EC077_Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 77

TOPICS

American houses, what Americans think they need, using “the” before a country’s

name, either versus neither

_____________

GLOSSARY

natural disaster – any bad event not caused by people but by nature, such as

floods, fires, and earthquakes, that results in deaths, injuries, or damage to

property

* My friend has lived on the Florida coast for all of her life and has lived through

at least a dozen natural disasters.

tornado – a large moving rotating (moving in a circle) wind that usually comes

with a storm and that can cause a lot of damage

* The tornado went through the small town and destroyed over 30 homes.

brick – a small rectangle-shaped block that is made of clay and used for building

* The protestors threw bricks through the laboratory’s window to show their

anger.

cement – a hard building material made of stone, clay, and water that is liquid

until it dries

* Quick! Let’s write our names in the sidewalk before the cement dries.

foundation – the lowest part of a house that is usually below ground level that

everything else builds upon

* The home inspector found a large crack in the house’s foundation and advised

us not to buy it.

frame – the hard structure that gives a house its shape and support

* Once we have the frame of the house up, we can install the windows.

basement – the part of a house or building that is below ground level

* When I was young, I was always afraid of going down to the basement of our

house because it was dark and cold.

to crawl – to move forward on one’s hand and knees

* The baby is only five months old, but she’s already starting to crawl.

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 – 77

to come out – to be made available to the public; to be published; to be revealed

* The politician resigned his position when the story about his gambling problem

came out in the newspaper.

to be unable to live without – to need to have; to require something to live

* My coworker can’t live without two cups of strong coffee every morning.

microwave oven – a small oven that cooks or heats food and drinks very quickly

* Dinner is almost ready. I just need to heat up the sauce in the microwave oven.

just barely – only just; almost not

* When we went to Disneyland, Oliver was just barely tall enough to go on the

rides.

either – used before two possibilities to show that one of the two will be chosen

or will occur

* I can’t decide which computer to buy, but I think either of these two models will

work for me.

neither – not one or the other of two people or things

* - Would you rather live in Los Angeles or New York City?

- Neither. I want to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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 – 77

WHAT INSIDERS KNOW

Telethons

A “telethon” is a very long television program to raise money for “charity,” or

organizations that give help to people in need. There are telethons to raise

money for many different “causes” (something that deserves people’s support).

In the United States, the most famous telethon is the Jerry Lewis Telethon to

raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, an organization that fights

“diseases” (medical disorders or problems) that affect people’s muscles. Jerry

Lewis is a well-known actor and “comedian” (an entertainer who makes people

laugh), who acted in many movies in the 1940s and 1950s. Since 1966, he has

held a 22-hour telethon each year on the weekend of the Labor Day holiday

(celebrated the first Monday of September). Telethons are often shown without

“commercials” (advertisements on TV).

What occurs during the very long telethon broadcast? One of the most common

things you’ll see are performers and celebrities who entertain by singing a song,

doing a comedy routine, or something else that will keep people watching. As

they perform, a telephone number and website address will appear on the bottom

of the TV screen, where people can make “donations” (money given to charity).

These celebrities will also ask people to call in to make a “pledge” (formal

promise) to give money.

The broadcast may also have people who are affected by the disease or disaster

tell their stories to the audience. This way people watching may feel “sympathy”

(feelings of sadness for someone else’s misfortune) and decide to make a

donation. The broadcast will also “pause” (stop briefly) from time tot time to give

the “tally” (overall total) of how much money has been raised so far.

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 – 77

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You're listening to ESL Podcast's English Café number 77.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast's English Café episode 77.

Seven is, in English, a lucky number so 77 is very lucky, I guess.

On this Café, we're going to be talking about American houses - American

homes - what they are made out of, meaning what they have as the materials in

the house - wood or brick or cement. We're also going to be talking about what

Americans think they need, according to a recent survey. And, as always, we'll

answer a few of your questions. Let's get started!

Our first topic today is American houses and what they are built with. You often

see on the news when there is a natural disaster - a natural disaster are things

like an earthquake, a hurricane, when there is a big snowstorm and it is so

serious that it causes problems, that it kills people or that it damages buildings,

we call that a natural disaster. The opposite of natural disaster would be man-

made disaster, and we have lots of man-made disasters as well.

When you see the news of a natural disaster in the United States, you'll often see

that houses are damaged, sometimes completely ruined, for example by a strong

earthquake or a tornado. A tornado, “tornado,” is when the wind goes around

very fast in a small area, and it easily destroys many homes.

The question is why are homes so easily damaged in the United States? The

main reason is that houses in the US, unlike some other countries, are made

mostly of wood; wood is the primary material that we used to build houses in the

United States. It is not as common to see brick, “brick,” which is a rectangular,

hard building material made of clay, “clay,” which comes from the ground. You

also do not see houses that are made mostly of cement, “cement,” which is also

something that you can use that looks like or is as hard as a rock or stone. It's

very expensive to use brick, stone or cement in building a house, so only very

expensive houses or very old houses - houses that were built maybe a hundred

years ago - are made primarily of brick or stone.

Wood is, and has been, cheap in the United States, especially historically. The

United States had many forests and it was easy and cheap to get wood, that's

probably one of the main reasons why most houses in the US are made of wood.

Unfortunately, if you have bad weather that can easily damage the houses. So,

when you see a story about the US and a hurricane or a tornado, you will often

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 – 77

see pictures of houses that have been ruined, and that's because the houses

here are made mostly of wood.

The only part of the house that typically has stone or cement is the bottom of the

house, what we would call the foundation. The foundation, “foundation,” is the

bottom of the house - it is what you put the house on top of, and usually that is

made of cement, and then, on top of that you put the wooden, what we would

call, frame, “frame.” The frame of the house are the pieces of wood that hold up

the walls and the ceilings.

In houses in the northern part of the United States, you usually will find a

basement in the house. A basement, “basement,” is when you have part of the

house below the ground. This is common in almost all of the houses in the

colder parts of the United States, such as Minnesota, Michigan, New York;

anywhere where it's very cold, you will have a basement. In the warmer parts of

the United States - Texas, Florida, California - it is not as common to see a

basement.

The reason houses in the north of the United States have a basement is because

the ground freezes during the winter, and you have to have the foundation of the

house below what we would call the frost line. The frost line, “frost line,” is where

the ground freezes, and the cement - the foundation - has to be below that point.

In the house where I grew up, we had a basement, and you could go down in the

basement and it was just like another room in your house. In my house here in

Los Angeles, we do not have a basement. There is a space between the floor

and the foundation - the bottom of the house - but it is only, maybe, one or two

feet. We call that a crawlspace, “crawlspace.” To crawl, “crawl,” means to go

down on your hands and your knees to be like a dog or a cat and walk on your

hands and knees - your arms and your legs. Little babies begin crawling; they

start moving on their hands and knees. Crawlspace is a place underneath the

house, but you can only crawl - you can only lay flat because it is not very big.

Different states have different regulations - different rules - about houses. In

some states like California, new houses have to be built so that they will survive

an earthquake. Earthquakes, where the ground moves, are common here in

California. I have felt many earthquakes in the last 15 years here in California.

So, the house has to be strong enough so that it doesn't fall down. However,

there are many older houses that were built before these laws - these rules -

were passed that will be damaged by an earthquake - my house, probably!

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: