Ten Questions ESL Podcast

LnR Around the World in Eighty Days 11 Chapter III IN WHICH A CONVERSATION TAKES PLACE WHICH SEEMS LIKELY TO COST PHILEAS FOGG DEAR Phileas Fogg, having shut the door of his house at half-past eleven, and having put his right foot before his left five hundred and seventy-five times, and his left foot before his right five hundred and seventy-six times, reached the Reform Club, an imposing edifice in Pall Mall, which could not have cost less than three millions. He repaired at once to the dining-room, the nine windows of which open upon a tasteful garden, where the trees were already gilded with an autumn colouring; and took his place at the habitual table, the cover of which had already been laid for him. His breakfast consisted of a side-dish, a broiled fish with Reading sauce, a scarlet slice of roast beef garnished with mushrooms, a rhubarb and gooseberry tart, and a morsel of Cheshire cheese, the whole being washed down with several cups of tea, for which the Reform is famous. He rose at thirteen minutes to one, and directed his steps towards the large hall, a sumptuous apartment adorned with lavishly-framed paintings. A flunkey handed him an uncut Times, which he proceeded to cut with a skill which betrayed familiarity with this delicate operation. The perusal of this paper absorbed Phileas Fogg until a quarter before four, whilst the Standard, his next task, occupied him till the dinner hour. Dinner passed as breakfast had done, and Mr. Fogg re-appeared in the reading-room and sat down to the Pall Mall at twenty minutes before six. Half an hour later several members of the Reform came in and drew up to the fireplace, where a coal fire was steadily burning. They were Mr. Fogg's usual partners at whist: Andrew Stuart, an engineer; John Sullivan and Samuel Fallentin, bankers; Thomas Flanagan, a brewer; and Gauthier Ralph, one of the Directors of the Bank of England—all rich and highly respectable personages, even in a club which comprises the princes of English trade and finance. "Well, Ralph," said Thomas Flanagan, "what about that robbery?" "Oh," replied Stuart, "the Bank will lose the money." "On the contrary," broke in Ralph, "I hope we may put our hands on the robber. Skilful detectives have been sent to all the principal ports of America and the Continent, and he'll be a clever fellow if he slips through their fingers." "But have you got the robber's description?" asked Stuart. "In the first place, he is no robber at all," returned Ralph, positively. "What! a fellow who makes off with fifty-five thousand pounds, no robber?" "No." "Perhaps he's a manufacturer, then." "The Daily Telegraph says that he is a gentleman."

You can contact me at Nancy@MissBuswell.com to tell me if you want the vocabulary part to be shorter, or if you have any other comments about my podcasts. Fresh Off The Boat S 1 E 2 Dialog Mr. Huang: Jessica, what brings you to Cattleman’s Ranch? Mrs. Huang: I realized, why not have the boys do CLC here. That way I can also help you at the restaurant. Unless you don’t want me here. Mr. Huang: Oh, no, of course I want you here. Mrs. Huang: Good! Boys! CLC. This booth. If Mitch steals two croutons per hour, and a three-pound box costs five dollars, how many days until we are on the street? Evan: How many croutons per box? What are we paying for rent? How can I solve for X when I don’t know Z? Eddie: Nerd! Evan: Student: Eddie Huang. Infraction: Slander. Emory: He’s tough, but he’s fair. Mrs. Huang: Nancy! What did I tell you about extra napkins? Also, why are we out of tea bags? Mr. Huang: I don’t want you here! Mrs. Huang: I knew it! As soon as you expressed emotions with words . . . . Mr. Huang: Why do you micromanage everything? Mrs. Huang: Why am I the only one who cares that we are losing money? I’m just looking out for our family. Mr. Huang: So am I, but I’m doing it in a nicer way. You should treat people how you want to be treated. Mrs. Huang: You think people are inherently good, but they are not. Customer: I’m sorry, could I just get my check please? Mr. Huang. I’m sorry. My son got straight A’s and I told my wife I love her. Please bear with us. We’re going through a rough patch. Mrs. Huang: Look at that table, look at that table! They are about to dine and dash. They’ve ordered the most expensive items on the menu. They’ve been there a long time and they haven’t paid. And that one guy is pumping up his sneaker. Mr. Huang: I’ll take care of this. Mrs. Huang: How? By killing them with kindness? Showering them with napkins? No, you make them pay, then you kick them out! Mr. Huang: I will handle this my way! Vocabulary to terrify: As a kid, there are things that terrify you. report cards: When do report cards come out? croutons to clog: Is that why you have clogged the pepper holes? forgery kit: I’ve got a forgery kit n my room. rookie: I’m not making the same rookie mistake I made last year. I’m rooting for you. slippery slope: It’s a slippery slope. teacher’s pet mama’s boy This sucks! You play the cards you’re dealt with. chubby: Mitch, when you’re at Cattleman’s Ranch, I want you to feel like you’re being hugged by a matronly woman with chubby arms. to micromanage: We showed our love through criticism and micromanagement. Nerd! Infraction: Slander. to dine and dash sappy: That’s how it was in my family. We didn’t do sappy “I love you’s”. We didn’t have to. We just showed it. Academic: Looks like we’ll be going for academic scholarships.  

