#0903 - Listening to a Traffic Report, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

#0903 - Listening to a Traffic ...

#0903 - Listening to a Traffic Report, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
//-->English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 903 – Listening to a Traffic ReportGLOSSARYtraffic report– information about how quickly cars are moving on differentstreets and freeways, especially on the radio* According to the traffic report, it might take us two hours to get out of the city.detour– an alternative route, especially around an area with a lot of construction* The city is replacing sewer pipes on main street, so we’ll have to take thisdetour.commute– one’s drive or travel to and from work; the route between one’shome and workplace* Would you consider moving into a condo downtown to shorten your commute?slowdown– a situation where cars are moving very slowly, usually because toomany cars are trying to drive along the same road* Heavy rain can cause a major slowdown on the freeway.overturned– flipped over; with the bottom facing up and the top resting on theground* Their home was broken into, and when they got home they found that all thetables and chairs had been overturned.big rig– a large truck used for transporting goods long distances; a tractor-trailer; a semi-trailer truck* Bob drives a big rig, taking food from farms to huge warehouses.to block– to not allow passage or access; to be in the way of something so thatnothing else can get through* Could you please sit down? You’re blocking my view of the stage.number two lane– the line of cars immediately to the right of the left-most lane(the fast lane, where cars drive at the highest speeds)* Why is that car in the fast lane? If it’s going to drive that slowly, it should moveinto the number two lane and let us pass.congestion– traffic that is moving very slowly or not at all, because there aretoo many cars on a particular road* There’s always a lot of congestion early in the morning and late in theafternoon, when people are driving to and from work.1These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 903 – Listening to a Traffic Reportdown to– reduced to; decreased to; limited to* It’s only the 25th, but we’re already down to our last $50 until payday.lane– the space between two painted lines on a freeway, designed for one lineof cars to travel in* Is that driver drunk? He’s swerving in and out of the lane.pileup– a crash involving more than two vehicles* Did you hear about the horrible pileup caused by a speeding driver?emergency vehicle –a police car, ambulance, or fire truck* Where are all those emergency vehicles going? Is there a fire somewhere?to respond– for an emergency vehicle to go to the scene of an accident oremergency* We called 9-1-1 almost 20 minutes ago. Why haven’t the police responded yet?surface street– a less important street where traffic moves more slowly, used toaccess homes and businesses; not a freeway, highway, or expressway* When there’s a lot of traffic on the freeway, we can often get home more quicklyon surface streets.stalled– a car that will not move because something is wrong with the engine orother mechanical part* When Sharon’s car stalled in the middle of the intersection, we had to get outand push it to the side of the road.construction– the process of making new buildings and roads* As soon as the city decided to host the Olympics, they started a lot of newconstruction projects.no-win situation– a situation that does not have any good outcomes; a situationwhere one must make a decision or choice, but cannot get what one wants* If we say yes to the client, we’ll have far too much work to do, but if we say nowe risk losing them to our competitor. It’s a no-win situation.gridlock– a traffic jam; a situation where cars are not able to move becausethere are too many cars on the street* Immediately after the earthquake, the entire downtown area was in gridlock aspeople tried to leave the city.2These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 903 – Listening to a Traffic ReportCOMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.a)b)c)2.a)b)c)Why is there a slowdown on I-35 north?Because there was an accident.Because the road has been closed for repair.Because there is heavy traffic.He can spend two hours at work or two hours……looking for an alternative route.…traveling in very slow traffic.…complaining about the traffic report.______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?slowdownThe word “slowdown,” in this podcast, means a situation where cars are movingvery slowly, usually because too many cars are trying to drive along the sameroad: “Bad weather caused a major slowdown on all the major freeways.” Theword “slowdown” also means a reduction in some activity: “Will an economicslowdown really affect cell phone manufacturers?” A “slowpoke” is someone whodoes something too slowly, especially someone who is moving too slowly: “Comeon, slowpoke, we have to be there in 10 minutes!” Finally, someone who is “slow-witted” is stupid or at least unable to understand things quickly: “Kenji is so slow-witted that we had to explain the new process to him at least five times before heunderstood it.”stalledIn this podcast, the word “stalled” describes a car that will not move becausesomething is wrong with the engine or other mechanical part: “If you see a stalledcar on the side of the road, do you stop to offer assistance?” The verb “to stall”means to procrastinate or delay so that one does not have to do something rightaway: “Stop stalling and finish up the report so we don’t have to worry about itanymore.” The verb “to stall” also means to make something or someone waituntil someone is ready: “The presenter is stuck in traffic. Can you stall the clientuntil she gets here?” Finally, as a noun, a “stall” is a small, enclosed area insidea building: “Olivia’s horse is in the third stall in the red barn.” Or, “How manystalls are in the women’s bathroom?”3These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 903 – Listening to a Traffic ReportCULTURE NOTETraffic InformationTraffic reporters need to have “up-to-the-minute” (updated; current; timely)information about the traffic, and they have developed several “methods” (waysof doing something) to get that information.Many TV stations and radio stations use helicopters to observe traffic from theair. This lets reporters quickly identify where traffic is stalled and which“alternative” (other) routes are available. Reporters can also “eavesdrop” (listento something without participating) on police radio. This lets them hear aboutaccidents and road closures as they are “occurring” (happening), in “real time”(when something happens, not later).There are also many electronic methods that don’t rely on individuals. Forexample, some traffic “sensors” (electronic devices that measure something andsend signals about it) are placed in the “pavement” (the hard surface of a road),and they can measure the number of cars that pass over a certain point in acertain amount of time. The sensor “reads” (information coming from thesensors) can be used to calculate the average speed and the “density” (thenumber of cars in a given area) of the cars on that road.“Heavily used streets” (streets that have a lot of traffic) and busy “intersections”(places where roads cross each other) are often “monitored” (observed; watched)by traffic cameras, so reporters can view the “video footage” (recorded images)to “assess” (measure and evaluate) the current traffic conditions.Finally, some reporters ask individuals to help them improve their reporting.Individuals are “encouraged” (asked to do something) to “call in” (call a radiostation with information) when they see an accident or another source of trafficcongestion. Some news programs even have “smart phone apps” (applicationdesigned for phones that can access the Internet) that people can use to reporttraffic “hang-ups” (problems that cause traffic to slow down).______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b4These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 903 – Listening to a Traffic ReportCOMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 903: Listening to aTraffic Report.This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 903. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Our website is ESLPod.com. Go there. Become a member. Download a LearningGuide for this episode.This episode is a story about listening to the traffic report – a report about howthe traffic is on the freeways and roads in your city. Let's get started.[start of story]Every afternoon before I leave work, I listen to the traffic report to see if I shouldtake my usual route home or make a detour. So today, like every day, I turnedon my radio.“It’s a tough commute today if you’re traveling on I-35 north. There’s a majorslowdown due to an overturned big rig that’s blocking the number two lane.”Oh no. That meant that I had to take the 40W instead.“If you’re traveling on the 40W, you’ll find a lot of congestion. It’s down to onelane because of a pileup. Emergency vehicles are responding.”Wow, that meant I might have to take surface streets all the way home.“And if you’re thinking of taking Broadway Boulevard west from downtown, thinkagain. There is a stalled vehicle blocking the right lane and construction all theway to Main Street.”Well, I was in a no-win situation. Do I want to spend two hours in gridlock or twomore hours at work?[end of story]Our story begins when I say that every afternoon before I leave work, before Ileave my job, I listen to the traffic report. The “traffic report” is information about5These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting ofthese 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]