Tài Liệu Tiếng Anh Speaking Conversation

English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 164 – Seeing a Specialist This podcast is called “Seeing a Specialist.” A “specialist” is usually a doctor that is an exp

Trang 1

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 164 – Seeing a Specialist

GLOSSARY

nagging pain – a pain that continues to hurt and that won’t go away

* I can’t sleep at night because of the nagging pain in my back

routine tests – regular tests, not special ones

* The doctor ordered some routine tests for my daughter

specialist – a doctor who specializes in an area of medicine

* My doctor said that a specialist would be able to tell me what is wrong with my eye

GP (general practitioner) – a doctor trained to give general health care; not a

specialist

* If anyone in the family is sick, they go see our family GP

to refer – to be given a recommendation to see someone

* My friend referred me to a good car mechanic

to diagnose – to find the problem

* The gardener diagnosed the problem with my plant and now it’s healthy

to order some tests – to have medical tests done to a patient

* My eye doctor ordered some tests to find out why I’m having difficulty seeing

surgery – when the doctor cuts open or performs some procedure on or in your

body

* The surgery on her hand went well and she should recover soon

procedure – a series of activities or steps

* Does anyone know the procedure for installing this program?

to relieve – to reduce or stop pain

* I took the pills and it relieved my shoulder pain

high risk operation – dangerous surgery

* She decided to have the high risk operation against her doctor’s advice

Trang 2

www.eslpod.com

not at all – definitely not

* I asked him if changing seats would cause a problem and he said, “Not at all.”

treatment options – choices for medical care

* After thinking about all of the treatment options, I decided to take the

medication

not that… – short for “not something that” or “not anyone that”

* I have nothing to wear in my closet, at least, not that I would wear to the party

course of treatment – a series of things the doctor does to cure you or make

your better

* We decided on this course of treatment for my father

second opinion – another opinion or diagnosis

* It’s a good idea to get a second opinion just to be sure

going under the knife – to have surgery

* I have a good surgeon so I’m not worried about going under the knife

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1 Simon went to see the specialist because:

a) he didn’t trust his GP

b) he was referred to the specialist by his doctor

c) he wanted to get a second opinion

2 After seeing the specialist, Simon plans to:

a) talk to another specialist

b) get surgery

c) never see another doctor

Trang 3

www.eslpod.com

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

routine

The adjective “routine” means to do what is regularly done, not something

special: “My car needs routine maintenance to run well.” It can also be used as

a noun to mean a sequence of actions: “My daily routine includes a workout at the gym.”

CULTURE NOTE

Most Americans have private health insurance; that is, they or their employers pay for a private company to take care of their doctor and hospital expenses Unlike many other countries, the United States does not have a national, free health system The national or “federal” government does pay for the medical care of certain people who are very poor or who are old, but there are many people in the U.S with no health insurance at all Most people are part of a

“group health” plan called a Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO These HMOs are private companies that organize and administer clinics and hospitals for their members You become a member of an HMO by paying a certain

amount of money, or by having your company pay for you

When you first get sick, you usually have to see a GP before being able to talk to

a medical specialist The GP will examine you and, if he or she thinks you need

to see someone who is an expert, you will get a “referral” – permission to talk to another doctor who specializes in the problem you have If you don’t agree with your doctor, you can also get a second opinion, usually without having to pay any extra money

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a

Trang 4

California here in the United States

On today's podcast, we are going to the doctor to see a specialist Let's go!

I went to see my doctor because I had a nagging pain in my leg After he

examined me and did some routine tests, he suggested that I go see a specialist

I made an appointment with Dr Slope

Dr Slope: Good morning! How are you today?

Simon: I'm fine, Dr Slope My GP, Dr Harding, referred me to you He thought that you might be able to diagnose the problem with my leg

Dr Slope: Well, let's take a look Hmm, I want to order some tests, but I think you may need surgery It's a simple procedure and it will relieve your pain Simon: So, it's not a high risk operation?

Dr Slope: No, not at all It's quite routine

Simon: Are there any other treatment options?

Dr Slope: Not that I'd recommend This is the best course of treatment, in my opinion

I was really surprised by what Dr Slope said I really didn't want to have surgery

I think I'd better get a second opinion before going under the knife

Trang 5

www.eslpod.com

This podcast is called “Seeing a Specialist.” A “specialist” is usually a doctor that

is an expert in one particular area of medicine So, it could be a cardiologist, someone who's an expert with the heart It could be a pediatrician, someone who works especially with young children Well, [there are] many different types

of specialties and specialists in medicine And, in today's podcast, the story begins by me saying that I went to my doctor because I had a nagging pain in my leg A “nagging pain” or a “nagging paint”—in my dialect in Minnesota here in the United States, I say “nagging,” [a long “a” sound] but the more common

pronunciation, the more standard pronunciation is probably “nagging.” “Nagging, nagging”—see, it’s hard for me to say it!—is “nagging.” And we say that we have

a nagging pain, we mean that it is a pain that is bothering us for a long time, that isn't serious in the sense that you have to go to the hospital, but it bothers you, it hurts you enough so that you may want to go to the doctor The word “nagging” comes from a verb, “to nag,” which means to bother We usually use the verb, however, as something that someone does to someone else “His wife is always nagging him about something,” means she's always telling him to do something, always asking him to do something, over and over again, so much that it begins

to bother him So, that is the word “nagging.”

So, after the doctor examined me - and the verb “to examine” is the verb we use to…what doctors do to you, they examine you When you go to a hospital or to the doctor's office, there's usually an “exam room” or an “examination room.” This is not “exam,” like a test, but it's exam, here, means to look at, to examine You go into the examination room and the doctor examines you In this case, my doctor ran some routine tests A “test” could be a “blood test,” where they take some of your blood and they send it to a laboratory to check for certain things The verb we use for medical tests is usually to “run.” “I'm going to run some test

on you” or “he ran some tests on me.” It means he performed or he did some of these tests When we say something is a “routine test,” we mean it's a normal, regular test that the doctor runs many, many different times with different

patients, not a special test Routine tests may be…a blood test, that sort of thing

Well, the doctor suggested that I go see a specialist, and we already know what

a specialist is, someone who is an expert in a particular area of medicine

Usually in the United States, to become a doctor, first you have to go through four years of a regular bachelor's degree In some countries, you can start

training to become a doctor as soon as you graduate from high school, but that's not true in the US In the United States, you have to have a bachelor's degree, a

Trang 6

www.eslpod.com

four-year bachelor's degree usually in some science area, but it's not required Then, you have to go to a separate school, to graduate school, to medical

school, and that can last anywhere between four and six years If you want to become a specialist, you have to study even more and work even more, so it could be two or three more years before you become a specialist So, from the time you leave high school until you can become a specialist, it could be as much

as ten years You could be in your late 20's if you started right away (No, you'd

be older than that, wouldn't you?) No, you'd be in your late 20's if you started college when you were 18

Anyway, in this case, going back to the story, I said I made an appointment with

Dr Slope “I made an appointment.” Of course, we use the verb to “make” an appointment when we are trying to schedule or arrange a time to see our doctor Again, here in the United States, the medical system, it depends on how much money you have, honestly We have a private medical system and we have a public medical system The better private medical systems, of course, offer a much better range of services, more things that you can see rather, uh, get from the hospital and the doctor

Well, the examination with the doctor begins by the doctor coming in and saying,

“Good morning! How are you today? How are you feeling?” A doctor could say

a lot of things here, like, “What seems to be the problem?” or “Why have you come to see us today?” But here, he begins with just “How are you today?” Simon, that's me in the story, Simon says “I'm fine, Dr Slope My GP, Dr

Harding, referred me to you.” My GP—the letter G and the letter P, capital letter GP—means my “general practitioner.” And “practitioner” is “practitioner.” And a general practitioner is a doctor who is not a specialist He is or she is what you could call a generalist, somebody who knows a little bit about lots of different things and a general practitioner is usually the first and main doctor that you have, the one that you go see for all of your problems If he doesn't know the answer or can't help you, he will send you to a specialist So, a general

practitioner is sometimes called also, a “primary physician;” that is, the person who you see the most, your main doctor

Well, in the story, the GP, Dr Harding, refers Simon to the specialist To “refer” means to tell someone that they should go see someone else In the medical

system in the United States, you can't just call up the specialist because you

think you should go see a specialist Usually, you have to talk to your general

Trang 7

www.eslpod.com

practitioner and if then he or she thinks you should see a specialist, they refer you to the specialist They give you a piece of paper or they tell you to call back

at the doctor's office and ask for the particular specialist That is the use of the verb here, to “refer.” We can use that verb in other senses, too: “I refer you to today's newspaper.” It means I am recommending or I am telling you you should look at today's newspaper You could use “refer” in other areas, too: “I was referred to you by your friend, John,” means your friend John said I should talk to you

Dr Slope looks at Simon Simon says that he was hoping that Dr Slope would

be able to diagnose the problem To “diagnose,” the verb, is to figure out what's wrong with you It's a verb we usually use for medicine, for doctors The doctor diagnoses the patient The doctor figures out what's wrong with the person The

“patient,” of course, is the person who is sick, the person who is seeing the

doctor The noun for diagnose is “diagnosis,” with an –sis at the end, and that is what the doctor tells you that you have, what problem you have So, someone may say, “What's the diagnosis?” they mean, “What is the problem?” That would

be the noun You can use that verb “diagnose” outside of medicine It is

sometimes used, for example, if you have a problem with your computer, and the

IT, the technical people may come in and “diagnose” the problem on your

computer, figure out or find out what is wrong with your computer

Dr Slope says, “Well, let's take a look,” and that is a common expression, “Let's take a look,” “Let's examine you.” He says that he wants to order some tests, but

he thinks that Simon may need surgery To “order some tests” is very similar to

“to run some tests.” To order a test means that the doctor gives you a piece of paper that you take to the laboratory He's telling you, he's ordering, if you will, these tests from the laboratory But here, it usually means to run the test The laboratory actually does the test; they actually run the test, but we usually use those verbs pretty much in the same way: “to order a test,” “to run a test.”

The doctor says he's going order some tests, but he thinks that Simon may need surgery “Surgery,” a noun, is when the doctor has to cut you, open you,

somehow Usually, it's something that you do in a hospital, usually it’s something you do in an operating room To “operate” means the same as “to do surgery” on someone You may need surgery to fix your heart, you may need surgery to fix your knee The doctor has to actually, we would say, “cut you open” and fix you

or go inside your body to fix whatever is the problem “Surgery” is the noun,

Trang 8

www.eslpod.com

again, the verb is “to do surgery” or “to operate.” There's also the adjective

“surgical,” which is related to things that are, uh, related to surgery

Dr Slope says, “It's a simple procedure and it will relieve your pain.” A

“procedure” is another word really for surgery or operation It's what the doctor has to do to you It's not always the same as a surgery A procedure may be, for example, that they need to examine your stomach, so they may need to put something in your mouth and down your throat into your stomach That would be

a procedure The procedure can also mean, however, an operation or a surgery The doctor says the procedure will relieve your pain To “relieve” pain means to lessen pain, to lower your pain, to give you, uh, to make you feel better so you have less pain The noun is “relief,” the verb is to “relieve.” Simon says to the doctor, “So, it's not a high risk operation?” A “high risk” (two words) means that it could be dangerous When we say that something is “high risk,” that means that the surgery or the operation could cause more problems Of course, an

operation is the noun that means the same as surgery

Dr Slope says, “Not at all,” meaning not even a little bit; it's not high risk We say, “not at all” means “no,” “not in any way.” Dr Slope says, “It's quite routine.” And again, “routine” we know means it's common, it's quite normal Notice that the use of the word “quite;” it's basically the same as it's “very” routine, very common It's a little more formal, when someone says, “It's quite routine,” but they're used similarly—very and quite—in this case

Simon says, “Are there any other treatment options?” “Treatment” is another word for what the doctor gives you or does to you to help you That's called the treatment So you go to the doctor, and the doctor diagnoses you, and then, he

or she gives you a treatment, maybe some pills or drugs to take It may be

surgery, it may be changing your exercise or your diet, what you eat (“Stop smoking,” for example; that's good advice.) So, Simon asks what the other treatment options or choices are Dr Slope says that there are no other good treatment options He says, “Not that I'd recommend,” meaning there are no other ones that I'd recommend

He says, “This is the best course of treatment, in my opinion.” The expression

“course of treatment” really means the same as “This is the best treatment.” A

Trang 9

www.eslpod.com

course of treatment usually means that there is more than one thing that you have to do, several things that you may have to do

At the end of the story, Simons says he’s really surprised, that he doesn't want to have surgery And, of course, who wants to have surgery? He says, “I'd better get a second opinion before going under the knife.” A “second opinion” is when you go to the doctor and the doctor says, “Well, I think you need this” or “I think the problem is that.” You say, “Okay, thanks, doctor I want to talk to someone else, I want a second opinion.” And in most medical insurance plans in the United States, you can ask for a second opinion from a different doctor to make sure that it really is the correct diagnosis The expression “to go under the knife” means to have an operation, to have a surgery, to be operated on, where the doctor actually has to take a knife and cut you open The expression is “to go under the knife,” to have surgery

Now let's listen to the dialogue this time at a native rate of speech

I went to see my doctor because I had a nagging pain in my leg After he

examined me and did some routine tests, he suggested that I go see a specialist

I made an appointment with Dr Slope

Dr Slope: Good morning! How are you today?

