ESLPod.com English as a Second Language Podcast

Topics: D.B. Cooper; the Underground Railroad; extend versus expand; God forbid; brown-bag lunch

Words:
to hijack
threat
unsolved mystery
flight attendant
bomb
parachute
in exchange for
frayed
unconvinced
slave
to escape
to be sympathetic toward
to extend
to expand
God forbid
brown-bag lunch

Slow dialogue: 1:13
Explanations: 3:19
Fast dialogue: 14:01

Agency employee: Tell me why you’d like to sign up with our employment agency.

Kurt: Well, right now I’m working in a dead end job. There are no opportunities for advancement. I’m already at the top of the pay scale, so there’s no chance of another pay raise.

Agency employee: Okay, I’d like to find out a little more about your employment history. Tell me about your last job.

Kurt: Oh, that was a mind-numbing position. I did menial work all day and I burned out in six months.

Agency employee: What about the job you had before that?

Kurt: The problem with that job was that there was a glass ceiling. They would never promote a person like me.

Agency employee: And what about the job you had before that?

Kurt: I only took that job as a steppingstone to the next one, but it turned out to be a stumbling block instead. My boss didn’t like me and wouldn’t give me a good reference.

Agency employee: Okay, so you were not happy with any of the jobs you’ve had.

Kurt: No, they weren’t right for me. I don’t want to be trapped in a dead end job. I want something that will give me personal satisfaction.

Agency employee: I see. Well, we’ll do the best we can. Have you considered working at an employment agency? I’m looking for a new job myself.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Slow dialogue: 1:11
Explanations: 3:04
Fast dialogue: 16:15

My best friend, Saul, is getting married. As the best man, it was up to me to plan a bachelor party he’d never forget. All of the groomsmen were chipping in, so we went all out.

I invited everybody over to my apartment. Instead of going to a strip club, we hired a stripper. Before the stripper arrived, we played some drinking games and we gave Saul some gag gifts. We all started to get pretty bombed, but we weren’t thinking of the hangover we’d have the next day.

When the stripper arrived, we told “her” to give Saul a lap dance. He had never had one before and he was really embarrassed! But the best part was when Saul saw the stripper: It was a man! Everyone had a good laugh, and we took some pictures so we’d have incriminating evidence. We poked fun at him for the rest of the night.

And as best man, what was my most important job of all? It was not letting his fiancée find out what happened that night – at least not before the wedding!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

Topics: Famous Americans: Great Jazz Artists Josephine Baker and Ella Fitzgerald; the Amish; to be honest versus as a matter of fact; why don’t you versus let’s

Words:
jazz
pearl
world-famous
to drop out
civil rights movement
first lady
improv
postage stamp
buggy
suspenders
strict
to pray
to be honest
as a matter of fact
let’s

Slow dialogue: 1:23
Explanations: 3:08
Fast dialogue: 15:15

Tanya: We’ve been here for three days and I’m still getting lost.

Darren: Here’s a map. These are the residential neighborhoods. See? This is where we’re staying.

Tanya: I know, I know. But where were we today? The tour bus went down so many alleys that I lost my bearings after 10 minutes. I thought we were going in circles.

Darren: Look, we drove through downtown first, past the financial district. Next, we drove past the housing projects to the historic district.

Tanya: I remember all that.

Darren: Okay, then. From the historic district, we drove through uptown. Got that?

Tanya: Yeah, that’s where things get a little hazy. How did we get to the outskirts of town? One minute we were in uptown, and the next minute, we were at the city limits.

Darren: We took one of the back roads along here. See? Now do you understand the lay of the land?

Tanya: Yup, definitely. Ask me anything. I know this city like the back of my hand.

Darren: No, thanks. That’s like the blind leading the blind!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse