Podcast
ESL Pod Official - Speak English Fluently by Listening (with Text)
Hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan · EN
English as a Second Language Podcast (ESL Pod) You can only master a language by comprehending what you hear. If you don't get it, you're not learning anything. Our lessons are simple, clear, and easy to follow. We break down everything as you listen and read. You comprehend, your English gets better, and you can speak it fluently. It's easy. It's effective. It works.
11episodes
Episodes
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ESLPodcast 49 - Car Trouble
Nov 2200:22:47Tap to summarizeI was driving down the Santa Monica freeway yesterday, headed towards downtown, when all of a sudden I see my engine light come on. Needless to say, that's not the sort of thing one likes to see. So I immediately pull over to the side of the road and park on the shoulder . I pop the hood and look to see what the problem might be. I'm no mechanic. I barely know how to change the oil and the wiper fluid‚ but perhaps something would pop out at me. The car didn't overheat, since there was no steam coming out of the radiator . I checked the battery cables, and the battery was definitely not dead. I didn't know quite what else to do, so I pulled out my cell phone and called AAA for a tow to the nearest repair shop. I started worrying about all the things it could be‚Äîthe fuel pump, the transmission, the electrical system. Who knows? I just had new brakes put in a month ago, so I knew it couldn't be that. The tow truck finally arrived and we went to a nearby mechanic. He checked everything, and then told me that he had found the problem: the engine light sensor was broken! I now had to take it into the dealer to get it fixed. Well, at least it didn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 48 - At the Movies
Nov 2100:19:45Tap to summarizeMy friend Jim and I decided to see the latest blockbuster this weekend. I like a good action movie once in a while. We decided to meet at the movie theater after work. When I got the theater, I looked around and didn't see Jim. So, I thought I would get in line to buy tickets. There were two different lines so I asked a woman standing in the first one, "Is this the line for Mission Impossible 4?" and she said, "Yes, I'm afraid it is." I turned around and saw why she said that. It was really long and had about 20 people in it already. Oh, well. I went to the back of the line and waited. About 10 minutes later, I saw Jim coming up the escalator. He looked out of breath. He said, "Hey, sorry for being so late. I hit a lot of traffic on the way over." I told him, "Don't worry about it. As you can see, we have a long wait.‚" We finally got up to the head of the line. The clerk behind the ticket window said, "Can I help you?" and I said, "Two tickets for MI-4, please." We weren't children, students, or seniors, so there were no special discounts for us. The clerk handed me two tickets and we headed inside. There was a ticket taker just inside the door and he took our tickets, handing back to us our stubs. Coming straight from work , I was really hungry. Jim and I went to the concession stand and got a couple of Cokes, a tub of popcorn, a hotdog, and a box of candy. We were set. We went into the screening room and it was packed. Lucky for us, we found some seats together that weren't too close to the screen. We sat back and waited for the movie to start. While we watched 10 minutes of previews we wolfed down our food. By the time the movie started, I was feeling pretty good. I don't know which was better: The movie or the great junk food! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 47 - A Trip to New York City
Nov 2000:21:31Tap to summarize(The phone rings.) Lucy: Hello. Jeff: Hey Lucy, it's Jeff. Lucy: Hey, welcome back. How was your vacation? Jeff: Oh, it was great. The seven days in New York was a blast. Lucy: Oh, yeah? Did you do any sightseeing or just visit with friends? Jeff: I got to do both, actually. First, I saw my friend Edmundo who just moved there. He hadn't seen much of the city himself so we went to all the tourist spots. We got a guidebook and went to the major museums, saw a play, went to a concert in Central Park, and took the Staten Island Ferry. We did all of that in a day and a half. It was a whirlwind, but we got to see a lot. Lucy: A day and a half?! You guys must have been exhausted. Jeff: Yeah, we were. But, the rest of my trip was pretty low key. My friends Pat and Billie rented a car and we took a road trip to Upstate New York to visit some other friends of ours. Lucy: Did you have to stay over in a hotel along the way, or did you drive straight through ? Jeff: We didn't bother with booking hotel rooms so we just drove straight there. It wasn't that far. Lucy: How long did you stay there? Jeff: We were only there two days and we drove back and got back last night. My flight was this morning at 8 a.m. The worst part of the whole trip was that my flight was cancelled. I was rebooked onto another flight that had a three-hour layover in Chicago. That was a major pain. Lucy: It sounds like it. Well, I'm glad you made it back okay. And, you even have the weekend to rest up before work on Monday. Jeff: Yeah, I'll need it. I've got to catch up on my sleep! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 45 - A Visit to the Doctor
Oct 2300:20:13Tap to summarizeGoing to the doctor is never particularly pleasant for me. But I couldn't put it off any longer. It was time for my annual physical, and there was no getting around it. So I picked up the phone and called for an appointment. "I'd like to see Dr. Shimoya next week, please, if that's possible," I said. Of course, it wasn't possible. The doctor was booked until next month, the receptionist told me. "Okay," I said, "let's schedule it for next month.‚" When the day arrives, I drive over to the doctor and check-in at the receptionist desk. I have to present my HMO card and pay the co-pay of $15.00. The receptionist instructs me to go to waiting room B, down the hall, first door on the right. So I go there and take a seat to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, my name is called and I go into see the doctor. The nurse weighs me, takes my temperature and blood pressure, and asks me why I'm there. I tell her it's time for my yearly check- up. She tells me to follow her to the examination room, and then to strip down to my underwear. Now I'm sitting on the exam table, half- freezing, waiting for the doctor to show up . Finally, he walks in, looks at my chart, and begins his examination. "Breathe," he says, as he places the stethoscope on my chest. "Breathe in and out slowly," he says. I do so. Then he checks my throat and has me lay down to check my abdomen. Finally, he orders a blood test and says, "Well, you're good for another year, Mr. McQuillan." Thank goodness, I think to myself, and get dressed to leave. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan
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ESLPodcast 44 - Making a Good Impression
Oct 2100:15:14Tap to summarizeMy interview is today. It is with a marketing company. It is a large corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. It also has satellite offices across the U.S. and in Europe. I'm not sure if this would be the right fit for me, but I'm keeping an open mind. I got some sound advice from my aunt. She said that I should be confident but not cocky. That means I have to look for opportunities to talk about my qualifications, but don't make the mistake of boasting or worse, making things up. I do that sometimes when I get really nervous. My brain stops working and my mouth takes over. I need to be respectful but not meek. I want to be professional with everyone, my co-workers and my bosses. But, I don't want them to think that I would let my co-workers walk all over me. I should show them that I'm a team- player. Nobody likes a person who tries to grab the limelight all of the time, especially if they're new, like me. Okay, I think I'm ready. I have my resume, my transcript, and the address of the office where I'm going for the interview. Now, all I need are my shoes Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 43 - Getting an Interview
Oct 1900:20:36Tap to summarizeI've finally landed my first interview. Well, actually, that's not really true. I have been on many interviews for part-time jobs. This was my first interview for a full-time job. In less than two months, I will graduate from Arizona University. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on a major, I finally decided to double major. I would study both political science and marketing. These are not majors that usually go together. In fact, most people thought I was crazy. But, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to combine my two main interests: 1. politics and 2. getting a job! Those are my two priorities. I thought that if I get degrees in these two fields, I could cast a wide net when going job hunting. And, that's what I'm trying to do now. Since I don't know if I want to work in the public or private sector, I've applied for jobs in both. In the public sector, I could work for the government. Maybe one day, I could even be a speech writer for the President! Okay, maybe I should shoot a little lower. In the private sector, I could work for private organizations such as museums, schools, or programs. Some of those are non-profit. Or, I could work for a company. Everybody tells me that that's where the money is. I haven't decided yet. I'm planning to apply for a lot of jobs and will see what happens. What I want now is just to get some job offers. Then, I can start being picky. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 42 - Formal Emails
Oct 1700:20:09Tap to summarizeDear Dr. Lee: I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference. As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your journal papers and I am a great admirer of your research. Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking. The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor and as an advisor. I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year, but if so, I hope you will consider me. I have included two attachments to this email. I am sending a copy of my CV , and I am also including a research paper I completed this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience. Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work. It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference. Sincerely, Lucy Hocevar Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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ESLPodcast 41 - Tough Negotiations
Oct 1500:19:35Tap to summarizeI'm not what you would call the world's best negotiator, but sometimes it's necessary to engage in a tough negotiation. Take, for instance, the time I had to renew the lease on my apartment. This was back in college, when I was renting a small studio in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. When my lease was up , the landlord and I sat down to hammer out the terms of a new lease. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm going to give you a break on rent if you sign a two-year lease instead of just a one-year lease." "Well," I said, "I don't know. What sort of break are we talking about here?‚" "I'll give you a 5% rent increase instead of a 10% increase in exchange for you signing a two-year lease. It's win-win situation: you get a cut in rent, and I get the security of a two-year lease.‚" At this point, I decided to make a counter-proposal . "How about this," I said, "You give me a one year lease with a six percent increase.‚" "No, I can't make that sort of deal," he said. "But here's what I can do, and it's my final offer: I'll pay for your electricity for the first 6 months of the lease, along with the other terms I mentioned before.‚" "You drive a hard bargain okay, it's a deal," I said. I guess I could have tried to bargain him down a bit more, but I was happy with our agreement. Now all I had to do was sign on the dotted line . Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan
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ESLPodcast 40 - Homecoming
Sep 2300:19:56Tap to summarizeFall is once again upon us, and that means that homecoming celebrations are just around the corner. Homecoming is an American tradition each September and October for high schools and colleges where they celebrate their school spirit with a football game and other celebrations. I remember the homecoming events when I was in school. First, there was the election of a homecoming king and queen. Each class had its own representative, one boy and one girl, usually the most popular jock and the cutest cheerleader . Needless to say, I was neither, so I never stood a chance of being elected! The king and queen, though, were always from the senior class. All the events led up to the big game, played on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon, always a home game for the school celebrating their homecoming. In my school, we had a pep rally the day before the game, where the cheerleaders and dance team would do their thing on the stage. We also had a small parade before the game, where all the homecoming royalty and the marching band would go around the track of the stadium where the game was held, cheered on by alumni, parents, and students. Then we would watch the football game, which at my school, we usually lost. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan
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ESLPodcast 39 - Reality T.V.
Sep 2200:15:44Tap to summarizeIt's hard to watch TV these days without seeing reality shows. Some nights, it's hard to find a scripted drama to watch. There are so many different kinds of reality shows, too. The most popular one in the U.S. has been the "American Idol" show. This is a singing competition where amateurs try to impress the judges and the audience calls in to vote off a contestant each week. The last person left standing gets a recording contract. I think many countries now have a reality show like this. This show starts its fourth season this year and I think it'll be more popular then ever. Another popular reality show is "Big Brother." In this show, a group of people live together in the same house for about 15 weeks. They're not allowed to leave and they can't have visitors. The people chosen to live in the house are usually very different. This way, there is sure to be a lot of conflict. Some people form alliances and other people try to go it alone. The contestants compete in games and each week, the other contestants vote off one person from the show. Why would anyone want to be on "Big Brother?" The answer is easy: money. The last person remaining gets a huge prize-in the U.S. show, a half a million dollars. Even I'd live in a house full of strangers for that kind of cash . Script by Dr. Lucy Tse
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