每日学英语

jiayi

March 03, 2010

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2525724

ESL Podcast 191 – Changing Money


I was at the airport to pick up my friend Sandra, who was visiting from Italy.

Gustavo: Do you have everything?

Sandra: Yes, I think so. But, I don’t have any U.S. dollars. Where can I change money? Can I do that here?

Gustavo: You could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The exchange rate is really high and so are the fees. I’ll take you to the bank tomorrow.
…..
The next day, I picked Sandra up from her hotel and we went to a branch nearby.

Bank clerk: What can I do for you?

Sandra: I’d like to exchange some currency and to get some U.S. dollars.

Bank clerk: Okay, how much would you like?

Sandra: How much is one Euro worth?

Bank clerk: The current rate is one dollar to .8 Euros.

Sandra: In that case, I’d like 500 U.S. dollars.

Bank clerk: Okay. That will be 400 Euros. Would you like that in large or small bills?

Sandra: I’d like a mix of both, I’d like some change, too.

Bank clerk: That’s no problem. Please sign here. That will be $300 in $20’s, $150 in $10’s, and $45 in $5’s and $1’s. And, here’s $5 in change: quarters, dimes, and nickels.

Sandra: That’s perfect. Thanks a lot.

Bank clerk: Is there anything else I can help you with?

Sandra: No, that’s all. Thanks for your help.

Bank clerk: It’s my pleasure. Have a nice day.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*****************************************************
currency --- money


dime --- coin, ten cents


nickel --- coin,five cents


How much is one Euro worth? ,   in large or small bills

jiayi

March 04, 2010

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2535667

ESL Podcast 192 – Winning the Lottery

Daniela: I got our lottery tickets during my lunch break. The jackpot is up to $168 million. Imagine if we won.

Boris: Thanks for getting mine, too. When is the drawing?

Daniela: Saturday at 6 PM. It’s being televised on channel 4.

Boris: What would you do if you had $168 million?

Daniela: The first thing I would do is quit my job! No more slaving away for me. What would you do?

Boris: If I were rich, I would travel around the world. If I were younger, I’d learn how to fly a plane. I’ve always wanted to do that.

Daniela: It’s never too late. You could still do that.

Boris: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’d probably just retire and buy myself a nice new house.

Daniela: Yeah, that sounds nice. I suppose I’d have a lot of family and friends asking for money.

Boris: I know I would. I can just see them coming out of the woodwork and pestering me. Maybe winning the lottery isn’t such a good thing.

Daniela: You’re right. It’s a curse. When you win, you can give me all of the money.

Boris: Yeah, right. Don’t hold your breath!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*********************************************************
jackpot --- the money that you win with you win the first prize,you match all the numbers for lottery


You can’t teach an old dog new tricks --- trick:sth that you teach the dog to do, usually sth simple like sitting down.


coming out of the woodwork --- coming from everywhere. When people who normally you don't see or don't talk to , suddently start to call you or talk to you because you have some money or you have sth that you want.
woodwork:any part of the room


pester --- v. bother


curse --- a bad thing that happen to you


hold your breath --- to stop breathing

jiayi

March 05, 2010

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2545610

ESL Podcast 193 – Placing a Business Order
Jessie: Good morning. This is Jessie Lipman calling from Wexman. I wanted to place an order.

Rudy: Certainly. Are you ordering from our catalog?

Jessie: Yes, I have the item numbers. But, before I place the new order, I wanted to check on some items we have on backorder.

Rudy: Sure, let me pull up your account. It looks like you have two items that are still outstanding, but we should have that to you by the end of the week.

Jessie: Can you give me a delivery date?

Rudy: It should arrive no later than the 19th.

Jessie: Okay. Let me give you the new order. The first item is 2456. We’d like 52 boxes. Last time, we were able to buy in bulk and got the wholesale price. I’m hoping we can negotiate that again for this order.

Rudy: That’s not a problem. What are the other items?

