ESL Podcast 394 – Describing Hatred and Anger Danica: Calm down! Stop throwing things! Have you gone berserk?
Neil: Calm down?! Calm down?! You don’t know what just happened.
Danica: I’ve never seen you lose your temper like this before. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.
Neil: Okay, you know that I like Samantha, right? Well, I told Malik last week. I just found out today that he’s dating her.
Danica: Malik? But he’s your best friend. He wouldn’t do that.
Neil: Do you think I’d be having a fit if I weren’t absolutely certain?
Danica: How can you be so sure? Did he tell you?
Neil: He didn’t have to. I saw him with Samantha together after work. He had his arm around her! I was ready to go off the deep end when I saw the two of them together.
Danica: How do you know he wasn’t sweet- talking her for you? He could have been putting in a good word for you, you know.
Neil: That’s bull! That guy is a traitor and I despise him. And I’m such a schmuck for trusting him.
Danica: Well, I still think you may have gotten the wrong idea. Are you going to talk to him about it?
Neil: You bet I am, just as soon as I stop foaming at the mouth.
ESL Podcast 393 – Trash and Recycling Rajid: What are you doing?
Nicole: I’m putting my garbage into the garbage can. Why?
Rajid: Don’t you recycle? You’re supposed to separate out your recyclables and put them in a separate bin.
Nicole: I know, I know, but who has the time? I don’t have that much trash anyway.
Rajid: Oh, yeah? The dump is full of food containers that aren’t biodegradable from people who didn’t have the time.
Nicole: Come on. Don’t blow things out of proportion. It’s not like I’m going to save the environment all by myself.
Rajid: No, you’re not, but if everybody thinks the same way you do, we’re going to use up all of our natural resources.
Nicole: When did you turn into an ecologist? I don’t see you conserving energy. You have your lights on all night. I can see them through your window.
Rajid: I use energy-efficient bulbs. Besides, I take my recyclables to the recycling center, I have energyefficient appliances, and I turn down my thermostat.
Nicole: I’m just saying that you’re not doing everything you can to save the environment. Okay, okay. Put your money where your mouth is and help me separate out my recyclables.
Rajid: Me? You want me to help you sort through your garbage?
Nicole: Since you’re the expert, I need you to show me how.
ESL Podcast 391 – Traveling and Medical Needs Delia: Oh, my feet hurt! We must have walked for fours hours straight today. I have blisters on my heels and bruises on my toes. Where are my band-aids?
Yoshi: Yeah, your feet look bad. I told you not to wear new shoes on vacation, but you wouldn’t listen.
Delia: Oh, yeah? Look at you! I told you to put on sunscreen, and did you? Your face and neck are sunburned. Your skin is going to be red and peeling tomorrow.
Yoshi: I’ll be fine. If it weren’t for my stomachache, I’d be ready to walk another four hours.
Delia: I told you not to eat food from street vendors.
Yoshi: My stomach is just feeling a little irritated and I have a little diarrhea. It’s nothing serious.
Delia: You probably have salmonella or food poisoning.
Yoshi: No, I don’t! Don’t be ridiculous. Here are some band-aids. Now leave me in peace.
Delia: Fine. I’ll let you suffer in silence. I won’t say another word.
Yoshi: Will miracles never cease?
ESL Podcast 392 – An Untrustworthy Co-worker Vicky: Did I imagine it or did you just give Gavin the cold shoulder?
Gerard: You didn’t imagine it. I’m not too happy with him.
Vicky: Why? What did he do?
Gerard: He’s two-faced, that’s why. Last week, he told me he was going to put in a good word for me with the manager for a promotion.
Vicky: So that sounds like a nice thing to do.
Gerard: I thought so, too. But as it turns out, I heard from Elanda that he was bad-mouthing me behind my back.
Vicky: Are you sure?
Gerard: I’m sure. He told Elanda that he thought I had gone pretty far in the company for someone who had dropped out of college. That’s a backhanded compliment, if I’ve ever heard one.
Vicky: That sounds pretty nasty. At least the manager wasn’t around.
Gerard: She wasn’t, but who’s to say what he told her behind my back?
Vicky: You know, the manager is pretty sharp and nothing gets by her. I’m sure she’ll put two and two together and realize that Gavin isn’t trustworthy.
Gerard: I hope so. With friends like him, who needs enemies!
ESL Podcast 390 – Dietary Restrictions and Preferences Tony: Who did you invite over for dinner Saturday?
Carmela: I invited Keith, Sung, Stephanie, and Luis.
Tony: You didn’t!
Carmela: I did. Why?
