#0572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

#0572 – Blowing the Whistle at ...

#0572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work
GLOSSARY
ramification
– implication; consequence; something additional that results from
one’s actions, especially when one cannot know exactly what it will be ahead of
time
* The decision to quit your job could have serious ramifications for your future
career.
to blow the whistle
– to share information about something wrong or bad that
an individual, corporation, or organization is doing, because one hopes to end it
* Who blew the whistle on Enron?
no two ways about it
– very clear; without any uncertainty; able to happen in
only one way
* There are no two ways about it: if you break up with Margot, she’ll never speak
to you again.
to step up
– to come forward; to voluntarily do or participate in something
without being forced to do it
* If you step up and tell the police what you’ve done, you’ll probably get a less
serious punishment than if you wait until you’ve been arrested.
on the line
– at risk; in danger; with the possibility of being lost or damaged
* My job is on the line! If this presentation isn’t perfect, I’ll be fired for sure.
to get out
– for information to become public; for information to become known
by many people; for a secret to be broken
* Sequita would be so embarrassed if any of this information got out.
to live with
– to put up with something; to be able to tolerate something; to be
able to continue living one’s normal life if something is true
* I don’t think I could live with myself if I accidentally killed someone in a car
accident because I was driving while drunk.
to protect (one’s) interests
– to meet one’s own needs and fulfill one’s own
wishes; to take care of oneself
* The bankers seem very helpful, but they aren’t really here to protect our
interests, so we need to read all the documents very carefully before signing.
1
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work
anonymous
– without one’s name being known; with an unknown name or
identity
* This anonymous poem is beautiful. I wish I knew who wrote it.
to blow up
– to become a major problem, usually affecting many people; to
become an uncontrollable situation
* When a government scandal blows up, voters become angry and many
politicians lose their jobs.
to be in knee-deep
– to be heavily involved in something
* I’m knee-deep in paperwork, so I need to work late tonight.
to put (one’s) money where (one’s) mouth is
– to finally do what one has been
saying should be done; to stop just talking about something and begin acting on
it
* If you think getting a college education is so important, why don’t you put your
money where your mouth is and go back to school?
to go public
– to share information with many people, especially with the media;
to stop keeping something a secret
* What made you decide to go public with that story? Most people would have
tried to keep it a secret.
to let the chips fall where they may
– to do something or to let something
happen, no matter what positive or negative things might result from it
* Even though they knew the housing market was falling, they decided to buy the
home and let the chips fall where they may.
hasty
– quick, fast, or rushed, especially when making a decision
* Whenever I make a hasty decision, I usually regret it the next day.
to sleep on it
– to think about something overnight; to not make a final decision
until the next morning, after one has had some time to think about it more
carefully
* Don’t make a decision right now. Go home, sleep on it, and call me again
tomorrow morning.
with (someone)
– in agreement with another person; willing to support another
person; willing to join another person in doing something
* We’re going to protest against the mayor’s decision. Are you with us or against
us?
2
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What does Becky mean when she says, “we are putting our jobs on the line”?
a) They might lose their jobs.
b) They’re applying for new jobs.
c) They are doing something that isn’t part of their job.
2. What does Saeed mean when he says, “we’ll be in knee-deep”?
a) They’ll be heavily involved in whatever happens.
b) They’ll be able to change their minds later.
c) They’ll need to get down on their knees and pray.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to get out
The phrase “to get out,” in this podcast, means for secret information to become
public and known by many people: “When the information got out, the company
spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was sharing corporate secrets.” The
phrase “to get out of (somewhere)” means to leave a place, usually quickly: “I
don’t feel comfortable in this bar. Let’s get out of here!” The phrase “to get
(someone) out” means to help a person leave or escape: “Don’t worry, we’ll get
you out of here!” The phrase “to get out of doing (something)” means to find a
way to avoid doing something one is supposed to do: “How did you get out of
writing that report?” Finally, the phrase “to get out of (something)” can mean to
stop doing a certain type of work: “In 1993, he got out of banking and became a
musician.”
to blow up
In this podcast, the phrase “to blow up” means to become a major problem,
usually affecting many people, or to become an uncontrollable situation:
“Everyone was disappointed when the peace talks blew up and the war
resumed.” The phrase “to blow up” also means to explode: “When the bomb
blew up, many people were killed.” The phrase “to blow (something) up” means
to fill something with air or a gas: “How many balloons do we need to blow up for
the party?” Finally, the phrase “to blow up at (someone)” means to become very
angry at someone and yell at him or her: “I’m sorry I blew up at you yesterday. I
was just really upset about what had happened.”
3
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work
CULTURE NOTE
In 1989, the U.S. government “enacted” (made into law) the Whistleblower
Protection Act. This “Act” (law) was created to protect government workers who
report “misconduct” (bad, inappropriate behavior). “Official” (authority; leader) or
“agency” (department) misconduct might include “gross” (serious; severe)
mismanagement or “misuse” (inappropriate use) of government “funds” (money).
The law was created because some government workers had been complaining
that they were being punished for having blown the whistle on their agency. For
example, if they shared information about agency misconduct, they might be told
that they had done a good thing, but then a few weeks or months later they might
not receive a “promotion” (a move to a better job with more responsibility and
better pay) or they might even be “fired” (lose their job). This was a strong
“disincentive” (something that makes one not want to do something) against
blowing the whistle on agency misconduct.
“Theoretically” (in theory, but not necessarily in reality), government workers
should now feel more comfortable blowing the whistle on official misconduct or
agency misconduct, because according to the Whistleblower Protection Act they
won’t have to “suffer” (feel pain from) negative consequences. However, it can
be hard to “enforce” (make sure a law is followed) the Act. Agency officials might
argue that their “personnel” (related to human resources) decisions are unrelated
to the whistleblower’s actions. For example, they might say that a whistleblower
was fired because he or she wasn’t doing the job very well, even though he or
she was really fired in “retaliation” (revenge). It can be very difficult or impossible
to prove the reason why someone has been fired.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a
4
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 572 – Blowing the Whistle at Work
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 572: Blowing the
Whistle at Work.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 572. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is eslpod.com. Support this podcast by either donating to our site or
by becoming an ESL Podcast member. If you become a member, you are able
to download all of the Learning Guides for our episodes. These are 8- to 10-
page special guides we provide for all of our current episodes that will help you
improve your English even faster.
This dialogue is between Becky and Saeed; it’s about blowing the whistle. “To
blow the whistle” is to tell someone about something that is wrong in your
company or organization. If someone is doing something illegal like stealing, to
blow the whistle would be to tell your boss or to tell the police. Let’s get started
[start of dialogue]
Becky: What are we going to do?
Saeed: I don’t know. I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing the
whistle.
Becky: There are no two ways about it. If we step up and do the right thing, we
are putting our jobs on the line.
Saeed: But we can’t keep quiet about this. If it gets out, and we knew about it all
along, we’ll get into even more trouble. And plus, think of how many people
would be hurt if we kept our mouths shut. Could we live with that?
Becky: Maybe there is a way for us to protect our interests and still do the right
thing. Maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.
Saeed: Don’t count on being able to remain anonymous. When this thing blows
up, we’ll be in knee-deep. There’s only one thing to do.
Becky: What?
5
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2010). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Podobne

: Strona Główna

: [Meditation] Kundalini Yoga - Chakra Dhyana, [Meditation] Kundalini Yoga - Chakra Dhyana [MP3-VBR]

: 000 Enigma - The Platinum Collection. 3CD. 2009, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, Enigma - The Platinum Collection. 3CD. 2009, Playlisty, info, cover

: 000 Enigmatic Hits Vol.01-09, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, 100% Enigmatic Hits Vol.01-09. 2001-2003

: 000 Enigmatic Best Hits. 2012, Mp3 Enigmatic, Enigma, Enigmatic Best Hits. 2012, Playlista, info, cover

: 01.06 South Park - Death [Napisy PL] s01e06, ## %% ## %% ## DO NAUKI ANG South Park Sezon 1 [Napisy PL]

: 01.07 South Park - Pink Eye [Napisy PL] s01e07, ## %% ## %% ## DO NAUKI ANG South Park Sezon 1 [Napisy PL]