Simon: I'm fine, Dr Slope My GP, Dr Harding, referred me to you He thought that you might be able to diagnose the problem with my leg

Dr Slope: Well, let's take a look Hmm, I want to order some tests, but I think you may need surgery It's a simple procedure and it will relieve your pain Simon: So, it's not a high risk operation?

Dr Slope: No, not at all It's quite routine

Simon: Are there any other treatment options?

Dr Slope: Not that I'd recommend This is the best course of treatment, in my opinion

Trang 10

www.eslpod.com

I was really surprised by what Dr Slope said I really didn't want to have surgery

I think I'd better get a second opinion before going under the knife

The script for our podcast was written by Dr Lucy Tse For more information about the script of this podcast, you should go to our website at eslpod.com and find out more about getting the transcript

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan Thanks for listening We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast

Trang 11

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 165 – A Practical Joke at Work

GLOSSARY

I’ve had it! – to be tired of a situation, to be unwilling to tolerate something

* I’ve had it with the poor service at this restaurant and I don’t plan to come back

take it – tolerate, to put up with

* I can’t take it when the weather is so hot

What’s the matter? – What is the problem?, What is wrong with…

* What’s the matter with Doug? He is normally so happy

being the butt of – to be the person or thing that people are making fun of or

laughing at

* Her bad singing is the butt of a lot of jokes among her friends

practical jokes – playing a trick on someone that usually involves some physical

action

* I am planning to play a practical joke on my friend when comes for a visit

What has he done now? – what mistake has this person done, what problem

have they created; usually said of someone who has had problems in the past

* Those kids are always getting into trouble What have they done now?

giggling – to laugh, but not too loudly

* The movie was so funny, I couldn’t stop giggling the whole time

sticker – a piece of paper that has glue on one side to make it stick or adhere to something else

* Some students like to decorate their school folders with stickers

stuck – difficult to remove; past tense of to stick

* I got gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe and I couldn’t get it off

red hot mama – a sexually attractive woman; an expression common in the 1960s, but not as popular today

* She must think she’s a red hot mama to dress like that

Trang 12

www.eslpod.com

papa - informal for father; a word sometimes used by children instead of “dad”

* She said, “Papa, when will you be home from work?”

he’s going to get it - to get into trouble, to be punished

* If he borrowed her car without asking, he’s going to get it when he comes

1 Joey thought the practical joke was:

a) very funny and plans to play one on Chandler

b) the best practical joke in the world

c) not funny and plans to play one on Chandler

2 When Phoebe saw Joey walk out of his office, she:

a) told him he had a sticker on his pants

b) laughed

c) told him she wanted a sticker, too

Trang 13

www.eslpod.com

stuck

The word “stuck,” in this podcast, means to have something that’s difficult to remove It can be something physical, like a sticker or a body part: “My foot got stuck in the hole and I couldn’t get it out.” We can also use stuck to mean having difficulty getting out of a situation: “Because I don’t have enough training, I’m stuck in a low-paying job,” or “I promised to help my friend and I got stuck helping move all weekend.”

take it

In this podcast, the phrase “take it” means to tolerate something: “My neighbor’s

TV is on all day and I can’t take it anymore.” We can also use “take it” when we want to make clear something that’s uncertain: “I take it that we need to arrive by 7:45 if we want to see the 8:00 movie,” or “I take it you’ll read the instructions before trying put together the new desk, right?” It is similar to “I understand

Some common practical jokes in a business office include hiding something from someone, putting signs on someone’s back without the person knowing, taking off a part of someone's clothing, or using a squirt gun to shoot water at someone (A squirt gun is a small plastic toy in the shape of a gun that shoots water.)

Practical jokes can also include telling someone a false story in order to get them

to do something Perhaps the most famous type of practical joke is using a

“whoopee cushion.” A whoopee cushion is a small pillow that makes a funny noise when you sit on it

One of the most common days to play a practical joke on someone is April Fools' Day April Fools' Day is April 1, a day traditionally that people play practical jokes

on each other

Trang 14

www.eslpod.com

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

Trang 15

Today's podcast is called “Practical Jokes.” Let's get started!

Joey: I've had it I'm not going to take it anymore

Rachel: What's the matter?

Joey: I'm sick and tired of being the butt of Chandler's practical jokes One of these days, he's really going to get someone hurt

Rachel: Oh no! What has he done now?

Joey: I went back to my office after lunch and sat down at my desk After about a half hour, I got up to get some coffee I walked out of my office and I hear

Phoebe giggling behind me

Rachel: What was so funny?

Joey: Chandler had put a sticker on my chair that stuck to my pants when I got

up

Rachel: What did it say?

Joey: It said, “I'm a Red Hot Mama.”

Rachel: That's terrible I can see why you're mad You may be a “Red Hot

Papa,” but definitely not a “Red Hot Mama.”

Joey: Very funny One of these days, he's going to get it I'm planning my

revenge

Trang 16

so they can't open it That would be a practical joke; nothing too serious, but something that other people might laugh at Well, the word “practical,” of course, usually means something that is very possible to do, but a practical joke means something that is supposed to be funny But it’s usually funny because someone has something negative or bad happened to them It's very common on April Fool's Day, on the first of April, to play practical jokes That's the verb we use, to

“play” a practical joke

Our dialogue begins with Joey saying, “I've had it I'm not going to take it

anymore.” “I've had it” means I have had enough, I will not tolerate it anymore

“I’ve had it” - I want no more of this It's something you say when you are angry about something or some situation, perhaps, that have been going on for a long time, and then you say, “You know what, I've had it I've had enough.” He says that he's not going to take it anymore “To take it” means the same as “to put up with something.” “To put up with something” means that you tolerate it, that you accept it, that you don't do anything about it When something is wrong, when there is a problem, sometimes you just have to put up with it, you just have to take it But when you say, “I'm not going to take it anymore,” that means you are not going to accept the situation anymore

Rachel asks Joey, “What's the matter?” And “what’s the matter” is the same as

“What's wrong?” “What's the matter?” is much more common, probably more informal “What's the matter?” “What's wrong?” Joey says, “I'm sick and tired of being the butt of Chandler's practical jokes.” A couple of expressions there that are common – “I’m sick” and “I’m tired.” The expression “I'm sick and tired” is similar to I've had it or I've had enough It's when you no longer want to accept a negative situation “I'm sick and tired of people who do not park their cars on the street in the right way.” “I'm sick and tired of watching television every night with the stupid shows on TV.” “I'm sick and tired of eating hamburger everyday.” That means I’m not - I don't want to put up with that situation anymore

Well, Joey is sick and tired of being the butt of Chandler's jokes To be the “butt

of someone's joke” means you are the one who is made fun of, you are the one that the joke is played on Someone plays a practical joke on you, you are the

Trang 17

www.eslpod.com

butt of the joke, you are the person who gets hurt of the joke, if you will Well, Joey says that, “One of these days, he's really going to get someone hurt.” “One

of these days” means someday “One of these days, I'm going to go to

Montreal.” “One of these days, I'm going to buy a new car;” someday, but

nothing specific

Rachel says, “Oh no! What has he done now?,” means he's been doing things for

a long time that are probably bad and so, when we use the expression “What has

he done now?” – meaning, he's done other things bad in the past Joey says that he went to his office after lunch and he sat down at his desk To “sit down at your desk” means you sat down in a chair next to your desk, you don't actually sit

on your desk (well, you could!) He sat down at his desk and after about a half hour, he got up (meaning he stood up) to get some coffee He walked out of his office, he left his office, and he heard Phoebe giggling behind him To “giggle” as

a verb, means to laugh Usually, it means to laugh, not “hahaha,” but sort of

“hm-hm-hm,” not very loudly, often so that other people don't hear you We, many times, use that term also for teenagers or young children who laugh at things, they giggle, but it can also be used for an adult So, Phoebe is giggling

at Joey, and that is the expression “to giggle at someone.”

Rachel says, “What was so funny?,” meaning “What is the joke?” Joey says,

“Chandler had put a sticker on my chair.” A “sticker” is something that sticks or stays on something For example, little children often have stickers that they put

in books, that are different colors and different shapes To stick to something means to adhere something that stays on something You can use glue, for example, to make something stick Well, a sticker is a piece of paper that you put on something People also put stickers on their car We call those bumper stickers, because the “bumper” is the front and back part of the car that you have

in case someone hits you, they hit your bumper To “bump” means to hit

something Anyway, that's a bumper sticker

Joey says that the sticker stuck to his pants To “stick,” of course, we already know “Stuck” is the irregular past participle or a past tense, as well, “it stuck to

my pants.” Rachel says, “What did it say?” And Joey says, “It said, 'I'm a Red Hot Mama.'“ Well, first of all, when we say something is “red hot,” it's the same as saying they're very hot, but when we say someone, a person, is red hot, we mean they're very good looking, they're very attractive To be “hot” means to be very sexually attractive To be “red hot” means to be very attractive This

expression is usually used with the word “mama.” “Mama” is one way of saying

“mother” or “mom,” and in some parts of the United States, especially in

Trang 18

www.eslpod.com

Southern United States, they may refer to their mothers as “mama.” In most places, we just say “mom.” But, the use of “mama” here is very different It

doesn't mean your mother, it means a very attractive girl or a very attractive woman So, we say, “she's a hot mama,” means she's very good looking girl or a very attractive woman However, I have to say that this is not an expression we use anymore very commonly, and when someone does use it, like in the

dialogue, they're using it kind of as a joke, this old expression, probably from the 50's or the 60's and 70's Of course, a man is not a red hot mama, and that's the practical joke Rachel says, “That's terrible I can see why you're mad.” - I can understand why you're mad “You may be a red hot papa, but definitely not a red hot mama.” Well, now Rachel is making a joke on Joey, making fun of Joey by saying that he may be a red hot papa Of course, “papa” is the word informally for father, but again, it's not one that's used by most Americans Some people and certain parts of the country, we would just say “Dad.” So, red hot papa would

of course be the male part or the male equivalent of red hot mama But that’s not

an expression…we don't use red hot papa That's not an actual expression Rachel is just making a joke

Joey says, “Very funny.” Of course, he doesn't mean “very funny” seriously Joey is kidding when he says, “Oh, very funny.” When someone says that, they mean that what you just said is not very funny So, Joey is saying to Rachel that

he doesn't like her joke “Very funny One of these days, “ Joey says again,

“he's going to get it.“ To “get it” actually has a couple of different meanings It can mean to understand something, so, “Do you get it?” “Yes, I get it Yes, I understand.” But here, it's used differently When he says, “He's going to get it,” that means, he is going to get a joke played on him or he is going to be in

trouble The last sentence of the dialogue, Joey says, “I'm planning my revenge.”

“Revenge” is something that you do to someone who has done something bad to you So, if you hurt me, I'm going to get my revenge I'm going to revenge what you did You can use it as a noun and as a verb Normally, we use it as a noun:

“I'm going to get my revenge on you.” I'm going to do something bad to you because you did something bad to me So, that’s what Joey is saying here, “I'm planning my revenge.”

Now let's listen to the dialogue this time at a native rate of speech

Joey: I've had it I'm not going to take it anymore

Rachel: What's the matter?

Trang 19

www.eslpod.com

Joey: I'm sick and tired of being the butt of Chandler's practical jokes One of these days, he's really going to get someone hurt

Rachel: Oh no! What has he done now?

Joey: I went back to my office after lunch and sat down at my desk After about

a half hour, I got up to get some coffee I walked out of my office and I hear Phoebe giggling behind me

Rachel: What was so funny?

Joey: Chandler had put a sticker on my chair that stuck to my pants when I got

up

Rachel: What did it say?

Joey: It said, “I'm a Red Hot Mama.”