Jessie: The second item is 6849. We’d like 40 of them.

Rudy: There’s a price reduction on that item of 10%. That brings the net price to $19. Anything else?

Jessie: That’s it for now. There are a few things we need to order, but I still need to submit a requisition for a purchase order. Can you fax over an invoice for the items I just ordered?

Rudy: Sure, I’ll get that to you by the end of the day. We appreciate your order.

Jessie: No problem. Thanks.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*********************************************************
catalog --- usually a book ,you can flit through(turn the pages looking for sth that you want to buy).It's a list of all the  things that the company sales.


have sth on backorder --- you place an order but the company doesn't have any more of that item/product left to sale, they have to make another one.  means you are waiting for the company to get the product so they can send to you . It may delay a couple of days/weeks.


outstanding --- it has not yet been deliverd


buy in bulk --- buy a lot of sth


wholesale --- the price that you pay when you are a business buying from another business, usually it's sth that you pay for a item that you are going to sale again , a cheaper price.
retail price: the price that customer will pay. usually higher than the wholesale price.


negotiate --- to come to an aggrement


price reduction --- price is lower/less than


requisition --- a request that you will send to someone in your company that you want to buy sth, it's used to ask permission to buy sth from another company.

jiayi

March 08,2010
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2555553
ESL Podcast 194 – An Unwanted House Guest
About a month ago, my friend Richard called me and asked if he could come stay with me for a couple of weeks. I usually don’t like having house guests, but Richard was a good friend. He’s an artist and he was thinking about moving to L.A. He wanted to see if he could get a job in the area. I told him, yes, of course, and he came down right away. As I said, that was a month ago. He’s been living in my guestroom ever since.

I like Richard and we get along, but I just don’t like having a roommate. Sometimes, he gets in the way when I want to invite someone over, and he’s always hogging the couch. One of my pet peeves is a dirty bathroom and Richard is a slob. I finally decided to let him know that he had overstayed his welcome. But, how do you throw out one of your best friends?

On the day I was going to talk to Richard, he came home with some big news. He had met some guy at the employment agency and he planned to move in with him. I was bowled over! He had just met him. I tried to talk him out of it, but he’d made up his mind. Richard has always been a free spirit so who am I to tell him what to do? I just hope he’ll be happy.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
***************************************************************************************************
get along --- we are nice with each other

in the way --- prevent sb from doing sth they want to do ,usually because you are in their house/space/office

hogging --- use sth and not let anyone else use it

pet peeve --- sth that make you angry, sth that bother sb specially.  Peeve sb off: make sb mad.

slob --- someone who is not very neat, someone who make a mess

overstayed his welcome --- overstay: stay at someone’s house/apartment longer than you should

bowled over --- very surprised, to be shocked

free spirit --- someone who doesn’t like to do things the way everyone does

talk him out of it,     made up his mind,   who am I to so sth

jiayi

March 10, 2010
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2565496
ESL Podcast 195 – At an Amusement Park
My brother, his wife, and their two daughters are in town and I had promised the girls that I would take them to an amusement park. I don’t really like roller coasters, but I knew the kids would like it.

On Saturday morning, we drove down to the theme park. We parked and took a shuttle to the park entrance. We looked at the ticket prices and decided to buy a day pass for each of us. Maria, the younger of the two kids, is only 2-years-old, and children under three get in free.

The first thing we did was stand in line for the biggest attraction in the park: a really big roller coaster. Actually, only Grace and I stood in line since Maria was too young to ride it. My brother and my sister-in-law took Maria to ride the Ferris wheel and carousel, and afterwards, we planned to meet near the concession stands so we could watch the parade at 2 o’clock. Grace and I finally made it to the head of the line and we got on the ride. I really don’t like roller coasters. When we got off, I felt queasy and had to sit down for a few minutes before I could walk again.

All in all, we had a good day at the amusement park. But, it will be long time before I go on a roller coaster again!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
***************************************************************************************************
amusement park --- a place where they have lots of fun things to do , usually there are lots of rides. In a amusement park, means these are
machines that you get on and they’ll take you up and down, circles. There are lots of different machines that we call a ride.

roller coasters --- a ride ,usually sit in a little car, there are lots of little cars connected, go up and down , and round

theme park --- a type of amusement park. There is one main idea for the park. For example, Disney park
theme: main idea

shuttle --- small bus that takes people a very short distance.

Ferris wheel
--- a ride that you sit in a little car, but the whole thing is like a big circle. The circle
goes around and you go to the very top and then the circle comes back around

Carousel ---
a wheel that completely on the ground. Just go around in a circle.

Carousel / Merry-go-round: a wheel that’s goes around. Horse goes up and down

concession stands --- a place in a amusement park where you can buy food or sth to drink

queasy --- feel sick

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2575439

ESL Podcast 196 – A Business Plan


About a year ago, I came up with an idea that I thought would revolutionize the way people sell their goods on the Internet. After a lot of planning, I decided to try to attract investors by developing a business plan. I got some advice from my friend Steve who is a very successful entrepreneur.

First, he told me I needed to figure out my business model. How would my investors make money? How long would it take for the company to be in the black? Steve said that the proposal would need to show revenue projections for the first five years, and that I should give an estimate of gross sales for that same period.

Steve also said that I should include what I thought was the target market for the new service and my plan for convincing potential buyers that the new service would give them a competitive advantage.

After working on the plan for a few months, I thought it was ready to show to some prospective investors. All I need is just one big investor to take a chance on it. Hopefully, this time next year, I’ll be well on my way to building a new business empire.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*******************************************************************
investors --- sb who gives you money for your  business, usually sb who expects that they'll get a percentage of the profits from your company.


entrepreneur --- French word, sb who is good at starting new business/own business, usually it's a small business


in the black --- make money, take more more money than they spend.
oppsite: in the red, losing money in the business


revenue projections --- revenue: money that you get. oppsite: expenses, the money that you spend
projection:what you think will happen


estimate --- projection, it's a guess


gross sales --- amount of your product or service that you sell, not including the refunds or other returns that people may have


potential buyers --- sb who might buy your product but they haven't bought yet

jiayi

March 15,2010

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2585382

ESL Podcast 197 – An Apology


Becky: Curt.

Curt: Oh, hi.

Becky: Can I talk to you for a minute?

Curt: I’m really busy right now.

Becky: Just one minute. I promise it won’t take long.

Curt: Okay. Let’s talk over here.

Becky: Curt, I’m really sorry that I told Joyce that you had a crush on her. We were just talking last Friday and it just slipped out.

Curt: But, I told you about Joyce in confidence.

Becky: I know. It’s totally my fault. I really regret saying anything. I wish I could take it back. I just want you to know that I’m really sorry and I hope that you’ll accept my apology.

Curt: What’s done is done. I was really pissed off when I found out this morning but I’m over it now. [cell phone ring] Hold on a sec. [long pause, muttering in background] Guess who that was?

Becky: Who?

Curt: Joyce. She wanted to know if I’d like to have lunch with her today.

Becky: It was? That’s great, maybe…

Curt: And, maybe not. Maybe she just wants to tell me she’s not interested in me.

Becky: Or, maybe she likes you, too.

Curt: Don’t let your imagination run away with you.

Becky: I won’t but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

**********************************************************


a crush on sb --- you are romanticly interested in sb. often times we used this word to mean the very beginning of your interest in sb.



slipped out --- it accidently happened, it happend without me wanted to


in confidence --- I told you sth as a secret that you didn't want them to tell anyone else


What’s done is done --- we can't change what happened. What's done can't be undone


pissed off --- informal expression, very angry/mad

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2595325

ESL Podcast 198 – Starting a Band

At work one afternoon, my friend Michael asked me if I wanted to help him start a band. I was really surprised because I didn’t even know Michael was a musician. As it turns out, not only was Michael a good guitarist, he was also a good songwriter. He wanted to get together a band and maybe start playing some gigs.

I was interested, but I wasn’t sure if my voice was good enough to be the lead singer. After hearing me sing, Michael said that he thought I was. With me in the band, we still needed a drummer and a bass player. My sister wanted to be a back-up singer for the band, but we didn’t think we needed one yet.

We auditioned a lot of people and found our other two band members. They had their own instruments and even had the sound equipment we’d need. We start rehearsal next week. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a demo made soon and get hired as an opening act for another band. And, who knows? You may be seeing us as headliners in your city before too long.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*********************************************************************
guitarist --- someone who plays a guitar


gig --- a band that going to play somewhere



drummer --- sb who plays the drums


bass player --- [beis] play very low notes, often has the back groud music


audition --- you have people come to you and they play their music and you say ' ok, thank you,I'll call you....'


instruments --- it's you play like a guita, and so on 乐器


rehearsal --- practise    v.rehearse


opening act --- the first band when you go to a concert, usually not the best one


headliners --- people who are the most important band in the concert

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2605268

ESL Podcast 199 – A Love Letter

Vicky: What are you working on?

Issac: If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?

Vicky: All right. What is it?

Issac: It’s a love letter to Julie.

Vicky: Isn’t it a little premature? You’ve only been going out for a month.

Issac: Maybe, but I really want her to know how I feel.

Vicky: Let me see it. “Dear Julie. I’m writing this letter to pour my heart out to you. When we met, it was love at first sight and I can’t get you out of my head. You mean everything to me. Now that we’re together, how can I ever live without you?”

Issac: So, what do you think?

Vicky: I thought it would have some simple sweet nothings. I didn’t expect it to be this heavy.

Issac: Do you think it needs more terms of endearment? Maybe I should have called her “my love,” “my darling,” or “sweetheart.” Tell me the truth, do you think it’s too much? I don’t want to scare her off.

Vicky: Well, I know you’re head over heels in love with her, but if I were you, I’d play it by ear. Give it to her when you feel the time is right.

Issac: Okay, thanks. I’ll try to play it cool, for now.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
************************************************
premature --- sth that is before when you should be doing that, sth that happens before it is suppose to happen. sometimes use this term to talk about the babies who are born, they may be born a/two/three weeks before they were expected, these call premature babies


to pour my heart out --- to tell everything that I am thinking/feeling.


endearment --- things you say to make sb like you


head over heels --- love someone very much, crazy for sb


play it by ear --- to wait and see what happens

warmhearted

确实有毅力.

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2615211

ESL Podcast 200 – Meeting a Deadline


Pam: You wanted to see me?

Ed: Yes, I did. Have a seat. I want to talk to you about the Pulsen project.

Pam: I know I’m a little late in getting that report to you, but I’ve been pulling out the stops to get it done.

Ed: But it’s still not done, is it? You know that the deadline for the next milestone of the project was this past Monday.

Pam: Yes, I know, but the scope of the project turned out to be a lot bigger than I had anticipated. And, they just didn’t allocate enough resources for something this size. Is there any way we can push back the deadline by a week?

Ed: The time to ask that was last week, not after you’ve missed the deadline. I have the management breathing down my neck about this report. I’ve tried to stall them for the past two days and they’re not happy.

Pam: I promise to have it on your desk by tomorrow morning. You have my word.

Ed: All right. I’ll give you until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. I’m tired of taking the heat, though, and I don’t plan to do it any longer.

Pam: You can count on me.

Ed: Don’t let me down.

