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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 63

TOPICS

Dates for dogs, “Me, too!”, Something 101, I’m game, to hover over, travel vs. trip

vs. journey, up to vs. until, “Word up!”

_____________

GLOSSARY

to bound into – to enter a place jumping quickly forward, very happily

* The children bounded downstairs when they heard their grandparents arrive.

play date – a meeting for children to play together

* Do you have time next week for a play date with our kids?

a dog of (something) – something bad or terrible

* I have a dog of an investment right now, and I’m losing money every month.

to be pampered – to be spoiled; to be given a lot of attention, a lot of things one

wants, or every comfort

* On her birthday, her family pampered her with breakfast in bed and a lot of

presents.

empty-nesters – parents whose children have grown up and are no longer living

in the parent’s home

* Brenda and Lou are empty-nesters now that all of their kids have gone off to

college.

Me, too! – I have the same belief, experience, or opinion as you do; that is true

for me also

* You were in Damascus last year in August? Me, too!

(something) 101 – a basic course on a topic; low level information about

something

* These cookbooks are too complicated. I need Cooking 101.

to be game – to be interested in doing something; to be willing to take a risk

* We’re going to drive from California to Florida this summer. Are you game?

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 63

to hover over – to stay in one place in the air (above the ground); to watch over

someone closely as they do something

* The police helicopter has been hovering over those mountains for half an hour.

Do you think they’re looking for someone?

to travel – to go to another place, usually far away, often for vacation

* I wish I could travel to every country in the world just once before I die.

trip – moving from one place to another; going to a place and returning; traveling

to another place

* I’m going to make a quick trip to the market. Do you need anything?

journey – going from one place to another; usually longer than a trip; often with

some difficulty

* On our three-week journey, we’ll be hiking through both forests and mountains.

up to – total amount; the limit

* We’ve been saving to buy a new car for months. What are we up to now?

until – a specific limit; usually used for time and dates

* Dan has a 50%-off coupon that is good until January 15.

Word up!/Word! – I agree; you said that well; that is correct

* When he said that Shrek was the funniest movie ever made, I said, “Word!”

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

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 63

WHAT INSIDERS KNOW

PETA – People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also called “PETA,” is the largest

“animal rights” organization in the world. Its purpose is to protect animals and

stop people from treating them as the property of people. PETA began in the

U.S. in 1980, and now has offices in many other countries. The organization

believes that animals should not be eaten, used for clothing, used for

entertainment, or used for experiments in “laboratories” (places for scientific

tests).

PETA has had a lot of influence on “media” (television, radio, newspapers, and

magazines) and on fashion. The organization is known for its “media

campaigns,” using all kinds of media to spread their message. It has been very

successful in getting “celebrities” (famous people) to support them. Paul

McCartney, a former member of the 1960’s rock group, “The Beatles,” is a big

supporter of the organization. Another famous celebrity who supports PETA is

Pamela Anderson, an American actress who used to be on the well-known TV

series Baywatch. These and other celebrities are against using “fur” (soft animal

skin) for clothing, and “protest” (show that they are against) companies who use

or harm animals to create their products.

PETA is a controversial organization. Some people don’t like their “tactics”

(planned actions). “Activists” (people who take action to create change) have

burned laboratories where animals were being kept and were used for

experiments, and people wearing fur, including celebrities, have been “harassed”

(strongly pressured or attacked). However, it is an organization that has a lot of

supporters and has had a lot of influence on preventing “animal cruelty” (the

hurting or killing of animals).

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

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

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 63

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You're listening to ESLPod.com's English Café number 63.

This is English Café episode 63. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you

from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles,

California.

On this, more or less, sunny day here in LA, we're going to talk about a story that

I saw in the New York Times newspaper about dates for dogs. And as usual,

we're going to answer some questions. We have a lot of questions to answer

today, so we'll only have one cultural topic and then we'll answer several

questions. Let's get started.

A reminder, as always, to visit our website at eslpod.com and download the

Learning Guide for this podcast.

The first topic today is a article that I found in the New York Times newspaper.

The New York Times, as I've mentioned on other podcasts, is probably the best

newspaper in the United States. It isn't perfect; no newspaper is, but it's

considered the best newspaper. You can read them online also, of course, at

nytimes.com.

There was an article a few weeks ago called, or the title of it was, “A Dog of a

Date, Just as Scheduled.” The expression “a dog of” something usually means a

very bad example or a terrible something. “I had a dog of a trip” would mean I

had a terrible trip - a very bad trip. To date means to be romantically involved,

usually with someone, or to schedule a time - to set up or agree on a time that

you are going to meet someone. So, a date can be romantic, it also could be just

for a friend.

The title of the article, again, then is “A Dog of a Date, Just as Scheduled,” and

it's about dogs having dates with other dogs. Of course, the owner of the dog

sets up or arranges these dates. The article begins by saying that “On Thursday

morning, three-year-old Jicky bounded into her friend Jolie’s Park Avenue

apartment for a play date.” That's the first sentence of this article, and three-

year-old Jicky - is the name of the dog, Jicky - so this is a three-year-old dog who

“bounded into” - that verb, to bound, “bound,” into, here means to walk into

somewhere being happy - you are very happy to be there. You come in quickly

and you are happy about it.

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

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 63

Well, she bounded into her friend Jolie’s - which is of course, another dog -

apartment. The apartment is on Park Avenue, which is one of the most

expensive places to live in New York City, and she was there for a play date. A

play date is usually something we associate with children. When children have

other friends and the parent takes the child - the mother or the father takes the

child over to someone else's house so that the kids can play together, we would

call that a play date.

Well, these are play dates for dogs, and this story is about people in New York

City who set up or schedule dates for their dogs. I thought it was a rather

interesting idea. The article says that many dogs in the United States are treated

like pampered children. To treat, here, means to behave towards or act towards

someone. Pampered is a good adjective, “pampered.” Pampered means

someone who gets everything they want. A parent can pamper his or her child

by giving them all the toys they want, anything they want to eat and so forth.

Being nice to someone by giving them anything they want; that would be

someone who is pampered. The verb is to pamper.

The article says that many dog owners pamper their dogs. This is more

common, according to the article, among nontraditional families. That is not a

mother, father and child, but perhaps just one parent. It's also common among

empty nesters. A nest, “nest,” is a place where birds go - it's the home of a bird.

The bird builds a nest for him or herself and his or her children.

When we say someone is an empty nester, as a noun, it's describing a person,

usually parents, who have children who grew up and moved away from home.

So, a parent may have a child when they are 25, and when the child turns 20 - 20

years later - the child leaves the house and goes to live by himself. That would

be a case where the parents are now empty nesters. They have no one in their

nest - they have no one in their home other than themselves. It refers to middle-

aged and older parents whose children have all grown up.

This is something in New York that, apparently, many people are doing. In fact,

there are even some websites that you can go to. One of them is called

datemypet.com, and you can go on this website and find a play date for your

dog. It seems kind of strange to me, but this is New York City where a lot of

people own pets, especially dogs. It is something, of course, not just for the dog

but for the owners of the dog. They get a chance to talk to - to socialize - with

other dog owners.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2006). Posting of

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

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