Rachel: That's terrible I can see why you're mad You may be a “Red Hot

Papa,” but definitely not a “Red Hot Mama.”

Joey: Very funny One of these days, he's going to get it I'm planning my

Trang 20

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 166 – A Marriage Proposal I

GLOSSARY

to get up the nerve – to have the courage to do something

* I can’t get up the nerve to fly in an airplane for the first time

to marry – to make someone your husband or wife

* Dae and Maria decided to marry after dating for three years

the one – the person you want to marry, or to have a serious relationship with

* She dated a lot of people before deciding that Ben was the one

engagement ring – a ring, usually only for the woman, when two people get

engaged (promise to marry)

* He gave her the engagement ring and put it on her finger How romantic!

saleswoman – a female worker in a store

* The saleswoman was helping someone else so I had to wait in line

to find the right time – to choose the right moment or opportunity to do

something

* The key to getting a raise at work is finding the right time to ask your boss

to pop the question – to ask someone to marry you

* Instead of waiting for her boyfriend to pop the question, she asked him to marry her instead

romantic – something that makes someone think of love

* The book had a lot of romantic parts that would never happen in real life

to propose; proposal – to ask someone to marry you; the act of asking

someone to marry you

* Should I propose in a letter? No, I think proposals should be done in person

out of the question – impossible

* Spending that much money for a car is out of the question for me right now

Trang 21

www.eslpod.com

poem – a form of literature which often has a rhythm or beat, like music

* Walt Whitman wrote many poems about America

to serenade – when a man sings romantically to a woman, usually standing

outside of her house

* I like the part in the movie when the men are serenading the women at sunset

to call the police – to make a telephone call to the police department to report a problem

* Our party was so noisy, the neighbors called the police!

1 In the story, the man:

a) doesn’t know how to propose to his girlfriend

b) plans to take her to Paris to propose to her

c) wants the police to help him propose to his girlfriend

2 When the man shopped for the engagement ring:

a) he saw the ring he wanted to buy right away

b) he couldn’t believe the prices

c) he took a long time to decide

Trang 22

www.eslpod.com

get up the nerve

To “get up the nerve” in this podcast means to have courage: “If he can get up the nerve to ask her out on a date, I’m sure she’ll say ‘yes.’” We also use a similar phrase—”to get on someone’s nerves”—to mean something very

different To get on someone’s nerves means to bother or irritate them: “He talks too much and gets on my nerves,” or “Doesn’t it get on your nerves when she ignores you?”

romantic

The adjective “romantic” means to show love: “Giving me a love letter was very romantic.” It is usually used in a positive way, but it can also be used in a

negative one to mean someone who is not practical: “She has too many

romantic ideas about life and has a hard time deciding on a career.”

Traditionally, it is the man who proposes to or asks a woman to marry him This

is still probably true for most people in United States It was also common many years ago for a man to ask “permission” to marry a woman from her father or parents This is not very common anymore, however

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c

Trang 23

A Podcast Learning Guide for today's podcast, with a complete transcript,

vocabulary definitions, cultural information, tips on learning English, and much more is available at our website Go to eslpod.com and click on “Learning

Guides” for more information

Today's podcast is called “A Marriage Proposal (Part I).” We're going to hear about a man who wants to marry a woman and how he is going to ask her Let's get started!

I've been trying to get up the nerve to ask my girlfriend to marry me We have been dating for almost a year, and I think she's the one I went shopping for engagement rings and really hated the experience I wasn't sure what kind of ring she'd like and it took me a long time to decide Finally, with the help of the

saleswoman, I picked one

So, I've got the ring, now I've just got to find the right time to pop the question I needed to think for a romantic way to propose I've watched enough romantic movies with my girlfriend to know that the proposal has to be something special

I thought about taking her on a trip to Paris and asking her in the “city of love,” but I spent all of my money on the ring, so that's out of the question I thought about writing her a love poem and proposing in the poem, but I'm a terrible writer

I thought about serenading her outside the window, but with my voice, I'm sure the neighbors would call the police

I don't know what to do How do I ask her to marry me?

Trang 24

www.eslpod.com

Today's podcast is about a man who wants to propose to his girlfriend The verb

to “propose” here means to ask someone to marry you And the noun is a

“proposal.” We can also us the verb “propose” for other things, of course To

“propose” something is to recommend or put something forward, or to give

someone an idea and ask if they will accept it or not But here, it is to ask

someone to marry you And, of course, traditionally, a man would ask the

woman if she would marry him

Well, the man in this story says that he's been trying “to get up the nerve” to ask

my girlfriend – his girlfriend…not my girlfriend! Better be careful…to ask his girlfriend to marry him The expression, “to get up the nerve” means to get the confidence, to be confident If you are scared about something or you don't want

to do something, you may need to get up your nerve; that means you need to say

to yourself, “Okay, I'm ready” and not be afraid, not be scared, to have

confidence Well, he's trying to get up the nerve to ask the girlfriend to marry him, to be his wife

He says that, “We've been dating for almost a year” - we have been dating, we have been romantically involved with each other Of course, to “date” means to

be romantically interested and involved in someone else They've been dating for a year and “I think,” he says, “she's the one.” When we say “she's the one” or

“he's the one” (like the number 1), we mean this is the one for me, this is my perfect person, this is the person I should marry

So, the man goes shopping for “engagement rings.” An “engagement” is a noun and it means the promise that two people have to marry each other So, when a man proposes or asks a woman to marry him, they get engaged The verb is “to get engaged,” and to get engaged which means now they are planning on getting married, but they're not married yet They may get married in five months or in six months or maybe even in a year But, during that time, they are engaged and that time is called their “engagement.” Well, an engagement ring then, is not the same as a wedding ring; it's a ring that a woman would wear to indicate that they are married, or they are going to get married, but they are not married yet So, an engagement ring… not everyone gets an engagement ring, but it's common

So, this poor guy goes shopping for engagement rings, one for his, what we would call (after he gets engaged), the woman is called the “fiancée.” My fiancée

Trang 25

www.eslpod.com

is the woman that I'm going to marry My girlfriend would say, “my fiancé,” is the man I'm going to marry So, “fiancée” is the person that you are planning on marrying In this case, he has to buy a ring for his fiancée, and he says he

wasn't sure what kind of ring his girlfriend would like And it took him a long time

to decide or a long time “to make up his mind.” “To make up your mind” means

to decide Finally, with the help of the saleswoman - a “saleswoman,” all one word, is, of course, the person who is selling the rings, the person who is helping you at the jewelry store where you would go to buy a ring, a jewelry store With the help of the saleswoman, he picked one or he selected one

“Now,” he says, “I've got the ring.” Now, I've just got to or just have “to find the right time to pop the question.” “Find the right time” means to find the right

opportunity, the right moment To “pop the question” means to ask someone to marry you Notice that we say to “pop the question,” we don't say what question, because the question is always the same: “Will you marry me?” And we always use that expression “to pop the question” when someone is asking someone else

to marry them It's only used for marriage, you don't pop the question about going on a trip We only use that expression for two people who are going to be married, usually the man, traditionally, will pop the question to the woman

He says in the story that he needs to think of a romantic way to propose A

“romantic” means, of course, well, it comes from the noun “romance” and the idea is that it is something that is very loving towards…you do something very loving towards the other person You do something that, usually the woman, will find to be very special, something that sends her a special message These are things that are romantic He's trying to think of a romantic way to propose, to ask his girlfriend to marry him He says “he's watched enough romantic movies with

my girlfriend to know that the proposal has to be something special.” It means he's watched many movies, so many movies, that he understands that the time that he asks his girlfriend to marry him has to be a very special time He has to make it a special time Well, he says he thought about taking his girlfriend to Paris, France, and asking her to marry him in the “city of love.” Paris, of course,

at least in the United States, Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities

in the world, and many people consider that Paris is a beautiful city So, that's considered very romantic, to go to Paris

And the man in the story says that, unfortunately, he spent all of his money on the ring He doesn't have any money to go to Paris, so that's “out of the

Trang 26

www.eslpod.com

question.” To be “out of the question” means that it isn't possible; there is no possibility of doing that If your son or daughter asks you to borrow the car; they want to borrow the car from you And you say, “That's out of the question,”

means there's absolutely no possibility that that is going to happen

The man says he thought about writing his girlfriend a love poem A “poem,” of course, is a type of literature We sometimes call it “verse”:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue

The sky is beautiful

And so are you!

Isn't that nice? The traditional poem, romantic poem begins with: “Roses are red (“rose” of course, a type of flower) Violets are blue (again, a different type

of flower) And then, you have to rhyme something with the word “blue.” Well, that would be a love poem, but not a serious love poem, because that's sort of a joke to say “Roses are red, violets are blue I believe in myself and so do you.” I don't know something that you would say that would rhyme with “blue.” Well, this love poem is one idea that he has to propose to her, to propose to her in a love poem Unfortunately, he's a terrible writer “Terrible” – in other words, he's

a very bad writer

He thought about serenading his girlfriend To “serenade” is the verb He

thought about serenading her outside her window To serenade means to sing to someone and the traditional way would be to go to a woman's house and stand outside of her bedroom window and have a guitar or someone with you who can play a musical instrument, and you would sing to her something that was lovely and beautiful Unfortunately, the man in the story says, “With my voice, I'm sure the neighbors would call the police.” The expression here “with my voice” means when we are talking about “my voice.” “Considering my voice, I'm sure the

neighbors would call the police” because his voice was so bad, the neighbors would complain about his singing, and so they would call the police and have the police officers come to the house

So, the man ends the story by saying, “I don't know what to do How do I ask her

to marry me?” Well, to find out, you have to come back and listen to Part II of this story

Now let's listen to the story at a native rate of speech

Trang 27

saleswoman, I picked one

So, I've got the ring, now I've just got to find the right time to pop the question I needed to think for a romantic way to propose I've watched enough romantic movies with my girlfriend to know that the proposal has to be something special

I thought about taking her on a trip to Paris and asking her in the “city of love,” but I spent all of my money on the ring, so that's out of the question I thought about writing her a love poem and proposing in the poem, but I'm a terrible writer

I thought about serenading her outside the window, but with my voice, I'm sure the neighbors would call the police

I don't know what to do How do I ask her to marry me?

The script for the podcast today was written by our own Dr Lucy Tse Thank you, Lucy Come back next time on our next podcast to find out what happens to this poor guy

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan Thank you for listening We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast

Trang 28

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 167 – A Marriage Proposal II

GLOSSARY

to stress out – to be worried or concerned about something

* Stop stressing out about your driving test or you won’t pass

fast food restaurant – a place that gives you your food in a very short amount of

time

* He eats at a fast food restaurant for lunch everyday

Tell me the truth – “Be honest with me;” usually used when you think the other

person may try to hide something because it will hurt your feelings

* Tell me the truth Do you think I have a good chance of getting the job?

What’s up with you lately? – used to ask about what change has taken place in

someone’s behavior; usually indicates the person has a problem

* You seem tired all the time What’s up with you lately?

haven’t been yourself – have not been acting the same as you normally do

*I’ve noticed that you haven’t been yourself the past month You seem nervous all the time

distant – not very friendly

* We have been good friends for years but she’s been distant ever since she got promoted

to see someone else – to date someone else

* I’m convinced that he’s seeing someone else when I’m out of town

to cheat on – to date someone else secretly while you are already married or

have a boy/girlfriend

* He loves you too much to cheat on you with another woman

to break up with – to end a romantic relationship; to stop being boyfriend and girlfriend

* I intend to break up with him before he breaks up with me

No way! – absolutely not

* No way would I visit Minnesota again in the wintertime!

Trang 29

www.eslpod.com

You’ve got it all wrong – you have misunderstood the situation

* I’m sure you’ll find out that you’ve got it all wrong and that they intended to give you the prize all along

on your mind – worried about something, thinking about something

* I can see that you have something important on your mind

can’t stand it – am not able to tolerate or put up with something

* My dogs can’t stand it when I don’t take them for a walk everyday

silly – to be foolish, like a child

* People look very silly when they try to play children’s games

1 Doug wanted to:

a) ask his girlfriend to marry him in a fast food restaurant

b) ask his girlfriend to marry him but to keep the ring for himself

c) ask his girlfriend to marry him but didn’t intend to do it at the fast food

restaurant

2 Before Doug asked her to marry him, Fiona thought that:

a) Doug wanted to work at the fast food restaurant

b) Doug wanted to break up with her

c) Doug was very silly

Trang 30

www.eslpod.com

distant

The word “distant,” in this podcast, means not to be close to someone: “Ever since Dan found out that Emily got the promotion instead of him, he’s been very distant.” We can also use “distant” to refer to family relationships that are not close: “His grandmother is my grandfather’s sister so we are only distant

cousins.” Or, “We have the same last name but I don’t think we are even distant relations.”

to break up with

In this podcast, the phrase “to break up with” someone means to no longer be someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend: “They broke up after dating for years.” But, the phrase “something/someone is breaking up” means that it is difficult to hear

or see them, such as on the telephone: “I can’t hear you; you’re breaking up Hang up and I’ll call you back.” Or, “I was watching the football game when the signal broke up and I didn’t get to watch the second half.”

CULTURE NOTE

More than half of all marriages in the United States today will end in a divorce; that is, the married couple will end their marriage and each person will become single again That is one reason why some couples wait for a long time before getting married Most U.S states now have what are called “no fault” divorces

In a no fault divorce, both the man and the woman agree that they want to end their marriage, and that it isn’t just one person’s fault or responsibility Married couples who want to get a divorce have to fill out legal forms and give them to the local government

Of course, not everyone who gets married in the U.S will get divorced! There are many couples who stay married for many years After 25 years of marriage, these couples usually have a special celebration or party for their “silver”

anniversary After 50 years, they have another party called a “golden”

anniversary

Trang 31

Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California

This is the second part of our two-part podcast on a man asking a woman to marry him Let's get started

I had been stressing out about it for a couple of weeks How do I ask my

girlfriend to marry me? We were getting some dinner at a fast food restaurant before going to the movies

Fiona: Tell me the truth What's up with you lately?

Doug: Me? Nothing Why do you ask?

Fiona: You haven't been yourself You've been quiet and distant Are you seeing someone else?

Doug: No, of course I'm not! I would never cheat on you

Fiona: Then, do you want to break up with me?

Doug: No way! That's the last thing I want to do You've got it all wrong

Fiona: Then tell me what's on your mind

Doug: I well it's just that oh, I can't stand it anymore I've been carrying

around this ring in my pocket for two weeks, trying to get up the nerve to ask you Fiona, will you marry me?

Fiona: Ah, I can't believe it! Are you serious?

Trang 32

www.eslpod.com

Doug: I've never been more serious This wasn't the way I wanted to ask you, but will you?

Fiona: Yes, I'll marry you! And I thought you wanted to break up

Doug: No, I don't, silly! I want us to be together for the rest of our lives Don't you know that?

something Someone may say to you, “What are you stressed out about?”

“Well, I'm stressed out about work or the homework I have to do for school.” This Doug is stressed out about asking his girlfriend to marry him He doesn't know how to do that

He says that he and his girlfriend were getting some dinner at a fast food

restaurant before going to the movies A “fast food restaurant” is a restaurant, you probably know, that serves your food, gives you your food very quickly Usually, you stand in line and order your food, and then they give it to you a few minutes later This is very popular, of course, in the United States, restaurants like McDonald's, for example, are fast food restaurants

They are at a fast food restaurant and they are going to a movie when Fiona, who is the woman, she says to Doug: “Tell me the truth What's up with you lately?” “Tell me the truth” means “be honest with me,” tell me what is actually happening here “What's up with you?” means “What is your problem?” It's always…it’s not just “what is happening?,” but “what is the problem that you are having?” If you say to someone, “what's up?,” you just mean what's happening, what's going on, how are you? But if you say, “What's up with you?” with that preposition “with,” “what's up with you?” or “what's up with him?” means what is their problem, there's something wrong So, Fiona says, “What's up with you lately?,” meaning recently And Doug says: “Me? Nothing Why do you ask?” Fiona says that, “You haven't been yourself.” The expression “to be yourself” here means to be acting normal, to be doing things the way you normally do

Trang 33

www.eslpod.com

things So, if someone says, “you haven't been yourself lately,” “you haven't been yourself this week,” they mean you've been acting different, there's

something wrong, there's some problem

Fiona says that Doug has been quiet and distant To be “distant,” in referring to

a person, we say “that person is very distant from me,” we mean that they are not very close, they're not very connected to that person So, if you see two people, for example, and one of them is talking and the second person is looking out, not paying attention to the person talking to him, he's very distant from them Well, a man and a woman in a romantic relationship, when they say “he's very distant” or

“she's very distant” means that they are not very loving, they're not very

connected And this is the problem that Fiona has with Doug

Finally, she says, “Are you seeing someone else?” To be “seeing someone” means to be dating someone, to be romantically involved with someone So, Fiona is asking if Doug is seeing another woman, is dating another woman, in addition to her That would not be very nice, Doug Well, Doug says, “No, of course I'm not!” - absolutely not, no way “I would never cheat on you.” To

“cheat on someone” means that when you are dating them or married to them, you get involved romantically with another person So, if you are married and you are cheating on your wife, that means you are having a romantic relationship with another woman, not your wife And that is not a good idea, generally

speaking, if you want to stay married, that is

So, Fiona says, “Then, do you want to break up with me?” because Doug says

he is not cheating on her and she asked “you want to “break up with me?” To

“break up” (two words) with someone means that you stop your romantic

relationship, you end your dating, you're no longer going to be boyfriend and girlfriend That's also a noun, a “breakup.” When we say, “Oh, I had a bad

breakup” means that I had a difficult time when my girlfriend and I stopped dating each other Doug says, “No way!,” and of course, “no way” is an informal way,

an informal method or manner, of saying no, absolutely not He says, “That's the last thing I want to do,” meaning I don't want to do that at all When someone says “that's the last thing I want to do” or “that's the last place I want to visit,” they don't mean really that they want to visit that after several other places or do that thing after several other things; they mean they don't want that at all That's the last thing I want to do, I don't want to do that at all

Trang 34

www.eslpod.com

“You've got it all wrong,” Doug says to Fiona “You've got it all wrong”…here, to

“get it” means that you've understood it incorrectly, you haven't understood it, you haven't comprehended it “You've got it all wrong” - you have the wrong idea Fiona says, “Then tell me what's on your mind.” “On your mind” means what you are thinking Tell me what you are thinking, tell me what's on your mind

Usually, when someone says, “Tell me what's on your mind,” they are saying, “It looks like you have a problem Tell me about it.”

