge over there and install planters along the walkway.

Kellan: Who will do the pruning and mulching? Who will pull the weeds and mow the lawn? Who will rake the leaves when the seasons change?

Mona: Well, I guess I will, with your help.

Kellan: Don’t count on me. My motto is:No muss, no fuss!

English Café 499

Topics: Americans Abroad –The Confederados in Brazil; Chaco Canyon National Historical Park; speaking in tongues, folks, porridge, and just right; to ingratiate (oneself) with

Words:

civil war

economy

to have a tie to

heritage

archeologist

engineering

artifact

to inhabit

architecture

astronomy

tribe

deserted

speaking in tongues

folks

porridge

just right

drama

trauma

to ingratiate (oneself) with

ESL Podcast 1096 – Improving Online Reviews

Jerrise: Okay, you were right. We need to do something to improve business. Do you think we should take out an ad in the local newspaper?

Russell: We could do that, but I think a better strategy is to improve our online reviews.

Jerrise: Who looks at websites with unsolicited reviews? I’m not convinced that’ll help us.

Russell: Lots of people look at reviews when choosing which business to patronize. Right now, we only have three stars out of five, and that’s hurting us.

Jerrise: It’s hard to believe that adding a star will really improve our business. Russell: Believe it. And those mediocre reviews we received last week? We should respond to each one and try to make it right.

Jerrise: Those reviews were written by a few disgruntled customers. We’re always going to have a few whiners.

Russell: Yes, but now they’re much more vocal. If they’re not happy with o ur service or product, we need to compensate them for their bad experience. Jerrise: That would put us out of business!

Russell: No, that’s an investment in our business reputation.

Jerrise: What you’re saying is that we need to bribe people to write good reviews.

Russell: I wouldn’t put it that way, but we should recognize that crowdsourcing is the wave of the future and we need to move with the times if our business is to survive.

Jerrise: All right. I guess we can try that.

Russell: What are you doing now?

Jerrise: Writing my own review. I’ve always given myself excellent service!

ESL Podcast 1095 – Childhood Fitness

Mom: Hold it right there. Put that candy bar down.

Justin: Mom, I just wanted a snack to tide me over.

Mom: Don’t you remember what Dad said about this family’s need to improve our level of fitness?

Justin: Only old people have to worry about getting fat.

Mom: It’s not just about getting fat.

Justin: But I’m just a kid. I’m in great shape.

Mom: Childhood obesity is a huge problem in this country. Even if you’re not overweight, people your age lead sedentary lives.

Justin: Whatever that means.

Mom: It means that you sit around all day as couch potatoes watching TV and playing videogames. In my day, kids went outside to ride their bikes, climb trees, and run around.

Justin: I don’t have that kind of energy.

Mom: Precisely! You and your brothers are lethargic because you don’t get enough exercise.

Justin: But exercise is tiring.

Mom: That’s because you’re no t fit. You have no stamina or endurance. Justin: I don’t need endurance.

Mom: Stop grumbling. It’s Saturday and you boys should be outside getting some fresh air.

Justin: In Los Angeles?

Mom: Are you smart mouthing me, young man? Get outside or you’ll all be helping me clean the house.

Justin: We’re out of here!

English Café 498

Topics: American Movies/Musicals – Mary Poppins; Craigslist; oblivion and to overwhelm; to select versus to elect; wee hours

Words:

nanny

nursery

suffragette

to interview

chaos

to adapt

classified advertisement

to incorporate

to generate

revenue

to crack down

fraud

oblivion

to overwhelm

to select

to elect

wee hours

ESL Podcast 1094 –Tracing One’s Genealogy

Aaron: Do you think you can help me trace my genealogy?

Corrie: Sure, I can try. We can get started by talking to your parents and grandparents. Oral interviews will give us some names of your relatives.

Aaron: I’ve already talked to them and I grew up hearing stories about my lineage on both sides of my family.

Corrie: That’s great. If you know some of the people you’re descended from, we can start by looking at public records and historical records from the area. You’re from Tennessee, right?

Aaron: That’s right. There are a lot of people in Tennessee with my last name, though.

Corrie: Well, we can triangulate the information we get to zero in on your ancestors.

Aaron: What if I want proof positive that I’m related to someone?

Corrie: Then you can have a genetic analysis done. A DNA test is generally accepted proof.

Aaron: Good, it’s about time someone in my family established the blood connections.

Corrie: Blood connections to whom?

Aaron: Elvis, of course.

Corrie: Elvis?! You think you’re related to Elvis?

