#0703 – Attending an Auction, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

#0703 – Attending an Auction

#0703 – Attending an Auction, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 703 – Attending an Auction
GLOSSARY
auction
– an event or place where things are sold to the person who is willing to
pay the most for them
* A lot of fine art is sold at auctions because it would be difficult to put a price tag
on the pieces.
auctioneer
– a person whose job is to lead an auction, announcing what is for
sale and identifying who is willing to pay the most money
* If you want to buy something, make sure the auctioneer can see and hear you.
podium
– a small raised area that is a little higher than the surrounding floor,
where a speaker stands so that he or she can be seen by the audience, and/or a
wooden stand the speaker stands behind and places books or notes on so that
he or she can read the notes while facing and speaking to the audience
* Whenever he approaches the podium, he gets really nervous, his heart rate
speeds up, and his hands begin to sweat.
gavel
– a wooden hammer held in one’s hand and hit against a table to get
everyone’s attention, especially in a courtroom
* The judge hit her gavel on the table to get everyone’s attention.
bidding
– the process of many people taking turns announcing how much they
are willing to pay for something until only one person is willing to pay the final
price
* Some people get too excited during the bidding and they end up spending more
money than they had planned.
lot
– a group of objects that are sold together
* They saved a lot of money by buying baby clothes in lots on eBay.
reserve
– the minimum price at which something will be sold
* The car didn’t sell because nobody was willing to pay more than $5,000 and the
reserve was $7,500.
opening bid
– the amount proposed by the auctioneer to begin bidding on a
particular item, so that the first bid is equal to that amount and all other bids must
be higher
* If the opening bid is too low, the bidding process can take a long time.
1
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). 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 703 – Attending an Auction
auction block
– the raised surface where objects are displayed as they are sold
at an auction
* Are bidders allowed to go up to the auction block and take a closer look at what
they’re bidding on?
on behalf of
– doing something for another person, especially someone who is
not able to do something at a particular place and time
* I am honored to accept this award on behalf of all our team members.
absentee
– someone who cannot be present; someone who is not able to be at
a particular place and time to participate in some meeting or activity
* Our state allows absentee voters to vote by mail.
paddle
– a flat round or square piece of wood or plastic with a handle, held in the
air with one’s hand, usually marked with a large number so that one can place a
bid at an auction
* If the auctioneer sees your paddle in the air, she’ll assume you’re bidding on
the item she’s talking about.
going, going, gone
– a phrase used by an auctioneer when he or she thinks
only one person is still bidding, indicating that the opportunity to bid will end and
nobody else will be able to buy something
* I hear $235. Is that the final bid? Going, going, gone to the lady in the blue hat.
commission
– the percentage of a sales price that one receives for helping to
sell something
* The clerks at this store work on commission, so they’re always eager to help
shoppers make a purchase.
or else
– a threat; a phrase used to show another person that he or she must do
what one is asking, or there will be negative, unspecified consequences
* Jennifer said to her little brother: “Give me back my diary, or else!”
on the chopping block
– at risk of losing one’s job or life, referring to the piece
of wood that used to be used when cutting someone’s neck to separate the head
from the body
* If this presentation doesn’t go well, I’ll be on the chopping block!
2
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). 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 703 – Attending an Auction
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What is in the auctioneer’s hand?
a) The podium.
b) The gavel.
c) The paddle.
2. Why doesn’t Martin want to bid on the first lot?
a) Because he thinks the auctioneer is asking for too much money.
b) Because he isn’t interested in that lot.
c) Because he doesn’t have enough money.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
lot
The word “lot,” in this podcast, means a group of objects that are sold together:
“This auction catalog describes all the lots in great detail.” The phrase “(one’s)
lot in life” refers to one’s situation, especially when it is not a good or happy one
and when one does not have much or any control over it: “Do you really think
poverty is your lot in life?” The phrase “to draw lots” or “to cast lots” means to
decide who will do or receive something by having each person take one of
several pieces of paper or an object from a container, where one is different from
all the others: “Nobody wanted to give the first presentation, so they decided to
draw lots.” Finally, a “lot” can refer to a piece of land: “Do you know if anyone’s
planning to build a house on that empty lot?”
paddle
In this podcast, the word “paddle” means a flat round or square piece of wood or
plastic with a handle, held in the air with one’s hand, usually marked with a large
number so that one can place a bid at an auction: “Who was bidding with paddle
number 146?” A “paddle” is also a piece of wood with a wide end and a long
handle, placed in the water and used to move a boat forward or backwards:
“Rowing the canoe paddles all afternoon made his arms very sore.” Finally, a
“paddle” can be a special attachment for an electric mixer, used for stirring
dough: “Don’t forget to scrape the paddle attachment every few minutes while
you’re making the cookie dough.”
3
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). 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 703 – Attending an Auction
CULTURE NOTE
Common Types of Auctions
The most common types of auctions in the United States are “English auctions,”
where bidders can see who the other bidders are, and they start with a low price,
“working up” (increasing the amount of the bids) until only one person is willing to
pay the highest price for the item.
The opposite of an English auction is a “Dutch auction,” where the auctioneer
begins with a very high price and “gradually” (slowly) lowers it until someone is
willing to buy the item.
In a “sealed-bid” auction, each bid is “presented” (submitted) in a “sealed”
(closed with glue so that other bidders cannot see it) envelope and the item is
sold to the highest bidder. In a sealed-bid auction, each bidder can present only
one bid.
“Silent auctions” are very common for “charity events” or “fundraisers,” which are
auctions that are designed to “raise” (gather) money for important “causes”
(efforts to change society in some way), such as feeding the poor or saving
“endangered species” (types of animals of which few are still living). In a
chartable silent auction, people or businesses “donate” (give something without
receiving money) goods and services and those items (or descriptions of them)
are placed on a table with “sheets” (pieces) of paper where bidders can write
down their bidding number and the price they are willing to pay. Bidders can
return to that table and “revise” (change; edit) their bid if they see that other
people are bidding “higher” (in a larger amount) than they are. At a specified
time, the bidding is closed and the highest bid on each piece of paper is the
winner.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a
4
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). 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 703 – Attending an Auction
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 703: Attending an
Auction.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 703. 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. Download a Learning Guide for this episode, and
help support this episode by becoming a member of ESL Podcast.
This episode is called “Attending an Auction.” An “auction” is where you try to
buy things by offering or saying that you will pay more money than the other
people. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Diane: This is so exciting! I’ve never been to an auction before.
Martin: Sit down. It’s about to start. The auctioneer is on the podium with her
gavel and she’s ready to start the bidding.
Diane: Are you bidding on the first lot?
Martin: No, the reserve is too high. See? The opening bid is over 10,000
dollars. I’m not surprised. Items of that quality don’t appear on the auction block
very often.
Diane: What are those people doing on the phone?
Martin: They are bidding on behalf of people who can’t be here, the absentee
bidders. Hey, stop waving that paddle around! The auctioneer is going to think
that you’re placing a bid.
Diane: Oh, sorry. Listen, the price is up to 30,500 dollars. Going, going, gone!
The auction house is going to make a nice commission on that one. This is so
much fun!
Martin: Shhh! I’m going to bid on the next lot. Where is the paddle?
Diane: The paddle?
5
These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2011). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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