Well, Doug says, “I well it's just that ” - he's nervous, right? Of course, he starts to stumble over his words, we would say, to “stumble” means to fall And

“to stumble over your words” means that you speak without confidence, that you are nervous Doug says, finally, “I can't stand it anymore.“ To “stand something” means to tolerate something, to put up with something, to accept something, to just say, “Okay, that I accept the situation I accept the situation is okay.” That means to stand something So, if you cannot stand something, means that you cannot tolerate it, that you won't accept it, that you don't want it to continue Well, what Doug doesn't want to continue here is being nervous about asking her

to marry him He says, “I can't stand it anymore.” “I've been carrying around this ring” - to “carry around” means to have it with you, usually, when you're going many different places; it's the same really as to carry “I've been carrying around this ring for two weeks trying to get up the nerve,” to get the confidence, “to ask you.”

And then, he says, “Fiona, will you marry me?” And Fiona says, “Ah, I can't believe it! Are you serious?” And Doug says, “I've never been more serious,” meaning “yes, I am very serious.” “This wasn't the way I wanted to ask you,” he says, “but will you?” - meaning, will you marry me? And Fiona, of course -

because the story has to have a happy ending, right, this is Los Angeles, this is the home of Hollywood, where all the movies have a happy ending, well,

sometimes and our story has a happy ending - says, “ Yes, I'll marry you! And I thought you wanted to break up,” meaning she has the wrong idea Doug says,

“No, I don't, silly!” “Silly” as a noun, means a person who is silly, to be silly

means to be foolish But, he's not insulting Fiona, he's not saying, “You're a fool!” It's more of an affectionate, a loving way that two people might refer to each other when the other person is saying something that is wrong In this case, he says, “No, I don't, silly! I want us to be together for the rest of our lives “ Now let's listen to the dialogue this time at a native rate of speech

Trang 35

www.eslpod.com

I had been stressing out about it for a couple of weeks How do I ask my

girlfriend to marry me? We were getting some dinner at a fast food restaurant before going to the movies

Fiona: Tell me the truth What's up with you lately?

Doug: Me? Nothing Why do you ask?

Fiona: You haven't been yourself You've been quiet and distant Are you

seeing someone else?

Doug: No, of course I'm not! I would never cheat on you

Fiona: Then, do you want to break up with me?

Doug: No way! That's the last thing I want to do You've got it all wrong

Fiona: Then tell me what's on your mind

Doug: I well it's just that oh, I can't stand it anymore I've been carrying

around this ring in my pocket for two weeks, trying to get up the nerve to ask you Fiona, will you marry me?

Fiona: Ah, I can't believe it! Are you serious?

Doug: I've never been more serious This wasn't the way I wanted to ask you, but

will you?

Fiona: Yes, I'll marry you! And I thought you wanted to break up

Doug: No, I don't, silly! I want us to be together for the rest of our lives Don't you know that?

Today's story was written by Dr Lucy Tse

Trang 36

www.eslpod.com

A Podcast Learning Guide for today's podcast, with a complete transcript,

vocabulary definitions, cultural information, tips on learning English, and much more is available at our website Go to eslpod.com and click on Learning Guides for more information

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan Thanks for listening We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast

Trang 37

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 168 – The Home Improvement Store

GLOSSARY

to need work – has to be improved or made better

* This house is big, but it is old and really needs work

to put off – to delay, to wait

* I’ve been putting off washing the car and I think it’s time to do it

garage – where you park or keep a car

* Please move the boxes out of the garage so I can park the car in it

home improvement store – a store for buying things to fix or improve a home

* The home improvement store is very crowded on Saturday morning

supplies – necessary materials; things that you use to do something

* I’m ready to go on the road trip as soon as I buy our food supplies

huge – large, very big

* Last year’s tomatoes were big but this year’s are huge!

paint department – a place in a store where paint is sold

* The clerk in the paint department recommended a lighter color paint

garden center – a place in a store where plants, trees, and flowers are sold

* Go over to the garden center and get me some more plant food

lumber department – a place in a store where wood is sold

* Most of the lumber in the United States comes from the Pacific Northwest

no one in sight – no one around, no one there

* I was so late for my class that by the time I got to the classroom, there was no one in sight

plumbing – the pipes that bring water to and from a house or building

* For us to get hot water in this building, we’ll need to replace the plumbing

Trang 38

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 168 – The Home Improvement Store

aisle – the space you walk in between two other sections; a path between seats

in an airplane, theater, or church

* I walked up and down the aisle at the grocery store but I couldn’t find the bread

I normally buy

swatches – a small color sample, usually for paint or fabric

* The paint swatch I brought home matched my furniture perfectly

to take/call a number – used at places where there are many people waiting for

help You are given a small piece of paper with a number, and you wait until your number is announced or “called.”

* I took a number in the meat department and my number was called after a few minutes

in the meantime – meanwhile; the time when you are waiting for something

* I’m waiting for my mother to come home In the meantime, I’ll watch some TV

brush – something you use to put paint on a house or picture

* We need some new brushes to paint the house

rags – small pieces of cloth that are used to clean

* Get me a rag so I can clean up the coffee I spilled on the table

checkout line – the line you wait in at a store to purchase something, such as at

a grocery store

* The checkout lines at these big food stores are always so long

after all that – used when someone takes a long time to say or do something,

but very little is actually said or done; after waiting for a long time with no real results

* You've been talking for 10 minutes After all that, I thought you would have something important to say

to be exhausted – to be very tired

* I’m exhausted after working two weeks without a day off

Trang 39

c) brushes and rags

2 The man plans to paint the garage:

means to touch lightly: “He brushed by me as he was walking out the door.” The use of brush here means that he touched me, but that it wasn't very hard

put off

To “put off” can mean to delay, as it does in this podcast: “I put off going to the dentist.” There is another expression, “to be put off,” which means something very different If you say, “I am really put off by him,” you mean that something that he does makes you dislike him “She puts me off” means that the way she acts or the things she says makes me not like her

Trang 40

There is a tradition of home improvement in the U.S., where people spend a lot

of time and money fixing their houses and keeping them in good condition When there is a “boom” in real estate (that is, when the prices of houses are rising quickly), people often attempt to make improvements on their home to make them more valuable to sell

Whether you are going to sell your house or plan to stay in it, there are several large stores that will sell you all of the materials or supplies you will need Two of the most popular stores currently in the United States are called “Home Depot” and “Lowe's.” These are “warehouse” stores that are very large They are

sometimes called “big box” stores, because they are large, often square or

rectangular buildings that look like big boxes or containers

Định dạng
Số trang	198
Dung lượng	3,16 MB