TQ 107 Kristina from Ukraine Kristina and her two friends Kirill and Peter stayed with me in Nanning for four days. They had hitchhiked from Ukraine in Europe and were headed to Vietnam. Listen as we talk about how she thinks sometimes in Ukrainian and sometimes in Russian, and as she tells us about how fascinating it was to climb a volcano in Indonesia. Kristina has studied to be a doctor, so she uses some difficult medical words in this podcast episode! Here are some words you may not know: split, empire, gap year, to trek, trekking, the harness, mountain peak, tropical, avocado, popcorn, to ripen, ripe, passion fruit, endorphins, oxytocin, hormone, acrobatic, volcano, crater, symbiosis.

LnR Around the World in Eighty Days 10 Mr. Fogg's wardrobe was amply supplied and in the best taste. Each pair of trousers, coat, and vest bore a number, indicating the time of year and season at which they were in turn to be laid out for wearing; and the same system was applied to the master's shoes. In short, the house in Saville Row, which must have been a very temple of disorder and unrest under the illustrious but dissipated Sheridan, was cosiness, comfort, and method idealised. There was no study, nor were there books, which would have been quite useless to Mr. Fogg; for at the Reform two libraries, one of general literature and the other of law and politics, were at his service. A moderate-sized safe stood in his bedroom, constructed so as to defy fire as well as burglars; but Passepartout found neither arms nor hunting weapons anywhere; everything betrayed the most tranquil and peaceable habits. Having scrutinised the house from top to bottom, he rubbed his hands, a broad smile overspread his features, and he said joyfully, "This is just what I wanted! Ah, we shall get on together, Mr. Fogg and I! What a domestic and regular gentleman! A real machine; well, I don't mind serving a machine."

Fresh Off the Boat S 1 E 1   Vocabulary Shaq narc: Shut up, you little Chinese narc! to haggle: Moms thought that everything was too much. She never understood that you couldn’t haggle at JC Penney’s. Tiger Mom: Moms was always hard on me – way before all that Tiger Mom stuff. anthem: see sentence below black sheep: If you were an outsider, hip hop was your anthem, and I was definitely the black sheep in my family. humidity: The humidity is not good for my hair. exotic: I was expecting something a little more exotic. to make waves: I want all of you to be polite, respectful, and don’t make waves. janitor: I had to eat behind the gym where the janitor flies his kite. hilarious: Mom, there’s a fat kid at school and he’s hilarious. filthy: That filthy music you listen to turned you into a poet, boy! numerous: I’ve told you numerous times . . . product: Your hair is terrible. So was mine. I fixed it using product. ch___: It’s my turn, ch_____. fishy: The school’s fine with that? Fishy! We’ll sue you so fast it will make your head spin. to stand up for oneself: You do your best to not make waves, but I will never be mad at you for standing up for yourself. At the end they use the word nut in a way that I’m not familiar with. It must have been some 1990’s slang that I never heard. You don’t need to know it.   Dialog Mrs. Huang: I talked to my sister today. My brother bought a brand new Miata. Mr. Huang: It’s not new. There’s no way that car is new. Mrs. Huang: I think it’s new. Mr. Huang: Nope. Mrs. Huang: New Mr. Huang: Nope. It’s not new. Mrs. Huang: Eddie, why are you eating so much? Eddie: I’m hungry. Mrs. Huang: Didn’t you eat your lunch today? Eddie. Yep. But I’m still hungry. Mrs. Huang: How did you like the xiaolongbao I packed for you? Eddie: It was really good. Mrs. Huang: Liar! I did not pack xiaolongbao! Eddie: OK. Fine. I threw my lunch away. Mr. Huang: That’s wasteful, Eddie! Mrs. Huang: I cannot believe you Eddie! This is good food I make. You love my food. Eddie: I need white people lunch. That gets me a seat at the table. And then, you get to change the rules. Represent. Like Nas says. I’m not trying to eat with the janitor for the rest of my life. I’ve got big plans. First, get a seat at the table. Second, meet Shaq. Third, change the game, possibly with the help of Shaq. Mr. Huang: Darn it, that was beautiful. That filthy music you listen to turned you into a poet, boy.