Aaron: His last name was Presley; my last name is Presley. My first name is Aaron; his middle name was Aaron. It can’t be a coincidence, especially considering my talent.

Corrie: Talent?

Aaron: Sure, listen: “Well, it's one for the money, two for the sh ow, three to get ready, now go, cat, go!”

Corrie: I consider that counterevidence!

ESL Podcast 1093 – Having a Picnic

Bill: Surprise! I brought you here to this beautiful spot for a romantic picnic. I have a very special question to ask you.

Madison: Oh, that’s so sweet. Did you remember to bring a picnic blanket?

Bill: I did. I have everything we’ll need in this picnic basket.

Madison: Don’t put it down there. There are ants. You should put it on the blanket.

Bill: Yes, you’re right.

Madison: And I hope you remembered to bring something to drink. I’m thirsty.

Bill: I brought both food and a bottle of champagne.

Madison: Well, I hope the food isn’t too cold and the champagne isn’t too warm. You know how I hate warm champagne.

Bill: Actually the food is cold because I brought chicken sandwiches and potato salad.

Madison: Oh, I thought you would have brought something a little more, well, gourmet or lavish, something a little special.

Bill: That’s why I brought the champagne. It’ll make this picnic extra special.

Madison: I guess we’ll have to make do with warm champagne and sandwiches. I hope you remembered to bring a corkscrew and some dishes and silverware.

Bill: I bought paper plates and plastic utensils.

Madison: Paper and pla stic? I guess we’ll have to make do with those, too. Okay, now, you said you had a special question you wanted to ask me. What is it?

Bill: Question? Oh, never mind. It’ll keep.

English Café 497

Topics: American Presidents –James A. Garfield; to resign/draw/abandon match; gorgeous versus magnificent; nail in (someone’s) coffin

Words:

to be raise

canal

to pursue

session

to nominate

candidate

slogan

tow path

administrative

to appoint

patronage system

succession

match

to resign

draw

to abandon

gorgeous

magnificent

nail in (someone’s) coffin

ESL Podcast 1092 – Keeping a Meeting On Track

Lynda: Could I say one more thing about that?

Bruce: I’m afraid we’re running short on time. Maybe we could wrap up this discussion now.

Lynda: Before we leave this topic, though, I really think we should talk about next year’s plans.

Bruce: That’s outside the scope of this meeting. We can put it on the agenda for next time.

Lynda: But we won’t meet again for a month. We should s pend some time talking about our plans for next year. I think we should consider closing the Irvine office and moving it to Franklin. It would save us a lot of money.

Bruce: If we get off on a tangent, we won’t be able to get through our discussion for t oday. Let’s try to get back on track and discuss the main focus of today’s meeting, which is how to end this year without any more problems. I feel like we’re getting close to making some decisions.

Lynda: We can’t make any decisions when there are still so many unresolved issues. Things are still up in the air because we don’t know what will happen next year. Any decisions we make now will be moot if our assumptions are wrong.

Bruce: I’m afraid we differ on that. I think we have enough information now to forge ahead. We can come to some tentative decisions and make any adjustments later. Should we take it to a vote?

Lynda: If you insist. I still think it’s premature.

Bruce: I’ll take that as a “no” vote.

ESL Podcast 1091 – Punishing Children

Yuki: What are you doing?

Al: I’m getting ready to give Charlie a spanking for beating up his classmate. He has to learn that there are serious consequences for his actions.

Yuki: You’re punishing him for beating someone by giving him a beating? Th at doesn’t make sense. Our response shouldn’t be an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Al: I’m not going to beat him. This isn’t going to be a flogging. I’m going to give him a simple spanking.

Yuki: Corporal punishment isn’t the answer. We can give him a severe punishment without resorting to violence.

Al: What kind of punishment? Withholding his allowance or taking away his toys? Those don’t seem severe enough to me.

Yuki: We could ground him for a month, only allowing him to go to school. Al: That still doesn’t seem to be enough.

Yuki: All right, we can pull out the big guns then. We could have him spend the weekend with your mother and ask her to talk some sense into him. He’s scared of your mother.

Al: I’m scared of my mother. Do you thi nk it would work?

Yuki: If I were a 10-year-old and I had to face your angry and disapproving mother for an entire weekend, I’d be quaking in my boots!

English Café 496

Topics: Ask an American –Digital music technology; It’s called being nic e versus It’s called been nice; to stutter versus to stumble; mean

Words:

social media

to be signed by

record label

liberating

to do shows

to build a brand

reputation

streaming service

FM radio

music collection

terrestrial radio

relevant

to stutter

to stumble

to mean

mean