Pam: I won’t.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*****************************************************************************
pul out the stops --- means that you are doing everything possible that you can to get sth done


milestone --- when you have a large project and there are several different parts to the project, each part of the project has own timeline. Each of these parts would have their own milestone. A milestone is when you have complete and important part of the project. So a project that take three month, may have a milestone for part A, and another milestone for part B, etc.  n.里程碑,里程标,重要事件,转折点


scope --- the range/amount/size of the project


anticipated --- to expect


allocate --- v. often here in a business setting and means to give, We often use 'allocate resources'




breathing down my neck --- mean that they are bothering you, they are waiting for sth to get done and they are asking you about it all the time


stall --- delay


taking the heat --- person who is being criticized/blamed for sth is going wrong



You wanted to see me?, push back the dead line, You have my word, I promise to have it on your desk by tomorrow morning, Don’t let me down

东方明珠

Keeping diary is indeed a good way of practising language, and I feel very touched by your persistance and the obvious progress you've been made. Additionally, I think if you would like to spend at least one hour on some visual or audio materials, you'll achieve more success.

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2625154

ESL Podcast 201 – Making a Bet


Suzanna: Hey, the back of the line is over there.

Ivan: I was here. I just stepped out of line for a minute to get some cash.

Suzanna: Yeah, right. I don’t remember you being in line ahead of me.

Ivan: Come on. Let’s do this. We’ll flip for it. If it’s heads, I win and I get to get back into line. If it’s tails, you win and I’ll go to the back of the line.

Suzanna: All right. I’ll take those odds. You’re on.

Ivan: Here goes…Oh, it’s heads! I win.

Suzanna: I guess it’s your lucky day.

Ivan: I guess so. How about going double or nothing?

Suzanna: What are the stakes?

Ivan: If it’s tails and you win, I go to the back of the line and I have to buy you a drink when we get inside. If It’s heads and I win, I get in back in line in front of you and you buy me a drink.

Suzanna: So, no matter what happens I have to have a drink with you?

Ivan: That’s the idea. What do you say?

Suzanna: Okay, you talked me into it. Let’s see if your luck will hold up.

Ivan: I’ve got a good feeling it will.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
**********************************************************


flip for it --- flip a coin to deside

heads, tails --- a coin has two sides, one side heads: shows the head of the person, the other side is called the tail of the coin

take those odds --- I accpet what you are saying. odds: the chances that you can win sth. for example:the odds is fifty,fifty

You’re on --- I agree

stakes --- the things that you'll win if you win or what you have to give the other person if you lose. High stakes: very expensive    low stakes

talked sb into it --- get sb agree with

jiayi

I think if you would like to spend at least one hour on some visual or audio materials, you'll achieve more success.东方明珠 发表于 2010-3-23 12:41

                               
登录/注册后可看大图

You are right. Thank you for your suggestion. Now I listen to the radio when I cook everyday and sometimes I watch Friends too.But I feel it is still not enough. There is a long way to go. Improving English is a hard work. Your English is pretty good, learn from you.

东方明珠

774# jiayi
Where there is a will, there is a way. Wish you good luck!

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2645040

ESL Podcast 202 – At the Gas Station


It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my friends Steve and Liz, and I thought this would be a good weekend to drive up to Santa Barbara to see them. Gas prices have been through the roof, but I decided to take the short road trip anyway. Before getting on the road, I went to the gas station to fill up my tank.

I drove past the full-service pump and parked at the first self-service one. I got out of the car and saw that there was an “out of order” sign telling customers to pay inside. I wanted to pay at the pump so I got back into the car and pulled up to the next one. Luckily for me, this one was working.

