#0371 – A Scandal, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

#0371 – A Scandal

#0371 – A Scandal, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

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English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 371 – A Scandal
GLOSSARY
to step down –
to resign an important position; to quit a high-level job or
position
* The candidate knew he would lose the election and decided to leave the race.
resignation –
a formal statement or letter stating that one is leaving or quitting
one’s job; a formal announcement that one will no longer be in a position or job
* He hated his job as a garbage man so he gave his boss his letter of resignation.
allegation –
statements that someone has done something wrong or illegal,
possibly not true; an accusation
* Newspapers have made allegations that she stole money from her company.
However, so far there is no evidence to support these allegations.
affair –
a short sexual relationship, usually a secret
* The secretary is having an affair with the company’s executive.
pregnant –
when a woman has a child grow inside her womb (stomach); when a
woman is carrying a baby
* My friend just told me he is going to be a father. His wife is three months
pregnant!
to go public –
to tell something private to a lot of people; to confess something
that one has done
* Thousands of newspapers where sold when the president went public about
her plans to fix the healthcare system.
to deny –
to state that something is not true; to tell others that what has been
said about oneself is untrue
* He denied breaking the window, but I am sure he did it.
made up – a
created or invented story that is not true; an imagined or false story
or idea
* Never believe anything he says. He always makes things up.
to cover up –
to hide the truth; to try to prevent others from knowing the truth
* Some people believe that the government covers up the existence of aliens, but
they do exist.
1
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 371 – A Scandal
a lot to lose –
when one has many things to lose, for example, one’s job or
reputation
* She is rich, respected, and successful. She should be careful because she has
a lot to lose.
to lose (one’s) head –
to not have good judgment because of emotions such as
love or anger; to do something that one would not normally do because of strong
emotions or not having enough time to think
* My brother deleted my assignment from the computer. I was so angry that I
lost my head and threw a glass of water at him!
public eye –
having the attention of many ordinary people; being known by the
general public
* She is a famous actress so she gets no privacy. She’s always in the public
eye.
to play with fire –
to be involved in a dangerous or serious situation; to do
something that may cause a serous or bad result
* He didn’t know that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.
embarrassment –
feeling shame; feeling uncomfortable because of something
negative about oneself or about something that one has done
* She went red with embarrassment when her mother showed her new boyfriend
some old photographs.
extenuating circumstances –
reasons why a crime or something wrong that
one has done seem less serious; reasons or circumstances for getting less
punishment than one would normally get for doing something wrong
* The man was accused of robbery, but because of extenuating circumstances,
he didn’t go to prison.
serves (someone) right –
a phrase used when one believes that another person
deserves the punishment he or she receives
* My friend just got a divorce and lost his house. It serves him right because he
was unfaithful to his wife.
2
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 371 – A Scandal
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
1. Which of these is an example of losing one’s head?
a) Being pregnant.
b) Being the president of a university.
c) Saying angry things to the president of the university without a good reason.
2. Why does the professor want to cover up his affair?
a) Because it serves him right.
b) Because he has a lot to lose.
c) Because he likes wearing make up.
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
resignation
The word “resignation,” in this podcast, refers a letter you write or a statement
you make which states that you are quitting your job or position: “I have to quit
my job for personal reasons so I gave my boss my resignation today.” It relates
to the verb “to resign” which means to quit or leave your job by telling your boss:
“She resigned today because she was offered a better job with a different
company.” The word “resignation” can also mean that you accept something
even if you don’t like it because it can’t be changed easily: “They accepted the
insurance company’s decision not to rebuild their house after the storm with
resignation.” Or, “He accepted his fate with resignation.” One’s look, expression
or tone can be described as “resigned”: “The woman said in a resigned tone that
she had been waiting for three hours and will continue to wait.”
to cover up
In this podcast the expression “to cover up” means to hide or conceal the truth
from people or to keep something a secret: “The man was actually going to Italy
to sell his company’s secrets and used the conference to cover up his true
purpose.” In the U.S., “cover-up” is also a name for a type of make-up or
cosmetic used by women to hide flaws on their faces: “When she woke up she
had an ugly blemish on her nose and she had to hide it with cover-up so no one
would see it.” A cover-up is also a piece of clothing that women wear, usually
over their bathing suit: “She came out of the swimming pool, dried herself with a
towel, and put on her cover-up so she wouldn’t get cold.”
3
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 371 – A Scandal
CULTURAL NOTES
In the U.S., a company or organization’s “image” (how the public sees and
understands the company) is very important. While a good image can help the
company “achieve its aims” (be successful), a bad image can mean the
“collapse” (failure) of that organization. There are several ways that companies
in the U.S. help “promote” (encourage the popularity or sale of something) a
good image.
One way is to give money to “charity” (a system of giving money, food, or help to
those who need it). Many big companies give millions of dollars a year to
charities such as The Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Others create their
own charitable organizations, build hospitals or found universities. For example,
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, also established the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation in 1997 and “donated” (to give something to someone, usually
money) 350 million dollars in 2005 alone.
Companies also “sponsor” (finance; to support a person or organization, usually
by giving money) famous events such as the Olympic Games to promote a
positive corporate image. Coca-cola, Samsung, Visa and Kodak are a few of the
top sponsors for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are
seen as an event that “unites” (joins together) the different cultures of the world in
a peaceful way. As sponsors, companies can share this image.
A less “honorable” (respectable; honest and fair) way that companies change
their negative image into a positive one is to fire an employee and use them as a
“scapegoat” (a person who is made to take the blame for something someone
else did). The fired person therefore takes much of the negative association with
them and the company is no longer blamed for the illegal or dishonest acts.
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b
4
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 371 – A Scandal
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 371: A Scandal.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 371. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at eslpod.com and download a Learning Guide for this episode
to help you to improve your English even faster. You can also take look at our
ESL Podcast Store, which has additional courses in business and daily English
we think you’ll enjoy.
This episode is a dialogue between Caridad and Nate; it’s called “A Scandal.” A
“scandal” is when someone does something wrong, and everyone is very angry –
very upset about it. Usually, it’s something that happens to a very public person,
like a president or a governor. This is a scandal about the president of a
university. Let’s listen.
[start of dialogue]
Caridad: Look at this! The president of McQuillan University is stepping down.
He submitted his resignation this morning after an undergraduate student made
allegations that they had an affair and that she’s pregnant with his baby.
Nate: That’s terrible. Maybe they were in love.
Caridad: In love? He’s married and has four kids, and when she first went public
about the affair, he denied it and said that she had made up the whole story.
Would someone in love try to cover up something like this?
Nate: Who knows? The president of a major university is a person with a lot to
lose. I’m not making excuses for him, but maybe he lost his head.
Caridad: Of course he had a lot to lose. Anyone who is in the public eye like he
is shouldn’t be playing with fire. He’s an embarrassment to his family and to his
university.
Nate: I still think there could be extenuating circumstances. All you know you’ve
learned from one newspaper article.
5
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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