Fresh Off the Boat Introduction This podcast is only me talking! There's no Listen and Repeat. I introduce the TV series "Fresh Off the Boat to you. I tell you about the mom and dad, Louis and Jessica, who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. You learn about their three sons, Eddie, Emery, and Evan, who were all born in the U.S. Eddie is the main focus of the show. He's in junior high school, and he loves hip hop and the NBA. The show takes place in the 1990's, so the music is from that time and Eddie's favorite basketball player is Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal). In the first episode of this sitcom, the family moves from Washington, D.C. to Orlando, Florida, where Louis is going to open a restaurant, a cowboy-themed steakhouse. The main conflict in this TV show is seeing how this Taiwanese-American family adapts to living in the U.S. without losing their feeling of being Chinese. This is a similar conflict that many families face when they immigrate to new countries.

TQ 056 Alicja from Poland (Replay) Alicja and her friend Milena stayed with me two nights. A cyclist from Belarus was also here at the same time. Alicja and her friend sometimes travel by hitchhiking. Listen as we talk about her favorite sport, ski jumping, and how the Poles have 12 dishes for their Christmas Eve dinner, and how she visited a beautiful place in Bolivia, South America. She also traveled across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway, which is one of the great train rides in the world. Words that you may not know are: Mediterranean, beets, beetroot, Roman Catholic, the Pope, hitchhike, and pajamas.

LnR Around the World in Eighty Days 9 At half-past eleven, then, Passepartout found himself alone in the house in Saville Row. He began its inspection without delay, scouring it from cellar to garret. So clean, well-arranged, solemn a mansion pleased him; it seemed to him like a snail's shell, lighted and warmed by gas, which sufficed for both these purposes. When Passepartout reached the second story he recognised at once the room which he was to inhabit, and he was well satisfied with it. Electric bells and speaking-tubes afforded communication with the lower stories; while on the mantel stood an electric clock, precisely like that in Mr. Fogg's bedchamber, both beating the same second at the same instant. "That's good, that'll do," said Passepartout to himself. He suddenly observed, hung over the clock, a card which, upon inspection, proved to be a programme of the daily routine of the house. It comprised all that was required of the servant, from eight in the morning, exactly at which hour Phileas Fogg rose, till half-past eleven, when he left the house for the Reform Club—all the details of service, the tea and toast at twenty-three minutes past eight, the shaving-water at thirty-seven minutes past nine, and the toilet at twenty minutes before ten. Everything was regulated and foreseen that was to be done from half-past eleven a.m. till midnight, the hour at which the methodical gentleman retired.  

LnR 058 Words from Spanish (Replay) Here are the words: adios     cafeteria     canyon     Chihuahua (a city in Mexico and a small dog)     chili     El Nino (there should be a mark over the second "n", but I don't know how to make it in this podcasting program)     fiesta     jalapeno (mark over the "n")     macho     ole (mark over the "e")     paella     patio     plaza     pronto     siesta     tacos     tortilla     tequila     vanilla     vigilante   My voice sounds tired because I recorded this late at night!

LnR 056 Words from Chinese and Cantonese (Replay) I said in the beginning that this podcast episode would be short, but it's not! Here are the words: tofu     kungfu     tai chi     typhoon     kowtow     wok     gung ho     wonton     dim sum     feng shui