I swiped my credit card and took the gas cap off. I pushed the button for the grade of unleaded gas I wanted and put the nozzle into my tank. There was a sign on the pump that read, “Do not top off.” After the tank was full, I replaced the nozzle and pressed the button for a receipt. Right when I was about to leave, I noticed that my windows were dirty, so I got the squeegee and some paper towels and cleaned them. Now, I was ready for my drive up north.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
*****************************************************************
drive up --- to north,   drive down: to south ( in USA)


through the roof --- evry high/expensive


full-service pump --- pump: n. what we called the machine that you drive up to a gas station where you get gas                v.pump --- take sth out of     泵, 打气筒 可能源于泵的回声



cap --- what is keeping the gas from coming out of your gas tank in your car


nozzle --- the part of the gas pump that you put into the opening of your tank so the gas will go in.


top off --- try to fill you gas tank until it is completely full


squeegee --- sth that you use to clean your car windows. it usually has an one side, type of  sponge , the other side it has blade

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2654983

ESL Podcast 203 – Text Messaging


I was supposed to meet Jenny at the library, but I was late. Jenny texted me: "I M @ lib wher r u?"

I’m not very good at texting so I used a template to say I was going to be late. When I arrived at the library, Jenny laughed at me because she knew I didn’t know how to text.

Richard: I don’t know how to use this thing. The phone kept making up words for me.

Jenny: That's because you were composing in predictive text mode. You have to change your settings to normal tap mode so only the characters you want show up in the screen.

Richard: Okay, but everything still shows up in capital letters.

Jenny: You can change the option by pressing the button. See? The screen will show you what kind of letters or numbers you can get, and you keep pushing the button until the one you want comes up.

Richard: What about the symbol you used in your message?

Jenny: You press the 1 button or the 0 button for those. I use them as abbreviations to save time when I am texting. I always use the symbols "@" and "&" for "at" and "and." Simple words like "you," "are," and "be" can be spelled with the letters "u," "r," and "b." It saves time.

Richard: Thanks. I think I’ve got it, but it’ll take some practice for me to get up to speed.

Jenny: No problem. Each time I get a strange message that doesn’t make any sense, I’ll know it’s from you.


Script by Clara Asuncion
*****************************************************
making up --- v.to invent


composing in predictive text mode --- here compose means to write      predictive:guess


normal tap mode --- opsite of the prdictive text mode, computer doesn't guess what you want, you have to put in every letter that your want.   tap: v. press


abbreviations --- short form of the word/expression

相思树

I admire your perseverance .up

jiayi

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=2674869

ESL Podcast 204 – Using Visuals in a Presentation


Rosa: Thanks a lot for offering to give me some pointers on how to use visuals for my presentation. I’ve never given a presentation like this before.

Milo: I’m glad I can help. What do you plan to use?

Rosa: Well, I plan to show these slides for the first part of the talk. First, I have this pie chart that shows the types of services our company provides. Then, I have this bar graph to show how the company has grown in the past 20 years. But, I’m not really sure how to talk about them.

Milo: Okay, first, when you’re using a chart, make sure you explain what each part represents. For example, on this pie chart, I would explain that each slice of the pie represents a percentage of the business. Then, for this bar chart, I’d make sure to tell the audience what the X-axis and Y-axis stand for, and what each increment represents. That way, the trend that the company is following is clear. Are you planning on using this line chart, too?

Rosa: No, I changed my mind about that. I think it’s a little confusing, but your tips on the other charts are really helpful. I have this flip chart, too, that I’m supposed to use but I’m not sure how. I don’t want to turn my back on the audience during the presentation.

Milo: The second half of the presentation includes some audience participation, right? Then, I think it’s fine to use it during that part of the talk. Any other questions?

Rosa: I don’t think so. You’ve been so helpful. I hope you’ll let me take you to lunch as a token of thanks.

Milo: You don’t need to treat, but I’d be happy to have lunch together. Let’s go.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
**********************************************************
pointers --- tip, advice


visuals --- sth you can see, things like pic, charts...


slides --- one frame, usually in powerpoint, each page is called slide


trend --- direction


flip chart --- big piece of paper,usually it's blank paper, it's what you can use to write down


token --- sign of thanks, it's a way of expressing thanks. 'take this as a token of my appreciation.'


pie chart , bar graph , X-axis and Y-axis ,

jiayi

778# 相思树
Thank you