Tony: You’re going to have a hard time cooking for them. Keith is a vegan and only eats food that’s organic. Sung is lactose intolerant and his doctor put him on a low-salt diet.
Carmela: Really? I didn’t know. How do you know so much about their diets?
Tony: I went on a trip with them and I’ll never do it again. We could never agree on a restaurant.
Carmela: What about Stephanie and Luis?
Tony: Stephanie is a health nut, and doesn’t eat anything with saturated fat, added sugar, or artificial flavors. She also doesn’t eat red meat. And Luis, he can only eat gluten-free kosher foods.
Carmela: This is a disaster. How am I going to cook for all four of them?
Tony: Beats me. Maybe you can turn it into a potluck. At least each of your guests will have one dish they can eat.
Carmela: I can’t invite my friends over for dinner and then tell them to bring their own food!
Tony: Well, you wanted a solution and beggars can’t be choosers.
Carmela: You’re right. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
ESL Podcast 389 – Getting a Cold Walt: What’s the matter with you?
Irene: I have a bad cold.
Walt: Why didn’t you stay home from work? You’re probably contagious!
Irene: I had no choice. I have an important presentation this afternoon and I can’t play hooky.
Walt: You can’t give a presentation in your condition. Your nose is running, your eyes are red and puffy, your voice is hoarse, and you look like you’re running a fever.
Irene: Gee, thanks. I know I look terrible, but I’ll get through it. I’m taking a nasal decongestant, I’m using eye drops, and I’m taking cough medicine and sucking on throat lozenges. I should be better by the time of the presentation. Ahchoo!
Walt: Oh, geez! You just sneezed all over me. You’ve contaminated me for sure!
Irene: Sorry. Where’s the Kleenex? I need to blow my nose.
Walt: I’m out of here! You’re a walking germ machine.
ESL Podcast 388 – Investing Your Money Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for coming to today’s seminar. We’re going to talk about how to invest your money and how to maximize those holdings.
First, we’ll talk about market trends and where to find the best opportunities right now. Getting in on the ground floor and getting the highest appreciation is what we all want. A good investor also knows when to divest, and we’ll talk about how to read the warning signs.
Many of you have money in savings, but you want a better rate of return, and you’re willing to speculate a little to get it. We’ll discuss how to diversify your portfolio to minimize risk while maximizing your return.
Are you ready to make some money? Let’s get started!
ESL Podcast 387 – Describing Talent and Ability Kathy: Thanks for inviting me to see your team. Who’s your best player?
Brad: That would be Sarah. She’s a natural. No one comes close to her speed and dexterity. She has good instincts and a flair for getting out of difficult situations.
Kathy: She sounds promising. Anyone else I should be keeping an eye on?
Brad: Mollie is a good player, too. In terms of scoring points, she can almost do it in her sleep. She’s also very good at being a leader to the other players, and she has a knack for getting along with even the most difficult teammates.
Kathy: As you know, we recruit only first-rate players for the national team, and this year, we hope to be head and shoulders above any of the other teams. The days of making do with mediocre players are over.
Brad: I understand that. We have a game this Saturday. Why don’t you come out and judge for yourself? I think you’ll be impressed with the talent you see.
Kathy: I’m sure I will. I’ll be here on Saturday ready to be dazzled.
ESL Podcast 386 – Learning How to Drive Xavier: Look out! Put your foot on the brake!
Brandy: I am braking.
Xavier: No, your foot is on the gas pedal!
Brandy: Oh. There’s the brake.
Xavier: You just took 10 years off my life. I was sure you were going to hit the median or the railing. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I agreed to teach you how to drive.
Brandy: Relax. I’m really getting the hang of this. Shifting gears isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, it’s cool to parallel park, and driving in reverse is fun!
Xavier: Would you please keep your hands on the steering wheel, instead of playing with the radio? Keep your eyes on the speedometer and stop using the rearview mirror to look at yourself.
Brandy: And you stop working yourself into a tizzy. I’m a fine driver.
Xavier: I don’t think those people you’re about to hit would agree with you.
Brandy: If they don’t like the way I drive, they should get off the sidewalk!
ESL Podcast 385 – Exercising at the Gym Jae: Hi, are you done with this weight machine?
Sally: Yeah, I am. I was just trying it out. I think I must be doing something wrong. My muscles are aching already.
Jae: Maybe I can help. I’ve been working out on these machines for a few months, so I’m pretty used to them.
Sally: I just joined the gym this week. I usually do a cardio workout on a treadmill or stationary bike, and I’ve used free weights at home before. But now it makes sense to do my strength-training here.
Jae: Have you thought about getting a personal trainer? When I joined, I signed up for a trainer for a few sessions and she helped me set up a good regimen.
