EC154_Guide.pdf

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ENGLISH CAFÉ – 154

TOPICS

Famous Americans: Amy Tan; Americans with Disabilities Act; to take

convincing, full-fledged, dude

_____________

GLOSSARY

descent – background of a person in terms of family and cultural or ethnic

background

* It’s not uncommon to find Americans with mixed descent from many different

cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

to fight – to have disagreements; to argue; to use words or physical actions to

hurt the other person and/or to win an argument or contest

* The two men had a fight over who would ask Sherri out on a date first.

to give (someone) the silent treatment – to not talk to someone else as a way

to punish them and show that one is very angry

* We always know when Mom is angry. She gives us the silent treatment.

promise – something that we say we will do; a commitment to do something

* Gianetta’s boss made her a promise that if she worked late this week, she

could leave work early next week.

life-changing event – something that changes someone’s life in a very big or

important way

* For many people, having a baby is a life-changing event.

expectation – something that one thinks will happen and wants to happen

* All of the guests arrived with the expectation that the host would make an

important announcement that evening.

act – a law; a law made by the government

* The people in the city were happy about the government’s new act, which

would help homeless people find places to live.

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 154

disability – a physical or mental condition that makes it difficult or impossible for

a person to use a part of his or her body or mind

* Do you consider your poor eyesight a disability?

to enact – to make something a law; to pass a law or regulation

* The lawmakers enacted a new law that required everyone to listen to ESL

Podcast every day.

discrimination – treating a group of people a certain way that is unfair; behaving

to people in a group negatively because they belong to that group

* Even though some people believe the United States is a fair country,

discrimination still exists and causes difficulties for many Americans.

accessibility – giving people with disabilities a way to use buildings and services

* Before we decide on where to hold our yearly meeting, let’s make sure that the

building has accessibility for everyone.

wheelchair – a chair on wheels that is used by people who cannot walk

* This parking space is reserved for people with wheelchairs.

elevator – a large box with doors that one walks into and pushes a button to go

to another floor in a building

* Don’t you hate it when you get into an elevator and someone pushes all of the

buttons so you have to stop on every floor?

ramp – a large flat surface placed at an angle, probably over the steps, so that

wheelchairs can roll up it

* I can’t carry this large suitcase up the stairs. Is there a ramp?

exception to the rule – something that allows people not to have to follow a

rule; something that does not follow the normal or standard pattern

* All the children eat lunch at school. Linda is the exception. She lives next to

the school and walks home ever day for lunch.

bars – long pieces of metal attached to the ground or to a wall, often for people

to hold so that they walk, sit, or stand better

* My grandmother has a bar on the wall of her bathroom that she holds onto so

that she doesn’t fall when getting in or out of the bathtub.

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 154

to take convincing – a phrase used to mean that the person did not immediately

believe or accept what he or she was told and he or she needed to have some

evidence or more information to be persuaded or convinced

* It took convincing to get Jeremiah to agree to drive us to San Diego this

weekend, especially since he doesn’t like to drive long distances.

full-fledged – totally developed; complete; fully trained

* Daniella worked as an assistant in a hair salon for a year before she became a

full-fledged hair stylist.

dude – informal term for a man; a guy

* Hey, dude. Why don’t we get some beer and watch the game at your house?

_____________

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 154

WHAT INSIDERS KNOW

Disabled Facilities and Parking

In the U.S., businesses are required to make sure that their “premises” (building;

location) are accessible for people with disabilities. This usually means that a

separate area is “set aside” (only allowing certain people to use) in part of the

building. For example, “changing rooms” or “fitting rooms” where customers in

stores put on the store’s clothes to see if they are the right size must have a

place that is accessible for people in wheelchairs or other disabilities. This is

also true for bathrooms, or “restrooms.” You will either see a special separate

bathroom set aside that is wheelchair accessible, or a “stall” (individual small

room with a toilet) that is “designated” (marked) for wheelchair users.

To make sure that everyone knows that there is a “facility” or place for the use of

people with disabilities, business owners put up a sign that looks like sign

number 1:

1. 2.

Businesses are also required by law to set aside parking spaces near the

“entrance” (place where people enter a building) for use by people with

disabilities. You will see signs like sign number 2 at many business and public

places. Only people who apply to the government and receive a special “license

plate” (metal plate with numbers and letters that identify your car) or a “permit”

(sticker or sign that people place in their car window to show that they have

special permission to do something) can park there. Anyone else who parks

there will get a ticket and will have to pay a “fine” (money paid as punishment for

doing something against the law).

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 154

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 154.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 154. I’m

your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational

Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Download this episode’s Learning Guide, an 8

to 10 page guide we provide for all of our current episodes that gives you some

additional help in improving your English. While you’re there take a look at our

ESL Podcast Store, which has some additional courses in English, as well as our

ESL Podcast Blog.

On this Café, we’re going to continue our series on famous Americans, focusing

on a writer named Amy Tan. We’re also going to talk about a U.S. law called the

Americans with Disabilities Act and how it affects buildings and life in the United

States. A very important law that most people are aware of here in the U.S. And

as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started.

In this Café we begin with a continuation of our series on famous Americans.

Today we are going to talk about a famous writer named Amy Tan. Tan is an

American of Chinese “descent,” meaning her relatives – parents, grandparents,

or great-grandparents – are from a Chinese-speaking country. We use this word,

“descent” (descent), to refer to where we came from. The United States is

mostly a country of immigrants, and so everyone has a different place where they

came from. I am of Irish descent, because my great-great-great-grandparents

were from Ireland. Tan is of Chinese descent because both of her parents were

from China. Tan is an American, however, because she was born in the United

States. She was born in Oakland, California, which would make her a Chinese

American. She was born in 1952.

Amy’s father – Amy Tan’s father and one of her brothers died when she was very

young. She lived with her mother and her other brother, but they moved around

a lot and she lived in many different places, including the Netherlands and

Switzerland in Europe. Amy and her mother fought a lot. “Fought” is the simple

past tense for the verb “to fight.” Normally “to fight” means to be angry with

another person, even hitting the other person. But when I say that Amy and her

mother fought a lot, I don’t mean they physically hit each other. I mean they

disagreed with each other and had a lot of arguments. You could say, “My wife

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2008). Posting of

these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

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