Sally: That’s a good idea.
Jae: If you want help with those machines, though, I’m usually here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Sally: Thanks, I’ll definitely look out for you. I’m Sally.
Jae: I’m Jae. Nice to meet you.
Sally: You, too. I think I’ve sweated enough today. I’m off to the locker room.
Jae: Yeah, me too. See ya!
ESL Podcast 384 – Accepting Credit Cards Danny: Are you sure we should start accepting credit cards from our customers? We’ve always been a cash-only business.
Katy: I think we need to for the convenience of our customers. It won’t be as big a nuisance as you think, with this new cash register.
Danny: The instructions say the merchant has to swipe the cardholder’s card at the POS. What’s that?
Katy: That stands for point of sale. For us, that’s the cash register. All you have to do is take the credit card and swipe it through here, making sure that the magnetic strip is facing you. It’s simple.
Danny: Do I have to write down the credit card number, the expiration date, and the security code on the back?
Katy: No, the cash register does that for you automatically. It will save you a lot of time.
Danny: What if the customer goes over his or her credit limit?
Katy: In that case, their card is declined and we tell the customer to call the issuing bank.
Danny: What if a customer disputes the charges?
Katy: The credit card company will investigate, and if we have double-charged a customer or made a mistake, we’ll have to do a chargeback. We can do it easily with the cash register. Everything can be done with this machine. It’s great.
Danny: What if it doesn’t work? Katy: What if what doesn’t work? Danny: What if the cash register breaks down? Katy: Um...I guess you’ll have to write down all of the information and process it when the machine is working again. Danny: Not such a timesaver, huh? Katy: But you only have to do that if it breaks down, and it won’t break down...very often.
Danny: We’ll see about that!
ESL Podcast 383 – Mending a Broken Heart David: Why has Joyce been moping around all week? What’s wrong with her?
Victoria: She’s suffering from a broken heart. Her boyfriend broke up with her over the weekend. They had been together for two years.
David: Did she tell you the gruesome details?
Victoria: Not really. She just said that she’s feeling depressed and she didn’t want to talk about it, but you can see the grief all over her face.
David: I can think of a way to cheer her up. I’ve always wanted to go out with Joyce. Maybe I’ll ask her out.
Victoria: Wait a second. I think she’s feeling pretty vulnerable right now, and there’s no way she’s ready to date yet. I think you’re jumping the gun.
David: There’s nothing better to help someone bounce back from a failed relationship than the promise of a new one.
Victoria: Maybe, but I think it might backfire. If you just want a fling, she might not be able to recover from rejection – twice.
David: Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’ll just distract her from her misery for a while until she starts to recover.
Victoria: Just tread carefully.
David: Leave it to the master.
ESL Podcast 382 – Types of Hotels and Accommodations Jamal: Have you found a place for us to stay in Chicago?
Erin: I’m still exploring the options. Instead of a run-of-the-mill chain hotel, I thought we could do something different.
Jamal: How different?
Erin: I thought we might stay in a cabin near the lake.
Jamal: A cabin? That sounds a little too rustic for me. My days of roughing it in hostels or fleabag motels are over. A cabin sounds like it would be in the same league.
Erin: Oh, I don’t know. There are some very nice cabins, and even if they’re less than luxurious, I don’t mind staying in a modest place. We can’t afford an expensive boutique hotel, you know.
Jamal: I know that, but there are a lot of other options. We could stay in a bed and breakfast or a vacation rental. Remember the bed and breakfast we stayed in in Montreal?
Erin: Yeah, that was nice. Okay, you win. I was trying to appeal to your adventurous spirit.
Jamal: My adventurous spirit is still here. It just needs the right inducement.
ESL Podcast 381 – Watching the TV News Anchor: Good evening. I’m Gary Singh and this is the evening news. Tonight, we’ll have a special report from our field reporter, Monique Sanders, on the latest developments in the Eddie Litton court case. And in our feature segment, we’ll go to Arizona to interview the world’s fattest dog, weighing 210 pounds! We’ll also have this week’s weather and the latest on sports.
But first, our top story: A man suspected of murdering his business partner led the police on a highspeed chase through downtown this afternoon. Reporting live from downtown Los Angeles is Tanisha Gray. Tanisha?
Tanisha: Thanks, Gary. About three hours ago, the police cordoned off a half-mile area around City Hall after the suspect ran into one of the City Hall offices and took two women as hostages. After a nearly two-hour stand-off, the suspect surrendered. Neither of the two women was hurt and the suspect is now in police custody. Back to you, Gary, in the studio.
Anchor: Thanks for that report, Tanisha. We’ll have more for you as this story develops
ESL Podcast 380 – Hiring Temp Workers Bethany: I just talked to Steve about hiring replacements for Cyril, who quit last month and for Megan, who is leaving at the end of this week. Do you know what he told me? He doesn’t want to hire permanent replacements. He wants to make do with temps!
Enrique: I can see it from Steve’s perspective. The economy isn’t so good right now and maybe he’s not sure if we can afford full-time replacements.
Bethany: But how am I supposed to staff the office to cover all of the work that needs to be done with temps!
Enrique: Don’t undervalue temps. Many of them are very skilled and you may be surprised at how well they do. I should know. I worked as a temp right after graduating from college.
Bethany: You did? I didn’t know that. But you went to a great school. I’m surprised you had trouble landing a full-time job.
Enrique: Actually, I was offered a full-time job before I graduated, but I turned it down. I decided I wanted to test the waters in a few different companies before deciding on where I wanted to work. In retrospect, it was the best thing I could have done.
Bethany: You didn’t miss the job security?
Enrique: Yeah, I did, but there are other perks to working as a temp. I got offered permanent jobs with two of the companies I temped for. That’s how I got my first full-time job. Working there was the best way to get my foot in the door.
Bethany: Well, thanks for the fresh perspective. Maybe working with temps won’t be so bad.
Enrique: I hope not. And if they get out of line, just tell me and I’ll set them straight.
Bethany: Yeah, right.
ESL Podcast 379 – A Routine Procedure Julia: Aren’t you nervous about your surgery next week?
Hugh: No, it’s a routine procedure. I don’t even need to be admitted overnight.
Julia: But aren’t you going under general anesthesia? It’s not the same as local anesthesia, you know.
Hugh: Yes, I know. This is an out-patient procedure. If the doctors don’t think I can go home the same day, they’ll just keep me under observation.
Julia: All the same, there may be complications.
Hugh: It’s supposed to be a low-risk procedure. If there are post-op problems, I’m sure the doctors will take good care of me.
Julia: But what if they release you too early from the hospital. I’ve heard that these days doctors are under pressure to free up beds as soon as possible.
Hugh: It’s true that I may be impaired after the procedure, but my daughter will be there and I trust her judgment. I’m sure she’ll make sure I’m fine to go home before I’m discharged.
Julia: But what if...?
Hugh: Don’t worry. Nothing bad is going to happen. If it does, you can say, “I told you so.”
ESL Podcast 378 – Talking About Time Juanita: What time is it?
Chuck: It’s a quarter to 12. Why?
Juanita: At noon, on the dot, I’m supposed to meet James.
Chuck: On the dot? What if you don’t get there until a few minutes past four? Will you turn into a pumpkin?
Juanita: Knock it off. I have good reason to be on time. I was supposed to meet him at the movies at 8:30 last Saturday and I didn’t turn up until 10 ‘til 9:00. We missed the first 10 minutes of the movie.
Chuck: That doesn’t sound too bad.
Juanita: You don’t know the half of it. The week before that, I was supposed to pick him up from work at a quarter after 5:00, and I didn’t show up until nearly 20 minutes to six. To add insult to injury, James’ boss saw that he was still in the office and gave him an extra assignment to do that night and he didn’t finish until well after 10:00.
Chuck: I can see why he’s pissed off at you.
Juanita: What time is it now?
Chuck: It’s 12:03.
Juanita: Oh my god! I’m late again! What am I going to tell him?
Chuck: Tell him it was all my fault. My incredible charm made you lose track of time.
ESL Podcast 377 – Reporting a Stolen Car Kenji: Hello, my car was stolen and I want to report it.
Officer: Where was it when it was stolen?
Kenji: It was parked outside of my apartment building. I went outside this morning to drive to work, and it was gone.
Officer: Okay, you need to fill out this form. Put down the make and model of the vehicle, the year, and the color. You’ll also need the license plate number. Do you know the vehicle’s VIN number?
Kenji: No, I don’t.
Officer: That’s okay. Just fill it out and we’ll launch an investigation.
Kenji: What do you think the chances are that I’ll recover my car?
Officer: That’s hard to say. If it was stolen by some kids who wanted to take a joyride, they’ll abandon it afterwards and you may get it back in one piece. If it was taken by professional car thieves, that’s a different story. They usually strip the cars of their parts and sell them to chop shops. You may not want your car back after it’s been stripped.
Kenji: I’ll just have to wish for the best.
Officer: We’ll notify you if we have some news.
Kenji: Thanks. In the meantime, I’d better get used to hoofing it around town!